#iamcanadian

life in Winnipeg is nothing like growing up in an apartment in downtown Toronto.

drive 5 minutes north from my in-laws and you could be hunting moose in the wilds of Winnipeg [a slight Campbellishment, but hey.] but it's a funny thing being Canadian. with 3 planes home, a hop, skip and quantum leap is made from the slush-streaming streets of Winterpeg back to the palm-tree littered lanes of Los Angeles.

i am home. to the heat. to our hound. to my happy.

and yet. i find myself missing The Coldest City in The World (with a population of over 600,000); the borough burgeoning with Art and Soul. the quaint burg that has finally captured my heart.

What I Will Miss About Winnipeg: #nooneismoresurprisedthanme

Winnipeggers throw down weather stats harder than a newborn takes to it's Mother's nipple. #insatiable

the flicker of love i felt for the Filipino immigrant who completed my order at Tim Horton's like a true Canuck should. "That was all, EH?" #weareallimmigrants #timmys  

Timbits. #nuffsaid

i forgot that listening to French makes my throat hurt. #anglophone

it was genuinely exciting to see patches of green grass emerge from underneath rock hard mounds of gray snow—and it was discussed with much enthusiasm. #changeofseasons

my niece went to school on a 1° C/34° F morning wearing only a sweater and i did not think "Hmmm. Bad parenting." i thought, "Amen, sister!". #springhassprung

i forgot that loonies and toonies are real money. and damn, do they add up. #funnymoney

driving is to Winnipeg as a hot bubble bath is to Me. #relaxing #stressfree

driving is to Los Angeles as Armageddon is to The World. #deargod

i can get anywhere in Winnipeg in about 25 minutes. in L.A. time, this is getting to the grocery store. #traffic #gasguzzler #killmenow

Canadian alcoholics are really friendly! #welcome #sobergirl

hashtag games with your niece and nephew are fun and free! #rad #bless #dearharrypotter #insidejoke

the passion with which hockey was discussed made me want to pitch a net in the street, throw on my Grade 5 goalie mask and yell, "CAR!" #goaliegirl #puckisnotashakespeariancharacter

the feel of freezing air against my bare legs on a walk was exhilarating, then shocking, then dangerous, then exhilarating again. #frostbite #iamcanadian

the Weather Channel plays 24/7 at my in-laws and is watched for change like the NY Stock Exchange Ticker. #buy #sell #celsius

the profusion of "beaver" references throughout the city did not make me break out into giggles. ok. maybe a little. #beaverbus #ridethebeaver #insertjokehere

the way Husband got worked up when discussing Universal Health Care. #gohillary

i became nostalgic at the sight and sound of Canada Geese flying overhead. #honk #musictomyears #cominghome

Winnipeg's sand-covered streets did not leave unsightly stains on my MIL's borrowed boots the way Toronto's salt-covered streets do. #notetoself

the secret sense of pride i felt whenever someone apologized for no reason. #sorry #noimsorry #noimsorry

Husband made requisite stop at Vancouver airport "Roots" store and purchased an old-school "beaver" t-shirt. #madeincanada

i knew before walking into the Vancouver Duty-Free there would be a bounty of Mountie, Moose and Maple Syrup products to peruse. #comfortfood
 
the Stars and Stripes is duly impressive, but there's nothing like the sight of that red Maple Leaf fluttering against the wind. #ohcanada

it's a funny thing, Winnipeg. everyone talks about how cold it is.

but no-one talks about how warm the place makes you feel.

#family #laughs #love