July 31, 2005
That mad Volcano
It's insane, Mt Rainier, it sneaks up on you wherever you go here. You turn an unsuspecting corner and there it is. Completely fantastic.
(scuse crappy out-of-window-of-moving-vehicle photo)
July 27, 2005
mmm food
Since moving here we've had Chinese and Indian food both delivered, and both *awesome*. Chinese last night was sooo good, and Indian last week was almost as good as home. It's fantastic to be back in the land of decent food!
July 26, 2005
The New House - in Pictures
DSC_3546
Originally uploaded by katybops.
I'm struggling with this Flickr set but here's some photo's of the new place I took when we went to get the survey done. Featuring G, D, H & the estate agent in the background on occasion!
Why Amazon, not Google, rule the world
A note on our door informed me that there was a package from Amazon that they'd delivered to the complex's office. I went to pick it up, and the lady went into a back room to look for it. I called out to her that it was from Amazon to aid her search, and she laughed and said 'come in here'. The entire room was full of Amazon packages for various people who live here!
July 25, 2005
Ouch
While in England I fell, while SMS'ing a certain person that shall remain nameless, and broke my hand. Since then the pain has gotten a little worse to the point where it's hurting all the way down my wrist. I think I need to find a DR!
In other news, G bought a very stupid new car which is a giant pickup truck, a Ford F250 XLT Lariat to be precise. It's enormous. It has a crew cab so we can all go out in it (do I want to?). The good news is that it'll be able to move crap from A to B as we do the new house, and it will also tow just about anything so at such point we buy a boat (if indeed we do), it'll shift it. Or a caravan. Or something.
My new Brit friends continue to invite me to more places than I can shake a stick at. Dylan seems a little more relaxed with each day. H remains cute and cuddly. G and I are investigating bathrooms and kitchens for the new house, I want something 'perfect' ... seeing as we're putting them in from scratch we can have exactly what we want out of it and I want to do lots of research to make sure we make the right choices.
On Friday we had the inspection done on our new house and it passed with flying colours! So exciting, it is in excellent shape, so all steam ahead!
July 22, 2005
Happy Birthday Happy Harry!
Dear Darling Baby Boy
Unbelievably you are 1 year old today. I cannot begin to imagine where this last year has gone! I also can't believe that you've only been with us a year, it's just incomprehensible to imagine life without you.
This last month, this last year, you've been changing so quickly that if I blink I'm in danger of missing something. Your cute little face, your gorgeous smile, your charming nature - always so happy, smiley, and full of love for everyone around you - they're such a joy to behold.
I took you to see your family in the UK this month and they were completely charmed by you. While we were there you also learned to crawl while you were at grandma's house..... commando crawling but crawling nonetheless. You also learned to clap when we say 'good boy' or 'hurray', and you learned to wave hello and goodbye which is the cutest thing I ever saw when you open and close your hand in delight at learning how to do it. You learned to sit up in the bath and then flip over to lie down and splash around as if you're swimming, turning yourself around and around. Delightful.
The whole moving process, flitting from A to B to C to D, hasn't bothered you in the slightest. Quite content wherever you are. I was worried you'd have forgotten your Dad while we were in England but when you saw him at Seattle Airport after our long flight here, you gave him the biggest beaming smile and clearly remembered him!
Since arriving we've met lots of nice Brits who have babies all around the same age as you. Yesterday we went to a party for one of them whose birthday is 2 days after yours and you got little presents from them, which was lovely. This afternoon we're going to another friends house who is holding a little party for you with cake!
Your brother still adores you and you adore him, he's the best person in the whole world to play with. We bought you an infaltable fire engine truck which is also a ball pit thing, full of plastic balls, for your birthday and as soon as you came downstairs this morning you were squealing with joy and crawling into it with Dylan and enjoying the balls.
Little man, you are a complete joy, so happy and content, so sweet and loving. We love you very much.
Mummy (Mommy) xxxx
July 20, 2005
We got it!
So, subject to inspection, we are once more Home Owners and no longer world travelling nomads :-)
The Brit Pack
Something I've learned in the last week is that there is a big community of Brits here, and that they all stick together! I posted a msg on a 'MS Social' site saying we were new to the area and have been innundated with messages from Brits offering dinner, coffee, playdates for kids, etc. We have found a really nice Estate Agent through this who has been here for 3 yrs and whose husband works 1 floor above G. I also met another really nice girl yesterday who has 2 kids and we went to the beach and tomorrow I meet another and there are others lining up too. Plus they all know each other and there's a huge 'web' of Brits which all look out for each other. I asked jokingly if anyone ever talks to the 'locals' and apparently the answer is no - lol. I'm not complaining it's refreshing to hang out and not be 'different' or 'foreign'.
Our lovely real estate agent has found us a house too....... well, we have made an offer on a place tonight, how scary. However, there's another offer on the table too and the market here is 'hot' which means often people end up in bidding wars that go over the asking price, so I am trying not to get too excited.
It is a nice house though, older and on a fairly steep hill (it's very hilly here!) in a nice established neighbourhood. It's a 'split level'.... you go in and the main living areas are on that floor. There is a vaulted ceiling in the living room and in the dining room area, and a nice kitchen. Then there is a laundry and 3 bedrooms (master with ensuite) and another bathroom at the end. The kitchen and living room open onto a beautiful deck (off ground because the house is on the slope) which overlooks wonderful valley / mountains / forests.
Then downstairs, which I guess you term 'walk out' is mad. There is another living room (both living rooms have wood burning fireplaces), a dark room (i guess the previous owner was in to photography!), another large room, another large room again, a hot tub room with a hot tub in (!) with all wood panelling and tiles, a bathroom, and then on the other side of the hallway another 2 large rooms. Not entirely sure what we'd do with the space if we get the house , I think it's 2900 sq ft in total!
Well it may all go wrong yet, we may not get our offer accepted and also the inspection might put a damper on things, but it's certainly the best value for money we've seen so far. It does need a bit of updating, esp the kitchen and bathrooms, but it seems to be in fairly good nick (nice big garden too) and the area is very nice and pretty. Best of all it's 15 mins walk into Redmond town center (hurrah! life!) through beautiful leafy streets (although bit of a climb uphill to get back!).
I'm getting carried away with myself, I must not get my hopes up too high!
It's extremely beautiful here, there are mountains in every direction including the mad Volcano whose snow covered peak sneaks up on you everywhere you look. There are trees and beautiful plants everywhere, and water everywhere too. After Brampton it's just bliss to be surrounded by such a stunning landscape. We have driven to the Ocean (2 hrs) ..... by that I mean the pacific shore not the Puget Sound r...... fantastic. I have so much that I want to do that I'll never fit it all in before the end of the Summer, not that it gets any colder than about 8 degrees in the winter apparently !
As you may be able to tell I'm feeling quite positive about being here :) Everyone we've spoken to loves it and doesn't want to leave ever, which is refreshing from the Brits you meet in Canada who when you ask if they like it say 'No not really'.!
I also bought a Sat Nav which is funny and very very useful. Managed to drive around all over the place today without getting lost and it even directed me to the nearest Starbucks! I had experienced Neils sat nav with the rather angry EXIT THE ROUNDABOUT voice, but this one is a little more polite!
Harry is absolutely fine, growing like a weed, clapping and waving and chattering away , also crawling ! He turns 1 on Friday, can you believe it's been a year? Dylan is still a bit unsettled by the whole moving thing, has developed a giant fear of Daleks and Dr WHo (something he LOVED prior to coming here) and refusing to go to bed every night incase his mum gets turned into one. I hope he'll settle soon but it's tough on him to be so out of his own environment and not able to have his things around him. Trying to meet as many people as possible to find him some little buddies.
Other than that, continuing to try to find my feet but mostly feeling extremely positive and enjoying it!
July 18, 2005
Welcome to the 'real world'
G goes back to work today so I'm facing 'reality' in some ways with trying to find lots to do to fill up the days. So far not bad as I've got tons of things lined up to see people, some Brits, during the week plus I have to go house hunting in the minutes where I'm not doing that! Went out for a BBQ at one of G's colleagues places yesterday afternoon which was really nice, great to socialise with some people who are not G lol... and they were very friendly and welcoming. So far it seems that people are very aware of your situation here, in terms of understanding you're far from home, and making lots of efforts to get to know us and invite us places, which is great! Just what we need really.
It's bloody hot in this temp house, no air conditioning and hot temperatures outside. Yesterday we went to see a few and liked a couple - going to look at a few more this week, I want to buy and get settled as soon as possible. I have to drive G into work today because we've only got 1 car between us, then no doubt will get horribly lost on the way home and not make it back!
Yesterday we found a drive thru Starbucks - result!
July 15, 2005
Happy Anniversary
Our 10 yr wedding anniversary today, not that we've really been feeling like celebrating it very much what with being all out of sorts and stressed. Got a video out for tonight which I will almost certainly fall asleep infront of within 10 mins of it going on. Last night I stayed up late to try to get over this jet lag, but still woke at 6.30 this morning so I have ended up even more tired than I was before.
Got a new mobile today - a T-Mobile Sidekick (very Paris Hilton), it's alot of fun and does everything I need from a phone! Feel a little less cut off from the world as a result, although not sure I really have many people to txt with or anything... you use it so much in the UK but over here for some reason nobody bothers.
Tomorrow we start house hunting - feeling a little concerned about it as apparently it is a sellers market and prices are hugely inflated. Gah. Still, can't be worse than this rented place beside the 405 which is VERY LOUD INDEED!
July 14, 2005
Mid Week
After all the upheaval of recent weeks I'm not feeling hugely inclined to be out and about doing things or seeing things. I just want to crawl into bed and stay there. Or at most, relax in this temporary home without having to fit into any kind of schedule.
The boys are settling OK. H is very pleased to see his dad and happy for him to do some of the work (which after being a single parent for a couple of weeks is very welcome). He's also crawling around commando style and clapping and waving and being generally extremely cute. He's a bit cheesed off whenever we put him in the car mind you, I am not sure why he's developed an aversion to it but hopefully he'll get over it. D is a bit stressed, also thrilled to be with his dad, but last night had 'tummy ache' which with him means he's worrying or stressed. Overall he's OK though, seems mostly happy.
I'm fucked off with not having a mobile phone at the moment. The other day I had my hair extensions taken out and G got delayed picking me up. This meant I was standing outside waiting for 45 mins and got extremely upset because I had no idea where I was, where I lived, how to get there, or who to call should anything have happened.
I joined an msn group for people who recently relocated here that are interested in social things (through "The Company"). I've had a couple of emails, one from a Brit, so maybe I'll find a friend somewhere. It's kinda lonely without any. Especially after 2 wks in the UK and a whole ton of them.
July 12, 2005
Tuesday
Our stuff arrived this morning. That is, the stuff that was marked for 'immediate delivery' - i.e. a load of things we cannot live without. The only things I recall requesting being marked for 'Immediate Delivery' were my PC, the XBox, and a few baby toys. What actually arrived was my PC, Dylans PC, a printer, a bunch of other electricals, the entire contents of my linen cupboard at home, the bedding from the spare room, Harry's crib mattress (no crib), the light fixtures from Dylans room, every item of clothing that G owns, 3 suitcases, a stroller, a piece of a vaccum cleaner, fourteen thousand coat hangers, 2 high chairs, a baby chair, a soccer ball, a star wars light sabre, 3 laundry baskets and a video camera. Hmm. As you can imagine, we are now completely swamped with crap that we don't need with no clue how we are going to move it to the new house when the time comes. On top of that is the worry that apparently we had 32,000lb worth of goods and only 20,000lb worth of allowance. No idea what that bill is going to be like but I sure as hell am not paying it!
Next on the agenda for today was to get my hair extensions removed. Loads of them had fallen out and it was beginning to look scraggy. Also it'd, despite following care instructions to the letter, become very dry and tangled and impossible to deal with. I found a salon online and asked if I could come in and then spent a couple of hours in the chair while she took them out. The bliss of being able to run a brush through my hair is second to none. It is crap short, but it's so much easier, I blow dried it in about 10 seconds flat as opposed to 2.5 hrs previously.
We then drove into Seattle, taking note of the car pool lane which is a fantastic idea..... only available to use with 2+ people in a car. Bizarrely everyone else sits in solid traffic on their ownsome while the carpool lane flies along.
Seattle is lovely, very hilly, busy, vibrant and happening. After the deadness of Toronto this is just brilliant to observe.
Did a brief stop at Target on the way home (ner ner canadian friends I did think of you while browsing!) and stocked up on a couple of non essentials.
Since home have been unpacking the bizarre boxes and have yet to eat, and still feeling utterly jet lagged and exhausted.
July 11, 2005
Seattle
I can't describe the surreal nature of flying into a place that you are going to call home, having never seen it before and having no idea what to expect.
The flight here was great, BA couldn't have been more helpful in terms of helping me with zillions of bags and the kids. As the plane landed I felt a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing but held it together. The bloody baggage people sent the stroller to baggage reclaim so I had to carry H, but thankfully a nice BA man helped me by carrying the car seat. Got into a bit of a mess at immigration as I hadn't filled out the right forms (complicated, when emigrating). They put me in a fast track queue but then I got sent away to do the right forms, they guy wouldn't lend me his pen and I was stuck until someone helped out and lent me theirs, and I sort of wobbled at this point on the edge of meltdown struggling for the sake of the boys to keep it together.
When we finally got through immigration we went down where the BA staff had my bags and were wondering where I had got to. Seattle airport is a disaster zone as you have to get your bags, go through Customs, then put your bags on another conveyor an take a tube train to another bit. We did this, then came out not sure where to go .... felt once more overwhelmed and realised there was no contingency plan in place and if I couldn't find G would be completely lost and stuck in a strange place! Fortunately D spotted him and we managed to get out alive and in one piece.
Driving out of the airport I was struck by how 'West Coast' it looks. I've travelled around Southern California a couple of times and apart from the lack of heat and sunshine there was alot of resemblence in the buildings and the landscaping. Beautiful view of the lake and giant houses along the road as we went up towards our rented place.
Rented place is nice, a semi in a 'corporate housing complex' with 3 bedrooms. Everything we need basically. The only thing slightly wrong with it is that it is near the motorway and you can hear traffic but after a week at dads with low flying aircraft overhead it isn't bothering me too much. I was so tired that I managed only to shower before collapsing with exhaustion last night.
Today I woke up feeling a bit disconnected and out of sorts, a bit overwhelmed by the enormity of being here and having no place else to go or be, and knowing that it is now my home. We went out for a drive around - did a big circle through some of the areas that have been suggested as nice to live. It was good to get oriented and I am thrilled at the beauty of the place - mountains, lakes, trees everywhere, beautiful greenery, fresh air, really pretty indeed. My needs and wants in terms of housing are a mass of contradictions. So far my favourite places have been the more happening / town / city areas which will provide me with something I missed in Canada. But then I worry about not being in a child-friendly environment and think I ought to try. But I don't want to be stuck in sticksville....... so who knows. We saw plenty of both type of area today, all beautiful, all smart, all very nice and I think we'll find something which suits our needs once we begin to narrow it down further. I feel a lot more positive having got a bit of a sense of the place.
All the menfolk are currently sleeping and I think I'm going to go and wake them now before they sleep the day away. The boys are both jet lagged. Me too but I know I'll feel worse if I give in to it now so I have stayed awake!
July 08, 2005
Going
I'm having a really hard time this week and I need to get on that plane and get out of here. I realised last week how much I have missed all my friends here and I'm struggling with that this week, already feeling isolated again, struggling to remove myself from the feeling of belonging, struggling that I have let people in and get close to me again and now I have to leave.
I wrote a few weeks ago about getting sucked into the internet world and that's harder too when I'm here. When I'm away the time zone makes it possible for me to have a life away from the computer, from UKChat and the people who live in it. When I'm here I can't and I spend too much time in this virtual reality. I decided yesterday to forcibly cut myself off from it now so that I can focus on everything else.
On top of all that I feel so out of place right now, I need to get back to having some space of my own where I can rest and relax without constantly doing the wrong thing.
July 04, 2005
Oh god I'm tired
Leicester: great, drunken, exhausting, lovely, emotional
Still tired.
And in London now!
Right now I am a fucked up mess of emotion. I was keen to leave Canada and eager to see Seattle. Leaving Canada ended up being surprisingly emotional. England was supposed to be a stop gap to which I didn't give much thought other than 'great, going to see family'. Now that I'm here I'm feeling like I have to leave England all over again when I fly out next Sunday and every time I have to say goodbye to someone it gets harder and harder and I dread going.
Leicester made it all the more difficult in that I spent the night with a bunch of old friends who I love to pieces and who I *belonged* with. I wasn't different, I wasn't an outsider, I didn't have a strange accent, I didn't belong to a different culture, I was just one of them. Leaving them on Sunday morning was really tough as I realised this, and it's what I'm dreading again.
Having said that I am excited to go to Seattle, I really am. Just that it's a bit tough at the moment.
July 02, 2005
UKC8
On today, the day of Live8, a bunch of UKChat folk are getting together for a meet and piss up - my first in 4 years. We used to do them regularly but obviously I've not been able to get to them in recent years ;-). Can't wait to see some old faces again and meet some new ones, and have a proper big night out for the first time in forever. Obviously copious amounts of alcohol will be consumed and some of us may not make it out alive.
See you on the other side (hopefully).