Moving

In order to best share details about our upcoming trip to Europe, we've started a website. I will be blogging there, as will other members of our family. We will also be able to share photos. Check it out. johnandgrace.ca http://www.johnandgrace.ca/Europe/Blog/Blog.html

Our Words

In the last few weeks I've been telling the story of our upcoming adventure. I've been telling it a lot - probably daily - to a variety of people. Some people are excited, some are jealous, some think that we're simply insane. To be honest, I have a range of emotions as well - anything from excited to petrified - and that can change by the hour. The thing that continues to strike me is how we bring our own stuff into every interaction that we have. A person's reaction to our story, our plans, is often more about what they're experiencing or have experienced than about us and our lives. I'm trying to be mindful of this, as I talk and interact with other people, to think of why I'm reacting in a particular way or why I'm asking the questions that I am. I'm also keeping it in mind as I hear the questions and comments of those around me. Our words have such power.

the sign in front of our house.

A week ago today our house was "staged" by our realtor- in other words, any remnants of the active family of five residing here were tucked into closets and replaced with fake fruit, fake flowers and white towels. Yes, this is the same realtor that went running out of our home only a few days earlier.
The house was listed on MLS and by Friday night some families were ready to check it out. Within 24 hours of the first showing, our house was sold. It sold for above asking price as there was a bidding war - not many homes for sale around here right now and all of the fake produce worked it's magic. There were no conditions and we got the closing date of our choice - May 9.
All of this happened before a "for sale" sign could go up on our front yard. So, on Monday afternoon a giant "SOLD" sign appeared on our front yard. We were so thrilled that the sale went so smoothly and yet seeing that sign felt like a kick in the stomach. It's a giant visual reminder of the fact that we're leaving this place that has been home for five years. And so, we're thrilled and sad all at the same time.

3 down

Sixty percent of the people in our family are sick right now. John has some weird flu that caused him to whisper his entire sermon yesterday. Michael has been feeling tired and sore off and on since Saturday. Charis woke up with a sore stomach today. Sometimes it's difficult to determine whether she's sick or would just prefer to be home, reading and drinking gingerale. We kept her home from school and as the day progressed, it became clear that we'd made the right choice - primarily because she threw up. I was so glad that she didn't have to re-live the whole "throwing up at school" incident that had happened in kindergarten.
By mid- afternoon both she and Michael were napping. That was perfect timing as our real estate agent, Pauline, was coming by to discuss staging and other details of the upcoming sale of our house. As we sat at the kitchen table talking, Michael woke up and asked me to carry him downstairs. He was totally disoriented and thought that it was morning. He sat on my lap as we continued to discuss the details. After a few minutes he looked up at me and softly said "Mommy, the throw up is coming." I quickly informed Pauline that he was going to be sick, as sitting at someone's kitchen table while their kid throws up all over the place is definitely not one of my favourite things to do. I assumed that she wouldn't enjoy it either. She jumped up and sprinted out the door, with her hands covering her ears. She was fast. As I watched, all I could think was how smart she was to plug her ears. She got out in time. Michael didn't actually throw up until a few hours later when he drank some blue gatorade. Serves gatorade right for being so gross and marketing itself as healthy...but that's another topic.

What's on Your Life List?

I've never been to Europe. It's on my life list. So is apologizing to my high school boyfriend for dumping him on his birthday. John has been to Europe for ten hours while on a layover on a trip to Nigeria once. I'm not sure that counts. I've always dreamt of going to Europe - to see where my parents were born (Holland) and to experience another culture. We considered going before we had kids, but John came down with a nasty itchy rash that wouldn't go away, a serious case of depression and finally, a diagnosis of cancer. So, that dream got pushed aside for awhile and became a whole lot less important to us. However, it never really went away. Every few months we would talk about going - except for in the meantime we started having babies - not that conducive to travelling. We considered taking them out of school to take the trip. However, the timing was never quite right, which brings me to this moment. We bought plane tickets. Tickets to fly from Toronto to Paris on May 9. We have an open return date. We've arranged r.v. exchanges with people there, as we plan to travel through Spain, Italy, France, Holland and Germany. We're excited - because parts of this sound like a wonderful adventure. We're scared, because we're leaving our work, church, school, home, family, friends, familiar culture.......you name it. We're anxious because we're not sure what God has in store for us upon our return home. Our tentative plan is to return at the end of the summer and hopefully settle into a new church and community or to travel in North America for a few months until we are sure of where God wants us to be.

We covet your prayers for our family - that God will guide us, protect us and make His way clear to us.

So, that's one more thing that I'll be able to cross off my life list. Now, if I could only find Jamie's phone number...or maybe he's on facebook.

My Haircut

I've been growing my hair for quite awhile, with the intention of donating it to an organization that makes wigs for cancer patients. Finally it was long enough, which is good because I was starting to feel like there could be small animals nesting in my hair and I wouldn't have noticed. Saturday was the big day. A salon in the area gives free haircuts to people who are donating their hair, so I was excited to give it a try. They washed my hair and gave me a scalp massage, which is very very relaxing. My hairdresser, or stylist or whatever we're calling her - well, actually we'll call her Niki, because that's her name - offered to make me a latte. She then started talking about what she would do with my remaining hair once the long stuff was chopped off. I sat there, dizzy from the hair washing and the cozy drinks being served to me. About 45 minutes later she was done. The back was "undercut" and the front pieces were slightly longer than the back. It was an actual hairstyle instead of the "I'm growing my hair to donate it" look that I'd been sporting. I was content. I'd enjoyed a free haircut and coffee and made a new bff - Niki. Then, as I was driving home, it dawned on me that I had the same haircut as our friend, Kristen. I thought that maybe it wasn't that noticeable. I opened the door when I got home, John came towards me and said "Your hair is exactly like Kristen's." I made a few frantic calls. Niki agreed to fix my hair. And that is the story of how I had two haircuts in one afternoon.

Niagara Half Marathon

Today John and I and a bunch of our friends, completed the Niagara Half Marathon. Here are some of the highlights of today:
- the fact that the rain stopped when we needed it to.
- a kind stranger who offered us the use of her bathroom so that we wouldn't have to use the bushes, or worse yet, a porta potty.
- Gerry, Sarah and Steven watched our kids for us and brought them to the 10 km mark to cheer us on. It totally made me cry, so after seeing them I was gasping for breath while crying and running, which don't go well together. So, I had to quit crying and keep running. Not only did they watch our kids, but they (well, likely Gerry) made sure that we came home to a clean kitchen/house. Thanks, Gerry.
- Being cheered on by total strangers and friends who made the trip to come and cheer us on - thanks Rachel and Jenn!
- John and I were finally able to ditch the very very stinky man that we kept getting stuck behind.
- each one of us crossed the finish line and were happy with our times. John and I crossed the finish line holding hands, which my brother and nephews have told me is super lame. However, I think that they're just jealous because they would have liked to have held John's hand.
- Going out for pizza with our kids.
- WE DID IT!