Thankful!

(I wrote most of this on Thansgiving weekend!  I was afraid that I had missed people so I am not publishing until now.  I'm sure that I did forget to mention people who have been supportive, so thank you first to everyone who has supported us!)

We are back at home and feeling grateful in so many ways.  First of all, we are so lucky that we were able to undertake this project.  When we look around our renewed home we can't believe our good fortune! 

We are incredibly grateful to our kind hosts during the time we had to be out of our home.  First, Kerry, Dino and family - they let us live in their home just two doors away and they made it seem like we were doing them a favour!  That is just the kind of people they are. 

Then, former neighbours Jen and Craig let us squat in their already sold home until the new owner took possession.  I know you won't believe our good fortune, but that house was just two doors in the other direction.  We are so grateful for your generosity!

Of course, we have an amazing family.  Drew's parents took us in in June when we had to vacate out house earlier that expected.  And in September, they took us in again.  The experience of never having to cook a meal or pour my own cocktail in the first weeks I was back to work  in September was unbelievable.  Thank you to Nan and Granddad for welcoming us as long-term house guests and for making our lives so much easier.  We promise we will eventually move all of our boxes out of your basement.

I want to express my gratitude to my mom and dad.  My parents gave me a very generous 40th birthday gift (a few years back ;) ) which allowed us to take care of most of our first mortgage.  It is hard to imagine that my dad won't get to see our house all finished.  He would have loved it!  Our guest room has been dubbed "Gran's room" and she has already had the first of what we hope will be many overnighters.   

Now all the other thanks:
Thank you to all of our neighbours for their patience and support.

First, to our immediate neighbours, those most impacted by the disaster construction zone.  I know that living beside a port-a-potty in the summer was no fun but you were still supportive.  Amazing!  Mark, Fiona and kids, Henrietta and Pete - thanks for being so darn cool during this long summer!

Kurt and Lois - thanks for inspiring the whole thing.  When you did your big reno a few years back, you set the bar for making a small home broken into separate rooms into a comfortable and spacious place.  I know that we had the "loudest reno ever", even on some weekends, but thanks for putting up with us with such grace.


Peter and Sheila - you saved our July.  The kids were not totally on board with the "renocation" and not going away for most of the summer.  Seeing your orange flag go up signalling that your flag was open to the neighbourhood was always a welcome and refreshing diversion. This summer many generous friends of friends also opened their pools  - thanks!

If you haven't started to get the picture yet of how amazing our street is, then read on, because there is more.

Our kids feel at home in most homes on our street, but none more so than the homes of their best friends who happen to be neighbours.

Paul and Andrea were always open to the kids joining them and their daughter (my daughter's BFF) so that Drew and I could head out on one of our many shopping outings for house supplies.It never seemed like a bother to them and the offer was always open to both kids. These two have been our friends since before we arrived on the street.  We moved in in September 1999.  A few months later, they showed up at our door to tell us they were looking at houses in the hood and would 5 doors away be too close. It has been great!

Jen and Rick, other reno-inspiring neighours, also kept their doors open to us and our kids during the reno. Their older son is our son's BFF and their younger son has said he wants to marry our daughter.  (It was later revealed that he really just wanted to live in our lego-filled basement, but you are like family anyway, K!)   A quick text or call and the kids were happily occupied while we ran around to tile, bathroom, electric stores.  I have to add that I never enter either of the above-mentioned homes without being offered a delicious and stress-relieving beverage.

To all of you who poured us a glass, asked how things were going, complimented the progress, toured the construction site, commented on how fast things were going, provided boxes, took the kids off our hands.... the list goes on.... THANK  YOU!!!  

I will update the thank you list as time goes on and my feeble brain remembers.