It's time to go back to Canada: 5 pieces of evidence

There are only 3 sleeps left to go until Ev and I (along with an angry orange cat and terrified white dog) make the long trek back to Saskatchewan. I still love living on the island, and will be happy to return at the end of August, but at this point, on July 6,  I absolutely feel the NEED to get back NOW. It is time. I've spent hours daydreaming about our place at Candle Lake and all the friends and family we will re-connect with (most of whom I haven't seen in a year!) With the chaos of continuing to work full days whilst arranging the pets travel documentation, securing the condo over the summer, and packing, I feel like I'm presently dangling in limbo. I'm stuck between two worlds - my body is in Cayman, trying to continue with the routine; yet my mind is back in Canada.

Here are the top 5 reasons that I KNOW it is time to head back to Canada:

1) I'm almost out of Tim Horton's
Every single day, for the past 10 years or so, I have kick-started my morning with a cup of Tim Horton's steeped tea. It has become a morning necessity. With the nearest Tim Horton's located about 1700 miles away, I panicked (just a little) when I pondered how I would continue my morning routine on this island. Behold: the Timmy's Keuring Cups! Genius. One condition that I have implemented for visitors is that one cannot clear Cayman customs without importing at least 3 boxes of Timmy's Keurig Cups for Kirsten Lindsay (that's my official passport Cayman name). These precious cups can only be found in Canada. This system has been effective for 2 years now - not a single day minus my cherished  tea. The stash; however, is low. Dangerously low. For the past week, I've been latching onto my beloved tea, cross checking the cups with the number of days left on this island. As long as our flight departs as scheduled, all will be OK. If not, I have no idea what to expect of my body if it is deprived of my morning tea. I'm predicting that the ramifications will be bad. Bad bad.

This box looks empty. I can feel the withdrawal shakes beginning. 

2) It's too fricken hot
I really hate to bitch about heat. I bitched about cold for 35 years, so I really have no right to bitch about heat. But it's really fricken hot here right now! It's 100 degrees with 80% humidity - that feels like 40+ degrees Celsius to all my Canadian friends. But it's a different kind of heat - one that I have never experienced. The air is dense. It's difficult to breathe. The sun seems to burn your skin on impact. Even our little white dog, Dundee, "softened" by the tropical climate, struggles on his daily walks, sensitively  lifting his paws on the hot concrete. It feels like you can never quite cool down. The pool is 90 degrees (like taking a bath with all your neighbours), and the air conditioning feels extra chilly, causing an uncomfortable cold sweat to drip down your body as soon as you return inside from the heat. In addition, the heat is wreaking havoc on my appearance. The combination of makeup dripping down my face and my white girl Canadian hair, frizzy from humidity, is terrifying . I give up on even attempting to look attractive anymore. Ok. I am done bitching. Wanna smack me in the face? Throw me back in a Saskatchewan winter and see how I well I function! haha.

White girl hair in a Caribbean summer. Bad combo. 

3) School is out
Working as a Speech-Language Pathologist, I have had the opportunity to work in both hospital and school settings. The interesting thing about working in the schools is the nice and neat linear schedule - there is a beginning, a middle, and an end. It builds a great sense of camaraderie amongst co-workers. We are all experiencing the same pressures at the same times during the school year. In addition, we all celebrate our successes at the same deadlines….including a well-deserved summer holiday (Hallelujah!) The end, my friends, is total chaos. The last month of the school year is total madness with teachers trying to administer tests, wrangle students on school trips, and write report cards. The Speech Therapists are desperately trying to complete and deliver reports to each of their schools. It's just a crazy time. It's exhausting. For some reason, this year, we are all required to work an extra few days following the end of the school year. The reports are done. The kiddos are on holidays. There are no more children to treat. So let's just call these days, "paperwork days." Ironically, our office just ran out of paper and we're singing the Karaoke version of "Sweet Caroline." It's time, people, it's time.

Spreading joy at my office

I love working with these guys!

4) I'm driving on the wrong side of the road!
Oops! As I drove down Seven Mile, my mind was elsewhere. Pondering whether or not our internet was still connected and operating in Canada, I mistakenly turned left into the right lane. That's the wrong lane, by the way. For 2 years, I have been perfectly capable of abiding by the rules of driving on the left side of the road; yet, suddenly, here I was, driving like a tourist into oncoming traffic. EEKS! My mind is not here anymore. I am officially a danger to the roads of Cayman!

5) I'm homesick.
Oh I've had bouts of homesickness during our 2 years on island, but this homesickness is something else. I ache to be at Candle Lake. I constantly daydream about boating with my girls, watching reality TV with my sis, laughing at  Derrek vacation aggressively, enjoying a campfire with my dad, sipping tea with my grandma, visiting my Baba and Gido on the farm, camping with Evan's family...and most of all...hugging my mom. With all my recent medical appointments, the heartbreak of digesting my last diagnosis, and the overwhelming plans for more surgeries, I just desperately need a mom hug. A big Lynne MacDonald Mom hug. Sigh. Can't wait. It's time, people, it's time!

I miss my Mommy!

Cheers! Our crew arrives midnight on Saturday! I apologize in advance if you happen to be on our flights. Things could get hairy. Literally.