Yesterday

Yesterday was one of the best days that I have had in a very long time.

Ever since September, we have been restricted to using Armoured Vehicles, with a driver, and since there are only so many AV's, when you need to go out, you're supposed to make it as quick as possible. But they lifted that recently, and so yesterday we were able to go out in our own vehicle, by ourselves. It was so nice to be able to just drive ourselves around, especially since I haven't gone out in quite awhile and was starting to feel like a caged animal. (It's not hard to feel that way, when you're surrounded by concrete walls, razor wire, bars on all of the windows and doors, barriers, check points, etc)

So Rod and I had a wonderful time yesterday, we went to the shoemakers to pick up a pair of boots that I was having made, McDonald's for lunch, to the butcher and vegetable market, to the candy shop to pick up some snacks, and to Tribal Arts, which was by far the highlight of the day. We had been trying to go there for several weeks now, but every time we went it was always closed, and finally it was open! And it is my new favourite place, and probably where most of my money is going to go from now on.

It's basically a maze of a shop, full of old pieces of wood, old doors, trunks, cabinets, that the owner, Shirazi, turns into beautiful pieces of furniture. I wasn't really expecting to buy anything, but Rod fell in love with one piece in particular, and so we came away with that, and have another one on hold. I am in love with it, but I want to see if I can find another piece that I like more, and if not, I'll buy it. Rod's will be delivered sometime this week. There were so many things that I wanted there, and it's perfect because we don't really have that much furniture back in Canada, and these are all things that we need. Not to mention that they all have a story to tell, instead of just buying some mass produced piece of furniture at IKEA that everyone else has, and isn't even built that well. The piece that Rod got is going to be a liquor cabinet, it's over 150 years old, made of Rosewood, from Punjab, and was used to store grain. It's beautiful.

 What I put on hold

 What Roderick bought. For $290! Can you believe it?

Then we had Lars and Mike over for a game night. It was Lars' last night here in Islamabad, and he's off to Nairobi for a week and then back to Ottawa. So we played Balderdash and ate junk food and laughed our heads off and had a wonderful time. I'm sure going to miss him. He was a TD, which means Temporary Duty, they come in and out a lot and are only here for 6 weeks. And most often, I tend to like them a lot more than the people who are here permanently, so it's always sad to see them go.

 One of my resolutions is to be healthier, hence the ginger ale while the boys drink Breezers

Once everyone left, I booked the flights for our trip to South Africa next month! I cannot wait. Not only is it Africa and maybe I'll see a lion (and then I can die happy) but I'm going to be staying with one of my best friends, Riki, whom I met when we were both living in the Netherlands. Woohoo :)

And have I mentioned that I am 2 weeks smoke free? Let's hope I can keep it up.

So Long, Oshawa

Roderick and I have just returned from our week long trip to our hometown of Oshawa. It's really weird to think that I won't be there again for another two years, possibly longer (or shorter, in case something goes terribly wrong - but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that that doesn't happen).

Aside from a few hiccups, it was a pretty good trip home. I think that I managed to see everyone I wanted to see, however a few weren't able to make it out due to not being in the country, which sucks, but that's life.

My Aunt Jane had a going away party for Rod and I on Saturday, and there was quite the turnout of people, and I had a really nice time. And it was the perfect opportunity for us to announce our engagement! That's right, we got engaged in Boston and it took everything I had to keep it to myself for a week because I was waiting for this party. Unfortunately, I am not a public speaker and after thanking everyone for coming and telling them how much I'm going to miss them, I ended up in tears so Rod had to announce it for us. I'll dedicate another post to our engagement and the proposal.

So anyway, it felt good to finally tell everyone and my parents, friends and family are all very happy for us!

Yesterday we left Oshawa, and it was a sad day. I tried not to cry when I was saying goodbye to everyone, so I saved the tears for after they left. *sigh* Rod thinks I'm crazy for being upset and crying about all of this, but I can't help it. Sure, this new adventure is exciting and it'll be a great experience for us, but it's still sad leaving your family and friends, regardless.

And I'd just like to take the time to thank Alex for having us over on Friday night for a going away party and to those who came, and to my Aunt Jane for hosting another party at her place and to everyone who came to that as well.

I'll miss you all! xo

One month to go!

Only one month until we touch down in Pakistan, I cannot believe how fast the time is going. Fortunately I've managed to stay pretty busy, being unemployed, with appointments here and there for all sorts of things. We've been running around like mad trying to get everything sorted before leaving. There have been countless doctors visits, vaccines, dentists, meetings with the people who do the move, paperwork for loans, visas, passports, credit cards, and calling all different places to make sure that we have everything cancelled and all the addresses changed. It's just nonstop. Today a man came over who works for the housing organization on the base, to do an inspection and make sure we didn't destroy the place. Then on Monday a guy is coming in to estimate how much stuff we are shipping with us, and how many boxes he will need, as the military pays someone to pack it all for us. That is a huge bonus and such a weight off my shoulders. The only thing I need to do is create an excel spreadsheet of everything we own, including value and serial numbers, if need be. And since our spare bedroom is now emtpy, I've started putting everything that we're shipping with us in there, to make it easier on the movers.

This whole process is just so exhausting and I just can't wait until it's all over and we're finally there!

I've just returned from a quick trip to Oshawa. It was nice to see everyone, as usual, and even managed to have a going away party at Rod's parents place. We weren't sure if we would have time for one the next time we come down, but it looks like we will, so we planned a little get together for some of our friends to come over for drinks. It was a great time and I hope we're able to do it once more.

Unfortunately, I had to leave my animals with my in-laws when we left. I looked into it, and it would cost $10,000 just to ship Mya, my 80lb German Shepherd. The two cats, Fawkes and Cougar, probably wouldn't be so much but Cougar's getting old and I don't know if he'd make it on a 20 hour flight, and I want to keep them together anyway. I am devastated, to say the least. It was so weird coming home, opening the front door and not being greeted with kisses and meows. Broke my heart.

As it stands right now, and unless something goes terribly wrong, we will be back in Oshawa the last weekend of June. So those of you who live out of town, if you're able to make it down to see me, that'd be awesome. Because who knows when you'll get another chance. After Pakistan, we're hoping to be posted to British Columbia so it could be quite some time before I see anyone again.

Anyway, you've all been warned so if I see ya, I see ya.

I'll be missing you

Well Roderick is home from his two week training course in Virginia/North Carolina with a sweet as tan! (And no, that is not a spelling error.) He had a good time, but what man wouldn't when he spent his days shooting guns and playing paint ball? Lucky duck.

I had my first minor meltdown the other night when he informed me that we'd most likely have to say goodbye to the animals in two weeks time. Two weeks? That's far too soon. I was hoping we'd say goodbye the night before we left, even though I know that's not realistic. But two weeks? It just broke my heart to think that I may only have two weeks left with them, and what if I never see them again? I know I shouldn't think like that, but it's true. What if something happens to me? Or them? Cougar is getting up there, he's 10 years old now. If we stay in Pakistan for four years, he'd be 14. And while Fawkes and Mya are both still young, anything could happen. Honestly, I don't know how I am going to do this. They are my babies and this is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done.

In saying that, I hope nobody takes that the wrong way. Of course it's going to be difficult to say goodbye to all of you, especially my parents and my siblings, but I've done this before. I moved to Holland. I moved to Ottawa. And while Ottawa really isn't that far away, I only go home every 3-6 months for a couple of days, spending only a few hours with everyone. Nobody ever calls me, and while I try to call people every once in awhile, sometimes life gets in the way and I just never get around to it. Whereas when I lived in Holland, I made sure to call every week or two. So it's almost a guarantee that I'll talk to my family more when I live in Pakistan, than I do now. Sad to say, but it's true.

Anyway, back to the point... I already know what it's like to leave my family behind. But I have no idea what it's like to leave my babies, my animals. They are always here for me, no matter what. I take Mya for 1-2 walks everyday, she keeps me busy and I love spending time with her at the dog park or just wandering around base. And Fawkes and Cougar are such cuddle bugs, if I'm having a bad day I know they'll be there to snuggle up with and watch a movie.

Yep, it's safe to say I'll be a freakin' mess when that day comes!

"Every step I take, every move I make

Every single day, every time I pray

I'll be missing you"