Well, it's finally here. We are here. We are settled. We are back. Let's hang some pictures on the wall and stay a while. To think the last time we were here, sweet Livia was just born . . . it's a little strange that she's now standing on her own and at least twice her size. Our adventure has gone by fast, but we're ready for the next one.
The last time we were in Vancouver, we liked it, but we didn't love it. We picked our apartment sight unseen, and were less than thrilled when the sight was seen. I was stuck, very pregnant, in a part of town where nothing else was. No parks, no stores, nothing to do. We were sharing a car, and Curtis drove that car to work every day for almost an hour each way. It was hard to make friends because we were just the people who were leaving in a few months. I lived for Friday playgroup, which never seemed to come fast enough. When I did get the car, it was only because Curtis was on a week- or two-week-long business trip. The worst! We had our shining moments (visiting the coast, seeing family, having Livia), but they were few and far between. I spent almost the entire time looking for a new place to live. For some reason, I remember the sun shining only once.
As we were driving back on Saturday, it couldn't have been a more beautiful, sunny day. We already felt different and hopeful about our new home. We unlocked our apartment door to find a sweet welcome basket from our apartment manager! Who does that? That little basket was so much more than just a roll of toilet paper or bottle of hand soap; it was a beacon of hope!
We had a few people lined up to help us move our lives from the storage unit into our apartment. Well, we showed up and saw only one friend ready to help! (We love you Reidheads!) We were just a little worried until the sweet sister missionaries showed up. By this point, Curtis had already loaded the truck. Eeek! The sisters called a few other missionaries, and within minutes, six other missionaries arrived to help! What luck! They were bringing up box after box to my overwhelmed self, when suddenly a few other friends showed up. It was like pressing the fast forward button on the VCR. Those Heasley boys sure know how to move boxes! (And there is nothing like moving to make you realize how much stuff you have . . . especially after a year like ours.)
This time around, things are much different. We love where we live. After living in Germany and walking everywhere we went, we love walking to all the nearby shops and parks. Sebastian rides his bicycle along side me to our favorite produce market (they give him free ice creams!), to the library (we love story time!), and to a few different parks (with friends, even!). We are even on the same block as our church building. Curtis has even started carpooling with a coworker who lives in our neighborhood, which makes his commute much shorter (hello, HOV lane!) and my travel radius much larger (hello, zoo!). And for some reason, the sun is shining all the time.
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