The Original Because of Love

We are home! We had a great time in Canada. This was both Josh and Alyse's first trip with my Mom, Dad, Danielle, and I to all the places that we normally visit when we go see my Mom's family. There were so many places that we went, and things that we did. It would take forever to tell you about them all. So, I am just going to give a little details and put a few pictures up that I took of our trip. (Now, I must warn you that I took almost 400 pictures...... so, sit back and relax!)

First we flew to Atlanta where we had a 4 hour layover, then flew to Buffalo, NY, picked up our YELLOW rental car (look for a picture), and then we drove across the Peace Bridge into Canada. My grandpa lives in Ridgeway, Ontario which is about 20 minutes from the boarder.

After spending the night at my grandpa's house, we drove to Toronto (well, Richmond Hill) and stayed at my Aunt Anne, Uncle Les, and my cousins Deanne and Courtney's house. Alyse enjoyed her time swimming in their pool. Josh got to try his first milk from a bag.

While in Toronto, we drove around downtown and saw all the sites like the CN Tower and drove down Yonge Street, the longest street in the world. We also made a stop at Riverdale Farm. This is a farm that is right in the middle of the historical section of downtown Toronto. We saw the animals, ate some freshly baked cookies, played in the fountain, and walked through the small farmers market.

Later, we also took the ferry and went to Toronto Island. They have a small amusement park called Centerville that is very child friendly. We didn't stay long, but we enjoyed walking around the island and then rode the carousel. I wanted to go to the clothing optional beach on the other side of the island, but everyone else said no. (KIDDING!)

The big thing that we did in Toronto was go to the Toronto Zoo. We had a great time, even though there were 2 rain delays. Alyse loved the animals. Her favorites were the elephants, the giraffes, the fish, and the otter. We even brought home a new little pink elephant named PinkE.

One of the places that Josh has heard a lot about is my mom's family farm in Dundalk. Her family has had the farm for well over 100 years. It is the place were my grandpa, and many other relatives were born and lived through out the years. My mom spent almost every weekend and most of the summers living there. Now, my great aunt, Auntie Elva, lives there. She is 92 years old. Josh, Alyse, and I took some walks and showed Alyse the barn, the fields, the old outhouse, and enjoyed a little piece of family history.

After traveling all around, we went back to my grandpa's house. It was fun to watch her play in all the places that I remember playing when I was growing up.

Saturday was a long day. We drove down the Niagara Parkway and went to Niagara on the Lake. This is a historic town with lots of cute little stores. Then we went to Niagara Falls. It was CRAZY busy! We saw the falls and ate dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. We were hoping to ride on the Maid of the Mist and do some other tourist stuff, but it was so busy that we ran out of time!

The last event of our trip was the main event. We went for my Grandpa's Surprise 80th Birthday Party. While we were there, we saw many family members that we have not seen in many years. Most of them had never met Alyse or Josh. It was nice to see everyone. (These pictures are all of my Grandpa, my mom, my Uncle Les - my mom's brother, my Aunt Anne - his wife, and my cousins Dee - dark hair, and Courtney - blond hair.)

Finally, it was time to come back home! We were all very excited! It was a good trip, but it was good to come home! Plus, I was more than ready to sleep in my own bed. Absence does make the heart grow founder.

*Are you still there? Sorry, told you it would be long!