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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Bleuets

So the last couple of days have been keeping me busy.
Besides the usual stuff (preschool taxiing, a trip to Boise, grocery shopping, Bible Study, doctors appt, post office, etc.), I've been trying to sneak some time online to learn about the area in Quebec where we'll be living.
If you know me well, you know that I love to research and plan things.
For our trip to Disney last spring, I think I spent more hours online researching all the tips and info about Disney World than we actually spent there in Orlando.
Sure, it was overkill, but if you wanted to know which side of the line to get in at each specific ride in the parks to reduce your wait time,  I was your girl. (Obsessive-compulsive much?)
Of course, you can't plan for everything. If that were possible, then I would have brushed up on the local ICU's before we left.

Anyway, I've been trying to research the Lac-Saint-Jean, or Saguenay, region but I'm running into some trouble: namely, all the websites are in French.

Me no speaka frencha. But me learna.

Despite the language barrier, the pictures of the region are beautiful.
(I just have this nagging suspicion that they were all taken in the summer.)

But I keep plugging away online. I needed one thing to get excited about. To really get me ready to be a Quebecer for a couple of years. To help me think past the little weather issue.

And today I found it:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The very same Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region in which we will be living is renowned for it's...

...wait for it...

...wait for it...

...BLUEBERRIES.

Yes sir.
That's all I needed to hear. They grow wild around the entire region, and I read an article that described biking around a beautiful lake while stopping to pick fresh blueberries and raspberries.
Do you know my love of berries?

It's my love language.

In college I would walk 45 minutes to the far side of the arboretum where raspberries grew. It was worth the 90-minute round trip. Because my love of berries ran as deep as my cheapness in refusing to purchase them in a store.
And now, they will be at my fingertips. Alex and I shall be in heaven.
The boys, not so much.
But they're weird.

I mean, who doesn't love blueberries?

This guy:

He prefers pretzels.

But my girl shares my love of berries. Here she is at 2, enjoying some blueberry jam. She was enjoying it so much that she even tucked one little blueberry up her right nostril to save for later.

 

So for all of you out there wondering when we're leaving, if we are going to language school first, if the kids and I can accompany Josh to the training in Cold Lake, Alberta, and how long we will be in Canada, I can tell you this: We have no idea. But. There will be blueberries. 

Nuff said.

7 comments:

Jennifer said...

Will they have blueberries year round? ;)

Jen McD said...

God knew exactly how to comfort you in this new adventure! I know your love and this has me extremely excited for you and Alex!

Trey and Mel's Piece of the Net! said...

OH GOD NO!!! Don't go to Cold Lake, it is awful! I lived there for three years and let me tell you it is ridiculously cold there. If it isn't frozen, it is covered with mosquitoes of horror movie proportions! I do have a few nice people I know there that I can hook you up with though.

Oh dear! Not Cold Lake!

CharityVL said...

As with any place to live, I am sure you will find positives and negatives. Cold, yes, but you can deal with that. Sweaters are on mega-clearance right now! Blueberries are my son's favorite fruit too. Keep looking for good things about your next home, and as long as Canada wins the gold in hockey, you should be safe there!

Sunk Costs said...

Oh mah gah raspberries. We're going to need to work out some type of grocery exchange program.

Amy said...

I've been enjoying reading your blog. Blessings! ~Amy

trooppetrie said...

guess what, guess what, i am so excited I GOT MY HAT. it is so stinken cute i can hardly stand it. i will send pictures later, you know after i clean her face and brush her hair