A guest post from our eldest daughter, Alesia.

Two months ago, I was most likely at work, wondering where I would be in two months. I knew I was moving to Ontario, but where would I be in that move?

What would I be doing at this time of day?

Would I be settled in, would I have made friends yet, would I have a new job?

Or would I be crying into my pillow, wishing I hadn’t moved, while my suitcase lay on the floor, still packed because I just wanted to go home.

In reality, I never expected to be where I am right now. I don’t mean, I never expected to be where I am right now, as in, sitting on my bed with a cat on my lap trying to eat the popcorn in the bowl next to me, while Huey Lewis asks me if I believe in love as I write this blog post.

No.

I mean, I never expected to be in Ontario, happier about my life than I’ve been in a long time, and more sure of my decision to move here, than I have been of anything ever before. I have no doubts, no ‘did I make the right decision?’ thoughts going through my mind. I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt, I am where I’m meant to be. Whether it’s for a little while, or longer, I know I’m meant to be here, back in Ontario.

 

Living as a Nanny for Anneke (my cousin), and helping to take care of her four boys (all under 8 years old) and her twin baby girls (7 weeks old today) is an amazing experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I am extremely grateful towards her and Jesse (her husband) for allowing me to move in with them. If it weren’t for them, I would have merely come to Ontario on a two week vacation, then moved back to be with the rest of the family in Saskatchewan.

 

And things would definitely not be where they are today.

Life as a Nanny is always entertaining. Whether I am chasing two year old Levi around, pretending to be a shark as his giggles mix with his screams, his legs frantically trying to carry him up the steps of the bunk bed to get away. Or having a cat sleep on my leg, which decided to randomly take on a mind of its own, and kick the cat off the bed, who then wakes you up when he lands on the floor with a loud ‘thunk’.

It’s never a dull moment, and each day is never like the previous.

 

Moving to a new province also comes with it’s own list of things to do. Changing your phone number, change of address, getting new health care coverage, finding a job and trying to ignore the ‘newcomer’ label that’s slapped on your head, and settle into your new home. I have to say, I’ve been the ‘new girl’ so many times in my life, but it has never gotten easier. At church, I feel like the outsider, as all the younger people go off in groups to talk. I’ve met a few really nice girls who I can see becoming good friends with, but I’m not the type to go out of my way to introduce myself, so unfortunately, I usually end up waiting for them to do that.

Job hunting definitely hasn’t been easy. I’ve dropped off a few resumes now, and I have a couple small jobs lined up, but nothing I can see becoming permanent.

One job is to help a local dance studio owner, at a dance rehearsal and performance that is being held this week. I’ll be helping escort the girls off stage when they are finished and anything else that needs to be done backstage. Dancing has always been a strong passion of mine, so being able to work backstage like that, is going to be a dream come true!

Then there is the small one day job I have coming up near the end of this month. For one day, I will get to work at a Circus that will be in town. I’ll be selling tickets and possibly doing any other background work. Talk about every child’s dream, right? To work at a Circus and see it all up close and personal. I’m really looking forward to this, because I know it’s an experience I’ll never forget!

So, although these jobs are nothing big, they are experiences and stories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I still plan on finding a part time job, but I may even have that covered, as a couple up the street is looking for someone to watch their 5 year old daughter a few days a week after school. Talk about the perfect job for my situation, right?

 

Life has definitely been chaotic, interesting, and a whole new experience for me lately.

Another thing that I’m adjusting rather quickly to, is becoming the one in charge of making most of the meals. I love it! I am making the lunches and dinners, and then of course, the desserts. Anneke and I usually try and set up a 1-2 week meal plan so we know what to be ready for. So we aren’t looking at the clock, seeing that it’s 3:30pm and asking “what’s for dinner?”

This week, the meal plan looks great.
Wednesday: Stir Fry
Thursday: Bean Slop (A crock-pot meal since I’ll be working at dinner time. So Anneke can just serve it when it’s dinner time)
Friday: Spaghetti cheese bake (I’ll be making this, then leaving it to Anneke to bake since I’ll be at work again)
Saturday: Ravioli Bake (Or something along those lines)
Sunday: Fend-for-yourself (one of my favourite nights, ha-ha)

And the next week is still in the works.

I’m hoping to have another big baking day some day soon, because we finally ran out of the cookies I had made, and I feel an itching for some sweets a’comin. That, and it’s been almost two weeks since I did any real baking. The boys are beginning to scrounge the cupboards for any crumbs that may remain from the cookies I had made. Boys, eh? They say the way to a mans heart is through his stomach, well, any woman that can cook, will have these boys eating out of the palm of her hand.

One day last week, I had gone to Ottawa for the day with my cousin, and Anneke was picking the boys up from a friends out. Nathanial (the eldest, asked “Where’s Alesia?” To which Anneke replied: “She’s gone for the day.” I believe it was then Isaac who said, with a sound of panic: “We’re going to have to eat at McDonalds tonight!” because apparently, they have forgotten who it was that cooked for them before I showed up.

I really love the town I am in. The people are so friendly, and the church we go to is full of the nicest people.

Looking back at when I lived on the Island, feels like it never happened. The past 13 years of living there, now seem like a blur. My only connections are a few family members still there (my Oma, Opa, Aunt and Uncle) and a bunch of friends I left behind. The rest of my family (parents and siblings) have moved to Saskatchewan.

I don’t see my life slowing down in the future, if anything, it can only get busier, especially once I get a steady job and become more involved in the church and community. I look forward to it, because as many people know, I’m not the type of person who can just sit around and do nothing. I have to be going, or I go crazy. 

My Mother may laugh at this, as there were many days when I did just that. Sat around doing nothing. But this feeling of having to keep moving is a little new, and although it may have me exhausted by the end of the day, I love going to sleep, knowing that I did everything I could during the day. Cleaning, baking, taking the kids roller blading up to the store. If it was a busy day, it was a good day.

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