Living in Limbo

A few months ago, I smiled as I read the Facebook status one of my friends had posted: “Home tomorrow. Home tomorrow. Home tomorrow.” (It sounded like something Sunshine would say.) I could understand her feeling. They were living in a friend’s basement because their mobile home had sold before their new house was built. I told myself I would never live halfway like that.

Never Say Never

As the old saying goes, “Never say never.” For the last month, my husband, daughters and I have been living in my in-laws’ basement while all our things sit in our townhouse in BC. Despite my efforts to bring everything with us that we’d need for this month and a half, we’ve had a few discussions that go like, “Where’s this?” “In BC.”

In some ways, it’s awkward living in another person’s house. Mom and I are tag-teaming on the laundry (especially when Lily needs more diapers). I try to help by baking or cooking, and then end up asking Mom, “Where’s the vanilla? Where’s the casserole dish?” My husband and I tie up the phone line checking our email on the dial-up internet.

In other ways, I’m enjoying this extended vacation. It’s fun having another woman in the kitchen, to say, “Hey, what should we make for supper?” Mom helps get Sunshine to the potty or bounces Lily to sleep. We like running into town for groceries or other errands together. And we’ve been watching lots of movies on satellite TV—I’ve now seen Princess Diaries, Jaws, and Notting Hill.

I keep thinking that Sunshine is really going to miss her grandparents when we leave. She likes going outside to ride the farm machinery with Grandpa (there’s a Cat, a big John Deere, a lawn mower, a quad, and then all of the trucks). She helps him feed the dog (that’s how she’s learning to count). She goes for drives in the van with Grandma and every morning she climbs up the stairs calling, “I coming, Gamma.”

Relaxing

It’s been a nice, relaxing month and a half. A chance to spend extra time with family before we disappear to BC. And now the holiday is about end… and life is about to get busy again.