Packing Schmacking.

The only thing worse than packing...is unpacking.

I've been procrastinating with packing like nuts! <---This is horrible English, don't try this at home kids.

It really is a struggle packing for 18 days spent in a Canadian Winter Wonderland. Who has room for boots, jackets, sweaters, slippers, and scarves? Not to mention the Christmas presents I'll be bringing BACK with me. I have a feeling my suitcase is going to be a hot mess. (God bless this hot mess).

Thankfully I have a hubby who has like no clothes. (Hooray for extra room in his suitcase for MY stuff)!! What else are husbands for, anyway? Heh... :D

Well, gotta get back to it.

xoxo Toodles!

Oh The Places We've Been.

It's just a given that when you meet your future husband at Bible school, in a country that is foreign to both of you--in our case, Germany--you're gonna list "traveling" as one of your favourite activities together. The whole love-for-travel thing was a deal-breaker for me, I truly could not have married a guy whose picture-perfect idea of "getting away" was pitching a tent at a nearby campground. (Although I could see Jarryd being keen to that idea...). I need road trips, planes, and trains like I need air!

Our very first trip together as "boyfriend and girlfriend" was a two and a half hour train ride from Friedrichshafen, Germany to Munich, Germany. In 2011!

Not bad for a first trek right?!

Jarryd and I have been married almost exactly a year and a half now! (Dear time, please slow down)! Within such short amount of time, the two of us have been to so many places, together and apart, but mostly together! Being travel buddies is so much fun! We never have a bad moment or fight, we travel just perfectly together. Always smiles and smooth sailing!

...Hahaha! I'm totally kidding.

Traveling really brings out the best AND the worst in us. One of us gets road rage (Jarryd) while the other one (Me) gets annoyed at the one getting road rage, all the while one of us (Me) gets cranky when the other one (Jarryd) misses the exit for Starbucks or McDonalds...on purpose?! Yes it's true, my "hangry" (Angry from being hungry) side effects are super ugly. BUT, road rage and hanger aside, we really do have FUN traveling together, which is all that matters. ;)

For memories sake I decided to create a list along with a picture or two of all the places we have been (Major Cities, States, and Provinces) since our June 2014 wedding! These are in order of date, not significance. Enjoy!

1. Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

After our wedding, we had to go pick up my Visa in Ontario, so we decided to make the most of it and start our Honeymoon early in Ontario!

2. DisneyWorld, Florida

This was Part two of our Honeymoon and it was A BLAST! I can't wait to go again one day! Especially with our future kiddos!

3. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When my family came down to visit, we were all tourists for a day and went to the Philadelphia Zoo (America's oldest zoo!) and saw the Phillies play some ball!

4. Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia

Jarryd and one of his best friends signed up for an entire day (of torture, in my opinion!), a Spartan Race Super. While they tortured themselves, I enjoyed riding the ski lifts and eating hot dogs all day. 

5. Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Jarryd knows how much I love the beach so he surprised me with a day trip to one of the closest beaches to us. It was so beautiful and just what I needed at the time. I think my favourite part of that trip was after the sun had long set, getting our Starbucks and blanket, and sitting on the beach; seeing nothing but the city lights behind us reflecting on the water before us. And there is nothing like the sound of waves crashing on the shore!

6. Washington D.C.

I took the bus down to D.C. to visit my friends Ian and Sarah! It was awesome seeing a whole different side of the city (Georgetown) and not just the monuments.

7. Birmingham, Alabama

Jarryd and I drove here Easter weekend to visit Ian and Sarah and see the city they call home. It was awesome (especially the food!) and wonderfully warm! I can't wait to go again!!

8. Some States (Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia) we road-tripped through to get to and from Alabama. (Those count, right?)

I specifically remember stopping to eat at a Subway in Virginia and being completely frustrated because I couldn't understand the woman behind the counter. Yes, her southern drawl/accent was THAT thick! 

9. New York City, New York!

Four of our cousins flew all the way from Canada for a vacation in NYC and we had the privilege of living close enough to NYC that taking the train up to see them was no problem! And we're so glad we did! It was so much fun!!!

10. Washington D.C

Our first anniversary weekend was spent here! I even wrote a blog post about it, click here! :)

11. New York City, New York

My friend Jolene flew to me from Canada and of course I had to take her to New York!! What an amazing girls' trip! Read more about it here! :)

13. Baltimore, Maryland

We've been here many times, for dinner dates, concerts, and Orioles games! I absolutely love it! It's an incredibly unique area.

14. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba (Canada!)

For Canadian Thanksgiving I flew on my own to go home for the first time since our wedding. Read the blog post about it here! :)

15. (Central, or so they say) New Jersey

We drove up to NJ this past weekend to visit our newly-engaged friends and it was awesome seeing their home town/city! I can't even tell you how many times we played CLUE, and we even went to one of those big light shows where a house's Christmas lights are set to music. Super cool!! Oh, and I'm also in love with their Samoyed dog...

16. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

There aren't any photos of this adventure, as it hasn't happened yet! My flight for Canada leaves in two days!

And there you have it! We've been alot of places but there are still many more we have yet to conquer! After our Christmas in Canada we don't have much planned travel-wise, other than a potential weekend in South Carolina with friends. (Hopefully!!)
Boston Massachusetts, and Nashville Tennessee are places that are definitely high on our list! Hopefully one day soon! :)
Do you have any places you'd like to recommend to us?? We'd love to hear about your favourite vacation spots!

My Canadian Thanksgiving!

Alright, so it is December, and Canadian Thanksgiving was on the second Monday of October. Therefore, I am horribly late with writing this post! You are disappointed in me, I know; but no one is more disappointed in myself than I am. Don't worry.
Now that this self-inflicted guilt-trip is out of the way, we can move on. I need to forget about the Christmas holidays for just a moment and teleport myself back to OCTOBER...here we go!

After booking my flight to Canada I felt intense butterflies. This would be my first time back to Canada--my homeland and the country that raised me--since our wedding in June of 2014. I hadn't stepped on Canadian soil in about a year and a half! That may not be too significant of a time frame to some, but to this girl, who is used to coming home about every three months, this was HUGE! A year and a half felt like a lifetime!

To give a little background, the year of 2014 was an odd one. Due to marriage visa rules and regulations, I wasn't allowed to leave the United States before my Green Card was given to me. Actually, I worded that poorly. I could have left the U.S. if I wanted to, but that would have terminated my entire visa and it would have been the equivalent of flushing $3,000 down the toilet. Ahhhemmmm!
This meant I had to spend Thanksgiving AND Christmas here in the U.S. It was the first Christmas in my 23 years of living that I had ever missed. Sure, I cried a little when the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays rolled around, but I thought to myself "there's always next year". AND INDEED, THERE WAS! :)

First Stop: Calgary, Alberta, Canada!

My first stop in "Canada-land" was Calgary! This is where my sister and her hubby live. Calgary is a spectacular city nestled just eat of the Canadian Rockies!

It was sooo awesome to have some quality sister-time with Krissy before her house filled up to the brim with the rest of the family and crazy-busy Thanksgiving festivities!

I love her and her big curly locks.

We OF COURSE had to spend a day in Banff, Alberta. A gorgeous little mountain town that I just can't get enough of! I've been here a few times before, but its beauty never gets old.

Mountains!! If you've never been to Banff before, GO! NOW! I tell all of my American friends that if they ever plan to visit Canada, Banff should be at the top of their list.