holi-daze

Almost exactly one year ago we were visiting friends and family in Nova Scotia, and realizing that we'd made the RIGHT decision when we decided to move back east. We were surrounded by people who are important in our lives, and yet we hadn't seen most of them in a very long time. We drove familiar roads that led to familiar doors and soaked in the feeling of personal history that the province holds for us.

Fast-forward to the present moment. It is a few days until Christmas, and I am scheduled to work at the animal shelter Christmas day. I think it will make for an introspective holiday among the homeless dogs, knowing that they do not have a family to love them on a day that, for me, represents family and love above all else. Mark is planning on coming with me to give the dogs some extra attention while I clean their kennels.

In actual travel news:

Mark has found an "in" with a guy who can get him a good deal on a solar kit for the Boler, so he's going to get that done sometime in the near future.

Also, from here on in "the Boler" will now be referred to as the "Yukon Ho". That's definitely its name now. Maybe.

We've also firmed up a few dates for the first part of our trip (the part that goes from Canada, down the western part of the U.S., and then to Mexico) and made some exciting plans. This trip is going to be super-fantabulously fun!

Now we've got to do all the little finicky things. Get travel insurance, arrange flights for the dogs, forward mail, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

failing to quit

Mark "came out of the closet" so to speak at work this week, concerning our big trip south and the fact that we're not returning to BC after it's done.


On Monday, the first work-day in December, Mark was all set to give notice at his office. He tried valiantly, but alas, he is still employed for the foreseeable future.

However, this is the deal: He will significantly reduce his hours starting in January while we make our preparations for our trip, and then have a leave of absence while we travel, and when we arrive in Nova Scotia his employers want him to work remotely for them. This is as good a situation as we could have hoped for, in that he will still have a source of income, but he is not obligated to anything so we are still free to make any necessary changes if it doesn't fit our lifestyle.

I think he's relieved that everyone finally knows. After a few years, having to be careful what you say about the future gets kind of irritating.