Canadia

No.....that's not a typo!  That's what my nineteen-year-old calls the country just north of us (Canada, eh?!). 

Day two of the kids' visit to Michigan had us crossing the Ambassador Bridge (linking Detroit to Windsor, Ontario) to spend the day in Canadia Canada.  In case you are geographically-challenged like I am...... The Detroit River separates Detroit, MI from Windsor, Ontario. 

First stop:  The duty-free shop on the Canadian side for souvenirs. This kid cracks me up!  :)

We drove all the way up to where the Detroit River empties out into Lake Saint Clair.  Visiting all of the Great Lakes is on my bucket list so I can check this one off!!  (We took in the manificent sights of Lake Superior last Fall when we visited Duluth.)

Check out the incredible photo (completely unfiltered) that Delanie took.  We jumped out of the car and walked between houses to get to the lakefront.  It took her all of ten seconds to snap this photo.  I swear this girl has an incredible talent for capturing beauty. 

Happy Birthday Delanie!!!

 

We welcomed this precious gift from God exactly fifteen years ago today.  Man, does the time go quickly!  Delanie Jo is incredibly intelligent, caring, kind, compassionate and artistic.  It has been my absolute honor to be a part of her life.  Happy birthday baby girl! :)

 

NYE ....... Detroit style!

The holidays were a bit crazy this year.  The kiddos spent Christmas in Texas then met me and Jim in Michigan for New Years Eve.  The trip was jam-packed with awesome stuff!!

Jim and I flew to Michigan a few days before the kids so we could get some gambling quality time in with Ruth (Jim's awesome mom), Carol and Ann Marie (Jim's wonderful sisters). We crossed the border and spent the weekend at Caesars in Windsor, Ontario.  So much fun!!!

The day the kids came in, Carol (Delanie calls her Aunt Jean) got us tickets in the Comcast suite for the Griffins game.  The Griffins are the farm team that trains recruits for the Detroit Red Wings.  They played outdoors at Comerica Park.  It was so cold outside but - lucky us! - we were warm and toasty inside the suite. 

 

 

Before the game, there was a huge play zone for the visitors. Both Garrett and Delanie took turns on the huge inflatable slide. Teenagers that are still kids at heart.

Between the periods, there was a drum line that kept Delanie entertained. You know she's got to love the drum line if she braved the cold temps outside!

Before we all met up in Michigan, it had been six months since I've seen this cute kid.  That's way too long!!  Isn't he just the cutest thing ever???

 

 

 

 

Frostbite

If you had told me a few years ago that I would be braving temps of -20 degrees Fahrenheit, I would have laughed my bootie off.  Hahahaha.......now I'm FREEZING my bootie off!  :)

We have officially hit the "what are you thinking?" faze of our move up north.  As a lifelong Texan, I am not ashamed to admit that I thought the only place I would ever encounter this level of cold is at the North or South Pole.  The few days this week that we toughed it out, the South Pole was actually warmer than Minnesota!  Seriously......I can't make that stuff up!!

It was so cold that the chemicals used on our roads wouldn't work.  Really?!  Yep, this is what it looked like in my work parking lot for over a week.  That's a solid sheet of ice!!  It definitely made for a long commute back and forth to work. 

Always one to make the best of a situation, my sweet husband stocked each of our trunks with a cold weather emergency kit.  That Home Depot bucket you're staring at is filled with kitty litter.  Did you know kitty litter will help your tires gain traction in the ice???

Hello, 2014!!

Merry Christmas!

With the kiddos in Texas for Christmas, Jim and I had the house to ourselves.  While I miss Garrett and Delanie like mad......it was nice to have a quiet, stress-free, get-out-of-bed-whenever-you-want kind of Christmas. 

(That sounds like I was glad they weren't here......which could not be farther from the truth!)

We spent Christmas Eve shopping for each other.  Jim is incredibly hard to shop for (he returns everything!) so we decided early in our marriage than any Christmas shopping for each other would be done together.  It's so much more fun that way.......we get to spend the entire day together and Jim gets exactly what he wants.  Bonus! :)

I snuck this photo during our looooong visit to the men's shoes section in Macy's.  Let me tell you.....my husband has almost as many pairs of shoes as me!

When we got home, I had a special delivery on Christmas Eve waiting on the porch from Denise.  My first anything from Tiffanys!  It was quite a surprise and could not be more beautiful. 

 

This was definitely the year for jewelry.  FYI:  Jewelry is always the perfect gift for a women.  Jim does one better by making sure each piece has a special meaning.  He picked up the beautiful cross ring below because it has been such a difficult year for our family.  He said, "I knew you could use a little divine intervention."  Dang.....that man is good!!

 

 

Jim lost his dad - George - during the holidays a while back.  Since then, he has worn his dad's wedding band on a necklace.  It reminded him that the perfect marriage was possible and not to give up until he found someone like his father had.  About halfway into our courtship, Jim gave me that wedding band to wear as a symbol of his intentions.  I have always treasured that gift and proudly wore it every day. 

 

The ring below was a Christmas present intended to replace George's wedding band. Jim said, "You've always worn a symbol of my dad's love for my mom. I wanted you to have something that symbolized my love for you." Oh my gosh.......I wept! The meaning behind this gesture makes this my favorite Christmas present ever. I will never take it off. :)

 

 

Timberwolves

It's official.......Delanie's band is AWESOME!!  They were invited to play at the Timberwolves pre-game last week.  Who gets to do that?????

 

 

 

Delanie has definitely found her calling with the band.  She plays every instrument in percussion.  She absolutely loves it!! 

 

 

The Minnesota Timberwolves played the Miami Heat.  Although Jim and I aren't big basketball fans, it was fun to watch LeBron James play.  This guy is definitely worth the hype.  :)