There was an owl 'hooting' in the trees outside our house last night.
Logan was up crying in the night.
Birds were running on my roof this morning.
Lucy woke up early cuz she's 'too excited to sleep'.
It's birthday party day.
I'm tired.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Ben
Last night, after I got home from being at my parents house all day, my sister called. She waited until I had driven home and put my kiddies to bed. Bad news. Our family dog, Ben, was hit by a car. It clipped him in the head, and he died. Initially I was relieved, as odd as that sounds, because when she said we had bad news, I automatically thought of my brothers new baby, or my other brothers baby that is due any day...and thought the worst. But within a few minutes, the sadness of the news set in. We have had Ben for about 12 years. 11 and a half, I think. We hadnt had a dog for a long time, and one Christmas, we went down to my Grandmas house for the holidays. My parents surprised us with a puppy. He was tiny (fit in a mandarine orange box) and white a fluffy and SO cute. He has been the absolute best dog. He is so low maintenance and has such funny quirks. My sister and I reminisced for a few minutes over the phone.
We remembered that he always chose to crunch down on his dinner when we would sit down for prayers. Everything was so quiet and reverant, and then you would hear this *crunch, crunch, crunch*. Weirdo.
We remembered his little bottom fang tooth that stuck out of his lip all the time.
We remembered his little snort.
We remembered how he would run around the house like a crazy dog whenever he got his haircut...as if he was seeing the world for the first time.
We remembered how he would always try to act like super-dog and leap up the front steps, but often misjudged and would crash into the step.
We remembered how he would follow people around the house, just to sit in the same room as them, because he didnt like being alone.
We remembered how when Tyler and I lived with my parents while I was pregnant with Lucy, all of my nesting energy was geared towards him. I would put blankets on him while he was sleeping and take him for walks everyday. He was my first baby.
The night we brought him home, he whined really loud, so my brother insisted he sleep in the basement in his kennel. I snuck downstairs and slept beside him on the basement floor because I didnt want him to be alone.
He was getting pretty old, and didnt have much energy anymore. He spent most of his time sleeping and going outside to pee every 5 minutes!
I havent told my kids yet. I am not sure how to broach the subject. They liked him, but didnt spend much time with him, since he was pretty old by the time they came into the picutre. We are planning to have a memorial or something. I think we will bury him out here. It makes me feel really sad that his death was so sudden and unexpected. I think everyone is feeling the same way.
As I was at my parents house yesterday and my kids were at the zoo and Logan was sleeping, I laid on the floor with an icepak under my back. Ben laid on the floor abou arms distance away. I thought to myself, I should invite him to come cuddle with me, but instead I just reached out and patted his head. I wish I had...inspite of his stinky breath. He had the worst breath.
And it was weird how I felt reminiscent towards him yesterday...as if something was telling me to say goodbye. After I iced my back I got up and went to the den to use the computer and post my previous post. Ben followed me, because he just likes to be around people, even when he is sleeping.
Tyler and I are not pet people. We have both agreed that we do not want a dog. Or a cat. But I have always had a special place for my Ben. We always laughed that he was the same color as my parents carpet and often people would trip over him because we didnt notice he was there. He was always the first one to greet you when you got to Grandmas house, and he would follow you outside when you were leaving, as if to say goodbye and come again.
I suppose it is better that he didnt suffer through some sickness and we didnt have to make that awful drive to the vet to get him put to sleep, but a little heads up so we could say goodbye would have been nice. I guess I should have been listening better.
I love that Benny and I will miss him. I imagine it will hit me a few more times. Like the next time I arrive at my parents and he is not there. Or when I notice his food and water dish missing.
When I called Tyler to tell him what had happened, I was crying and he didnt understand what I was saying. He thought I said, *the van was hit by a car* and then when I told him *he is gone* he thought I was referring to the driver of the other vehicle...so he was relieved to find out it was the dog too.
This post is scrambled. So is my mind. I dreamt last night that my sisters and I were getting into my van to go somewhere, and all of a sudden Ben popped up from the back. He had some scratches, but was fine. It surprised me, because my dream previous to that was completely unrelated.
I miss my Benny already.
We remembered that he always chose to crunch down on his dinner when we would sit down for prayers. Everything was so quiet and reverant, and then you would hear this *crunch, crunch, crunch*. Weirdo.
We remembered his little bottom fang tooth that stuck out of his lip all the time.
We remembered his little snort.
We remembered how he would run around the house like a crazy dog whenever he got his haircut...as if he was seeing the world for the first time.
We remembered how he would always try to act like super-dog and leap up the front steps, but often misjudged and would crash into the step.
We remembered how he would follow people around the house, just to sit in the same room as them, because he didnt like being alone.
We remembered how when Tyler and I lived with my parents while I was pregnant with Lucy, all of my nesting energy was geared towards him. I would put blankets on him while he was sleeping and take him for walks everyday. He was my first baby.
The night we brought him home, he whined really loud, so my brother insisted he sleep in the basement in his kennel. I snuck downstairs and slept beside him on the basement floor because I didnt want him to be alone.
He was getting pretty old, and didnt have much energy anymore. He spent most of his time sleeping and going outside to pee every 5 minutes!
I havent told my kids yet. I am not sure how to broach the subject. They liked him, but didnt spend much time with him, since he was pretty old by the time they came into the picutre. We are planning to have a memorial or something. I think we will bury him out here. It makes me feel really sad that his death was so sudden and unexpected. I think everyone is feeling the same way.
As I was at my parents house yesterday and my kids were at the zoo and Logan was sleeping, I laid on the floor with an icepak under my back. Ben laid on the floor abou arms distance away. I thought to myself, I should invite him to come cuddle with me, but instead I just reached out and patted his head. I wish I had...inspite of his stinky breath. He had the worst breath.
And it was weird how I felt reminiscent towards him yesterday...as if something was telling me to say goodbye. After I iced my back I got up and went to the den to use the computer and post my previous post. Ben followed me, because he just likes to be around people, even when he is sleeping.
Tyler and I are not pet people. We have both agreed that we do not want a dog. Or a cat. But I have always had a special place for my Ben. We always laughed that he was the same color as my parents carpet and often people would trip over him because we didnt notice he was there. He was always the first one to greet you when you got to Grandmas house, and he would follow you outside when you were leaving, as if to say goodbye and come again.
I suppose it is better that he didnt suffer through some sickness and we didnt have to make that awful drive to the vet to get him put to sleep, but a little heads up so we could say goodbye would have been nice. I guess I should have been listening better.
I love that Benny and I will miss him. I imagine it will hit me a few more times. Like the next time I arrive at my parents and he is not there. Or when I notice his food and water dish missing.
When I called Tyler to tell him what had happened, I was crying and he didnt understand what I was saying. He thought I said, *the van was hit by a car* and then when I told him *he is gone* he thought I was referring to the driver of the other vehicle...so he was relieved to find out it was the dog too.
This post is scrambled. So is my mind. I dreamt last night that my sisters and I were getting into my van to go somewhere, and all of a sudden Ben popped up from the back. He had some scratches, but was fine. It surprised me, because my dream previous to that was completely unrelated.
I miss my Benny already.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Missing the Fun
Today, I felt desperate. I had my sister come out last night and give me a massage and that really helped, for a few hours. I slept 'ok', and woke up really hoping that my back would be significantly better today. As I rolled over to get out of bed, I realized that was not the case. My friend recommended accupuncture and I was pretty much game for anything.
As I laid there with needles in my hands and feet and legs, all I could think of was "Sorry! That was me. I accidentally tweaked his facial nerve. And may have also stopped his heart." Giggling when you have needles poking out of you is not a good idea.
After the needles, she had me do a yoga pose (which felt great) and used tuning forks on my back. Not sure what it does but it felt amazing! I hope it lasts. I still feel stiff, but I am hoping I am on the mend.
I am so skeptical about these things. (Chiro, physio, chinese-medicine). It seems to me that none of them have any real incentive to help you get better...they just all want to 'see you again tomorrow.' Not that I think everyone is out for my money, but it's hard to discern which ones are and which ones aren't. I have determined that I will get my back back, and then i'm going to hit yoga and running hard again. I imagine if I'm in better shape, these incidents will be fewer and farther between.
My kids are at the zoo right now with my brother and his kids, and my sister and her kids. I was supposed to go too, but an achey back and a trip to the zoo just don't add up. She texted me this photo:
and said that if they hadn't stopped to take this photo, all six kids would have been sprayed with hippo poop. Nice timing.
Logan and I are chilling at grandma's. He's currently asleep, but before his nap we pulled out the Fisher Price toys and really had a good time with them. My parent's have had those toys since we were kids. There's a hospital and a school, and I showed Logan the elevator on the hospital and he was fascinated with it for 20 minutes. Up and down, up and down. Then we set up a park and it was merry-go-round, slide, merry-go-round, slide. They just don't make toys like they used to.
I'm hoping I am up and moving again tomorrow. I have a 6-year-old birthday party to get organized for on Saturday. I can't believe my little girl will be six. I have been a mom for 6 years. Crazy. Of course, she is such an angel, that I don't think my real test as a parent came until 2 years later.
We got Lucy a bounce house for her birthday and we're going to set it up at the church for her and her friends. (She invited 20+ kids...I know, I'm crazy...that's why it's happening at the church, and not my house).
We set up the bouncehouse outside on Monday to check it out and Max and Logan had a blast. Lucy agreed that this was the best choice of birthday plan because she can take it with her to Kingston and play with it in our new backyard. I have visions of lots of backyard time in Kingston. It's going to be awesome.
Now to come up with a few more games to keep these kids occupied.
As I laid there with needles in my hands and feet and legs, all I could think of was "Sorry! That was me. I accidentally tweaked his facial nerve. And may have also stopped his heart." Giggling when you have needles poking out of you is not a good idea.
After the needles, she had me do a yoga pose (which felt great) and used tuning forks on my back. Not sure what it does but it felt amazing! I hope it lasts. I still feel stiff, but I am hoping I am on the mend.
I am so skeptical about these things. (Chiro, physio, chinese-medicine). It seems to me that none of them have any real incentive to help you get better...they just all want to 'see you again tomorrow.' Not that I think everyone is out for my money, but it's hard to discern which ones are and which ones aren't. I have determined that I will get my back back, and then i'm going to hit yoga and running hard again. I imagine if I'm in better shape, these incidents will be fewer and farther between.
My kids are at the zoo right now with my brother and his kids, and my sister and her kids. I was supposed to go too, but an achey back and a trip to the zoo just don't add up. She texted me this photo:
and said that if they hadn't stopped to take this photo, all six kids would have been sprayed with hippo poop. Nice timing.
Logan and I are chilling at grandma's. He's currently asleep, but before his nap we pulled out the Fisher Price toys and really had a good time with them. My parent's have had those toys since we were kids. There's a hospital and a school, and I showed Logan the elevator on the hospital and he was fascinated with it for 20 minutes. Up and down, up and down. Then we set up a park and it was merry-go-round, slide, merry-go-round, slide. They just don't make toys like they used to.
I'm hoping I am up and moving again tomorrow. I have a 6-year-old birthday party to get organized for on Saturday. I can't believe my little girl will be six. I have been a mom for 6 years. Crazy. Of course, she is such an angel, that I don't think my real test as a parent came until 2 years later.
We got Lucy a bounce house for her birthday and we're going to set it up at the church for her and her friends. (She invited 20+ kids...I know, I'm crazy...that's why it's happening at the church, and not my house).
We set up the bouncehouse outside on Monday to check it out and Max and Logan had a blast. Lucy agreed that this was the best choice of birthday plan because she can take it with her to Kingston and play with it in our new backyard. I have visions of lots of backyard time in Kingston. It's going to be awesome.
Now to come up with a few more games to keep these kids occupied.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Laid Up
I am lying on the floor right now, with my laptop on my stomach eating pita and spicy hummus. Logan is sleeping and the other two kids are at Grandmas watching Yogi Bear with their Auntie Janeen. I am thinking to myself how much better this Easter break would be if I wasnt laid up with back pain. And yet, I am grateful that it is Easter break and people are around to help me with my kids and I dont have to drive Lucy to and from school.
We are supposed to go to the zoo tomorrow with my brother and sister and their kids. I am not sure if that will happen, unless there is a dramatic improvement in the next 15 hours.
I went to the chiropractor today, and he said I am pretty messed up. I dont think I have ever been to the chiropractor when he didnt say that. (I usually only go when I am *pretty messed up*). I havent gone in about 16 months. That is a pretty good record for me. I thought I was in the clear. The worst part is I dont even know what I did to bring this on. Maybe it is 16 months of carrying Logan around that finally got to me. Who knows.
Point is, it is tough to type at this angle. And Easter break+mom with a sore back=a house that gets messier by the second.
Tyler is going to be working till about midnight tonight trying to get revisions done on his dissertation so he can convocate in June instead of November. He had great meetings today that have really turned his mind around and June is looking like more of a possibility. I REALLY hope so.
He said to me the other day, *wont it be nice in Kingston when I am only 10 minutes away, so when I work until midnight it is a shorter drive homeÉ* I responded by saying, *I am hoping you wont be working until midnight much once this PhD is done...you know most people dont.*
The view from down here makes me realize I should have washed more floors this weekend, so I would have something cleaner to look at. And maybe we should think about mounting some artwork or a TV on the ceiling.
We are supposed to go to the zoo tomorrow with my brother and sister and their kids. I am not sure if that will happen, unless there is a dramatic improvement in the next 15 hours.
I went to the chiropractor today, and he said I am pretty messed up. I dont think I have ever been to the chiropractor when he didnt say that. (I usually only go when I am *pretty messed up*). I havent gone in about 16 months. That is a pretty good record for me. I thought I was in the clear. The worst part is I dont even know what I did to bring this on. Maybe it is 16 months of carrying Logan around that finally got to me. Who knows.
Point is, it is tough to type at this angle. And Easter break+mom with a sore back=a house that gets messier by the second.
Tyler is going to be working till about midnight tonight trying to get revisions done on his dissertation so he can convocate in June instead of November. He had great meetings today that have really turned his mind around and June is looking like more of a possibility. I REALLY hope so.
He said to me the other day, *wont it be nice in Kingston when I am only 10 minutes away, so when I work until midnight it is a shorter drive homeÉ* I responded by saying, *I am hoping you wont be working until midnight much once this PhD is done...you know most people dont.*
The view from down here makes me realize I should have washed more floors this weekend, so I would have something cleaner to look at. And maybe we should think about mounting some artwork or a TV on the ceiling.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Twice the Chocolate = Twice the fun...right?
Living so close to both families always makes the holidays super full and super awesome. Two Easter Dinners. Two Easter Egg Hunts. Lots of Grandmas and Cousins and family to hang out with. Lots of chocolate.
Yesterday we went to my parent's house after church for Easter dinner and hunt. The kids had a blast. They decorated cupcakes, and easter eggs. These things are really nice ideas, but super messy. But I guess that's what being a kid is about (repeat that 3 times).
The hunt lasted quite a while because we had 102 eggs and clever aunties and grandpas kept re-hiding eggs that had already been found. I think we ended up finding 95 of them.
After the hunt, the kids decided to get into the "Fancy Nancy" box my mom has for them. Lots of feather boa's, and sunglasses and bracelets. Max and Logan try to pick out the 'coolest' and most masculine items so they can join in the fun too. Max looks like he's ready to debut his first rap album: "I need a safe place for my weed".
And with Logan's white pants, he looks like he's ready to jump into his Barracuda with Cheech Marin and save the day.
Today, the day is spent with the Williamson side of the family. Janeen is home from Utah, and Kari and Barrett are here for the week. We had pancake breakfast, which has become a tradition whenever the whole family gets together. Lucy and Max insist on it. Then the kids decorated an Easter House. (More Candy).
All went well, until we started applying the blue icing, which turned out to be TOO runny. My attempt at creating a window on the house looks more like a sadistic skull. 
I imagine if Hanzel and Gretle had seen that, they would have thought twice about entering the Candy-covered house. I did my best to make it look like an Easter Egg.
Tonight we're going to Great-Grandma's to have dinner and another egg hunt. She asked to have it there because she's in the process of selling her place and figures this will be the last Easter, and probably the last holiday at her place. I try really hard not to think about "the last time" but it's hard. With us moving away, this will probably be our last Easter with everyone for a while. We won't be able to make it home for EVERY holiday, and Christmas will be a given, which means things like Easter, Halloween and Thanksgiving may be no-goes. It's sad, but at the same time, I look forward to creating our own new traditions. Turkeys, hams, and roasts will be my responsibility now. (That's pressure!)
Mr. Logan was up a number of times in the night last night (why?). And as a result I'm pretty laid up today with a sore back. Back pain is pretty annoying. I don't know of much else that makes you feel older, faster. Of course, I have very little experience with pain or injury or sickness except for back pain. But it does give me an excuse to sit on the couch and blog instead of doing something else. (I was going to say 'more productive' but this is my journal, and I have been commanded to keep one, so I try not to feel guilty for taking the time...one day my posterity will thank me...I think).
We also enjoyed hearing updates from my brother and his wife about their new baby boy. Callum Michael Bourne. Born April 23rd. I can't wait to see him in person. His pictures are so handsome. Now the count-down is on for the next Bourne-boy to make his appearance. I bet Callum knows when he's coming...but he's been a bit busy during his awake time with eating right now...
Yesterday we went to my parent's house after church for Easter dinner and hunt. The kids had a blast. They decorated cupcakes, and easter eggs. These things are really nice ideas, but super messy. But I guess that's what being a kid is about (repeat that 3 times).
The hunt lasted quite a while because we had 102 eggs and clever aunties and grandpas kept re-hiding eggs that had already been found. I think we ended up finding 95 of them.
After the hunt, the kids decided to get into the "Fancy Nancy" box my mom has for them. Lots of feather boa's, and sunglasses and bracelets. Max and Logan try to pick out the 'coolest' and most masculine items so they can join in the fun too. Max looks like he's ready to debut his first rap album: "I need a safe place for my weed".
And with Logan's white pants, he looks like he's ready to jump into his Barracuda with Cheech Marin and save the day.
Today, the day is spent with the Williamson side of the family. Janeen is home from Utah, and Kari and Barrett are here for the week. We had pancake breakfast, which has become a tradition whenever the whole family gets together. Lucy and Max insist on it. Then the kids decorated an Easter House. (More Candy).
All went well, until we started applying the blue icing, which turned out to be TOO runny. My attempt at creating a window on the house looks more like a sadistic skull. I imagine if Hanzel and Gretle had seen that, they would have thought twice about entering the Candy-covered house. I did my best to make it look like an Easter Egg.
Tonight we're going to Great-Grandma's to have dinner and another egg hunt. She asked to have it there because she's in the process of selling her place and figures this will be the last Easter, and probably the last holiday at her place. I try really hard not to think about "the last time" but it's hard. With us moving away, this will probably be our last Easter with everyone for a while. We won't be able to make it home for EVERY holiday, and Christmas will be a given, which means things like Easter, Halloween and Thanksgiving may be no-goes. It's sad, but at the same time, I look forward to creating our own new traditions. Turkeys, hams, and roasts will be my responsibility now. (That's pressure!)
Mr. Logan was up a number of times in the night last night (why?). And as a result I'm pretty laid up today with a sore back. Back pain is pretty annoying. I don't know of much else that makes you feel older, faster. Of course, I have very little experience with pain or injury or sickness except for back pain. But it does give me an excuse to sit on the couch and blog instead of doing something else. (I was going to say 'more productive' but this is my journal, and I have been commanded to keep one, so I try not to feel guilty for taking the time...one day my posterity will thank me...I think).
We also enjoyed hearing updates from my brother and his wife about their new baby boy. Callum Michael Bourne. Born April 23rd. I can't wait to see him in person. His pictures are so handsome. Now the count-down is on for the next Bourne-boy to make his appearance. I bet Callum knows when he's coming...but he's been a bit busy during his awake time with eating right now...
Saturday, April 23, 2011
I need a safe place to store my weed...
Since Tyler is in work-mode again, the kids and I have been creative with our time...again. The sun has been shining the last few days, which has me VERY excited. Although I look at the 6-day forecast on my iPhone and I still see snow, which sucks. Grandma and Papa are out of town, driving to Utah to get Janeen, so the *farm-work* has been left to us. (There really isnt a lot). The kids and I have been down to the sheep twice to feed them. They love it. (The kids AND the sheep). We bring our bucket of grain and the sheep go nuts. Logan points like crazy and Lucy and Max bring their *wheat* (dried out wild-grass) to try to entice them. They dont notice that the sheep corral is FULL of *wheat* that the sheep are tired of gnawing on.
Max: *Mom, I need a safe place to store my weed.*
***************************************************************************************************
We took a trip to the town library. We have lived here for 5 years and I have only been to the library one other time, and that was just because I forgot to write down a grocery list for a apple cheesecake I was making, so I stopped at the library to use their internet. (This was before iPhones...did such a time exist). Sad, I know. My kids love going to Chapters, so I dont know why I didnt think to take them to the library sooner. We read story and planned to get a few books, but all the ones we were looking for were out. Bummer. We just finished reading Charlottes Web and watched the movie. (The original version - hey, maybe we will watch the new one tonight!)
We were looking for James and the Giant Peach, but no such luck. So we ordered it on Amazon and are waiting very impatiently.
I dont understand how librarians expect little kids to be quiet in a library when they fill the kids section with risers (perfect for climbing and jumping off of), pillows, cool pictures, and TONS of awesome books. The *shhhh* was used many times. That is probably why the kids section is way out of the way of the rest of the library. Smart.
We have done some easter shopping and decorating. Looking forward to Easter dinners.
Yesterday we went to DQ and got a cone and picked out Lucys Birthday cake for next weekend. I would describe the cake that is so PERFECTLY *Lucy* but I will wait, because a picture is worth a thousand words...and typing a thousand words takes a lot of time.
Today, we decided to play outside in the dirt for a while and then this afternoon we headed for a dip in the Hot Tub. It has been TOO long since I visited that place. It was wonderful. Especially thanks to my friend Tanya for a great suggestion on a bathing suit at Walmart. Comfy, yet cute. No, I do not post pictures of myself in a bathing suit.
The kids had a blast. Logan was a bit nervous and unsure why we were wearing clothes in the tub, but got into it eventually. Lucy and Max wear water wing, even though the water is only chest height. And, did I laugh when Logan found THIS McDonalds toy and called it *Dada* the whole time we were in the hot tub...yes, I did.
Now I am cooking a ham and waiting to hear if my new nephew is here yet. Spring...thanks for joining us.
*Yes, my husband has pointed out the irony of eating ham and watching Charlottes Web. Oh well. This is Some TASTY Pig.
Hallelujah!!
Tyler successfully defended his PhD on Monday. There was a bunch of crazy anxiety on Sunday evening (on both our parts), but we were fortuitous to be involved in an Easter Fireside and were able to distract ourselves sufficiently with that. Lucy and I sang 'I'm trying to be like Jesus' with some other primary-aged girls and their moms and she did fantastic. She had planned what to wear for her big night for weeks. Tyler's dad and mom and Sarah and Tyson came down to our place afterward to give Tyler a blessing.
Major praying happened ALL day Monday. And this text message was sent:
GOOD LUCK DAD! We LOVE YOU!
He defended from 1:15 to 4:00, but we didn't hear from him until 5! AND I got to dress up and go out for a celebration dinner after at Namskar, an Indian restaurant across from Peter's. Seriously yummy food.
Now he is in revision mode. He has to be done by the 29th if he wants to convocate in June instead of November. Obviously since we are moving in July, we would prefer him to convocate in June. So he is back to working 14 hours a day. Feels familiar. And my motivation to cook and clean goes WAY down. Not so helpful when you're trying to get a house ready for moving.
Speaking of which, our house in Cochrane sold on Tuesday and our house in Kinston went final on Wednesday!
Plus my brother's wife is in labour today.
It's a pretty grand week!
Major praying happened ALL day Monday. And this text message was sent:
GOOD LUCK DAD! We LOVE YOU!
He defended from 1:15 to 4:00, but we didn't hear from him until 5! AND I got to dress up and go out for a celebration dinner after at Namskar, an Indian restaurant across from Peter's. Seriously yummy food.
Now he is in revision mode. He has to be done by the 29th if he wants to convocate in June instead of November. Obviously since we are moving in July, we would prefer him to convocate in June. So he is back to working 14 hours a day. Feels familiar. And my motivation to cook and clean goes WAY down. Not so helpful when you're trying to get a house ready for moving.
Speaking of which, our house in Cochrane sold on Tuesday and our house in Kinston went final on Wednesday!
Plus my brother's wife is in labour today.
It's a pretty grand week!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Kingston - The Fun Stuff
Not all of our trip to Kingston was business. In fact, aside from the grueling 14-hour day of house shopping on Saturday, the trip was quite pleasant...and even the house-shopping was pretty fun. Growing up, my family and I used to spend many-a-saturday visiting show-homes, or driving to areas in and around the city that we would 'someday' like to live. Bearspaw was a frequent stop. There was one street that we affectionately called "drooly-lane" because you just can't help but drool when you see those houses. Now that the reality of mortgages have become a part of my life the drooling is more likely to be caused by an aneurysm than excitement. Tyler and I have also attempted the show-home saturday every once in a while. One such time, we did it with 2 kids in tow, and Max ended up locked in the bathroom (thanks to his sister) and we had almost had to pull the door off it's hinges to get him out. We haven't visited that show-home again.
Looking at homes when you are ACTUALLY in the market is a completely different experience. We were scrutinizing, analyzing and knocking houses off the list left, right, and center. Suddenly, spending somewhere between a quarter and half-a-million dollars makes me very picky. Rightfully so, I guess.
It was fun to do though. It was fun to joke about the weirdness of some houses. It was fun to get in and out of a car 20+ times that day and only have to take care of my own seat belt. Something that is very foreign to me most days. It was fun to be able to hold each others hand as we walked through houses instead of having to carry kids or make sure they're not touching things they shouldn't be.
Fun, Fun, Fun.
I enjoyed flying. Which I mentioned before. An airplane is an alright place to be if you don't have kids with you. It's alright, with kids too, don't get me wrong. Just far less stressful. And far, FAR more relaxing. (The comfort level doesn't change though...those seats are awful). We watched movies, talked, and watched episodes of our new favorite show, The Mentalist. Seriously, we are loving that show. I bought Tyler Season 1 on DVD for his birthday.
Staying in hotels when you don't have to worry about fridges or microwaves for storing and warming bottles, or extra beds and blankets for kidlets, or arrival or departure times...or scheduling naps...is pretty alright too. Although, can I say a quick word about hotel pillows? Why are they SO big? Seriously. It drives me nuts.
When we checked into the first hotel in Ottawa on Friday night, we were given our room key and headed to the elevators. Room 413. As we got off the elevator we noticed this sign:
Now where do you suppose our room is? Is this a joke? It was around the corner, but weird nonetheless.
Driving 2-hours to Kingston from Ottawa was pleasant too. No potty breaks necessary. As we were renting the car, the salesman said, "So, are you excited to take some courses at Queen's for free since your husband is a professor?" "What?!?! I had no idea!!" That's right people. Free schooling. Oh what a perk. What shall I take? How will I fill my mind? The possibilities are seemingly endless and exciting! Thank you random salesperson!
Driving into Kingston was a fun experience too. It is seriously beautiful there. We kept being blown away by how beautiful. The drive between Ottawa and Kingston is on a highway that is mostly lined with very large trees. No leaves yet, but I imagine in the spring, summer and fall it will be beautiful. The whole town is full of giant trees and it right on Lake Ontario. The view from our car as we came across the causeway is outstanding (this picture does not do it justice - but what can you expect from an iPhone in a moving vehicle?)
On the Sunday, we got ready for church in record time, since it was just the two of us (I do love my kids and missed them terribly, so please don't get the wrong idea). As we got out of our vehicle at church, we passed by a group of 'elderly' members and one woman gave me the once-over with a very critical eye. I had decided to wear knee-high boots...apparently she thought that was 'outrageous'. That made me even more nervous, but as I observed her throughout the meetings, I realized that the scowl on her face was pretty common place...so I'm going to assume there isn't actually anything wrong with me.
Their meetings are a reverse time-schedule so Tyler and I went our separate ways right away, to Priesthood and Relief Society. Any worries or nerves we had were completely swept away as people gushed and shouted their sentiments of excitement at the prospect of us moving into their branch. I was also pleased to note that the lesson taught was by someone who was a complete 'straight-shooter' which is my kind of style. Ok, I thought, I can completely make this work!
Sunday School and Sacrament were very similar. Tyler and I were smiling a bit at how foreign it felt to sit in sacrament meeting and actually pay attention the entire time, without having to worry about the reverence of our children. We also laughed that Grandma and Papa were at home dealing with those issues themselves. Did you know that Sacrament Meeting can be relaxing?
After church, a friendly couple in the branch invited us, and another family (The Haslam's) over for dinner. We drove around town a bit and actually took a Sunday afternoon nap (seriously, unheard of!) and then headed to their place. Again, did you know that eating a meal can be relaxing when you only have your own mouth and appetite to worry about? We had a great time visiting and laughing and hearing about what life would be like. It made us feel very at home and excited.
Tyler and I have always said that moving will be a big adjustment. Naturally. We live SO close to family, that most Sundays are filled with visits to either parent's house and hanging out with Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. We haven't really been forced to make a lot of 'friends' because family is so close. (To my friends, I love you and appreciate you and am glad to have you!) Now we will be living in a place where family is NOT around and all we will have is our friends. It will be a completely different lifestyle for us.
Driving around town was one of our favorite things to do. The town is so beautiful with tons of old buildings, churches and landmarks. We took pictures to show the kids and help them get excited about living in a new town. We got lost a number of times, and figure we probably will a few times more. It's weird to drive somewhere that isn't close to the mountains. It's hard to get your bearings when you can't just look out your window and know which way is West.
Monday was spent doing errands. Banking and such. I got a massage, which was great and strange. The massage therapist told me toward the end of my massage, "You have a lot of tension in your lower back. (no surprise) We have a Registered Massage Therapist on staff that you may want to talk to." Wait a minute? What are you? I don't want just SOMEBODY rubbing my back...isn't that weird? She gave me her card at the end and it said "Spa Technician" whatever that means.
We also ate at Five Guys for lunch. Seriously delicious! As we stood at the till to order, I simply stated, "I would like a cheeseburger and fries" to which the teller responded, "Have you been here before?" (IS it that obvious?) "No." "OK, see that picture over there (a huge double-decker burger with EVERYTHING on it)? That's our cheeseburger...most people order the Little Cheeseburger, which is a single pattie." "OH, thanks. I'll have that." I guess he sized me up and figured I couldn't handle that monstrosity. He was probably right. I have been craving 5-guys ever since. Tyler even said, "Wow hun, this rivals your burger." I know!
We saw a "Ho-Lee-Chow" restaurant, which is apparently very common, but I thought it was hilarious;
An "Aunt Lucy's" restaurant, and the Highway police are called the O.P.P. "Yah, you know me!" That song was in our heads all weekend. And yes, I do know what O.P.P. stands for. Oh, and our hotel in Kingston was this old manor house that had been converted into a bed-and-breakfast. The room was old...that TV was fuzzy, and the door-knob was only knee-height. Weird. But the breakfast was delicious and they had this awesome tourist book on Kingston that I took a few photos of, so I could show my family what the lay-out of the city was like.
We had a final visit to our beautiful house before leaving Kingston and then headed back to Ottawa where we drove around down town (again, getting hopelessly lost). I have determined that Tyler and I may not do so well at Amazing Race. Of course, I blame the Ottawa city blocks that are so close together. If you miss your turn, the GPS doesn't have time to re-route before you miss the next one, two, or three.
We visited Parliament Hill, which you can't actually get very close to, because they have it all blocked off and patrolled by police. What could happen? And Tyler showed me the Rideau Canal, which is frozen in the winter and open for ice-skating. Cool.
We headed to the hotel, exhausted, and my sweetheart lovingly took the car back to the rental place by himself while I waited in our room for our Swiss Chalet delivery. We had to be up ridiculously early the next day (3am Calgary time). We called to book our hotel in Ottawa as we were driving to it, and soon came to realize that something big must have been happening because all the hotels next to the airport were completely booked. We ended up getting the last room at the Hilton which was actually a suite attached to a large conference room. So we had a giant boardroom table in the middle of our room. Oh well. It was only a few hours anyway.
Flight home was spent watching "The Next Three Days" with Russel Crowe. Seriously, an awesome movie. And the Mentalist again. The anticipation of seeing my kiddies was killing me. We were cutting it close to make it home before Logan went down for a nap..and we made it JUST in time. He was SO happy to see us and kept giving me hugs. I loved it. Apparently he DOES love me. The kids had made welcome home signs and welcome home flowers out of tissue paper. The house was spotless (thanks mom). It was a glorious reunion.
By 9:00pm I finally sat down, all kids settled into bed, and the jet-lag hit me. I didn't think I'd make it down the hall-way to my bedroom. I was exhausted. It hadn't helped that Max had been grumpy and acting out all day, and we couldn't quite understand why. I kept telling him that it wasn't fair to have all this 'party time' with Grandmas and then not listen to Mom and Dad. We were so excited to show them pictures of Kingston and our new house and he was just not happy. Finally, as the kids sat in the bathtub, he said something that finally made me realize what all the fuss was about. "Mom, we still have to have lunch and dinner tomorrow, right?" "Max, we have lunch and dinner every day." "But I mean before we move to Kingston." Ah ha. My poor little buddy was stressed out because somehow he figured we were moving the next day.
Needless to say it was a completely awesome and relaxing wonderful trip with my husband. Something we have never done before. We have never spent more than one night away from our kids. It was hard, and we missed them...but it was also great. In fact, it was hard for me to get back into the swing of things, and I keep thinking about the next time we can get away.
Looking at homes when you are ACTUALLY in the market is a completely different experience. We were scrutinizing, analyzing and knocking houses off the list left, right, and center. Suddenly, spending somewhere between a quarter and half-a-million dollars makes me very picky. Rightfully so, I guess.
It was fun to do though. It was fun to joke about the weirdness of some houses. It was fun to get in and out of a car 20+ times that day and only have to take care of my own seat belt. Something that is very foreign to me most days. It was fun to be able to hold each others hand as we walked through houses instead of having to carry kids or make sure they're not touching things they shouldn't be.
Fun, Fun, Fun.
I enjoyed flying. Which I mentioned before. An airplane is an alright place to be if you don't have kids with you. It's alright, with kids too, don't get me wrong. Just far less stressful. And far, FAR more relaxing. (The comfort level doesn't change though...those seats are awful). We watched movies, talked, and watched episodes of our new favorite show, The Mentalist. Seriously, we are loving that show. I bought Tyler Season 1 on DVD for his birthday.
Staying in hotels when you don't have to worry about fridges or microwaves for storing and warming bottles, or extra beds and blankets for kidlets, or arrival or departure times...or scheduling naps...is pretty alright too. Although, can I say a quick word about hotel pillows? Why are they SO big? Seriously. It drives me nuts.
When we checked into the first hotel in Ottawa on Friday night, we were given our room key and headed to the elevators. Room 413. As we got off the elevator we noticed this sign:
Now where do you suppose our room is? Is this a joke? It was around the corner, but weird nonetheless.
Driving 2-hours to Kingston from Ottawa was pleasant too. No potty breaks necessary. As we were renting the car, the salesman said, "So, are you excited to take some courses at Queen's for free since your husband is a professor?" "What?!?! I had no idea!!" That's right people. Free schooling. Oh what a perk. What shall I take? How will I fill my mind? The possibilities are seemingly endless and exciting! Thank you random salesperson!
Driving into Kingston was a fun experience too. It is seriously beautiful there. We kept being blown away by how beautiful. The drive between Ottawa and Kingston is on a highway that is mostly lined with very large trees. No leaves yet, but I imagine in the spring, summer and fall it will be beautiful. The whole town is full of giant trees and it right on Lake Ontario. The view from our car as we came across the causeway is outstanding (this picture does not do it justice - but what can you expect from an iPhone in a moving vehicle?)
On the Sunday, we got ready for church in record time, since it was just the two of us (I do love my kids and missed them terribly, so please don't get the wrong idea). As we got out of our vehicle at church, we passed by a group of 'elderly' members and one woman gave me the once-over with a very critical eye. I had decided to wear knee-high boots...apparently she thought that was 'outrageous'. That made me even more nervous, but as I observed her throughout the meetings, I realized that the scowl on her face was pretty common place...so I'm going to assume there isn't actually anything wrong with me.
Their meetings are a reverse time-schedule so Tyler and I went our separate ways right away, to Priesthood and Relief Society. Any worries or nerves we had were completely swept away as people gushed and shouted their sentiments of excitement at the prospect of us moving into their branch. I was also pleased to note that the lesson taught was by someone who was a complete 'straight-shooter' which is my kind of style. Ok, I thought, I can completely make this work!
Sunday School and Sacrament were very similar. Tyler and I were smiling a bit at how foreign it felt to sit in sacrament meeting and actually pay attention the entire time, without having to worry about the reverence of our children. We also laughed that Grandma and Papa were at home dealing with those issues themselves. Did you know that Sacrament Meeting can be relaxing?
After church, a friendly couple in the branch invited us, and another family (The Haslam's) over for dinner. We drove around town a bit and actually took a Sunday afternoon nap (seriously, unheard of!) and then headed to their place. Again, did you know that eating a meal can be relaxing when you only have your own mouth and appetite to worry about? We had a great time visiting and laughing and hearing about what life would be like. It made us feel very at home and excited.
Tyler and I have always said that moving will be a big adjustment. Naturally. We live SO close to family, that most Sundays are filled with visits to either parent's house and hanging out with Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. We haven't really been forced to make a lot of 'friends' because family is so close. (To my friends, I love you and appreciate you and am glad to have you!) Now we will be living in a place where family is NOT around and all we will have is our friends. It will be a completely different lifestyle for us.
Driving around town was one of our favorite things to do. The town is so beautiful with tons of old buildings, churches and landmarks. We took pictures to show the kids and help them get excited about living in a new town. We got lost a number of times, and figure we probably will a few times more. It's weird to drive somewhere that isn't close to the mountains. It's hard to get your bearings when you can't just look out your window and know which way is West.
Monday was spent doing errands. Banking and such. I got a massage, which was great and strange. The massage therapist told me toward the end of my massage, "You have a lot of tension in your lower back. (no surprise) We have a Registered Massage Therapist on staff that you may want to talk to." Wait a minute? What are you? I don't want just SOMEBODY rubbing my back...isn't that weird? She gave me her card at the end and it said "Spa Technician" whatever that means.
We also ate at Five Guys for lunch. Seriously delicious! As we stood at the till to order, I simply stated, "I would like a cheeseburger and fries" to which the teller responded, "Have you been here before?" (IS it that obvious?) "No." "OK, see that picture over there (a huge double-decker burger with EVERYTHING on it)? That's our cheeseburger...most people order the Little Cheeseburger, which is a single pattie." "OH, thanks. I'll have that." I guess he sized me up and figured I couldn't handle that monstrosity. He was probably right. I have been craving 5-guys ever since. Tyler even said, "Wow hun, this rivals your burger." I know!
We saw a "Ho-Lee-Chow" restaurant, which is apparently very common, but I thought it was hilarious;
An "Aunt Lucy's" restaurant, and the Highway police are called the O.P.P. "Yah, you know me!" That song was in our heads all weekend. And yes, I do know what O.P.P. stands for. Oh, and our hotel in Kingston was this old manor house that had been converted into a bed-and-breakfast. The room was old...that TV was fuzzy, and the door-knob was only knee-height. Weird. But the breakfast was delicious and they had this awesome tourist book on Kingston that I took a few photos of, so I could show my family what the lay-out of the city was like.
We had a final visit to our beautiful house before leaving Kingston and then headed back to Ottawa where we drove around down town (again, getting hopelessly lost). I have determined that Tyler and I may not do so well at Amazing Race. Of course, I blame the Ottawa city blocks that are so close together. If you miss your turn, the GPS doesn't have time to re-route before you miss the next one, two, or three.
We visited Parliament Hill, which you can't actually get very close to, because they have it all blocked off and patrolled by police. What could happen? And Tyler showed me the Rideau Canal, which is frozen in the winter and open for ice-skating. Cool.
We headed to the hotel, exhausted, and my sweetheart lovingly took the car back to the rental place by himself while I waited in our room for our Swiss Chalet delivery. We had to be up ridiculously early the next day (3am Calgary time). We called to book our hotel in Ottawa as we were driving to it, and soon came to realize that something big must have been happening because all the hotels next to the airport were completely booked. We ended up getting the last room at the Hilton which was actually a suite attached to a large conference room. So we had a giant boardroom table in the middle of our room. Oh well. It was only a few hours anyway.
Flight home was spent watching "The Next Three Days" with Russel Crowe. Seriously, an awesome movie. And the Mentalist again. The anticipation of seeing my kiddies was killing me. We were cutting it close to make it home before Logan went down for a nap..and we made it JUST in time. He was SO happy to see us and kept giving me hugs. I loved it. Apparently he DOES love me. The kids had made welcome home signs and welcome home flowers out of tissue paper. The house was spotless (thanks mom). It was a glorious reunion.
By 9:00pm I finally sat down, all kids settled into bed, and the jet-lag hit me. I didn't think I'd make it down the hall-way to my bedroom. I was exhausted. It hadn't helped that Max had been grumpy and acting out all day, and we couldn't quite understand why. I kept telling him that it wasn't fair to have all this 'party time' with Grandmas and then not listen to Mom and Dad. We were so excited to show them pictures of Kingston and our new house and he was just not happy. Finally, as the kids sat in the bathtub, he said something that finally made me realize what all the fuss was about. "Mom, we still have to have lunch and dinner tomorrow, right?" "Max, we have lunch and dinner every day." "But I mean before we move to Kingston." Ah ha. My poor little buddy was stressed out because somehow he figured we were moving the next day.
Needless to say it was a completely awesome and relaxing wonderful trip with my husband. Something we have never done before. We have never spent more than one night away from our kids. It was hard, and we missed them...but it was also great. In fact, it was hard for me to get back into the swing of things, and I keep thinking about the next time we can get away.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Overwhelmed - and loving it!
Do I have time for this post right now. I feel like so much has happened and there are so many tangents to this post, that maybe it requires more than one...oh well, I will get started and see where it goes.
Let me start out by saying that I am a control-freak, completely anal planner - so everything that has happened is so completely out of the norm for me, that it is almost staggering that I even allowed things to proceed in this fashion. Ok, here goes:
We are moving to Kingston. Ontario. I donèt think that is a surprise to anyone anymore. Tyler has a job with Queens University starting May 2nd. He defends his PhD on Monday (this Monday, the 18th) and then schooling is done. (Here is one of the tangents). Tyler and I have been students for our entire relationship. High School students, Under-graduate, and Doctorate. We have lived on very little, and yet have never felt like we were wanting. That comes completely as a blessing. We determined to pay our tithing, and to follow the prophet, and that is all I can attribute it to. Sometimes money would come in in the form of an extra job here or there, or family helping us out...but it all worked out in the end. A few years ago we bought a house in Cochrane when Lucy was a tiny baby. We lived in that beautiful, wonderful house for a year...and then decided as a way to save money and prevent me from having to go back to work, that we would put a mobile home on Tylerès parentès propety and rent our house out. Elder Oaks had come to speak to our stake and had counciled people to avoid unneccesary debt. We took it to heart, and this was our answer. We have been blessed to have tenants in our home almost every month for the last 5 years. It has paid down our mortgage substatially, and allowed me to stay at home and raise our children. Can I believe that schooling will be done in a week and that we will be *real* grown-ups with a *real* jobÉ No, it is hard to fathom.
We have been looking online at the MLS at houses in Kingston since Christmas. Never really sure when to make our move and when to head out there and look at houses in person. We didnèt want to go before our house in Cochrane sold, because what is the point, but we also didnèt want to wait too long and leave ourselves with no options.
I had been looking at a particular house for about 2 weeks and got to like it more and more the more I looked at it. Our house in Cochrane was conditionally sold, and we joked about flying to Kingston. Well, timing is everything I guess. I canèt leave on a moments notice and fly across the country to look at house! Apparently I can. We were literally talking about it at dinner on Thursday evening, and were on a plane by mid-afternoon Friday. Babysitters arranged (back and forth a bit between Grandmas, but it worked) and planes and hotels booked. A realtor contacted to set up viewings and we were on our way. I was in a near panic because I DO NOT work this way. But needless to say, my body was quivering (literally) with anticipation and with the Spirit, knowing that we had to go, and we had to go NOW. So we went. (I made a large novel of instructions for my mom and Tylerès mom on how to take care of my children, which they teased me about incessantly, but it is what I needed to feel ok about leaving).
We flew to Kingston and got into Ottawa at midnight. Checked into our hotel, slept for a few hours and were up at 6am to get ready and drive the two hours to Kingston to meet the realtor. We hit the pavement running and viewed approximately 20 houses on Saturday. (Side note: flying with your husband and no kids is way more fun...we watched the Kings Speech and a few episodes of the Mentalist and it was glorious).
The first house to be viewed was my favorite based on the pictures and description. I thought for sure that this would be the house. It was ok...not as great as we hoped, but still great. We then proceeded to view a bunch more that all fell into the same category. Then there were a few dumps, and a few more oks. To say we were getting discouraged was an understatement. (Plus we didnèt stop to eat all day, so that was wearing come 7pm). Were we really going to just have to choose between a bunch of *ok* housesÉ or would we find something we lovedÉ
Most of the houses we viewed were on the West Side...our friends live on the East side closer to the military base, and we saved those houses for the end of the day. We walked into a house in Greenwood Park and Tyler and I were revived. This was TOTALLY IT! To say we loved every square inch of it was an understatement. It made us tingle and jump and laugh. Quivering with the spirit again...yes. Only trouble - another couple was waiting in the driveway when we came out so they could view it to. NOOOOO!!!! I panicked. Please donèt like our house, please donèt like our house! (Yes, I was already calling it OUR house). We viewed a house across the street, and when we came out, they were still in there! ARGH! If you hate a house, you donèt hang around! We viewed the last 2 houses in the area and then went back to the realtors office to discuss.
This house was at the upper end of our budget, so Tyler and I paused for a moment, went for dinner to get the blood-sugar levels back to normal (seriously, my head was spinning), and to discuss. After a pause....confirmation! Yes, put an offer on his house! So itès back to the realtors office to settle on the offer and get things going. We did not want to end up in a bidding war. Papers were signed and we headed to our hotel around 9pm. Called the family at home and told our kids we found the perfect house. They were so excited too. Awesome backyard, 4-bedrooms, developed basement - totally awesome kitchen. Yay!
The couple who owns the house were out of town until late Saturday night, so their realtor wasnt able to get them the offer until Sunday morning. We headed to church and told our realtor we wouldnt be viewing any houses on Sunday, and that we would be unavailable from 10-1 while we were in church (I will talk about the branch in another post). As we left the building, we got a text from the realtor that we needed to call him. du-du-du! They accepted the offer (including the price, which was awesome, because we had low-balled a tiny bit assuming they would counter), except they didnt want to include the condition *waiting for the sale of our house*. Who does thatÉ Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Just before we got on the plane in Calgary, our realtor in Cochrane called and said the deal on our house had fallen through. So it was no longer conditionally sold and it was back on the market. We were really hoping to not have to deal with the fact that our house wasnt sold, but so it was. Well, we cant buy a house until we have sold our house...my name is NOT Donald Trump. I do not have a spare $400,000 dollars sitting around just burning a hole in my pocket. We stressed. We told the realtor we would call him right back. We called my sister who was at home in Calgary getting ready for church. We decided that the best thing to do was to tell him that we would have to get back to him on Monday, because we just didnt want to do business on the Sabbath and then pray that our obedience would mean something. We had already determined to fast the night before, so we were well on our way in that. So we spent the day driving around the town and checking things out (getting lost a few times) and visiting with some friends in the ward who invited us for dinner. AND trying not to think about it. We watched Elder Bednars talk from Conference on my iPhone because I had missed it, and then read over my lesson that I am giving in a few weeks.
As we were sitting in the hotel that evening, we decided to call home and talk to the kids and get some advice from our parents. The cell phone reception in our room was poor, so we decided to drive around town again and use the handsfree in the car. As we were talking to Tylers parents, his dad said, ÈHey Tyler, your realtor just called me on my cell phone. He says he has a new offer on your house and wants to know how to get ahold of you.È Seriously!É (I am literally quivering as I type this too, because the experience was that amazing...I know my description is poor). So we got off the phone with our parents, called the realtor, and discovered another offer was made on our house (by someone else who wasnt keeping the Sabbath...weird, but oh well). He gave us the details and said he would fax us the paperwork in the morning. We paused in the parking lot of our hotel and had a prayer of thanks. (Seriously, one of the most spiritual and amazing prayers we have ever had as a couple). We were truly overwhelmed by the circumstances and the outpouring of the spirit. Tyler commented that who knew flying to Kingston and house-hunting would be such a powerful and faith-promoting experience.
So paperwork was taken care of the next day. We were able to accept their counter-offer now that our house was again conditionally sold. We spent Monday working on banking to get a deposit and visiting Tylers new office. I was even able to squeeze a massage in (Glorious!!), and we went to Five Guys for lunch (SO DELICIOUS - another post). We drove back to Ottawa, hung out in the hotel, got up painfully early (5am Ottawa time, 3am Calgary time) to get ready for our flight home. Oh, and we stopped and looked at OUR house one more time before we left Kingston. Still love it!
This is my interpretation of the workings of the Spirit in our lives over this:
- We accepted the offer to move to Kingston, not knowing why, but feeling at peace that it was the right thing to do.
- Our house in Cochrane was conditionally sold which allowed us to have confidence to book a flight
- A house became available in Kingston that also motivated us to fly at this time rather than later
(Because the buyer on our house, and the house we bought ended up being totally different at the end of the weekend, than what they were at the beginning...but I assume those things were in place just to give us the peace-of-mind to get on the plane at least)
- We decided to obey the Sabbath. Now, I cant say whether it changed anything in the process of buying this house. The Lord may have had no problem with us making a phone call to our realtor on Sunday. But I do know this: waiting out the day gave us more leverage that we wouldnt have had earlier in the day, AND more importantly, waiting, and observing the Sabbath increased OUR faith that obedience is ALWAYS the best option.
Conditions come off on our house in Cochrane on Tuesday, and on the house in Kingston on Wednesday. And I feel at peace, but also completely in awe and again, quivering with the Spirit everytime I think about it. It has been awesome. I dont think I have felt more sure about ANYTHING since I knelt across the alter in the temple and said, YES.
Apparently the Lord wants us in Kingston, and he wants us in that branch. So whatever he has for us to do out there, we will do.
I will write about the abnormal and crazy times we had in another post. It was also nice to get away with my husband...so there is much more to tell.
Let me start out by saying that I am a control-freak, completely anal planner - so everything that has happened is so completely out of the norm for me, that it is almost staggering that I even allowed things to proceed in this fashion. Ok, here goes:
We are moving to Kingston. Ontario. I donèt think that is a surprise to anyone anymore. Tyler has a job with Queens University starting May 2nd. He defends his PhD on Monday (this Monday, the 18th) and then schooling is done. (Here is one of the tangents). Tyler and I have been students for our entire relationship. High School students, Under-graduate, and Doctorate. We have lived on very little, and yet have never felt like we were wanting. That comes completely as a blessing. We determined to pay our tithing, and to follow the prophet, and that is all I can attribute it to. Sometimes money would come in in the form of an extra job here or there, or family helping us out...but it all worked out in the end. A few years ago we bought a house in Cochrane when Lucy was a tiny baby. We lived in that beautiful, wonderful house for a year...and then decided as a way to save money and prevent me from having to go back to work, that we would put a mobile home on Tylerès parentès propety and rent our house out. Elder Oaks had come to speak to our stake and had counciled people to avoid unneccesary debt. We took it to heart, and this was our answer. We have been blessed to have tenants in our home almost every month for the last 5 years. It has paid down our mortgage substatially, and allowed me to stay at home and raise our children. Can I believe that schooling will be done in a week and that we will be *real* grown-ups with a *real* jobÉ No, it is hard to fathom.
We have been looking online at the MLS at houses in Kingston since Christmas. Never really sure when to make our move and when to head out there and look at houses in person. We didnèt want to go before our house in Cochrane sold, because what is the point, but we also didnèt want to wait too long and leave ourselves with no options.
I had been looking at a particular house for about 2 weeks and got to like it more and more the more I looked at it. Our house in Cochrane was conditionally sold, and we joked about flying to Kingston. Well, timing is everything I guess. I canèt leave on a moments notice and fly across the country to look at house! Apparently I can. We were literally talking about it at dinner on Thursday evening, and were on a plane by mid-afternoon Friday. Babysitters arranged (back and forth a bit between Grandmas, but it worked) and planes and hotels booked. A realtor contacted to set up viewings and we were on our way. I was in a near panic because I DO NOT work this way. But needless to say, my body was quivering (literally) with anticipation and with the Spirit, knowing that we had to go, and we had to go NOW. So we went. (I made a large novel of instructions for my mom and Tylerès mom on how to take care of my children, which they teased me about incessantly, but it is what I needed to feel ok about leaving).
We flew to Kingston and got into Ottawa at midnight. Checked into our hotel, slept for a few hours and were up at 6am to get ready and drive the two hours to Kingston to meet the realtor. We hit the pavement running and viewed approximately 20 houses on Saturday. (Side note: flying with your husband and no kids is way more fun...we watched the Kings Speech and a few episodes of the Mentalist and it was glorious).
The first house to be viewed was my favorite based on the pictures and description. I thought for sure that this would be the house. It was ok...not as great as we hoped, but still great. We then proceeded to view a bunch more that all fell into the same category. Then there were a few dumps, and a few more oks. To say we were getting discouraged was an understatement. (Plus we didnèt stop to eat all day, so that was wearing come 7pm). Were we really going to just have to choose between a bunch of *ok* housesÉ or would we find something we lovedÉ
Most of the houses we viewed were on the West Side...our friends live on the East side closer to the military base, and we saved those houses for the end of the day. We walked into a house in Greenwood Park and Tyler and I were revived. This was TOTALLY IT! To say we loved every square inch of it was an understatement. It made us tingle and jump and laugh. Quivering with the spirit again...yes. Only trouble - another couple was waiting in the driveway when we came out so they could view it to. NOOOOO!!!! I panicked. Please donèt like our house, please donèt like our house! (Yes, I was already calling it OUR house). We viewed a house across the street, and when we came out, they were still in there! ARGH! If you hate a house, you donèt hang around! We viewed the last 2 houses in the area and then went back to the realtors office to discuss.
This house was at the upper end of our budget, so Tyler and I paused for a moment, went for dinner to get the blood-sugar levels back to normal (seriously, my head was spinning), and to discuss. After a pause....confirmation! Yes, put an offer on his house! So itès back to the realtors office to settle on the offer and get things going. We did not want to end up in a bidding war. Papers were signed and we headed to our hotel around 9pm. Called the family at home and told our kids we found the perfect house. They were so excited too. Awesome backyard, 4-bedrooms, developed basement - totally awesome kitchen. Yay!
The couple who owns the house were out of town until late Saturday night, so their realtor wasnt able to get them the offer until Sunday morning. We headed to church and told our realtor we wouldnt be viewing any houses on Sunday, and that we would be unavailable from 10-1 while we were in church (I will talk about the branch in another post). As we left the building, we got a text from the realtor that we needed to call him. du-du-du! They accepted the offer (including the price, which was awesome, because we had low-balled a tiny bit assuming they would counter), except they didnt want to include the condition *waiting for the sale of our house*. Who does thatÉ Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Just before we got on the plane in Calgary, our realtor in Cochrane called and said the deal on our house had fallen through. So it was no longer conditionally sold and it was back on the market. We were really hoping to not have to deal with the fact that our house wasnt sold, but so it was. Well, we cant buy a house until we have sold our house...my name is NOT Donald Trump. I do not have a spare $400,000 dollars sitting around just burning a hole in my pocket. We stressed. We told the realtor we would call him right back. We called my sister who was at home in Calgary getting ready for church. We decided that the best thing to do was to tell him that we would have to get back to him on Monday, because we just didnt want to do business on the Sabbath and then pray that our obedience would mean something. We had already determined to fast the night before, so we were well on our way in that. So we spent the day driving around the town and checking things out (getting lost a few times) and visiting with some friends in the ward who invited us for dinner. AND trying not to think about it. We watched Elder Bednars talk from Conference on my iPhone because I had missed it, and then read over my lesson that I am giving in a few weeks.
As we were sitting in the hotel that evening, we decided to call home and talk to the kids and get some advice from our parents. The cell phone reception in our room was poor, so we decided to drive around town again and use the handsfree in the car. As we were talking to Tylers parents, his dad said, ÈHey Tyler, your realtor just called me on my cell phone. He says he has a new offer on your house and wants to know how to get ahold of you.È Seriously!É (I am literally quivering as I type this too, because the experience was that amazing...I know my description is poor). So we got off the phone with our parents, called the realtor, and discovered another offer was made on our house (by someone else who wasnt keeping the Sabbath...weird, but oh well). He gave us the details and said he would fax us the paperwork in the morning. We paused in the parking lot of our hotel and had a prayer of thanks. (Seriously, one of the most spiritual and amazing prayers we have ever had as a couple). We were truly overwhelmed by the circumstances and the outpouring of the spirit. Tyler commented that who knew flying to Kingston and house-hunting would be such a powerful and faith-promoting experience.
So paperwork was taken care of the next day. We were able to accept their counter-offer now that our house was again conditionally sold. We spent Monday working on banking to get a deposit and visiting Tylers new office. I was even able to squeeze a massage in (Glorious!!), and we went to Five Guys for lunch (SO DELICIOUS - another post). We drove back to Ottawa, hung out in the hotel, got up painfully early (5am Ottawa time, 3am Calgary time) to get ready for our flight home. Oh, and we stopped and looked at OUR house one more time before we left Kingston. Still love it!
This is my interpretation of the workings of the Spirit in our lives over this:
- We accepted the offer to move to Kingston, not knowing why, but feeling at peace that it was the right thing to do.
- Our house in Cochrane was conditionally sold which allowed us to have confidence to book a flight
- A house became available in Kingston that also motivated us to fly at this time rather than later
(Because the buyer on our house, and the house we bought ended up being totally different at the end of the weekend, than what they were at the beginning...but I assume those things were in place just to give us the peace-of-mind to get on the plane at least)
- We decided to obey the Sabbath. Now, I cant say whether it changed anything in the process of buying this house. The Lord may have had no problem with us making a phone call to our realtor on Sunday. But I do know this: waiting out the day gave us more leverage that we wouldnt have had earlier in the day, AND more importantly, waiting, and observing the Sabbath increased OUR faith that obedience is ALWAYS the best option.
Conditions come off on our house in Cochrane on Tuesday, and on the house in Kingston on Wednesday. And I feel at peace, but also completely in awe and again, quivering with the Spirit everytime I think about it. It has been awesome. I dont think I have felt more sure about ANYTHING since I knelt across the alter in the temple and said, YES.
Apparently the Lord wants us in Kingston, and he wants us in that branch. So whatever he has for us to do out there, we will do.
I will write about the abnormal and crazy times we had in another post. It was also nice to get away with my husband...so there is much more to tell.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Bloggy Birthday
My friend is having her Bloggy Birthday, with lots of Awesome give-aways...and her blog is truly hilarious. So go check it out:
It's the Dabel's Divulge to the right there in my links...................................................................>>>>>
Check it out. Seriously, I don't have time to write any more than this at the moment, so go read hers. And then come back to me another day.
It's the Dabel's Divulge to the right there in my links...................................................................>>>>>
Check it out. Seriously, I don't have time to write any more than this at the moment, so go read hers. And then come back to me another day.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Bang for your Buck
Yesterday we finally instituted the chore chart. Cleaning this place is getting under my skin, and I am perfectly willing to shell out a buck or two to get some help on the bigger stuff. (Bigger stuff is not so big, but for a 4 and 6 year old it is - one day they will not get money for such things).
Chart was made. Kids agreed. Tasks assigned for the day. The list includes: dishwasher = $1, vacuuming = $1, cleaning out the van = $3, washing the cars = $3, bathroom = $2, babysitting baby brother = $2, recycling = $2.
Max vacuumed. Lucy emptied the dishwasher. check, check. Off my list and I did not even have to do it. So I could focus on packing up water bottles to take to the depot and laundry, and washing bedding, and doing dishes and and and...That $2 was money well spent in my mind.
They each made a dollar, so after our trip to the bottle depot (yay!) where we got nearly $30, and to Cochrane Home Treasures to donate some useless-to-us stuff, we headed to Tim Hortons, and the kids each bought themselves a donut.
We even sat inside for 10 minutes to eat them, instead of going through the drive-thru. This is like their lucky day or something. Logan ate cheese and baby food and looked very disheartened to not have a donut of his own.
Max chose chocolate chocolate (something I would usually guess for Lucy) and Lucy got a Long John...probably because it looked the biggest and she wanted to get volume for her hard earned money. Smart thinking.
We had a picnic dinner of chili and fries that night and watched the new Karate Kid movie. Once the fighting began, Max got all interested and said, ÈThis is excitement!È I guess so. Ièm assuming when I enroll my kids into karate class that there will be less beating-them-senseless and more self-control and self-confidence taught. I hope so.
Tuesday, Lucy had a pajama day at school. She decided it would be funny to wear curlers in her hair as well, but I didnèt have any, so instead we put rags in her hair. They ate popcorn and watched a movie in the afternoon. Kingdergarten is pretty sweet.
Chart was made. Kids agreed. Tasks assigned for the day. The list includes: dishwasher = $1, vacuuming = $1, cleaning out the van = $3, washing the cars = $3, bathroom = $2, babysitting baby brother = $2, recycling = $2.
Max vacuumed. Lucy emptied the dishwasher. check, check. Off my list and I did not even have to do it. So I could focus on packing up water bottles to take to the depot and laundry, and washing bedding, and doing dishes and and and...That $2 was money well spent in my mind.
They each made a dollar, so after our trip to the bottle depot (yay!) where we got nearly $30, and to Cochrane Home Treasures to donate some useless-to-us stuff, we headed to Tim Hortons, and the kids each bought themselves a donut.
We even sat inside for 10 minutes to eat them, instead of going through the drive-thru. This is like their lucky day or something. Logan ate cheese and baby food and looked very disheartened to not have a donut of his own.
Max chose chocolate chocolate (something I would usually guess for Lucy) and Lucy got a Long John...probably because it looked the biggest and she wanted to get volume for her hard earned money. Smart thinking.
We had a picnic dinner of chili and fries that night and watched the new Karate Kid movie. Once the fighting began, Max got all interested and said, ÈThis is excitement!È I guess so. Ièm assuming when I enroll my kids into karate class that there will be less beating-them-senseless and more self-control and self-confidence taught. I hope so.
Tuesday, Lucy had a pajama day at school. She decided it would be funny to wear curlers in her hair as well, but I didnèt have any, so instead we put rags in her hair. They ate popcorn and watched a movie in the afternoon. Kingdergarten is pretty sweet.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Bittersweet Symphony
Yesterday as I was getting ready, I decided to jam some tunes. So I flipped through my ipod choices and settled on the playlist entitled "Heather's Hard Jams" This is full of my ACDC, Metallica, Aerosmith, Green Day, Collective Soul, and Eric Johnson. Yes, you may be surprised to hear, I am a closet Classic Rock junkie. For Valentines Day one year, Tyler bought me tickets to Metallica. Pretty crappy concert, but the songs are great.
As I was listening to my hard jams, I got to thinking about how music motivates me, and how much easier it is to get things done if the right song is playing. And the right song completely depends on the mood. Because sometimes ACDC is just annoying.
My Playlists are these at the moment:
Christmas - usually only played during the month of December: Mariah Carey, Manheim Steamroller, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Charlie Brown Christmas, Natalie Cole, Harry Conick Jr., Tony Bennett, Chipmunks, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby (ALL TIME BEST!), John Lennon, Beach Boys, Judy Garland...
Country - when I feel like putting on boots and stomping it up. Artists include Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Dixie Chicks (only some), Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, and Paul Brandt. (Love me some delicious Keith Urban)
Disney - Because sometimes you just have to groove to some Disney music. And my kids love it. This also includes Kung-fu Fighting (from Kung-fu Panda) and I Like to Move it (From Madagascar) and some Winnie the Pooh. Favorite: Trashing the Camp from Tarzan.
Hard Jams: All-time favorite: Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson. Awesome song.
Jams: This is my mix. I've got me some Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Tegan and Sara, Ke$ha, Jack Johnson, Black Eyed Peas, Taio Cruz, Neil Diamond, Michael Buble, Queen, Smash Mouth, and Willy Aftermath! Whoot!
Old School: This is my 80s and 90s throw-back. I love me some old school music. This stuff gets me MOVING. Ace of Base, MC Hammer, Wallflowers, Verve Pipe, Bush, OMC, Gin Blossoms, Spice Girls, LFO, No Doubt, U2, Real McCoy. It reminds me of sitting in my basement bedroom with my sister, checking for spiders, stealing her clothes, and getting ready for seminary. Good times.
Sunday: Mostly Primary music. The playlist is short because I find most EFY music annoying. So I stick to the basics. Most of it is downloaded from the LDS.org music site.
Sweet Stuff: This is my lovey-dovy music. Songs that mean something to Tyler and I. KC and JoJo - super lame song, but we danced to it a thousand times at the youth dances, Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse, Paul Brandt, Miles Davis (our first dance at our wedding), Hoobastank, Wedding Singer, Counting Crows, Sarah Vaughn, Michael Buble, Norah Jones, and my favorite - The Luckiest, by Ben Folds
So that's what I listen to. In case you were wondering. I love music. Most of the time I love quiet. But sometimes, the right song is just what you need.
What do you listen to?
As I was listening to my hard jams, I got to thinking about how music motivates me, and how much easier it is to get things done if the right song is playing. And the right song completely depends on the mood. Because sometimes ACDC is just annoying.
My Playlists are these at the moment:
Christmas - usually only played during the month of December: Mariah Carey, Manheim Steamroller, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Charlie Brown Christmas, Natalie Cole, Harry Conick Jr., Tony Bennett, Chipmunks, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby (ALL TIME BEST!), John Lennon, Beach Boys, Judy Garland...
Country - when I feel like putting on boots and stomping it up. Artists include Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Dixie Chicks (only some), Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, and Paul Brandt. (Love me some delicious Keith Urban)
Disney - Because sometimes you just have to groove to some Disney music. And my kids love it. This also includes Kung-fu Fighting (from Kung-fu Panda) and I Like to Move it (From Madagascar) and some Winnie the Pooh. Favorite: Trashing the Camp from Tarzan.
Hard Jams: All-time favorite: Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson. Awesome song.
Jams: This is my mix. I've got me some Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Tegan and Sara, Ke$ha, Jack Johnson, Black Eyed Peas, Taio Cruz, Neil Diamond, Michael Buble, Queen, Smash Mouth, and Willy Aftermath! Whoot!
Old School: This is my 80s and 90s throw-back. I love me some old school music. This stuff gets me MOVING. Ace of Base, MC Hammer, Wallflowers, Verve Pipe, Bush, OMC, Gin Blossoms, Spice Girls, LFO, No Doubt, U2, Real McCoy. It reminds me of sitting in my basement bedroom with my sister, checking for spiders, stealing her clothes, and getting ready for seminary. Good times.
Sunday: Mostly Primary music. The playlist is short because I find most EFY music annoying. So I stick to the basics. Most of it is downloaded from the LDS.org music site.
Sweet Stuff: This is my lovey-dovy music. Songs that mean something to Tyler and I. KC and JoJo - super lame song, but we danced to it a thousand times at the youth dances, Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse, Paul Brandt, Miles Davis (our first dance at our wedding), Hoobastank, Wedding Singer, Counting Crows, Sarah Vaughn, Michael Buble, Norah Jones, and my favorite - The Luckiest, by Ben Folds
So that's what I listen to. In case you were wondering. I love music. Most of the time I love quiet. But sometimes, the right song is just what you need.
What do you listen to?