By the way...

We did sell our house to a lovely couple from Oakville, ON a week after we left Nova Scotia! Go figure. I guess it was waiting for them since it all went very smoothly and the closing date was February 15th. Thank you to everyone for all their prayers and good wishes over the past year as we waited for the house to sell. We would have gone crazy without everyone's upbeat support!

the long, slow departure

So.......after the decision to move in January, things started moving very fast. We had a very cozy Christmas and made the most of enjoying the calm before the storm and spending time with our friends. Once the new year was upon us we really had to ramp it up and get things moving...literally.

With the help of friends and family from afar we managed to get everything we owned loaded in a very large truck, suitcases packed, and the house ready to show for potential buyers. Walt and Lucas packed up the van with provisions for their cross country tour...5400kms in mid winter.

It was very tough on us to leave and I don't wish that on anyone...we just put one foot in front of the other. Thank goodness for the support from our family when we arrived who understood just how much all our friends in Nova Scotia mean to us and how much we love the Maritimes. And special mention goes to our dear friend Nancy who took care of us the night before we left and bravely sent us on our way.

Walt and Lucas had a fun, safe trip across the country with an overnight stop in Quebec City at the Chateau Frontenac and another overnight in Toronto to view the CN tower and city and spend some time with Karl, Hetty and family. Other than some weather around the lakes near Thunder Bay, ON, they were very fortunate with clear, albeit cold, weather.

lounging at
the Chateau after a tour of the old Quebec...what a cool experience (in more ways than one...it was -20 degrees)




Meanwhile, back in Edmonton, Spencer, Ethan and myself were settling in at my parent's place and trying to get our bearings. The boys started school together on February 1st and, of course, it was a big day with a HUGE change for all of them. I was nervous too. It was very strange to drive down the street where the house I grew up in sits...next to our old neighbors who still live there...on the way to school. Ethan's school has a small assembly every morning and he was greeted by a collective hello!! He is settling in well and likes his teacher and classmates. He told me the other night that he misses Ms. Leslie's evil eye though...it sent the class into giggles :) apparently. Ethan is very outgoing and I wasn't too worried about him fitting into his new school. His classroom is in a building that houses the Kindergarten-Gr 2 classes (see pics). He missed 10 days of school after only being there for 3 days because he had a very nasty virus that took a very long time to recover from and get back on his feet.

Ethan's school's front entrance

Lucas and Spencer are in another building, just next door, that accommodates the grade 3-6 students in one wing and the Junior High students in the other. The school population and building is much smaller than in Fall River so that was the initial adjustment and then, of course, trying to pick up with school work mid year and the most difficult, finding some kids to hang out with at lunch. We have had our good days and bad days but, for the most part, Lucas and Spencer have been working hard and digging deep some days to face the challenges that this move has presented. I am very proud of them. Last night the school had exclusive use of the West Edmonton Mall water park and the kids went with their Uncle Henry and cousins for 3 hours of water park fun! Everyone, except Lucas since he broke his wrist at the beginning of the month during a ski day with the junior high classes....yup, just to make it all a little more exciting.

Below is the entrance to Spencer and Lucas' school which houses the gr 3-6 students in one wing and the junior high grades, 7-9, in the other.

Walt, meanwhile, was in Fall River finishing his work there and staying with our neighbors across the street from 66 High Road. Paul and Celeste were gracious hosts and we are very grateful for their support over the last few weeks while things were so crazy. We hope we can have them over to our new home whenever we are settled over here :)...who knows??? With Walt here just last Wednesday we jumped right into looking at a few houses that were just listed and, on Friday, found our new home! It isn't finalized yet, but barring any major issues that come from a home inspection....things look good. We'll post some pics when we get possession on April 16th.

So...the odyssey is nearly coming to an end. What a year so far. We are slowly feeling like things aren't upside down and are really looking forward to settling into a new home and having Ella back! She has been staying with Walt's brother and being spoiled. Our family here have been a lifesaver and have held us up during some dark days. We have felt the Lord's hand in our lives throughout this too and that gives us peace.

We hope this finds you all well and we hope to be in touch again very soon.

Love,

Walter, Leona, Spencer, Lucas and Ethan

God bless.

Christmas 2009

Our warmest greetings from Fall River, Nova Scotia to you as Christmas Day approaches at an alarming rate!

The boys are now officially on Christmas break and with a lot of the busy-ness of getting things ready for the holidays finished, we are looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior and counting our blessings with our dear friends.

Our big news of the year is the weighty decision of moving to Edmonton...lock, stock and barrel! Well, that's not completely accurate since Leona and the boys will be living with her parents in St. Albert for a short time and Walt will be coming back to Nova Scotia to facilitate the house selling and finishing a project. Our "stuff" will be in storage until we find a place to live. Ella, our dog, will be vacationing at Walt's brother's place in Edmonton in the interim, of which we are eternally grateful.

After Walt's retirement from the military in 2007, a "final" move was part of the retirement package from DND. Nova Scotia has been a very gracious home for all of us and our boys are all born and raised as Maritimers....this place will always be a part of us regardless of where we live. The friends that we have made along the way we consider as our extended family; they have been a strong support and we have shared many, many laughs and tears. We aren't looking forward to leaving, but we are looking forward to the opportunities and adventures that await us. We will be leaving on January 21st, 2010.

In the meantime, life continues at a fast pace with three boys to keep us busy. Spencer is 15 years old now and has no trouble keeping himself busy with his voracious reading, fencing and social life. Lego is still his passion and music. He still plays the alto saxophone and this semester started working on the process of song composition. Keep those little ones in piano!

Lucas is in grade 7 and also involved in band. He is in the percussion section, which suits him, and I think he is humoring his mother :) His passion is basketball and he is busy with practices and games during the season and also goes to the gym after school twice a week to practice. His other interest is his ipod touch, which he purchased with his own earnings from working with his Dad this summer. We are kept busy ensuring that he doesn't become addicted to checking his email.

Ethan is 7 years old and in grade 2. He keeps us on our toes and is a sponge for information of which he is continually soliciting answers for all day long. Recently he informed us that, "milk is his staple"....yup, that's what we're up against! He enjoys sports and music and gave a great performance at his school's Christmas Concert that made us very proud.

A lot of changes for us in the coming year...we hope to see some of you along the way, and pray for you to have a blessed Christmas and New Year.

Love, Walt, Leona, Spencer, Lucas and Ethan

Golf, anyone?

Ella has taken a liking to an old golf ball that rolled out of the cupboard. She doesn't chew on it or, even play with it; she just puts it in her mouth and brings it to wherever she decides to lie down. It's quite funny. Anyway, I figure it's the Veldkamp side that's influencing her behavior!

A trip to the local Falconer

The boys and I were thrilled to visit the Halifax airport a couple of weeks ago and meet the falconer who is in charge of bird control on the runways. His name is Derek Forrest and he has a red-tailed hawk that Ethan is doing a project on at school. He was very kind to have us come by during his work day and he spent an half hour telling us all kinds of interesting things about hawks and falcons. Did you know that the falcon hunts in the air and the hawk hunts off the ground? And, the falcon humanely kills it's prey with a small puncture from the tip of his beak and the hawk tends to "play" with his food before consuming. Hmmmmmm.....who knew? Anyway, the picture speaks for itself.

We're moving out West...yeehaw!!

Yes, indeed, the FOR SALE sign has been erected in the front yard! After some agonizing decision-making, we have decided to begin a new chapter in our lives and move to the Edmonton area. Nova Scotia has been our home for 15 years and we have been privileged to have met many wonderful friends that have become our surrogate family (hence, the agonizing nature of our decision). But, our extended family are a good reason to supplant ourselves, and we're looking forward to getting to know all our cousins, nephews and nieces, aunts and uncles and grandparents even better. Keep posted...so far the house has been on the market for 2 weeks and we've had 7 showings (realestate lingo for: strangers wandering through your home poking through the closets)...hopefully it won't take too long.

Ethan lost a tooth!!

Ethan lost his first tooth the other day after a week of it teetering on the edge of his gum. It took a gentle nudge from Walt, and then it was out! Very exciting. The tooth fairy left a significant sum for the tiny tooth setting a worrying precedent for the next couple of years.