Yesterday we made the long drive (but not as long as this drive) to Lethbridge. I had a late morning appointment with the immigration office. They weren't entirely clear ahead of time about the nature of the appointment. So imagine my surprise when the woman interviewing us casually turned to me and said "As of today you are a permanent resident of Canada."

Oh!

Well, AWESOME!

In 30 days I can expect my PR card which will finally allow me to leave the country and be permitted to enter it again. And I'm done giving them massive amounts of money (yesterday they required another $490). And I'm allowed to get a job or enroll in classes if I so choose (maybe some day, but not anytime soon). And I don't have to worry about losing my Alberta Health Care coverage. So, yeah, kind of a big deal (despite the casual manner in which we were informed).

As soon as we get our massive tax return I will so be on a plane to Ohio because a certain somebody needs to meet Grandma.

PS: Why in the name of all that is good and sane would a government building not have a single restroom available to the public?

My mother taught me that importance of paying taxes. I grew up with an understanding that if I wanted police officers, roads to drive on, public schools, health care (in Canada anyway), and so on then taxes I must pay. I'm cool with that. And one of the things that my tax dollars go to, one of the things I love most in the whole world, is the public library.

And our public library has a Wii.*

*Why yes, you should be incredibly jealous.

1. Join me in the fight against MS.

2. Put a little humor in your day!

3. Happiness is a warm gun?

4. Glazed and confused (by how anyone can love those over *REAL* donuts).

5. I'm waiting for my big Canadian tax refund.

6. Chocolate* is hard to resist.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to homemade pizza with our new recipe, tomorrow my plans include a Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel marathon and Sunday, I want to go to the library!

*I've had hot chocolate from Angelina's. I almost died it was so good.

One should never get a tax refund. If you get a refund it means you gave the government an interest free loan. Just think, you could have invested that money and let it earn interest all year long.

That said, if you get a new job in a country and you are unfamiliar with the tax laws of said country you may inadvertently end up with a refund the first time you file your taxes. How do I know this?

I'm just really smart.

Yeah...

It has nothing to do with the fact that Adam filled out our Canadian tax return this past week and we're apparently due for a $2000 refund.

Did I say "nothing?" I mean "everything."

That's right, we should be receiving a $2000 (CAD) refund. If we can figure out how to get Lucy's consular report of birth abroad and a Social Security number in time to file our US tax return I believe we'll qualify for a $300 (USD) stimulus payment. And I might mention that we'll also be getting $100 (CAD) per month for Lucy, a hefty refund of sales/service taxes, and an even heftier payment under the Canada Child Tax Benefit. I won't go into details about how much because it might make you non-Canadians envious. And you should be envious, because guess what...we also pay $0 per month to insure our little family.

Why am I telling you all this? I dunno. I guess it's just because I think it's so awesome.

Now, assuming I am allowed to leave the country and return legally then it looks like I'll be able to visit my family sometime this year after all. And that makes me very, very happy.