Just 3 weeks after our move, I am glad to say that our house
is already starting to feel like a home.
It was a bit rocky at first, but we’re all feeling very settled
now. I tried hard to explain the
move to Rya before it happened, but it’s pretty difficult to be logical with a
two year-old. When we were still
doing trips back and forth between houses, I said to Rya “this is our old house
and tomorrow we’re going to our new house”. Her insightful response was “mama, this no house, this home”. Up until that point, I guess I had always referred to our
home as just that – and so Rya literally and figuratively thought that it couldn’t
be anything other than her home.
For the first few days after the move, every time we pulled up in the
driveway and announced “we’re home”, Rya would declare from the backseat: “no,
not this one”. Sometimes she would
complain “it’s too big” (not because it is, but because that’s the only
description she could think of to differentiate the houses…just like she calls
any food she doesn’t like ‘too spicy’ and says ‘brrr, too cold’ when she
doesn’t want to go outside...even in 25 degree weather!).
Once we managed to convince Rya that this home was the best
place for us, Ivan and I had to test our own decision as well. One of
the main reasons we decided to move was because our research suggested that it would be several years before our previous community,
Copperfield, would ever get a school.
And then…on our closing date…we heard the announcement on the radio that
the provincial budget allocated funds for several new schools in Calgary including
one right down the street from our ‘old house’. Ivan spent the evening slapping his forehead and I spent the
evening trying to convince him that it was still the right decision, even
though I was wondering if I was telling the truth. But after letting the information soak in for a few days, we
quickly remembered the many other reasons we had wanted to move. Our new location really suits us
well. So far we’ve gone for short
evening walks to the pool, for dinner, for ice cream…and of course to Calgary’s
newest Target store. We’ve also managed
to find a family doctor, a Montessori school for Rya, and a dayhome for baby –
all close to home. And probably
the nicest bonus, is a close walk to the community lake, which is actually a
lot nicer than I had even imagined.
I’ve always found water to be calming, and it’s nice to know that the
girls can always have that option nearby.
The house itself is really cozy and practical. The finished basement is a nice place to leave messy for the
babies, and even has a mini-sized playroom that Ivan has essentially
transformed into a classroom. I
definitely miss the shiny-ness that can only come with a brand new house. But when I join Ivan’s vivid daydreams
of what our fixer upper will look like after a few renovations, I fall in love
with it even more.
All in all, we’re really happy with our ‘new old’ home, and
are moving through the stages of grief for the new old house we left ; )
