Wow! In only two weeks, I received my passport in the mail today. Step one is complete. I am now legal to fly to Taiwan!

The next step: probably booking a flight. I’m not sure how early I should do it and whether or not I should book myself online or use a Travel Agent. Problem is this. I’m going to have to take 2 different airlines to get there. The first to Vancouver and the 2nd to Taiwan. Looking on Air Canada’s site, there’s like an 8 hour layover if I go both with Air Canada…um no thanks. Amanda had no problems with China Airlines, so I might go with them. Then maybe a quick Westjet/Air Canada hop to Vancouver earlier in the day so that there’s only an hour or two layover in Vancouver.

And in other surreal news.

This past August long weekend, there was a tornado that hit Gull Lake, Manitoba. Now Gull Lake has been a summer home to the whole Kiazyk clan for a long time. Months at a time were spent during the summer there when we were kids. Now as everybody gets older (an evidently - moves 2 provinces away) the time spent there is less and less.

So it was quite a shock to hear and then to see the pictures that came in.

So I’ve stolen a few pictures from around the internet to show everybody what kind of destruction a tornado can do. The cabin made it through fine, and didn’t receive the blunt of the tornado. About 5 cabins north is where it started from.

The plan is to head there for September long weeked. I’m sure by then, the cleanup will be started, but I’ll still be able to see exactly where it went through. I missed last year’s festivities, so I’m looking forward to getting back there for the first time this year. I haven’t been to the lake since last August long weekend 2005. The week before I left for Calgary.

Damn….it’s been one year already.