December 2025

I have been busy with more things old and new. For two, I still do not know where my family and I will end up. I am working on building a new dream of a future dream home for us. It seems that all is fair in love and real estate, and before we could sell our current home another buyer swooped in like a seagull to a sandwich and snatched the one we wanted. The triple decker we had worked so hard towards that we could almost taste it. Alas.

But all is not in vain. The adventure is not over. Thus far this journey has led us to our amazing new realtor, and a few other people we’ve really been enjoying working with. Ask me and I’ll tell you who. Relationships are very important to me. And hey, now my spouse and I get to look at a heck of a lot more real estate. And I do like looking at real estate. Almost as much as I enjoy reading books, and that’s saying a lot. Pro reader here.

The other benefit of this adventure is the abundant learning opportunities for my children. Learning to distinguish between wants and needs and learning to be flexible with your dreams. Side note: I recommend IN YOUR DREAMS on Netflix; we’ve watched it three times so far.

Learning how to stage a home. My youngest enjoyed helping my realtor and I stage our home, and on my birthday too. (Side note: this was my choice to spend time on my actual birthday day this way, and yes, I am a little weird, but I am also wonderful.) Though perhaps my daughter did more chatting than helping. She gets her chatty-Cathy-ness from me. Just don’t call me Kathy.

Learning how mortgages work. My oldest asked me why we couldn’t just leave our home unsold and move into the new one and only pay for the new one. I explained about home ownership and how you pay for the home(s) you own, whether, or not, you live there. There is so much more I want to teach him about mortgages and real estate, so much more even than I yet know. And the key word here being “yet.” Things I do not know “yet.” But I am excited to learn. So, I will watch for the windows of learning opportunities with the light of knowledge keepers shining through.

May the light find you in these darkest days as we slide towards the winter solstice. The light of laughter with family and friends, and the seasonal/Christmas lights on all the homes in your neighbourhoods. May you have time for peaceful naps, good books, and decadent chocolate. And may you have plenty of time to dream. See you in 2026! 

November 2025

I have been busy with new and old things. For one, my spouse and I are trying to upgrade to a better townhouse for our family. More bathrooms, on a quieter street, closer to our younger kid’s school, which she’ll be in a lot longer than our older kid in his school. Where have the years gone? There would be a lot of benefits to this move. But someone must buy our current home first. That is the only thing standing in our way. We have done all the other leg, and all the other arm, work. It’s been quite the workout. I do recognize how fortunate we are to even be in the position that we are in. I do not take that for granted. But I am tired of living in a staged home with no personal photos on the walls. I am tired of living in limbo. One would think as a writer of many years that I would be used to the waiting game. Nope. I am feeling impatient.

On the bright side, while we wait to find out if we can move to our dream home — emphasis on the word “our,” as our dream home is not the same as your dream home, just as our normal is not your normal — I have been having a lot of fun with floor plans. As a wannabee interior-design-hobbyist, I’ve been sketching and planning out how exactly we would arrange our furniture in the new space. I took a lot of measurements around things like heaters last time we were at our potential new home. I want to find ways to optimize flow and best support my family’s lifestyle, current and in the not-too-distant future. Again, where have the years gone? I also dream of some new furniture and art pieces to collect over time to further support this vision. I want more for my family, and I want more for me.

I went from thinking of our current home as our forever home to — “thank you, current home, for your time, but it is time for your next family, and where the heck are they already?” — in a very short span of time. While truly this feeling has been building for a while, in the moment of recognition it felt like a light switch. Like I finally saw the wall of shadows for what it was. Like I took a bite from the apple and cannot go back. There is so much more out there. And so, my family and I have embarked on this trying-for-a-better-home adventure, and I’d like to think I know where we will end up. But the truth is that I do not. And that is the same with my writing journey. I do not know where I will end up. But I have hope. And I will try. Because I want more. For me. And for you.