The first stop on our global sabbatical was a familiar one. We packed up everything and headed to Toronto for five days to visit friends and family. It’s only three hours from our snowy little farm town, yet somehow it always feels like a whole different world. We usually make a couple of trips to “the city” each year, but every time we arrive it’s immediately obvious we’re out of our element — cursing traffic, navigating crowds, and reminding the girls not to touch every possible surface on public transit.
This visit was a slow, comfortable start to our trip, and it didn’t take long for us to discover our first sabbatical‑prep mistakes. The tooth fairy forgot to visit Emmalyn in the chaos of leaving the house, and despite checking off “shirts for Izzy” on the packing list, we somehow brought only half of what we intended. Thankfully, with a car, family nearby, and an easy launch, these were quick fixes. It was our first round of “living out of suitcases,” but with the added luxury of borrowing whatever we forgot.
Our big Toronto adventure was visiting the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) — or “the Ex,” as locals call it. Justin and I have been before, most recently ten years ago, and we’ve talked for ages about bringing the kids. This three‑week fair in downtown Toronto is spectacular: endless food stalls, shows, rides, and a whole kids’ area. The timing finally worked out this year, and we were determined to make the most of it.
In preparation, Justin and I watched an embarrassing number of videos about the wild food offerings. Our favorites ended up being liquid‑nitrogen cereal that made you breathe smoke like a dragon, rainbow grilled cheese, and a deep‑fried s’more‑covered pizza slice. Emmalyn prepared in her own way — by insisting on a cousin sleepover, staying up late, and waking up at 5 a.m.
We took the train in bright and early, much to the chagrin of Justin’s night‑owl family, and spent the entire day exploring. I think I’m officially entering my “show era” in life. Gone are the days of expensive midway games and vomit‑inducing rides. Shows come with seats, shade, and genuinely impressive performers. I may have been one of the loudest people cheering at the end of the Paw Patrol Story Time show. (Can you imagine doing the Pup Pup Boogie in a giant dog costume?) We also watched the birds‑of‑prey demonstration — I learned so much and got incredibly close to the birds — and of course we had to see the ice‑skating show featuring Elvis Stojko. He may be 54, but he’s still got it.
We started the day by promising the girls they could each play one “everyone wins” midway game. We figured this was our last chance to get something big and leave it in Toronto for our return. But after all the shows, activities, and our third round of fair food, we ran out of time. Twenty thousand steps, ten hours at the fair, and a failed delivery on a promised midway prize ended exactly as you’d imagine: Izzy crying her way home on the train. We made it back, collapsed into bed, and enjoyed a much‑needed reset day.
While in Toronto — surrounded by cousins still on summer break — we’ve paused homeschooling. Letting the girls dive into free play in houses full of toys has been amazing. It gave them space, and it gave us probably our last few days of uninterrupted adult conversation. We even snuck in a double date night to savor our final moments of kid‑free time.
The CNE was a fantastic adventure (we will definitely be back!), and I couldn’t help noticing how easy everything felt. We had locals who knew the lay of the land, everything was in English, and navigating the day required almost no mental gymnastics. I suspect our future adventure days will be a bit more challenging as we move further into this trip — starting with our next stop: ten days in Paris. Everyone is practicing their French during these slow Toronto days, but I have a feeling our dependence on Google Translate is about to skyrocket.
