Happy Thanksgiving, all of you Americans out there! Today’s a day for family, friends, and food! While I celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving last month, I still feel attached to this holiday in a major way.

I called my grandma last night. If I was still in Michigan I’d be heading over to her house tonight for a big family turkey dinner, so I wanted her to know I was there in spirit. She’s supposed to give everyone a big hug and tell them it’s from me.

After I called her I called my mom for a bit. I figured I could tell her happy Thanksgiving, too, and I had a few things I wanted to talk to her about. Sadly, by the end of these two conversations I was in tears. For the first time in three years, I was truly homesick. It was crippling. I literally sat for a half hour and stared at the wall, crying.

Most days it’s fairly easy. I can pretend they’re in the next room, because we’re in contact. But when it dawns on me that I don’t have the OPTION to just drive over for a nice dinner, or to go for a walk… That’s when it hits me the hardest that I’m 1400 miles away from everything I’ve ever known.

I really hope this gets easier. In the meantime, I’ll build myself up for a visit, hopefully next year when this nightmare is over.

Matt and I are headed to the post office today to mail my permanent residency application. Am I scared? Not as much as I have been in the past. See, I’ve spent two years staring at this application and praying that things would work out. Now, I’ve done all I can, and I’ve been told that I should be okay. I mean, why would they tear me from my husband? So we mail it, registered, and wait for the response. It’ll still be a while (QUITE a while!) but I don’t care; it’s worth the wait.

In celebration of mailing our paperwork, Matt and I will be heading downtown for the Busker Festival. He’s never seen it before, and I’m sure long-time readers will remember that I didn’t quite make it there last year so I’m excited to go and take some photos. And why wouldn’t I be?

On August 7th, the streets will come alive. For the 22nd year indoor theatres will be emptied and brought to the Halifax Waterfront, across 6 spectacular stages. Over 500 performances will take place between August 7-17th and crowds will be introduced to genuine ‘street theatre.’

Tell me that doesn’t sound cool. I’m so excited!