Time to Get Lost

For the first time since I started Chris's challenge, I really don't feel like writing today. Maybe it's because it's a beautiful day and I'd rather get out for a walk. Maybe it's because I know I have a pile of forgotten mail to go through, so I can find out which bills I'm unintentionally ignoring. Perhaps it's because I know that I need to get to the store today to get ready to play "Easter Bunny" on the weekend. Or it could be because of my strong desire to get back to those last few unopened boxes (Ha -- no one said the blog couldn't be funny!)

All good reasons. But not the right ones.

I love books. Anyone who knows me knows this. One of my very favourite things in life is to curl up in a corner and get lost in a good book. For the past two months I haven't had time. Sure, I've done some reading before I fall asleep at night, or even a couple of times in my new jacuzzi. I even finished a book the other day. But I haven't had the "I love this book so much I can't put it down, and I am going to just sit here and do nothing but read for a couple of hours" experience. Since we've moved here, I haven't let myself have that experience. There is WAY too much to do to settle in with a book, and I didn't want Chris or the kids to come home and say "So what exactly did you do today anyway?"

Writing, however, is allowed. Because of the challenge. I feel obligated to add to this blog daily, no matter how much time it steals from other worthy tasks. So I have poured myself into it. But not today. Today, the blog gets 10 minutes. That's it.

Why? Because I started a new book yesterday, and I think it's one I could get lost in. So I will do all the things that I mentioned above, that really need to be done today. But for the next 45 minutes I am heading back in time several hundred years. I'll set a timer to make sure I find my way back to the 21st century.

But meanwhile, don't call. They didn't have phones back then, so I won't answer.

Our First Toronto Weekend

I figured it out on my own! I was determined not to let the technology beat me, and not to rely completely on Chris for all my computer needs, and I figured it out! I was so proud of myself. So I could have written this blog yesterday, but after already completing the one about my technology woes, I decided my time would be better served digging into the boxes in the spare room. The Toronto blog would have to wait until tomorrow. Today!

I was so looking forward to this little getaway! Our original purpose for the trip was for Chris and Connor to go to a Raptors game. Chris had told me back in January that this is what he wanted for his 40th birthday. He had never been to an NBA game before, and this was the perfect opportunity. Even though his birthday is still 2 weeks away, we decided this was the best game for them, ie. not on a school night. I got three tickets, so they could take Uncle Ben, too. The boys were both very excited, and I was, too. I needed a break from the mundane life of unpacking and organizing, and to be in a house without boxes everywhere for a few days. We picked the kids up at school and arrived at Lori and Ben's just in time for Janelle and I to switch places with Ben and send the boys on their way.

Lori and Janelle and I had a lovely little "girls night in". We chatted a bit while Janelle watched cartoons. Then we pulled out the games we had brought: Whoonu and Sequence, two of Janelle's favourites. By the end of the game of Sequence I could tell that Janelle was ready to call it a night, so we started the bedtime routine. After we got her snugly tucked in, Lori and I played some XBox Trivial Pursuit. It was really fun, especially for a trivia nerd like me. We had just finished our second game when the boys arrived home.

Connor was energized! The Raptors had lost by a buzzer-beater. Chris loved it! That's what makes a good game, right? But Connor was devastated! He had bonded with "his team", and (a little like his Papa) he's only happy when they're winning. He couldn't believe that they could be winning one second, and lose the whole game the next. Suffice it to say, there were tears before bed. But I knew the tears were as much from the late hour as the loss. In the morning he was still talking about how much fun they'd had. Unfortunately, the boys didn't take the camera into the Air Canada Centre, so I have nothing to show for that game except Connor's new Raptors hat.

In the morning we got up to a lovely breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs and fruit prepared by Lori. She hadn't been planning on making a big breakfast until Janelle mentioned the night before "I sure hope there are pancakes in the morning!" It's amazing the power a 6-year-old can wield! It was great though, because we left the house with full tummies, on our way to discover the big city. The kids had been talking about the CN Tower for days, and it did not disappoint. They were in awe! We bought the tickets for the "Total Experience", which included a motion simulator ride, and Connor just kept saying "I want to go up the tower NOW!" They were pretty amazed by it all, and they were extremely patient despite LOTS of waiting in line. We were there on a clear day, so the view was incredible.

We spent several hours there, making sure we really did have the "Total Experience". By the time we came out and grabbed a bite to eat, it was time to head back to Burlington for the big birthday party. Lori had planned a party for all the March and April birthdays in their circle of friends: Chris, Ben and his twin brother Pat, and herself included. By the time we got home, people were already arriving. It was a lovely evening. I had met many of the people before, but there were some new faces, and everyone was very welcoming to us. Connor and Janelle got to blow out the candles on the cake (despite the fact that neither of their birthdays fall in March or April), and learned a new game: Rock Band. That was a huge hit! I think we all got a turn with that one, and Connor has decided that we need an XBox (which is not going to happen anytime soon!) We all stayed up WAY too late, but most of us slept late in the morning (not Connor and Janelle, of course).

The next day we had another leisurely breakfast, this time of cereal and toast, much more managable, and played some more "Rock Band". We headed out around 2 p.m. and made a stop at one of the great shopping institutions of the world: IKEA. Chris had never been there before and was predictably underwhelmed. He did admit that many of the housewares are pretty good deals, but as a lover of fine furnishings, was not at all impressed with the furniture that IKEA had to offer. Still, we were able to spend a couple of hours there, and a tidy sum of money, before we began the journey back to London.

Just under an hour and a half later we were home. Ready to begin another week in our new abode. And I was re-energized about my new purpose in life: unpacking boxes!

Technical Difficulties

I am not particularly computer savvy. I generally can navigate my way around the computer and get things done, but if a problem arises, I am nothing without my hubby. He is the computer genius in the family. That's why I find it so frustrating when things don't work when he isn't around! Today is one of those days.

I am not writing in the morning today. Usually I drop the kids off at school, come home and sit write down at the computer to compose my morning post. But today I needed to upload pictures of our weekend trip to Toronto before I could start writing. This is where I encountered my first issue. The computer did not recognize the SD card reader, so no matter how many times I slid the card into the reader, the computer insisted there was nothing on it. This is not a new problem. In fact, it has happened countless times and drives me crazy. But because it is not a new problem, I was able to solve the issue on my own. Restart the computer, and try again. I set the computer to restart and went upstairs to open some boxes.

After getting lost in the spare room for a while, I found my way out and came back down to try again. Success! I got some really great pics of the kids with/in the CN Tower that I could not wait to upload. Unfortunately, something is screwy with Blogger's uploader today. It is telling me that my pictures were successfully uploaded, but they are not appearing on my post. I have tried over and over and over and over again. No pictures. For that reason, I am delaying my post documenting our weekend adventures in Toronto. I just can't do it without pictures. Sometimes I really hate computers. They just aren't easy enough for people like me.

However, since I had to write a post today to meet the challenge, you got to read about my technical difficulties. Definitely not my favourite post. Pretty boring actually. But the challenge stated only that I write something, not that it be profound or brilliant. So there you are.

"We apologize. We are experiencing technical difficulties. We will resume our regularly scheduled program when it becomes available." Hopefully tomorrow.

First Week Down!

We survived! I spent so much time worrying about how the kids would manage at school, how I'd manage at home without them, how Chris would settle into his new office, and how we'd all settle into our new routine, and here we are at the end of the first week. We all did great! Surprisingly, Chris has probably had the most painful transition, primarily due to a project deadline at the end of March that he is dealing with, leftover from back in NB. My kids act as if they've always attended their new school, aside from Connor's comment about the fact that they don't have Phys. Ed. specialists here ("Regular teachers don't do fun stuff in gym" -- As a "regular teacher" who used to have to teach Phys. Ed. to my class, I completely agree with him!). And I have filled my days with some settling in, some exploring, and lots of blogging.

Yes, it's official! I blogged every school day this week! And it doesn't seem that hard at all. I look forward to it. I still don't think I have anything profound to say, and I really feel sorry for my readers who have committed to reading every post. Please feel free to skip the boring ones! But it is an outlet, a release, and I don't think I'll have any problem meeting Chris's challenge. I remember when Denise suggested that I "aim for two posts a week", and I thought that would be nigh to impossible. I may have trouble scaling back to two posts a week someday!

So we have all survived this week, and now we all get a treat. A weekend away! This afternoon we will pick up the kids at school and head to Burlington, where Chris and Connor will pick up Uncle Ben and head into Toronto to the Air Canada Centre for a Raptors Game. It is Chris's big 40th birthday present, but I think Connor is more excited than he is! Well, they're both pretty excited. Janelle and I are going to spend a "girls evening" with Aunt Lori. Tomorrow, we're going to Toronto to do some "touristy stuff". If it is a clear day, which it looks like it will be, we'll go up the CN Tower. We may also take in the Hockey Hall of Fame or the Ontario Science Centre. Tomorrow night, Lori is hosting a birthday party for various people with March or April birthdays, including Chris, Ben and his twin brother Pat, and herself. Connor and Janelle will be the only kids there, but I'm sure they'll be happy to entertain the adults until bedtime. Sunday morning we'll get up and have breakfast and head back home.

I am so looking forward to a weekend away from the cluttered disarray that is my house! Hopefully when I get back home I'll be energized and ready to tackle the rest of it. I need to dig out my spare room and get a bed set up so I can have company. I'm starting to feel like it's time for friends and family to start showing up at our doorstep. Any takers?

A Step Back in Time

I did get lots done yesterday, and I did some exploring, too. I went back to the house we almost bought and discovered that, as expected, the owners had taken it off the market. Then I came home and got to work on Janelle's room. I got all the boxes unpacked, but did not get it all organized. My goodness, how does one little girl end up with so much STUFF! Today I'm going back in armed with garbage bags! I will finish before noon!

Last night I had an interesting experience. I went to a breastfeeding class with my friend, Jocelyn (my only friend in London), who is expecting her first baby next month. Her husband really didn't want to go, and I was happy to get out of the house and be her support person. It was fascinating to sit in a room full of pregnant women, most for the first time, and see them learning all they can about this mysterious art. It was hard, too. Because I LOVED breastfeeding, and I miss it! It is one of the things I miss most about having a baby. We watched a movie full of precious newborns learning to feed, and it took me back in time. Yes, it was painful at first, but it was soooooo worth it! What a precious bonding experience! I just wanted to stand up and shout to all these expectant mothers "You are so blessed! You are about to experience the most beautiful thing you can imagine! Treasure it because it WILL NOT LAST!" Time with our new babies is so fleeting.

It was hard keeping my mouth closed. There were so many things I wanted to remind the instructors to say: Tell them they may not feel their milk come in. Tell them not to give up for at least two weeks, because no matter how hard it is, it will get better and it is the best feeling in the world. Tell them what thrush is, and how to recognize it, and not to let it ruin their nursing experience. I found myself nodding along with them most of the time, and sometimes finding that things I did on a regular basis are frowned upon nowadays.
I kind of wish I had taken a breastfeeding class before I had my babies. Oh, we did the prenatal classes, of course. And I read everything about nursing that I could get my hands on. And I had many experienced friends who were full of advice. But there is something about learning with others in the same situation that make those silly questions in the back of your mind seem not so silly. Maybe I would have known that Connor's bright orange bowel movements when he was four days old were not something to worry about. Maybe I wouldn't have let Janelle's thrush steal some of my joy from her first precious weeks. There is something to be said about being prepared.

Still, when it comes to anything about motherhood, I don't think we can be 100% prepared. We learn far more from experience than anything we could have learned from a class. I felt like I could have stood up and taught most of that class last night, but I wouldn't have shared anything that I learned from a book. It would have all come from what Connor and Janelle have taught me. The answers to so many of the questions the women had last night were "It depends on your baby". And now that my babies are 10 and 6, it still very often depends on them.

So where do I sign up for the class on surviving the teenage years?

The Urge to Explore

It is a gorgeous, sunny day in Southwestern Ontario, and I have the urge to explore. Connor's room is completely finished, and he is thrilled with it. I promised Janelle I would do hers today. But I'm antsy today! There are a million things I want to do! I want to drive around London and see the parts I haven't seen yet. I want to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I want to fill up my bookcase with all the beloved books that are waiting in boxes. I want to find a bookstore and wander the aisles. I want to walk to the school to meet the kids when it is time to come home. I want to finish clearing the clutter out of my kitchen. I want to find a garden centre and start thinking about what shrubs I'm going to plant in the front yard. And I want to keep my promise to Janelle and make her room beautiful. Will I do all these things today? I don't think so. But if I'm going to do any of them, I better get started.

No time for writing today. Time for a shower so I can let my day begin!

Day 2 and All is Well!

Day 2 -- Not bad! How long do they say it takes to create a habit? Two weeks? I think I can manage that. As it is, I couldn't wait to sit down at the computer this morning and start rambling. The problem is, like yesterday, I get sucked in to the computer and I find it hard to leave. I have so many things to do that spending the whole morning at the computer really isn't an option. My kids need to be able to get up to go to the bathroom in the night without tripping over boxes! That needs to be my priority, not my blog. So today I'll just right a short blog, and then head out to do battle with the boxes.

Yesterday dragged on slowly while I waited, filled with worry, for 3:30 to arrive. When it finally did I wondered what I wasted my day concerned about. Both of my kids had big smiles on their faces when I picked them up at school. They had a great day! Connor made a new friend (whose mother just happens to work with Chris), and Janelle loves her teacher. I asked if she made any friends and she said "Yes, but I don't know any of their names". She did mention that there is an Avery in this class too, refering to her "favourite friend" in her class in Fredericton. Neither of them showed any hesitation in jumping out of the van when we arrived at the school this morning, so I can proceed with my day without any of the concerns of yesterday.

Which brings me back to my day. I think my problem is that I'm overwhelmed. There is so much to do in every room of the house that I don't know where to start. And if I realize that there might be some reason for me to run out to the store, I'll grab onto it for dear life -- ESCAPE. For example, "Oh, I think we might need granola bars. I'll have to make a special trip to the store to stock up on granola bars." I must resist this urge! I must position myself in ONE ROOM (Connor's room first), and stay until it's done. Then at least I'll be able to see that I've done something. I have no need to leave the house before 3:30. The mail will wait. I have all I need to make dinner. Those returns to Home Depot and Walmart can happen another day. It's time to get down to business and get this thing done. The boxes will not win!!!

I apologize to anyone who may be reading this post. You really didn't need to be part of my little "self pep-talk". To be honest, I think I'm only still writing now to delay the inevitable. I'm stopping now. I really am. See you tomorrow!

The Challenge

Here's the challenge, proposed to Leanne by Chris: Add to my blog every school day from now until the end of June. If I miss a day, I must write an extra entry the next day explaining why I missed that day. I'm sure he came up with this as a way to add some purpose to my days now that the kids are off to school and he's off to work and I am left here at the house, lonely and surrounded by boxes. He knows I can't survive if my only goal in life is to unpack more boxes! He also wants me to get into the habit of writing. Fifteen years ago, I couldn't get by a single day without writing something. And I'd like to get back there, too. So I think I'm up for the challenge. Here goes!

I'm certainly up for the challenge today. I've just dropped my kids off at their new school for the first time, and I'm full of nervous energy to expend. Janelle will be fine. She is excited about her new classroom, her new teacher and her new friends. It's all an adventure to her. "New" is exciting for her. Connor, on the other hand, is a sensitive soul. He worries. He tries to be brave, but I know he is thinking about how he'll manage in this new environment. How he'll adjust to his new surroundings. How he'll make it to the bathroom in time from a portable classroom. "New" is scary to him. He is so like me!!! So now here I am, counting down the minutes until 3:30 when I can go pick them up and hear the news of the day and find out that everything was fine for both of them. That is exactly 4 hours and 59 minutes away. And I don't think unpacking boxes is going to keep my mind occupied quite enough to make the time fly by any faster. So I write.

In my last post I listed, in great detail, all the pitfalls of our move to London. Now that our "Supersize March Break" (Week 1 NB March Break, Week 2 Moving Week, Week 3 Ontario March Break) is over, I'm thinking back on all the fun things we did. It seemed to fly by, but looking back, some of the things we did at the beginning seem so long ago now! Like our "Going Away Party" that our wonderful friends Merry-Lynne and Randy hosted for us. It was an "open house", so people could just drop by to offer best wishes at any time. It was a nice chance for us to spend some time with so many of our dear friends. I miss them so much already! I love that we got to spend the past several years raising our children with others going through many of the same things that we were experiencing, and that our children became fast friends, too. One of the things I am grappling with now is how long it takes to form those friendships, the ones that feel like family, that are so free and easy. I know it will take some time for London to feel like home in that sense. But I also know that when I go home this summer, those friends I left behind will still be there, and our friendships with them will be the same as ever.

The first week of March Break, we did spend some time in Rothesay/Quispamsis, with the Constantine clan. My kids love being there. They adore their grandparents and their cousins. One of my favourite things about this time of my life is how close Connor and Janelle are to their cousins. I pray that distance cannot change that! Connor doesn't have a brother, and Janelle doesn't have a sister, but they have cousins who are the next best thing. My sister and I drove each other crazy growing up, but I wouldn't trade her for the world now. I want Jillian and Janelle to be that for each other someday. They certainly fill their roles beautifully now!

The second week of March Break was "Moving Week". The drive was not nearly the challenge we expected it to be. We purchased dual screen DVD players for the van the day before we left. These were a godsend! The best thing about them was that the kids could each watch their own movie, at the same time. No fighting over what to watch! Hours flew by with the kids wearing headphones, happily engrossed in their movies, or playing their DS. Chris and I actually had time to talk to each other, and we made very few stops along the way. We spent the first night in Montreal and saw Aunt Kate and Uncle Pierre and Madeleine and Remi. Maddie just loved Janelle! It was so much fun to watch them play together. The second night we stopped in Burlington to spend the night with Aunt Lori and Uncle Ben. Connor vaguely remembered their house from his last visit, seven years ago, but it was Janelle's first time there (outside the womb, that is). They were both thrilled to be there. Then it was on to London. And the "totally cool" hotel. I have to admit, Chris did a great job choosing this hotel. The pool was perfect! Connor thoroughly enjoyed the lighthouse/waterslide, and Janelle got to spend hours doing one of her favourite things: SWIM! It certainly made the three days in London before we moved into our house a treat.

Moving day is always exciting, although thoroughly exhausting. The highlight for Chris and I was seeing how happy the kids were with their new house. They assured us that we chose the right one. Thankfully, the weather improved tremendously during Week Three of March Break, and they were able to get out on their bikes (after we finally found the helmets) and explore their new neighbourhood. We hardly saw them, except for the occasional meal. They made a few friends down the street, which I'm hoping will help them today as they adjust to their new school.

We did do a bit of exploring as a family, as well. Despite a million boxes to unpack, and Chris's relentlessly goal-oriented nature, I was able to convince him to get out of the house a couple of times and see what this new city has to offer. The first day we found a park along the Thames River (yes, a city called London with a river called Thames -- corny!) and hoisted the Spider-Man kite into the air. That was a big hit with the kids. And we big kids enjoyed it, too!

Another day we ventured out to the London Children's Museum. The kids loved it, but it was a ZOO! Not literally, of course, it is a perfectly nice museum, complete with dinosaur bones and moon rocks, but on March Break it was full of wild, rowdy, excited, enthusiastic kids who had been lacking structure for several days. My kids joined right in with them, and it didn't bother me much, but my poor husband was out of his element. He was trying to get Connor to focus his attention on the giant humpback whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling, and Connor was looking in every direction but where Chris was pointing. There was so much to look at and take in, that I think it will take a few more trips before the kids have really seen all the museum has to offer. We might not take Dad next time though! Janelle's favourite part of the museum was the Face Painting that was specially offered that day as a March Break treat. She LOVES having her face painted, and even though the line-up was nearly an hour long, she was determined. So we sent Dad and Connor into the "Space" exhibit, and we waited, and waited, and waited, and finally came out with exactly the cat face she wanted. It was all worth it to Janelle.

So as you can see, despite my previous ramblings, we did have a fun March Break. Exhausting, yes, but between stretches of endless unpacking, we created some memorable moments. Now it is time to settle into real life. Where kids go to school, and dad goes to work, and mom.... unpacks. And organizes. And cleans. And BLOGS!!! I've successfully distracted myself for nearly an hour today. Only four more to go. I guess I really should unpack a box or two. Maybe I'll find the printer cable. Or the magazine rack for the bathroom. Or that book I was planning to read...

See you tomorrow!

We've Arrived!!!

If anything can go wrong it will. I don't really think that statement can ever be completely true, but as I look back on our move to London, I see a lot of major bumps in the road. As I sit in my new living room with the morning sun streaming in upon me, I'll list some of the obstacles we faced on our way to our new home.

1. The day before the movers arrived to pack up all our belongings, I was making lunch while waiting for Community Living to arrive and haul away two chair and a love seat that were not worth dragging across the country. I opened the cupboard above my stove and a cover to one of my Pyrex casserole dishes fell out on my glass stove top. CRASH!!! SMASH!!! Heartbreak!!! A starburst of cracks suddenly appeared emanating from one undeniable hole in the middle. The stove had been sold with the house, of course. This sent us right back into negotiations with our buyer. Not easy negotiations. MUCH more stress added to moving week. Just exactly what we needed. Oh, and by the way, when Community Living arrived, they refused to take the love seat! Oh, well, the youth group got a nice new love seat with a board sticking out the back...
2. The night before the truck was set to be loaded we settled in at Chris's Dad's house which would be our home for the next 10 days. We tucked the kids into bed and switched the tv on to the Weather Network. The forecast was horrifying: 35-45 cm of snow, plus freezing rain. School would most certainly be cancelled (it was). I would have to find last minute babysitters for my kids (I did). The movers would slip and fall on our notoriously slippery steps, break our furniture and their limbs, and inevitably sue us (thankfully they did not). Chris and I both spent a restless night looking forward to a very difficult moving day. By the way, this was the ONLY day school was cancelled for weather in Fredericton this year. What are the chances??? Thankfully, we didn't get the snow amounts that had been forecast, but it certainly was the stormiest day of the year.
3. Sunday morning, our second last Sunday at our beloved church, I took the kids up to the Children's Church room, and Janelle didn't want to stay. This is completely out of character for Janelle. She LOVES Children's Church. She ADORES her Children's Church director. She CHERISHES the time she spends there with her friends, singing, making crafts, playing games and learning about Jesus. But this day, of course, she didn't want to stay. She wanted to come down and sit in the service with Mom and Dad. I asked if she was feeling okay. She said yes. I assumed she was just tired from being up late at our "going away" party the night before. So I brought her into the sanctuary with me. She almost immediately fell asleep on her dad's lap. Great, I thought. She'll have a nice nap, and then she'll go upstairs during the sermon. NOPE. Just as the pastor began to pray, Janelle opened her eyes. Wide. Then she covered her mouth. Then Chris and I covered her mouth. I don't know why we covered her mouth. We knew what was coming. Yep. She threw up all over herself and all over me. And all over the upholstered pew. Chris was out of there too fast to be covered. And it wasn't just once. It was over and over again. If we had tried to leave we would have left a trail behind us, so I decided to just wait until it was over. People behind and beside and in front of us and across the aisle started handed me kleenex. I appreciated the help, but kleenex was not going to touch this mess. Chris brought back a handful of paper towels, and we finally got ourselves to a point where we could make our escape. Thankfully, Pastor Karl had lots to pray about that day. We didn't disrupt the entire service anyway. Two other moms sitting nearby (thank the Lord for moms!) came out to the washroom with me and helped me find clothing and blankets to bring Janelle home in. We collected Connor from Children's Church and made our swift exit. So much for visiting with friends that day. Janelle went right to bed at Grampie's house, slept all afternoon, and woke up fine. Thankfully no one caught it from her. Yet.
4. The kids and I had planned to go to Rothesay that day to spend some time with the Constantine side of the family, before coming back Wednesday and spending the rest of the week doing fun outings with friends in Freddy. Needless to say, we didn't head out on Sunday. We decided to go on Monday instead. Everyone woke up feeling fine, and I started getting the car loaded. Just as I was taking the last loads out to the van the phone rang. Chris answered and handed me the phone when I came inside. It was my Dad. Aunt Sadie, Nurnie's mom and my last remaining grandparent figure, had passed away in the night. She was 93 and not well, so I was not sad for her. She had not had any quality of life in a long time. She was clearly ready to go. Forgive me for saying this in light of the circumstances, but it did put a snag in my week. I would still go to Saint John, but I knew my parents would want to be in Moncton with Nurnie, and my sister's family was headed to New Hampshire, so there was no point in staying more than a night. We came back on Tuesday morning, with plans to meet everyone at the funeral in Moncton on Friday and spend that night in Rothesay/Quispamsis. I was thankful for Aunt Sadie's timing, in that if it had been the week before or the week after, I don't think I could have made it to the funeral.
5. We had a fun week despite the change in plans, and we spent some quality time with cousins and grandparents on the weekend. When we got back to Fredericton on Saturday, we went to Nana's for supper and a last visit with her before the move. Before we left, Connor said he had a headache and wasn't feeling well. Good parents would have taken him home and put him right to bed (especially after what we had experienced the week before). But we had made plans to visit our dear friends, the Clarks, that evening. In the van, Connor said he wasn't feeling too bad, and that he would still like to go to the Clarks'. We were swayed because we knew this was our last chance. So we went. And he was fine for a while. But we left in a hurry several hours later, with Connor not quite making it to the van before he vomited in the driveway (thank goodness!). He was fine after that (hallelujah!).
6. Thankfully, our bad luck did not travel with us. We had an uneventful trip to London, including stops in Montreal with Aunt Kate and Uncle Pierre, and in Burlington with Aunt Lori and Uncle Ben. We arrived in London on Wednesday and checked into a hotel with an "awesome" pool and water slide, and planned to stay there one night before our things would arrive and we'd move into our house. Chris called the movers that day and left a message that we wouldn't get the keys to the house until later Thursday afternoon. We didn't hear back until Thursday morning. The truck woud not be arriving until Saturday morning. That meant two extra nights in a hotel. Luckily, the kids LOVED the hotel, and the movers would pay for the extra nights, so this was not a tragedy.
7. Saturday morning arrived and it was FREEZING! We'd had beautiful weather for the whole trip, but on the day the truck finally arrived, there were record winds, rain, and cold temperatures. This was the perfect bookend to our trip to London: load in miserable weather, unload in miserable weather.

Since then, the weather has been practically summer-like. The kids have been able to play outside and make friends. It has been a great week, with no further incidents of Murphy's Law. Of course, I know that so much more could have gone wrong in this move. Serious illness, traffic accidents, financial issues -- we avoided all major pitfalls. God cared for us in many wonderful ways during this transition. I can actually look back on it all and laugh now that we are (slowly but surely) settling in. I just wanted to write it all down to preserve the memory of our bumpy, but memorable, road to London.