back in the groove

Despite popular belief otherwise, we did actually make it back home, safe and sound… and much revived and refreshed. I don’t even know where to begin with a trip report; you may just gets snippets here and there!

It was really hard to leave the boys, which kinda surprised me; when Buster was little, we left him a lot. And I actually think it’s good to leave your kids a bit, especially if you have people you trust that you can leave them with. They learn to adapt and socialize, and you’re not as soon left with a clingy mama-baby. But ever since Noodle was born, we haven’t really left the boys overnight. He was so colicky at first… and later the opportunity never really presented itself. So it really tugged at me when I dropped them off that evening.

The midnight flight wasn’t nearly as bad without the kids! I could relax and actually slept – SLEPT! – on the plane, and when we got to our friends’ place early that morning, I could sprawl out on the bed and get a little more sleep. No responsibilities! Thankfully the work Tech Guy had to do only took the one afternoon and we were off!!

A few highlights of our trip:

Day 1: Canada’s Wonderland, basically the only “major” theme park I know of on Canadian soil. That was my one request for our getaway, riding roller coasters! Not your typical romantic destination, but I knew it was one thing we wouldn’t get to do together with the boys at the ages they are – one of us always has to stay behind! Night spent at the Westin Harbour Castle, with a view of Lake Ontario from 30 stories up! Ate supper at a fine dining Italian place along the waterfront for our anniversary!

Day 2: Experienced downtown Toronto, rode the subways, etc. which is a taste of a different life for us country folk!

Day 3: Rode up the CN tower, had a great lunch in the revolving restaurant and took in the most incredibly views! Left for Ottawa in late afternoon.

Day 4: Spent the day mostly at Parliament Hill, taking the tours and of course  watched the Changing of the Guard ceremony. Toured the Royal Canadian Mint, where they make collector’s and investment coins but not actual circulation coins. And in the evening we were back at Parliament Hill for the Sound & Light Show.

Day 5: Slept in way late. Left Ottawa, stopped to do some shopping and got to our destination of Gananoque for night. Beautiful little town in the 1000 Islands region; if you haven’t been, you must try it!

Day 6: Took the 1000 Islands boat tour which was awesome. Got to see the Boldt Castle but didn’t get off the boat. The views were amazing, and the many little islands just big enough for one quaint little house… Continued on back to Toronto, Tech Guy rode a few more roller coasters while I snuck in a bit more shopping. Back to our friends’ for night.

Our plane left the next night at 8:30 pm and arrived in Calgary at 10:30. Thank goodness for time zones; our minds were screaming 12:30 but we got an extra 2 hours of sleep!

And that’s the story of our very impromptu trip. It was so fun cuz we never planned more than a day ahead, and we were completely relaxed. It was sooo good to see the boys at the airport and to sleep in our own beds at last!