home sweet home

Selling real estate in Montreal was much more stressful and difficult than selling in Winnipeg. The politics in Quebec are embarrassing, to say the least, and many people were apprehensive about buying. The law is different than the rest of Canada, and by different, I mean unnecessarily complicated. I had two offers fall through and thought I'd never get out of there. Ultimately, things worked out well and I learned a few valuable lessons about myself and how to deal with unscrupulous people.

I cried when I left Winnipeg and thought I would be equally emotional when leaving Montreal. I was mostly just relieved. Besides some great friends we made there, what I'll miss the most is our home. It certainly wasn't our dream home but we made it as cozy as we could despite our complete lack of design skills or decor knowledge. These are a few photos of it.

We're settling into a house in San Francisco that has more space than we did in Montreal and less than we had in Winnipeg. I think it's going to take me forever to get it together. Looking at decor websites always leaves me feeling inadequate. Who are these people who move into a home and do before/after images in a week? Our furniture is still in transit, but none of it goes with our new place. I'll be content when I don't have to eat dinner on my lap but am definitely envious of people who can envision entire rooms and know exactly where to get all the items at reasonable prices.

I can't complain about anything though. Alex and I are so grateful and happy to be reunited for good. We're living somewhere we've dreamed of living since we first visited in 2008. Our time apart was longer than anticipated and it was tough. At first, we were both so busy that the time flew by, but the last few months dragged. While there were plenty of good things that came out of being on opposite sides of the continent, we've vowed never to attempt it ever again.

One of my favourite things about traveling is coming home. You have a newfound appreciation for it as well as a realization of what it's lacking - to either incorporate it or strive toward it.  We tried the nomadic lifestyle and it wasn't for us. We'll never stop traveling but nothing beats coming home to your own bed. - Mina

sunset drives

We always have lofty plans of leaving early so that we can get home before the sun sets but I don't think we've ever adhered any of our schedules (no matter how many spreadsheets we make). If we've learned anything at all from our travels, it's that having expectations almost always leads to disappointment. Trips are definitely more fun if you give into spontaneity. 

I've been thinking about how much I'd like to see more of California. I added places to my Oregon list in hopes spending some time there. Utah is a little further away, but it looks stunning and I want experience it in person. Have you ever gone on a road trip anywhere near SF? We'll likely be taking it easy for the rest of the year while settling into our new house but I'm always daydreaming about where to go next...

santa ynez

I've probably mentioned it a million times, but road trips are absolutely my favourite way to travel. I can't wait to explore more of the west coast.
These photos were taken at a rest stop on the way back from Disneyland to San Francisco.