Update to USA Adventure (Part 2)

The saga continues...

Yes, we had quite an adventure during our trip coming back from New Hampshire. But do not be fooled, it was not over yet... Our car was still in Vermont and I had go pick it up.

I found out Thursday that the car was fixed. The garage replaced both the radiator and the water pump. Total price: 310USD. I paid by credit card and made arrangements to pick up the car after opening hours, given that the garage closes at 5PM. They leave the key in the glove compartment and the doors unlocked, I come by in the evening and drive home with the car. Sounds simple? I thought so too.

Well, Thursday night, Michael and I drive down to Vermont. The garage is about 2.5 hours away from Montreal. I have a good map and directions from Google maps. We leave Montreal at about 7PM. Four hours and a few detours later, we finally arrive at the garage. I'm pretty tired and so is Michael. On the upside, I'm relieved that the trip home will be less long because I'm sure of the way back now. It's kind of like a maze: once you've reached the destination, it's easier starting working your way back to the start.

Well, believe or not, about 5 minutes into our drive on the highway, I notice that the air coming out of my car heater is cold. Oh no! Not again! I put the heater on full blast but only cold air comes out. Slowly but surely, the engine temperature gauge starts to rise. I reduce my speed a little, hoping it's just a glitch. The needle stops rising about 3/4 of the way up for a brief moment, then continues its sickening ascent. As the needle rises, my heart drops lower and lower. I plead with God: "Please, have mercy!" Finally, I have no choice but to stop on the side of the road. The needle is at the top of the range and I can't continue or the engine will blow. Michael pulls up behind me on the shoulder. We pop the hood and wait for the radiator cap to cool down. When it does, I open it with some dirty tissue. Its too dark to see so I stick my finger in the hole to see if there is any anti-freeze in the radiator. It don't touch any liquid, it seems completely empty. I have some anti-freeze handy in the car trunk so Michael takes the 4 gallon container and carefully pours some into the radiator. Two seconds later, we hear a gushing sound under the car. I look under and see the liquid pouring down, onto the asphalt and into the grass on the side of the road. It's obvious the hole is pretty big.

We leave the car on the side of the highway and use Michael's car to get to a gas station. From there, we are able to contact a tow truck. We drive back to the car and wait. When the tow truck arrives, I instruct the man to bring the car back to Ted's Kar Kare. This is the garage that fixed the car. We then drive to Burlington and find a hotel for the night. We check in at around 2:30AM, call our wives to let them know we've been delayed, and fall asleep by 3AM.

The next morning, I call the garage to let them know that I've had a problem with the car and that it's back in their yard. The guy on the phone is very courteous. He apologizes for the inconvenience that's been caused and tells me they'll bring the car in right away and inspect it. Michael and I eat a quick breakfast and head back to the garage. When we arrive, the mechanic is finishing up. Apparently, the radiator hose was rotten and it broke off. They've replaced it and he's about to go for a test drive. When he returns, he assures me that everything's ok. Not that I'm a doubting Thomas, but I open the hood and check that the radiator cap is not too hot and that there is enough anti-freeze before leaving the garage.

The drive home to Montreal gets done without any hiccups. Michael and I arrive at about 1PM. We're both tired but happy to finally be home.

So, what did I learn from this experience? We're getting a new car!

Our adventure in New Hampshire

Wow, what a weekend. It was a weekend of contrasts: at times tiring and at other times restful, at some moments worrisome and at other moments peaceful. Definitely a learning experience! It's hard for me to describe a whole weekend without getting into too many details and losing your interest because I'm pretty detail-oriented in my descriptions so I'll try to pick out some highlights that are particularly memorable.

Friday night we were exhausted. We came back from our skiing trip in Bromont and picked up Emilia at the friends who had been keeping her. We didn't stay late. We got home, put Emilia to bed, and managed to unpack our bags from that day’s trip and repack them for our next trip before crashing in bed. We were leaving the next morning for New Hampshire. We were both a little worried because Andréanne had not been feeling too strong so we prayed that a good’s night rest would allow her to feel better.

Our trip to New Hampshire was peaceful. There is such nice scenery on the Interstate 89. Andréanne and Emilia slept for a good part of the trip. Apart from that, it was pretty uneventful.

Our afternoon in NH was quiet. We arrived at the home of our charming hosts, Dan and Lauren and their two daughters, at around 2PM. We chatted with them and got to know them a little better. We had a lot of fun with redneck jokes. Some of those are really funny, albeit a little vulgar. Emilia played with me and with Shannon’s kids. She also had fun running after and petting their three cats. Andréanne had a scratchy throat and some fever so she took some Tylenol and rested.

The evening was great for learning new things and enlarging my perspective. We discussed a range of subjects, from the Promise Keepers movement, to the stereotypes Quebecers have regarding Americans, to the state of Christianity in Québec. We also watched some cool short videos from a short film festival and a teaching video from NOOMA. They really opened my eyes to the possibility of presenting truths in a totally new format, adapted for our post-modern generation. They aren’t preachy but open up the door for conversation and ultimately, relationship-building.

We really put our trust in God on Sunday morning. We woke up early, at around 7AM, in order to be on time for the church’s first service. Andréanne was pretty tired because she had fallen asleep at around 4AM. Her throat was not entirely better either. So, we decided that we had come this far and we had better continue to trust in God in spite of the adversity and trust that He would take care of things.

The church service was encouraging. The building is beautiful! It’s a new construction from last summer and they really made it very practical and useful. Andréanne sang at the first service and I think it went really well. The congregation seemed touched by the message in her song, which was her intention. She sang again in the second service but I missed it. Emilia was feeling cranky so I stayed in the lobby with her. Andréanne was very enthusiastic about it afterwards. She told me it went even better than her song in the first service and that she received a lot of good comments. That was encouraging, even exhilarating!

After church, we had a rejuvenating lunch at a restaurant called “Outback.” The food was really good! It was nice to relax after the stress of the morning. We also knew we were heading back home. I took a few pictures of Shannon’s kids playing in their van and then of the group.

I asked Shannon’s kids to give me a nice smile and then I let them fool around.


A shot of the rest of the group, chatting inside the restaurant.


But the scariest and most trying time of the weekend, for me, was the ride home. About 2 hours into the trip (the entire trip takes about 4.5 hours), Andréanne and I were chatting about something when I noticed that the engine temperature gauge was all the way in the red. We pulled over and I filled up the car with anti-freeze. We started to drive again but we hadn’t gone more than one minute when I had to pull over again, because of the problem was there again: engine overheat! After about 10 minutes on the side of the freeway, we were visited by a state trooper. He enquired about how we were doing and then offered to call a tow truck, which we accepted. And so we waited in the car, for about half an hour, trying to stay calm and keep Emilia occupied. When we first pulled over, I thought "This is just a bad situation. The car is going to get better and we’ll be able to go home and get it fixed." But with the trooper calling the tow truck and it getting dark outside, I got a little panicky. Here we were, on the side of the highway in Vermont, in a broken-down car. Andréanne had called her friend Shannon on her cell phone and they were coming back to help us. But would we all fit in their car? And how were we going to get the car fixed and then get it back home? Would it be expensive? Would the garage try to rip us off? Why is this happening to me, I just want to get home! As soon as that last question came to mind, I realized that I was thinking wrong. I’ve heard enough sermons saying that when we start to think "God, why is this happening to me?" it’s time to remember that God is in control and that everything He allows happens for a reason. And so, slowly my perspective shifted to "Hey, whatever happens, I gotta trust God."

The rest of the ride home was great communal time. After the tow truck arrived and brought our car to a nearby garage, our family piled into Shannon and Frederic’s van and we drove home with them. It was fun, the two families crammed in together. Andréanne, Shannon, and the kids squeezed into the back and watched a movie while Frederic and I talked in the front.

So, that was our weekend. We got home tired but happy that God had protected us.

Journée de ski

Vendredi, Andréanne m'a fait un des plus beau cadeaux de fête que j'ai jamais reçu. Pour vous mettre dans le contexte, ça fait depuis avant notre mariage que je parle à Andréanne de combien j'aime faire du ski et que j'aimerais l'initiatier à ce sport. Et ça fait depuis ce temps qu'elle me dit qu'elle n'a pas envie de se casser une jambe, maladroite comme elle est! Et bien vendredi passé, comme cadeau de fête, elle a organisé une journée de ski pour nous deux au Mont Bromont. Elle a surmonté ses peurs pour m'offrir ce cadeau! Génial!

On a eu une super de belle température cette journée là. Andréanne m'a impressionné, elle a était vraiment bonne! Elle a appris très vite. On a commencé sur la pente-école, qui est très bien faite pour apprendre, où Andréanne a maîtrisé les bases de la technique "chasse-neige".

Andréanne après sa première descente


Après quelques descentes de la pente-école, on s'est attaqué à une des vrais pentes de la montagne : la Victoriaville. Elle est classé "Verte - facile" mais c'est une vrai pente du ski avec un peu plus de défi que la pente-école. Andréanne a eu un peu plus de difficulté avec une partie particulièrement à pic. Mais après quelques essais, ça ne lui présentait plus de problèmes et on a pu essayer d'autres pentes. On a fini la journée vers 16h00.

La vue du haut de la montagne


Moi, j'étais content d'être sur les pentes de ski dans une aussi belle température. Merci Andréanne pour ce merveilleux cadeau de fête. Maintenant, il faut que je pense à quelque chose de spécial pour sa fête le 28 mai. Quelqu'un à des suggestions?

Emilia malade / Emilia's sick

Emilia a été malade... Samedi passé (le 12 mars), elle a fait de la fièvre durant la journée. Puis, ça semblait aller mieux samedi soir et dimanche. Mais mardi lorsque je suis allé la chercher au CPE, une des responsables m'a fait remarquer qu'Emilia avait un peu de "stuff" jaune dans le coin des yeux.

Ce soir là, on est allé au CLSC. Emilia était de bon humeur : elle se promenait dans la salle d'attente. Nous avons attendu environ 1/2 heure et puis l'infirmière nous a vu. Là encore, Emilia n'a pas trop protesté. On a attendu dans les locaux du medecin pendant quelques minutes. Emilia a exploré la salle, elle n'était pas du tout inquiète. Puis le médecin nous a rencontré. Son verdict : deux otites! Ouch! Donc, Emilia est sur les antibiotiques depuis...







Depuis, on a pleins d'autres aventures mais le temps me manque pour tout vous les raconter ce soir. Ça sera pour un autre fois...

-- English Translation --

Emilia has been sick... Last Saturday (March 12), she had a fever during the day. Then, it went away and she seemed to be doing better Saturday evening and Sunday. On Tuesday however, when I went to go pick her up at the daycare, one of the caregivers showed me some yellow "guck" in the corner of her eyes.

I brought to our CLSC that evening. Emilia was in a good mood the whole evening. She played around in the waiting room and she explored the doctor's office while we were waiting for her. The doctor's verdict: two ear infections. So she's been on antibiotics since...

Since then, we've had full of other adventures but I'm lacking a little time to tell you all about them. I'll try to find some time a little later...

Avant de se coucher... / Bedtime Routine

J'ai pris quelques photos de la routine qu'Emilia fait avant de se coucher. On commence par le bain, avec beaucoup de shampooing pour bien laver ses cheveux. Puis, on lui met un pyjama bien confortable et on descend en-bas dans le salon. J'ai commencé par lui couper les ongles sur les doigts. Ensuite, Emilia a pris une petite pose. Puis, ce fut au tour des ongles sur ses pieds. Andréanne lui peigne les cheveux pendant qu'Emilia boit son lait et regarde la télévision. Une fois les cheveux démélés, Andréanne lui fait des tresses. Un peu de temps à relaxer ensemble avec la télévision et puis c'est "Bonne soir, bonne nuit! À demain."

-- English Translation --

I took a few pictures of Emilia's bedtime routine. First, we start with a bath with lots of shampoo for her hair. Then, we put on a comfortable, snuggly pyjama and we go sit in the living room. I started by cutting her fingernails. Emilia took a little break, then I cut her toenails. Andréanne combed her hair while Emilia had her bottle of milk and watched tv. After her hair is detangled, Andréanne braids it. They relax together on the couch and watch some tv; then it's "Good night! See you tomorrow."

Bonne fête aux trois divas / Happy Birthday to the 3 Divas

La fin de semaine passé, on a eu une fête chez mes parents pour Julie, Mélanie et Sara. Le voyage c'est bien passé : je suis descendu en début d'après-midi lorsqu'Emilia faisait son somme et je suis parti le soir, lorsqu'il était l'heure pour elle de se coucher. Ça fait quelques voyages à TR que je fais comme ça et ça va très bien. Emilia est rendu un peu plus vieille, elle a joué avec Michaël. À Noël, elle jouait surtout tout seule. Voici quelques photos de la soirée, certaines prises par Jean-Marc et d'autres par moi.

-- English Translation --

We had a family birthday pary for Julie, Melanie, and Sara last Saturday. Emilia and I came down from Montreal to see the family. We all had good time. Emilia is a little older now so she played with Michael. At Christmas, she was too young so she didn't mingle very well with the other kids. Here are a few pictures from the evening, some taken by Jean-Marc and others by me.




Il y a aussi Patrick et Mélanie qui se méritent un montage spécial juste pour eux :)
Patrick and Melanie have their own special picture strip, due to their funny antics :)

Photographie / Photography

Ces jours, je me suis mis à faire beaucoup plus de photo. J'ai toujours aimé la photo. Je suis le photographe attitré de la famille Lafleur lorsqu'il y a des évènements familiaux. Mon projet le plus ambitieux a été le mariage de Mélyna et Malek cet été. Mais avec ce blog, ça m'a donné l'opportunité de photographié les évènements quotidiens de notre vie. J'ai appris à toujours garder ma caméra près, au cas où une bonne opportunité de photo se présente. J'ai aussi ouvert un compte avec flickr, un site d'hébergement de photos. Toutes les photos que vous voyez ici sont aussi sur mon compte flickr, ainsi que *beaucoup* d'autes. Il y a un peu de tout, des photos familiaux et d'autres un peu plus expérimentales.

-- English Translation --

In the last couple of weeks, I've started doing a lot more picture-taking. I've always liked photography. I've just naturally become to be the designated photographer for my in-laws; any family event will have me taking pictures. My most ambitious project was being the photographer at Melyna and Malek's wedding last summer. But with this blog, I've started taking pictures of the daily events of our lives. I've developped the habit of always keeping my camera close by, in case there's an opportunity for a good picture. I've also opened an account with flickr where I can store pictures on-line. All the pictures from this blog are also on that flickr account, as are *many* others. There's a bit of everything, from family pictures to more experimental stuff.