My son is going to Canada!! - to Ottawa

amymom wrote: I have just begun to get nervous about it. He and three of his good buddies (all good kids) are going to a concert in Ottawa on Saturday night. One of his friends step-dad and a friend of his are taking them. I know that they will be safe. I trust the adults and the kids BUT they are leaving the country... pretty scary!! I wasn't the least bit worried until just now. Not sure why it hit me, but it did. Kids! they grow up too fast.

Hey Rocky! they will be near you I guess? Ottawa is about an hour and half to 2 hours from our home here in New York. I believe it is the civic center they are going to.

cameragirl21 replied: you're a cool mom, Anne Marie, and your kids will always love you for it.

mom21kid2dogs replied: Make sure he has his passport. You need it now to get into Canada . Ottawa is an absolutely beautiful city!! Will he have any time to check anything out?

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Ha! The civic centre is like 20 minutes from where I live!!!

Cool beans! Will they be staying overnight? Hotels in Ottawa beat the Benjamins out of you. Major expensive.

I know someone who works in the Parliament buildings, and I could arrange for a special "behind the scenes tour" if my friend is working this weekend....

DansMom replied: I will always remember my school field trips to Montreal and Quebec---loads of details are still fresh in my mind. An incredible experience---they will have a great time!

A&A'smommy replied: wow how cool, SOOO much fun!!!! You are a great mom, I would probably be nervous too!!

Calimama replied: I'd be nervous too, but I'm sure they'll be fine! What concert are they going to?

michmom replied: I bet he will have a great time!

holley79 replied: He will have a wonderful time. I would be nervous also though. Heck when Annika is old enough to spend the night with a friend I will be nervous.

3xsthefun replied: How cool! I'm sure he will have fun! But I know I would be nervous for sure also.

Kirstenmumof3 replied: That's great! What a wonderful opprotunity for them! I'm sure they'll have a lot of fun!

It wasn't as strange for DH and I when we took Emily and Spencer to Duluth which was about 4 hours away from Thunder Bay. But DH and I had been there so often, it was nothing for us.

amymom replied: Thanks everyone.

He is going to a Billy Talent concert. Also Rise Against will be there and two other bands. He is not staying overnight in Canada but at his friends home which is here in the US.

Rocky Thanks so much, but they plan to arrive just before concert time 7pm or maybe time enough to eat something and leave afterwards. Also, I think they will be so riled up about seeing the concert that they will have zero interest in the history of the city. However, we are so close we ought to plan a meeting sometime. Maybe I will drag my family for that tour. Mary Beth would love it since she plans to be the President of the US someday.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Anne Marie, are you sure about that passport thing? Last I heard, there was a big commotion because so many people were scrambling to get their passports, since as of January 1st you needed it to get across the border, whether by plane or by car...

There was a lot of upset people around here, anyways, because a lot of people delayed getting theirs until the last minute, like for instance my uncle who wanted to go to the Dominican Replublic...and had to cancel his reservations because there was a 6 to 8 week delay for passports being issued.

I'd double check on that, just to be safe. And good thinking on your travel letter - make sure to have it notarized, or it may not pass.

Ps - I love RATM! But I can't stand Billy T.

amymom replied: Rocky I called both us customs/ immigration and canadian. So I think we are ok on that. Yeah the commotion in the US was in January they were changing the requirements and the fees for the passports. In Canada as of (I think) Jan 23rd or 24th the airport, needed passports. Lots of our family used to fly into Ottawa, from Fl. & CA.

Thanks about the notarized idea I will do that tomorrow.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: