The First Attempt

The week has just flown by without Trevor here - the kids have been up very early in the morning (between 0545 and 0630) so by the time I've had everything cleaned up after they're asleep, I've been too beat to blog.

He's home now though, praise the Lord, and we're very much enjoying our time with him. There's an awful lot of things to get done (fixing the basement leak, small repairs to spruce the house up, setting up the sale of our house here, etc) but at least we can work together to do it.

Trev has found a very nice house that he's going to put a bid in on, probably on Tuesday, but he's warned me not to get attached yet as the sellers are asking far too much and may not be willing to accept what he's willing to pay. Our realtor agrees that the price is inflated, and says that while comparable houses did sell for what they're asking three or four months ago, prices have since dropped. So we'll see what they say...Trev tells me that there are plenty more houses just as nice out there, so he'll walk away if the sellers aren't willing to see reason.

We had a funny sort of discussion today, made me realize that we are just not average in very many ways. Our house will likely be bought by someone wanting to invest in a rental property, so Trev asked whether I would consider selling the house with all (or at least almost all) of the furniture in it. I didn't really have to think about it much at all...there are about three pieces of furniture I'm attached to for sentimental reasons, but the rest I would quite happily replace. We're just not into "stuff" that way. Not boasting or anything, just kind of bemused about it.

Must get back to work...chores and lists call!

This and That

Trev spent Saturday going from house to house to house, but hasn't found the right one yet. He says he's optimistic, though, because Saturday showed him that what we're looking for is affordable and available. He says it's just a matter of finding the right combination of features in the right location. Also, the realtor that his friend recommended is just superb, he's very pleased with her immense experience (30 years in the Calgary area) and her helpful but no-nonsense approach. He'll be househunting again Tuesday and Thursday nights, and if nothing turns up, then he'll likely spend another weekend in Calgary so he can do another full day on it next Saturday. I'm really fortunate to have such a wonderful, dedicated husband - he wants so much to find a home that the kids and I will be happy in.

Connor had his 18 month vaccinations this morning. The nurse said he's right around the 50th percentile in both height and weight, which is great. A funny thing happened in the waiting room, though. You see, Con was in a very happy docile mood, and the only other little fellow there was also 18 months but was a real spitfire (wouldn't listen, kept running away, etc). Con stuck right by my side, and when he threw some blocks on the floor, I told him to put them back and he happily complied. When he tried to follow the little running guy, I called him and he came. The other parents were giving me awed glances, obviously thinking I had it all together. I laughed to myself, wondering what they would have thought if they had seen him in some of his other moods! It encouraged me to think that this has likely often happened the reverse way - the children I've seen behaving so nicely and wondered what their parents knew that I didn't were probably having a very good day too.

The caterpillars have pretty much finished crawling about and are cocooning everywhere (also gross, but at least they're stationary). It will make selling the house easier, I think...what a bad impression it would be to step out of your vehicle and see caterpillars everywhere.

That's about it for tonight - the little guy is sleeping very poorly due to the vaccinations, so I have to run.

Nothing Like Time at the Lake

...to take your mind off of things. We didn't stay that long, just a few hours, but the kids had fun splashing and building sand castles. It went from sunny to dark clouds towards the end, and we got home just before the rain hit. For the first time it really felt like summer.

Positive Progress

Trev reports that his first two days at his new job have gone well, which is wonderful. He's having real trouble adjusting to the idea that people come in at 0730 and leave at 1630 (not to mention have a lunch break), but I'm confident he'll get used to it eventually. *grin*

It looks like we may be selling this house up here after all instead of renting it out. Negotiations with property management companies have not produced the results we were expecting, and it looks like it might be better financially to sell (not to mention less complicated).

The kids and I have survived our first two days sans Trev, despite colds that seem to get worse hourly. We've splurged a bit, bought a new toddler pool (with a little roof and UV protection for our little white-skinned, non-tanning, redheaded son) as well as aquasocks/water sandals to make playing in the pool fun despite the caterpillars. Mom's got the day off tomorrow, so we'll try to do a day trip to a nearby lake with a beach. Trying hard to make this fun.

I got the details for Adara's "final soccer tournament" (she calls it her "soccer predicament", which may be more appropriate): it consists of two games, one at 9AM and one at 2PM. Not much of a tournament, really, but any more would be crazy for 4 year olds. The second game is to be followed by hot dogs and the opportunity to pick up her team pictures. I'm glad she'll be able to be here for the whole time, she's really enjoyed herself.

That's all the progress I know of, and I'd best go get some sleep so that my cold doesn't 'progress' any further.

Lean On Me

In the last 72 hours, the following issues have reared their ugly heads:

• We have water seeping into our basement, into our (carpeted and drywalled) rec room. Both of the 'experts' we've had in agreed that we have several cracks in the foundation, and that the wall will have to be opened up to assess the severity of the damage. Once the cracks are repaired, we'll need new drywall, new baseboards, and new carpeting. This will all have to occur before we can rent the house out or sell it.
• My fourth wisdom tooth appears to be coming in, 18 years after the first three. It hurts.
• Our cat is ill, eating very little and being sick to her stomach. The only appointment I could get for her was next Monday...45 minutes after my appointment for Connor's 18 month vaccinations. Won't THAT be fun.
• Today, Trev found out that the realtor that has been highly recommended to him in Calgary is booked up all the first week he's in town - except for Saturday, when she's free all day. She promised that she could spend the whole day showing him houses, so he could do in one day what would take a whole week of evening visits. So instead of going down for just a few days and then back for the weekend, he'll be gone for a week and a half.

I'm tempted to look at this list and feel sorry for myself...and go have a good cry and maybe eat something chocolaty. But I can't help but feel like the Lord is delivering a message. You see, I have a very bad habit of trying to get through things on my own strength. I figure what He's done here, piling issue upon issue right before Trevor's departure, is to make it clear that I can't do this on my own. I have to lean on Him and trust Him to get me (and us) through. He's doing His job as a shepherd: some sheep just need a gentle nudge in the right direction, some need a smack upside the head. I guess this is further confirmation that I fall in the latter category.

Oh My Heavens

One of the things I do most evenings is glance through the online version of our local paper, just to see if anything noteworthy has happened. Today, the front page picture was of five year old twin girls at their kindergarten graduation (didn't even know they had a grad for kindergarten). The two were dressed for their Alphabet Ball (seriously) in (I'm not kidding, but I wish I was) formal dresses complete with shoulder wraps, pink tiaras, evening purses, and little heels.

I have a ton of faults of my own, and I'm not here to slam other parents. I'm going to pray hard for their parents, who are doubtlessly motivated by love for their children. But it served as a good reminder to me to always be looking ahead whenever I set a precedent of some sort for my kids, especially for special occasions. If that's the way the twins are treated for their kindergarten grad, what will they expect the next year? Or five or ten years down the road at bigger grad ceremonies?

Good Caterpillar, Bad Caterpillar

I don't think I've mentioned that the tent caterpillar invasion has happened again this year. Evidently last year was the first year of a three to six year cycle of these caterpillars; we'd just finished moving in last May when a wave of black caterpillars came crawling over from the greenbelt across the street, covering everything and subsequently cocooning all over everything (houses, trees, toys, you name it). They're back again this year, and it's pretty gross. Here's our front step:



They don't cling well on the siding, but they really like concrete. You can't walk to the van without flattening a few. Yuck.

On the plus side, I've discovered a caterpillar we DO like:



I figured since the water park was such a big hit, this sprinkler would be fun for the kids. And it's nice to have at least ONE caterpillar we're fond of.

Since I was out taking pictures anyway, I also grabbed a shot of the flowerbed Trev redid a few weeks ago:



Isn't it nice? My late-blooming tulips are just finishing up, the ferns and bleeding heart are going great guns, and the irises and peonies are about to burst into bloom. I love perennials, although I'm getting a bit tired of planting them and having them just start to really take before I have to move again. I'm looking forward to playing around a bit more with gardening in our new house in Calgary, since we'll hopefully be there for two or three years. We realized a while ago that we have moved at least once every two years since we were married, and more often than not it was every year. Not that we mind moving, but that's a bit much.

Focus on the Positive

It seems I had gotten so used to being isolated up here that I didn't even mind it anymore...but now that we had a week and a half with family and dear friends, I'm finding it hard to settle back in. And the thought that starting next week Trev will be away Monday through Friday just makes it worse. I just have to keep reminding myself that this too shall pass - it's all temporary, and we'll be together soon in a bigger city where we'll be able to connect with other families with similar beliefs and values.

On the plus side, the kids and I are slowly getting the house back into shape. And we went to a water park today, since it was hot and sunny, and Adara had a blast for the first time (she's always been too scared of the cold sprays to really have fun up till now). Connor wasn't quite ready to join in, although he did splash about in the puddles quite happily. Another bright spot was that Trev's 'people' (the folks who report directly to him) took him out for a farewell dinner and gave him some nice gifts. He was a bit stunned, and kept saying that people don't buy their bosses gifts; to me, it's just an indication of the high regard in which he is held. Or, as I teased Trev, it may be an indication of how happy they are that he's leaving! *grin*

We had the moving assessor in today to give Suncor an estimate on how much it will cost them to move us. She spent more time being freaked out by the waves of tent caterpillars covering everything than assessing, which I found amusing. But then, this is our second year of caterpillars, so they don't bother me much anymore.

I'd best go grab some shut-eye...my little man has woken up three times so far, and I'm anticipating a night of little sleep.

Safe and Sound

We're back home, and busy doing all of those mundane little chores that need to be done after a trip - multiple loads of laundry, downloading pictures off the camera (set a record this time, we had 422), sweeping and tidying and all that stuff. I don't mind, though. We're home safely, in familiar surroundings and sleeping in our own beds once again.

We had a wonderful time. The actual travel was wearing, as there was a lot of it, but all three of our visits went very well indeed. Adara enjoyed it all, but she absolutely loved playing with her cousins, and the feeling was mutual. Brantford will be a regular stop for the Diamond family from now on, that's for certain.

Now it feels like we're descending into a bit of a whirlwind, with Trevor rushing to train his replacement, get our house ship-shape, and fit in at least three farewell dinners before a week this Wednesday. We'll see how it goes. I've started preparing Adara for the idea that Daddy will be away during the week until we can move down to our new house. I've yet to really prepare myself, but at least it's short-term, and only for the weekdays. After visiting Petawawa, I'm reminding myself that if things were different, Trev could be gone to Afghanistan for 9 months. I'm fortunate in many, many ways. I just have to remember that.