Post Morbus

Where is the lie?

Poisson d’Avril

From Easter weekend onward, our life has been absolute chaos. On of my best friends moved from California to Ontario and settling her in and getting her set up has been a priority. We picked her up from the airport and the next day we hosted Easter with our friends the Lytles and our friend Kri joined for a bit of Pysanky as well before running off to her own dinner party.

I had a bunch of health things happening all at once, which led us to a variety of medical appointments at a variety of diagnostic clinics and specialty doctors. I also had signed up to take part in a study for PLS patients so that was…a lot of clinicians.

We headed to Toronto for a weekend for a friend’s 50th birthday, leaving our kids alone for the first time (they were fine). We rented a car so that we could leave them our car and took off first thing Friday morning. I was able to use points to book the hotel, which was nice because we basically spent no time in our room at all. On Friday night we headed off to a friend’s new home in Clarendon, which is the most charming old farmhouse upgraded in all of the right ways. They are on a nice piece of land with gardens and a small forested area behind them and it was lovely to see them and their new home. We ended up having dinner at Slabtown Cider, which was in the middle of nowhere but yet, still packed solid? It was amazing.

Saturday morning was Dim Sum in Toronto with our friends Cory and Laura (and their incredibly charming children!). Mr. Tucker tried – and enjoyed – chicken feet for the first time. After it was back to the hotel for a quick nap before heading to our friend Susan’s birthday party.

The party was super fun, we met some great folks and played a game called Salad Bowl which I highly recommend because it basically requires pens, paper, a timer and a bowl. Like our own parties, this one had adults and kids of all ages and everyone was so kind and lovely. I laughed a lot and had some great conversations and we stayed later than we normally would have until we drove Susan back to her condo. Her husband had purchased a bunch of Châteauneuf-du-Pape for the party and I didn’t realize that the reason it was so smooth was because it was at a price point that is beyond my social class. It was lovely though and I didn’t go overboard so I feel less badly about being an absolute unrefined toad.

After the trip we settled into our “normal” busy schedule except this year The Eldest was chosen to do All-Star Band! It’s basically a super group of band kids chosen from every school in the city for their ability to play. She had to practice every Thursday night for 6 weeks (on top of her two mornings of band practice with the school band) that culminated into one incredible concert evening. It was amazing how 6 weeks of the top performers from across the city is on such a different level from the regular school band.

Oh, and of course we had our regularly scheduled events such as hockey games, Roller Derby for The Youngest, Muay Thai 2x a week for Mr. Tucker and jamming with his band every second week on top of Trivia Nights and dinners with friends and…it got worse.

May showers and flowers

We planted a bunch of lovely tulips in the fall so it was nice to see all of that hard work pop out in a splash of colour in May! It’s good because we had to walk by the front garden a lot as we went back-and-forth from the car to event to home to back into the car…ad infinitum.

Maycember is no joke but here it lasts until…well…this week.

We had tickets to our friend’s band’s 20th anniversary party but then the Ottawa Charge made the playoffs and our entire plan went off of the rails. We even spent The Youngest’s birthday at a playoff game – which was fun – but super chaotic as we had to wrap up cake with the family quickly before scurrying off to Kanata. I had also planned to host Judy’s 50th birthday here as a pool party and…you guessed it: playoff game. We bailed on our guests after a few hours and told her to lock up when she left (we discussed it beforehand! I didn’t just announce it and leave!).

We did have a sweet 16 party for The Youngest though, and we had a bunch of friends over and they played games, ate mounds of pizza and cake. Sadly, she had a major dental surgery that week so it was a lot for her.

We did manage to win 2nd place at a charity trivia night where we scored $500 for the Ottawa Food Bank, so that was a great night!

Dragon boat started up in the middle of the month as well and while I loved being back on the water with my amazing friends, it felt like there was very little room on our dance cards for any other things.

On top of all of this, my Stepson was in the process of opening a new restaurant and was working insane hours, moving into a new apartment and so he would pop in for coffee early in the morning before he shuffled off to his 17-hour days. We have seen him more in the past 4 months than we have in the past 6 years and it’s been great!

The Youngest interviewed – and was hired – at a city theatre camp this summer and it looks like she will be working as a hostess at the Stepson’s new restaurant when school ends as well. The Eldest got hired as a supervisor at her wading pool so increased pay for her as well. It also meant many evenings and weekends of job-related training on top of school and her extracurriculars as well.

June: the end is…nigh?

I feel like we may be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel now?

We managed to eat twice at Stepson’s new restaurant and it was incredible each time. He takes such pride in what he does as a chef and it shows. I am glad to see that the reviews are amazing and that people are really enjoying it.

It’s the end-of-the-year stuff for the kids as well. The Eldest passed her DELF and The Youngest passed the OSSLT (not that there was any danger of either of them failing). The Eldest had her Spring Band Concert as well, her very last one. I am a bit choked up about that – after four years in band, it’s the last one.

Speaking of – The Eldest graduated high school! Last Thursday we watched our grown, adult child accept her diploma and came off of the stage to join her friends for photos. She is off to university in the fall and will be staying in residence so it is our last summer together before she starts her life as an adult. On one hand I am glad and so happy for her. On the other, it is the end of an era and I certainly feel a ways about that. Next week is prom and her and her friends have rented a hotel room and have tickets to both prom and after prom. The dress is bought, the heels are borrowed and she got a beautiful necklace as a graduation gift so she is well prepared.

Next week dragon boat goes back to only one night a week, the kids will finish exams and start working and the summer will officially begin. I often forget how chaotic this spring season is and I am glad we are facing a more calm, poolside-oriented summer.

I have missed a lot here and I know it’s a relatively boring update that is me just listing the busy-ness of our lives but that is just the way it’s been. I think there is a lesson here about how people always say that you “have to retire to something,” but honestly, I have such a full life that I’ve never found it difficult to fill my days with stuff. I’ve paddled, I’ve gone on trike rides, I’ve swam in The Puddle, I’ve hung out with friends, I’ve parented, and I have read HELLA books.

As usual, there are things I want to expand on, stuff I have missed mentioning and a few things I am still working out how to write about. But I am good, the family is good, and life is great. Nothing more to say except I need more naps.