San Diego Retreat!

Last week was the biannual CRC PW Conference/Retreat.  I never know what to refer to these events as since they are both a conference (we have speakers & break-out sessions), & a retreat from our everyday lives, so I waffle between the two.  This year the event was held in San Diego, & we had gorgeous weather (32C/95F)!  It was great being able to see old friends & meet new ones as well.  We played games, wandered around the city, laughed, cried, hot tubbed, learned about difficult places, & God's grace through it all.

And when the conference was over, some of us stayed for a few extra days.  These are the hijinxs we got up to!

Alicia & I  searched through Groupon for fun activities, & we decided we didn't want to do things we'd do with the kids (like the Zoo, or SeaWorld)

So we decided to jump out of a plane! 

It was crazy fun, & it was an added bonus that the weather was so nice!  We didn't have to worry about being cold at 13,000 feet because at 8am, it was already 23C , so a light sweater was all we needed.

 We made it!

Next, we went to the beach!  On our  way there, Alicia kept saying, "look how beautiful this is!"  So I took a picture.  Then she informed me, she had been talking about the view of the water out her side of the car!  Oops, I still think the palm trees lining the road are cool!

Alicia had a surfing lesson while I layed on the beach reading a book.  Our friend Beth joined us as well, & had a nice stroll along the shore.  See, there's something for everyone in San Diego!

Our last evening, the three of us went to a little shopping area for supper & to look for some souvenirs.  I had mussels, which were good, but not as good as PEI mussels!

In one of the shops I found this awesome dishtowel, but I was unwilling to spend 13 American dollars on it, so I just snapped a picture instead & called it a night.

At the rental car place, we were told to go pick the car we wanted.  When we got to where the cars were, there were a few Chevy Cruzes, & a lady was about to drive away in a Fiat 500.  "You're lucky you got here before us!" I joked.  She replied, "Do you want this car?  I work for the company & I just have to bring a car to the other lot."

So, we got the Fiat 500 for the day!  It was a fun ride, but I think something was wrong with it because it was making some weird sounds!  

The next morning the other girls left, & I was on my own, so I took my book to the pool to while away the hours before my flight home.

It was a busy, yet refreshing week away, & I look forward to the next one in 2 years' time!

Hanging Out in Toronto

We were given a free night in Toronto, & it was a great chance to catch up with friends I hadn’t seen in  a long time.  Janene & I used to get together at least once a week when we lived in Ontario, despite living an hour apart.  We were both PWives, our husbands were both doing 1 year internships, & our boys were only a few months apart.  It’s hard to believe we last saw each other 6 years ago, but it was like no time had passed at all!

I knew a few of the other girls from our time at seminary, and they all get to live around each other in Ontario.  Now, I love PEI, but it sure would be nice if there was another CRC church here so one of them could come live close by!

We had a great evening of shopping, & dinner, & conversation.  And we laughed a LOT!

I had a great time with great friends, & hopefully we can all make it to the next conference in 2 years!

Dinner at the CN Tower

One of the activities of the conference was a trip up the CN Tower & dinner as well.  We somehow managed to arrive 1/2 an hour early to the Tower, so we had some time to observe the city from the observation deck before we were seated.

 

Then we enjoyed a 2 hour, 3 course dinner with some lovely ladies representing PEI, Alberta, Minnesota, Iowa & Ontario!

 

And, yes, I wore jeans!

A Little Conference Fun

I was on the planning team for my conference in Toronto, & one of my duties, along with one of the other team members, was to come up with the game.  We decided on group photo challenges, & here are a few of the results!

 

“Break the Stereotypes”

Teams had to come up with a photo of a person breaking free of the other teammates.

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  “Think Before You Speak” (or “Hold Your Tongue”)

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“Be Yourself” (or “Be Silly!”)

“Support Challenge”

 

We had a really great time of fun & fellowship, along with some great messages from our speaker Ruth Vander Zee.

Travel to Toronto

I travelled to Toronto for a Pastor’s Wives’ retreat last week, & without fail, when I travel, something goes wrong.  Well, this trip was no exception to the rule…

 

The day started with an early flight & lots of rain.  At the Charlottetown airport, when you board your flight, you are outside at the mercy of the elements.  As I was going to the plane, I decided to run, since it was raining so hard, I just wanted to get inside the plane quickly, & I was very glad I did!  Just after I got on, the next few passengers decided to take their time putting their things away, & several people had to wait outside in the downpour.  Once they finally got onto the plane, their jeans were soaked, & their bags were dripping wet.  Of course since it was so humid with all those bodies on the airplane, the air conditioning had to be on pretty high, & it was a cold flight!  I was glad I wasn’t extra wet!

 

Once I got to Montreal, it didn’t take me long to find the gate for my flight to Toronto, & I heard them announce, “The plane we were supposed to take had mechanical failure, & the only other plane available has 40 less seats.  If you checked in last night, or early this morning, you probably don’t have a seat.”

 

So I went up to the desk to see if I had a seat.  The airline employee took my boarding card, crossed off my seat number & said, “No, you don’t have a seat.  Next!” and started helping the next customer in line.  The next customer asked when the next flight was & was told it would be a 3 hour wait.  I heard the other employee ask a man if he wanted to go to the Downtown airport, Toronto City.  I quickly googled it & found it was only a 15 minute cab ride to my hotel.  I then placed myself in front of the ticket agent & told her I wanted to go to the Toronto City airport.  She gave me a dirty look, & booked me on the flight, which was leaving in 1/2 an hour.  I went to my new gate, which was conveniently across from a Starbucks, & called my friend who was supposed to pick me up in Toronto.  She instructed me to get a cab from the airport since there was a lot of construction in the area & she still had to wait for another person at the Toronto airport.

 

I arrived at the City airport, & just missed the ferry to the mainland…

I could see it docked on the other side.  Thankfully it would be a short wait!

 

I found the line for the cabs, & wondered how much it was going to cost to get to the hotel.  I wasn’t super worried because I knew it wasn’t far, but I had never taken a cab, & didn’t have a very good idea of prices.  So, I got in, & figured I could watch the meter, but it didn’t really matter because I had to get to the hotel either way.

 

Once we arrived, the cabbie turned to me & said, “I forgot to turn the meter on, so I can’t charge you anything.”

 

“So I owe you nothing?” I asked incredulously.

 

“I can’t charge you anything,” he emphasized.

 

And since I didn’t have a ballpark idea of cab prices, & I had a $5 in my pocket, I was the recipient of a $5 cab ride!

Travel Trials

I took a quick trip to Michigan last week for a planning meeting.  When I travel to the States, bad things usually happen with my flights (like this, & that, & don’t forget this!) & this trip was not exempt.

I had heard that the US had eased their regulations on flying with small pocket knives, so I opted to bring my ever present  small Swiss Army Knife.  In Charlottetown, I put the knife in the x-ray bucket & it was returned to me, no problem.

I had a nice itinerary, a 6 am start, followed by a 9:30 flight landing at 11.  My meeting started at 5, so that gave me plenty of time to do a little Stateside shopping first.  When I was given my boarding passes, I noticed that my second flight was a 17:55 departure.  I brought it to the gate agent’s attention, she said the 9:30 flight had been taken off the schedule & that was the only one from Toronto to Grand Rapids.  I’d have to check in Toronto for an earlier flight through another hub.

Toronto’s security took my knife away.  I asked about the new regulations, but they said that only applied to flights within the US, not international flights.  When I told them that it hadn’t been a problem in Charlottetown, they couldn’t verify other airports’ policies, but for Toronto, knives are not ok…  Good to know.

In Toronto I was given a flight to Chicago, & was told there were 2 flights to Grand Rapids.  One at 11:30, & one at 14:00.  The 11:30 flight was full, but they told me to try for standby.  I would land around 10:45, so it would be cutting it close.  We started the flight by sitting on the runway for 30 minutes for our turn to take-off.

During this flight I was told that since I was flying so many miles in one day I qualified for a free snack item!  I had never had that before, so I was quite pleased to get my free bag of trail mix.  I ended up not eating it since I was full, but PChad & the kids seem to really enjoy it!

Of course when I landed in Chicago, it was in a different terminal & I had to wait for a shuttle to take me b/w terminals.  Once I arrived in the right terminal, & found the gate for the 11:30 flight, the plane was just backing away from the gate.  I just missed it by minutes!

I walked around choosing the best lunch option…  An Auntie Anne’s pretzel & Dr Pepper.  It helped soothe my wounded spirit.

I arrived in Grand Rapids around 5 & met another member of the team at the airport who had been on the same flight.  At least I wasn’t the only one arriving late!  We made it to the hotel only about 25 minutes late, & it wasn’t a problem, but I sure missed all the shopping time I had planned on!  After the meeting wrapped up that night I did have a chance to nip out to the grocery store next door & grab a few essentials like Pay Days & Milky Way Midnights!


Day 2 was full meeting day…  and I got the stomach flu.  It was joyous.  One of the perks of the trip was a Chinese meal at one of the best restaurants in Grand Rapids, but instead of going, I went to bed as soon as the meeting was over & slept 14 hours straight.  I awoke in the morning feeling a bit better & wondering what my travelling day home would end up entailing.

In Grand Rapids I was treated to a full body scan & they found the penny I had neglected to remove from my pocket.  The flight was on time with no problems to Cleveland.

I got a message from PChad’s cousin, who was also at the meeting, that her flight from Grand Rapids had been cancelled & she had 3 hours to kill.  I guess I must have passed on my bad luck to her!

Cleveland to Montreal, no problems!  But surely I’d be held up in the long lines at customs & miss my next flight…  Boy, was I surprised to find that our flight was the only flight in customs, & my little detour to the washroom meant that everyone ahead of me had already cleared out & I had a choice of which lane I could go through!

The Montreal to Charlottetown flight was super exciting, as we got to fly on a propeller plane, which is something I do not enjoy in the least.  It’s bumpy & noisy, but it was on time.  I also sat next to a fairly famous DJ, & despite having a conversation with her, in which she told me her name was DJ Kiss, & that she was coming to Charlottetown to spin at one of our top clubs, I had no idea just how famous she was until I saw in the newspaper that she’s quite the celebrity!  Well, I hope she enjoyed the anonymity I afforded her as I treated her as just another gal!