Our New Life

August 28, 2012 By Leanne Vogel December 26, 2018

We’re about as ready as we’ll ever be for the next big change in our life – a move across the country to Montreal… today.

If you feel that this has come on quite suddenly, you’d be right. Kevin and I made the decision about 1.5 months ago and it’s been a whirlwind of craziness ever since. But the thought of changing our lives for the better and doing something drastic; like selling our vehicles, the majority of our things and relocating, has been on both of our minds for the better part 2012.

The time I spent in India earlier this year gave me the opportunity to  figure out where I was in life, what I wanted, and what was important to me. I returned home with a clear picture of what I needed out of life and what I had at the moment just wasn’t it! Although there was a lot I wanted to improve, it was clear that the first order of business had to be for me to leave my job. Instead of getting hung up on the details as I usually do, I just set the intention that an opportunity would present itself and things would just workout.

During my first day back at the office from my travels and, as luck would have it, up popped that opportunity! I was asked to stay on for 5 months while they looked for my replacement which gave us time to save money and come up with a plan. We felt good about my job transition and although I was fearful of the next chapter, deep down I knew it was the right decision.

Just as the opportunity to leave my job magically fell into place, so has everything else. Two weeks before my last day of work on August 31, Kevin and I decided to move across the country to Montreal. New adventures, a smaller home, a brand new place to explore… it fit. We booked a trip to search for a place to rent, explore the city we would soon call home, and introduce ourselves to new people. Oh right, and eat good food!

Kevin and I in front of our vacant lot in 2009

This change is one of the biggest I’ve ever made for myself. It’s been filled with tears, doubt, and a whole lot of excitement, too. We love it in Airdrie. We’ve grown a stable and loving life here, have great neighbors and fabulous memories. We built our home with every intention of growing old here together and now; just 2 years later, we’re renting it out to someone and moving 3,000 kilometers away to a city we’ve only been to once, in a rental home 50% smaller than our current one, and so far away from family that we have no one to depend on but ourselves.

You’d think with all of the crazy things I’ve gotten up to this year that I’d be good with change but you’d be dead wrong, I’ve never been good with it. I hate feeling like I have no control over things, always second guess myself when I’ve made big decisions, and continuously doubt that I deserve to be happy when something good happens in my life. I keep reminding myself that it’s okay to be scared, but that it’s not okay to stop living life because of my fears.

I’ve realized that my life has to be about trying new things, collecting accomplishments, exploring the world, and embarking on grand adventures. Really, I don’t know what could be grander than going to India, quitting my job, and moving across the country all in the same year. I think I’ve hit my maximum allowable change limit, time to take it easy after this.

The movers are picking up our things this morning, we’ll head to my parents house where we’ll stay until Sunday, then hop on a plane with the dogs to Quebec – the place we will call home from here on in. It’s going to be a crazy couple of weeks!

I’ve asked a bunch of my favorite blogging ladies to share some fantastic gluten-free recipes with you while Kevin and I embark on this next chapter of our lives. I’ll be posting updates along the way and look forward to getting into my new (very small) kitchen to whip up all of the recipe ideas I’ll surely gather over the next 2-3 weeks.

As the French say, au revoir!

This entry was tagged: montreal, moving