Life in Canada, Part Two

Here are some of the differences we've noticed since last time...

1) The following words are pronounced with short a's: pasta, drama, Mazda Miata. I know there are more... The pronunciation that sticks out to me most is Mario. It's pronounced with a long A, so the first syllable rhymes with scare. How can that be an Italian name?

2) Curling is on ESPN instead of college basketball.

3) The current McDonald's happy meal toys are NHL mini helmets :)

4) Napkins are called serviettes.

5) Candy bars are called chocolate bars.

6) Graham crackers are in the cookie section of the grocery store instead of the cracker section. (Perhaps they're in the cookie section in the States too, and I just haven't bought any for a long time. Anyways, I searched all over today, as the cracker and cookie sections are far apart from each other here!)

7) Farmers are not allowed to give dairy cows growth hormones, causing all dairy products to be hormone-free...and more expensive. Yet, the yogurt is delicious.

8) Sweet chili sauce is a major condiment to have. Something is made with it at almost every restaurant we've been to (okay, that number isn't huge, but three menu items do call for it at Earl's).

9) According to John, the OREOs taste different. I will definitely have to test this!

Ice Fishing - John

OK, I don't know who you are, or how you know me... but you probably know that I don't do a lot of ice-fishing (or fishing in general), and that I REALLY don't do snowmobiling. If you're one of my high-school buddies, cut me a little slack as you read on. I haven't turned into a hick!

Last weekend, I got to go farther north in BC with a few guys from church. The purpose was to ice-fish. It was really nice to get out into nature, to go pretty far away from any big towns (about 6 hours from home), and to get to know the guys more. I did ride (but didn't drive) a snowmobile, and I even enjoyed it, but it was with the express purpose of getting to the lake where the fishing was done!


That part of BC is really beautiful. Unlike most of BC where we've been, there weren't any mountains. It reminded me of northern Minnesota with a lot of trees and lakes, but the hills are larger.


I didn't catch any fish. However, I played a bit of pool, which was fun. The highlight of the trip may have been when I jumped the cue-ball over the eight-ball, down the table, and knocked the four-ball into the corner pocket.


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Science World for Valentine's Day

One building that definitely stands out in the Vancouver skyline is Science World. The whole ball is full of fun games that are scientific if one chooses to read the words next to the game. We did, of course, but there were definitely some kids who just wanted to spin those dials!

One of the best activities was a computer station that took your picture, and then showed what you'd look like in 5, 10, 15, even 40 years! We joined the long line of adults, anxiously waiting to see what the future held. John was the one who ended up doing it. Here he is after seeing himself at 60:


His expression can be interpreted in many ways, don't you think? Here's what he saw:


Doesn't he look like his dad?

Valentine's Week

John and I started dating in January of 2003. He completely surprised me a month into our relationship with "Valentine's Week." Well, he has resurrected that week and we're now celebrating! What a surprise I got today.

After finishing work, I went to our car and what do I find in the passenger seat but these...



I was so surprised! They were so beautiful and smelled so good. It was so exciting that I almost forgot to drive the car over to pick up all the class materials that were waiting for me! Deciding to listen to the radio, I turned it on but a CD came on instead. What played but "Love Me Do" by the Beatles. While I did errands afterwards, I kept thinking about what a great surprise it was.

I then drove home and carried the first load of groceries down to our basement suite, grabbing the camera on the way back out. When I came back in, I started unloading groceries and then all of a sudden my eyes got really big! What was waiting on the kitchen table for me but this...



Thank you John.

World Cup Bobsleighing

Whistler and all of Vancouver is getting ready for this time next year. They have to prepare for everything: managing all the vehicles that will drive up to Whistler, security checks, set-up for the press's cameras, the width of snow stairs leading to the top of the Whistler Sliding Center, and more. So, in order to help them prepare and get the kinks out of things, they are hosting many of the World Cup 2009 events.

We went to the World Cup Bobsleighing (the correct term for bobsledding up here in Canada) event this Saturday. After driving up to Whistler, we almost didn't get to go because all the tickets were sold out, but then we got connected with someone who'd bought some for friends that were no longer going to attend. Woo-hoo! Thank you sir!

After a LONG hike up to the top of the bobsleighing track, the fun began. It is incredible to see these big men take a heavy bobsleigh, push it on ice, and get in the sleigh, all in a matter of seconds. Take a look:



I won't bore you with the details of all that we learned and witnessed, but I will say that those men fly. Once they get up to full speed, when the sled goes by it just looks a light is suddenly moving on the ice and then it's gone. After they pass the finish line, the track goes UPHILL quite a ways in order to help them stop, and they still have to press that brake down so forcefully that ice goes flying. They go over 95 miles per hour!

Christmas!

So this is over a month late, but the holiday season should be celebrated all year long, right? We had a wonderful time being back in the Midwest.

It was fun to be living with Ethan and Anika again.

John had a wonderful time playing with his nieces!

The next great pianist in the family?

A very exciting part of our vacation was meeting our new little nephew, Jack Dalton. Actually, spending time with all of his family was great!

Check out those muscles!

While being in the Cities, we also got to see some friends. A good afternoon was spent with one amazing friend...

...and then the evening with another!

Couldn't be in Minnesota at Christmas time without seeing the Holidazzle with Greg and Emily, and then attending a wedding with them...

...seeing the four roommates together brought back NWC memories.
Congrats Micah and Kim!

Yes, we did drive through the night so we could spend the eve with one fam and the morning with the other. It was worth it.

We sibs headed out to the traditional sledding hill.

And despite Rob trying to hit us, the only thing that got damaged was the toboggan!





Thanks for a wonderful time everyone.