2 parts to make it right

Thanks to those of you who offered suggestions [here on the blog or on Facebook] about which longer-winded blog topic that I should explore.

Reader's choice requests: "Our Canadian living" and "Lancashire, USA."

And so it is, a diptypch. I will begin with the 'shire' and follow-up with Canuck life.

Keep it up readers, you inspire me!

#DC

Long-winded what?

Hello Followers (Friends,)

Which of the following blog posts would you most like to have me expound upon (it will be a slightly longer-style post, with more details?)

1. "Our Canadian living" - A brief summary of mine and Leo's journeys from more Southerly places, to come to live together in Toronto—and some of the astonishing stories from along the way.
   
   
2. "Mavis Odessa Plyler" - A portrait of a woman, my grandmother, with details about being a self-made Southern lady. Including historical descriptions of rural Southern life during the earlier 1900's.
   
   
3. "Lancashire, USA" - An insider's view of what's really happening inside 24-hour Walmarts, a quick tour of my home town (Lancaster, South Carolina) and a description of the nouveau South I'm seeing emerging.
   
   
4. "Post-wedding poker" - A Saturday night poker game with some young rebels and beers, which surprisingly morphed into a Southern-style salon about our 'post-racism' South.
   

It's readers choice, please choose.

I look forward to your selection. Thank you for helping to make this blog more interesting for you, and others!

#DC

Finally an immigrant!

Today was a blessed day.

This morning I received a call from my immigration lawyer (Jordan Battista LLP) to tell me that mine and my partner's passports, stamped with our permanent resident visas, had been delivered by the Canadian Consulate and were ready for us to pick up.

I was ecstatic to say the least—it's been a 3+ years process!

The clerk at the law firm handed me the large envelope. I said thank you and I started to walk out, but I couldn't wait to see it. "Could I review the documents here?" I gently laid the envelope down on the reception counter and carefully began to peel it open.

It was there Inside of another smaller envelope: my passport, just like I remembered it except different. This passport had a permanent visa in it, one that labeled me officially an immigrant living in Canada.

#DC

PS: The image was 'borrowed' respectfully from the Ms. Mag blog image library. It captured the essence of the gorgeous Canadian flag that I was looking for. I will replace it with my own portrait of our lovely lady ASAP. Thanks Ms. (http://msmagazine.com/blog/files/2010/06/canada1.jpg).

Those 'SickKids' got my heart pumping.

My experiences at the SickKids Foundation' Camp Oki reminded me to not take a single heartbeat for granted.

Knowing that my 14 year old 'little brother' Tyler has a pacemaker definitely got me thinking, but befriending Ben and Matt (both 14 and heart transplant recipients) really shook me. Ben's transplant was when he was two months old, and Matt just had his two years ago.

At the mid-week Camp Oki "Dance Night," the boys were standing around feeling awkward about initiating a dance with the girls, and potential opening liners began to be swapped. It was Matt's offering to the Generation Z conversation that impressed me the most, "I just tell the girls that I could die soon, and this could be my last chance.

After hearing that, I felt a sudden urge to dance—every heartbeat counts!

#DC