We left home around 10 am on Thursday after an unsuccessful search for Corina's limited-use temple recommend. We contacted Bishop Lund (who was in Utah) and he said that he would be available to vouch for her when we got to the temple. The only memorable experience of the drive was the time we spent at the Canadian Border Control. Perhaps because all of our documents were recently issued, after we spoke to the officer in the booth, we had to park the car and wait inside for a few minutes while they did background checks on us. Perhaps they didn't believe that any Americans would go to Regina, Saskatchewan over Thanksgiving to merely sight-see. The other challenge occurred when we followed the signs to Regina instead of following the Google map directions. (The GPS only showed rail road tracks once we crossed the border and we didn't want to pay roaming charges on our phones so we were geographically blind.) We missed our turn in Weyburn so as we approached Regina from Highway 6 instead of Highway 33, we had no idea how to get to the hotel. We drove through town and tried the Ring Road on the off chance that they intersected with Prince Of Wales Drive but we came up empty. We finally stopped for directions and managed to find our hotel.
Our original plan had been to go to the temple on Thursday night but because it is a small temple, the baptistry only operates on Saturday morning. Plan B was to go to the mall. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October so while they have Black Friday sales, it isn't nearly the event that it is in the States. After dinner at the mall, we went to Safeway to buy birthday cupcakes for Dad and discounted hockey tickets for Friday night's game. When we finally made it back to the hotel, the kids couldn't change fast enough to go try the indoor pool (with water slide).
The choices for activities on Friday were the Saskatchewan Science Center (SSC), the
Royal Mounted Canadian Police, or an art gallery. We were concerned that the SSC was geared more to elementary-aged kids than teenagers but since it had an Imax theatre, it got the nod. All of our concerns faded away after we pulled into the parking lot and Corina and Carson when running to play on the snow-covered playground. In addition to the static exhibits, we also participated in a couple of guide-led presentations. The first demonstration was on static electricity and Corina got called up to put her hand on the ball which made her hair stand up on end. The second demonstration at the GyroGym allowed them to get inside and experience some weightlessness.
We made a quick dash to the downtown mall, found a lovely pasta restaurant (even if they couldn't pronounce gnocchi), and then headed off to the Brandt Centre to see the Regina Pats play the Prince Albert Raiders play a Western Hockey League game. I am sure the locals enjoyed eavesdropping on our conversations as we tried to piece together our cumulative hockey knowledge. It was surprisingly cold in the arena so we left after the second period with the Pats up comfortably 5 - 2. (I just checked the box score and they ended up losing 7-6 in overtime). We ended the night with a midnight run (okay, it was only 11 pm) down to the attached Perkins restaurant for milkshakes and hot chocolate.
In deciding where to have our Canadian adventure, our choices were between Regina and the much larger Winnipeg. Regina won out because it has a temple (the Winnipeg temple was announced June 2012 but they still haven't broken ground). Ironically, the ward we joined in the baptistry was from Winnipeg. With our two kids (the temple was able to get in touch with Bishop Lund), the group was still only five people. Dad served as a witness while Mom did initiatories. How grateful we are for children who are a) worthy to go to the temple and b) desirous to spend their time in the temple. In fact, Corina wants to see how many temples she can enter (not just visit).
The drive home was much easier than the trip there (isn't that always the case) except that the car started vibrating when going over 60 miles per hour (or 100 km/hr if still driving in Canada). Without cell phone service and being in a foreign country, we simply dropped it down to 55, uneventfully made it though US Customs, and made it home about thirty minutes longer than if we had been driving the speed limit. The Vogt boys house- and dog-sat for us and Sister Vogt was kind enough to leave a tater-tot casserole in the fridge for us to warm up when we got home.
It definitely was a non-traditional way to spend Thanksgiving, but we created a cherished family memory. Being mostly disconnected from our cellphones (we did use the hotel wi-fi) also allowed us to focus on each other. Isn't that what it is all about anyway?
The choices for activities on Friday were the Saskatchewan Science Center (SSC), the
We made a quick dash to the downtown mall, found a lovely pasta restaurant (even if they couldn't pronounce gnocchi), and then headed off to the Brandt Centre to see the Regina Pats play the Prince Albert Raiders play a Western Hockey League game. I am sure the locals enjoyed eavesdropping on our conversations as we tried to piece together our cumulative hockey knowledge. It was surprisingly cold in the arena so we left after the second period with the Pats up comfortably 5 - 2. (I just checked the box score and they ended up losing 7-6 in overtime). We ended the night with a midnight run (okay, it was only 11 pm) down to the attached Perkins restaurant for milkshakes and hot chocolate.
In deciding where to have our Canadian adventure, our choices were between Regina and the much larger Winnipeg. Regina won out because it has a temple (the Winnipeg temple was announced June 2012 but they still haven't broken ground). Ironically, the ward we joined in the baptistry was from Winnipeg. With our two kids (the temple was able to get in touch with Bishop Lund), the group was still only five people. Dad served as a witness while Mom did initiatories. How grateful we are for children who are a) worthy to go to the temple and b) desirous to spend their time in the temple. In fact, Corina wants to see how many temples she can enter (not just visit).
The drive home was much easier than the trip there (isn't that always the case) except that the car started vibrating when going over 60 miles per hour (or 100 km/hr if still driving in Canada). Without cell phone service and being in a foreign country, we simply dropped it down to 55, uneventfully made it though US Customs, and made it home about thirty minutes longer than if we had been driving the speed limit. The Vogt boys house- and dog-sat for us and Sister Vogt was kind enough to leave a tater-tot casserole in the fridge for us to warm up when we got home.
It definitely was a non-traditional way to spend Thanksgiving, but we created a cherished family memory. Being mostly disconnected from our cellphones (we did use the hotel wi-fi) also allowed us to focus on each other. Isn't that what it is all about anyway?
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