We’re sitting in a poncey Nespresso bar in Yorkville — all high ceiling and drippy gold and Modern furniture. Our life here, the things we have access to, it’s all so surreally different to Wick that we’re having total fun playing in it (while starting to budget for the realities).

It is inspiring, though, to be in the middle of so much life and culture.

We’re starting to settle into our new place, with more and more of the furniture basics finally in place. And food in the fridge. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll soon be able to just start living normally.

Last night the PanAm Games closed (we missed it all, too busy with moving/admin stuff), and we sat in our living room watching fireworks explode from the CN Tower.

And Craig got his visa!! That was a worry, as we discovered just days before leaving that posted waiting time for processing is fourteen months! Thank goodness that wasn’t the case, as we’d’ve been bankrupt by then. (Toronto is loads of fun, and loads of expensive.)

It’s fun to be back here with the team at the office. I’m illustrating another book (number three of 100), and loving that.

Whenever I’m facing a daunting task, my mom reminds me: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

Never mind that doing such a thing would be immoral and unappetizing; I take her point.

Last night, we e-mailed off still more scanned ID to the owner of a flat we’re hoping to rent, and Craig got his visa photos taken yesterday. There are lots and lots and lots of elephant-bites involved in moving internationally, with as-yet-uncertain outcomes, but we’re getting through it all, bit by bit.

I’m looking forward to the part where we can actually have fun doing all the things there are to do here!

I’m drinking green slop for breakfast, ’cause I’m trying to change my ways now that I’m here. No more cake and coffee in European cafes; no more stress-eating while working from home.

I drew this and made a wee animation of it on the flight yesterday:

But as soon as I had the thought, I imagined a voice in my head saying, “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be just fine.“

As the flight went on, I found myself growing excited about being in Toronto. I have this feeling that anything is possible here.

And my nephew was waiting for us at the airport!

I was a little delayed, as my case didn’t fit into the customs form’s little boxes (typical, for my life). I fit the “resident” bit, but not the “How long have you been away from Canada?” bit. Fourteen years!

I also had to go into a separate area to talk to an agent about having “Goods to Follow”, except they wanted me to have a list of everything printed out. Well, I haven’t done this before and didn’t know that was a requirement. Of course, being able to show it to them onscreen didn’t count, so the woman gave me a form, with eight spaces to list the things I’m shipping, plus their value. But it’s 92 boxes’ worth of stuff, and we didn’t even getting shipping insurance because it would take a year to go through and provide a value for each item (which is used and has no commercial value anyway).

So the bureaucracy begins. But so does the fun.

We had a farewell get-together with my family-in-law tonight. Seeing my husband say goodbye to his sister-in-law, then niece, then brother, the reality of our move finally sank in.

I feel like a murderer for splitting up their family.

We sold our car today (well, we gave it to Pum to trade in toward the purchase of a new car). That’s the last item on my KonMari list checked off.

In the last month, I’ve caught up with so many brilliant, beloved friends & met many more of Craig’s, both on the Continent and in the UK.

Now my inner introvert is completely burnt out from constantly being on the go and being endlessly “on”. I could cry, but not ’cause the reality has hit home — it hasn’t yet; there’s been too much to do.

We had our car evaluated today so we could give it to my mother-in-law (“Pum”) to trade in. That’s the last box ticked.

Time for my niece’s birthday party. Here’s the cake Pum made:

I drew and did writing work in ‘Spoons and Tesco today, and spent just as much time chatting with folks I know from around town.

Now. At the end. As you do.