I hear you, Line.a. We are a very unique group and it's difficult to explain to family/friends. I was lucky enough to get AIP January 23rd, well... I didn't get the email because they sent it to the wrong email address that I had corrected with them months before but we do have it.
Just waiting for the resent AIP to come through snail mail. Hubby was also approved for OWP.
It is such an amazing opportunity for you to go see your family though! Would it just be you going, or would your other half be tagging along? If you want clarification, I think you might be able to contact CBSA here and ask: 1-800-461-9999. I would hate for you to miss out on your trip because you weren't sure or could get some assurance and less hassle if you were to bring a few documents.
We did. The officer there was
a lot nicer and didn't look twice at his work permit. We didn't have any trouble at all though his work permit was still valid for a few months, so I think that might have been why. But since his work permit expired (July 2013) we've been staying clear of the borders. We want the least amount of trouble as possible so we've been keeping our trips well within Canada.