Oh, hi.
Yup, I've fallen off the blogging bandwagon. Instagram and life have just slowly taken over. Truth is, I barely read the blogs I used to love anymore. My noon-ish start times at my past job in BC gave me the perfect schedule to get in some blog reading and writing over my morning latte. Now I'm lucky if I can squeeze in breakfast before I show up late to work (NOT a morning person whatsoever).
I do still try and catch up on my blog reader every couple of weeks and often think of things I would like to write about here, but it just never really happens. So, in a very truncated and random post, here are some recent updates.
The House
Its been a really long road to this stage, but we are ALMOST ready to dig. I think we are just waiting for the excavators but hoping to see a hole in the ground this coming week. Building a home has been mucho stressful. There are so many little details, so many upgrades, lots of expenses, and loads of unknowns. Because we customized one of the builder's standard plans, we have no idea what the home will actually feel like once built. Will the island (which we flipped) feel odd in the space? Will the kitchen/dining room flow well? Is my front laundry/craft room combo instead of a den going to work? Will the exterior colours look good together? It's enough to sometimes make me question why, but we are still really excited and can't wait to start seeing our plans come to life. It's been a loong time in the making. Hoping to be in within 6 - 9 months, but nothing seems to be certain at this point (I will post our floor plans and other details sometime in the future).
Winnipeg
We just passed our one year anniversary here which seems absolutely bonkers. How we've lived here a year is just beyond crazy! Happy to say we survived the worst winter in nearly 100 years, which made me question many times why this piece of the continent is even considered habitable. But we are here. We survived. The really awesome, consistent summer weather stretch has yet to grace us, but we have had some nice and warm weeks scattered with a couple cooler/rainy days keeping everything lush and green. Winnipeg feels more like home now. Or more like home for now. It seems to be an ongoing Winnipeg sentiment to both love and hate this city at once. And I get it. I totally get it. It has so much potential, so much to offer, yet many frustrations at the same time. We continue to do our best at exploring all Winnipeg has to offer and look forward to weekends at the lake and adventures in the city. I am trying my best to realize that the pace of growth here will never be the same as Vancouver, that infrastructure takes time and money, and that despite its blemishes and problems, Winnipeg still has so much to offer. I love exploring the boutique cafes, hipster dining spots and the historic Exchange District.
Us
We just moved. To another interim rental. This time we left a beautiful, new house for a very basic apartment. The move was horrendous. So. Much. Work. We rented a POD to store stuff until the build is ready, and a U-haul for the rest. Insert copiuos amounts of regret. We worked for hours on end hauling bins and furniture to our second floor apartment and I was sore and exhausted for days. Definitely hiring movers for our next move, only 2 kms from where we are now. The apartment is fine. It was pretty much our only option that allowed both two pets AND month to month meaning we will have flexibiility for when ourr house is ready. Why we moved? Long story short we couldn't commit to another one year lease at the house because of our new build - so here we are. Best part? I can walk to work. In 2 minutes and 25 seconds. Best thing ever.
Other news
I spent my pre-birthday weekend with my best friend in Toronto and absolutely fell in love with the city. I've been there a million times as my mom's family is from there, but this time I got to see it from a new perspective. Turning 30 ain't so bad ;) Looking forward to heading home in a couple of weeks and watching one of the most beautiful souls I know get married, spending time with family and friends, and soaking up as much of beautiful British Columbia as I can while I'm there.