the weekend, before the week takes off like a rocket
Saturday morning I drove around and looked at bedroom furniture. As much as I would like to have something NOW it makes more sense to have something delivered once we've moved, unless we choose a set we found back home.
Jack and the girls arrived around lunchtime and we went down near the river where the farmer's market is to take in the 'Winter Shines' winter festival. They had an ice carving competition and the sculptures were backlit with colored spot lights after dark - beautiful! Free sleigh rides and a petting zoo were a hit too. There was a ice castle on top of a big mound of snow with a small yellow slide for the little ones to play on, and they'd colored blocks of ice for kids to stack. We toured through the farmer's market to warm up after a while; lots of food vendors, organic grocers, etc. In a fenced area they had an ice climbing wall and a huge hill of snow with slides made of ice and a big ice castle on top. They had crazy carpets so the kids could slide down the ice slides and the girls did that for a long time, for the bargain admission price of $2! It's nice to know that even in the city there are fun, affordable things to do with the kids.
We picked up some food afterwards and drove through some neighborhoods to look at open houses. The houses themselves are nice but the neighborhoods make me want to run away screaming. Every house the same, no backyard to speak of, a garage with barely enough room to back out of, no trees (or even room for trees!) and the houses all squished together in these crazy-making crescent mazes - ugh. There are no schools in those areas yet either, although the plans are in the works. I just can't imagine living there, nope. Around the city, these same builders often build similar houses (which I rather like, on their own) on established lots where tiny rundown houses are torn down. "In-fills", they're called. I would jump on those in a heartbeat, and apparently lots of other people feel the same since they're snatched up faster than electronics on Boxing Day.
We're still trying to decide between applying for a mortgage right away or renting a house for a year or so. My position would be temporary for 12-18 months and although the health region would fight for funding to keep me afterwards, it's a bit of a gamble to buy a house and committ to a mortgage when I don't have a permanent position. And of course, I still have to finish the IMPP, apply for and GET the job, so lots to fall into place before we think about moving.
After spending the afternoon out in the cold climbing hills of snow, the girls were played out and we went to the hotel. In the morning, we headed out early back to town (with both vehicles) since I had a baby shower to attend at home. It was snowing out and it was sticking to the roads but they didn't seem too bad. Halfway home, the snow was thick on the highway, we were creeping along with near zero visibility using the tufts of grass on the side of the highway to indicate where we should drive. Whenever we met a semi on the road, we'd be totally blind for about 5 seconds until the swirl of snow settled back down to just the snow falling. That was about the worst 80 km of winter driving I've ever done.
I attended the baby shower while Jack and the girls headed home to unload their bags. The shower was for a good friend of mine (the wife of a doctor) and two of the guests were the other doctors that work in town. Most of my friends are very mainstream so I endured a few jabs about eating placentas and birthing at home. Ah, well.
It was a whirlwind tour home on Sunday and as soon as the shower was over I stopped by my house to kiss and hug everyone before I headed back out on the road. As soon as I walked through my front door I felt homesick; for my people, my space, my bed, my friends, my life before the IMPP. I had a really hard time walking out the front door to drive back to the city; it broke my heart and I cried until I was about 20 minutes down the highway. I didn't want to leave, I wanted to stay and make muffins and do laundry, help Jack paint, give Charlotte a shower, pack their school lunches and just BE there. This is so much harder than it was two months ago and I am so done with being absent from my life as a wife and mother. SO done.
Jack and the girls arrived around lunchtime and we went down near the river where the farmer's market is to take in the 'Winter Shines' winter festival. They had an ice carving competition and the sculptures were backlit with colored spot lights after dark - beautiful! Free sleigh rides and a petting zoo were a hit too. There was a ice castle on top of a big mound of snow with a small yellow slide for the little ones to play on, and they'd colored blocks of ice for kids to stack. We toured through the farmer's market to warm up after a while; lots of food vendors, organic grocers, etc. In a fenced area they had an ice climbing wall and a huge hill of snow with slides made of ice and a big ice castle on top. They had crazy carpets so the kids could slide down the ice slides and the girls did that for a long time, for the bargain admission price of $2! It's nice to know that even in the city there are fun, affordable things to do with the kids.
We picked up some food afterwards and drove through some neighborhoods to look at open houses. The houses themselves are nice but the neighborhoods make me want to run away screaming. Every house the same, no backyard to speak of, a garage with barely enough room to back out of, no trees (or even room for trees!) and the houses all squished together in these crazy-making crescent mazes - ugh. There are no schools in those areas yet either, although the plans are in the works. I just can't imagine living there, nope. Around the city, these same builders often build similar houses (which I rather like, on their own) on established lots where tiny rundown houses are torn down. "In-fills", they're called. I would jump on those in a heartbeat, and apparently lots of other people feel the same since they're snatched up faster than electronics on Boxing Day.
We're still trying to decide between applying for a mortgage right away or renting a house for a year or so. My position would be temporary for 12-18 months and although the health region would fight for funding to keep me afterwards, it's a bit of a gamble to buy a house and committ to a mortgage when I don't have a permanent position. And of course, I still have to finish the IMPP, apply for and GET the job, so lots to fall into place before we think about moving.
After spending the afternoon out in the cold climbing hills of snow, the girls were played out and we went to the hotel. In the morning, we headed out early back to town (with both vehicles) since I had a baby shower to attend at home. It was snowing out and it was sticking to the roads but they didn't seem too bad. Halfway home, the snow was thick on the highway, we were creeping along with near zero visibility using the tufts of grass on the side of the highway to indicate where we should drive. Whenever we met a semi on the road, we'd be totally blind for about 5 seconds until the swirl of snow settled back down to just the snow falling. That was about the worst 80 km of winter driving I've ever done.
I attended the baby shower while Jack and the girls headed home to unload their bags. The shower was for a good friend of mine (the wife of a doctor) and two of the guests were the other doctors that work in town. Most of my friends are very mainstream so I endured a few jabs about eating placentas and birthing at home. Ah, well.
It was a whirlwind tour home on Sunday and as soon as the shower was over I stopped by my house to kiss and hug everyone before I headed back out on the road. As soon as I walked through my front door I felt homesick; for my people, my space, my bed, my friends, my life before the IMPP. I had a really hard time walking out the front door to drive back to the city; it broke my heart and I cried until I was about 20 minutes down the highway. I didn't want to leave, I wanted to stay and make muffins and do laundry, help Jack paint, give Charlotte a shower, pack their school lunches and just BE there. This is so much harder than it was two months ago and I am so done with being absent from my life as a wife and mother. SO done.