Family Time

Summer is pretty much the only time our kids get to see my family.

It's an annual tradition that Sarah takes each of our kids on an Auntie Date while we're visiting.  She is really great with our kids and they adore her!

This year, Jeremy chose to go to an arcade.

 Grace chose to go mini-golfing.

My sister and the grandparents took the kids fishing at the lake in her development.  It's stocked with fish and has a little beach area and playground. 

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooperating that day, so they weren't able to stay out there for very long and they didn't catch any fish, but the kids seemed to enjoy it anyway.

The kids are old enough that this year, my parents would come pick them up in the morning, spend the whole day with them, and then return them around bedtime.  It gave Jason and me some time to do what we wanted.  On one of those days, we rented bikes in the river valley and went on a bike ride.  We had such a wonderful time!

 My favorite footbridge that gives wonderful views of Edmonton's cityscape.  Here's also where Jason proposed to me!

I look forward to spending time with my "sisters" every year.  We always pick right up where we left off and I am so thankful they are still a part of my life!

Edmonton Memories

 These are just random pictures of some things we did during our time in Edmonton.

Took a walking tour of Edmonton (our first time!)

Seriously, another brewery!?  We took a tour of the Yellowhead Brewery.

 We enjoy visiting the farmers' markets.

 Love spending time with my close girlfriends, like Thao and her daughter, Taylor

I savor my favorite Vietnamese dishes, like this soup called Bun Bo Hue

 We splurge and eat yummy treats

Visiting with college friends

Mom's spring rolls

Parks and Playgrounds

I LOVE Edmonton's parks and playgrounds!  When we are in Edmonton, it's like our kids are "set free" when they go play.  There is so much green space reserved for recreation.  The two largest parks in Fresno require cars to pay an entrance fee.  In Fresno, playgrounds belong to neighborhood schools and are usually gated, which means that once school is closed, there is no access to them.  At least in Clovis, there was a little bit more thought to include playgrounds in the city planning so if we're willing to drive, then our kids can play at those.  Aside from the actual space, there are many different kinds of playground equipment that I can't imagine in Fresno, mostly because I can imagine them being abused, resulting in libel lawsuits. Not that Edmontonians don't abuse the equipment or get hurt, but the culture is "different..."  I can't explain it anymore than that... Ok, well that's enough of that!  All I really want to express is that our family loves spending time at Edmonton's parks and playgrounds every summer and we miss them when we're not here.  Here are some pictures I took of our kids (and us) having fun at some of Edmonton's playgrounds.

These videos are not the best quality, but they're glimpses into the crazy fun that we had on what we call, "The Spinner."

Same Same but Different

I posted these pictures on Facebook to show some similarities and differences I've noticed between Fresno and Edmonton.

#1- Costco here sells poutine!

#2- There's such a push to "go local" in Fresno... Not the case here- fruit comes from all kinds of places around the world!

#3- I haven't seen any Share a Coke bottles in Fresno yet this summer.  They're everywhere up here!

#4: Ok, bonus points: What's missing in this pic? (typical toilet here) Sorry, this stall did have toilet paper, but it got cut off when I took the pic!

#5: Water here usually comes without ice. If you want ice, you have to request it. ( In Fresno, I usually request water with no ice).

#6: LOVE the playgrounds in Edmonton. Every neighborhood has one that's open for anyone to use. In Fresno, most are locked up and accessible only to kids during the school day. Playground equipment like this one (it spins) would never be installed in Fresno- it'd be a lawsuit waiting to happen. (I'm actually going to do an entire post about playgrounds in a bit).

 
#7: Definitely haven't seen this in Fresno, but it's almost a necessity for Edmonton! (anyone from Fresno/Clovis know what this is for?)

#8: Do I really need a description?! Yum...

#9: Edmonton has a great public transportation system (Fresnans would be very impressed).

#10: I wonder what it would be like to teach in Edmonton... There are many options for schools, most impressively, the immersion programs (ex. Arab, Hebrew, German, Spanish, French, Ukrainian, ASL...) This school has Chinese immersion.

#11: Edmonton is covered in snow for most of the year (duh, an obvious difference). When the snow finally melts though, there are tons of potholes and always major road delays due to construction!

#12: When it's time to pay for your meal, your server will bring one of these machines to the table for you to pay with. Cards used here come with a "chip."

 #13: No doubt about it- Edmonton is a hockey town! Even in the off season, there is hockey talk on sports radio!

#14: Let's be clear- you'll never find this at our house! This is an example of how much more everything costs here! $14.99 for a 6-pack. Oh, another difference is you can legally purchase this at 18 years old!

#15: We can usually predict Fresno's summer weather, but Edmonton's is incredibly unpredictable!! (lightning, hailstorms, flash floods, etc)

#16: Language... Some commonly used differences: washroom/restroom, pop/soda, runners/tennis shoes... (Feel free to add others if you think of others!) Also, most things are translated into French here, not Spanish.

#17: Neighborhoods have 2 publicly funded elementary schools, and 1 of them is Catholic. I like that each neighborhood has a "league" to encourage community. Each community has its own skating rink in the winter. Also, in the summer, there are green shack programs at many playgrounds for community kids to come participate in fun activities.

#18: Jason calls Canadian money, Monopoly money because it's so colorful! The new bills have a clear plastic-y panel. Instead of bills, there are coins called a toonie ($2) and a loonie ($1). Canada no longer uses pennies- every amount is rounded!

#19: Edmontonians- correct me if I'm wrong- no shoes are worn inside the house! (or is that an Asian thing?) When I was a kid, we had to take off our outdoor shoes at school and change into indoor shoes. Anyone want to comment on whether that's still the case?

#20: When I first moved to Fresno, I had to learn how to pronounce certain words differently because I taught 1st grade/grade 1. That's why I don't sound Canadian anymore! I also had to learn how to spell differently!