GETTING THERE!

So much has happened this week. We began our journey to Calgary on Sunday evening, sleeping over in Syracuse, NY before heading to Niagra Falls/Canada the next morning. Getting through the border was quite anxiety provoking, as we were hoping it would go smoothly! B"H it did and it wasn't long before Yaakov was holding his work permit in his hand, and we were zipping off to see the Falls. We spent about 2 hours at Niagra; it was really awesome, in the literal sense. Yaakov davened mincha with a minyan there. Watching these men of various groups gathered in prayer, differences completely irrelevant was heartwarming. I was also impressed because I thought that they would daven in view of the Falls, but they found a quiet little enclave behind a truck out of view of the tourists. The funny part was that the truck drove away mid-shemoneh esrei! Oops. While the men were davening, I got to meet a couple of nice people waiting for their husbands, and I think that was as much a highlight as were the Falls! 

After Niagra, we went to a kosher pizza shop right near by for supper. We were quite hungry at this point and very excited that there was a kosher place so close.  Well, we were in for a disappointment when we came in and found out that there was a forty five minute wait for pizza, as they ran out of cheese and just received their shipment.  I felt like a spoiled New Yorker, coming from a place with about 8 pizza shops within a mile and where everything is at your finger-tips.  I tried to remember that we were lucky there was even kosher food here, as we took our seats and high chairs and kicked back our feet.  As more and more hungry families kept pouring into the little shop on a quiet street somewhere in Niagra Falls, Ontario, I wasn't sure who I felt more bad for--the two frazzled girls frantically rolling out dough and desperately trying to keep their cool, or the disappointed families with their hopes set on a hot meal to replenish themselves. In time though, everyone got their food, and left happy.

After Niagra Falls, we drove to Toronto an hour and a half away where we stayed at friends.  The next day we dropped our car off at the shipping yard and then headed to the airport. We had to wait a few minutes by the gate until our seats were worked out, and when it was our turn to walk down the terminal, no one put it better than Tehilla, who squeals "Showtime!" running down with her suitcase in tow. The plane ride was...hmmm. Let's just say we were one of those families that instantly increased Air Canada's ear phones/ear plug revenue. You know how you are supposed to be holding a baby securely on your lap during take-off and landing (if they're not in their own seat that is...) Well, despite our best efforts, Rena was actually on the floor during landing. Little Rena is quite determined and by the time we were there, she absolutely refused to be confined for one more minute. We were all glad to have made it to Calgary. Wow. We were finally here. 

Sometimes you can get so focused on your journey--the steps, the hurdles, the adventures, and even the joys as you make it through each challenge, that you can actually forget how enthralling it is when you actually reach your destination!  After the airport, we stopped by at our new home to see it, even though we would not be sleeping there right away.  (Our moving truck would take some time to get here, so until then we would be staying at someone's house) Seeing our house was really exciting. We were also pleasantly surprised to find out that the square footage of the house did not include the basement, so the house was much bigger than we expected. We got back to the car, taking in the crisp beautiful Calgarian air, and thanked Hashem for bringing us to this point. There's like this feeling of excitement when you anticipate something great that is going to happen in the future. Then there's the feeling of being there. Arriving on the mountain-top.  We knew there be will many more mountains to climb, especially these next few weeks as we get adjusted to a whole new place. But till then, the view from this summit was worth every step.

Dining Room

Basement/Playroom