We went. We saw. We played. We loved.
Or at least I loved going to Canada for our 7th anniversary! Jarron had a hard time appreciating our "neighbors to the north" and kept reminding me how much better America is. I have to agree that I love my country too, but Canada was fun! Sure people smoke everywhere (a lot of European travelers/influence), people drive crazy and parking is expensive, they like Obama, and American credit cards are not always accepted...But it was culture! Adventure! ROD STEWART in concert! Crepes filled with nutella and chocolate served with ice cream are considered a nutritious breakfast! And it was beautiful. The weather was cool and we even got to walk in the rain with a borrowed umbrella. There are trees everywhere and rooftop gardens all over downtown. We got to see where the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held and witnessed some new construction going on for the event. The city is HUGE and we only explored downtown, never going across the water to its other half. I found it interesting that there are so many Asians there. I hadn't realized that it was a lot like Seattle (which is just south of Vancouver) as far as demographics go. They comprised a lot of the work-force (we even saw a hot-dog stand called "Japo-Dog"!) but also had a lot of money to bolster the economy (they buy their engagement rings at Tiffany.) But as much as I enjoyed the outdoors and sights, my long-awaited concert was the best part! My heart is beating faster as I type about it--I had a fabulous time and would go again in a second. Jarron and I walked from our hotel (only about a mile away) and found our nose-bleed seats in the balcony. Good fortune came our way as the usher felt bad for Jarron and offered us upgraded seats in the second section by the stage!!! (I had gone to get food and the usher helped Jarron find our seats. He asked Jarron if he was attending alone, to which Jarron scoffed and said, "No!" The usher asked him if his wife dragged him along and Jarron anwered in the affirmative. When I got up to our seats, the usher came back and offered the upgraded tickets. Jarron scored big time and made my concert going experience that much better!) Our new seats were great, but we sat by a LOT of older people who yelled at me to "Sit Down!" when I jumped out of my seat as Rod came onto the stage. I had to dance in my seat until my neighbors started to get drunk and loosen up. About half way through the concert, I got to dance STANDING UP (!) with ladies going through mid-life crises! It was amazing. And the best part was that Jarron never said a word or even looked embarassed. He let me dance my ace off and have a great time like he promised he would. I later asked him what he was thinking as he watched me dance and he said, "I just think that people would be surprised to know that you weren't drinking." I love him. And Rod, too. And the drunk dancing ladies. I can't wait to go back and visit the other half of Vancouver, eat somewhere good (I mostly had mozzarella sticks, cake, cupcake, nachos, a pretzel, coke, and the aforementioned crepe the entire weekend. Oh, and the second worst Mexican food I've ever eaten in my life!), and visit the Sid Dickens Studio (the guy who makes the wall tiles I hang in my house. We did, however, buy 4 tiles at a shop downtown where Sid personally delivers his merchanise! My jaw about dropped and hit the floor when Jarron told the shop lady he'd take all the tiles I said I liked. What a great anniversary/birthday/housewarming gift!). Here's to 7 years of being married going for an eternity's worth more.
