Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015!

2014 was quite a year; as Ted put it, "it was a polarizing one".   Every year starts off hard as January 15th marks the anniversary of my grandma's passing.  No matter how much time passes, it still feels like she is just away until those moments I know she would be around hit.  Another sad event to begin the year was the passing of my kind hearted and gentle father in law.  He was a man who lived life to the fullest and had the sense of humour that we all loved.  I adored the man and no matter how far away he was, we always knew the love he had for his entire family; oh and of course the proudness he had that Jade's nose was like his.  The last conversation we had over facetime was one of the greatest as the news that I was pregnant was shared.

2014 also was a year of separation for Jade, Ted and I.  With Ted living in Borden and us in North Van, times were tough but fortunately the saying "distance makes the heart grow fonder" rang true for all of us.  The farther we were physically apart the closer we became emotionally and our marriage only blossomed.  It was hard times being apart, but we did it and are better for it.  During that time, Jade and I spent a lot of time with my parents who were amazing and supported us every step of the way.  If it weren't for them, I doubt we would have survived, lol.  The love they have for Jade and vice versa is absolutely heart warming.

With the birth of Charlie came a whole new beginning to our lives.  Apparently we like to do all the big things at one; we got married and bought our first place within a week; when Jade was born we put a down payment down on a new place the same day and this time, with Charlie, we were in the midst of moving again.  Only this time it was a move far bigger than ever before.  Thankfully Ted was able to be home for the birth and spend a few weeks with us before having to return to do the long drive back to Borden.  Of course, this birth didn't go as planned and Charlie graced us with her presence a week before the scheduled c-section.  Throughout the pregnancy, Jade always referred to the baby as Charlie, well initially it was Mater but with my mom's help that changed to Charlie, and we always told everyone that was not going to be the name.  Trust me, that was the truth, the truth until I had her in my arms for the first time and Ted and I looked at each other and said, Charlie.  So, on September 4th, 2014, Charlie Cynthia de Volder became the fourth member of our family.  At the end of the month, Ted hit the road to Borden in our new Santa Fe, Fe Santa Fe as Jade calls it, to make it back in time to meet the moving truck at our new home.

At the end of October, the girls and I packed up what was left and we headed out east to be with Ted at our new home on the base.  Saying good bye to my parents was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.  For those of you who know me, I do not show my emotions when it comes to crying, but this time there was no hope of holding back and I broke down.  Mette, Mike and Kjell joined us at the airport which was soooo nice and great for Jade.  This was the first time I would not be living within a short drive of my parents or see them every few days.  My parents mean the world to me and moving away was absolutely heart breaking; however, Ted, the girls and I need to be together and they are the priority. North Vancouver will always be my home, my parents will always only be a phone call away, always be there for us and friends and family will always be there.  Being a family again, Ted, the girls and I, has been wonderful and done wonders to bring us closer.

The transition has been tough, I will not lie or sugar coat things.  I am absolutely terrible with any sort of change be it a change in plan of the day or what someone says so this has been a test.  It is tough not knowing anyone, living in a small town and not having much to do.  At times I get sad missing what is in BC but, as I said, being a family under one roof is all worth it.  I have some great friends and of course family who keep in contact with me and help me stay positive.  I also have a great husband who acknowledges the hard transition and has been amazingly supportive. 

I already talked about Christmas previously but will pick up and say we ended the year off on a very good note with a trip to Chicago.  It was our first family road trip as a foursome and went swimmingly well.  At times it got pretty chilly which caused one camper to be a little unhappy but overall it was a fabulous trip to a city we fell in love with.  Of course I wouldn't want tot move there, but to be a tourist in, awesome!!!

Now it is back to life again, one more week off for Ted which is really nice and gives me a lot of help.  It is also the beginning of school for Jade, yep she starts preschool this week.  It could not happen any sooner, lol.  Those who know Jade, know how social and active she is, so being cooped up with shy me and baby Charlie girl for over two months was not fair.  Despite going to a some drop ins and what not, there just was never enough socialization opportunities.  This gal has been talking about school since, well, a long time so to finally get to go, is very exciting. Thus the beginning of 2015 has been a positive start.  Hopefully it will cure her of her utter fondness of the word "what"; she told me she is pretty funny because she says it.  Now it is mostly to push Ted's buttons as a joke but she does love it.  Of course though, nothing will come close to her love for her Cars.

Sorry for the blahness of these blogs and lack of me to this one but I promise, the next one will be back to me and not just the mundane day by day report. I could start that here but that would just make this way too much reading in one sitting so will leave you knowing that next up, I will bring a little me into it and a little talk about Frozen.