"Life's a journey, not a destination."

Between heavy traffic in Rochester, crossing the border with Red Sox Nation, and construction on the QEW, our delays seemed endless. At 6:30, Byron, Jessica, and I realized that we were not going to arrive at Roger's Stadium in time to hear Peet sing.

Garmin helped us find the nearest sports bar where we frantically and politely explained that the three of us had spent the day traveling to see our friend sing "O Canada." Upon our request, the Lone Star Texas Grill (in Mississauga), kindly turned off the Olympics and changed all of the channels in the bar to Major League Baseball so we could watch Peet's performance on television.

Unfortunately, while he was singing beautifully and throwing the opening pitch, we were watching food commercials instead of enjoying the game from our fantastic seats on the first base line. Jessica won the arrival bet when we finally sat down during the 5th inning.

Jessica and I were originally going to root for the most attractive team but that plan was discarded in the midst of our search for ballpark franks. Being a Red Sox fan seemed like fun so we cheered loudly for the away team during the 7th inning stretch.

Byron tried to protest when Jessica and I suggested that we move to highest seat in the nosebleed section to finish watching the game. The voice of reason was outvoted and the three of us proceeded to climb to the top of the stadium. Our new friend, Val, the security guard, took our photo after he informed us that we could not have an entire section to ourselves.

We were craving Dippin Dots so the three of us left the nosebleed section and the stadium to get our beloved ice cream. When it was nowhere to be found, we decided to try poutine, an authentic Canadian dish, which seemed like a reasonable alternative at the time. We ran into our concession stand friends from Massachusetts at an Irish Pub and we were all happy when I received a confirmation via text that the Red Sox had won the game.

When Jessica, Byron, and I got back to the hotel we ordered a second dinner to go with our Simon celebratory champagne. We raised our coffee mugs for a toast to friendship and how much we have all learned in just one year. The night was filled with great conversation, laughter, and late night TV.

I was the first person to fall asleep and the first person awake in the morning. Not wanting to disturb Jessica or Byron, I went to the front desk to request a clean cup to quench my thirst. The hotel clerk mumbled something so I repeated my question. He still spoke softly but this time it seemed like he was talking slowly because he wanted me to read his lips. When I got back to the hotel room, I realized that I was still wearing the complimentary earplugs that I put on before I went to bed.

We spent our lazy morning laughing about our newly created memories. Byron stayed in Toronto another night and Jessica and I hit the road in time to get McDonald's breakfast. Traffic was still horrendous as the QEW was stop and go at 20 MPH and didn't clear up until we passed the Lewiston bridge.

To pass the time, Jessica and I began blaring Christmas music and wishing nearby cars a Merry Christmas. Most people responded with raised eyebrows, a five second pause, and reciprocal holiday greetings. Occasionally, we received dirty looks which prompted us to turn up the volume of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and start dancing in our seats. We were a sight to behold and were usually able to make the most grumpy people smile. At long last we made it to the customs booth with the least amount of questioning that either of us had ever experienced:

::Jessica pulls up and slightly lowers the volume to our Christmas Music as she gives the customs officer our identification::

Jessica (to the customs officer): "If people are crossing the border in a good mood today, it's because of us."
Customs Officer: "What was your business in Canada?"
Melisa: "We were spreading Christmas cheer!"
Jessica: "If we are going to be waiting at the border until Christmastime, we might as well have Christmas spirit!"
Melisa: "Oh! And, we went to the Red Sox game."
Customs Officer: "Did you bring anything back?"
Jessica: "Nope. Nothing, not even money."

::Customs Officer returns our ID, waves us on, and tells us to go ahead. Jessica turns up the music.::

Jessica and Melisa (waving): "Merry Christmas!"
Customs Officer (smiling): "I'm a Yankees fan but Merry Christmas to you, too!"

Although we didn't make it to our final destination as early as we had hoped, we had a lot of fun getting there. Friends that couldn't make it were missed. Overall, we had a wonderful time in Toronto and much needed break from our recent exam stress.

When we try this again, we'll arrive in time to hear Peet sing and might even catch a bit more of the ball game.