Toronto Bound!

Thanksgiving weekend is a blur! The weather here was absolutely gorgeous on Friday and Saturday, bearable on Sunday and then the heavens opened and the high winds hit as the remnants of Nicole and another system clashed above us. Nothing like Juan, but down came many of the beautiful leaves we’d been admiring all weekend! We went down to Nick’s mother’s house for our Thanksgiving meal (though I still cooked a turkey at our house on Saturday just to have leftovers and bones to make soup from) and savour one of the bottles of French wine we’d brought home with us from our summer adventures. It doesn’t seem possible that it was over 2 months ago! As the wind whipped and howled around our house Monday night and the rain lashed the windows, I had a whole new sense of appreciation for what the people in Florida went through. As people said to each other the next day, that was only half as hard, half as long and one instead of three!!

Now I am off to Toronto on the plane this afternoon to teach at the Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival from Thursday until Sunday night. I truly enjoy working in that more intimate manner with a small group of stitchers while I am teaching new designs or techniques, but I hate all the packing up before hand. I am always so afraid that something important will be forgotten!! Bethany had a hard time at the bus stop this morning, knowing that I wouldn’t be here when she came home. It was made harder by the fact that the bus was late and the rain was drizzling down on everyone, but she stayed brave and managed to get on the bus with no tears.

My mother and stepfather arrive before supper time tonight, which should perk both Erin and Bethany up quite a bit. I know that Nick will appreciate having them around to help out. This time last year, Erin broke out with Chicken Pox while I was up in Toronto and poor Nick had to cope with them alone!! I am sure the girls will almost be having too much fun to miss me much.

It is also fun to get away on my own for a few days... and that sounds so selfish. Nick very rarely gets that chance to be away on his own and have time to spend in his own head space. It is always good to remember that you are a person and an individual as well as a spouse and parent.

I guess that is it for now, I need to check over everything to make sure that it all got packed!!