Movement

Life giving.Movement.My dear friend Alexis asked me "What are you doing that is life giving today friend?" SKIING! I answered! There are certain things in life that bring us life and certain things that suck life from us. Welp for me skiing is something that brings me life! :) I was able to do it at my sweet Aunt and Uncles condo at Mount Tremblent in Quebec! What a beatuiful mountain. Get this I got to ski out right from their condo to the gondola! :) SO COOL!
(Warning photos taken with my mom's point and shoot not my canonbaby ha)


Me looking like a boarder chick yeh...ah!

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The village :) So very von-trap family feeling eh?



Before I went down the black diamond. :) Yep I did a black diamond! Its been a little while peeps. I was proud of my self.



Good thing I didn't drop the camera.



Me and my sweet mom. One of the most amazing people on the planet. She is in pain everyday and still smiles and doesn't complain though she could. She is so strong. I am so proud of her.

Canadain Maple syrup on a stick. Pretty great! Me and my Aunt!



I love Canada!

It was a much needed trip. Thankful for family. They love you no matter what! And as my chiro Fran the Man says: "Do what moves you!!!!"

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Home......

Canada. This place will always be home to me. Even though both of my parents live in different homes than when I lived with them and grew up.....just walking in to the airport off that plane my soul smiles and says....ahhhh. Home.

Some times you just need to go home. Clairty, unconditional love, healing, and understanding, no matter what is going on in your life.

I'm going skiing tomorrow! IN CANADA! Its going to feel wonderful! I haven't skiied for 5 years. I am ready to have the wind whipping in my face, the feeling of flying and glorious snow flying under me at the speed of light....ok maybe not light. Im not on kyrptonite or anything. :)


Here is the trail map :)

See ya on the slopes peeps! HUURRRAY!

Are You Kidding ME?

Well I am a big girl all grown up who now has her learners permit. Yes I said permit. Let's rewind to Tuesday. I first made a stop at the S.S. office to finally change my name to Cannon now that I have my green card! I am now officially a Cannon! HURRAH!

It took 10 minutes. I was thrilled. On to the RMV as they call it down here to try and get a new licence. My Alabama one was about to expire. So I go and wait in line for almost 2 hours. I get up there show all my info and she said that the letter I brought to prove my address was over 30 days old so I have to drive all the way back to Gloucester to get another one. This was the first "Are You Kidding ME?" of the day. So I drove home got my new letter and drove back. Waited again. Their systems were down and they couldn't help me. I finally left at 3 in the afternoon since being there at 10:30 a.m.

I came the next day. Systems were still down."Are you Kidding me?" Waited for an hour. Finally they were working! I was sooo excited! This nice old man named Mark helped me took my picture, I paid my 90.00, and he gave me my temp license. I was thrilled to be out of there. I drove home and got ready to relax after two days of the RMV.

My phone rings. Its Mark. There is a problem. He didn't realize my old license from Alabama says "Foreign National" aka....alien with out a green card." I said "But I have my green card now!" he said it doesn't matter. They treat my like a foreigner. then he said "You need to take your permit test, and then 7 days later take a road test." "UM WHAT?" "LIKE I AM 16? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

I mean come on! I am from Canada. I speak English! We have the same road rules as you, AND I have a license from ALABAMA!. He said there was no way around it. SO I made my 4th trip down to the RMV. He gave me the road test book. I had 10 minutes to study. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" I was nervous. I finally went in to the testing room. Everyone in there either was 16 or from a country that speaks no English. I passed. By one! YIKES! Seriously some of those questions are ridiculous. Nothing to do with road rules at all. SO I now have my permit. Yes that's right. I was like "So Do I have to have my mom drive me around all week?" They told me to just be careful and if I do get pulled over to show my Alabama license (now expired) and to show my permit and hopefully they will give me grace.

Let's just say I am driving exactly the speed limit. And when I left to go to work today Josh said "Now honey just call me if your get nervous on the road today. I know its your first day with your permit."

Grr......when will this treatment like I am foreigner stop?

A few thoughts...

As a Canadian living in the US and witnessing this whole thing I have a few thoughts:

1. I have never been asked if I voted so many times in a row only to reply I am Canadian I can't.

2. I find the different perspectives between the North and the South in this election extremely different. Obvious I know, but it is just weird to be living up here, yet hear the perspectives of friends and family down there.

3. I sometimes feel some Americans think God's plan revolves completely around the United States.

4. I find the fact some people saying they are now going to move to Canada quite humorous. Canada is way more advanced in its liberal polices and beliefs than the US, and most of them hate Bush and love Obama, and frankly they dislike Americans in general. And probably hate the fact Americans are even saying that as a joke.
(Not neccesarily my opinions just stating some observations)

5. God is not out of control on this issue, in fact His way always goes

Yummy Thursday

So I was feeling a little hesitant about my blog wondering if I should continue writing it or not. Wondering if anyyyyyone even reads it. So I decided to do a little experiment. I wasn't daring enough to do what my friend Greta did, so I resorted to a blog counter type thing. And in the past 2 days 77 people have come to view it! Well that made me feel encouraged! So if you stop by and read on a regular basis I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment or email me if you don't know how! Love to know who you are and keep in touch!

SO on to the task at hand....

Yummy Thursday. So In case you haven't noticed I started out with pretty healthy recipes, and slowly dwindled away to well....not so healthy....(pumpkin bread/ Cupcakes....ect). I have strayed from my quest for health, a little...ok A LOT! Gezz, well I am trying to get back on track, but THIS weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving. Yes I know....no Pilgrims landed, and nothing really happened, but the harvest is still something to be thankful for, so we have Canadian Thanksgiving.

So in preparation for this weekend I have been looking at Pioneer Woman's recipes. Now my good friend Jenny put me on to her, and she is awesome! You need to go check out her website. Her cooking recipes have detailed instructions and pictures. She has a thanksgiving section that you can check out to get ready for American Thanksgiving with, or if your like me and doing your shopping tomorrow for Canadian Thanksgiving you can still use some of her tips!

Click Here for her yummy Apple Pie recipe

Happy Birthday Canada

Well....I finally get to be in Canada for Canada Day...its been 6 years since I have been able to be in this glorious country for this day.....
To give a tribute to this land I love I stole some of the top 100 things people love about Canada from a local web site.......
Readers's top 10 Canadian favourites
10. Tim Hortons
"Coffee addicts unite! ... Who can resist rolling up the rim?" wrote Anne Shelton of Toronto. Yes, we love Tim's coffee, Timbits, Iced Capps frozen cappuccinos, sour cream cake and maple doughnuts -- spelled d-o-u-g-h-n-u-t-s, please, not d-o-n-u-t-s! (See item 56 on this list for more on Canadian spellings.)

9. The beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains, "...still mostly untouched. You can go hiking without running into crowds of people." (Lasha MacLeod, Sherwood Park, Alta.)

8. Fresh water
That includes our lakes to swim and fish in, clean drinking water, rivers, streams and ponds. "The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway are proud parts of our history in discovering the country," said Terri McBride of Hunstville, Ont.

7. Hockey
Included in "Our Game" are CBC's Hockey Night in Canada -- both the show and its former theme song -- as well as national teams: The Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens, Cheers to our women's teams too. In Canada, hockey is "the sport that brings friends and communities together," said Kim O'Reilly, Calgary, Alta.

6. Health care
Barbara White of Barrie, Ont. said it best: "Having a husband diagnosed with cancer at 33 and, 10 years later, still waking up beside him and watching our children grow together makes me thankful every day that I am a Canadian. I have not had to get a second or third job, still have a house without having to sell it all in order to pay medical bills!"

5. Freedom
We're overwhelmingly grateful for our freedom of speech and religion; for our nation's independence and democracy, and for our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A reader named Linda wrote in to say: "In Canada, a democratic country, we enjoy the freedom to live our lives pretty much as we choose."

4. Our changing seasons
"Canadians enjoy talking about the weather and are often disgruntled by the extreme heat and cold. But the changing of the seasons gives us not only something to talk about, but also to look forward to." (Cheryl Telford, Newmarket, Ont.)

3. The Canadian character
You described Canadians as friendly, polite, generous, warm, open-minded, forgiving, humble, welcoming, caring, curious and honest.

"It's the people that make a country great and we have a great country with outstanding people -- young and old." (Beth Corrigan Jenish, Oshawa, Ont.)

2. The landscape
Vast, clean, diverse and green -- those are some of the words you used to describe our home and native land. "Whether travelling east to west or west to east, we truly have a beautiful country to be proud of," said Cheryl Telford.

And...1. Multiculturalism
"From our people, our landscape, our culture(s), food, etc., the very fabric of Canada is a patchwork quilt, full of colours and textures and richness," says Linda.

13. Poutine "Who would have thought fries + cheese curd + gravy could be an out-of-body experience?" Ashlee Mackey, Houston originally from St. John's, N.L.

14. Beef "Best beef in the world, from Alberta." Marybell Ritchie

16. Seafood including P.E.I. lobster, Atlantic salmon, Newfoundland chowder, "Atlantic Coast Lobster and BC salmon." Pat Greer, Aylmer, Ont.

17. "We have real bacon. Canadian back bacon." Patricia Fretz, Courtice, Ont.

19. Fresh produce "An abundance of homegrown fruits and vegetables." Karen Mitchell, White Rock, B.C.

22. Butter tarts "You can't find them anywhere else! It's the treat friends from the U.S., Britain and Australia want when they set foot on Canadian soil." Jo-Anne Page, Toronto

23. "Any farmer's market on a Saturday morning." Carrie Chenier, Etobicoke, Ont., (a transplanted Northerner)

24. Icewine "Mmmmm..." Kristi Briltz, Regina


27. Smarties (originated in the U.K., but made in Canada!) "Do you eat the red ones last?" Jaclyn Nelson, London, Ont.

29. The maple leaf "So unassuming, so clean and so elegantly simple -- so reflective of Canadians." Willy Wilkins, Richmond Hill, Ontario.

30. The beaver "Our national animal is hard-working and has a strong sense of family." Christine Peters, Edmonton

31. Money "Brightly coloured bills and unique coins" Lynda Colvey, Cold Lake, Alta.

32. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) "So proud, independent, brave...they make us feel safe." Erin Purdy, Ottawa

33. O Canada! "I feel pride in my heart each time I hear our national anthem." Sandi Larson, Cold Lake, Alta.

56. Canadian spelling "The letter U -- I love sending e-mails to my U.S. friends with words like colour, favourite, and humour. A special mention for the letter Z (zed)." Jennifer Williatte-Battet, St. Joseph du Moine, NS

58. We actually say, "eh." Tammy Taylor, Oakville, Ont.


60. Canadian literature Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables was a popular choice. "Robertson Davies, yes, and Alice Munro and Margaret Laurence and Margaret Atwood...we have so many wonderful writers in this country." Lily Gillespie

62. Canada Day fireworks "Unites wonderful people of all ages and cultures in this great country of ours." Danielle Vincent, Gatineau, Que.

71. Musicians "Jann Arden, Bryan Adams, Sarah MacLachlan, Great Big Sea, Loreena McKennitt, Barenaked Ladies, Chantal Kreviazuk, Sheryl Crow, Terri Clark, Nelly Furtado, Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot, Shania Twain, Tommy Hunter, Chilliwack, Loverboy, Nickelback, The Rankins, Diana Krall, Avril Lavigne, the list goes on and on and on!" Linda

100. Ketchup chips -- "Not much to say except YUMMY!" Susan Paisley

It's official!

Yesterday at approx 3:00 I was official.
I just had a feeling....even though the mail doesn't get here till 4:30 that it was there just waiting for me. I ran to the mail box and held my breath. As I opened it up the address from Lee Summit, MO stared back at me. I knew that it had arrived. I felt the envelope and sure enough there was a hard card inside. I opened it up and read the words "Permanent Resident Card" and saw my face staring back at me!

WHOOO HOOO! I couldn't help it I started bawling. I was so thankful to the Lord. I just had gotten to the point I really didn't know when I would ever get it. So PRAISE The Lord! Perfect timing before the move...and before I am only 5 hours from my momma and grandparents. You know as soon as we get settled I am crossing that boarder....and I will proudly show them my card with no fear. THEY CAN'T SHIP ME OUT NOW! Thanks for praying.
Also I have a job!!! Nannying one town over from our new place of residence. Making great money! God is so good....

What do they want from me My BLOOD?? Oh wait they already have that

Immigration :) the thorn in my side. Had to go for another fingerprinting appointment. This is my 4th time giving these lovely people my prints. Thankfully its all digital now and I don't have to walk around with ink on my fingers like a convict. Well God is good. I woke up this morning feeling like a truck hit me. (sick yesterday on lots of meds including a shot in the rear "OUCH CHARLIE OUUUUUUCH")
I looked at my fingerprinting appointment notice just to make sure I would be on time. WHEN **GASP** to my horror I realize today is the 24th!! My appointment was on the 23rd!!I grabbed my day planner and I had in fact wrote it down wrong!!! How could this happen!! If you know me at all regarding this immigration stuff I am a nut ball for obsessing about my forms, (I sleep with them beside me on the floor in case we have to make a mad dash in the middle of the night..if I lose them I am back at square one) I even dug through the dumpster at school to find my F-1 visa when my boyfriend at the time (Josh :) now husband)threw it out by mistake,and being on time for these people so they have nothing to hold against me. So I was quite upset. But I just prayed. I know he is sovereign. He is always in control. It was my mistake but I serve a God who rules the Kings and owns everything. So I got ready and on faith drove to the appointment. I prayed the whole way. Well they didn't say a word. They stamped my paperwork and scanned it and it was a MIRACLE! I sat down, flashed a smile for my ID, and let them roll my finger on that electronic pad!! God is so good...even though Immigration in this country is crazy...I am glad my God is in control...!