Visiting the Gibsons!

My friend Becky Gibson, who lives out in Watford invited Nathan and I over today to have dinner with her and her husband Mike (and their 5-month old son, Everett). Watford is a little over an hour away, so we had an early dinner so that we could visit and still get home at a good hour. Everett is so big and strong, it’s hard to believe he’s the same age as Scarlett. Becky is a great cook and somehow we always end up having dinner at her house with her cooking the meal (I always manage to sneak out of it)! We stayed for a few hours then headed back to my parent’s house.

Tobacco Field Trip

Today my mom and I went to visit Ashley (Debbie’s daughter) and her boyfriend Ben at their house in West Lorne. Ben works in tobacco and gave me a full tour and lesson about how tobacco is grown from green-house to pickup. Ben is always a good host and he was happy to teach me and answer all my questions. It was like being on a class trip! After we visited the fields, we went to Ben’s dad’s house to *steal* some of his produce from his garden. We got potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon, pears, and lettuce! I almost got a kitten (the farm has 5 kittens running around) but I knew my dad (and Nathan) would freak if I brought one home so I crushed the instinct to take one, but they were so cute!


We brought our veggies home and made an amazing meal of all fresh foods and it was delicious!

Ashley and I with the kittens

Dried Tobacco

HUGE watermelon

Cabbage rolls (my first time making them) from farm fresh cabbage

Gagen Baby Boom

Today we continued on the baby welcome wagon and met my cousin Becky’s new baby girl, Emma. Emma was born on August 23rd and she is Becky and her husband Chris’ first child. She is so new and smells so good (I think I have a weird smell obsession since I’ve been home). She is super cute. While we were there, Becky’s sister in law, my cousin Brad’s wife, Anita dropped by with her 2 kids- Abby, who is 6, and Brady, who is 5 months old. I hadn’t met Brady before so it was another baby to sniff! After a cup of tea with the moms we headed home to see Nathan.

Emma Leigh

Brady and I

Emma and I

Abby lost 2 teeth!

Fire Muster

Today my mom and I (again left Nathan at home to study) and volunteered to sell tickets (to raise money for the St. Thomas hospital) at the Fire Muster in Pinafore Park in St. Thomas. It was so cold when we woke up this morning, and the weather seemed especially harsh to me, so I was in my winter coat, boots, and I was even tempted to wear a hat! (Some people at the event were only wearing t-shirts!) After our shift of selling tickets, we watched a few of the firehouses compete in the obstacle course event that was set up. I know it’s a small, community event, but these (types) of things hardly even happened on Saba, and here it seems like every weekend you can find new experiences, see new people, and have a new story for your blog :)

PSFT

This morning, while Nathan snuck away to study, I went to Amy’s parent’s house (my first time driving Ken!) in Union (about 15 minutes away). She needed to go to the mall, so we ended up taking a drive to London and WOW the mall has changed! It’s only been 8 months since I’ve been in a mall but it looked so different, new stores, new layout, it was so strange. But everything smelled so good, the food court, Bath and Body works, new clothes, the spines of new books..ahhh!


Continuing on our get-spoiled week, my mom took me to the Port Stanley Festival Theatre tonight. It’s a small live-theatre in Port Stanley that does 3-4 plays per season (summer) and I’ve been going with my mom since I was 13. My aunt Vicki also came with us and it was good that we could catch up before the play and at intermission.The play, Wrong for Each Other, was really good, and I’m so impressed when 2 people can carry an entire show. They were both very talented and it was great to watch. I haven’t been to the theatre in so long and it was a joy I really missed in the last 2 years. Afterwards we all went to Broderick's to get frozen yogurt!

Atlanta Denied

Ok, long story short, Nathan wasn’t able to cross the border today. He was honest and told them he was meeting a friend he met on Saba to study for the USMLE. He was immediately pulled over.


• The officers didn’t know where Saba or St. Maarten was

• Didn’t believe that Nathan was going to study, thought he was going to work

• Wanted his banking information to see how he could afford to go to Atlanta for 2 months (then questioned him whether using a line of credit for a “vacation” was a wise use of his money)

• Wanted a letter from the school saying that he wasn’t doing anything affiliated with the school (could you imagine if they school had to write a letter like that each time a Canadian student wanted to cross the border?)

• Wanted to know why he had a computer monitor (helps him study to have 2 monitors) and an iron (doesn’t want to bother the family he’s staying with each day when he irons his shirt)

• Needed a reference letter from the couple he was going to visit.

The bottom line was that they didn’t believe him that he was going to study, and the burden of proof was on him and he didn’t meet it and they made their decision.

So after leaving at 5am, he returned at 12pm. He spent the afternoon calling the US customs to talk to a supervisor to find out all the information he would need to try again. I know he was mad/upset about the trip hitting a snag, but I understand that customs has to be thorough and I guess it’s a good thing that they’re strict. It’s just frustrating when the “good people” are penalized but bigger picture, I know its right. Nathan’s biggest complaint was that after holding him for 3 hours, he was being walked out by one of the guards and the guard said, “You know, you should have just said you were going on vacation.” Nathan was upset by this because he was just interrogated for hours over telling the truth and this man told him he should have “lied”. Nathan wants a perfect record of border travel since we plan to do it often and telling the truth is big deal to us so there are no complications later, well, so much for that!



After a few hours of calming down, napping, and thinking it over, Nathan decided that he’d just stay in Boxall and study. My parents have an extra bedroom that he can turn into an office, it’s really quiet here, and it’s just too stressful to try at the border again and be turned away and lose another full day of study time. So, this afternoon I rearranged the craft room into an office for Nathan. I’m actually happy that he didn’t make it across because now he can stay here with me!

I think Nathan would have loved to go (so would I) but we’re getting better at realizing life doesn’t always look like the way you thought it would but it will always end up looking the way it should.

Pool Day

It has been so hot here in Boxall! Nathan and I have spent the last 2 days relaxing in the pool. Being able to swim and cool down was a big drawback in Saba because there were no beaches and no place to really swim. I know Nathan wants to get back into lap-swimming once he settles in Atlanta.

Meeting Miss Scarlett, in the Living Room, with her Bottle

In addition to the overwhelming job of trying to clean/sort my room (although it is wonderful to have everything in once space rather than some in Saba, some in Boxall, some in Brampton), my brother, Fraser, brought his 5-month old daughter, Scarlett, over to meet her Aunt Amanda and Uncle Nathan! She is super cute and a really good baby. Fraser needed to run some errands so he left Scarlett with my mom and I so I was able to play with her for a few hours and apart from the drool that left most of my shirt wet, it was a fun time.

Kettle Creek Dinner

Tonight Nathan, my parents, Debbie, and I went to dinner at the Kettle Creek Inn. We sat outside and had fish and chips and watched the Port Stanley traffic. After dinner we went for a walk on Little Beach. I know it sounds vain, but it’s so nice to be able to get dressed up, wear make-up and do your hair and not have it frizz up five minutes after leaving the house. I’m sure I’ll miss my yoga pants and ponytails soon enough, but for now, I’m enjoying the nights out!

Welcome Home Part 2

Today we went to church with Nathan’s parents. What a difference to be able to go to church and worship and not have to run it! We loved being a part of the church on Saba and it was an amazing experience to see how much work and time goes into each Sunday; however, it was exhausting and today it was so relaxing. We were so grateful to be able to sit in the pew and listen to a fantastic sermon (including a prayer for Nathan and I).

After the service, we travelled to Brantford to see our friends Amy and Jay Woodley. Amy is a grade one teacher and Jay works in sales and they’re always amazing hosts. Amy and I went for a quick drive and we passed a group of her students. They called out " Hi Miss Wilson!" (her maiden name). I thought it was so funny how when I was in elementary school I never imagined my teacher was as young as I am now, or that my teacher had friends that they hung out with they way Amy and I do, it was just a strange moment. The Woodley's made us an amazing meal of BBQ chicken, fresh veggies, bread, and wine. We were even able to eat outside and enjoy the warm weather.

We arrived in Boxall at 9pm and after a few long hugs we pulled our luggage inside and had a cup of tea with my parents before we headed up to bed. On our bed was a welcome home package that included all the candy I missed most while I was away. Also, there was a new pair of pajamas. I know it’s excessive, but I love comfy pajamas and as a treat, every time I come home my mom has a new pair wrapped up on my bed. Yes, I’m spoiled and I love coming home to a clean bed with new p.j.’s.

CNE

Today Vanessa (my university roomate, bridesmaid, bff, etc) took me to the CNE as a belated birthday present. We had such an amazing time walking around, looking at exhibits, eating, and catching up on all we've missed. Something that I love so much about my frienship with Ness is that it's always remained strong no matter the distance between us or how often we see each other. She is always an inspiration (she's so smart, a super-enginner, beautiful, funny, the works) and so comfortable to talk to. She treated me all day and I was so spoiled! It was definitely sensory overload. We stayed for about 6 hours (both our feet had blisters) then she drove me back to Brampton to Blueridge.

Visit with the Repetskis!

Yesterday we went to visit our favourite nephew Calvin (and his wonderful parents Heather and Ian). We made the 40 minute drive from Martin and Marlene's to Tottenham. Tottenham is a small town (with a train that runs through it!) and it's super cute. We spent the afternoon laughing at Calvin's tricks-- his flexes his muscles and his whole body shakes. He is by far the happiest, easiest to laugh and smile kid I've ever seen. He's so independent and confident, he's amazing to watch and be around. He loves books and to look at pictures. In the afternoon, Marlene came to join us for dinner (Martin is in Windsor for a few days) but before we ate we went to a park that really close to Heather and Ian's. It was an amazing park. It was new and clean and Calvin really liked equipment. Ian came home around 6pm, and we had a great meal of burgers with ALL the fixin's. It was so nice of Ian to give us so much time, he obviously works so hard and we totally invaded his house and made him entertain us! After dinner Marlene watched Calvin and the 4 of us went for ice cream in town. After we got home and said goodnight to Marlene, we had a cup of tea and it was off to bed!


Today was another great day of visiting. In the morning, Nathan fed Calvin his snack and then we all got ready to go for a walk. While Heather was getting ready, bad Uncle Nathan and bad Aunt Amanda didn't notice that Calvin dropped a drywall paint knife (like a wall scraper) onto his foot. Nathan heard it drop but he didn't cry so we didn't notice anything. Calvin loves playing on Heather's bed because it's so soft, so we invented a game of "parachute" with her duvet, where we put Calvin on it then we he tried to run off the side of the bed, we'd lift the blanket and he'd get bounced around. He loved it, so we aren't that terrible. When Heather returned, she noticed the blood on her white duvet. Calvin had (a very small) cut his big toe and made a bit of a mess. After a little shout, Calvin then started to be a little gassy and didn't look so good-- I don't think the tossing around after a meal was a great idea. Aren't we a terrible influence?


We had another great walk and Heather took us to an antique store (so cute and great prices!) and a consignment store (I've never been but I found an amazing jacket for cheap!). When we got back to the house, Heather made us fresh sandwiches served with Coca-cola. mmmmmm......


Calvin was put down for his afternoon nap and we said our good-byes and headed back to 28 Blueridge Square.

Meet Ken

Today Nathan and I went to pick up our car. It's a 2006 Altima, and it's amazing. It's my first car-- I say mine because it's all in my name. Nathan really lucked out that I'm over 25, no tickets, no accidents, and I'm rural! Cheap(er) insurance! It's a big car, but I've grown up driving Boneville's and Intrepid's so it's not a big deal to me. hahha...BIG deal. Nathan will be driving to Atlanta next Thursday, so the car (48 000km on it currently) will be getting quite the workout next week.  We bought the car through the same man who set up Heather and Ian's car for them. He buys the car at an auction and does maintenance, liscensing, etc. and all we had to do was show up. It was so easy (besides separating with the money) and we were so blessed to be able to have such a nice, reliable car, and to have had such a great experience in getting our first car-- the Kia in Saba didn't count ;)

Happy Anniversary!

What a great way to start a new blog!

Here we are, finished the first leg of Nathan's medical school education, we've left Saba, we're on a visiting circuit of our family and closest friends, and we're celebrating 2 wonderful years of marriage. I can't believe how fast the last 2 years have gone. Sometimes it feels like we've been together forever, and others it seems like the wedding was only yesterday.

We don't have any grand anniversary plans, after all, we just spent an amazing 5 days in St. Maarten- we've been spoiled enough! However, my mom and dad mailed some gift cards that really hit the spot. They sent them for fast food, Subway, and TIM HORTON'S!

After and iced cappuccino we spent an hour or so driving around doing errands. It was so amazing to see Ontario after being away for so long. It was great to see flat roads, street lights, trees changing colours, parking lots, crops, sidewalks, customer service, and smiling faces. And the smells! Cut grass, fresh air, roses, and yes-- cow poop. We left the windows down and took a BIG WHIFF! I don't think I stopped smiling and marvelling all day how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful, free, happy place.

Instead of going out for dinner Marlene made the four of us a delicious home-cooked meal. Everything tastes so much better when someone else cooks! We're slowly making our way through the piles of clothes that need to be washed that smell like mold and mildew, or as Nathan says, that all his Saba clothes smell like last year's camping supplies.