Happy Canada Day!

July 1, 1986. 20 years ago today, I became a canadian citizen. Seems like a long time after reading over that last sentence, and yet, I don't feel that far removed from the memory of those first years I spent in Canada as a young boy. I remember loving the fact that school uniforms were not required. No shirts with collars. No ties!! I loved the casual approach appropriated by the Public School system in Canada....a place were the sky seemed "big" and neverending. Anything and everything seemed possible out here and grew the imagination of a scrappy yet quiet little irish kid. Soccer was my game and I played with a passion, but I soon was exposed to the national sport of ice hockey and was wowed. Of course, it was a treat growing up in Edmonton in the '80's and being introduced to the coolest game on earth by guys like Gretzky, Messier, Coffee, Fuhr, and so on, sealing my fate as a life long fan! Go Oilers Go! Seeing the Rocky Mountains for the first time is an experience I will never forget and the start of a love for the outdoors that continues to grow to this very day. Majestic is a word that always comes to mind as I think back on those experiences and i've never felt closer to my creator than when I am amidst those mighty mountains. The one thing that holds the greatest appeal for me personally is the culture and diversity that I discovered while living in Canada. I have met so many great and interesting people along the way and i'm a better person because of it. So...thanks Canada! You know who you are ;)