Dukes Of Hazzard

Today was Phil's first day of work and the kids and I happened to have a vehicle to get out and explore.
The melt here right now is crazy and everything is so muddy - it's impossible to stay clean. As soon as I got in the truck and turned it on, the theme song from "Dukes of Hazzard" came on and it couldn't have been more appropriate. And yes, the radio station here plays a WIDE variety of music. The roads have major pot-holes, most of them are filled with water and because there's no paved roads, it makes for a muddy mess. There's also no such thing as car-seats here, so Seb sat in the back of the truck and Soph sat in the passenger seat so I could at least get a seat-belt on her and that's how we've been doing it since we got here. (I'm really looking forward to getting our new Escape here in September) One of the rules of the road here are to wave to any passer-by's. Phil told me about this before I got here. He said he just drove with his hand on top of the steering wheel all the time, because he would wave to someone every minute. I kind of thought he was exaggerating until we got here and saw it for myself. You wave to people walking on the street, you wave to people in the car at the stop sign, in parking lots, in front of you... I was on the road for 5 minutes and decided to follow Phil's instructions and keep my hand on top of the wheel.

We made our way over to the library which was such a bonus because Seb has been having a lot of ups and downs. One minute he's doing great and the next minute he's asking to go home. This is a new thing in the last 24 hours, but I feel so bad for him. A regular thing for us back in Ottawa was to go to the library and pick out a bag full of books. As soon as he pulled out the first book, he lit up and was so happy! The library is attached to the local high school and apparently having two young kids in there attracts a lot of attention. One minute we were quietly minding our business and the next there were a bunch of kids in the isle with us asking questions and picking up the kids. Seb and Soph seemed confused but fine with it, so I let it go, but then one kid started walking away with Seb and I turned around and Soph was in a wicker basket being picked up and started freaking out. So I put on "mama-bear" boots and gathered my kids and laid down some ground rules. Everyone complied, but it definitely made me feel like long visits at the library might not be the best idea right off the bat.

I also got to meet one of the other "wives" and was so happy that we got along right away. She was such a sweetie and is someone I would feel lucky to meet back home (wherever that is???) Either way, I'm glad she's around, because good girlfriends are hard to come by. I'm still so baffled at how friendly people are here. So far I've met three girls here and they've all been so sweet and supportive in their own way and I love how relaxed they are. I've always been such a fan of community-based living and people working together to support one another and that really seems to be the way things are around here.

We also got to stop by Phil's work and take a look around. The gym I'll be using is in his office, and I wanted to take a look at my new workout digs. I can't wait to get moving again. I feel like it's been months! The kids were so happy to see their papa at work and play with his flashlight and sticky notes.

All this to say, we've been here 5 days now and we're still alive. The weather is awesome (yes, even with the snow) - there's no humidity here and a light sweater is pretty much all you need. Bogs are a must as well. I'm hoping Seb will adjust and be happy. He's so much more sensitive than Soph and it takes him longer for everything. I just hope the kiddies we meet tomorrow morning are nice and he finds someone to make friends with. Soph on the other hand, seems to love everyone and doesn't care who they are, she just wants to hold their hand and give them a big hug around the leg.

Until next time...