Last Week In MTL

Last Thursday, I went to to talk to the people at cirque who had information on our visas. They gently told me that the Brazilian consulate was telling them the visas wouldn't be ready until October 24th or 25th, which is over two weeks from the original date we were given. I fought back disappointment tears and went home to tell Max. Between picking me up from my mopey state and hugging me as I fought back tears, he decided we should have faith in prayer.

We embraced in our tiny little room and Max prayed for a miracle. 

Work resumed on Friday, and about halfway through the day, someone came to tell me that Max's visa had come through and that someone was going to the consulate to pick it up. We were told that Max's visa was probably processed faster because he has a tourist visa and my working visa might be more difficult to process. It was ironic because we have been nervous that Max's visa wouldn't go through; and there it was, first to arrive.

Friday afternoon, Max and I went upstairs to discuss flight options for the following week and pick up Max's visa. When we got upstairs, we were quickly informed that BOTH of our visas were picked up at the consulate and that we needed to book our flights immediately! Less than 24 hours after we were told it would be another week at the earliest before our visas were processed, we were holding both visas in our hands. God is teaching us His faithfulness through the power of prayer.

God is good, y'all.

Our flight is tomorrow, Monday, around 3PM and we arrive in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Tuesday around 1PM. We will be in BH for less than a week, and then the tour changes cities and moves to Curitiba, Brazil. Between cities, Max and I are flying to St. Maarten in the caribbean where we will be vacationing with our Schmidt family for the week!

It's summertime in Brazil, and I have absolutely no ill-feelings about skipping over winter!

We have had an incredible time being back in Montreal, but the time has come for us to move on, and we are feeling so excited and blessed about what's to come.

On another note, Max and I went to a morning church service a week ago where we saw this guy...

You might be seriously questioning why we were taking pictures of a stranger during worship at church. If you're this person, then you probably don't know my dad very well. If you do know my dad, then you're probably freaking out as much as we were! The man in front of us a church looked like my dad's twin! His posture, skin tone and hair color, glasses, ears... I could go on and on. Needless to say, I don't remember anything from church because I couldn't pay attention with my dad's clone next to me. It kind of felt like my dad was on a date with me; I'm comfortable around my dad, but he just wasn't supposed to be there. It made me feel warm inside to think of him though! I'm missing my favorite Japanese man! Love you, daddy.

Yesterday, Max and I went to our first MLS game together. We know some Terps on the Philadelphia Union team, and one of them was kind enough to remember we were in Montreal and get us tickets for their game against the Montreal Impact. The stadium was right next to the Olympic stadium, so I finally got to show Max! We also had a blast at the game. We didn't know what to expect because we haven't been to any soccer oriented events in Montreal, but the stadium was packed and the crowd was typically rowdy and chanting in French for the duration of the game. I guess we better start getting into futbol since we will be in SA for the World Cup next year!

Montreal Olympic Stadium

A Soccer Selfie From the Game
(yep, the beard is still there.)

After the game, we headed back because we had plans with friends for dinner. We went to a delicious italian restaurant in Little Italy with Alix Croop, a former EAGL gymnast and artist on Corteo, and her boyfriend who is visiting from Massachusetts. We sat and talked for hours. It's been lovely having Alix here with me in Montreal, and I'm even more excited to be a part of Corteo with her. Max and Derek are already planning their life on tour with the wives club... I think mani pedis, the book club, and late wine nights are in their future. ;)

The next time I write, it will be from Brazil! I can't believe it's finally here. Max and I are shutting off our phone service this weekend, so if you need to get a hold of us, then you'll have to rely on other avenues apart from our phone numbers! You can e-mail, FaceBook message, iMessage (through e-mail), or Skype us, but we won't be able to text or call through our phone numbers.