Ottawa

Once in Oshawa we got on a train to Ottawa and arrived there later Saturday evening. We only had Sunday to spend there but it was enough. We wandered around and made our way to the parliament where we took a few selfies. We love the 3D Canada 150 signs! We were waiting for Brad's friend to come and pick us up to take us to church with them. After we continued wandering. I never realized that Ottawa was so close to Quebec! Seriously, the Parliament building to on the river which borders the two provinces!

We had poutine for lunch and had a nice relaxing time in Ottawa. I'm sure that we would have found more things to do if we had the time, but we were quite content to just see the parliament and Brad's friend.

Lindsay

Here is Michelle Milne with her 3 kids
Her husband wasn't able to come

Visiting Lindsay was basically just a reunion, there wasn't much to do besides see everyone Brad served around. Sister Doering came and picked us up in Toronto on Thursday and we stayed in at her house on the farm until Saturday morning. Bradley served in Lindsay for a total of 9 months, 8 months and 2 weeks the first time and then he was able to extend his mission and serve for 2 more weeks at the very end to return for the baptisms of the Milnes.

Sis. Doering dropped us off at the church on Friday and then we wandered around Lindsay until the party. We stopped at Brad's old apartment and met up with the elders. They treated Bradley like a celebrity. (a lot of the mission records of that ward were done by Bradley) You should have heard them, "You mean, you're THE Elder Smith?!"

We visited with Cindy, and she
sent us off with a beautiful quilt.

We had Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream. Delish!! And stopped by some members houses to say hello.

Brad hates this picture

We had a bbq with a group of people which lasted well into the night, (or until the kids got cranky at least, but for some that is late). Once again I loved seeing Brad reminisce. We probably told the story of how we met a half a dozen times. But we love that story anyway so it was fun.

Sis. Doering who was so gracious
to host us and drive us from Toronto

Toronto

We stayed in Toronto from the 12-16 of August. We stayed at Sarah and Will's place (Brad's cousin but I also knew Sarah before I knew Brad) We got in in the afternoon and Sarah and Will picked us up and took us to their favourite eateries. That night we did laundry (This is very important... haha) our accommodations were planned on if we had access to a washing machine on certain days (we only brought a limited set of clothes) 

This building was actually built to house 6 wards

Day two was Sunday. We went to Don Mills ward (Bradley served there for about 6 months) and people were very happy to see us. The bishop even called us up to the front of the chapel at the end of the meeting to introduce us and have Brad bare his testimony. 

We went all over that day, to Brad's old apartments and visiting people that he didn't see at church. 

I loved meeting everyone and seeing Bradley so happy! He loved being on his mission and loved everyone he met while serving and I'm so glad he got the chance to go back.

Day three was spent in Niagara Falls. I was so excited about this, I've wanted to go for a long time. We did the Hornblower boat tour and got places right up front. It was so beautiful and astounding. At Niagara we found the first of many 3D Canada 150 signs. (This is not the last picture like this you'll see)

 Day four Sarah, Will, Brad, me, and their two dogs, Kili and Quill, went to Wasaga Beach. The longest fresh water beach in the world. On Brad's mission he served close to the area but never around the beach and ever since he has longed to visit. Wasaga Beach is on Lake Huron in the Georgian Bay.


Day five we did normal tourist things like the CN tower, Casa Loma, Blue Jays game, and Ripley's Aquarium.
We spend a lot of time in museums and therefore more time than we had anticipated (we later learned to schedule accordingly). We had gotten the City Pass which included a lot of the attractions with it. That night we visited the Legislature.

The Filipinos from the Don Mills ward invited us over that night for dinner. I tried Balut for the first time. It is a fertilized duck egg that has partially developed. It was... interesting. It is a delicacy, but usually the Filipinos don't like to look at it so they eat it with the lights off.



Day six was our last day in Toronto. We had lunch planned with Lila and Lana.
We also visited the Royal Ontario Museum before Sister Doering picked us up to take us to Lindsay.

Sudbury

Sudbury is a city about 8 hours north of Toronto where Brad served for three months on his mission. It's the home to the Giant Nickel because of their nickel mines.


Sudbury Junction isn't the easiest place to walk from with carry ons and a bunch of bags. It is kind of out in the boonies. We were going to walk the 20 minutes to the bus station and take the transit from there to a friend's house. As we were walking down the (I suppose) gravel road (mostly mud) a sweet lady stopped by and insisted she give us a ride to at least the bus station. Once in her car we told her where we were actually going and she said she was going by there anyway. We were very fortunate as we weren't quite use to the humidity and the short distance we had already walked was tiring us out.

We stayed at Matt's house (Bradley baptized him when he was there) it was so nice to finally put a face and personality to his name and stories.



There first day there we visited the Giant Nickel and did a mine tour. I now know a lot more about mining then I ever thought I would know, but it was fun. In the same building they had a bit of a science center there for kids (but we enjoyed it too) all focused on mining and minerals.




 I don't know why, but I found all the graffiti there beautiful. They actually advertise it as one of the things to do as a tourist there.

Brad also showed me around and recounted memories from his mission. We had a really good time there, and I'm glad Brad got the chance to reminisce. We are really blessed to be able to have this experience.

The Train Experience

First of all, we loved traveling by train. Sure it wasn't as fast as flying... but there was more leg room and it was better than driving. The first train ride was scheduled to leave Winnipeg at 10:30pm on August 8th. We weren't expecting it to be perfectly on time... but we definitely weren't expecting it to be 10 hours late! We didn't leave until close to 9am. Bradley was talking to some officials while I was trying to get some shut eye, and they told him that since May only four trains going from Vancouver to Toronto have been on time. (none of them quite as late as ours was) The rails are owned by CN railways and the passenger trains are owned by ViaRail, so the CN trains (freight trains) always get priority. Funny enough all 4 trains that were on time also had a CN official on... Now I'm not saying that correlation equals causation... but that is quite the coincidence.

We had brought our own snacks (bread, peanut butter, porridge packets etc) so we didn't buy food on the train because that could get expensive. We also brought a blanket with us (and boy was I glad we did). We only slept over night on two different trains (one train ride was two nights) but I also wish I had my neck pillow and a sleep mask.

The train from Winnipeg to Sudbury had an observation deck. That was a pretty popular place to sit, at least for us. Now our tickets just gave us access to the basic of the basic. No Hogwart's Express for us. Imagine airplane seating but more legroom and a seat that reclines more and that's what we got. No meals included (but there was a dining cart to buy some) and no showers. They also had sleeper berths or private rooms for 2 or 4, but that gets pretty expensive.

Still Newlyweds

Today marks our 2 year anniversary and the only thing that has changed is how long we've been married. I believe we still act like newlyweds and I love it. I hope that never changes. Everyday Bradley and I become more and more united and in love. We have changed but we have changed together. Melding into one unit.
As we visited Brad's old mission areas and caught up with members of the wards and people he has baptized, we have repeated our courtship story many times. Every time we repeat it I love it more and more.

 

Happy Anniversary, Love

Trip Itinerary

For our anniversary/birthdays/christmas presents this year, we decided needed to go on a vacation. So, after sending all of our belongings except 2 carry-ons to Winnipeg we headed off.

Aug 1-7: We started at Echo Lake, Montana at my parent's cabin for one last hurrah with them and after a week we drove 15 hours to Winnipeg where we would catch a train on the 8th of August.

Aug 10-12: Our first stop was at Sudbury, Ontario. Famous for their 9ft tall nickel and home to Matt Hedley (someone Brad baptized).

Aug 12-17: Next on our list was Toronto and with that Niagara Falls and Wasaga Beach.

Aug 17-19: We made our way to Lindsay, Ontario where Bradley stayed for 9 months of his mission.

Aug 19-20: The capital of Canada is a must see, so we stopped at Ottawa and took selfies at Parliament Hill.

Aug 20-22: Currently, we are in Montreal. It's 9am and Brad is napping (I made him wake up at 5 with me to watch the sunrise on Mont-Royal).

Aug 22-23: We will be in Quebec city. Wish me luck with the quebecoise accent.

Aug 24-28: We will be staying in Pugwash (One of Bradley's connections own a cottage over there). We will be visiting PEI, Bay of Fundy, and Fredricton while we are there.

Aug 28-29: You can expect us to be walking down the piers of Halifax.

Aug 30-Sept 6: Bradley's parents are in Gander, Newfoundland on a mission right now, so our last stop on this trip will be with them.

We got these youth summer train passes that let us book as many one-way tickets as we want (as long as it's the cheapest fare and it hasn't sold out) for the month of August for no additional cost.

Every destination becomes our new personal record at being the furthest east in Canada we have ever come.

What Can I Say, I'm a Planner

Let another countdown commence! 35 days left until the moving company comes and picks up all of our stuff. 35 days to finish packing up our lives and to find a new place to start fresh. Just four weeks to go... If I said I wasn't nervous, I would be lying. Winnipeg is a big move. And anyone who knows me knows that I am a planning person. I've planned countless vacations that I haven't gone on, to decorate a house I don't own, talks that I haven't given, questions that haven't been asked, situations that haven't occurred; so it's not like this move has sneaked up on me at all.

It started off with a list of lists to make, turned into a Pinterest board, and then into an actual moving binder.

What is in this so-called "moving binder" you may ask? Well there's the normal To-do list, a give away list, a list of what isn't allowed to be moved with a company. Then later a list of freezer food we need to eat before we leave was added. A schedule of when to pack what came next. Dimensions of larger items that still need a box. A count of how many boxes per room we have. All the floorplans of apartments we are applying to. I have a list of stuff to pack in the car that we will need before we start unpacking. And a cleaning chart to deep clean the basement suite to end it all off.

If you want a pre-made list just click here.

The Graduand Becomes the Graduate

June 1st, 2017. Congrats Bradley, so proud of all the hard work you've put into getting this degree. Now you can officially be Bradley C. Smith, BSc.

A Thought on Age

In French we say "I have 22 years", in English it is "I am 22". (Personally I agree with the French language on this point). We aren't the number.

How will I know when my mid-life crisis hits or when I'm at the prime of my life if I don't know how long my life will actually be?

I'm always afraid people will think I am younger than I am, and sometimes I think I'm younger than I am. This year will mark the fourth year since I graduated from high school and the 22nd of my whole life but I still can't fully see myself as one of those "grown ups" and I still do a double take when someone refers to me as Sister Smith.

That is until last Sunday.

The older primary kids sang happy birthday to me. And when it was my turn to teach singing time I asked them how old they thought I was. Right off the bat a 10 year old yells, "39"! I got some other answers that stayed in the 30's for a bit and then some of them ventured into the high 20's. I finally had someone guess 22 after a few minutes and I sighed in relief!

I guess that solves the mystery of if they saw me as an adult...

Now I'm concerned about if I look older than I am... Confidence is a fickle thing.

Big News!

Well this was supposed to be posted in April, but *insert excuses*... When I last updated you all we were choosing between moving to Winnipeg or Edmonton. After pondering, searching, and praying we finally decided that we will be moving to Winnipeg, Manitoba at the end of August.
Bradley has finished his Undergraduate of Applied Statistics (with honours thesis) although we haven't received his actual diploma, he has gotten all of his marks back.
Meanwhile, I have been a busy little bee at work still. I am wearing myself thin with all the extra work I am doing, but I do get a break this weekend when we go up to Banff for an academic conference of Bradley's.
We plan on staying in Lethbridge until the end of August because we both have jobs here and that way we can save as much money as possible before me move and we have to rely on our savings for a bit.

March Update

Wow... I'm really on top of this (sarcastic tone)... It's the last day of the month and here I am, only now updating everyone. *insert round of applause*

So Bradley heard back from University of Alberta, and well, he got accepted! He went up and got to know the profs this last weekend. At Edmonton he would be co-supervised (have two professors to work with), which means two labs, two sources of grants, and well just two of everything.

We/he are so close to making a decision and will probably be ready to let everyone know in the April update :). (wish us luck)

My kickboxing class is coming to an end :( but I would definitely take another one! My arms are so toned and strong, I learnt how to do a roundhouse kick, and it is a great way to mix cardio and strength while also learning a new skill. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Lately, I've been getting into computer programming. Brad has been teaching me in Python and Livecode but I've also been learning HTML through tutorials online and google. I know that probably doesn't seem very interesting but I'm doing some pretty fun things with this new knowledge.

I even made this program that will laugh at all my knock knock jokes!! *cough* nerd *cough*

February Update

This month has been a busy one. Bradley has officially been accepted into the University of Manitoba and went over to check the campus out. While that is all exciting and whatnot, it really makes this real. We have a for sure option for fall 2017! He came back from Winterpeg (aka Winnipeg) with all positive reviews.

We are still waiting on the other options. Bradley ended up not applying to the University of Lethbridge because by the time the deadline approached, he had already heard from his first choice. So what was the point?

Brad and I have met a milestone in our relationship... not a happy one, but a milestone nonetheless. When Bradley went over to Manitoba, I stayed home, and that marks the first time we went to sleep in separate beds since we got married.

We spent a week in Whitefish with all my family, including my Aunty Tracey and her two kids, Kelci and Micheal, from New Zealand. It was great fun! I loved getting to know them better, playing games, going skiing for the first and last time of the season, and also having a week of (that's always nice).

Bringing the light of the gospel into your home

I wanted to share a talk with you. We read it recently for Family Home Evening and I think everyone deserves the chance to read Jean B. Bingham's (First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency) words.

I Will Bring the Light of the Gospel into My Home

My favourite part was the story of a girl who lived on a hill on one side of a valley.
Each late afternoon she noticed on the hill on the opposite side of the valley a house that had shining, golden windows. Her own home was small and somewhat shabby, and the girl dreamed of living in that beautiful house with windows of gold.
One day the girl was given permission to ride her bike across the valley. She eagerly rode until she reached the house with the golden windows that she had admired for so long. But when she dismounted from her bike, she saw that the house was abandoned and dilapidated, with tall weeds in the yard and windows that were plain and dirty. Sadly, the girl turned her face toward home. To her surprise, she saw a house with shining, golden windows on the hill across the valley and soon realized it was her very own home!

It's very easy to do (especially with pinterest and instagram out there), and I am probably the most guilty of them all, "we look at what others might have or be and feel we are less in comparison".
Yes, we can bring the light of the gospel into our homes, if we look for and share positive things about others and let the less-than-perfect fade away. Instead of judging others and ourselves, count your blessings, encourage people to be their best, and love unconditionally.

Our overarching goal (I guess you could even say New Year's Resolution) this year is just that, to bring the light of the gospel into our homes more.


You can read her full talk here.
 

January Update

As some may know, Bradley is graduating from the University of Lethbridge this May with an undergrad degree in applied statistics with a concentration in psychology and I am so proud of him. He has been busy applying to Grad schools and scholarships as well as keeping up with his current work load. A few of the prospective schools are (in this particular order) University of Manitoba, McMaster University (in Hamilton, Ontario), University of Alberta, and just in case, University of Lethbridge. Where ever we do decide to go, we are planning on being there for the next 4-6 years.

It's no small decision.

I have a feeling our summer is going to be full of academic conferences, leaving little time for much of anything else. But oh, what an exciting time in our lives.

In other news, the Paris temple is being dedicated this May! I would love to go... (see aforementioned summer plans). The temple is located along the bus route I would have to take every Sunday to get to church in Versailles, but while I was there, there was only the foundation to be seen.

I finally get to take a kickboxing class like I've been wanting to for ages! It actually starts this coming Monday, and I'm so excited!

I promise there will be more of these monthly updates, until then...

Let go, let God