A few snapshots of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Since my daughter and I are the only girls in a house with four men - well, technically one man and three eventually will be men -  we think it is only fair that once a year we take a girls day - or two if we so desire.

This year my daughter decided she wanted to go hang out in Halifax.

Secretly - or maybe not so secretly - I was hoping for a day in Prince Edward Island having an Anne of Green Gables day. I still haven't actually been inside green gables and I would like to see Anne of Green Gables the musical. There is also the Lucy Maud Montgomery museum, Matthew's carriage ride and Anne and Gilbert - also a musical. But, I am afraid that my window of opportunity for having an Anne day as a girls day has closed. Maybe in another decade or two... or I may just have to go alone on that one.

We thought we would pop into one of the restaurants that we read about in "You gotta eat here" - Boneheads BBQ. 

There was so much food. I think we could easily have fed our entire family off of this plate. I felt really bad leaving so much behind; but, I don't think I have ever been so full in my life. Really good. The pulled pork was awesome!

I let my daughter choose what she wanted to do so we spent some time at the mall and at our favourite store to linger for hours in...

one thing we really have in common is a love of books. We could spend all day in this place. We spent the day window shopping and just enjoying being together. We wandered a few streets, shared a few laughs...

...and we made a few friends...(we have an odd sense of humour in our house).

I even was able to be the annoying mother a few times...like when I have a Cliff moment and share random bits of trivia...

like about this ship - the Acadia - the only ship to have seen active duty in both world wars...I did make her laugh as a harbour hopper passed by just after I shared my wisdom and the tour guide basically quoted me. My daughter informed me I missed my calling in life. Apparently I tour guided myself across the country giving her all sorts of useful information...maybe a new career is in my future...

and just because we were in Halifax - my daughter insisted that we get fish and chips. I didn't think I would ever be able to eat again...

Nova Scotia 2013

We are here and we are connected. ... sort of... our phone still isn't working.

The strange thing about returning to a house that we lived in before is that after the first day it felt like we had just returned from vacation. We were back home after a LONG holiday. I keep wandering into the living room and shocking myself asking: Where is my furniture? and where did this mess come from? All I want to do is flop down on my couch and pick up a magazine and relax...I am so tired.

After the craziness that was June (and May for that matter) with writing essays and exams, getting rid of stuff, packing and then loading the trailer (and then unloading and reloading...don't ask) driving across Canada was somewhat relaxing. Except for the heatwave that followed us across country...and me without my air conditioning.

I drove over 5500 km.

Myself.

I have never driven farther than the Okanagan to Vancouver on my own. That is only about 5 hours. This was over ten times as long.

The trip was good and fairly uneventful...other than celebrating my baby's sixth birthday in Kenora, Ontario. We went out for Kalamari and spent the evening talking with a couple of fishermen at the end of the pier. The kids were quite taken with the one-eyed Newfoundlander...he offered them many pieces of advice and may well be the highlight of the trip. (Other than the big curly slide at the hotel in Brandon, Manitoba of course).

I was happy to arrive home. Happy and tired. I have spent the past week doing all the fun things...like unpacking, trying to get our utilities in order and getting oil changes on our vehicles. And then staring at all the boxes of books that currently have no shelves.

Last Saturday...before I started in on all the fun stuff...we took a day off and went to the beach.

After all the time in the car the kids needed to have some space...

The boys were really excited about being at a beach with creatures to collect and look at again ... they never did learn to love the lakes of the Okanagan.

They had such a good time collecting crabs and snails and jellyfish...

The day was a scorcher with record temperatures over 30C very hot for Nova Scotia. It was so nice to be able to go down to the beach and cool off.

While it was a regular hot summer day for us... for many it was unbearably hot and the beaches were PACKED!

I love Nova Scotia. The boys didn't even realize how busy the beach was.

After the beach we decided to splurge on our favourite post-beach treat...

Nothing is easier after a day at the beach than throwing a bunch of lobsters in a pot for dinner. I love that we can do that here. It feels so luxurious...and tastes so good!


The rest of the week has been fairly uneventful.

Although, we did go strawberry picking.

 Moving when we did we get a very extended strawberry season. We were able to experience a good portion of the season in the Okanagan and then arrive in Nova Scotia for the beginning of the season here. No one in our house is complaining!

My favourite moment was when my youngest came over to where I was picking..."mommy I found one just for you". He had the sweetest look on his face...

that of course disappeared as soon as I lifted up my camera.

Our days have been busy but we have been enjoying the little bits of exploring we have been doing.
We are making the most of our summer while trying to organize the house. We have had a few walks around the neighbourhood and trips to the park. We'll be able to do more when the hubby finishes teaching his class at the end of the month. For now, I think the boys are happy just to be out of the car...

and I am happy to be home and finally settling down... at least a little.

Looking for rainbows...

Less than four weeks now until moving day.

Time is going by so fast and my work is not getting done as quickly as I would like. 

The stress of moving and trying to finish my degree while still maintaining some sort of a normal family life is really starting to get to me and I haven't been able to sleep for the past few weeks. I keep hoping to make a big enough dent in all I have to do to see that light at the end of the tunnel...

But, I still have to finish sorting through all we have collected over the past three years and choose which half I want to get rid of...have a garage sale...write 9 essays...write 3 exams...attend various recitals, soccer games and field trips that always come with the end of the school year... oh and pack. 

No worries right. 

Did I say I have less than a month.

I can do this.

It is not my first rodeo.

Sorry about all the cliches but as I said I haven't really slept much...

The other night we had some friends stop by to look at some of the hubby's paintings. It was dinnertime...

I decided to do what I never do and invite them for dinner at the last minute. Just throw something together. 

I love having people over, but I also always like to plan ahead. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. 

I hadn't even been grocery shopping for over a week and I had to be creative. It was great. I even managed a couple of fruit tarts.

I really enjoyed the spontaneity. I loved not having time to worry or stress out about something else. I think it helped that I am already so stressed. My attitude now is just bring it on...

Just after they left - there was a knock on the door. They were back ... "you have to see this"... 

Just what I needed...A little reminder to stop and enjoy the rainbows.

Eight Weeks and Counting...

In the midst of the chaos that is my current life I try to take a few moments everyday to relax and breathe. (Sometimes I am so busy that I forget to do that).

This busy-ness is something I would like to get rid of. But, with four kids, three classes to finish and a cross country move weeks away I think it is here to stay for the time being and I am okay with that.

But - I am hoping that settling in Nova Scotia will help with this.

The pace of life is a little slower there ... our house is a little bigger... the beaches are large and often empty ... there is room to breathe. I look forward to quiet and time to think.

Creating a life I want to live takes a lot of work. But the work is good. I love the feeling of moving forward and of getting closer to where and who I want to be. I feel like I am going through a period of refinement.

As I approach 40 I have spent my spare moments thinking about what I really want out of life. I am slowly realizing that I can't do everything. There are so many things that I want to do and be - but - even if I live another 60 years I do not have time to do it all. I am also realizing that I no longer have time for procrastination. So I am contemplating and discovering what is really important to me ... What I want to spend my time on.

My time is valuable.

I didn't know that before. I had heard it but I did not know it.

Eight weeks...today...I start my new adventure.

We will miss our families and friends ... but family is always family and friends are easier to connect with today than they have been in the past - one of the benefits of technology. There are many people that we love that we won't see as often - but, we may talk to them more often and I find that we appreciate each other more when we are apart.

I love that I have the opportunity to create my own path... make a life of my own.

Actually, I think that is in my blood.

My ancestors include many brave individuals who left everything behind to follow their own path.
They included Russian Doukhobors who left Russia and religious persecution to come to Canada and start a new life in a foreign land... pilgrims John Alden and Priscilla Mullens who left England for the United States ... Mormon pioneers who trekked across the United States to find Zion and freedom from religious persecution ... and my grandma who was a warbride and left England to follow her love to Canada leaving all her family behind. Even my husband's parents left England for a new life in Canada.

All faced many challenges but lived lives of their own creation and in the end I don't think any of them regretted the choices they made. I for one am glad for them because without the choices they made I would not be here. And without the many choices and changes I have made in my life I would not be the person that I am. I am grateful for the challenges I have faced and the things I have learned.

Life is about enjoying the journey while never losing sight of where you want to be.

While this busy time may not be the favourite part of my journey - I am trying to appreciate the little things (Visits with family and friends - and the opening of asparagus season and farmer's markets) while frantically trying to finish off everything that needs to get done before I go. And I know that this busy time will only help me to really appreciate the quiet time that I know is coming...