Post-move does not mean post-drama
Crazy, crazy times.
This past week was totally nuts here in our new land.
Monday: Try to grasp the idea that we just moved across the country and now live in a seaside town (the air actually tastes sweet!). The weather puts on a dazzling welcome as we try to clean two days worth of spilled milk, raisins, cheese and banana out of our poor car.
Venture to the local supermarket to investigate which products we can still get (organic milk and yogurt, salba, healthy chicken strips) and which we can't (no Annie Mac yet - sob!). Since Nathan's always in our bedroom (or awake and demanding food), don't get the chance to unpack suitcases.
What adjustment period?? They've got the Doodlebops, don't they??:
Nathan enjoys shoes (and a house with stairs):
Squeaky shoes AND someone to walk me!
You can't tell but she's really very excited to ride the "Tigger boat":
Mela likes the breakfast bar:
Nathan decides that Grandads make comfortable seats:
Ah, now it's starting to look like kids live here:
Left alone with the monkeys for an evening, the mama can't remember how to parent and ends up letting them watch tv during dinner (in my defense, Mela hadn't seen Diego all week and we needed a bit of normalacy!): 
Tuesday: Have a meeting set up with our real estate agent since we hadn't yet met in person. He walks in and announces that he's found us a house and we're going to see it in an hour. It's not even on the market yet but it's exactly what we've said we wanted. Except it's on a busy street.
We try not to get too excited but as soon as we pull up out front, I gasp and tell Chris that he's on his own, I'm hopelessly in love.
When we go inside, it just gets better. Four bedrooms! Gorgeous character features! A main floor bathroom! A playroom and rec room in the basement! An awesome yard! Walkup stairs to the attic! And in the room I'd use as my study, a fricken view of the fricken OCEAN! It's better than I had dared hope for, it's within our budget and we're the first to see it.
But it's on a busy street. I don't sleep that night but stay up picking out light fixtures and researching how long it will take me to walk everywhere (thank you, Google Maps).
It looks just like it did in my dreams:
Wednesday: Show the house to the family. They're concerned about the street. The main bathroom (on the second floor) is small. The master bedroom is a bit small and would have no room for night tables. All good points. We discuss and agonize. Still haven't unpacked.
Thursday: The moving truck finally arrives (yay!). We put aside house stuff and spend the day unloading our stuff into storage. A couple things are damaged, a couple boxes seem to be missing. The stress mounts.
That night, we're supposed to drive to a seaside town, Lunenberg, for the wedding of close friends the next day (luckily, my suitcase is still packed). Find out at the last minute that the inn has given our room away (ARGH!).
Finally find another place to sleep and speed down the moonlit highway and talk about the house and our dreams for the future.
Friday: Standing in a field first thing in the morning, gazing at the sparkling ocean, my cell phone rings (really?!) and the real estate agest says that there's another offer on the house. We talk about it and decide that he's going to drive down to meet us and we're going to make an offer, too (gaaa!).
Meanwhile, Chris is the MC for the wedding that night so he tries to work on his speech while I shake with panic and try to decide the future of our family for the next decade. I love the house but it's literally the first one we've seen!
Can we live with the small bathroom and bedroom? Most importantly, is this the right neighbourhood and and street for our kids to grow upon? How do we know whether or not a busy street is the compromise we need to make in order to find a house we love and can afford? How can we believe with any confidence (slow listings here right now) that something better will come along within a reasonable time frame?
All I want is to go to the house again and sit out front, watching the traffic and thinking. But I'm stuck in Lunenberg (in Bruges!) and have to make these decisions based on memory and gut instinct.
The agent arrives and we do the offer but we stay calm (barely) and name an amount that is fairly low. If we get the house for that, it's worth all the risks but if we don't, we have no regrets.
We head off to to the wedding and try not to tell every person we meet that we may, at that exact moment, be buying a house. Mostly, I try not to faint from nerves. During the speeches, I clutch my phone and wait for the news.
Finally, I see that I have a message and run outside, up and down hills, trying to find clear cell reception. I end up standing on a platform facing the ocean, where our dear friends said their vows only hours before. I dial voicemail and have one new message. It is possibly the most important message I've ever received.
From almost his first word, I can tell by the agent's voice that we didn't get the house. And my first reaction is pure, giddy, glorious relief.
It was too soon. We weren't ready to give up on our vision of a quiet street, with hopscoth and hockey nets, even for a dream-like house with a cool man-shed and view of the harbour.
I walk back across the lawn and see Chris hurrying back to the reception, his mind on his MC duties. We meet up, as the sun sets, and I tell him the news. He is relieved as well. We head back inside and can finally relax and enjoy the evening.
Saturday: We wake up in a daze, shocked at everything that's happened, relieved that we didn't do something drastic under pressure, and a little sad that we won't have Christmas in that beautiful home.
We drive back to town, kiss our kids and then start to get ready for the next wedding. Seriously, two weddings in two days! Get lost both going there and coming back. Tell everyone that we don't have a house but are happy about it. Try not to fall asleep from exhaustion. Get home at 1:30 am and crash.
Sunday: Nate wakes up at 6:30 am. Welcome back to parenting. It's hard to mope when you have a one-year old grabbing your nose. Spend the day yawning and reconnecting with our long-lost kids. Still haven't unpacked.
Welcome to your first week in Nova Scotia. Hope you enjoyed the ride.
------------------------
Say click, wedding pics!:
WEDDING ONE: DUANE & LAURIE
In Lunenberg, Chris crams while I try not to puke:
Saw this sign and thought of my sister Mary (not just at Mcdonald's!).
It's go time, baby:
The wedding was at Shobac, a totally unique place. Crazy architecture but in person, it totally works. Here's the main hall/studio: 
The cottages:
Absolutely gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous day to be wed: 
Of course, there were even horses casually grazing in the field nearby: 
Beautiful cliffs:
Don't ask me what this is but I like it: 
Good looking guests: 
Fiddlers:
The couple:
The sacred vows:
The "barn" where the dinner was held:
Welcome to movie-set perfection: 
I love how the chairs were setup: 
The theme was tomato meets potato. Hmmm, am I sitting at beefsteak or grape? 
Insanely good food:
Man + straw hat = hilarious 
The MC gets to work. I can't concentrate on what he says, I'm so dazzled by the suit: 
Happy couple: 
The photographer had a lovely assistant: 
Who invited the models? Seriously, these dudes are hot (I can't even look directly at the one on the right. My retinas burn.) 
This did not end well: 
You can tell it's an East Coast wedding when the bride dons the fisherman's hat:
The ill-fated conga line: 
WEDDING TWO: JEFF & KATHRYN
Another beautiful day (I swear, every time you turn around in this province, there's another lake!):
One of these heads is not like the other: 
Mr and Mrs O'Neill: 
Old friends and new friends: 
The grandpa was the best on the dance floor: 
I'm speechless: 
I don't take it for granted. Well, I do but I really try not to: 
BACK TO LIFE:
Checking out the new local playgrounds. Awesome climbing cube but a little too advanced for our monkey:
They've got ducks here, too!
She gets a little braver every day:
If you can easily walk to a lake like this, you're doing something right:
My girl hangs out after a very, very busy week: 
This past week was totally nuts here in our new land.
Monday: Try to grasp the idea that we just moved across the country and now live in a seaside town (the air actually tastes sweet!). The weather puts on a dazzling welcome as we try to clean two days worth of spilled milk, raisins, cheese and banana out of our poor car.
Venture to the local supermarket to investigate which products we can still get (organic milk and yogurt, salba, healthy chicken strips) and which we can't (no Annie Mac yet - sob!). Since Nathan's always in our bedroom (or awake and demanding food), don't get the chance to unpack suitcases.
What adjustment period?? They've got the Doodlebops, don't they??:
Nathan enjoys shoes (and a house with stairs):
Squeaky shoes AND someone to walk me!
You can't tell but she's really very excited to ride the "Tigger boat":
Mela likes the breakfast bar:
Nathan decides that Grandads make comfortable seats:
Ah, now it's starting to look like kids live here:
Left alone with the monkeys for an evening, the mama can't remember how to parent and ends up letting them watch tv during dinner (in my defense, Mela hadn't seen Diego all week and we needed a bit of normalacy!): 
Tuesday: Have a meeting set up with our real estate agent since we hadn't yet met in person. He walks in and announces that he's found us a house and we're going to see it in an hour. It's not even on the market yet but it's exactly what we've said we wanted. Except it's on a busy street.We try not to get too excited but as soon as we pull up out front, I gasp and tell Chris that he's on his own, I'm hopelessly in love.
When we go inside, it just gets better. Four bedrooms! Gorgeous character features! A main floor bathroom! A playroom and rec room in the basement! An awesome yard! Walkup stairs to the attic! And in the room I'd use as my study, a fricken view of the fricken OCEAN! It's better than I had dared hope for, it's within our budget and we're the first to see it.
But it's on a busy street. I don't sleep that night but stay up picking out light fixtures and researching how long it will take me to walk everywhere (thank you, Google Maps).
It looks just like it did in my dreams:
Wednesday: Show the house to the family. They're concerned about the street. The main bathroom (on the second floor) is small. The master bedroom is a bit small and would have no room for night tables. All good points. We discuss and agonize. Still haven't unpacked.Thursday: The moving truck finally arrives (yay!). We put aside house stuff and spend the day unloading our stuff into storage. A couple things are damaged, a couple boxes seem to be missing. The stress mounts.
That night, we're supposed to drive to a seaside town, Lunenberg, for the wedding of close friends the next day (luckily, my suitcase is still packed). Find out at the last minute that the inn has given our room away (ARGH!).
Finally find another place to sleep and speed down the moonlit highway and talk about the house and our dreams for the future.
Friday: Standing in a field first thing in the morning, gazing at the sparkling ocean, my cell phone rings (really?!) and the real estate agest says that there's another offer on the house. We talk about it and decide that he's going to drive down to meet us and we're going to make an offer, too (gaaa!).
Meanwhile, Chris is the MC for the wedding that night so he tries to work on his speech while I shake with panic and try to decide the future of our family for the next decade. I love the house but it's literally the first one we've seen!
Can we live with the small bathroom and bedroom? Most importantly, is this the right neighbourhood and and street for our kids to grow upon? How do we know whether or not a busy street is the compromise we need to make in order to find a house we love and can afford? How can we believe with any confidence (slow listings here right now) that something better will come along within a reasonable time frame?
All I want is to go to the house again and sit out front, watching the traffic and thinking. But I'm stuck in Lunenberg (in Bruges!) and have to make these decisions based on memory and gut instinct.
The agent arrives and we do the offer but we stay calm (barely) and name an amount that is fairly low. If we get the house for that, it's worth all the risks but if we don't, we have no regrets.
We head off to to the wedding and try not to tell every person we meet that we may, at that exact moment, be buying a house. Mostly, I try not to faint from nerves. During the speeches, I clutch my phone and wait for the news.
Finally, I see that I have a message and run outside, up and down hills, trying to find clear cell reception. I end up standing on a platform facing the ocean, where our dear friends said their vows only hours before. I dial voicemail and have one new message. It is possibly the most important message I've ever received.
From almost his first word, I can tell by the agent's voice that we didn't get the house. And my first reaction is pure, giddy, glorious relief.
It was too soon. We weren't ready to give up on our vision of a quiet street, with hopscoth and hockey nets, even for a dream-like house with a cool man-shed and view of the harbour.
I walk back across the lawn and see Chris hurrying back to the reception, his mind on his MC duties. We meet up, as the sun sets, and I tell him the news. He is relieved as well. We head back inside and can finally relax and enjoy the evening.
Saturday: We wake up in a daze, shocked at everything that's happened, relieved that we didn't do something drastic under pressure, and a little sad that we won't have Christmas in that beautiful home.
We drive back to town, kiss our kids and then start to get ready for the next wedding. Seriously, two weddings in two days! Get lost both going there and coming back. Tell everyone that we don't have a house but are happy about it. Try not to fall asleep from exhaustion. Get home at 1:30 am and crash.
Sunday: Nate wakes up at 6:30 am. Welcome back to parenting. It's hard to mope when you have a one-year old grabbing your nose. Spend the day yawning and reconnecting with our long-lost kids. Still haven't unpacked.
Welcome to your first week in Nova Scotia. Hope you enjoyed the ride.
------------------------
Say click, wedding pics!:
WEDDING ONE: DUANE & LAURIE
In Lunenberg, Chris crams while I try not to puke:
Saw this sign and thought of my sister Mary (not just at Mcdonald's!).
It's go time, baby:
The wedding was at Shobac, a totally unique place. Crazy architecture but in person, it totally works. Here's the main hall/studio: 
The cottages:
Absolutely gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous day to be wed: 
Of course, there were even horses casually grazing in the field nearby: 
Beautiful cliffs:
Don't ask me what this is but I like it: 
Good looking guests: 
Fiddlers:
The couple:
The sacred vows:
The "barn" where the dinner was held:
Welcome to movie-set perfection: 
I love how the chairs were setup: 
The theme was tomato meets potato. Hmmm, am I sitting at beefsteak or grape? 
Insanely good food:
Man + straw hat = hilarious 
The MC gets to work. I can't concentrate on what he says, I'm so dazzled by the suit: 
Happy couple: 
The photographer had a lovely assistant: 
Who invited the models? Seriously, these dudes are hot (I can't even look directly at the one on the right. My retinas burn.) 
This did not end well: 
You can tell it's an East Coast wedding when the bride dons the fisherman's hat:
The ill-fated conga line: 
WEDDING TWO: JEFF & KATHRYN
Another beautiful day (I swear, every time you turn around in this province, there's another lake!):
One of these heads is not like the other: 
Mr and Mrs O'Neill: 
Old friends and new friends: 
The grandpa was the best on the dance floor: 
I'm speechless: 
I don't take it for granted. Well, I do but I really try not to: 
BACK TO LIFE:
Checking out the new local playgrounds. Awesome climbing cube but a little too advanced for our monkey:
They've got ducks here, too!
She gets a little braver every day:
If you can easily walk to a lake like this, you're doing something right:
My girl hangs out after a very, very busy week: 
Comments
It's so hard with house hunting because every great house feels like it could be the last! But, there are always others with better stuff and perhaps fewer sacrifices... hang in there and take your time. See as many as you can, even if they don't look perfect in the listing (you'll feel more confident looking back on it... knowing that you saw what you didn't want too.)
Halifax looks so, so beautiful and I am so glad you are keeping busy going to so many weddings : )
I'm looking foward to the next installment (hey, I was thinking how great it is that you don't have to sell your own home... it'll give you a real advantage).
Best,
Allison
I cannot support Lobster subs. I was eating delicious pork perogies from SunValley when I read that and I almost lost them...
You both look spectacular in the wedding picture(s). I don't know if its the exercise, the hair or what but when I saw that pic on Facebook I assumed it was from ten years ago. Bravo!