Connecting the dots & Juxtapositions

This weekend, we hopped on a ferry (with our car, which was pretty neat) and headed for Vancouver Island.  We didn't go to Victoria which was surprising to many folks we talked with here in town , however.  Instead we went to the Nanaimo terminal and hopped in the car for the four hour drive to Port Hardy.  For those who don't know, we spent 8 months last year as a divided family - Philip in Port Hardy (very northern tip of the island) and the kids and I in Clemson.  This was a tricky dance, but one, dare I say it, we ended up doing with some grace.  It was ugly and we stubbed our toes along the way, but we came out the other side unscathed and that's one of our family's greatest accomplishments to date.  When Philip came home in late February, we thought Port Hardy was part of our family's past and the kids and I related to that place through pictures and stories Philip shared.  It had become part of his life and our living had remained in SC; when someone you love has shared part of themselves with people in a place you've never been and may never go it's tricky.  I assume it was hard for Philip that we couldn't relate fully to this place that had become part of him and it was strange for us to understand descriptions we hadn't experienced.  So this weekend we remedied that situation - and it was unbelievable to connect the dots of his life in Port Hardy with our dots in Clemson and the new dots in Vancouver.

To really get the gist of Port Hardy, I first have to mention that Vancouver is a city - it's urban - high rise apartment buildings, lots of traffic, all sorts of restaurants representing all the cultures who call this place home.  It is, however, surprisingly green - tree lined streets, quiet bays, and lots of parks.  There's wildlife - squirrels (which, incidentally are black and not grey), lots of pet dogs, tons of Canadian geese and countless seagulls.  But those animals have figured out how to function among the throngs of people who walk all over and live within their habitat.  This is mainland British Columbia and this stands in contrast to Vancouver Island.  We visited some stores in the island town of Courtney and as we rushed through one store, the employee there said, "I can tell you're in a rush.  Slow down.  You're on island time now."  And the funny part is that Vancouver lifestyle feels distinctly slower than Clemson - more on that another time.  Courtney is still 3 hours southeast of Port Hardy (the island sits more on the horizontal than vertical plane and is about the size of Florida), so we had an early dinner and hit the road.  And the rains came - and it got dark - and it rained some more.  Reflectors aren't part of the pavement in that part of the world because snow plows would just pluck them up when they scraped the roads and there certainly are no road lights - we were in the wild.  We pulled into the Glen Lyon Motel around 930 - where Philip had spent many a week last year - and even in the dark the view out of our room was spectacular.  We were right on the water next to fishing boats and a seaplane and the sound of the water was intoxicating.  We slept wonderfully.

Saturday morning we went to Philip's office - it was in an abandoned strip mall and they had plenty of space to spread out.  We finally got to meet Bryan and Mike - two of Philip's coworkers we'd heard so very much about (not the infamous roommate if you are wondering) and it was delightful to see how those relationships were still so strong.  I suppose working 60-80 hours a week with folks solidifies friendships in a unique way - especially when you're in such an isolated part of the world.  We climbed into a HUGE Ford Super Duty F350 [this was new for me] and dropped Mike at the airport before heading toward the wind farm Philip had been there to design and build on the mountain top at Cape Scott.  Part of why we went this weekend to Port Hardy is that the project is winding down and we'd not have had access to this ginormous truck had we waited any longer - I didn't understand why that was an issue until we started driving.

The term 'road', you see, is a loose one here.  By law, logging companies must build 'roads' wherever they do business and while I assumed this meant roads I was used to, I could not have been more mistaken.  We learned, firsthand, what popcorn feels like in the microwave as we bounced our way up the Holberg Road - that was 'built' by exploding rock and then compacting it.  According to Philip, the roads were in great condition - thank heavens - if they'd been in bad condition I don't know if we'd survived!  There were some potholes you could literally bathe an infant in and they function primarily as one way roads.  If you see oncoming traffic, you get out of the way.  And logging trucks have the right of way so there are lots of little pull off areas called 'lay bys' and we put them the good use.  Contrast that to Vancouver where I've seen more cars that are more costly than our houses - Lotus, Porsches, Asten Martens, Bentleys, Vipers, Ferraris, etc.  In Vancouver, the BMW and Mercedes are equivalent to the Toyota Camry - it's shocking really.  Needless to say, no logging trucks or unpaved roads find their way into Vancouver either.

We reached the wind farm and the four of us saw the 55 wind turbines standing in their stately way for the first time together.  Philip had come home the week before the first was built and it was pretty special to be with him when he saw the culmination of his work for the first time.  They're huge - I mean HUGE - but they're incredibly graceful.  And it's a sight to behold.  And in this lush wilderness where wild animals roam it's funny to see them dot the top of the landscape but they fit in better than the mangled mess of roots and stumps left behind by loggers.  It's really a place of contrasting images when you see signs touting 'forests forever' and see logging trucks haul out trees that have been cut down.  It took awhile for me to think of this as a harvest and not an assault on the land.  They're very intentional to replant and you can look across the mountains and see areas of new growth amidst areas of old growth and it's lovely.  After spending time among the energy field, we bounced our way toward Cape Scott for a family hike.  The road got narrower (as in one lane bridges, narrow) and bumpier as we got closer.  It's about an hour's drive from the wind farm site to the trailhead and Lydia and I both were praying for a bathroom by the time we got there - much like our state parks, we pulled in and found bathrooms - thank heavens - or so I thought.

Admittedly, I'm not a veteran outdoorswoman - remember, I'm coming from a city at this point, and I don't come from camping stock.  But I thought the little huts with lockable doors were perfectly fine.  I went in, and was assaulted by an army of flies, mosquitos and God only know what other kinds of flying insects but I was grateful as my bladder was near exploding.  Lydia, however, had a hard time finding grateful.  She wrapped her hands around my neck and I held her up so she wouldn't touch the toilet seat and she immediately began screaming - I'm talking horror movie screaming - and then bursts out with "There are flies on my toosh-eee.  THERE. ARE. FLIES. ON. MY. TOOOOSSSSHHHH-EEEEEE!"  Every ounce of my composure left and I died laughing all the while trying to maintain enough strength to hold my child up and not drop her onto the seat and send her straight to therapy.  I realized after we survived this new level of wilderness that the openings at the top of this outhouse weren't windows - merely holes in the CMU block building for her screams to travel through; I was glad we were in the middle of nowhere so that cops couldn't arrive before we got deep into the woods since I'm sure Lydia sounded like she was being beaten to death.

Then we hiked - it was glorious - think the Ewok scene in Star Wars - this looked just like where they live.  We hiked among trees so big we needed 5-8 folks to circle them, we saw frogs and mushrooms and slugs like we'd never seen before.  We crossed bridges and hiked our way in about 2.5km before opening on to the most pristine beach I've ever seen.  We had made it to San Joseph's Bay and it was beautiful - waves lapping the shore, mountains surrounding us and Philip shared another special place with us.  As we hiked back the kids grew tired - especially Henry who was battling a cold.  But he learned this weekend that he's tougher than he realized and he pushed through and even said he was glad he did.  Then - the crème de la crème - we saw TWO bears - something Philip had never seen in his time in Port Hardy - two black bears in separate places.  It was the perfect end to a great day.  Somehow Lydia slept as we bounced back down to Port Hardy - testament to how tired she was - and we had a lovely sushi dinner with Bryan and his wife.

We woke on Sunday to the sight of a bald eagle fishing right outside our motel room - the first time the kids and I had ever seen the stately bird outside of a zoo...and we saw two more eagles on our way back to Nanaimo.  We meandered through mountains and didn't encounter more than 25 cars for the first 3 hours of our trip - this is a place that feeds your soul - it is clear.  We stopped about 45 minutes outside Port Hardy at a village called Telegraph Cove - it was a main telegraph station many moons ago and was one of the secure telegraph lines during WWII.  Here we saw the BRIGHTEST most vivid rainbow I've ever seen in my life - the pictures almost look fake...but they aren't.  Here you can stand at the end of the dock and see whales (orcas and humpbacks primarily) swim by - sadly, we missed the peak of whale season and were there too early in the day to see them - next time, though!  We wandered through the whale interpretative center and back to the car as the rain came.  It was serendipitous little side trip that was quite fun.

Once back to Nanaimo we played in their historical district, "The Old Quarter" as it's known, before heading back to the ferry terminal.  As we laughed during a rousing game of "Go Fish" on the boat you could feel the transition back to city life.  Lydia said she was sad to leave, but I'm oh-so-glad we got to go.  Being in Port Hardy felt like we had all found a missing puzzle piece that more completely connected us as a family and it was nice. 

Bear #1

View from a one lane bridge

 Bear #2

Hiking to San Joseph's Bay

Mushroom - isn't it pretty??? Even Philip thought so...

This is ONE tree - only one.

This tree root supported 4 trees growing above it - muscle man Henry took it on!

The brightest rainbow ever - and you can see the double rainbow too - these were 2 of the 5 rainbows we saw on our weekend jaunt!

Cape Scott Wind Farm

I told you they were huge.

HUGE!

San Joseph Bay Beach

San Joseph Bay

Bald Eagle #1 - sadly, no photos of #2 & #3 - we were driving.

Looks fake, doesn't it?  I can't make this stuff up, people.

Whale interpretive center at Telegraph Cove

TUUUUWWWAAANNNNNDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I did it.  Alone.  Completely.  Despite being led astray by my assumingly trusty GPS, I made it to the car dealership for an oil change.  And I'm victorious.  There was a brief moment when I felt that panicky piece of me creeping in as I realized the GPS was about 2 steps behind each turn I needed to make.  However, I kept it in check, took a deep breath and sure enough ended up on SW Marine Drive.

More importantly - I made it back and I PARKED!  Yep - first time, pulling in backwards next to the Volvo with personal space issues.  And as I pulled into our parking garage the song "Brave" was playing on the radio.  I took that as a Providential fist bump and told myself, "Girl - you got this".  And I did.

So there.  The update I'm sure everyone who's ever read this blog has been repeatedly hitting 'refresh' to read.  Anxiety conquered and a whole new world reopened.  Plus - the car's ready for her first ferry trip on Friday to Vancouver Island. 

Progress, Growing Edges and Epic Parental Fail #1

It's funny to sit down and think about a week and realize how much living actually happens in seven days.  When I was working, weeks flew by - routines ruled the roost and if we deviated it felt weird.  Now, we're trying to define routine because there's so much that's new to incorporate into our day to day living. 

Thursday was the first day of school - my anxiety was higher than the kids, I think.  It was great, though (despite both kids having substitute teachers for their first day).  I picked them up all smiles and, as promised, we walked to the cupcake shop and headed straight for the beach on English Bay.  We played and laughed and the kids could barely carry themselves back to the apartment after playing in the water that made my toes curl it was so cold.  I felt triumphant on Friday as I confidently left the apartment with NO MAP to walk the kids to school.  This seems small but really, given my history for needing maps, this was a milestone indeed.  I dropped Henry at his school (The Annex) and Lydia at hers (Lord Roberts - the main school), and learned that each morning parents are invited and encouraged to stay in Lydia's class for the first 10 minutes and read with our kids.  What fun!  Then, I had to head back to the apartment to pick up Lydia's forgotten lunch box...and headed back to Lydia's school.  While this isn't anything extraordinary - it is a lot of steps, and it's 930 in the morning by now.  Then, I plugged in my ear buds and headed for the beach.  My intention is to do this daily - exercise right after dropping them off - but here's the kicker - it doesn't feel like exercise.  I figure at some point it will, but walking along the seawall with mountains in view and salt water in the air is pretty amazing.  Then I found it - the elusive heated, salt water pool and playground at second beach - SCORE!  I got so distracted watching the world around me that I forgot to watch the exercise clock and didn't arrive back at home until 11AM.  AND - I didn't make a wrong turn even once!  At this point, I'm tired and I've not even considered the pickup walk that looms at 230ish.  Nonetheless, had some good leftovers for lunch and cleaned the whole apartment in less than an hour - downsizing has a lot of benefits.  Then we got the call - there's a spot for Henry at the main school - Lord Roberts.  I was thrilled and decided to pick him up a tad early to bid farewell to friends he'd begun to make and take him to the new school to meet his new teacher...

So begins Epic Parental Fail #1 - Henry LOVED his teacher, well sub.  I did too - he's uber cool - curly ponytail, fun sense of humor, artistic and just someone you want to be around.  Henry had also begun to make some friends in his class at The Annex and really liked it there.  And I got to knock on the door of his class to tell him that he's got to have ANOTHER adjustment (as if he's not had aplenty so far).  It went about as I expected - he kinda took it on the chin on the surface but when it was just him and me it was ugly.  He was mad, sad, a little anxious and embarrassed all rolled into one.  In truth I kind of was too - it's weird to take your kid to their first day of school on Thursday only to show up early on Friday to pick them up never to return - we had no idea, NONE, that this transfer would happen so quickly.  Hindsight is 20/20 as they say.  It's about a 10-15 minute walk between The Annex and the main school - part of why we wanted the kids at the same school.  That was the longest short walk I'd ever taken and it was SILENT.  And it was hard for me to let that be.  But I knew that Henry needed that silence to process and yell at me in his head and wrap his head around a change we'd been warning him would come, but one that none of us expected so quickly.  Thankfully, his new teacher is also uber cool.  He's intriguing too - from South Africa, has lived in the States, all over Canada and has training in all sorts of areas - early childhood, storytelling, counseling, French and education.  They have a yearlong class 'mystery' that the kids work together to solve and his philosophy is that he has to make it fun because if kids don't want to come to school there's no way he can possibly help educate them.  And the crowning jewel is that we were invited to dinner at a family's house on Sunday night before we knew that Henry was transferring and their son is in Henry's class.  Thank heavens!  Redemption.  Henry and Ty hit it off as we did with Ty's parents...and so begins life anew, again.  Today's is Henry's second first day in 5 days and I know he'll be fine.  Today is Lydia's 3rd day in school and she's had 3 teachers so far - two subs and one day with her actual teacher.  We're figuring it out...little by little, but we're also solidifying our family along the way. 

Now - we prepare for 'the STRIKE' - yep...we're getting into a groove and by the end of this week all schools may be closed in British Columbia because of a Settlement Workers strike.  This is new.  I hope, at the very least, that Henry & Lydia get a full week in school before it shuts down and I'm really glad I went to the Russian settlement worker's coffee hour this morning to even know a strike was on the table.  I had no idea.  I had no idea because I don't watch the news [which may not be bad according to the Russian astrologer in our coffee hour this morning who told us the news was too much and clouded her sight so she couldn't predict how the whole Syria situation would play out].  I had no idea because I assumed, again, that education here operates like education in Clemson.  Wrong.  What I learned from Svetlana, the Settlement Worker at Lord Roberts, is that her salary/benefits haven't increased since 2001.  2001, people - that's crazy!  I don't know what her salary is but what I do know is that it was Svetlana who offered to give me a tour of the school.  It was Svetlana who gave me information about where to get sports information for Henry.  It was Svetlana who first invited me to the SWIS coffee hour on Mondays and didn't make me feel weird as the only American attendant who already speaks English.  It was Svetlana who asked folks to speak in English so I could understand.   And I want Svetlana treated justly. 

I have no idea what this means for our family - apparently one strike in the past lasted for a month - YIKES!  I'll be investigating home school curricula if that happens.  And you know I'm not a home school mama - it'll be a stretch.  We've got some learning to do - all four of us.

So we push ahead.  We plow through.  We give each other grace.  And we laugh.  A lot. 

We're one week in...

As I reflect on our first week here in Canada we've had some funny, unexpected discoveries and experiences.  The Marcums are certain to leave our mark on this peaceful place - and I'm oh-so-hopeful we aren't the cause of an international incident over the next three years.  If, however, we are, I'm confident it will have its roots in some pedestrian error...who knew walking could be so complicated?

I've still not ventured to drive in this lovely city.  And it's no so much that I don't want to drive in a big city - that's really not it at all.  The streets are laid out logically and thanks to my handy in-car GPS I have a false sense of knowing where I am and where I'm heading at all times.  You see, the real issue is parking - again - not parking on the street, but back in our apartment building.  Our space has approximately a 3" margin of error on either side and we've determined that it's "easier" to back into our space than pull in forwards.  There's a Volvo who parks next to us and it hasn't moved since we moved in.  They clearly got used to not having a car in the space beside them because they've parked their car mere centimeters from the white line and since there's a GIANT concrete beam on the other side of our space, I'm content walking.  It's healthier, you see more of the city AND I don't want to be responsible for the first ding on the new car.

Our first 'incident' was on Sunday after coming home from lunch at our favorite restaurant from last November.  Picture the last hotel room you stayed in - where you have the deadbolt lock and then the additional lock above it that is basically a ball that you flip a paperclip looking thing-y onto so the door can't open fully even if it's unlocked.  We've got one of those.  We got home from Elephant & Castle, unlocked the door and WHAM - it wouldn't open.  Somehow - we don't know how, but I suspect some little fingers did some of their own exploring and had pulled the little paperclip piece so it was perpendicular to the wall, and when we closed the door the paperclip part flipped over and we were locked out of our apartment.  Only it was this teasing, taunting kind of locked out because we could open the door 3 inches or so.  Lydia wanted to hyperventilate, Henry starting bidding farewell to Legos he was confident he'd never see again, Philip went down to the lobby to let the apartment manager know that we still wanted our sofa delivered (despite not being able to open our door) and I muscled up my best MacGyver self and started trying to take the paperclip piece apart.  I'm proud to say that by the time Philip returned from the lobby, I had successfully dismantled the lock mechanism with a key and a paperclip (a real one this time)!  Since Philip had the on-duty manager with him I'm sure I also landed myself on some sort of apartment watch list for suspected burglars.

Today was fun - we walked ALL OVER Stanley Park kind of as tribute to the kids' last day at home before they start school tomorrow.  I'm pretty sure they're really excited about starting school because their directionally challenged mother won't be able to traipse them around all corners of Vancouver if they're safely entrenched in their classrooms.  The four stories of Lydia's school will seem like nothing compared to the hours long 'short walks' we've taken to date.  Today was extra special - we started at the rose garden - lovely, right?  And it was.  Then we meandered through the rock garden to a playground area and into a 'village' paying tribute to the native peoples of this area.  It was great - totem poles and a miniature train.  I let Lydia choose the route for a bit and we wandered through the old-growth forest along the train tracks and made it right back to where we started.  It was all going swimmingly.  Since Philip was coming home for lunch we decided to head toward home around 11 - but *I* insisted we try coming back a new way instead of retracing our steps.  Given my penchant for unsound directional decisions, I should've listened to my road-tested eight year old.  Alas - I got caught up in the moment of "let's see something new" and off we went.  We did, however, find the Lumberman's arch (all these pix are on facebook), bought a popcorn snack and headed for the seawall that was in sight.  We found an outdoor play fountain on the water, a statue of a girl in a wetsuit sitting on a rock in the water and the lighthouse from which they've shot and continue to shoot a cannon at 9PM every night.  It was very cool.  And then...boredom and tired feet set in.  And my level of panic began to inch up as I realized I'd done it again - we were WAY far away from where we needed to be and had about 35 minutes to get home and meet Philip for lunch.  I'm prodding, nudging and cajoling the kids along only to realize that the little bike bell ringing behind me was totally meant for us.  You see, we were WALKING in the BIKE lane - this is something you just don't do.  And I know this because I've done it before - about 4 days ago.  Sadly - the big painted signs on the pavement denoting which path is which always seem to be about 200 feet ahead of where I irritate a biker.  I think what I've figured out today is that the paths closest to the water are for pedestrian traffic...I'll test that theory over the coming days...but I digress.

After surviving the near miss with the cyclist, our path took a deep turn right - this was a problem.  I could see where we wanted to be - it was straight ahead - but between where I was and where I wanted to be was a yacht club...and a whole lot of water.  And yes, my navigational guide (Henry) said - "Um mom - I told you this wouldn't work.  This is a "touring walk" not a "get where you want to go" walk."  Um yeah - got it.  Then, like an oasis in a desert, I saw the Stanley Park informational booth.  Hallelujah - we were saved...except there was a sign posted in the window "be back in 10 minutes" and I had 20 minutes left to save face and be home before my husband.  So we started walking toward traffic - and this was just the first in a line of things we did today that I've always told my children not to do.  As we walked toward traffic a friendly woman smiled at me - a kind of knowing smile, that "I know you're in a pickle and I really hate it for you because I can tell your children are ready to have your head" smile.  And I asked what I knew was an ignorant question, but the information booth which sanctions ignorant questions was closed and I had no other options.  I asked where I could find a taxi and she responded, "You're not from around here are you?"  Busted.  No I'm not - I can't imagine what gave that away.  Then, in a moment of unexpected grace she asked where we were headed (thank God I remember our cross streets) and she said, "We're heading that way; you'll just come with us".  Ummm - what to do?  I've got tired children with tired feet and I've got 15 minutes at this point.  She looked harmless enough and she was cleaning out her back seat for my children to get in so we did.  Stupid?  Probably.  Incredibly appreciated?  Absolutely.  And so she and her husband drove us home and wouldn't accept a dime for gas...and y'all gas is seriously expensive here.  So that gets us only to lunchtime and we've ridden with strangers, walked toward traffic and jaywalked.  But we've renewed our faith in humanity and the kids were severely lectured that they are NEVER to do that without a parent (and yes, I see the irony in that).  And we got home before Philip, enjoyed a family lunch and now we're watching a movie from the safe confines of our apartment.

Tomorrow they'll go to school where school lunch costs $4/day so we'll pack lunch.  We'll pack lunch because yesterday's victory was finding bread for a mere $3/loaf instead of $5/loaf when I shopped at a local market instead of the fancy chain store right beside us.  And after I take them to school and attend the weekly parents' coffee at the school, I'll come home alone.  That'll be kind of weird!  But I know that when I unlock the door after I take another of my 'walks' and sit down for a bit, the quiet will be kind of nice.  It'll feel itchy at first like I can't quite wrap my head around it, but then it'll feel nice.  Then the work of really settling will begin for me and I'll be counting the minutes til I walk to the schools to pick up the kids and hear about their first days so we can have first day cupcakes and some beach time.  And soon this will be all be normal.  It's funny how normal pops up quicker than you'd expect and it's lovely that hospitality isn't just relegated to the Southern USA.  Our Canadian neighbors have it down pat too - from the moment we've arrived the hospitality has been familiar and for that I'm grateful.

Sofa Theology

For the first time since we left Clemson on August 26th, I'm sitting on a sofa.  This probably seems insignificant to most, but after reliving childhood sleepovers in the living room since our arrival, it feels like heaven.  Why? you ask...  Eight nights in hotels [some of which had sofas, but they were always folded out to their bed form] plus five nights here with no sofa.  Admittedly, this post comes from the 'first world' problem perspective entirely and I realize that living without a sofa is really not something to whine about.  The funny thing is, however, that as we've piled pillows on the floor and struggled to get up off the floor after putting together bunk beds and the like, I've realized that sofas are deeply personal.  And in my maybe twisted sense of looking at things, I also realize sofa selection really mirrors my theology.  Hang with me here - I get that this sounds bizarre and distinctly 'church nerdy' despite my not having classical theological training.

Here are my thoughts:
1 - I'm really, really grateful we have a sofa now.  I've really missed having one.  I just need to acknowledge, first, my sense of gratitude for having the ability to enjoy creature comforts.

2 - Choosing a sofa requires trying out different ones to find the right one.  Perhaps this is where the notion of 'sofa theology' first hit me - the process of trying to find the right sofa mirrored my family's search for the theology that best fit us.  We had kind of a Baskin Robbins approach to denominations and I learned a lot in that process.  It was very affirming to finally land on Presbyterian(USA) because that 'fit' our family and how we approach the world - it was also helpful to experience, first hand, that I resonated with pieces of each tradition we experienced.

3 - I like sofas that are comfortable yet firm - ones that let you snuggle down to watch a movie comfortably but that don't let you stay in the exact position for too long without needing to move around a little bit.  I like that about theology too - I like finding a support system where I feel like I fit in, but I also like approaching faith intellectually and being pushed to explore outside my comfort zone.

4 - Sofas aren't traditionally meant for just one person - and neither is faith.  There's usually room for more on a sofa and that brings inherent intention for community.  Some of my family's best memories have taken place around our sofa/living room - because we were together; laughing, sleeping, snuggling, etc.  Some of our hardest times have occurred in that same setting; family meetings, hard news, challenging conversations, differing opinions.  But there was something safe about those moments - we knew we were all going to be there after the dust settled and we could trust that family community to still be intact regardless.  That's what theology brings to me and my family - community, support, safety and challenge.

While I admit that this is not the next big wave in theological literature and that I won't be making millions off a book deal, I do believe the metaphor has merit (at least in my little world).  And tonight I'm really glad to have a sofa back in our midst - it's comfy for us and we've already christened it by watching a movie.  Philip and I are hopeful that our necks and backs will seem normal after a few days with our new addition and the cuddles with the kids have already made our new apartment feel more like home.  All in all I'm happy to have glimpsed my faith from a new perspective - however bizarre it may be.  It's good to feel home and it's good to no longer be sitting on the floor.

Exploration

Today was the first day in 9 days that I haven't set foot in a car - and that feels good.  For our first official day as residents of Vancouver, the kids and I bid Philip farewell and sent him to work whilst we explored!  We live in a very different place from whence we came my friends.  To begin, we live about 3 blocks from Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton and Michael Kors stores - slightly different than our Clemson reality.  Within a two block radius we have the following dining options: Korean, Indian, Greek, wings/burgers, falafel, Japanese and Chinese - and these are just the ones I've seen with my own eyes.  We're less than 3 blocks from 3 different grocery stores - including Whole Foods.  And...school is between our apartment and the beach! 

Our first order of business was to find the school - which, I'm proud to say we did without messing up a bit (thank you Google maps).  We wandered to the beach after meeting some of the school staff and the kids dipped their toes in the Pacific before wandering back.  Then it happened - and those of you who know me realize this was inevitable - I wanted to turn right when we were supposed to turn left.  Thank heavens my eight year old has an infinitely better sense of direction than I - he pointed to the hotel that lights up outside our windows at night and said, "Mom - we should walk TOWARD that...not away from it."  Indeed.  So we even made it back to our apartment on our first unchaperoned venture without incident & managed to hit the grocery store on the way home too.  [Editor's Note: being without a smart phone and away from wifi I was unable to consult Google maps as needed to have accomplished the return trip without Henry's help.]

So here we sit - dinner is in the oven, kids are watching a movie - nevermind the fact that they're watching it from their mattresses on the floor of the living room as we still don't have a couch and will be assembling their bed tonight - and day 1 is almost in the books.  It's gonna be a good ride - full of great walks, great food, the promise of new friends and the possibility that I may even try to drive around here...but I'm working up to that.  Kids are happy that their start date is completely reliant on the school board's getting proper paperwork to Lord Roberts Elementary and are confident it will be after Monday (which is when I told them they'd start) so they feel super special getting an extended summer.  They love the apartment as do I and I think it's safe to say that Philip loved coming home for lunch and having the three of us as company.  We'll see what tomorrow holds - registration at the school district a CIN (Canadian Identification Number - I think) for me and perhaps a couch...I hope.  If not, the floor's just fine and one day we'll get the boxes in the recycling bin.  Right now we're just happy to have found this part of our destination and have a lot of hope that this landing spot promises some fun times ahead and some adventure.

We send hugs to family and friends starting preschool tomorrow and good thoughts to those with whom we played each week in Clemson.  Know that you've set the bar high in the friendship department and we hope to encounter some good folks like you in these parts. 

Transitions and Observations

To date, we've logged 3200+ miles since we left South Carolina last Monday.  Consequently, I've had a lot of time to sit and think and the big revelation I've had is that this whole transition thing has made me a bit self-important.  The fact of the matter is that there's a lot of us in transition - the fact that we're moving to a new place doesn't make us any more 'special' than any other air-breathing human on the planet.  As we've travelled I've had the opportunity to keep up with friends on facebook and such and what that's reminded me is that we're all on our own journey.  I think about my friend Neely who's helping her mom transition from this life to the next (and if you've not read her blog I highly recommend it - www.glimpsinggod.com - she's a fabulous writer).  I also think about my friends MK & David who are transitioning into parenthood in the coming weeks and I think of my friends who have their first child in middle school this year and I realize that we're all in the same club - life.  So - today's the day friends - time to put on my big girl underpants and seize the change for it's one thing that's certain in life.  And again - I'm grateful - for the opportunity to explore with my thoughts as we've travelled across the United States to a new place that we'll make home.  As we've travelled we've experienced pieces of America I never knew existed and I've noticed a few things that I may have missed had our family of four not been confined to our sedan this past week:

1 - The sound of my children's laughter will never get old - and it's one of my favorite sounds.

2 - My children's excitement motivates me to do things I may otherwise talk myself out of doing (read: the St. Louis Arch is really high and the egg things you have to sit in to get up top are really small and I don't normally like either of those things...but the kids were pumped so we did it).

3 - Eastern Kansas is not flat - at all!  Who knew?  It's lovely too.

4 - Corn is everywhere...EVERYWHERE.

5 - Icons [natural and man made] I've heard of all my life are pretty amazing to see in person.

6 - Yellowstone National Park & Grand Teton National Park = incredible.  I could go on for days about them, but won't.

7 - I really like Boise, Idaho.  However, I found the rest of Idaho to smell like cow.

8 - The drive along the Columbia River between Washington State and Oregon is breathtaking.

9 - Tomorrow I get to see where Goonies was filmed - this is exciting beyond measure for me and I've decided most appropriate.  That movie defined the ultimate adventure for me as a young person and now, as I am living the biggest adventure my little family has had so far, we get to go to the site in person.  WAH! 

10 - Life is good...unpredictable, but really good.

So here's to grabbing life by the tail and swinging it around your head!  Transition is.  And the grace that I've found is in people going thru their own transitions who help teach me how to go through my own sensitively.  Thank heavens for good people around and among us who help us be our better selves.