runneth over

Another grand adventure under our belts and we stuffed ourselves to the brim with laughter.

We are back in New Denmark after a 10-day road trip to see some of the famjam during Santa time, and we packed a lot into those days.

On our whirlwind adventure we: 

• Slept on cots in our house in Saint John 

• Had a sudden hellish stomach flu (me)

• Met up with a handful of friends (Nance only for most of them. See list item b.)

• Watched an important basketball game. Go, Rush!

• Played tipsy ukulele with my brother. Nod to Angela for her fab recorder skills.

• Played Anomia and pictionary competitively...against children. Cutthroat. 

MS note: actually having anomia does not make the game harder.

• Made our way to the city of pizza corners!

• Embraced the bounty of trails Halifax has to offer. We three miss living near sprawling parks like Point Pleasant or SJ's Rockwood. Just seeing Abbey on a beach for a few minutes made me tear up. I have to admit, though, our snowy potato fields are pretty good playgrounds too, even if you have to keep watch for coyotes.

• Shopped a little, but mostly gawked slackjawed at all the traffic, people, and shiny things

• Pretended we were everything from spaceships to British pigs and tickle monsters

• Visited with family (or tried to steal kittens, depending on your perspective) and watched tenacious adults struggle with 3D character puzzles for hours. I got a text after midnight showing Tinkerbell in all her 3D glory. When did kids' toys get so tricky?

It's been far too long since I spent quality time with some of dad's clan. Feels like home.

What else? We:

• Learned about the barbarous trading world of Shopkins

• Went to see Tina Fey's Sisters movie. Almost turned around and went back into the same theatre for a second viewing. So funny. 

• Got soul refreshment in the piles and heaps of giggles that emanate from three-year olds, especially in the presence of nose thieves and toe snatchers

• Acquired peace of mind by trading in tiny car for transportation with all wheel drive - take that, Klokkedahl Hill.

• Oh, and we have 800 movies to watch thanks to the best brother-in-law ever! Winter just got cozier!

That's the short list. Top mentions go to sharing meals and stories with our siblings and being with a very happy little boy sometime before 7 AM on Christmas morning. Moments that matter.

On the MS side, I am moderately symptomatic, but nothing too out of the ordinary. I know I have not been getting adequate rest and hope that things get back to normal now that we're home and can gradually get our house in order again. Very much hoping to lose the nagging leg pain, but it doesn't impair my function, so there's that. Silver linings. 

I loved every moment of our holiday hijinks, minus the stomach bug while sleeping on a cot, but it's also good to be back so we can unpack and start making this house feel like home. The adage that home is where the heart is has never felt truer. Home is with my little family, wherever we land.

merry ho ho

xo

Oh, did I mention we're doing an 80km walking holiday in Ireland in August? Maybe I did. Prepare for lots of whining about walking. Who am I kidding, I don't even update enough for "lots of" anything. ;)