Guess Who's Back!

You may have noticed various versions of this photo in the past few years. The first one was taken when the boys and I moved into the condo. The second one was during the fire renovations when we had to relocate to the apartment. I trust that this will be the final time you see it, as we are now back in our HOME in the condo and feeling extremely excited!!

Let me share some insights about our time away over the past year. I believe that this has been the most challenging year for me so far, especially from a mental perspective. (Not only was I dealing with this situation, I had a handful of other arrows shot at me too. Pun intended for those aware). Waiting is always difficult, but waiting for matters concerning your home, your comfort zone, can be particularly distressing. Fortunately, our insurance covered our stay in an apartment throughout this time, and our landlord was very supportive and cooperative. Nevertheless, there were some significant drawbacks to being in this situation:

1. Obviously, we were missing some items we had before, which meant we had to either purchase replacements or do without them. At first, this posed a challenge, but we managed to get past it, even resorting to using forks and Tupperware containers for enjoying our ice cream.

2. Being on the ground floor was unfamiliar to us! Even though it was convenient having a grassy area for the boys to play, the neighbors above us were extremely rude regarding their noise level.

3. It wasn't home, even after a year, it wasn't home. Having been so abruptly uprooted from your safe space can be very emotionally challenging for someone with anxiety to go through. There were certainly a large number of days that I felt extremely lost. I broke down in tears and wished more than anything to be back home.

4. Navigating through the entire process from beginning to end, including dealing with a fire, losing a pet, losing a home, managing the insurance procedures, securing temporary living arrangements, tending to your and your children's emotional and mental health, ensuring all preparations are made for returning home, and more, mostly on your own, can be incredibly draining and anxiety-inducing. Let's be honest, it's a tough situation. We are immensely grateful for the people who have supported us! (And boy, did you all come through on moving day!)

Exactly ONE YEAR after the fire, the boys and I were able to return to our home. Walking back through those doors, a wave of emotions washed over us. We were overjoyed at the transformation of the place and thrilled to be back home! Despite tears of joy, there were also tears of sadness as we couldn't bring our sweet Nala girl back with us.

Even these small tasks of organizing and hanging up seem daunting without a partner. Someone just to give an opinion on where things look best and sometimes two sets of hands are needed to hang things up. Once I find the motivation to tackle it all, it’ll be perfect, but it has felt like home from the very first minute.

Our new fur babies are adjusting nicely. Mister is still a little unsure sometimes and follows me around like he's my shadow and Lexi is even giving us glimpses of our Nala daily by laying in the exact spot our girl loved the most. I don't know about you, but I fully believe that Lexi can sense Nala watching over us and I'm perfectly content with that.