Sold!

The for sale sign went up on a Wednesday and the calls started coming. I had an open house on Sunday and two offers. I accepted one and today all the conditions came off. So my house is sold.
The couple who bought it have two daughters, 7 and 9 years old (the same age spread as my daughters). I think they will be happy here.
Now I am ready to move on. I'm currently deciding on a moving company. 
Where am I going? Details in the next blog!

The Wedding

On the May 11/12 weekend Andrea and her friend Keith, Stefanie and Cody, (my) Keith and I flew to Montreal for my brother's first wedding. No he was not a confirmed bachelor, until now he hadn't found the right partner. The wedding was just outside of Montreal in Mont St. Hilaire at an elegant manoir. The setting was elegant, the food was delicious and we all had fun!

Mike and Chanel

It was great to connect with family who we seldom get a chance to see given that we are spread out right across the country.

My father's side of the family

My mother's side of the family

Although there was a 'cold wind in Montreal' it didn't matter, we had a great time. We spent Mother's Day in Old Montreal eating crepes, walking Boulevard St. Laurent and having a nibble at Schwartz's and Fairmont Bagel.

Orange Julep

Schwartz's

We experienced an outdoor 'musical' swing installation in the arts district, sauntered through the stores on St. Catharine's street and sipped a delicious Orange Julep! It was nice to be back in the place I was born and grew up in and where Keith spent 20 years attending business meetings when he worked for a Montreal based company.

Memories for sale

I am going through more change.  Now you may be thinking that I've already been through some variety in my life lately but you probably don't realize that I've lived in my house for a very long time. We moved in when Andrea was 3 weeks old, right about now in fact, 27 years ago. Hard to believe. Where has the time gone? I experienced a great deal of happiness while living in this house, Stefanie was born at home here, my girls walked to school every day close by and played soccer in the local fields; my daughters grew up and went on to great things; a dog guarded this house for many years who is now sadly gone.  I left here for a year on my trip to Australia and returned to my new life with Keith.

Putting this house on the market has meant more than purging things it has meant addressing emotions and dealing with feelings and letting go of memories. I wonder why I didn't get rid of so much stuff, physical and emotional before?

One of the things I will always remember is our collection of 'talking' fridge magnets which were very popular with the girl's friends. We had the getto blaster that played the macarena; the pop can that burped; the toilet that flushed, the phone that rang etc. etc.

Anyway it feels good to be moving on. I am sitting here as strangers walk through my life during my first open house.

Real Life 2

Then on February 4, while leaving a doctor's appointment in my car, I was backed into by someone in the parking lot. The fellow who was driving told me he couldn't speak English so called his wife, who had just gone into the building. She came running out and took charge. We shared information and she asked that we not involve the insurance companies so would I go and get an estimate and they would pay me to have it fixed. She also asked me not to go to the police since her husband was looking for work.
I obliged.
A few days later I had not heard from her so I gave her a call. She indicated that they could not afford to pay me cash and so she had contacted their insurance agent who would call me.
I called my insurance agent and made a claim.
A few weeks later their insurance agent did call me. She asked me to tell her what had happened. She said "interesting!". Then she told me they had told her I hit them. There were no witnesses. 
Live and learn!

Real Life

So my blog has been less eventful since I've returned to Canada. Oh I know there was the wedding, it was an important event in my life, and my daughter Andrea's wedding planning and some fun things I've posted but I've neglected to post about the 'other' events in my life. The not so nice events.
While I was in Australia, July 14th 2012 to be precise, Edmonton had a torrential downpour that the sewers couldn't contain and water seeped into my basement. It was the first time this house, built in 1967, flooded. My daughter Stefanie got right on it. Friends came over and helped her empty the basement while she negotiated coverage with the insurance agent. I was on the phone with her at 2 am in the morning while Keith and I were vacationing on Kangaroo Island.
Anyway the insurance company agreed to cover it all and began to tear down the basement in autumn and were still dismantling it when I returned to Edmonton December 17th.  My insurance agent alone had 1000 similar claims!

Finally the construction began in late March. I was told I would have a basement by the end of the month. Then Keith had a look at the work that was done the first day of renovation. He could see through the drywall that there was insulation missing in places and unattached vapour barrier. He ordered the work stopped and we fired the contractors. So...Keith and some professionals, namely Jeremy and Cody, started the work of deconstruction. You can see in the top photo there is no insulation on 3/4 of the wall, in a climate that is often 45C below in the winter!  Here's a photo of Keith and all the stuff that was removed from the basement being taken away.  We're still working on it.....

Inspiration

Tonight was another successful Child Haven Dinner with an Indian buffet, dancing, silent auction, and mendhi.  Child Haven is an International organization run by two amazing people, Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino.

 If you haven't heard of this worthwhile charity I encourage you to check out at their website: http://www.childhaven.ca. On it you will find the most recent newsletter, engagingly written and published by Fred. 
Now before you close this page you should know that Bonnie and Fred are both in their 80s. This year they are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. Shortly after they were married Bonnie wanted children and they started the process of international adoption, sometimes battling governments and church congregations (he is a Unitarian Church Minister) to help children from other cultures and in some cases mixed heritage. At one time they were parenting 18 children, 2 of their own.  They recognized they could do more by building orphanages.
Though not parents any more their energy has not waned. When not in India and Nepal operating 10 orphanages and community development projects they are travelling across Canada, as they did this weekend in Calgary and Edmonton, despite a snow storm, fundraising for children.
At the end of a talk and slide show tonight Fred challenged everyone in the room to think of a child in their life who needs help and reach out and support that child. He asked the crowd "What is more important in your life than a child?"

8

In Chinese numerology the number 8 represents longevity.

Eight years ago Keith and I met on a flight from Edmonton to Calgary. 

Since then we've been through significant life events. Our children graduated high school and then college and university, found careers and in some cases life partners.  We supported each other through a significant health event and job loss. One of us went back to school while the other found new employment. A house flooded, a parent became ill, cars crashed and life threw curve balls. But together we stood as one, managing to find humour and adventure. We travelled and hiked and learned to scuba dive together.

So on our Anniversary, with our children and their significant others around us, we affirmed our committment to each other and got married amidst the beauty of the mountains at one of our favorite spots in Canmore, Alberta.