International alliances, and all of that.

I have a husband, who was once a fiance.

He hails from the land northward, otherwise known as Canada, otherwise known as the 51st state, aka America's hat.

(Or if you ask said husband, he says that America is Canada's you-know-what in the bathroom. So we won't ask him this time.)

(In his defense, that comment only passes his lips when he's provoked by comments such as mine. He is Canadian after all. I always say that Canadians make the best husbands. They're just far too nice! I also probably needed to marry someone that could chill out my fiery self...and who knows the cold like Canadians? No one. That's who.)

Whilst he was a fiance, we decided to take a trip up there together to celebrate our engagement with everyone that is so important to him. I was nervous and excited and anxious all at once to see the things and go the places that had been such a huge part of making him into the man I love. I really was quite the jumble of emotions.

And I was honestly surprised at how much I LOVED Canada. Oh, I knew I'd enjoy myself, and I really looked forward to spending some more time with Shay's parents and getting to know them better. But even just the land and the scenery and the places he took me! They were all so, so, so much fun.

Plus, the fact that Canadians really do say "eh" every few words...well, the trip never lacked for entertainment. :)

One of the first things we did was take a trip to Niagra Falls. I had NO idea how big they really were. And loud, and beautiful, and cold! The cold in Canada is like nothing I have ever felt. I thought Utah got chilly, but Utah is the fridge to Canada's freezer. That wind blasts into you and through you just keeps blasting along like nobody's business. All around the falls, huge mounds of ice build up from the mist that shoots off of them. The falls are lit up with Canadian and American flag colors, and there are shops, restaurants, and even haunted houses all along the strip nearby.

Shay's parents were our amazing tour guides, hosts, and are the best parents-in-law ever! They bundled up with us on more than one occasion to make sure our trip was the best possible memory. I honestly hadn't felt quite so looked after in a long time. :) They were amazing!

And of course, we had to get a picture too...

Shay took me to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) as well. This building is HUGE and has so many awesome exhibits! There was something there for everyone, which meant there was plenty there to keep me happy for quite some time. :) While I loved everything we saw from animals to architecture to ancient artifacts and more, I had one specific quest:

I saw them! Or, the parts that are left and traveling the world anyway. Unfortunately the scientists that first handled the scrolls weren't completely savvy to how even light and touch would damage them, and a few of them were harmed during the process of cleaning and translating. So understandably, they don't let the most important ones (you know, like copies of Isaiah and stuff?) do any traveling and send a few of the 800 other ones instead. Still amazing though!

We went out for dinner at some really fun places while there, but my favorite place was definitely the Rich Tree restaurant in Toronto. This was part of our New Year's Eve activity and did not disappoint! It's basically a big marketplace where food is cooked as you order. Each station presents an impressive display of yummy food: european, grill, seafood, pasta, sushi, etc etc etc. In the end our group ate everything from steak to shark.

This little lovely is from the elevator that rides up the side of the CN Tower, or Canadian National Tower. It was built for communication purposes and was the tallest building in the world for 31 years! 1,815 feet tall, and the elevator took less than a minute to get us to the top. Did I mention that the elevator we rode also had a glass floor? Oh yeah. And Allison is terrified of heights.

It was worth it though, because this is what we saw from the top:

Truly incredible.

This trip was nothing short of amazing, and we did about a hundred more things. But the best thing of all was getting to know my Canadian better, and loving the time we got to learn more about each other. I cannot wait to go back!

Memo to self: I dislike flying.

But I am beyond stoked that I get to see Shay's hometown and meet everyone he's told me about for the last six months. :) Both of us were up wayyy too late last night and therefore have gone between silly and slumpy moods every hour or so, and I just tried to spell "of" like "uf". *YAWN* We're currently delayed in the Denver International Airport where they're telling us that the plane we were just about to board is having mechanical problems, but not to worry as they're working as fast as they can to get things fixed.

Um...I sincerely appreciate their efforts in getting us off the ground and to Chicago, but by all means...if there's a problem with the plane, I'd rather they take all the time they want to make sure it's perfect (as in PERFECT) before they launch us into the sky at hundreds of miles per hour again. Just saying.

Anyway, despite my incredible fear of heights and my tendency to get motion sicknessy at the least provocation, I sincerely heart this adventure already. :) We've planned some amazingly fun things over the next week or so and I've given Shay permission to take as many pictures as his little heart desires (which he's super excited about, as I never ever let him take them if I can help it) as long as I get to filter them before any are posted for other eyes to see. ;) I think I especially love that even little things like this are incredibly enjoyable with him, and that it really can turn into an adventure the whole way in spite of anything that happens - whether forseen or not.

Sigh. You know that stage of tiredness when you can tell your body absolutely loathes the fact that you haven't been listening to it for the last few hours and you're still moving even though it's been screaming at you to find a comfy place to shut everything down for a while? I'm at that place now. Annnnnd I think I'm going to appease my body for as long as I can before we have to make a mad dash to some other terminal. Canada here we come! :)