Next Plane to AUS ...

... that has us on it will be in December. We're going for Christmas and New Years. That means that we'll be in Canada for summer for a change.

Whoo hoo!

Thank Yous

I'm trying to instill in Banana the importance of "Thank You" wishes.

Although, ideally, we give gifts without expectations, the truth is we all want to have a little feedback on the effort made. Banana just had her 18th birthday, which included some big efforts and nice gestures from those who love her. A smattering of gifts was also included - some from her new Aussie relatives that are far away and have no idea how she received her gifts.

I've been after her for a week now to acknowledge those gifts. Thank you cards have been put in front of her, along with stamps and addresses, but to no avail.

I'm quite disappointed in her.

Skydive!

We came, we saw, we jumped.

Cultural Attache

For the past month-and-a-bit, I have been showing some of my new in-laws all that Calgary and the mountains has to offer. I think I've been having as much fun as they have. Some of the highlights have been:

• floating down the Elbow river, enjoying the gentle current and child-friendly depth
  
• an adults-only hike up Ha Ling Peak
  
• trips to Calgary landmarks such as Peter's Drive Inn, Recordland, our lovely neighborhood of Kensington, Prince's Island and the bike paths
  
• the Barrier Lake Fire Lookout hike (which the kids walked themselves - all 12 kilometers of)
  
• the Little Elbow loop (a true back-country mountain bike ride)
  
• Canada Olympic Park for a zipline ride
  
• curling at the Winter Club
  
• a 5 km Fun Run at Bowness Park
  
• a speedy trip to Frank, Waterton Park and down into The 'States to do the Going to the Sun Road

In the past, having Aussies around has usually meant that I've had to defend much of what Canada encompasses - Tim Horton's coffee, waiting patiently in line, winter, etc. In this instance, the weather, scenery and natives were all cooperating to provide fantastic experiences for all involved.

I look forward to hosting the next group that comes over.

Off the Ol' Block

I am very chuffed that Banana has commented a few times that she has inherited a few of her favorite traits from me. She credits me with instilling a love of reading, an eclectic taste in music, a quirky sense of humor and a kryptonite-like weakness for baked goods.

After last night's Canada-based reception, I had a few of my high-school classmates confirm this by telling me they had spoken with Banana and she was a carbon copy of me in some ways.

I think she's better in a lot of areas.

Canadian Reception

We knew that not everybody in our Canadian crowd of friends and relations would be able to make the substantial time and money commitment of a trip to Flinders to attend our wedding, so we specifically decided to host a Calgary reception. Kate's friend, Adrienne, offered to host the event at her home (which flabbergasted us - it could be over SEVENTY people!). After an Australian reception where I was warmly received but knew perhaps only 1/3 of all the attendees, I was ready for a gathering of mostly my buddies.

Tonight was the big night. Adrienne, her husband Peter and their daughters did a fantastic job of hosting. My new brother-in-law, Simon, stepped up to the mic and did took care of Master of Ceremonies duties (for what little formal program we had). It was a cocktail-style affair, where Kate and I circulated and visited with the guests and had a wonderful time. We both enjoyed ourselves immensely.

We have Kate's sister and her family staying with us for September, along with The Phelan family for the weekend. Our house is alive with kids aged 4 to 17, animals (a cat, hedgehog and Chinchilla), laughter and general busy-ness. I love how everything is holding together in spite of the stress put on all of us (thirteen people!) crammed into a twenty-foot wide house.

I'm happy to be married again and very proud of the many facets of this lovely woman I'm married to. What an exciting future we have.

Going South

I'm off to marry the Aussie girl of my dreams.

It's been a whirlwind trip. A quick and busy year and a half between getting to know each other and getting hitched. The details around the big day are filled with excitement and expectations of a marvelous adventure, but also more than a twinge of sadness that McMonk has chosen not to be part of it. Banana is coming along to be part of the wedding and I'm quite proud of the work she's put into building a relationship with Kate. The two of them are spending time together (sometimes without me) and creating communication ties that work for both of them. It's not a mother-daughter bond, but something much more friend/mutual-adult based.

Having foreign relatives will be an exciting new thing instead of just having in-laws that seemed to be from another planet. I've met the entire nuclear family of Kate, her parents and their partners, Kate's sisters and their husbands and children and can honestly state that they are all quite tolerable. Kate maintains close relationships with her sisters without each of them involving themselves in each other's lives.

With Kate's through-and-through patriotism, I know that Australia will continue to be a big part of our life together. I look forward to what the future has to bring.