Finally Bloggin'

So, I'm alive! You know, in case you were wondering. It's been a hectic time, as back to school always is, but more so with a move, new schools, new activities, my birthday yada yada.

We're beginning to settle in, but it's going to take time. My eldest has made a little group of friends she likes, people keep coming up to her at school and asking if she's "the new pretty girl from Halifax?" and she's been asked to try out for a higher grade's band since she already did a year of clarinet. On paper, she's doing really well. In person? It's a struggle. She has VERY up and down days and she misses Halifax and her life there, a lot.

My youngest has her cousin at school to keep her company and help her adjust. She's making friends and learning the routine, plus she's started Voice Lessons which she LOVES. She seems to be doing well, but also said to me the other day, "Mommy, I like it here....but it's not as nice as Halifax." Sigh. It's how we all feel.

I hate to harp on and on about missing Halifax, because there's nothing that can be done about it and because we have to give life here a fair chance, and because I don't like slagging off my friends and family that are happy to see us back. That being said, I've been on MLS looking at oceanside houses in Halifax, I've searched cottages for the summer, and I've made some seafood dishes already. I'm framing a map of Nova Scotia for my bedroom wall, and my whole house consists of shells, stones, driftwood and anything else I could stuff in my luggage to bring here with me. It's tough and I'm not going to lie-I've cried many a night with my heart just aching.

Crap, I said I was going to stop bitching about this missing it stuff. I swear, I will. It's just going to take time. That ever elusive concept of being patient.

On another note, it was my birthday the other day and it was a great day! My husband and I spent the day together shopping for things for our new home and then he took me out for a fab lunch. It was nice just hanging out he and I-we haven't had much chance to do that and there's another positive about living here-his schedule is better, PLUS, we have family and friends who will watch our kids a few hours so we can actually go on a few dates! WOW! It's a novel concept! He really does still make me laugh and smile, and at the base of all this "Life" business, we truly do get along on a totally unique and deep level. Enough sappiness, you know I don't "do" that stuff.

My birthday continued with lunch with my Mom yesterday at our favourite Thai place and a visit with her at my home afterwards. Tomorrow I'm seeing one of my dearest friends for lunch, Thursday night is dinner out with my besties, and then Friday Margaritas and some laughs. The ongoing birthday celebrating has it's merits! It's downfall is my diet and exercise has gone out the window! I'm weighing in Monday and restarting this fitness train, hopefully with a gym membership to boot. My hubs is looking into his corporate rate so I can get my Zumba/Yoga and whatever else classes started again. It's going to be ugly to begin, but I'll get there eventually. Again. Slow and steady wins the race.

As to the new house, well, it's shaping up but I have to say-it doesn't feel like "me" yet. My husband picked it out, it was his choice. We bid on my choice first but the owners would NOT budge on price, so we immediately bid on our current home. The area is fantastic, better than the other one, and it's very handy for many amenities and close to family. Aesthetically though, whoo boy, there is a LOT I want to change or that frustrates me. I have to cool my jets and realize we aren't going to be able to do all of the "projects" we want to do in the first month, or heck, even year. It's going to be one or two projects a year and that's the way it's going to have to go. Did I mention that patience isn't one of my virtues? Ya. That. My husband has actually been great, trying to help me see the potential and doing little tasks and easy fixes to make it feel more like our style. He's switched out light fixtures and painted doors and garage doors and hung curtain rods and new curtains. Next will be the kitchen counter and backsplash replacements, new stainless appliances, and then that will be it for now. In the summer we'd like to add an above ground pool and build a deck around it, as well as landscape and rebuild the front steps and flower beds, but like I said, everything in due time. Plus? I'm not sure I want to put any extra money there YET when we'd like to go away for March Break and then go to Halifax for a few weeks in the summer, and a maybe a weekend trip to NYC in the fall. Ya, we got big dreams. I wish we'd win the big lottery too. Ha!

For now, I'm going to enjoy the social activities for the week, and do some more organizing and planning for the weeks to come (it's what I do best) and then slow it down a notch to prepare for the upcoming holiday seasons. I've said from the get go that it'll take over a year to really be able to judge how we are feeling about all of this whirlwind change, especially with how quickly it all happened, so I owe it to myself, my husband, my family and my friends to do just that and enjoy. My brain never shuts off it's worry meter, but I have to try.

Part of that routine catch up will be a return to blogging both here and on momnation.ca as well as submitting more articles elsewhere. You might even find my family and I featured in a Today's Parent article in the New Year. You just never know. :)

Stay tuned-there's a lot of changes and news on the horizon, and I want you all to be a part of it.