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Finally taking some time to exhale.

I cannot believe what a whirlwind the last 6 months have been - from travelling to Iceland for a photographic tour, buying and selling a house, packing up and moving to the country and then setting up a new house.

Add on two more trips - a photographic retreat in July and a kayaking trip in August and it equals overload!

Everything was planned a year in advance with the exception of the house move - what a crazy ride it’s been!

Oh about the renos that were never intended - it seemed that a seemingly simple decision had so many knock on impacts that necessitated more scope than we planned - like putting in a heat pump for air conditioning and to clean out the overcrowded mechanical room resulted in learning that the ductwork was not set up for effective air distribution.

Oh and let’s not forget that the house that was not supposed to be a project has turned into a series of significant projects, but we have navigated our way through everything to this point and come out intact and still happily married.

Plus the house is great! It really is!

I finally feel like I have time to stop and take stock of my world and come up for some much needed air. I am actually very proud of myself and how I’ve handled the last 6 months as any one of the things I’ve been through could be termed stressful, but when they are all combined that’s a lot of added stress (not to mention how well Kory has done during this time - he’s amazed me time and time again - plus he’s really sexy wearing a tool belt).

I’ve managed it well with some moments of total overwhelm and responses that are not what I would have liked. Cue the memory of me pulling up to the new house after what seemed like the bajillionth trip to the old house during the month of overlap in ownership - stepping out of my car and for no apparent reason bursting into tears. Picture a shocked Kory rushing over to find out what’s wrong and if I’m hurt or anything - only to be told that I’m so done with moving! He was a gem and put his arms around me and said he understood. That was all I needed to recover my equilibrium and take a few deep breaths before keeping on going.

The trips

The trip to Iceland came just as we were making the offer on the new house, so the timing was anything but optimal.

Kory encouraged me to go and enjoy myself as this trip had been planned for months - he is so wise and I’m very grateful that I went on the trip and experienced a very different Iceland from my December trip (Iceland galleries).

The conditions were so different from my December trip and I captured some images and memories that will stay with me.

The photography retreat in July had some very pleasant and unexpected outcomes which made it extremely worthwhile. (Photography Retreat)

What I gained from this adventure far outweighs the inconvenient timing - plus I think that Kory really enjoyed playing demolition man while I was gone.

He also admitted that it helped him to really appreciate all of my contributions to keeping things running smoothly - I am grateful for this feedback as I often feel like I’m not contributing as much as he is to these renovations.

Finally there was the kayaking trip in August which also came at peak house project time - I really thought we agreed to not doing any big projects when we were looking at houses! This time in British Columbia ended up being the best thing we could have done as I really valued my time away with Kory. We met some amazing people and had fun times and some interesting conversations.

The funny thing was that taking the week break didn’t negatively impact any of the project work and in fact it helped to rejuvenate us a bit.

House Update

I have reflected on the fact that I did not want to move and in fact I could see myself being happy in our old home well into the future - fast forward 4 months and I can’t see myself anywhere but where I am currently. I love being in the new location - the house that suits us so well, the quiet and the nature and birds and, and, and…..

We’ve broken the back of the main projects we wanted to complete (i.e., the new electrical service and HVAC system - oh and the camper van pad so that it can be parked at home instead of at a storage facility) and while they are not sexy items, we know that they are foundational to living comfortably and effectively (unfortunately air quality is a major issue in the summer due to forest fire smoke and a good air cleaning system has become important from a health perspective). I’m really glad that we put in the effort now instead of trying to live with systems that didn’t work well for us and our lifestyle.

I especially enjoy the time that I spend just enjoying the birds around our property. Evenings are spent sitting on the deck or front porch observing the birds’ antics and occasionally pulling out my long lens to photograph them. I get so much pleasure from this and being able to slow down and take my time further enhances the experience.

The next phase

Now it is time to stop, breathe and take time to be mindful and grateful for all that has transpired in the past six months. Appreciating all the work that we’ve done and how we’ve come through stronger and more supportive of each other - what a lot of things we have to be grateful.

I think it’s time to get back into the healthy routines that we established and savour the moments of stillness that are coming more frequently as all the busy work winds down. There are still more projects to be done, but they are not so intrusive to our living space and we have been fortunate to find some very trustworthy contractors to work with.

Something tells me that there will always be things to do here and I’m really enjoying that too - maybe we really did need a project.

Have you been going through any major transitions or life changes this past year? Any key learnings? I’d love it you’d share your experiences in the comments below or drop me a note using the Connect With Me button.

I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.