Surprise!

Heh heh heh.
This past weekend we snuck up to Manitoba to surprise my Dad for his 60th birthday. (It's actually next week, so I think we managed to really get the ol' heart pumping since his suspicions were targeted a few days out.)

Super fun to see everyone but, of course, super short. We made it to church, which gets stranger and stranger each time we go. It's the same...but not.

Always seems weird to be in Steinbach and *not* see certain people - to know that you're kilometres or even blocks away from people you love, yet they are oblivious to your presence and you're staying under the radar.

Oddly enough though, as we drove home (second time I've done the there-and-back-again-in-less-than-two-days trek in three weeks, gah), I was okay with it. Usually I'm super sad to leave. This time it wasn't so bad, maybe because I'm starting to realize that people haven't forgotten us like I feared, and that even though our visits are short and infrequent, they're still possible.

When we moved, Minneapolis was the second on a list of two - the first place was Winnipeg. Even though my heart is in Canada, this is the largest centre within a day's drive. And that "day's drive" was important. It meant no looking for flights, seat sales, car rentals, or having to plan at least a four-day trip each time. This particular "7.5 hour drive" might mean a new country and work visas and the Tea Party, but it also means I can go home when I need to.

And for surprise birthday parties, I totally need to!