This is my life.

News, bigtime

We moved here, to High Level 5 years ago on October 21st. We said, five years. Five years and then we will go somewhere more.. permanent.

Like I mentioned in the last post, our trip west this summer made us... itchy. To get out. I have one (really, really great) friend here, and Chris doesn't really. There isn't alot to do, yada yada. Chris has been casually applying on jobs here and there over the last six months or so, with only one "close" Oh my God we could move Interview, which didn't pan out. We were pretty disappointed. Then.

So we come back from Holidays, and get back into our routines. The kids went back to school, I started sitting again for the same family, Chris goes back to work, I start another course. Sydney starts Dance (ballet and jazz). Chris comes home one day from work, and shows me a list of postings for his position, scattered throughout the Okanagan and Kooteney area. We laugh. We dream. He throws his resume in. 

I'd likely bore you with the last few months of ups and downs, the Interview process, the hope, the dissapointment etc. But here we are... 5 years after our 5 year plan. Moving. Our house is sold and mostly packed. We leave in 1 week, 5 days. We have a rental house lined up, with room to store all our unpacked boxes until we find our new home. Help coming to for the long drive (20 or so hours) down. Things have been sold and given away, a small pile remains downstairs. Everything is in place, organized (well, in my head anyway) and ready to go.

The kids are half excited, half sad to leave their friends. I am really excited, and starting to get anxious to go, and really, really sad to leave my friend. And my house. I loved this house. Such great memories were made here. Chris, well, what can I say. This is a dream for us. Everything, down to the last detail since day 1 of this process has gone our way. We know that we are doing the right thing. We know what we have to look forward to. Thank God he didn't get the "close" one. 

I could go on and on about how grateful I am, how lucky I feel. I truly, truly do. I am a big believer of everything happens for a reason. I am SO excited to start our new life. I am SO excited to be closer to family. I am SO excited. Can you tell?

Moving here was exciting. We were young and didn't know what to expect. I feel like we have grown so much these last 5 years, and I wouldn't change a thing. This is the way things were meant to be, they were meant to work out. 

I've been thinking alot the last few days about how I am going to feel when we pull out of town. Will I cry so hard I'll have to pull over? How am I going to say goodbye to one of the best friends I've ever had? So long? See you soon? Stay tuned for more emotional incoherent ramblings...

Backtracking

Well hello there Internet peeps! It's been awhile, I know. I've been busy, ok? So... 

We went on a grand West Coast holiday. We really had a great time. I traveled with the kiddies to Calgary, which really wasn't bad at all. Isabella is old enough to dole ot drinks, pick up lost toys, etc. So in other words she is a huge help, my co-pilot. We made it to Calgary in 11 hours, not too shabby all things considered. We had a great time there visiting Auntie Leah. We shopped, we dined, we parked (er, we took the kids to the park lots...), we laughed, it was great times.

Chris met up with us on the motorcycle the next weekend. We hung out for a day, then took off by OURSELVES to the Rockies. There is no better way, none, than traveling through the mountains on the back of a bike. We skipped the main highway for the old back-roads from Banff up to Lake Louise, and it was heavenly. Winding roads, beautiful scenery. Awesome. We spent the night in Banff and had some good food, good drinks, good times. 

Then, we were off to Vancouver. We took it easy, and had lots of rest stops. It was HOT, and Chris was in Heaven on the bike. We stopped In Salmon Arm for a swim at the lake, and some dinner, and then off to Kamloops for the night. The next morning we took off to Vancouver and arrived in time for lunch. We made it! 

We had such a great time this year in Vancouver. The kids are at such a great age. No naps or bottles to worry about, and Jackson was old enough to really enjoy doing some things, instead of being left at home with Nana, or sleeping through. They loved going to Playland this year! We did so much... Took the new Canada Line a few times, went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, Londsdale Quay on the sea-bus, shopped, ate, played at the park, Steveston, we bought a really cool kite, visited some with the relations, not to mention all the fun Chris and I had having the bike there! We went downtown a few times, walked and walked and walked. We went to White Rock for the very first time (I feel like Nana was holding out on us, it was amazing there!!!), Chris and I took a walking tour of downtown Vancouver and learned some history, went for dinner alone several times. We had such a good time. Thank you Nana.

Then, we were off to the Okanagon to see Mimi, and the progress on the new house they are building just outside of Penticton. Wow. Cannot wait to go back and stay there!! We got a couple visits in with some of Chris's family as well, swam in the pool, had some great dinners, a weenie roast, the beach (oh... the beach..). We stayed with Mimi in a one bedroom apartment for 2 nights, and managed to make it work, haha. Still can't believe that. We had such a great time. 

I am sure I am forgetting something about this trip. It really was the best trip West we've had so far. Even the drive home (which is usually long boring and depressing) was fun. Lots of singing, and laughing with the kids. We stopped in to see Papa in Grande Cache for a night, and then we came home. 

I've said it so many times, and really still mean it. It's always nice to get home, no matter where home is. We got in, unpacked, and then headed over to our neighbors for a few drinks and a fire. It was nice. That being said...

Home. To me, home is where my family is. As long as I have my husband, my children, and of course the dog, I am happy. Truly. But.. something really stuck with us this trip West. Driving through the Okanagan, Chris on his bike in the heat, the lakes, the mountains, the beauty. Although we were happy to get "home" to our house, and our things, it was different this time.

We are starting to see all the things we are missing out on. All the things the children are missing out on. After being happy to get home to our house, and our handful of friends, it was slightly... depressing. We want to be closer to our family. We want our children to experience more beauty, warmer weather, more opportunity. We've always talked about "when we retire", where we want to be. 

If you think this is a cliffhanger, then you'd be right. Stay tuned for my next update... Whahahaha.