It's been a while...

So the last month has been very busy and there's been little time or motivation to sit down and write, but now I'm doing it and I will do it again and again to get back in the habit!

So it all began with Jacks visit. After he came back from camp we had a couple more weeks of shopping, sightseeing and a trip to Palmyra. This trip consisted of Jack, myself, Harrison and Shona. It was a good group! So it all started when we got to the border. The US border guard took his sweet time and we were there for an hour. It was maddening but at the same time probably a good thing, as we had had white smoke coming from the car when we stopped. None of us being a mechanic this obviously caused a sense of panic! Some nice man did come over and ask if we needed help and had a look. He was on his way to a classic car festival or something along those lines and we trusted his judgement, so with a deep breath and crossed fingers we continued our journey which took FOREVER. We stopped at an exit to get something to eat and couldn't find the food places that were on the sign. We then drove around following signs leading to the highway for another 45minutes so we could find another exit with food. We finally reached Palmyra and took Jack on a quick tour of the Sacred Grove and to the Temple and then onto Cumorah's Hill for the pageant. The Palmyra pageant is an incredible feat. There's ALOT of people who volunteer to be in it..... ALOT of children to keep organised, ALOT of history to cover and ALOT of stage on a slope of a hill! That's some scaffolding job! We managed to find Dan and Kate and settled down to a good show. I soon fell asleep and slept through the whole thing... however a good time was had by all. I then had to drive home. I have now made a promise never to drive to Palmyra without someone else who can drive too. We got out of Palmyra at about 11.30pm.

We drove for a while and I began to feel really tired so we got off at an exit to stretch our legs and before I'd realised what I'd done I realised it was the same exit we had problems with when stopping for food and getting back to the highway! So I pulled over in an old deserted petrol station, stretched my legs and impromptly fell asleep.... for an hour. When I woke up we drove for another half an hour to find our way back onto the highway again. We were getting closer to the border and I was beginning to feel really tired. Suddenly out of the pitch black there was a dead skunk in the middle of the road. We managed to by pass it without too bad of a smell. We were laughing about our close call when less then five minutes later a newly killed skunk in the middle of the road passed between out wheels.... however this time the smell was so terrible it woke us all up and we were talking about it for the rest of the ride home. This all happened on a Friday night, my car still smelt bad on Sunday. Now you can imagine how bad the first initial smell was! We made it home at 5am stopping so Shona and Harrison could buy the last installment of Harry Potter that had hit shelves 5hours earlier.

So here are some pictures to explain Jacks trip in a nutshell.....

.... Welcome Jack!

.... yummy beavertail

.... buddies

.... picnic at Lake Meech

.... brother and sister, cute!

.... don't worry the bear's more interested in the fish.

.... yummmmmmmm Coras!

.... say goodbye to Canada!

When driving Jack to the Toronto airport to go home Ryan and I decided to stay at a hotel for a couple of nights. After having a guest we needed some R&R! So we said goodbye to Jack on a Friday night and Saturday we didn't leave the hotel once! We woke up had breakfast in the hotel, read our books, had a nap, went swimming in the hotel, had dinner in the hotel, watched the Blue Jays baseball game and then rented a movie in the hotel. Sunday driving home was incredible. We felt so rested and the drive took no time at all and Sunday night at home we still felt great! I highly recommend a day in a hotel if you want to feel truly rested.

So since Jacks departure we have been in full house mode. We moved our closing date forward so it's two weeks today that we move into our first home. We've picked paint colours, had a lesson in painting 101 by helping paint some friends house, have an apartment full of boxes ready to go, rented a truck... my it's a lot of work to move! We are SO ready for it.

Last night Ryan left for a two night camping trip with Adam, Tyler and Darryl (these are the friends he grew up with). I'm excited for him, he deserves a fun weekend trip. I was looking forward to having some alone time to do what I wanted.... thank goodness I have Kate upstairs though. The later in the evening it got the weirder it felt being alone! So we went upstairs drank lemonade, ate muffins and watched 'the Patriot' to bawl our eyes out! It was a great evening. I came home went straight to bed. It took longer than usual to fall asleep but I slept well. Ryan and I have only ever been apart for one night before (when I stayed over in Niagara Falls for the night with my sister and friend Emma) and so I guess tonight will be the real test! I think I'm gonna rent a movie and cry again....

Oh and my best friend in England gets married today! I'm so sad I can't be there but I'm SO happy for her. Emma deserves the best and I know she's picked someone who appreciates that. So this is for Emma..... I didn't forget what a special day today is and I'm thinking about you and wish you lots and lots of happiness because I love you very very much!