Is the suspense killing you?

 I thought I would begin this blog by adding some pics of the kids in DisneyWorld.  They sure are growing! James is 13 now, Patrick is almost 12, and Charlotte is 9 1/2 years old.  Both boys are taller than me, and Charlotte has a new pair of beautiful glasses as of yesterday.  My, how time flies!

Okay....I guess I have kept you in suspense for long enough.  Actually, we have been finalizing some details about our living and moving arrangements that we wanted to have tied up before  I made any concrete announcements, and since things are mostly signed, sealed and delivered, I figured I can let you in on our soon-to-be whereabouts.  I sure hope I don't jinx things by making this announcement too soon, but since we are leaving in just a few days for our destination, I had better let the cat out of the bag.

Have you any thoughts as to where we might be going?  Well....we are headed to.......

...a really nice place that is not in Ontario.  We have told a few of you with whom we visited over the past few weeks, and some of you received our news quite happily, in that you are happy for us, and others, were not happy at all because we are not staying in Ontario.  It saddened us that some of you reacted the way you did, because WE are thrilled about our new situation.  The thing is, as teachers, it is extremely difficult for us to find work in Ontario.  If we want to work, we have to leave Ontario.  It was incredibly difficult to leave last year.  As we approached the Manitoba border last year, Greg and I were both crying.  We will always consider Ontario to be home, and maybe one day we will be able to return, but as teachers, time in the union is important, so the longer we stay the less likely it is we will be able to return.  Anyway, like I said, we are really happy about our destination.

What do you think now?  We are headed to......

...a town of 19,000 people.  This town has paved roads, intersections, grass, trees, restaurants, banks, pharmacies, a post office, gas stations, and all kinds of retail stores.  James is thrilled because there is a Boston Pizza in town.  Charlotte is happy there is a McDonalds.  Patrick is happy there is an indoor pool complex.  Greg is happy there are several grocery stores with fresh (as opposed to frozen) food.  I am happy there is a Walmart.  In addition, there is a movie theatre, airport, small mall, and a great book store called The Book Cellar.  Cool name, huh?

Any guesses?  We are headed to.....

...a town where I will be teaching Core French to Grades 4-7.  Greg will be supply teaching for now until something else comes along.  We are hoping he will find an LTO (long-term occasional position)  or better yet, get a job with the Ministry of Education or another part of the government.  This school is a Catholic school, and the kids are thrilled to be headed back to a faith-filled school environment, surrounded by those of like minds.  I am happy that I am going to be teaching what I was trained to do, and am finally getting my career going.  Incidentally, from what I can tell, having not seen my schedule yet, I will be teaching both Charlotte and Patrick.  They are actually quite happy because I understand that they haven't been using their French for over a year since they didn't take it in Tuk, so I will supposedly go easy on them.  Hmmmmmm..........

Don't you hate that I'm dragging this out?  We are headed to....

...a place that is accessible by airplane.  Simply fly from Toronto to Calgary or Edmonton and then connect.  Easy peasy.  Gramma and Grampa Wilson have plans to visit soon, and my mom is also talking about visiting.  Any and all of you are welcome!

Here's a final clue.  We are headed to.....

...a town whose name begins with a colour and ends with a something you will find in front of you when you sit down to dinner.

Okay, that ought to make it quite obvious by now!!

As of Sunday, August 23, 2015, the Wilson Family will be residents of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

Thank you to everyone for your love and support as we move across the country again.  I will continue to blog about our life in the North, and although we are not living in a 'remote' community, we still have loads of new adventures ahead of us, and we look forward to seeing what God has in store for us in our new town (although some of you would argue that Yellowknife is remote, too. This is a matter of opinion, I guess.  Heh heh.).

I will blog more about the actual town of Yellowknife as we make our journey there.  Here's to a new school year and new beginnings!

Did Ya' Miss Me?

Hi Everyone!  Did ya’ miss me?

I sure have missed writing these past few months, and I thought it was high time I let you know where we are in the world, how we came to be here, and in which direction we are headed… this time.

When I last left you, the Wilsons were about to begin May Break, which is the equivalent to a March Break anywhere else but since there is so much snow and the temperatures are still so cold in March in Tuktoyaktuk, they wait until May.  There were times when we thought it would be -40C forever! Anyway, by the time mid-May rolled around, we were all pretty desperate to see home and have some face to face time with our nearest and dearest.  

You also knew that Tuk just wasn’t working out for us as a family.  We will always be glad we went to Tuktoyaktuk.  We learned a lot about ourselves and each other, as well as how to band together as a family to support each other.  We made some friends, learned a lot of really great life lessons, both the practical which we can apply to life in general and some lessons which are unique to Tuk. Greg and I also learned a lot professionally, too.  And on a personal note, it was here that I learned just how much I love to write!

This means that when I last left you, a lot was up in the air about our life for the fall, and as a family we were facing another hardship that loomed large in our lives - being separated.  After May Break, the kids and I stayed in Ontario and sent Greg back to Tuktoyaktuk to finish the school year.  It was ‘just’ seven weeks.  How hard could that be?

It was the most difficult time in my life, that’s how hard it was.  I thought last summer was tough - having to pack up the last five years of my life, give away a great deal, put stuff in storage and take only the most essential plus a few sentimental items with us, preparing for a ‘new life’ in a place I knew very little about. I was leaving all my friends and family and going where we were completely unknown.  I was scared to death, both for me and for my family. What’s more, it was’t just me!  Greg and the kids needed me to do my part and be a support to them, too.  The thing is - we had each other, and there is always safety in numbers.  Besides, we Wilsons have each others’ backs.

When Greg left to fly back to Tuk, at first it felt like he was going on a business trip.  Easy enough.  In London, there were times when Greg would have to travel to Sault Ste. Marie for a week at a time and the kids and I got along all right.  James missed having a barrier between the two of us because he and I are so much alike sometimes we clash.  Patrick missed having somebody with whom he could share his deep thoughts, since he and his father are very similar that way.  Charlotte missed cuddling and teasing and the adventures she had on a daily basis with her Daddy, and I missed my partner in life.  By the end of the week, we were all waiting with baited breath for the door of our apartment to open and for our beloved and fearless leader to walk in, larger than life and full of love and jokes and laughter.

After the first week, it sunk in.  We all went into a tailspin, and to top it off, the four of us were living in Parry Sound where there was the expectation to finish the school year via homeschooling with Gramma Wilson.  Gramma herself had come home early from Poplar Hill, Ontario, a small fly-in First Nation community in Northern Ontario, where Grampa Wilson was principal.  She was facing a six week absence from him, and was feeling it, too.

So there we all were, with raw, gaping emotions, trying to limp along and establish a routine with some sense of normalcy.  There were definitely some hills and valleys throughout these seven weeks, but the kids and I and Gramma pulled ourselves together and finished the school year. Some days we didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but we did it, and we are all are stronger for it.

The kids each came to me in their own time and manner, expressing their unhappiness  about being away from Dad, and I knew in my heart how much I was yearning for Greg, too.  I turned to God, who has never let me down, and to Facebook for support stating that if I heard a “Buck up.  He’ll be home soon.  The time will go so fast and he’ll be here before you know it”  I would blow.  I did blow up at few people and I also got a great deal of support from others.  Both categories know who you are, and to you I say I’m sorry and Thank you.  

Then there was Greg, who was all by himself in a three bedroom house, trying to finish the school year, pack up our house, arrange a move, look for work for next year, and complete report cards.  He was used to the constant chaos of kids in the house and having his partner there for him to lean on and instead he had……. a great phone and internet connection.  Too bad we didn’t have one in Parry Sound and couldn’t be in touch via Skype much at all.

Greg did, however, manage to submit his doctoral thesis, and will be defending his dissertation in Calgary on August 31st.  After six years of study, research, writing, meetings, and paying tuition, Greg is more than ready to put this behind him and become Dr. Gregory Wilson, or Gregory Wilson, Ed.D.  I must admit there is a thrill for me, too, because I will be the wife of a doctor!!

Our days of separation were dark ones for our family, but the day came when we were all reunited, and that was a joyful one indeed!  Since then we have spent a happy summer together, resting, playing and just being, especially when the stress of finding a job was alleviated….by me!  More to follow about that in a bit!

We spent a wonderful 10 days in DisneyWorld, lost in the magic that only Mickey Mouse can bring, and attended a family wedding on the way home.  I spent a week with my Mom just prior to Greg’s arrival in Ontario, and we have been back and forth to London for playdates.  

However, our summertime fun is approaching its end.  The Wilsons are on the move! We are now in the process of packing up and getting ready to head to………..

Stay tuned for further details!!!