Moving Introspection

Posted on by
3

The timing of our move from one house to another, from the West Coast to the East Coast, is such that we have a month in between, floating, not belonging to either side of the situation. It is a time of waiting, intospection, tying up loose ends, saying goodbyes, strengthening connections with our friends and family on the West Coast. I find it very odd, this feeling of being misplaced temporarily, of having ended one adventure, waiting to begin another.

What I find most interesting are the various reactions from friends and family. Most everyone tells us they are really happy for us although sad to see us go. Some say they are envious and happy. Some say that we are going to love it in Nova Scotia and that we will do well there. Some say they are really excited for us.

And then there are the few people who think otherwise. They think we will be back because we won’t like it there, or we won’t find work, happiness, etc. These reactions cause me to ask questions, explore my intent, the decisions Robert and I have made. Which is good. I have always believed it is good to question everything. More than once, sometimes.

Asking the questions has presented a few answers. I know that wherever I am, wherever I go with Robert, we can most definitely be happy because happiness is what you make it, not what you find. We are very excited to be starting a new adventure, full of unknowns (and a few knowns), with huge opportunity to explore and learn and discover – something both Robert and I love to do.

Those who believe that we will not be happy with our decision – I’m not sure what to think about that, or what to say to them. Perhaps it is easier to find fault with our decision rather than to admit they are having difficulty with our leaving. And that’s the funny part for me… I don’t feel like we’re really ‘leaving’ with all this wonderful technology at our fingertips. I am more in touch with people via internet and telephone than I am in person most days. And Westjet offers cheap flights with friendly in-flight super-hosts.

All I know is that no matter what happens, Robert and I will be better people for the experience because we go with an open heart and mind, willing to learn and explore, and being who we are, with the abilities we have, we are not confined to borders, provinces or even continents. We can be happy anywhere, find our peace and creative spirits anywhere, surround ourselves with wonderful people anywhere, and stay connected to those we love… from anywhere!

We love each and every one of you, and will miss many things, events, gatherings, walks, and afternoon teas. We so look forward to having many of you visit us in our new digs. And we very much look forward to coming back through on our BC tour with our new upcoming CD!

No folks, we are not wholly leaving. We are staying connected. We will always have ties here.


Cat Travels

Posted on by
Reply

Our cat, Tasha, is a 16 year old tuxedo cat who is in for a big surprise in about three weeks. Presently, Tasha is keeping my mom company and both seem to be enjoying the experience very much. However, after 16 years, how can I possibly leave the sweet girl behind? On May 25th, she will be experiencing her first plane ride. Oh boy.

Now, if you’ve never travelled by air with a pet, there are several ‘rules and regulations’ concerned with pet travel. Firstly, your carry-on pet carrier must be of a certain size. Hm. If that’s the case, then why-oh-why do they not manufacture pet carriers to meet these dimensions? In the end, I opted for the squishiest carrier closest to the maximum size allowed, and will ‘alter’ it to lose 2 inches of length in order to fit under the seat in front of me on the smaller Westjet airplane. Oh boy.

I sincerely hope: 1) that the sedative the vet gave me (for the cat, not me) means that Tasha will be comfortable and not howl for the 6 1/2 hours in the air, and 2 hours in the airport, and 2) that the people sitting next to me, in front of me and behind me are animal lovers and not allergic to cats!

Originally, I was going to banish Tasha to the cargo hold to avoid these potential issues, but since we have to change planes in Toronto (neither Westjet nor Air Canada have a direct flight to Halifax from Vancouver), I’ve opted to take her in the cabin with me. I’m told she will feel better knowing I am with her. I only hope that’s true. I think both she and I will be very glad to get to the other side.

Please folks, send Tasha and I lots of positive thoughts!


Seven Days In

Posted on by
1

Wow. It has already been seven days since the moving truck drove away with all our possessions. Seventeen days left until the cross-country trek begins. Just over two weeks. OMG! It’s going so fast! Only three jams to go, and still so many people to see!

Sigh. And yet, we are so looking forward to getting to Nova Scotia and beginning our new life in our new home.

Who will be first to visit us?


Phase One Complete!

Posted on by
Reply

Yes, phase one of our move to Nova Scotia is complete. The new owners of our old house move in today and we sincerely hope they experience as much love and joy in their new home as we did living there. We’ve always loved that house and are happy knowing we are passing on a better house than the one we moved into 6 years ago.

We are now well into phase two – the interim phase. This is the four/five week period where we get to spend time with friends and family, tie up loose ends, pay final bills, and all the other things that come with moving from one place to another.

We are blessed to be staying with our lovely friends, Lise, Peter, Karim, Amir and their dog, Polly and their cat, Spidey Plaster. They have so graciously opened up their beautiful home to us and our dogs, and all are settling in just fine.

Naturally, our dogs are ‘testing the boundaries’, and last night, while Robert and I were at the jam, Daisy tried to get into the garbage, and Duke managed to get into a large tub of dog food, leaving a mess all over the floor. Robert had to get out of bed several times during the night to let Duke out to relieve himself of the extra large meal. Note to selves… lock EVERYTHING away when we go out. Hmph.

Other than putting new strings on our old Yamaha guitar, I don’t plan on doing much this week other than sleeping a lot, and reading, and perusing the world wide web! Bliss! It feels like ages since I’ve been able to relax.

Robert, on the other hand, is working. His clients still require computer maintenance. Mine, thankfully, are willing to wait until June. :-)

I must make mention of some very special people that saved our butts! If Ivan and Catherine hadn’t shown up on Thursday night to help us pack, I don’t think Robert and I would have been ready for when the moving truck arrived. They worked hard packing the kitchen late into the night. Ivan came back the next morning to help finish off, along with John, and together, we managed to get it all done… before the truck left!

Many thanks also to Robert’s brother and sister-in-law, William and Luisa, for coming out after the truck had left to help clean the house. By that time, Robert and I were exhausted, so while we had a lovely dinner with Marco and Lila, Alphonse and Anne, the most wonderful William and Luisa did a fantastic job cleaning up.

Robert and I are truly blessed with the most wonderful, loving, kind and generous friends and family, all of whom we will miss. We look forward to seeing all of you before we leave. We equally look forward to making new friends in Nova Scotia and introducing you to many wonderful Easterners.


The Art of Decluttering

Posted on by
2

I always thought I was gifted when it came to the art of decluttering. I now question that assumption. Until one discovers the cost of moving items across a country the size of Canada, one has never experienced the ultimate decluttering phenomenon.

Robert’s thinking is that if a 2 lb jar of peanut butter costs $11 at the store, but costs only $2.60 to ship it, and the jar is still nearly full, you ship it. I’m still struggling with the idea of putting an opened jar of peanut butter on a truck for a month.

Never mind the peanut butter. Having two home-based businesses means there are 7 years of paperwork that has to come with you. There’s a declutter project! I can’t begin to describe how exciting that one is. Especially when you have a cold and all you want to do is crawl into your nice warm bed, which after Friday, we won’t see again for another month!

Sigh.

Yes. The moving truck comes to pick up all our possessions we deem to be our treasures on Friday. It will then meander across Canada by the slow road to arrive sometime after possession date on our new home May 28. So, we’re basically homeless for a month, with two dogs and a cat. We’ll have a few weeks to kill, so expect visits!

 


Goodbye to the Hammond Organ

Posted on by
6

Today was a day of saying goodbye to some of our treasures. Our friend, Steve, is now the proud owner of the great Hammond organ Robert had in our living room. The cost to ship something like that out to Nova Scotia – well, maybe now Robert can get that grand piano he’s always wanted… someday.

Anybody need a deep freezer?


The adventure begins…

Posted on by
2

Well, we’ve done it. We’ve made a huge leap in search of a more enjoyable lifestyle. While we know that over the next while we will shed tears, share hugs, and extend invitations to come and visit with us, a wonderful new life of more music, art, and creativity in general, awaits us. For our friends and family, I promise to update this blog with info and photos, so you can share along with us as we embark on our adventure of relocating to Halifax, Nova Scotia!

Well, not really Halifax, exactly. About 10 minutes outside of Dartmouth, and 20 minutes from Halifax. Close enough! Kinda like driving from Maple Ridge to Port Moody.

Many of you know that we sold our home with the idea to downsize our mortgage simply to shift our focus from ‘working to pay the mortgage’ to ‘working to feed our creative souls’. With the first step accomplished, we began to hunt around for a suitable home in which to comfortably tap into the creative source and realize our full creative potential. It was then we realized how challenging that would be AND remain in Maple Ridge. Living in a townhouse just wasn’t appealing to either one of us, so we started looking farther afield. We looked at moving to the Island, the Interior, the Sunshine Coast, 100 Mile House… but nothing was really jumping out and saying ‘live here’!

Then, on a whim, I checked out the prices of homes back East. OMG. House prices there are HALF what they are here. We could not only downsize our mortgage, we could have a really nice home, too! Hm. Of course, we dismissed the idea right away, and continued to search Maple Ridge. But over time and much disappointment, the thought of going east kept popping up. We discussed the ramifications of such a move, what it would mean to us and the people around us. It became clear that the only two things that were ‘at issue’ were leaving people behind and facing snowy winters! Well, after the rainy winter we just had, I’m up for a change. It will be nice to experience the four seasons again.

So, what next? Hop a plane and go see for ourselves if we would even want to live there. Robert contacted a friend who had moved out there, who not only plays a mean guitar, he’s a realtor, too! How perfect is that? Thomas and his family welcomed us into their home for a week and Thomas showed us about 25 houses, as well as much of the surrounding area.

Folks, I have to tell you, we were blown away by how friendly people are there, and how active and alive the music and art scene is there. The history is fascinating, the culture is fascinating – so much for us to explore! And it is beautiful. (Pictures to come.)

I think the icing on the cake was when we were going through security at the Halifax airport to come back to Vancouver. We stood there staring at the security guards in total disbelief. They were smiling! And laughing! And joking with the people! Really? Airport security guards? I’m sold.

The day before we left, we put an offer on a house and it was accepted. Our new home sits on almost an acre of land, overlooks a valley of trees out the back which will be stunning in the fall, a golf course out the front door and across the street, and as of yet, no neighbours to the immediate right or left of us. Further to the right, (if you’re facing the house), there is a fellow building his own house. Interesting looking house with a lot of windows. Definitely wants to take in the view. We’re only 10 minutes away from everything, yet still with the feeling of being out in the country. Ahhh, peace and quiet.

Peace and quiet with Robert? LOL! Yes! This home has an ‘art studio’ for me, far enough away from Robert’s office and recording studio, that he can practice his accordion all day long at top volume. :-)

Okay, this is a long post to catch up with what’s going on. In the next day or two, I’ll give more details about the upcoming move. I am so grateful for this wonderful technology that we can stay in touch will all our peeps… I may feel like we never parted!

Love, Cailin & Robert