Where does the time go?

Looking back on our first year as expats is hard for me to do. I will always be deeply thankful for Craig's calm presence during our international move. It was a very difficult time for me. Emptying our house and choosing only a very few select things to keep was so hard. Childhood toys and keepsakes went and more practical items stayed. It was a fresh start but it was like a fresh wound. It's amazing how much "stuff" can matter in our lives. It was hard to believe that we were actually leaving Victoria for good - or at least for a good long while...

This time last year we were on a flight (with 4 suitcases and various baby accoutrement) and I was trying to be brave. Trying to look forward to a new adventure but really scared out of my mind and questioning why we chose this path; why we were leaving the relative safety of a known place for the unknown. It was what we always wanted but the reality was still difficult to face.

Once we arrived in Dublin (at 6pm on new year's eve) we were both so happy- even Will had a smile on his face. The relief of getting there finally after a rough flight made us all giddy. But slowly, over the next few weeks, it really sunk in that this is where we lived now. I had no idea how to make a new life from scratch. The support we got from our family and friends back home and from others abroad was invaluable. Yay for Facebook, e-mail and Skype. I can never thank you enough and tonight we will be raising a glass of Tesco's finest champagne to you.

2012 has been a hard year for us. Moving here wasn't a mistake but it has had it's hardships. Living here isn't what we thought it would be - of course - and we had a lot of adjusting to do. But 2012 has also been a year of growth and I can sum it up in one word: Capable. I can do this. I'm capable. It's not a big shiny achievement but the quiet believe in my own strength and understanding my own boundaries better makes this year a successful one.

Hopefully 2013 will bring on many more adventures, funny stories, friendships and fortune for all of us. Happy New Year to you all! Athbhliain faoi mhaise dhaoibh!

Thomas the train overload

So Will in is a Thomas phase...and has been for a while. In order to cope I've started to imagine the engine's "toot-toot" and "choo-choo" noises as censorship bleeps...and suddenly the show is much more interesting. At least the adventurous engines keep him busy in the cold dark afternoons while I'm getting dinner ready like a good mum/reaching a deeply vegetative state where lax parenting principles run amok. Very short days here for those of us acclimatised to winters in southern Canada. The sun is setting at 4:00 here right now. Yup. 4:00. A big "toot-toot" to that!