Checking In

It’s Sunday evening, and Lily is relaxing with a cup of tea on the couch while I take a quick break from studying (and post this note). I’ve been entirely too absent from our blog of late, and while I can use the excuse of work and school, I really shouldn’t, because this blog is our gateway to the friends and family we’ve left behind, and to the new ones we’ve made here in Baker and the surrounding environs. Therefore, I will endeavor to shoulder more of the onerous task of communicating with people so my poor wife doesn't have to do it on her own. . ;-D

 
I finally finished the last of our Christmas cards today, so if you get yours after Christmas, please know that we saved the best for last. If you’ve already received your card from us, clearly, we value you so much we had to write you first. Either way, please know that we really value your friendship/love, and we hope to see everyone soon. I joked with one of my relatives that if Santa didn’t put her on his “nice” list, we could intercede on her behalf since the North Pole is only a short sleigh ride away! When the weather dips below -50ºC, it certainly feels like we’re that close, anyway.

Last night was surprisingly warm (by warm, I mean, only -20ºC) and the wind was very light, so it almost looked like Ontario snow. We got together with our neighbours and watched Ted, a very funny comedy about a boy whose teddy bear magically comes to life, and their life together, 30 years later. If you haven’t seen it yet, rent it immediately, although I’d recommend against watching it with young children (it’s that kind of funny).

As we count down the days to Santa’s visit (only a handful of chocolates left in the advent calendar), I find myself reflecting more about our first Christmas away from our families, and a touch of homesickness settles over me. I have mixed emotions about being up here during such a family-centric holiday, and while the emails, cards, and blog comments certainly help, I still find myself wondering how we came to be thousands of kilometers north of everyone. Thankfully, the aforementioned cards and emails have made the transition much easier to cope with, and though we are physically separated, the love we feel from everyone back home makes the distance much easier to bear.

The presents are helping, too. Lily mentioned it in an earlier post, and it’s true – we can’t believe the gifts under our tree – we must have been super duper good this year! We feel really blessed to be in everyone’s thoughts this year.

Back to the grind now, and more to come soon. I promise I'll blog more than once every 3 months!

-J