Family trips are great! I definitely had a wonderful time spending the last 11 days with Deon, my siblings, nieces, nephews, and cousins!
Prior to this trip, the last time I was in Toronto was 14 years ago! This time, my family, all 15 of us, came here for my cousin Frankie’s wedding. He’s the last Lee of my generation to get married and his wedding was definitely in the top 3 of the best weddings that I’d ever witnessed!
Aside from Frankie’s wedding, we also visited the majestic Niagara Falls and also took the winery tour of Niagara-on-the-Lake. It’s been 17 years since I saw the falls, but the memory is still starkly embedded in my mind. I recall being absolutely stunned when I first got near the falls during the boat tour. We took the same tour, but this time around, the impact on me wasn’t the same. Perhaps it’s because of the fact that I’d seen the larger Iguazu Falls in South America. Maybe it’s just because I’m a bit more jaded, older, and experienced.
The highlight of the trip turned out to be playing air hockey and Daytona car racing with Deon and my brother Eric in the arcade. Our planned zipline across the Niagara falls was cancelled due to strong winds. I feel so young every time I find myself in the arcade playing my three favorite games. We had an absolute blast! My right arm was so sore the next day. But it was worth it! LOL!
We stayed a total of 13 days in Toronto during this trip. I was very happy to have reconnected with Ken and Cooney, both of whom I hadn’t seen in 14 years and am also very grateful to have become friends with Rosa and Mercedez during this trip. They are two absolutely incredible women! I really have to say, this is the best trip among the 14 times I’ve ever set foot in this big city. In all truth, I had never stayed longer than 4 days during each of my previous trips. The city has always felt a bit too big for me: it takes forever to get to where you want to go, the traffic is so bad. But now, I’ve come to feel that it’s the people here that matter to me more than the city itself. For sure, I’m not going to wait around another 14 years to come back here!
Now I’m headed back home to take Deon to his boarding school. After that, in 38 hours, I’m off to New Jersey for a 3-day seminar (symposium).