We've Gone and Done It

We are in the midst of packing up, and moving. Not just any move, but The Move we've been trying to accomplish for years now. We're heading up to (Washington) Canada. In the last couple of months Stefan had been talking to a potential employer up in Richmond, British Columbia, and after a very swift interview process they offered him the job. Small and large details aside, he accepted and plans to start on February 25th. We leave one week earlier, on the 18th. That's literally just over 2 weeks from when you will read this.

We told family and close friends first, and while we haven't been keeping it a huge secret, our church, as a whole, did not know until last night because it was then we could tell everyone at our seasonal congregational meeting what our plans were in person, and with many of them all at once. I didn't want to say anything online until that happened.

We've been steadily spending heaps of time with friends and family, all while slowly packing up 8-10 boxes per day (really, the best way to do it) and trying to clean while we go. Okay, so that last part hasn't really happened yet, that's just been the plan. Packing, getting all appointments (doctor, dentist, etc.) underway for the entire family, celebrating my daughter's 4th birthday next weekend, trying to eat everything in our cupboards, fridge, and freezer, while also getting furniture & items sold online, closing up accounts, buying a motorcycle, getting our car fixed, gathering our tax information, and living day to day while trying to keep our children's schedules (and classes!) as normal as possible. Our life will look like that for just over 3 more weeks, until we decide on a rental for the next 6-12 months, and live at the tip of the border in Washington state, while Stefan commutes everyday across to the Canadian side.

Why Washington? Although 3 out of the 4 members of our family are dual citizens, I have not had that opportunity yet. We will apply for my immigration to Canada and it's usually close to a year's wait before one can enter the border to permanently live. Then, we will move over to the other side, where I will begin my Canadian residency and apply, soon enough, for citizenship. We have no idea what the future holds, but we do know that having dual citizenship is a huge priority and a definite boon to our family, for many reasons I won't go into now.

On the night when Stefan accepted the job over the phone, and I was sitting anxiously next to him, I remember him hanging up and saying, "this just feels like an ordinary moment, but it's not" and that night I barely slept a wink trying to go over the mental list between the 'here' and the then 'now'. We have been fortunate to have the flexibility these past few weeks to see many friends during the evenings, go out to dinner "one last time" with certain groups of people, and even do lovely things like rest, watch tv, and make spreadsheets about housing at night. The last one, not so much lovely, as much as 'necessary'. We won't have an address until we arrive and choose a rental, from our list, and mulling over our pros & cons with each one, I can honestly say there are 5 good ones in the running. I'll look forward to taking pictures and sharing them here in the future.

As for now, if you're local and you know us in person, please stop by our Going Away open house which will be held at Grace Chapel (4000 Sheridan BLVD) on Monday night, Feb. 11th, from 6-8:30. Come and give us a hug goodbye, and let me tell you what we most remember and treasure about you. We will also have some items like furniture, books, kids things, home decor, etc. as a type of "free sale" because we need to downsize, and we love to give things away. There will be a jar for donations, but nothing is necessary if you plan to take something you like. Please come see us! We will so miss our family and friends who we will be leaving.