July - went backpacking with Brian (yep, just the two of us!) in Washington state. It was beautiful, but there was snow, and we couldn't find the trail we wanted once we got to the lake we stayed at, so we hiked along a different route that we found and had fun with that. It was a lot colder at night than we had anticipated, but it was a blast!
We also went to Brian's brother's wedding. Dan and Kendra got married at the end of the month and it was a really great wedding and we are so excited for them. Married life is the good life. We also took some family pictures. Here's a short taste of them.
August - I came back from Washington by myself and left Abby with her grandparents and aunt. I think she is totally going through withdrawals from all the family close by to none. I got packing and then Brian and Abby came home a few days later. Packing was definitely easier when they were both not around.
The following Monday my parents came and helped us pack. They were champs. And that following Thursday my sister and her family came, and also all of Brian's immediate family for Brian's graduation on Aug 13th. It was awesome to see him get his PhD. I was so pleased! And so was he.
The day after graduation we had a moving party and got all our things into the truck that would go to Canada. Thanks to all those guys who helped out. Sunday we finished packing and cleaning and drove up to my sister's house, because Monday, she and I were going to roadtrip it to Detroit.
Roadtrip with Barb - It was a ton of fun, though I was sick, so it probably wasn't as fun as it could have been. We drove through some really cool places, included Antwerp, Ohio (google street view, seriously). We discovered the simpler side of the USA, and it was refreshing. We also got to see my aunt and female cousins while in Detroit. Last time either of us saw them was 20 years ago, plus. It was very fun and very nice. She was a champ and drove all the way except for the four measly hours I contributed. Yep, Texas to Detroit and I drive four.
Sick - Right here I should probably mention why I was sick. Turns out that the day we moved I ended up going to the doctor and then hospital because I am pregnant with twins. They'll be due in April. I suspected that I could be pregnant with twins. I told Brian in Washington that either my abdominal muscles never made a comeback after Abby or I was carrying more than one. At the hospital I had an ultrasound down and I saw two little black holes on that machine and thought, "Hm." It was still crazy to hear it confirmed by the doctor, but I expected it. My family is pretty stunned, and in fact, my brother thought I was totally joking when I told him. How do Brian and I feel about it? I think he's probably more excited than me, because I'm thinking about how the heck I'm going to work this, especially in a new place where we don't yet know anyone, but it will work out. And if I'm ever going to learn patience, this would probably be a good time.
Canada - Finally we arrive in Canada after driving a totally scenic route to the bridge across. Immigration was surprisingly fast. We didn't wait long to be cleared, and we had good reason to be in Canada (job) so I guess that all helped. While we were answered our officer's questions this guy next to us was totally trying to pull one. He was so vague and short in his answers. Question: "Why are you coming to Canada." Answer: "Kind of a social meeting with potential clients." Period. That was it. Follow-up question: "This is a business meeting?" Answer:"No, we won't be selling anything, just meeting with them." OK.... I don't think there's a chance he made it across, because the last thing I heard from the officer was: "Listen, if I find out you're lying to me..." Others had hard problems too. One girl who was waiting next to us in the lobby was calling someone saying that she was having a hard time proving that she was financially independent. It was eye-opening.
The drive was really weird. I never expected three hours of farm land as soon as we left Windsor (right on the US-Canada border), but that's what we got. We also ran into what seemed like a half hour detour. But we all made it in one piece. The following day we got our apartment, and everything was hooked up. It's a nice place we live in. Eight floors, feels like we live in a hotel, but it's nice. This post is seriously long, so I'll save some Canadaisms for the next one. There are definitely some things we'll need to get used to while we're here. So know that we're safe, we're happy, we have a bed (well, we get it Tuesday) and a kitchen table, and it will make all the difference until our stuff gets here on Saturday.
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