~ Muddy Boots ~

Over the weekend, I took Simon and Andrew* to the mall in search of carry-on bags. There's a huge sidewalk sale going on this weekend, so I was hoping there were some deals to be found. I found four rolling carry-ons, regular price $440, for $145, but then there was also a "Buy 1, get the 2nd 1/2 off". So I ended up getting all four for $112. Not too shabby seeing as the regular price was over $400! They all have a 10 year warranty, too. 

We made our way out of the mall, me with two of the bags' handles over the handles of the stroller, and Simon pulling the other two behind him. Then this:

Simon: NOOOOW can we go to I-gina (Regina)?

me: No honey, not for about a month. We'll leave for Regina right after we pack up the whole house.

Simon: Are you kidding me??

me: (laughing) No, I'm not kidding.

Simon: (looking back at the bags we'd just bought) We're going to need a really, reeeeeeally big suitcase to pack up the whole house!

He takes everything we say so literally. Sarcasm is completely lost on him. Wrong family to be born into, kid.

* * * * * * * * * * * * 

One of the first things Peter did once he accepted this post is Bogota, was to find the name and email of another employee already posted there, who also has a family with young kids. In one of the first few emails he sent, he asked if it would be alright for his wife (that'd be me) to send a list of questions to his (the other employee's) wife.

That's how my correspondence with Patrycja started.

Not long after that, I posted on Twitter that we'd be moving to Colombia (there were several exclamation marks involved), and not long after received a message from Susie (who I "met" on thebabywearer and who runs The Extraordinary Baby Shoppe here in Ottawa) asking if I'd like her to put me in touch with another ex-pat living in Colombia. A lovely lady with two young girls, whose husband is also posted in Bogota.

A few nights later, I received both a message from Susie and an email from Patrycja saying, "Hey you already "know" Patrycja!" and "I'm so excited you're "friends" with Susie!". So both Peter's contact at work and Susie's ex-pat friend are the same person... Patrycja. For some reason, this left a HUGE smile on my face. I walked around the house with a silly grin on my face every time I thought of it.

Not only will our husbands be working together at the embassy, but their girls are just a month or so either side of Simon and Andrew (we're still working on finding some friends Liam's age). We seem to share many of the same views re type/quality of food (and although they're vegetarians, we've decided we can still be friends). She breastfeeds, cloth diapers, babywear... AND BLOGS.

Clearly, we are meant to be friends, Patrycja and I.

(Which just means that expectations are high and I'm bound to be at my most awkward when we do actually meet. Fair warning, Patrycja... I'm a hugger.)


* * * * * * * * * * * * 


So much still to do (SO. MUCH. TO. DO.) so I might start posting some of my to-do lists here for accountability. 


Today's list:

• drop off our broken Tassimo at FedEx (although huge props to Tassimo customer service for the brand new machine! woo hoo!)
• stop somewhere and buy more expresso discs for said Tassimo... I'm going to need them!
• call Mastercard and order new cards since ours will expire not long after we leave
• finalize next year's homeschool curriculum and order all the books I'll need for Liam and Simon
• hopefully find time to edit some more pictures from the two sessions I did the weekend before last (I'd need to have these done this week)
• clean up the DISASTER of a playroom and start the inventory of the toys
• have supper ready before picking Peter up so it's not such a mad dash to get Liam to soccer (like it is every other Tues and Thurs when we get home with Peter at 5:30pm and have to leave for soccer not long after 6pm.)
• tackle the mountain of laundry that is accumulating in every corner of the house

*Peter and Liam were camping this weekend with a group of kids from our church. They had a BLAST and came home full of dirt, mosquito bites and stories.