Busy times

Just in case you were wondering what I meant when I said things are 'a bit hectic' right now, I have some photographic evidence.

 My kitchen floor.

 Every pantry item, pot, pan and dish in boxes everywhere. Unless of course, said boxes were ransacked Isaiah.

Patrick diligently painting the cabinets. 

Who knew they'd need to be primed, then painted, and then given a second coat of paint?

My kitchen counters. 

One of the few things I am somewhat obsessed with is having them clear. 

Clear work space, clear mental space. This seems to work with me.

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This chaos has continued for five days and we're not quite done yet.

Also, because the wet paint is a magnet to run-full-tilt-into-walls-type toddlers, as well as the boxes of dishes (including our irreplaceable china!), the kids and I have been out of the house a lot.

A lot.

(Which maybe sounds fun, and can be at times, but it's hard to keep on top of their routine, not to mention the daily chores, when we aren't in our own home day after day).

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This is what I've meant when I told 'life is hectic.'

I've refrained from talking about this specifically on my blog for sometime now, because I always thought I would need to do a sweeping explanation of the several-years-long process of discernment that have led up to these crazy home renos, painting and so forth.

So here goes:

We are selling our (beloved!) house by the sea. We are packing up our life. We are moving to a small town in Ontario.

There. I said it. Now it is official.

I hope it goes without saying that we haven't made this decision lightly. We love Nova Scotia, and this is where so many of our friends live, as well the children's grandparents, on both sides. So we have debated, hemmed, hawed, prayed for guidance over and over, sought spiritual direction -- you name it. And this is the decision we have come to. It is bittersweet on many levels, but we do have lots to look forward to when a) finally list our house {probably by next week! Please God!} and b) have someone buy it.

{PS It is pretty, we're doing work on it, it's on 3/4 an acre of land overlooking the water and at a good price. Spread the word, if you can!)

The town we are moving to, assuming a) and b) above actually take place is one where we have lived for several years, both for school and for our brief stints working before we were married. We have many friends there and in the surrounds, as well as a much-shorter car ride to my sister's home (yay! The boys playing with their cousins more than once a year!). There is a really lovely parish there where beautiful liturgies are offered every day. There are oodles of kids of different ages running hither and yon. And a wonderful religious community nearby where we receive strength in living out our vocation by their radical witness.

All of this is a huge change from what life has been like for us. And I don't operate under rose-coloured glasses that the place we are moving is Edenic. Far from it. The winters are nastier than anything I have ever experienced (which we don't take lightly given my Seasonal Affected Disorder), there is another season that is simply called "Black Fly Season" and it's a long, long drive to the nearest Walmart (Dear Patrick is quite happy about that. I will learn to love it, I guess, as I in principle oppose shopping there. Not so much in practice).

(Aside: This song played on the radio when I used to live there soon after Patrick and I started dating. I'd wipe down tables at the little diner where I worked and smile wryly at how well the words seemed to fit the little village I had come to know and love.)

We are excited, however. Not only will it be good for the kids to be closer to... well... other kids (because despite my best efforts and hopes, I simply don't have it in me to drive the 25-40 minutes to visit my friends with kids around here especially often), and we will all be closer to my sister and her family (I'm saying it again because I am so excited!), we will also be closer to my husband's co-workers. It will allow him to work out of the house a couple days which will be great for him and for me and the children, too. 

(I'll never forget the first time Patrick video-Skyped with his boss. His desk was facing the glass door. As I attempted to straddle a baby gate, wearing yoga pants no less, with a kid in my arms in a tantrum about to go to time-out I hear my husband's boss say "Hi Jenna!"

Oh. Hi.)

In sum, this is what we've come to conclude God wants for us. Noah is getting very excited at the prospect, and every time he says something about it, Patrick and I smile at each other. It seems to just 'fit.'

Also, we have been tremendously blessed and encouraged by the support our own parents have shown us. I'm sure this is not at all easy for them, but they are truly understanding and supportive of our reasons for moving, and more than willing to come visit when we do. We are so grateful.

 So... there you have it! Busy times!