Michiel’s parents arrived on a Wednesday afternoon for their first visit out to see Michiel and I and explore the place their son was now calling home!
The usual post arrival home tour, gift giving and unpacking occurred and from here on, I will simply give a highlight reel of the happenings during their stay 😉
They were introduced to the game of pickle ball and it was entertaining to see the slight ‘mirror image’ mirage that was created when watching Michiel and John both play it at the same time 😜
The weather was slowly creeping towards being nice but we braved the overcast skies on Friday and went for a short hike on some trails near our house. Spotting some spring crocuses, a dead carcass, an owl and 0 bear… as is preferred 😉👌🏻
As we exited the parking lot to head back home, a small ‘to the Hollandaners’ and large ‘to the Saskatchewanian’ group of bikers rode by!
Not the usual spotting on our roads but fitting due to the present company 😜
On Saturday the weather had cleared up and it was a lovely day out.
We four, along with my mother, drove to a market that was going on near Saskatoon.
Perusing the variety of things being sold and having a snack there before heading into the city.
We taste tested our way through the farmers market, bought some mint plants, ordered a food truck sandwich, returned after finding a hair and tasting a really weird flavour… ya know, the usual Saturday events 😜
Of course they had to be shown Dutch Growers.
The only store with a windmill entrance, as well as selling Michiel’s stroopwafles 😉
John and Inge were dears and bought us strawberry plants and flowers to fill a planter on the porch ☺💕💐
Once we made it back home, Mike didn’t waste any time planting the flowers and also the trees which John and Inge had gifted us with during a different town day.
They figure the trees should be named John and Inge 😏
So if I ever say that Johns wilting and Inge grew a ton, don’t be alarmed 😜
Sunday was Mother’s Day, so I made the lazy German/Dutch baby/whatever you want to call it pancake and ordered my helper (Mike) to prepare the special strawberries 😉👌🏻🍓
After church, we met up with my parents and siblings to eat together at Asian Le.
Some of the best Chinese (Asian?😜) food I’ve ever eaten. If you live in my area and haven’t been, GO.
From there dessert was the obvious choice so we went to the ice cream stand ☺🍦☀💕
Monday was beautiful out. We’ve been getting up fairly early due to the bird song and sunlight streaming in and that morning it was a good thing.
Sitting outside without needing a sweater, drinking coffee and eating leftover pancake 👌🏻
I retreated inside to make a fresh fruit juice while Michiel worked on selling a car 😜
Both projects transpired with excellent outcomes 😎
That evening, we headed out to visit some friends who had kindly invited us out for dinner and to take John and Inge for a flight, as they own a small plane ☺
Dinner was delicious, supposedly the flight very enjoyed and then conversation filled the evening.
A wildfire was burning nearby so on the drive there, the sun shining through the smoke made for an eery scene.
Tuesday was calling for more nice weather and the in-laws wanted to see more of Waskesui so that was the day to do so.
Mom accompanied us and we did a short hike along the creek, spotting fish silhouettes in the clear water and deer walking along the bank.
We then went to the beach that we frequent a few times during the hotter summer months, so Mikes parents could put a place to the name, whenever we talk about it in the future.
Walking along the beach, enjoying the sun warmed top layer of sand before sinking a little deeper and quickly lifting our toes from the chilly grains still hiding beneath 😋
Elk Ridge was the chosen place to eat lunch at and I think it’s safe to say we all enjoyed our meals 🙂
We all took turns snoozing during the drive home I’m fairly sure, though not 100% as I was one of the said snoozers 😜
Once home, I got to work preparing a gnocchi dinner, with some help from Mike and Inge 😉
Inge took over dish doing duty during their stay and wow… who knew it could be so nice not having to wash and dry all alone 😳👌🏻😜
On Wednesday, we awoke to weather very unlike the day before, having only a high of +14 or so to ‘enjoy‘.
I decided to test out an ice cream recipe I’d been wanting to make, so we could happily eat the results when sunshine returned.
A friend of Inge’s came over for a short goodbye visit and so went our afternoon.
We were invited over for dinner to our pastors house, before that evenings church service and a delicious meal was enjoyed and a dessert two years in the making, not literally 😜
Brother Paul and Sister Holly had visited us back when we lived in Europe and a discussion was had about Mikes love of creme brûlée and it ended with sister Holly saying she would make him some one time.
Neither of them had forgotten the conversation so the promise was at long last, fulfilled… and well worth the wait 😉👌🏻
Thursday morning Mike made a bacon and egg breakfast for us all, I made Italian cheese bread for lunch and the time between was spent fairly insignificantly 😜
But, come 3:30, the good things began as it was time for Inge and I to get pedicures.
Michiel’s Mother’s Day gift to her, which I happened to be able to enjoy as well 👌🏻😉
It was her first pedicure/spa experience and I am glad it happened at North Country Medi spa.
It was a super clean, simplistic but comfortable place and we really enjoyed ourselves!
Coffees in hand, pillows behind our backs and feet being pampered for 1.5 hours 🤤
Good idea Mike 🤓👌🏻
Mike and I cleaned a house together Friday morning, so that it could be done and over with faster and we could do some last things in town with John and Inge. We got Starbucks, they found a sale on Canadian shirts at Michaels 🇨🇦 I looked for cotton candy flavouring and found none, Inge found the Bulk Barn to be pretty unique. 😜
We picnicked on pizza, bread sticks and wings in our yard… the best foods and chairs to picnic with perhaps ? 😜👌🏻🍕
A frisbee that had been purchased was afternoon entertainment for the boys, rooftop landings and all😉
I made a watermelon cucumber salad to go with the supper that Mom and Dad were making for us all.
Fried fish, scalloped potato’s, seasoned avocado, tartar sauce, my salad and iced tea filled us pretty much to the max and then rhubarb cake and coffee finished us off 😏
Saturday was the last full day together and we’d pretty much visited and seen as much of Prince Albert as one can, so we went to take a look at Fort Carlton.
I’d been there when I was little for a home school tour but not since, so I didn’t recall much and the short, to the point tour was exactly the right length for an explanatory refresher 😉👌🏻
Mom and Dad also met us there and we all drove to the small town of Rosthern to eat at the Station Arts Tea House.
The men all dined on berry and cream sauce topped waffles with sides of sausage and us ladies had the tomato feta soup.
During the drive to said town, two moose were spotted! Checking off an item from the ‘to see’ list the in-laws had 😉👌🏻
A few stops around town, showing them more of what ‘small town Saskatchewan’ really means and then we went home.
Once there I cleaned out our raspberry patch, because I was wanting to get in a little more sunshine before supper prep, not really because I wanted to take care of the plants 😜
Moose burgers made by me, fries deep-fried by Mike and a salad brought by Mom made up our meal.
We dined outdoors and then my homemade ice cream was brought out.
Some preferred strawberry, some chocolate peanut butter, some didn’t care as long as it was just ice cream pretty much
😉😋🍦
Mom and Inge went for a bike ride and the rest of us (smarter people), stayed to sit and let food disgust as it should. Without movement interfering 😜
Michiel and Inge went for a light night stroll to attempt to see the northern lights but to no avail.
It would have to be an item to check off their list on the next trip, as this one came to an end the next day around noon ✈
We spent ten, busy but enjoyable days together and now they can fully visualize and understand where their boy is and the next trip either here or there, can begin being planned 😉
Jemstory 