I am truly in catch up mode here. It's not that I haven't tried but writing in my blog just hasn't been a priority for me lately. For almost four weeks I've been re-connecting with family in Canada and re-connecting with Canada for that matter! It's been over two years since I've visited the 'homeland'. So, I will backtrack and throw in a bunch of pictures and try to cover all that I've been up to for the last month or so.
A few months back I was talking to my Dad and he told me that my brother, Doug, and his family from Richmond were planning to visit him in Edmonton this summer. And then he hinted that it would be nice for all us kids to be together...same place, same time. That hasn't happened for quite a few years. And as it happens all too often, the last time was for a funeral. So, I booked a flight, booked my room at Larissa's house and headed north.
I can leave our house in western Belize at about 7am and be in Calgary at 9pm. That was a big consideration for us when we picked Belize as a place to live. One long day of travel and we are back to Canada and near to family. That's really not much different than when we lived in northern Canada. But much of the year, a plane ticket between Belize and Calgary is less than the cost of a ticket from Fort Nelson to Calgary. Go figure!
I can leave our house in western Belize at about 7am and be in Calgary at 9pm. That was a big consideration for us when we picked Belize as a place to live. One long day of travel and we are back to Canada and near to family. That's really not much different than when we lived in northern Canada. But much of the year, a plane ticket between Belize and Calgary is less than the cost of a ticket from Fort Nelson to Calgary. Go figure!
The first part of my holiday was spent in Edmonton and Breton. My brother Chris and his wife Lynn moved into an acreage south of Edmonton almost two years ago and this was my first time visiting them there. It is so beautiful! What an amazing place for them to raise my incredible niece, Jordana! Jordana is two and she is such a goer! It must be absolutely exhausting trying to keep up with her. Chris and Lynn, you deserve an award!!
So we did the usual family get together stuff. We bar-b-qued, visited, took pictures and played catch up on all things going on in our lives. I even got to spend some time with Lynn's parents. I only met them briefly at Chris and Lynn's wedding so it was really nice seeing them again. One day was spent with Doug and Zinnia and Parker and Zack in Edmonton. We split the day in half...a little culture and learning at Fort Edmonton Park in the morning and then Galaxyland rides at West Edmonton Mall in the afternoon! Ask the boys what their favorite was...betcha' can't guess!
So we did the usual family get together stuff. We bar-b-qued, visited, took pictures and played catch up on all things going on in our lives. I even got to spend some time with Lynn's parents. I only met them briefly at Chris and Lynn's wedding so it was really nice seeing them again. One day was spent with Doug and Zinnia and Parker and Zack in Edmonton. We split the day in half...a little culture and learning at Fort Edmonton Park in the morning and then Galaxyland rides at West Edmonton Mall in the afternoon! Ask the boys what their favorite was...betcha' can't guess!
Time like this always brings me back to a question that is often put to those who decide to live abroad. 'How can you live so far away from family and friends?'. No doubt it's a consideration and I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't hard sometimes. But choosing this life and the freedoms that came with it have allowed us the time to really connect with those that matter. Our previous lives were so busy with work and being busy, busy, busy! Slowing down has helped me to see what and who really matters in life. Now, when we vacation it's dedicated family time. I don't feel the need to rush around shopping or fly off to some hotspot to decompress on the beach for a couple of weeks. For the most part I'm pretty well fully decompressed! No issue there! And let's not forget that we've gotten quite a few visitors in our new home.