Invited to a wedding…

It’s been a busy, busy week here on the island. Leah and Jonathan came home yesterday after spending three days at her mom’s. She went down with Jonathan as a surprise to visit her mom and let her meet her newest grandchild. It was the best time to do that since my Mom and I could stay here and take care of Ethan and give her the time she needed to be with family. Leah hadn’t been out to see her mom since October because of the baby. She was too far along to go and we needed to wait for Jonathan to be ready for the long ride out. Apparently Jonathan was a very good boy, sleeping for most of the ride in and out. Ethan is a good traveller too, and is always rather good as long as he is given his own seat. Leah really enjoyed going back out and I can see she feels better because of it. Her mom’s health isn’t the best right now, and after being away from her for months, she could tell the difference. She’s a little scared for her, and we all know with her current illness (Cronic Lung Disease) it’s only a matter of when, not if. I hope for this to occur later than sooner, but while I do hope for the best you’ll forgive me for not being too hopeful.

Another interesting thing happened yesterday as Leah and I received a wedding invitation in the mail. A cousin of mine who live in Toronto has been engaged for a while and while we were sure they would get married, we had no idea when this would happen. So you can imagine our surprise when the invite arrived in the mail for us all to attend the wedding in Toronto. The wedding is to take place on March 18th. Not too much notice, but I’m going to do my best to get the time off she Leah and I can fly down for the big day so we can be there for Susan who is one of my favorite cousins. She’s a great person, and it’s nice to know she’s happy and found someone she wants to be with for a long time. I’ve made a request to get the time off, and I’m hoping work will be fair with me and give me the time cause I really do want to go to this wedding. It will be nice to fly back to Toronto and visit the family and let them see Jonathan for the first time. Ethan had a lot of fun flying out last year so I’m sure he’ll enjoy it again, but because he’s more than two years old we need to buy a seat for him, but he prefers to have his own seat so I don’t mind buying it as it will insure he’ll behave. I’m sure like his brother, Jonathan should be a good flyer as well, but we’ll find out.

If I get accepted for this vacation it also means that Leah, Ethan and Jonathan will be making a trip to Nashville for two months after the wedding and I’ll fly back to the island alone. We decided to do this a while back because in Tennessee, Leah and the kids will be able to enjoy some warm weather and not be cooped up in the house with feet of snow outside. Ethan will be able to go out back and play with the St. Bernards and everyone will have more fun in the sun down there than they could up here. Leah doesn’t want to be locked up in the house, unable to take the kids anywhere on her own so she wants to make the trip too. I think it’s a great idea and while I don’t like the idea of being left behind, I know that it’s for the best and I’ll get two months to do a little writing, do a little OT and just fart around with some friends that I have been neglecting lately. It will give me a chance to take a breather, but I will miss my boys and the wife a great deal but I know deep down this is for them best. They will have too weather and I’m all for giving Grandma and Grandpa as much time with the grandkids as possible cause we need to enjoy them while we still can. So that is our plan for this coming trip. I think it will work out all right and after two months in Tennessee, I’ll fly down in either early or late May to pick them all up and bring then back to the Island just in time for another spring. Sounds like a plan, eh?

So I submitted the vacation request earlier today and hopefully it will go through without any problems (knock on wood). Leah is dying to go down to Toronto and visit the family for the wedding. Leah thinking of also holding Jonathan’s christening that weekend in Toronto, but there isn’t enough time and we don’t want to steal any of my cousin’s thunder for her wedding. It’s her weekend and we’ll leave it at that. So I’m excited about going back and seeing everyone, and it should be a good time and we’ll have to make plans and save a little $$$ so we can afford to stay in the same hotel that the wedding is taking place in that way we can send the kids up when its time for them to sleep. It will be a good weekend, but I plan to make the early exit with the kids and watch movies in the hotel while Leah parties all night with my cousins who adore her. It’s going to be a six course meal and a free bar but I’ll have to drink lightly cause I intend to voluteer to take the kids back up to the hotel room. So my plan is to feast on the food and fill up before going up for the night.

I checked the schedules, and while the Leafs are on the road that week… there’s also a Toronto/Milwaukee NBA game in Toronto’s Air Canada Center the night before the wedding. So while I might see if my brothers would like to go with me and we’ll take Ethan to see a pro-basketball game. I’m not the biggest fan of the NBA, but it would be a fun night out with the son and my brohters. I’ll at least ask and see how receptive they are. Maybe as Grandad if he wants to come along. So we’re going to fly in Friday afternoon and stay at the TO hotel for to nights. So we might be able to catch the game. If we can’t hit the game for whatever reasons, being money or women getting pissed off about the idea, we might do something simpler, like take Ethan and Leah to the top of the CN Tower. Even though I’ve taken Leah to Toronto over half a dozen times, she’s never gone to the top of the tower, yet. So if I can’t see a B-Ball game… I might take her and the kids to the tower instead. That would be fun. I’ll have to save up a few pennies for it, but I think Ethan would have a great time and it would be fun to hang out with his uncles at the game.

I’m also planning on catching a baseball game with Ethan at the tail end of this trip when I come back in may to pick Leah and the kids up after being in Tennessee for two months. That’s the plan, whether it goes like that is another matter all together. If it doesn’t, it won’t be because of a lack of effort. So for now I’ll have to talk to the guys and see what we’re capable of doing and what we’ll have time for. So now that I have something awesome to look forward to, which will make the long shifts here at the center easier to get through. There’s nothing wrong with that, and speaking of something to look forward to: it’s friday! I have the weekend off, so all I have to do is get through today and I’ll be home free until Monday. Can’t wait and I’m sure everyone else can’t either. I hope everyone has a great friday and if i have time, I’ll try to leave some notes. Take care…

Peter