2010 Blessings

Yes, I am counting my next year's blessings already.

It has been an exciting year for a grandma wannabe. Kirsten & Matthew came home in the beginning of June and the day before Kirsten's 30th birthday, they handed us our combined Mother's Day and Father's Day gift - asking us to open it together. Inside the giftbag was a children's book, "The Ultimate Guide to Grandmas & Grandpas."

We weren't expecting this announcement from them, so it took a minute to register the reason for this strange gift.

Rachel, who has wanted children much longer than Kirsten, became Kirsten's best buddy - getting and giving her information on everything from cloth diapers to what all the wierd new baby gadgets are and their purpose.

It has been a fun half-year - seeing Kirsten grow (at six months, she is shaped just like I was) and, thankfully, not have to deal with too severe morning sickness symptoms.

Seeing one's child preparing for their own child is incredible.

Then the other news came. Paul & Rachel couldn't fly home for their announcement, so it came via phone. I knew the call was something serious - I was asked to make it while alone. With Rachel's seeming inability to get pregnant, and a looming gynacologist appointment, I wasn't sure what to expect. But the words, "I'm pregnant" were definitely NOT what I expected!!

Wow! Given the circumstances, we're calling this one a miracle.

We don't have a date yet, and probably never will get a very accurate one. But since 9 months is the standard gestation period, sometime in the next 9 months we will meet our second grandchild!

This calls for a celebration shopping trip for my girls and I... My flight is booked.

House for Sale

I grew up in the country. Our moves from age 15 on have been to and within small towns. Shortly after our marriage, I lived in the city for the first time. Couldn't handle apartment living in North Vancouver, even though it was a brand new, very nice apartment. A house in Burnaby seemed a wee bit better until I got pregnant. Then it was back to small-town Squamish and my folks.

When we decided to move to Calgary, I suggested that I might last 2 years in the city and then we'd have to find a small town near Calgary. That didn't happen. Calgary was a small friendly city and we didn't mind it. Having friends we could visit in the country helped give us that break from the city when we needed it.

Calgary is no longer the small city we first got to know. Mandy, from Bangkok recently reminded me that Calgary still is a small city, and last year, Gina, from Bogota laughed when I complained about the big city of Calgary. But I haven't been to Bangkok or Bogota, and although I'd love to visit both places, I don't want to live there either. I am ready to move to a smaller community again. I dream of a garden. I'm not sure I'll know how to take care of one anymore. I dream of being able to 'live' outside in the summer. Here our yard is so small that we certainly couldn't entertain out there.

While an acerage is out of our reach financially, moving outside of Calgary could be a wise financial decision. We should at least be able to get as much room inside plus a garage plus an actual yard for the same price in Airdrie or Langdon. And so we've been on a journey.

First we looked at house prices in places like those mentioned, and that seemed positive. Then we spoke to a realtor who was selling a house in Langdon. I was impressed with the photos and the virtual tour, and when I called to ask to see the house, I was impressed with her enthusiasm. We never saw that house. It sold too quickly. But we got the realtor. She did show us a few places in Langdon. And she listed ours.

Karen, the realtor, let us know that she liked to stage a house - it would sell faster. She would bring in a stager and photographer at no cost to us. Emma came - first to let me know what we should pack away and what was best moved elsewhere, etc. So we packed. And we packed. For a whole weekend, we packed. Einar somehow found room for everything in my cold room and his workshop corner.

Emma returned, and while we were at church on Sunday morning, she transformed our house. My pink and purple accents (for a blue and yellow house) disappeared and rusts and greens took their place. She brought in blankets and pillows for the couches, baskets and boxes for shelves, pictures for the wall, cushions for the beds, fake plants and candles as accents. The result is quite impressive.

I offered to do the photos myself and borrowed a wide-angle lens from my friend. That was Sunday. On Tuesday the listing became live. On Wednesday the sign went up as did the lockbox. And Karen showed our house to her partner in this area. On Thursday we looked at homes in Airdrie.

Today - Friday - the actual photographer will come to shoot the virtual tour of the house.

I'm very optomistic that the house will sell fairly quickly. It will be interesting to watch the rest of the progress. We have managed to keep the house showhome ready for a week. I like the uncluttered feeling, though sometimes it is a bit inconvenient to have to put things that I use daily, under the counter.

I know that Einar is hoping for one thing - that my restlessness will disappear for a long time after we move. Actually I hope so too - and am keeping that in mind when looking. I do want a house that I'd be happy retiring in... Have I ever said that before???