Sunday, July 28, 2013
First Time at Camp
Nathan went away to camp for the first time last week. I was all prepared to do a long blog post about preparing for camp, what to pack, etc. I still might post it another time, but for now, we're just glad that we made it through the week. Nathan got really homesick. He had nothing but good things to say about camp. In fact, he ranked it the 4th best week of his life. (#1 Hawaii, #2 Canada, #3 Disney World. He said he would have even ranked it higher than WDW, if he hadn't been so homesick.) I was so thankful to see this smile when we picked him up yesterday. Thanks for the prayers and the letters. He got mail from Pennsylvania, Florida, and all over Arkansas.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Day 8: Where the Wild Things Are
Day 8, Mile 2201
We got up early today - well, vacation "early" at 8ish - and went to the Indianapolis Zoo. Mom and Renee took Jeremiah there years ago. Mom raved about it; Renee has a vague recollection of going to it. ;) We thought it was a great ending to a long trip. The big things are a dolphin show/exhibit, polar bears, walruses, sea lions, and the usual lions and tigers and bears.
My favorite thing was watching this baby elephant play with its momma in the water. So cute!
Day 8, Mile 2306
Just crossed the border into Arkansas! Since we left Indianapolis a little earlier than expected, Jeff decided not to stop for the night. Just 3 more hours left...
Day 8, Mile 2505
Home at last! Pics from our last day to follow. For now laundry and unpacking...
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Day 7: Happy Birthday, USA!
Day 7, Mile 1776
Calling the Hogs at Michigan Stadium
We're celebrating Independence Day by driving across the USA. We just rolled through Mile 1776 on our way to Indianapolis. We spent last night in Ann Arbor and drove by The Big House on our way out of town this morning.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Day...What day is this again?
Day 6, Mile 1579
After spending the day in Toronto, we crossed over into the good ol' USA just as the sun was setting. We're in Michigan navigating to our hotel for the night. So glad to have my blue dot back!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Day 5: Room with a View
Day 5, 2108 km
We spent a lazy morning in Niagara Falls. After our late night of watching fireworks and LOTS of walking yesterday, we slept in a little bit and then hung out in our room until checkout. It might not seem like the best use of our brief time in Canada, but we all needed a break and got to enjoy this view from our room:
That view is from the 25th floor at Embassy Suites. They call it "Fallsview" for a reason. We even opened the window and listened to the roar of Horseshoe Falls. It was very relaxing. This was a stark contrast to everything else we saw/did in Niagara Falls. I would compare it to a permanent carnival on steroids. They have rides, "museums" (like wax museums and Guiness World Records) and more arcades than you can imagine. They even had what I would guess is the Canadian version of a funnel cake. It's called a "Beavertail". I didn't try one, but they looked pretty tasty.
This afternoon, we loaded up again and headed to Toronto. We're only going to stay for one night and don't have any specific plans while we're here. We just wanted the kids to see a big city since we were only an hour and half away.
The view from our room is not bad, but the rooftop has great views and even hot tubs. Jeff is taking the kids to the pool for the second time, and I'm in the room enjoying some peace and quiet, WiFi, and--trying to get into the spirit of Canada--a good cup of tea.
Once we got closer to Toronto, it really felt like we were in another country. It's sort of formal and British. For example, the sign when you get on the QEW (the Queens Expressway) says "Use of Seat Belts is Compulsory" compared with America's classy "Click It or Ticket". My main annoyance is that my cell phone is roaming, so I can't have unlimited access to my iPhone. I know it's not Canada's fault, but I'm really addicted to having instant information at my fingertips. We've even gone old school today using paper maps. We've navigated well, but I really miss my blue dot. ;)
We spent a lazy morning in Niagara Falls. After our late night of watching fireworks and LOTS of walking yesterday, we slept in a little bit and then hung out in our room until checkout. It might not seem like the best use of our brief time in Canada, but we all needed a break and got to enjoy this view from our room:
That view is from the 25th floor at Embassy Suites. They call it "Fallsview" for a reason. We even opened the window and listened to the roar of Horseshoe Falls. It was very relaxing. This was a stark contrast to everything else we saw/did in Niagara Falls. I would compare it to a permanent carnival on steroids. They have rides, "museums" (like wax museums and Guiness World Records) and more arcades than you can imagine. They even had what I would guess is the Canadian version of a funnel cake. It's called a "Beavertail". I didn't try one, but they looked pretty tasty.
This afternoon, we loaded up again and headed to Toronto. We're only going to stay for one night and don't have any specific plans while we're here. We just wanted the kids to see a big city since we were only an hour and half away.
The view from our room is not bad, but the rooftop has great views and even hot tubs. Jeff is taking the kids to the pool for the second time, and I'm in the room enjoying some peace and quiet, WiFi, and--trying to get into the spirit of Canada--a good cup of tea.
Once we got closer to Toronto, it really felt like we were in another country. It's sort of formal and British. For example, the sign when you get on the QEW (the Queens Expressway) says "Use of Seat Belts is Compulsory" compared with America's classy "Click It or Ticket". My main annoyance is that my cell phone is roaming, so I can't have unlimited access to my iPhone. I know it's not Canada's fault, but I'm really addicted to having instant information at my fingertips. We've even gone old school today using paper maps. We've navigated well, but I really miss my blue dot. ;)
Monday, July 1, 2013
Day 4: Happy Canada Day!
Day 4, Mile 1220
Since we drove most of the way last night, we only had about a 30 minute drive this morning! Yea! We crossed the border with no problems and made it to Niagara about 10:00 this morning. To quote Ashley, "It's so beautiful!!!" I think Dad would even allow the use of the word "awesome" to describe God's handiwork here. ;) Like most Americans, I really don't know anything about Canada. I did find out before we came that July 1 was Canada Day. It doesn't seem to be a huge deal here, but they are supposed to have fireworks tonight over the Falls to celebrate.
After a surprisingly dry voyage on the Maid of the Mist, we had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and then walked around Clifton Hill where Renee and I took the kids on a huge Ferris wheel.
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