I can't think of a title for this post - maybe because I have just flown up the stairs at the library to see if there was a computer free for me to use for a few minutes while Julia is at her ballet class in the comunity centre that is attached to the library (I am going to make typos because I am rushing and not familiar with keyboard).

I was debating the sanity of ballet class this aft - Mlle J was fast asleep in our bed, with um, me. I didn't want to get up, it's been one of those grey rainy days that makes you feel like crawling under a rock, or at least your duvet. Marc came up (on instructions delivered via the Stu) to get us at 3:00. It took a while to get her going - I wouldn't have even asked her if she wanted to come if she hadn't started asking about BALLET (I love the excitement in her voice) 3 days ago and crying every time I said we were going somewhere else in the car.

But man, it was hard shifting her out of bed and into the car. "Me a little bit scared of ballet" she announced. Huh? As we left the house it started to rain again. Then pour. Then it started to hail. Nice, this is a good sign - not. Miraculously it let up just as we got out of the car (it's all of a 4 minute drive to get here).

When we got in she panicked to see them sitting in a circle - "Wait for me!!" Anyhow, we weren't the only ones a few minutes late (teacher)and she went skipping in to tell Miss Julie the teacher that she was wearing rubber boots (she has some really funky rubber boots, I am starting to envy my daughter's footwear).

So - here I am, with a spare moment to write. What to say.

I guess I should say that we had a great Thanksgiving last week - we drove to Exeter (45 minutes north of London ON) to visit Marc's parents. We got to hang out with Grandma & Grandpa and see Aunt Holly and Uncle Brad and meet cousins Shae (2 1/2) and Jayden (10 weeks old).

The drive was... long. REALLY long. We left at 9:30 in the morning and didn't get there until a few minutes to 7 at night - all with a 15 minute pee/gas/run the kids in a field break and a very quick pee break later. All that for 700 km.

What was the problem you ask? Well, we were making great time. We were scheduled to arrive at 4:30. Just before 3 we were almost through Toronto. And then the inevitable (in my opinion) happened - we sat for 40 minutes on the 401 without moving.

Now, before I go any further : I admit it, I have a problem with Toronto. Or more specifically driving through Toronto, because it can take an hour or it can take 4 (yes, we were stuck once for 4 hours). My phobia has only grown since having kids to try and entertain while driving through the monstrously big city (it goes on forever).

So - I got us a plan. Get off the non-moving 401 (this was when we'd gone 1 km in 40 minutes) and head up to highway 7 near Guelph, since my inlaws live off highway 7 (eventually).

What I hadn't anticipated was Betty. For anyone who hasn't heard me gripe about Marc's girlfriend - she's a Garmin GPS and we don't get along very well. I have a brain and can read a map. I am convinced everytime I am in the car that something short circuits in her and she takes us the wrong way (point in case - driving us through a fountain in a pedestrian zone in Baden-Baden Germany).

I won't go on too long about HOW hellish the GPS made the trip (and Catherine got an email all about it as she sent me one about her recent experience while we were in the middle of the trip - what are blackberries for?).

At first it started off jokingly, Marc accusing me of being anti-Ontarian (I admit I get quite Quebecoise at times like this)and we narrowed it down to me not liking anything past the Thousand Islands (I concede he is probably right, considering that I spend most of any trip in or around Toronto chanting "thank you for not making me live here, thank you for not making me live here").

We had a map. Or rather I had a map and Marc had Betty. I kept finding the route, and he would turn her back on (after I would get frustrated and he would turn her off) and we'd try and follow her directions, turn where she would say and be rewarded with "RECALCULATING"... grrrrr.

She got us lost in Acton (a town of about 500 people but famous for it's - wait for it - HIDE House leather furniture store - I mean really. HIDE house??? ugh.)

She got us lost in Guelph.

I eventually firgured out how to get her out of wanting to take us back to the 401 and we were doing just fine, got to Kitchener-Waterloo where Marc went to university. I think I have it all figured out from the map when he utters the fatal words "I haven't been here in a few years, let's just put Betty on to get through town".

Turns out my plan involved about 500m on a highway, which we were now avoiding (according to Betty) because I didn't want to go on the 401. So she decided to take us right through KW.

Except that the roads she wanted to use were closed - for Octoberfest.

The largest Octoberfest in the world outside of Germany (so I have been told).

I resisted the urge to get out of the car and spend the weekend guzzling beer (I don't even like beer) and instead, in a very mature voice (no, not really) told Marc to get us out of KW and to his parents and that there was nothing I could do for him if he insisted on using the @*%&#^#*&# GPS.

And he managed to (okay, I helped a bit).

So - very late, very tired, very cranky (me especially) we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's. There were a few other side stops (like when Stu had to pee on the side of a road, he had to go NOW and I couldn't figure out how he had so much in him - only to discover that he had drunk the entire 600ml bottle of iced tea we had bought to "share").

And despite the heat wave (over 30 degrees? in October??) we had a very nice Thnksgiving.It was amazing to see the kids bond with their cousins and because we had both girls on Saturday evening so their parents got to go to a wedding, I got to spend some quality time with my littlest (and sometimes loudest) niece. I love babies - but I think I have hit the stage where I love being able to give them back. Sigh.

The drive home was much nicer - to be honest we left at 9 am and didn't get home until 8 pm, but we stopped in London for about 90 minutes to visit some friends we haven't seen in years (he's like Marc's second dad - and has become like mine too in some ways, he's always there to support us and help, offer advice etc) and then we drove to Markham (on the "right" side of Toronto for me, meaning east ;-) ) and had a lovely lunch with Dave & Jenn & the kids. Stu thought it was really cool to go and see his godparents and LOVED Joe's hockey room (and Joe... all we've heard this week is about 8 year olds and Joe).

And now I can't think of a way to end the post that I didn't know how to start!