Family visiting and being busy

(airport pic with Nan and Gramps) 

(different airport, different grandparent, same day)

We just finished a super busy week or so of visiting my family in NB, then hosting Jon's mom here in Newfoundland for a week. Our schedules have been all over the place, and we have gotten some really good family time. Seeing family is what reminds us that moving home is absolutely the right decision for us*.

We are definitely the kind of people who are not usually busy. Jon and I don't work a lot, and we don't have crazy social lives, and we don't do a ton of extra activities. We also don't have a lot of kids (just one!). We get tons of downtime, usually. I know it's cooler these days to say you are super busy, so I guess maybe we are uncool. I always thought "work hard, play hard" was a good way to be, but these days, we don't work hard or play hard by a lot of people's standards. And we love it. All that to say that when we do actually have a "work hard, play hard" week, we are exhausted. We need a weekend to recuperate.

*It has meant so much to me that a handful of old friends and also my current coworkers have been so supportive of this huge decision to move home. Some people have shared their mixed feelings about the places they currently live, and the pull they feel to move home. Big life decisions are tough! But also dead easy when you follow your heart/gut/instincts.

A few recent pics...

(bike rides whenever the temperature gets above 10)

(we super-decluttered for our realtor pics) 

(loves to play "weatherman" and go on the deck to tell us what it's like out) 

(an impromptu JJ's date as our house had a showing) 

(loves hats of all kinds)

We are so looking forward to this long weekend coming up, because we finally get to meet baby Gage, my sister's new babe. I have all the emotions just by looking at pics of him, so I can only imagine what it will be like to actually hold him. And Cohen is beyond excited to see everyone he face times. 

Side note: Cohen and I attended a field trip with the local family resource centre to the police station today. The policemen were all really good with the kids, letting them try on hats, touch handcuffs, climb in the cop cars. Highlights for Cohen: eating a rice krispie treat given to him by a cop, and "driving" a cop car. Highlight for me: watching the closed circuit television of the criminal in the holding cell. Addictive. There was a monitor in almost every room we visited, making it easy for me to watch the whole time. I watched him use the washroom, ask for something through his door, drink something from a cup. Reality tv. 

Let me get this all down (aka we are moving)

(This is a five minute bike ride from our house. Taken on Sunday)

I am realizing more and more that the big decisions in life have to be made with your gut. Not your heart, not your head. We are moving. It might not sound like the best decision based on logic. Read on for a look into my head lately.

Library list

I'm always reading, spending tons of money on Chapters.ca. And getting a legit thrill when there is a new book at my library.

Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed. Loved it, loved it so much. I really loved Wild, and I maybe loved this even more. It's just a bunch of letters she got when she had an advice column, but her answers are so good. I mean, the gist is to live your life messily and happily and intensely, but you just have to read it.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. So I loved Eat Pray Love just like the rest of the world. I read Committed, and it was OK, not the best. I thought Big Magic was decent, maybe especially if you are a creative. I actually really feel like I get to be creative in my job every day. Sometimes when I am working, I get into the zone, and 45 minutes will pass without me even being aware of time. My job feels so much more artistic than maybe people think when they think about dentistry. Maybe it's just me. But basically the book is all about putting yourself out there and making something.

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. This book was actually mentioned in both the Dear Sugar book and the Big Magic book. This book is a life-changer in my opinion and also the opinion of a billion people who watched her TED talk. The gist is that you need to love yourself, but you really have to read it. Maybe read it twice.

32 years old

I turned 32 yesterday. I like 32. I think I am going to have a really good year with a lot of changes and a lot of good things. Although I worked on my birthday, I was totally spoiled with a huge flower arrangement from J, and a huge gift basket filled with Newfoundland chocolate from my coworkers. 

I took this picture in the morning on my birthday. That little smiling face is the best. I could not be happier. Also, he is wearing the hat that my parents sent him in my birthday package. He has been wearing it non-stop, and insists on leaving the price tag attached to the back. So everywhere we go, people are like, oh you forgot to remove the price tag! And I'm like, no, I have a strong-minded two-year-old. Who loves tags.

Also, I can't stop thinking about the thousands of people in the Fort McMurray area who are fleeing the fire. Disasters like that really put things in perspective.