New London Blog!

For my new London blog, visit http://lookkids.wordpress.com/

If you are signed up via email, you may need to resign up on the new site, because I am not technologically savvy enough to move my email list over to the new blog.

All of my Canada posts are also over on the new blog as well.

Happy reading! xo

Oh Canada, we miss you.

Can you tell we are in Arizona now?

Everywhere we go in Arizona, there are signs saying to leave your weapons outside. Toto, we are not in Canada anymore.

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We have been on the road (or sleeping in friends' guest rooms) for the past month.  It is really hard to live in limbo for that long.  We have said sad goodbyes to our friends in Canada,

and imported and sold two cars in the U.S. (Note: if you have to reimport and sell two cars, plan some extra time for some extra-frustrating DMV visits, calls to the county and state DMV, and a few extra trips to Carmax.)  

It was great to see Virginia/Maryland/DC friends, and we were able to leave off where we left off when we left 18 months ago.  But the area did not feel like home anymore.  Things were too spread out, we were driving too much, and traffic was bad.  We had grown accustomed to our smaller geographic circle we had built around us in Toronto.  Our life was extra busy and I felt behind.  None of my friends intentionally made me feel this way, but I felt like I hadn't enrolled my children in the proper activities while we were away.  My children spent a lot of time in the park in Toronto.  Kids in NoVa are super busy and several friends couldn't get together because of kid schedules.  My kids aren't swimming yet (so no swim team), can't read fluently (so no GT, I guess :) and don't yet play a team sport. They ski and are learning French, which aren't really NoVa skills, and don't kick the seat when they fly.  I hadn't realized how stressful it was to raise kids in our home area until I was away.  One of my previous jobs was to counsel parents about gifted programs and I don't think I fully realized until this visit how much parenting competition impacts them, even unconsciously.  

One of the best parts of our visit to Virginia was seeing my class that I left midyear to move to Toronto.  They were such a cool group of kids and I was so excited to see them, give them hugs and congratulate them on their accomplishments.  I also realized how much I miss my school colleagues and friends. 

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From all of our business in Virginia (wills and car sales and doctors appointments, oh my!) to a wedding in Cape Cod.  

It was awesome to take a break and have a chance to reconnect as a family and as an extended Janow family.  Sam and Ellie loved hanging out with their cousins Caroline and Ben.  We loved beating the heat on the beach and swimming and playing with our family before moving across the pond.  

Evan and Judy's wedding was awesome and fun and pictures of the whole event are here on flickr. 

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Josh went to London to unpack our house (hooray for Josh!) and I went out to Arizona, which should be its own separate post but I have waited 5 days now to finish this one, and so now you get the last North American update before we fly out.
 As my friend Sean put it, what better to celebrate the Fourth of July in Arizona than missiles? So we went to the Titan Missile Museum since our friends Brad and Ted suggested it. My mom got to turn the key and blow up the secret targets.  

It actually was a fabulous museum and a really interesting way to look at a piece of America's former defense system. Also, it struck me as a colossal waste of government funds (at the time - now it is a non-profit museum). Peace through deterrence may work, but it certainly seems like it costs a lot.  

We have also traveled to the Pima Air and Space Museum, to see what is called the Boneyard.  The Boneyard is actually on the Air Force base where my Dad was stationed after returning from Thailand during the Vietnam War, so this was a cool visit for a number of reasons.  This is where the US government keeps surplus aircraft to use for spare parts for all parts of the military.  There are approximately 4,000 planes, helicopters, etc. here and should you need a spare part for that C-130 you can call these folks up and they can get you that part and send it to you, sort of like the Advance Auto Parts of the US government aviation industry. It was really interesting for my Dad and I, less so for Ellie and Sam (Sam fell asleep on the bus tour).

This is the plane my Dad worked on in Thailand. 

Obviously, Arizona was a patriotic trip in the very red state. It was also filled with Mexican food, trips to Target, swimming and skinny dipping, since Gaga and Papa have a pool in the backyard, and putting on Papa's putting green.  My Dad did not make me listen to Fox news on the radio and we avoided talking about Obama/Romney.  The Safeway where Congresswoman Giffords was shot is close to my parents' house and it is known locally as her Safeway.  Illegal immigration continues to be a hot issue here.  Arizona is so beautiful, with the Catalina Mountains right outside of the house and an ever-changing sky.  The Saguaro cactus is all around and it is like being in a forest of exceptionally old trees, like redwoods, except the trees are not as tall. Ellie and Sam loved looking at them and spotting "good ones," with lots of arms.  

Tuscon is really cool in that it has a lot of local and small businesses.  I went to Antigone books, an amazing small, independent bookstore.  (Not that I need more books, ever.)  I bought turquoise from local craftsmen and ate food from small restaurants.  One thing Josh and I noticed and liked about Canada was the amount of small businesses and we lived on a particularly entrepreneurial street; it is nice to be able to support locally owned business here as well. 

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I began writing again today because I was upset, as I was packing away Sam's Canada shorts and University of Arizona t-shirt, that this is it.  Here we go. Today is the day we actually get on the plane and go. And while I am excited to go and see Josh and get organized in London, part of me wants to still hold my Mom and Dad, and stop by in Virginia, and go to tailgates with my friends in Maryland, and go back to the Canada Day BBQ at Donnybrook Park.  I'm so sad about all of the things I am missing!  I keep telling myself, and the kids, that Canada brought great opportunities. We made great friends, and experienced a new way of life, and it was good for us.  Sometimes, though, you just want home.