Saturday, August 22, 2009

Home

"You can never go home again, but the truth is that you can never leave home. So it's alright".
- Maya Angelou



We have never fogotten how much we miss our family and friends in Canada, nor had we forgotten how beautiful British Columbia can be but it is always nice to be reminded. This past summer we were reminded again and again as we spent evenings with those close to us, traveled throughout our province, attended two fantastic weddings and remembered just how fortunate we are to have such a place to call home.

The first few days were spent catching up with our friends and family in Vancouver. Although seeing everyone was a highlight meeting my nephew Brady for the first time and reaquainting with my young Godson Jaxson again was precious. Over a few cold beers we got caught up. Sadly, I have been trying to get Jaxson to recite my name with little prodding but all he keeps asking for is "Tina". That's the last round I buy for the guy.




After a couple of days we headed up to Kelowna to see Tina's parents as well as out to Tina's brother Cory's house in Pritchard. The land is in the beautiful rolling hills overlooking the Thompson River. Despite the presence of a few Great Danes and several horses the unmatched highlight was meeting meeting both Hayley and Kyra the women in Cory's lives. At about 7 months old Kyra had mastered cute and we relished getting to spend a few days with all of them. It was a very meaningful trip.



Following a few restful days in Nanoose Bay with my Aunt Judy and Uncle Roy, Tina's Stagette on Saltspring Island (thank you girls!) we headed to Toronto for our first wedding of the summer. Trying to make our money stretch a little we opted for the budget route : drove to Seattle, flew to Atlanta overnight, flew to Buffalo in the morning, grabbed a bus and arrived in Toronto the next afternoon. Ridiculous. It was our first time in the Big Smoke and we were both pleasantly surprised. Tina's friends Alex and Dixie showed us around town and we were impressed with the different enclaves around summer patios.










A few days later Joel's brother Matt and his girlfriend Alisa arrived in Toronto fresh off a year of travelling the globe. It was great to see them again and we all hopped in a car and headed to Tobermory in Bruce Pennisula National Park for Paul and Sandra's wedding. Paul and Sandra are a terrific couple that Joel met years ago while teaching in Seoul. We have kept in touch ever since and we are always glad to see them when we do. As unique as these two are their wedding suited them perfectly and we got our first taste of 'cottage life'. It was a very meaningful event for all that attended.







To end our summer in Canada we planned to attend Tina's friends Kath and Ryan's wedding in Whistler. Set in a stunning location at the edge of a small lake surrounded by towering mountains it was another grand affair. After a couple of fun evenings of festivities we left at 4am in a bid to drive to Vancouver and fly back to Oman. 36 hours later we walked through our front door in Muscat and back to our life in Arabia.

Although we are always happy to be back in Oman our summer back in Canada will always stand out as a memorable holiday. Thanks to all we saw, and to those we didn't we look forward to seeing you soon.