1. Due to NSAC's becoming part of Dalhousie, registration practices have changed, and Brad needed to register for his entire 2013/2014 year right away. This means that Brad is now OFFICIALLY registered for every single class he needs to take to graduate.
2. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's 2013 post-grad recruitment program opens next week, which will mark the first official job application Brad makes for a real grown-up job.
3. Today I signed Ev and Gav up for a six-week program at the library. Then I'll sign them up for the next one, and by the time that ends, it'll be Christmas, and Brad will be but ONE semester away from graduating. My how the time flies!
There are some other less happy but still excitement-generating things I've been noticing. Like way back on Canada Day, we had some friends who went to a really cool festival that happens about an hour from here. I thought for a moment, "That sounds awesome! I think I'll do that next year!" And then quickly realized I probably won't be here by next Canada Day.
Then there's our local church's beach trip to my beloved Caribou Munroes Provincial Park...
Look at all that fabulous sand!
...and realized that, this being September now, that was probably my last ever visit to that spot.
Don't feel sad for me though. I'm not sad. I love Nova Scotia. I love my friends. I love so many things about my life here (how many times have I said that already on this blog?), but I have to admit, I'm just straight up EXCITED to move on and get going on our BIG. LIFE. PLANS.
Woot woot! Now just to figure out where we'll be moving on to!
I know, it's pathetic. It's just too much for him. Well past a year of almost consistent pain, and now he writhes in agony and there is nothing in the entire hospital that eases it. Before all this, of course, he's been suffering with IBS for years. He's going to die so young from body exhaustion.
I should disclaim that it's really late, I just left Brad at the ER after three hours to relieve my friend from house sitting duty, and I am exhausted. It will all be brighter in the morning. For now though, this is how I feel:
There are so many things I could write to you. I think about it sometimes--when I'm cleaning a room, or putting a child to sleep, or walking outside, or wallowing in exhaustion on the couch--I'll think of things I would write to you if my brain were attached to the computer.
Why haven't they invented that yet?
They probably have...it's just not safe or something. Too high a chance of your brain exploding. Honestly if there were any chance of my brain exploding I don't think I'd do it. Just ain't good business sense.
Anyway, despite all these things I could say, I will say none of it. Because it's actually the middle of the day right now, and I have a baby crawling on me, and kids elsewhere in the house almost certainly making an unmanageable disaster. I hear a smashing sound...I'm hoping it doesn't lead into a breaking sound.
So I will offer you nothing. Nothing except the knowledge that I'd like to write awesome things to you every day.
I wanted to call you today. I've been thinking about it the past couple days, and then it occurred to me to check your blog for new updates. I was shocked to find like five posts that I hadn't yet read! And as I went through, the desire to call, and say hello, and just be a friend increased.
BUT it is Sunday. Not only Sunday, but Father's Day. I have a thing about calling lady friends on weekends. In my mind, weekends are "daddy time". So I don't disturb. Especially not on Father's Day. Who knows what kind of beautiful family moments I would be disturbing!
So I will call another day--another day soon. Although if a phone call is not going to work for you right now, you can let me know that. I'm totally cool with not calling soon. I can be patient!
Yeesh all I have to do at this point is start apologizing for wanting to talk to you and I'll officially sound like someone else I know!
Anyway, why am I writing this post? This seems more and more like a silly, inane post. I wanted to post because something you wrote reminded me of an analogy that I love more and more each time I think of it. And there's a great video of it that I wanted to show to you, so I thought I'd better post it to the blog. That's why I'm writing. I'll get to the video.
How was your Father's Day? Aside from the hilarious Real Life Photo Shoot? I had a personal Father's Day victory! See, during the months of pregnancy/baby rearing, I become a very disorganized person. I manage to keep a handle on the absolute basics, but all the wonderful extra things, like advance planning for Father's Day, go completely out the window. This is the direction our celebrations were going this year. Every time I wondered what I would do I would become flustered with brain deadness and then Liam would cry--or Gavin would break something/cut something/pee on something/draw on something/fall off something/etc, or Evelyn would whine--you know the drill. But then this past week a friend came over to play and suggested we make a FD craft with our kids, and I looked some up, and found some pretty cute egg carton flowers. So we did it! And Evelyn made a card, and then, best of all, I was able to provide a real service for Brad this morning, due to the fact that he leaves so early for a meeting. Usually I cling desperately to that last thread of sleep for the 20 minutes he's getting ready. But today I got up and made him a loverly breakfast! I felt pretty good about myself, considering I had only a week ago pretty much resigned myself to complete neglect and failure.
This afternoon we all went out to Victoria Park to visit the waterfall and float some little wooden "boats" (flat pieces of wood with a pointy end and a stick coming out the top) down the creek. The sky was clear, the sun was warm, the weather mild. It was a magnificent time! Brad still has so much recovery left--neither of his bones are knit back together yet. But when I remember the state of things last year, or even just six months ago, I relish every outing like this that we do! As the days and weeks go by I am more and more confronted with this strange surreal experience of realizing that we know almost nothing of this place in the summer, even though it all feels so familiar to us, having lived here coming on two years!
After the trip Brad grabbed some narcotics (which he rarely does anymore) and went straight to the couch--there's a thunderstorm coming tomorrow, so it's wrecking him. In certain ways it's difficult to be the onlooker of someone else's pain--it hurts to know there is nothing you can do. You feel guilty sometimes doing things you know they can't. I feel self conscious every time I bound up the stairs! Regardless, I am grateful for Brad's recovery. I don't know if he feels very grateful right now, but I do. I'm grateful that (so far) he's able to work, and play with the children, and go fishing. And I'm grateful he's getting compensated.
I've got to stop right here to say that it feels strange rambling to you about my life. It is so unimportant. My greatest challenges were last year. Now everything is getting better, on the upswing, improving. It's your turn to feel, to think, to weep, to write. At the same time, I'm guessing that you would dislike it if I hid myself from you, so that you began to know me less and less, simply because I don't want to impose.
Anyway, the video. You posted a beautiful excerpt about how God gives us mercy piece by piece--just enough for each day. And it reminded me of this analogy of how God delivers revelation to our minds--especially the example of the foggy day. I love it! Maybe you will like it too:
Continue to press forward, my friend.
"Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men."
I'm not usually one to admit I've been beat. Especially when only two posts down is a piece completely devoted to the fact that, despite all my best logic, I feel like this dog is special and must be gotten. But if I'm going to be completely honest, I knew within two weeks that all my apprehensions (learned from personal experience growing up) were spot on, and that I was a happier woman when I was pet-free.
But, because I'd agreed to it, and for the sake of Brad, I determined to press on. I would get used to it. I even convinced Brad to ease up when he got frustrated with her a month in. And he did, and we all continued to dwell acceptably together. But when Brad began talking again of how he'd realized that a dog just wasn't the same when you had kids; and this dog just wasn't Sierra (his old dog) no matter how much he wanted her to be; and how much he loathed having dog hair in everything (meals and drinks included), I began to take him seriously. And I supported his decision full-heartedly.
I even wrote the Kijiji ad--which, I must say, I am quite proud of. I would even call it successful, because within 24 hours of posting it I already had four responses, and by the end of the weekend I had ten. Thursday night I posted, and this being Monday night, she is already gone--for a trial. The lady who took her is concerned about her barking when she's away at work, so she's doing a trial till the weekend. I'm not overly concerned though. Incompletely trained though she may be, Marley is at heart a good and easy-going dog. We've left her home lots, and she doesn't care--so long as we don't trap her in a tiny room or something. And even then I'm pretty sure she gives up her whining and begging once we leave the house. So in all likelihood I have succeeded in finding a suitable replacement home for our dear Marley less than a week after I started to look for one. Not too shabby!
I'm excited for the weekend, though. Because I told the kids from the get-go that when Marley is given away we will have a special restaurant dinner (lest they are inclined to get all sentimental about a dog they complain about 80% of the time and enjoy a mere 20). Fast food though it may be, it beats having to plan supper any day!
And, just between you and me, I've realized that this whole affair will have one very valuable benefit: Brad won't bug me about getting a dog for YEARS to come!
I was hoping to make it to three years old, but...well, it's finally getting to "that point". I've always been afraid of cutting it because so many people told me these terrible stories of cutting their children's curls just to have them never return! That would be SO SAD. But then, on some days his hair flops just so that it looks like Krusty the Clown. You know:
Then there's the problem with hats, which instantly destroy the beautiful ringlets and instead turn it into some insane zombie fro. You know:
Or, here we go:
And then also naps. Naps give him this tangled mess of dreadlocks in the back of his head.
But then, when I wash his hair, and brush it, and tease it up with my fingers, it's just so darn CUTE!
But I think I probably need to cut it. It's time. We've had a good run. I was lucky--with the curly locks, I was able to hold off on the feared "first haircut" longer than most. But...yup. I'm thinking it's time.
