Things I LOVE About Canada

We have had a rough Canadian week this week,so horrible that visiting family commented that they would not care to visit this area again. I thought writing out some of our Canadian "loves" would help because I am feeling quite frusterated right now and homesick for the U.S.

Things I LOVE about Canada

1. Timbits- Sour cream glazed, cherry and chocolate donut holes from Canada's beloved Tim Hortons. It is sort of like a Dunkin Donuts, with cheap coffee and yummy fresh baked goods. We typically refer to our kids as Timbits :)

2. Roll Up- It's Rooooolllllllll Uuuuuupppppp Time makes all of us run to the nearest Timmy's to purchase coffee so that we can roll up the rim of the cup to see if we have a winner (seriously it is a holiday here). Last year I won a free coffee!

3.Lululemon- I firmly believe that God himself is a Vancouverite and designed this store with me in mind. Lululemon pants, while pricey, are the most amazing thing for us girls who have larger, ummmm "ass"ets.

4. Summer- Vancouver Island has a nine month rainy season that begins in fall and end in spring. The three months of 70-80 degree sunny days are absolutely gorgeous, welcome and loved.

5. Horses- Eric Lamaze, Ian Millar, Team Millar, Northern Dancer, Cavalia, The Canadian Breed, Greenhawk, Spruce Meadows: What is not to love about these famous Canadian riders, horses, breeds and places?

6. Local Food- It is very popular to try to eat local here. Our family has participated in the "Vancouver Island Diet" since living here, where we try to eat only food produced on the Island. We also are a shareholdr for a CSA farm and get fresh produce weekly form a local working farm. Our diets have gotten so much better since most restaurants even try to keep their menu local! It is better for our bodies and better for the environment to eat fresh whole local foods!

7. Homeschool- I LOVE that we are in an area that is so accepting to homeschool. I had no idea there were so many styles out there and I have friends who all homeschool differently. I would consider us Eclectic Homeschoolers because I pick and choose so many different things from every style to suit our needs and wants. If we had not had the opportunity to live here, I am sure I would either be homeschooling out of a book with set and times and activities (and hating it) or would have put the kids back into public school by now (and hated it). I love that Canada considers the parents as the one who knows the best course of action in education and up bringing of their children.  

Are Schools Killing Creativity?

Wow, I couldn't agree more! While I personally do consider reading/writing/arithmetic is important, I feel the arts are largely ignored. Just reason #263749497 that I love our choice to homeschool!

Semper Gumby... Again!

We are officially going to Japan. I know I made that announcement already but something still could have changed but now everything has been approved and we should have orders in hand by the end of this week! We also found out that our transfer date has been moved up... by FOUR MONTHS!!! This has sent me into full blown preparation mode that most military wives experience when they have to pick up and move house. We will be reporting in the last week of September which means I need to ship the horses out in August and vacate our house no later than the middle of September (We were going to be reporting in December so this has definitely messed up my little time line of things to do that I had all planned out)  I laugh because this is what normally happens and I have often said that our family's motto should be "Semper Gumby" or "Always Flexible"

I did find out that our dogs are able to finish their 6 month quarantine with us if we choose to live on base. I was very excited to have a chance to live in the Japanese community but my dogs mean a lot to our family and we aren't willing to rehome them due to a transfer. The past two weeks I have taken Bella and Cooper down to Washington to see the Army Veterinarian to get them all prepared. We have everything done and are just waiting to hear the results of their FAVN titer test. Since Japan is a rabies free country, they are very strict about letting pets in from county's with rabies. Your pet first has to have a microchip, then two rabies vaccines at least 30 days apart and then a after that a blood test is taken to be sure they have a high immunity to rabies. If anything is done correctly or out of order then Japan can either refuse your animal or make you start the process over again. The quarantine time start two days after the blood has been drawn. It is a pain in the rear but again, worth it for us. 

We are still excited and cannot wait to report. Josh likes being out to sea and the kids and I can't wait to explore Japan once again :)