I choose a #oneword for the 2018. PROGRESS. As I reflect on the month that was February, I’m reminding myself that there was definitely progress…with a ways still to go. It felt like we took one step forward and two steps back at times…but overall I know we’re doing just fine.

Here’s a short recap of February.

Working on the Weekend

I worked on the first weekend of the month and it was wonderful. The program that one of my team members and I had the privilege of offering to the students we work with is one of my favourites. The program goes on for two months and we’ll meet with those students again at the end of March…and I know we’ll be blown away from how the steps of that program and the students’ commitment to it will have helped them grow. Sometimes I really love my job.

‘Family’ Potluck

With kids, aging parent needs, work changes, and multiple house renos underway, our monthly potluck group is no longer monthly. But our group of chosen family (aka amazing friends) do try and get together when we keep to stay connected and enjoy some catching up. We managed to have a great evening of food and fun to help kick of the month of February. Adam and I were assigned the main dish so we braised some short ribs and enjoyed all the good dishes and stories that were shared.

Going Long

My goal this winter has been to run outside. After breaking my tailbone several years ago (snowboarding, not running), I had moved all winter running indoors….which means less mileage than the rest of the year. The earliest I’ve ever been able to feel ready for half-marathon is late April since I need several weeks of outdoor running to get my mileage up and re-adjust to running outside. This winter, I’ve been running with a great group and that’s the only thing that got me out on Wednesday evenings in the snow and ice, and cold Saturday mornings for long runs. The last day of February was our last run together. Many of us ran a half-marathon last weekend (lots of fun!). I also have a 30km race at the end of the March.

Singing Machines

We spent time with Adam’s family who are dealing with a major health crisis. Sometimes in those moments you just need the day to day things in the house to be done – like cleaning. So I strapped on my apron and did lots of cleaning and laundry. Their washer and dryer are newer than ours and have lots of settings . Including that they sing! Okay, it’s not really singing, but they make the nicest sounds when they are turned on and when the load is done. A small thing that made the whole experiences even better. And some inspiration for when we replace our washer and dryer in the next year.

Death by a Thousand Cuts

A small car accident with no injuries – and now our car is a write-off. Sigh 😦 It looks like so little damage…but it really was lots of little things that added up to ‘not worth it’ from the insurance companies perspective.

We have a dieselgate care and have already filed our paperwork and ordered a new car. Basically, it just makes things a little more complicated. On the last day of February we learned that our new vehicle will not be here at the end of the March. More likely we’ll be getting that car in May or as “early as the end of April”. Since we ordered it January 2, and were told it would be “up to 3 months”, we’re a little frustrated. The rental car we had through insurance for three weeks was returned last weekend. And so now we’re without a car. We are a one car family since we work at the same place. WE don’t need a car everyday, but with reno decisions needing to be made like tile, vanity, fixtures, etc…having a car easily on hand to make it to those random tile, plumbing, etc stores would be nice. We’re exploring options, but none of them are great.

Date Weekend

Our annual weekend away was a much needed break from the house and quiet time together. We sat in hot tubs, went to the spa, watched the Olympics while curled up in robes next to a fire and drinking wine, went for walks, and simply spent time together. It was wonderful.

House Progress

We got to peak into the reno during daylight hours when things look like real things. Trust me on this, nothing looks right in the dark. From our kitchen, this is the view (above) of our kitchen extension. I love how big the opening to the backyard is! While living through a reno definitely still have it’s challenges, seeing the rooms start to come together is great. I’ll save more photos for an full update post.

I know February is only shorter by a couple of days than most months, but somehow always seems to fly by! March, I know will be busy (it already is), and full of big and little steps toward progress in a number of areas….