the start of a new blog

I've been back in Canada for almost two weeks now. In some ways it feels like I've been here for much longer, in other ways China still feels really close. After enjoying four busy days in Regina, I repacked my suitcase (yuck, I'm sick of packing), loaded up the Neon and started the long journey to the 60th parallel with my Mom, Autumn, and Andrew.
I love the prairie sky and breathed it in all the way to Calgary. I really enjoy that drive- it seems to pass quickly, and it helped that I chatted the 8 hours away with my Mom. No shortage of things to talk about when both of us have spent the past 10 months in Asia. Seeing my brother's families in Calgary was a good thing, though only just barely enough of a taste of being together again. Both Billy and Steve have moved into new homes since I have been gone, so it was cool to see their new, and very nice setups. It was great fun to deliver Laurel and Karlie's China orders (they gave me specific instructions about what they'd like me to bring back!) and watch them pose in thirty seven different poses as Mulan chicks. I'll have to post some pics of Charlie?s Chinese Angels. Sydney is too much for words- I'm seriously considering leaving a recorder in their house and getting them to send them to me so I can listen to her talk. She's got one vibrant personality! A very fun little girl. And Aiden is still his very cool self, though he's definitely grown up in the last year. I'm excited to be in the same country as them for the next year!
Calgary is quickly becoming the hotspot for our McMillan family; at present I have two brothers as well as cousin Malcolm and family who have made the move to Cowtown. Ya Malcolm! I have a feeling more could be headed in the same direction soon! (Not me, I'm in Regina for life! Ha ha!)
The 20 hour drive to Yellowknife from Calgary was pretty good- long is a boring adjective but it really is the best fit. By the time you get passed the ferry, the last three and a half hours feel fairly tiresome and we were so ready to see 15 Larocque Cres. by the time we rolled into the happy home of brother Tim and sister Tara.
After taking great delight in Tara's expanded tummy (I still can't get over it, I love it...my how things change in a year ;), I enjoyed reunions with Tim, Dad and sister Heather, too! Family is a good good blessing, and I'm reminded of that this week.
So now the game plan in YK is to hang out and wait for Baby Hezekiah to make his debut. Well, we actually don't know that it's a boy, but everybody here talks like it is, so I'm just playing along. In the meantime...days have passed at the beach, playing some guitar, a good game of tennis, and tonight is pizza night at Doug and Cindy's.
I?ll be here until the end of July, and one of my things to do is to start preparing for my teaching job in the fall. Let's just say I've got a lot to do. :) But it's fun, I like doing prep work and planning, and it should be a bit more of an adventure preparing to teach at the high school level. Yes, that's right, my first Canadian teaching job will find me at Western Christian College teaching Phys. Ed and a mix of other subjects. It wasn't what I had anticipated, but then neither was China. I'm looking forward to this new challenge..I'll write more on that later!
Okay, this is way too long but I just wanted to start off my blog...yeah I was thinking a paragraph would suffice? Oh well!