My Irises

I love 'em.

Spring 2011

Wait, did we actually have spring? I thought this season was called Rain.

But, there were some awesome times to be had.

Our first trip to the zoo, and the pussy willows were in all their glory.

So were the butterflies.

A trip to the Badlands meant crossing the river on the Bleriot Ferry.

Birthdays were celebrated.

 

Holy smacks, do we have a lot of Star Wars Lego in the house now.

And now summer is upon us. A lot of excitement for our family is on the way.

 
See that sign? That's the one outside our house.

About a 16 minute drive away from this sign is a similar one, signalling that new owners will be arriving soon.

We sold our house in about 5 weeks. It took another 3 weeks to find a new home. The one we're hoping will be ours for a long time. The one our boys will grow up in, bring their friends home to, bring their girlfriends home to. The one we want to retire to at the end of the day. The place we will share meals and laughter with family and friends.

The house is a gem. In a 40-year old neighbourhood where a house sells and a garbage bin shows up in the driveway as renovations commence. The current owners have lovingly cared for this house for the past 18 years, but not extensively renovated, it's exactly what we were looking for. Original walls, minor updating, new roof, a blank slate for us to slowly turn into our own. Large yard, fully grown trees, firepit. A gas stove! A dining room! A fourth bedroom! Attached garage!

We now officially have 37 days to get everything ready for the movers. Luckily we have some overlap of possession dates, so there's over a week to finish packing, paint, clean, measure, get everything moved, and clean the old house. Whew.

I am so excited about this new beginning for us, but so apprehensive as well. As much as I feel we've outgrown our current home, I loved how unique I felt it was, and it was our home. Two and a half years after we were married we bought that house. We've lived in it for three quarters of our lives together.

I'm trying not to dwell on what was, but instead focus on what will be. On the change we've consciously chosen and pursued.

We Have A Majority!

After how many years of minority governments, Canadians once again have a majority. We have one party that hold over 50% of the seats in the House of Commons, with a strong opposition party to keep everyone on their toes. We have some stability. We have some sense of where this country is going over the next four years. We are not living under the threat that an election could be called at any time.

The Conservatives have it. The New Democrats are getting their turn at the big boys table too. The Liberals have lost a lot of voter confidence. The Bloq has imploded. And the Greens are making their entry. It will be an interesting four years.

Canadians!

Go vote!

Now!

Royal Wedding

It's 3:30am, and I've been up for 15 minutes to watch the royal wedding coverage.

I got up late...

One Week...

brought me...

     1 spring snow storm (hello, heavy wet snow)
     2 restaurant dinners with the kids (is McDonald's a restaurant? Really?)
     3 relaxing meals with my brother (It was nice having an adult to cook for)
     4 house showings (at least we had fair warning on all of them)
     5 days of dropping the boys at school AND picking them up (usually a shared task)
     6 hours of working from home with a sick boy
and
     7 nights with a king-size bed all to myself (ahhhh...)

It also brought me...

• The realization I work for some pretty great, understanding guys,
• Almost to tears every time I had to hang up the phone with Hubs,
• A chance to practice my patience, and
• An even greater respect for all those ladies who are raising those great kids all by themselves.