Diversity and Inclusion...to some those are 'fighting words'

Since we moved to Ottawa, one of the things that I have loved the most is how diverse and unique my new community is. I have seen a celebration of diversity, but now that diversity is being threatened. In hearing about the news of the attack in the mosque in Quebec my heart is breaking. Is the world so broken that we can't and won't understand and love each other? I know I struggle with this too. I struggle to understand why I can't be who I really am in some circles for fear of judgement and it bothers me that my fear of this has made me silent in situations where perhaps I should speak up and advocate. Are we so preoccupied with our own self interest that we are blind to the pain of others...that we refuse to take the risk? The more time I spend on social media, the more disappointed I am in the state of humanity. Well I am done. To use some 'trigger' words: I am a Christian, Pro-choice Feminist. Saying I am a Christian means that I believe in the divine and I believe in Jesus and the love he showed to the world and I want to conduct myself in a similar way. Saying I am pro-choice doesn't mean I would have an abortion. In fact, I wouldn't. It means I don't feel it is my right or place to make or force that decision on someone else. Saying I am a Feminist does not mean I hate men. It means I acknowledge and have experienced sexism and believe that women still face oppression in many ways throughout the world. I believe in equality and inclusion. In fact, I have seen more grace shown through my friends from the LGBTQ community, than in many of the churches I have attended throughout my life. I am pro-refugee because I believe that we have an obligation to care for others even if there is a minuscule chance that we could be harmed. So much more good can come from it. I believe in fighting for racial equality, because I acknowledge that people have not been afforded the same opportunities that I have because of the colour of their skin. I realize based on the above, I may not fit into the box you want to put me in. You can tell me I am a terrible Christian because of my 'liberal' views or an awful Feminist because of my religious beliefs. If you have a problem with me, I can't apologize for it and I do not want you to convert me to your way of thinking. If you unfriend me, that's your right. But in these awful times, I feel like I have to stand up and be honest about who I am...who I feel God created me to be. It is much more important to show love to others, than to win an argument. God have mercy on us.

Mix and match - update post (long overdue)

You are not hallucinating. This is actually a blog post. 

It's be awhile so I thought I should update those of you who know that I still exist.

Ottawa Life: 

We still love living in the Ottawa area. There are a lot of benefits (the weather being one of the most awesome parts once you get used to the change in humidity). What is tough lately though is the isolation. I still am struggling to find good quality relationships. I guess that I can't expect to have friendships like the ones that I have formed in Saskatchewan and elsewhere that took years to form. Patience is indeed something that I have yet to master (on many levels). 

 Missing Family and Friends: 

I do miss my family and friends a lot. It is especially hard after numerous days of Jeremy being away. He is working in New Brunswick right now. I try really hard not to whine about him being gone as I know that it can't be helped. I don't know how my neighbours who are in the military do it. I can't imagine being without him for months at a time. A few days is hard enough. 

 Baby Blah... 

In other news I finally have a specialist appointment coming up next week related to the baby thing. I had surgery at the end of January and never had my post-op appointment so I hope to find out some information there with respect to that too. I'm in a weird space with all of that right now. The longing is still there but it's been so many years and so many challenging moments that I might be starting to resign myself to the worst possible result. I have some fears and have wondered if I should just not follow through with the appointment, but I think that would be stupid. 

 Family trips: 

When we've been together in the last few months, we have had many opportunities to go on various trips and that has been amazing. Most recently we spent some time in New England in New Hampshire and Maine. It was so beautiful! It was really hard to leave. We visited a Shaker Village in New Hampshire that was established in the late 1700's (I convinced/forced Bryson to dress up like a shaker). It was a fascinating place to visit. And to top it all off, we ate our share of lobster! My mother in law is visiting in October and I think that we might end up going back at that point. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure (although they really don't do it justice at all):

The move

So I finally have some time to sit down and write about our trip to our new home. We were very fortunate to have almost perfect weather the whole way which is kind of unheard of for this time of year and I didn't have any health complications despite having surgery a few short days before. I attribute it all to the God factor. (We had a lot of people praying) 

We were very blessed to have my parents and mom in law there for the trip and to help us get settled in after which was nice. 

It certainly was a marathon driving session but beautiful scenery. I am looking forward to the trip again in the summer when the weather is nice and we aren't so rushed. 

Here are some pictures from our trip:

The Manitoba border

Cooper did extremely well. No accidents in the car or hotel rooms and he did a lot of sleeping.

Near Lake of the Woods

Finally in Ontario and close to Dryden. (Our first stop)

Sunrise as we left Dryden. On our way to Sault Ste. Marie. 

Between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. Dad, Bryson and I did a lot of singing and goofing around while also enjoying the scenery. 

At first we thought we might make it to watch the Super Bowl but not quite so Jeremy, Bryson and I listened to it via Sirius. (Way to go Seahawks)

I didn't do much picture taking our last day. These all were taken just outside of Ottawa. It was dark when we arrived so no pictures of the house were taken that night. We were too busy shovelling our driveway. (They get A LOT of snow here)

Our driveway after I had shovelled. All of our neighbours have snowblowers and now that makes complete sense to me.

Thanks for reading! More to come! 

We miss and love you all.

This thing just got a lot more real...

So after our house being on the market for just over a month with not much activity in the beginning, we ended up in a double offer situation. Initially we accepted a conditional offer based on the sale of someone else's home but with a 48 hour clause for them to remove conditions if we got another offer. Well, yesterday we got our second offer and today the people who offered first removed their conditions which means that the house is officially sold. No turning back now. It has been tough to go through this journey so much alone. Jeremy has been gone so much and most of the conversations that we have had about this have been via text or phone. (You thought selling your house was complicated normally...try dealing with offers while one of you is 3000 kms away!) He sent me a text tonight saying the following: "I love you babe. I'm excited to shake things up." I am excited too, but sad kind of at the same time. Last night I stood in my hallway and I cried. The house was so quiet, Bryson and Cooper (my dog child) were sleeping and I thought about all of the memories in this little house and in this city. I've also thought a lot about the people (family and friends) that we are leaving behind and how hard it will be to step into the car when that day comes, and now that date is clear in my mind as a reality and not a possibility. It's funny how much you realize what you have when it is about to be a lot less accessible to you. I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life and I have no way to ever repay each and every one of you for the kindness and immeasurable gifts that you have given us. In many ways, I wish that it didn't take such a drastic step for me to realize the richness of my life as it is in this very moment. I love you all and more posts to come. It's about to get crazy...

And so it begins...

Life is moving forward, and so will we. For the last number of months, Jeremy and I have been talking about making a move out east to Ottawa. Since the discussion has now become a reality, we thought it might be good to have a place to write about this specifically. I know we aren't the first prairie folks to move out east, but since most of our friends and family will be living so far from us we thought this would be a good way to stay in touch. Stay tuned!