(no subject)
Gonna try some spring camping tomorrow, just a one-nighter squished between Saturday morning gymnastics and Sunday night homework and winding down.
Last summer we were having dim sum with my sister, one of those idle chatter type conversations, and we said - hey, wouldn't it be great if we all lived in one big house? Seemed like a perfect idea in the abstract- my sister really needed to downsize after her divorce (and buying out her ex at (peak) market price) and she's always wanted to live in the city but somehow always ended up in the burbs. And I've always been a big believer in living with extended family, doubly important to me now that all the girls are tweens heading to highschool soon. And Paul has no interest in living in a house unless it's in some kind of communal living situation (so scarred are we from our brief and unsuitable stint as homeowners in Edmonton when we were in our early 20s).
So 9 months later my sister sold her townhouse in Burnaby, and we're leaving our co-op and renting a big house about 3km over with 2 separate up and down suites.
Mixed feelings, oh yeah! I'm not really worried about living with my sister, but leaving this place is far more wrenching than I thought it would be. Co-op living isn't all sunshine and roses, for sure. I was getting volunteer burnout, and there are some neighbours I'll be pretty glad to leave. Constant decisions by committee can get wearing too.
But it's a good place. We have impromptu parties on the front lawn. When we leave our doors open in the summer to catch the breeze people stop by and chat and visit, and I like that. We have reliable people we trade babysitting with, and the kids are old enough we can have adult parties in one suite while the kids watch a movie next door.
And jeez, the location. We're across the street from the school. 800 meters from Paul's work, and a bit over 1km to mine.
It's all just whingeing. We're moving to a place that will be a 10 minute bike ride or 25 minute walk to the kids' school, which by most measures is a perfectly reasonable commute! But I can't help thinking of those extra 20 minutes earlier I'm going to wake up!
I'm trying to remind myself that I love change. I'm always the one talking about moving, cause I like new starts. And I was a big cheerleader for this scheme before it got all so immediate, so real.
Change is good. Change is good. Change is good!
Last summer we were having dim sum with my sister, one of those idle chatter type conversations, and we said - hey, wouldn't it be great if we all lived in one big house? Seemed like a perfect idea in the abstract- my sister really needed to downsize after her divorce (and buying out her ex at (peak) market price) and she's always wanted to live in the city but somehow always ended up in the burbs. And I've always been a big believer in living with extended family, doubly important to me now that all the girls are tweens heading to highschool soon. And Paul has no interest in living in a house unless it's in some kind of communal living situation (so scarred are we from our brief and unsuitable stint as homeowners in Edmonton when we were in our early 20s).
So 9 months later my sister sold her townhouse in Burnaby, and we're leaving our co-op and renting a big house about 3km over with 2 separate up and down suites.
Mixed feelings, oh yeah! I'm not really worried about living with my sister, but leaving this place is far more wrenching than I thought it would be. Co-op living isn't all sunshine and roses, for sure. I was getting volunteer burnout, and there are some neighbours I'll be pretty glad to leave. Constant decisions by committee can get wearing too.
But it's a good place. We have impromptu parties on the front lawn. When we leave our doors open in the summer to catch the breeze people stop by and chat and visit, and I like that. We have reliable people we trade babysitting with, and the kids are old enough we can have adult parties in one suite while the kids watch a movie next door.
And jeez, the location. We're across the street from the school. 800 meters from Paul's work, and a bit over 1km to mine.
It's all just whingeing. We're moving to a place that will be a 10 minute bike ride or 25 minute walk to the kids' school, which by most measures is a perfectly reasonable commute! But I can't help thinking of those extra 20 minutes earlier I'm going to wake up!
I'm trying to remind myself that I love change. I'm always the one talking about moving, cause I like new starts. And I was a big cheerleader for this scheme before it got all so immediate, so real.
Change is good. Change is good. Change is good!