America Junior

I was in Canada (aka America Junior) over the weekend for my former roommate's wedding. Another one of my former roommates and a friend also went and we had a ton of fun. The wedding was absolutely beautiful--very fitting for a beautiful bride (inside and out)!!

I left on Thursday evening and the wedding was scheduled for Saturday. Andy had asked me what our plans were for Friday and when I responded that we would be helping Carmen with any last-minute preparations etc, he asked if we would be putting doilies in her hair. So that's exactly what we did.

Throughout our trip, we were completely fascinated with the subtle differences between America and Canada. Here are a few of our observations.

• Canada is way too cold. It had snowed before we arrived and there were several flurries throughout the weekend. I was obsessed with the notion that maybe Canadians just don't know that there are warmer locations to live. The typical response to my helpful observation was "This really isn't that cold. You should be here when it's 40 below!! Now THAT's cold." To which I just shook my head and internally mourned the loss of their sanity.
• The cows in Canada are not very happy. They're certainly not happy, California cows. They looked skinny and very hairy--which they have to be in order to withstand the freezing temperatures.
• In order to dress for cold weather, one needs to have either jeans or sweat pants which get stuffed into boots like Uggs. Add to that some kind of sweater or jacket and a warm hat. That's the typical Canadian garb. Wish I had been thus prepared.
• While the weather is very cold, the people are very warm. We were treated with such hospitality and friendliness that we could almost understand how people would rationalize living there. Carmen had everything lined up for us...places to stay, cars to use, most meals...everything!! Thanks Carmen!!!
• Our most significant finding was that the word "Hey" can be used with reckless abandon. Prior to this trip, I was under the impression that "Hey" could only be used at the end of a sentence. Not true. It can be thrown into the middle of a sentence (much the way some people might use the word "um") and it does not necessarily connote a form of agreement. Of course we had to have a competition among ourselves to see who could get away with the most authentic use of hey while speaking to a local. It was very entertaining.
• I also learned an interesting factoid. The Cardston, Alberta temple is the only temple that does not have a gate or fence around it. About 90% of Cardston is LDS and I guess a fence just isn't needed because there is no threat of vandalism. How great is that?!?!
• Canada also has some really great candy bars and some...interesting...potato chip flavors. I think I bought more candy bars over the weekend (based on the locals' recommendations) than I have in the last 5 years. So far, I think Mr. Big is my favorite.

Shifting gears, I must say that I was VERY impressed with the excellent job Carmen and her friends and family did with decorating the Cultural Hall--which is right across the street from the Alberta Temple. Once you entered the cultural hall, you completely forgot that you were in a church gym. Here's what I mean:

I told you they did an amazing job!!

We returned home on Sunday afternoon. I ended up waiting on the tarmac while a part was replaced in my airplane for the St. Paul to Raleigh leg--which meant that after a 2-hour drive home, I didn't get home until 2am!! Fortunately, I made it safe and sound and wasn't really tired during the drive or during the ensuing work day.

Thank you Carmen for a fun weekend (I *almost* missed being single again) and Congratulations on the marriage!! What a great couple! (Check out her super-hot shoes!!!)