Last Full Day in Edmonton

We've been here almost an entire month! It has gone by really quickly. Waking up this morning, we knew there were things that absolutely had to be done today since it would be our last full day in Edmonton. There were two main things: I really wanted to go for Dim Sum (since the last time I had it was a year ago), and Jason really wanted to play volleyball (aside from coaching at his school, we don't really know people who play volleyball for fun in Fresno). We joined my sister, Sarah, Binh (my closest and oldest- not by age- friend) and her husband, Neil for Dim Sum. Click on the link if you'd like to know more about what dim sum is. Only certain Chinese restaurants serve dim sum. Basically, all of the servers walk around with carts filled with a variety of Chinese dishes. Some of them are in small bamboo steamers, while others are on plates. When they come to your table, you have the choice of whether or not to take the dish. If you do take the dish, it is placed in the middle of the table, and since the whole meal is served family-style, everyone can eat what they want. I know tons of people who are reluctant to try dim sum because sometimes, the dishes can be quite "interesting." For example, one of the things that we (this excludes Jason) really enjoy is chicken feet. I know, most people are pretty grossed out by the thought- It's actually quite tasty!

That's me holding chicken feet! You can't really tell in this picture,

but Gracie had chicken feet, too!

After Dim Sum, we went to see my mom at her work so she could spend a little time with Grace. She works at the
Muttart Conservatory, which is a tourist attraction here in Edmonton. It consists of four glass pyramids, each with a different climate for growing plants. There is a temperate pyramid, arid pyramid, tropical pyramid, and a show pyramid (for seasonal displays). My mom runs the Valley Cafe. She serves coffee, beverages, desserts, sandwiches, etc.

In the evening, we were able to go to James and Ann Siebert's home for dinner. They're still getting settled into their new home, but as always, were so welcoming. It's hard to believe that it'll be another year before we see them again. I wonder what the girls will be like in a year! The day ended off with us joining some of our friends at Hawrelak Park. We weren't able to be there for their barbecue, but there was no way that Jason would miss out on playing volleyball! The sun doesn't set until pretty late over here, so even though we didn't show up until 8pm, there was still plenty of sunlight left in the day. Grace and I couldn't stay very long, but Jason stayed for another two hours.

Every year, I am grateful that we're able to spend so much time up here. This year in particular, we've been able to reconnect with so many friends. It deeply saddens me that I'll be leaving here tomorrow. It's hard to describe to people why I get so emotional about leaving. After all, it's not really saying good bye since I know I'll be back next year. It's incredibly difficult for me to have to leave behind such a big part of who I am, leave behind my family, my community, and a place I love so very much (snow and all). It's like a whole other side of me that I have to let go of until I come back to uncover again next year. I am content in Fresno- I know I am blessed and I am definitely settled, but there will always be a part of me that yearns to be here. Tomorrow is going to be a really hard day. Please remember us in your prayers!