Early February brought excitement and exultation when Adam was sent an invitation to interview at the University of Calgary…and disappointment when the University of Alberta rejected his application pre-interview. The last few weeks have been a storm of emotion (mostly stress) as our family as struggled with being carless and preparing for Adam to get to Calgary for his interview this coming Saturday. He had no suit that fit, no dress shoes, and no transportation. So he bought a nice grey suit at a good price (much less than we expected), graphite-colored shirt, dress shoes, and a pink tie (and he looks fantastic). He reserved a rental car. He’s going to have to stay in a hotel Friday night because his interview is first thing Saturday morning. Lucy and I will be staying behind so the weekend is as complication and stress-free as possible for him. He tried to get a copy of Doing Right from the school library but it was on hold until May! So he got something similar…but it was a medical ethics book written from a US perspective. So I convinced him to shell out the $70 bucks for a copy of Doing Right and have it rushed. It’s reading week and Adam will spend his time off from class preparing for his interview (and attempting to potty train Lucy, oh joy). It may or may not arrive before the interviews (fingers crossed).

The pressure is high. All our proverbial eggs are in a University of Calgary basket. Only 33% percent of prospective students interviewed will be accepted. If Adam isn’t in that 33% that means no med school for us, at least not this year. It’s not at all uncommon for students not to make it the first time they apply. But being a somewhat “non-traditional” applicant, and being a bit older than many of his fellow applicants the longer it takes the harder it will be on our family. In other words…we’re really stressed.

We know we have to move this summer one way or the other, because there are no more classes Adam can take in Medicine Hat and he needs to transfer to a BA program. It’s so frustrating to look for affordable housing and have to eliminate choices because of family discrimination. Technically Canadians are supposed to be protected from landlords refusing to rent to families with children (except in buildings for the 65+ crowd). But the discrimination policies aren’t always laid out clearly and are not universally enforced.

Basically it sucks.

You know what else sucks?

Having to wait until MAY to find out if Adam is accepted or not.

Everyone knows medical school is hard and stressful. But very few people warn you how stressful the application process can be. Prospective students: consider yourself warned.

*ahem* I do believe it’s time for a little bragging on behalf of Adam:

Oh yes, I’m married to an MCAT-ass-kicking-machine!!!
So, for the unfamiliar MCAT scoring can be very confusing. Here’s more info:

Four separate scores are derived from the MCAT, one for each section and the total score. Each score that you achieve on the multiple-choice sections (Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, and Biological Sciences) is based on the number of questions you answer correctly. This raw score is a reflection of your correct answers only…The scores for the multiple-choice sections—Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences—will be reported on a scale ranging from 1 (lowest) to 15 (highest)…Your raw score on the Writing sample will be converted to an alphabetic scale ranging from J (lowest) to T (highest)...In addition to scores for the individual sections, a total score will also be reported. This total score will consist of a combined multiple-choice score conjoined with the Writing Sample score, e.g., 42T. {via the AAMC}

So, just to clarify, Adam got a good great score. I am not surprised, but I am proud, very proud. He is very smart and he worked very, very hard.
And now, I’m pleased to announce the start of a new series of posts which will be ongoing for the next million 8 or so years here on Domestic Dork:

Seeing as this is the inaugural post in the “Med School Mama” series I’ll give you some background info {for those of you who don’t already know it}. Adam has a bachelor’s in film. In his final year of classes he realized the film industry was not where he wanted to spend the rest of his working days. He spent some time in construction before deciding to go back to school. For the last year and a half he’s been taking pre-med classes with the intention of attending medical school. It was a big decision that we made together. We both knew that if he was going to pursue this dream I would need to be on board. Well, I am. And I’m doing what I can to help, starting with making the application process a little smoother.
Applying for med school is kind of a big deal. It’s exciting, and scary, and expensive and stressful and confusing. Different schools have different requirements. Some schools want your MCAT {Medical College Admission Test} scores to be this good other schools want them to be that good and some schools don’t care at all about the MCAT. This summer the med schools begin accepting applications for school beginning in fall 2011.
There are 17 accredited medical schools in Canada {versus 132 in the United States}. The Quebec schools were easy to eliminate.It didn’t take long before the list of schools Adam was interested in applying to was whittled down to 5 {though we’re not yet completely ruling out the others…except the ones in Quebec}. They are {in Adam’s current order of preference}:

1. University of British Columbia
2. McMaster University
3. University of Calgary
4. University of Alberta
5. University of Toronto

Basically, this is how the application process goes:












We’re not even to step one yet and already we’ve done plenty of the “cross fingers and try not to freak out” bit. See, we had to wait about a month before we knew how Adam scored on the MCAT. Since he did well we’ll move on to applying. If he hadn’t done well he would have had to write the test again and we’d start applying under the promise of sending in his scores after the retest. The MCAT is a big pain. It’s not cheap to take {$230 ouch!}. Plus it required that Adam drive to Edmonton. And, of course, it’s an important and loooong {5 hours!} test that required a lot of studying. So we’re both happy he won’t have to re-do all that {Adam especially is happy about that fact}. But either way it’s time to start preparing for the application process. So look forward to more Med School Mama posts. Next time I’ll show you how I’m helping Adam keep himself organized!
And again, a big, fat congratulations to Adam! Way to go, Love!

We’re a geeky family, we are. In fact, we start the geeky indoctrination from day one.
So, it really shouldn’t come as any surprise that Adam has always known that if he ever owned a white car he’d call it Shadowfax. And just to help out you non-geeky types I’ll tell you who Shadowfax is. Shadowfax is the lord of horses. He makes his first appearance in The Two Towers. He’s the big, beautiful white horse that Gandalf rides {see clip below}.
Yup, these bad guys, known as Ringwraiths, Nazgûl, Black Riders, Dark Riders, the Nine, The Backstreet Boys, etc. have some mean-looking black mounts. And the baddest of these bad guys is this fellow right here:
Do not piss this guy off. He will stab you. He will stab you with a Morgul-blade. You do not mess with the Witch-king of Angmar.
And since this dude rides a black horse, and we don’t know what his horse’s name* is, we used part of the dude’s “name” instead. And thus, our car was named Angmar.
But, just FYI, Angmar won’t stab you. He might pee coolant on you. But he won’t stab you.

*He probably would have named him a nice, friendly name like ‘Bill’ if somebody hadn’t already taken that name. I’m looking at you Samwise Gamgee!

Saturday.
We’re moving Saturday.
I’m not packed.
Do you know how long it takes to finish ANYTHING when a small person interrupts every five minutes? No really, how long does it take? I don’t know how long it takes because I haven’t finished a darn thing yet! But we’re getting there. The moving van is booked, the mail forwarding set up, internet service scheduled to be moved, deposit and first months rent is paid, helpers confirmed. We just need to finish packing.
Cleaning the old place can wait several days as we’ve got it until December 15th. The focus this weekend is moving in, putting up the Christmas decorations and tree, and getting our dining room table. We have a new table we can buy as a back-up if the used table we want is taken {still waiting to hear back from the sellers}. Our current table is, well…it doesn’t stand up unless placed in a corner, so you might say it’s broken. Adam’s Saturday shift got cancelled so hopefully it’ll be easier to get all this stuff taken care of.
Did I mention that his birthday is tomorrow?
It is.
And how will he celebrate?
With an 8 AM test.
And with packing.
Poor guy. But he’s a good sport. He says we can have snicker doodles {his choice in leiu of cake} after we move in. So, wish us luck and wish him a “happy birthday!” I’ll see you on the other side!

I met Adam August 27th, 2005. Two weeks later we were in a ring shop looking at engagement rings. Exactly four months later, on December 27th, 2005 we got hitched. Yes, I know how crazy that sounds.

Two weeks after we asked ourselves “hey, what if we moved to Canada?” we were crossing the border.

So yeah…we make big decisions quickly and go for it. So far it’s worked out really well for us.

Here’s the newest one…we’re moving {again}. See, unfortunately our two fur babies have been getting more and more aggressive with our real baby. They attack her. She has been bitten and scratched and my mama-bear instincts won’t stand for it anymore. They may not sound like serious injuries but cat bites can actually be very, very nasty. I also don’t want Lucy growing up with a fear of animals because the animals in her own life are cuddly sometimes and unpredictably violent at other times. It’s sad for me. And I feel guilty for “divorcing” my cats. But I keep telling myself, the cats are cats. Lucy is my daughter. And she comes first. So, we’re paying a forfeit fee and taking them to the shelter tonight. :(

What does that have to do with moving? Well, we’re in our current place because it was the only place we could find that welcomed both children and animals. It’s bigger than we need. It’s got some issues we don’t like. And it’s in a neighborhood we have grown to hate. Once we had made the decision to say goodbye to the kittehs we wondered if we might be able to find a smaller, cheaper place to live since we’d no longer need a pet-friendly rental. And we did. And I’m in love with it. Why?

• It has carpet. No more ugly foam mats to protect Lucy’s little knees. No more falls and bonks on a hard floor.
• It has a normal-sized refrigerator that isn’t leaking cold air.
• It has a dishwasher.
• It has lots of space where it counts. In our current place we have more space than we really need, but it’s all in the basement/rooms we don’t use. The new place has lots of space in the kitchen, the family room, and the dining area! In fact…it’s spacious enough in the living area that we’ll now be able to fit all the people we want to invite for Lucy’s birthday party! Yay!
• No more stairs! There are stairs to get up to the apartment. But there are none in our living space. I hate stairs. Knowing I don’t have to walk up and down stairs every time Lucy needs a diaper change or I need to use the bathroom makes me want to do a happy dance.
• It’s within walking distance to the library. I repeat, it is within walking distance TO THE LIBRARY. I cannot begin to describe how happy that makes me…you know, the bibliophile without a car all day because Adam takes it for school/work?
• Walk-in-closet. *swoon* And it’s a niiiice closet with lots of shelves and multiple bars at different heights and magical fairy dust.
• Nice, new windows (did I mention it was renovated about a year ago?). That means no more cold, Canadian, winter air pouring in our home through gaps between the glass and the wall.
• The only utility we pay is electric.
• The building is nice and secure. You can’t enter without a key or without being buzzed in. And there are security cameras in the hallways. Medicine Hat isn’t exactly the crime capital of Canada. But I can be a bit paranoid some times. So the security definitely appeals to me.
• It has those fancy hot water heaters that provide instant, on demand, unlimited, hot water. Um…maybe that’s a bad thing because it will probably mean I’ll use up the city’s entire water supply taking hot showers/baths and that’s maybe not so good for the planet…
• It’s just really pretty.

The one drawback is that there is no in-suite laundry. That means we’ll be washing the cloth diapers in the coin-op down the hall (but at least I don’t have to go up and down stairs to do it). Paying for laundry always sucks, but even taking that into account we’ll be saving money in our new place. {If you’ve ever done cloth diapers with coin-op laundry please leave any advice in the comments.}

We’re going over there today to take some measurements (so we know what kind of baby gate to get) and to drop off some paperwork. I’ll try and take some pictures while I’m there. We move in Dec 1st. So…yeah…I’m going to be REALLY busy in the coming days. In addition to moving and all the hassle that entails I’m still doing NaNoWriMo {I don’t think I’m going to finish by the 15th but I still hope to finish early}, I’ve got a few clients at the moment, I’m planning Lucy’s birthday party, I’ve got some Christmas crafts {advent calendar and some gifts} that need to be finished, and Adam is approaching finals and picked up some extra hours at work recently. So, we’re sorta, kinda, maybe a little busy right now. That means the blog posts will be sporadic at best until some time in December. But oh boy, once they get going again you are going to be pleased. I’m going to have posts about the new apartment {with pictures of course}, posts about the holidays, posts about Lucy’s AWESOME party that I’m currently preparing for, some product reviews/giveaways, and, you know, my usual awsomeness. ;)

Life’s a crazy adventure. Wish us luck!

Last night we had one of Adam’s classmates over for dinner. We served her one of our favorite recipes, nori wrapped salmon. Usually we make it with white fish because white fish is cheaper (tilapia is our normal fish of choice). But we found some cheap, wild Pacific salmon at the store and grabbed it up. The recipe comes from Mothering magazine. We use wasabi paste and like to use a lot of it (instead of just a pinch of wasabi powder). Wasabi has a bit of kick, so be careful with it if you’re not into that. I just had to share the recipe because it’s really yummy, and it’s even yummier with salmon than it is with tilapia! We had ours with Brussels sprouts, brown rice, and sake {which we were trying for the first time - verdict? meh.}. And we had a cappuccino cheesecake for dessert. In fact…I think I hear the leftovers calling my name. I’d better go check on them….but before I go. Here’s the recipe!

When you wrap salmon in mineral-rich nori seaweed, the wrapping not only adds nutrients to the dish but also keeps the salmon moist. Serve atop brown rice, quinoa, or kasha, with sauteed baby bok choy on the side. Wheat-free, dairy-free.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped mixed herbs: thyme, basil, garlic, parsley, mint
salt and pepper to taste
2 8-ounce salmon fillets
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
pinch wasabi
2 sheets nori

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Mix oil, herbs, salt, and pepper. Rub salmon with mixture. Mix mustard and wasabi together. Spread on nori. Place salmon at one edge of nori sheet and wrap. (The nori will stick to itself and to the fish.) Place wrapped fish in a slightly oiled baking dish. The general rule for fish is to cook it 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. The nori will lightly flavor the fish and seal in the juices.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Makes 4 small or 2 regular servings

recipe via Mothering

Dye my hair purple.

It’s on my list of things to do. It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time. So I made the appointment {and by “I” I mean “Adam”}. I pushed past the nervousness and sat in the chair. I pretended that I wasn’t surrounded by three dozen little old ladies getting their greys covered and certainly thinking I was crazy {and by “three dozen” I mean “maybe three to five”}. I managed to not panic when the peroxide started doing things to my scalp I hadn’t expected. I waited patiently. I didn’t complain when the stylist was less than gentle with my hair {and by “less then gentle” I mean “pulling my hair like one might weed a garden”}. And what to I have to show for it?

My AWESOME purple hair! ---------------->

And by “awesome” I mean “not at all awesome.” And by “purple” I mean “ugly part purple, part weird blue-ish brown-ish grey.”

Apparently my hair just wouldn’t take the color. {Thanks a lot, Hair}. But the stylist said that if we kept trying we’d really damage my hair {Yeah, well, you deserve it, Hair}! So she sent me home with a bottle of fancy conditioner and instructions to deep condition my hair four times this week. Then we get to do the whole. thing. over. again next Saturday. Yippee.

We are however happy with Adam’s new look.

Have you ever had a dye job go horribly, terribly wrong? Oh boy, do I want to hear about it! So tell me in the comments!

For Part 2 click here!

Months ago Adam got a ticket for running a stop sign. Now, I’m not going to go into all the nitty gritty details {I considered drawing a chart} but trust me when I tell you that:

1. The stop sign was easy to miss {neither of us saw it}.
2. It was a really, really screwy double intersection thingy that would be confusing for anybody.
3. It was dark on top of all that.

So there was no way we were going to let the ticket go uncontested. We knew we might not be able to completely defeat the charge, but we figured we could at least convince the judge to lower the fine. So we planned our vacation around Adam’s court date and awaited his chance to prostrate himself in front of the masters of justice and mercy.

The big day arrived and Adam headed downtown to plead with the judge. Shortly after he left I got a phone call, from him, asking me to come be a witness. So he rushed back home, picked me and the little me up and we headed back to the courthouse. His turn came and I, being a witness and all, waited outside the courtroom.

I was excited and kind of nervous. I’d never been a witness before. Was I going to actually sit up on the stand and get sworn in and everything?

No.

Because the judge threw the ticket out on a technicality.

Chalk one up for bureaucracy ladies and gentlemen, sometimes it does work in our favor.

Have you ever gone to court over a traffic ticket? How’d it go?

Adam gets to see a lot of movies for work. He works with disabled individuals and they do all sorts of things; grocery shopping, job hunting, bowling, and, yes, movies.

So he sees a lot of things before I do. It works out quite well. I don’t have to see movies I’m not interested in but that he wants to see. And when I do go to the theatre he can take baby-duty {i.e. diaper changes and soothing fusses} and he isn’t missing anything he’s not already seen.

Now, we’re Star Trek fans. We don’t own our own Federation Uniforms, or Tribbles, or anything {yet}. But we do love it. We were pretty stoked for the new movie. Not surprisingly, Adam saw it first. It took a while before I was ready to try venturing to the theatre with Lucy to see it. But finally the time came that I was ready to give it a go. We made plans to see it the very next day.

And then the movie theatre switched out the shows and it was no longer playing.

We were both very, very bummed. It was going to be my first time seeing a movie since Lucy had been born. And Adam had been dying for me to see it so he could actually talk about it with me without giving anything away.

Then we had to head to a different city for immigration stuff. And that city happened to have a dollar theatre,* a dollar theatre still playing Star Trek. So we made plans to see it while we were there.

And then the movie theatre switched out the shows and it was no longer playing.

Then, on our flight to Toronto, they had the little TV things built into the seats that had TV shows and movies. One of the movies? Yup, you guessed it. Star Trek. So we did our best to watch it while keeping Lucy happy.

And then the screen froze in the middle of the movie.

We did manage to finally see it in a dollar theatre in Ohio. Lucy even slept or cuddled quietly the whole time!

So, what did I think?

TOTALLY WORTH THE WAIT.

Also?

The new Kirk is totally hot a very good casting choice.

*Why, why, why don’t we have a dollar theatre in this town?

Well, vacation is officially over. And I have about a million blog posts I want to write about ambulance rides, rainbows, dogs, family, food, and how much the Sheraton sucks. And tomorrow I draw the winners for the big graphic design giveaway. Yup, I’m going to be a very busy bee for a while. I miss my family again already. But it’s also good to be home. I’ll catch you all up very soon. In the meantime here are just some of the fun vacation photos we took:

It’s not secret that I’m a bit of an internet junkie. What can I say? I love having so much access to knowledge, humor, social networking, and so on. I have so many bookmarks that I’ve had to create folders within folders within folders to organize them. And over the next few days I’m sharing some of my favorites from each category. Get your clicking finger ready! And here we go…

Family & Friends

Adam (these are pages bookmarked for Mr. Dork):

• http://www.freeworldgroup.com/ Lots and lots of free Flash games. Warning: You may find yourself wasting a lot of time on this site!

Mama Resources:

• http://www.kellymom.com/ My favorite breast feeding resource.
• http://promom.org/ Another great breast feeding site.

Sky Academy (learning at home resources):

• http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/2024/list_15_1.html Amazing paper crafts to print such as a scientific model of the sun!
• http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/2009/07/sound-bingo.html A fun audio version of the game Bingo.

Crafts:

• http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/how-to/how-to-be-thankful-fall-garland-070293 A fun decoration to make for the Thanksgiving season. Be sure to browse the site for even more crafts and project inspiration!
• http://giverslog.com/?p=1146 A really easy, fun, DIY gift perfect for teachers, grandparents, or to keep for yourself!
• http://www.allfreecrafts.com/homemade-gifts/canning-jar-lamp.shtml A lamp I’ve been dying to make!

Shopping:

• http://www.theorganizedparent.com/servlet/StoreFront Products to help you be an organized mom.
• http://www.passionspice.com/ Nursing bras that are actually CUTE!

$$$:

• http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/ A great personal finance blog.
• http://www.stretcher.com/index.cfm More money-saving tips than you’ll know what to do with!

Brain in a Binder (pages for my home management binder):

• http://www.diyplanner.com/ User submitted printables to use in your planner (such as a Franklin Covey planner).
• http://notebook.organizedhome.com/printable Binder-sized printable.

Bitchen’ Kitchen (recipes and more):

• http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx Our favorite bread recipe (no-knead)!
• http://www.mothering.com/recipes/nori-wrapped-salmon We make this with tilapia because it’s cheaper. But we still love it!

Blogs

Groups:

• http://www.momblognetwork.com/welcome-new-user A network for Mommy bloggers.
• http://www.thesitsgirls.com/ One of my favorite blog networking sites.

Memes:

• http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com/ Fill in the blank prompts every Friday.
• http://www.wearethatfamily.com/2008/03/hi-yall.html Tips to make life easier.

Writing:

• http://www.problogger.net/ Probably one of the very best blogs about blogging on the internet. Don’t miss the “31 Days to a Better Blog” program!
• http://www.copyblogger.com/5-simple-ways-to-open-your-blog-post-with-a-bang/ Ideas for how to write the opening section of a blog post.

Design Tutorials/Tools:

• You can find some of my favorite blog design links in the post about my blog makeover.

More to come tomorrow!

What are some of your favorite websites? Leave me their urls in the comments!

A lot of you told me in the comments that I should brag away. So I will. First I’m going to brag about receiving my first blog award!

Rita, of Fighting Off Frumpy, has bestowed upon me the Honest Scrap Award because I blog with “candid honesty.”

I’m very happy to receive it because it wasn’t that long ago that I made a commitment to blogging openly about the good, the bad, and the ugly in my life. It’s nice to be noticed. And if she hadn’t already won it I’d be nominating her too! Actually, quite a few of the blogs I’d like to give the award to have already won it. But there is one blog that I just recently started reading that I think deserves to be noticed for openness and honesty. That blog is

So Fawned by Desiree Fawn.

Desiree, you rock. Go ahead and pass the award on to a deserving blog {and don’t worry about linking back here unless you really want to}.

Now, as promised, here are more pictures {by Madchen Studios}.

“Who is that pretty girl!?”

“Oh! It’s me!”

“Maaaaama! Daaaaady! Don’t kiss me in public!” {grumpy face}

{That’s a much happier face!}

{Please don’t hate me in 14 years for taking naked baby pictures!}

{I make you a tutu and this is the best picture you give us? Silly baby girl!}

“Waaaaah! There’s a bunny in my bucket! Get out bunny! GET OUT!”

I’ll see you tomorrow for a Body After Baby update! Enjoy what’s left of your weekend!

I have a beautiful family.

{click for larger versions}

All the photos were taken by Rachel at Madchen Studios. Visit her blog for even more amazing photography. These were our favorite shots. Tomorrow I’ll show you some others (including the ones in which Lucy didn’t cooperate)!

November 2007.

That was the last time I saw my family.

August 2009.

That is when I will see them once more! This time with hubby and mini-me in tow!

To say that I’m excited would be like saying whales prefer damp environments (a huge understatement). When I tell you that I squealed like a little girl and ran around the house you should know I’m not taking artistic liberties with my story. I really did squeal and run gleefully through the house. I love my family. I miss them a lot. And this will be the first time Lu gets to meet them. So, yeah, kind of a big deal.

Also, a big hassle. Aside from the expected work of getting Bear and Lu passports (for which we’ll have to get expedited service) we apparently have to register our information ahead of time so the US knows who we are and that we’re coming. Plus there’s the added effort required for traveling with a baby.

And there’s the credit card company mucking things up.

Look, MasterCard, I appreciate that you’re trying to protect me from identity theft or whatever. Really, I do. But you know I live in Canada. So really, you don’t need to put holds on my card when I make a purchase with a Canadian air line. I promise it’s me. And when I call you to tell you that, and you tell me the problem is fixed, please make sure the problem is fixed. Because it makes me feel stupid when I try to book a flight four separate times and get declined each time. And I’d really rather not have to call you again and book the flight a fifth time. OK?

But still, all that hassle?

Totally worth it!

Do you live near your family? If not, how often do you get to see them?

The celebrations began with a breakfast surprise from Bear. Canadian flag French toast! Strawberries {YUM!}, whole wheat French toast, whipped cream, and a French toast maple leaf made with one of our maple leaf cookie cutters. It was awesome!

We hit the festivities at the park which included a lot of inflatable, bouncy fun for kids older than Lucy and younger than us, crafts we had no desire to buy, and overpriced food we did not consume. But lest you think it wasn’t any fun I will point out that I had a blast showing off my adorable daughter in her adorable outfit. She was very popular. Plus we got free maple leaf temporary tattoos!

After hitting the park we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some groceries {which most certainly did not include a key lime pie…nope, definitely not}. And after lunch we all had naps, but only the most patriotic of naps. Really, they were very Canadian naps.

And finally we went to watch the fireworks. We found a great spot that was far enough away that we avoided the really bad traffic on the way home, plus the fireworks weren’t loud enough to scare the little one. We may not have been all that close but it was a great view. We could see the tepee, the moon, and the fireworks all together. How’d Lucy like the fireworks? She loved them!

She watched them very intently and was jumping in my lap in her excitement. I wasn’t sure whether she would hate them or be indifferent at her age. I certainly didn’t expect her to enjoy them as much as she did. I think her reaction was more fun than the actual fireworks (which were also very nice)!

I love my native country, don’t think I don’t. But I also really love Canada. It’s a great place to live and while I may not be a true citizen I have a lot of Canadian pride. I love the freedom, the tolerance, the natural beauty, the diversity, the wildlife, the health care, the Tim Horton’s density, and yes, I even love the word “eh!”

All in all it was a great holiday, probably the best holiday we’ve had since moving to Canada. We had good food, good fun, and good naps. And we had each other to enjoy it all together. Happy 142nd Canada!

O Canada!
Our home and [cherished] land!
True patriot love in all [of us] command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Canadians, how did you celebrate? Tell me in the comments. Non-Canadians, feel free to tell me how cute Baby Lu looked. ;)