Phase Two

There is this feeling around here like everything is beginning anew. We've moved on to Phase Two of our family's adventure. Phase One had both of us in graduate school and one of us working as an assistant professor, and the future was outlined in the both of us settling down in academia, probably somewhere in the U.S., most certainly without family around. There were certainly more children to be had someday soon.

Phase Two shares few of the same details.There will still be more children to come. But instead Canada will (hopefully) be our permanent home, family will certainly be close by, and we will not be Professor and Professor. Actually, we have no idea at all what we'll be doing for work (well, I do know what I'll be doing eventually, but for the time being I'll be doing something else). We also don't yet know where we'll be living (me and the girls are staying with my mum for now), or where Alyce will begin school in the fall. This is a lot of unknown, and if I didn't know better, I'd be starting a massive freakout right about now.

Cue freakout.

But strangely, I'm not freaking out. Things feel ok. I'm missing Matt already (especially when I was cleaning out three litter boxes tonight: gross), but I have a good feeling about all of this (except for the litter boxes). Now I'm not saying that I'm completely at ease about all of these unknowns, in that very sophisticated-yet-casual kind of way that I covet in other people (along with their effortless style), but I'm not freaking. I've been known in the past to stick my head in the sand when it comes to annoying, grown-up tasks, but I don't even think that's it. All I can describe is that I feel propelled in a forward direction right now, and I'm enjoying it. Here are all the things that I know:

• I will find a job
• Matt will be home in five weeks
• We will find a new home
• Immigration will occur
• Alyce will begin school in the fall
• I will take the morning off from my new job and sob while I walk her to school that first day

I have had a terribly long couple of days and I'm exhausted. Where all this positive talk is coming from, I don't know. Let's just enjoy it while we can, shall we?

P.S. Does anyone have any suggestions for job-searching in Southern Ontario?