It appears I might set a record for worlds least frequent blogger.... but it is interesting to see what has changed from the last long ago post to now.

Ironically my last post was when taking on a new job and I was still full of hope and optimism for that change. Silly, silly me. The new job in Hamilton was not good - not really on any level other than living through it and I guess being stronger (eventually) because of it. The job turned into a 13 hour a day 6 day a week plus commute job - not good when you have a young family at home. The job was stressful, unrewarding, and and downright depressing. The money was good but the money fades in importance really really quickly. Before you know it you dont care how much you make because you cant enjoy any of it anyway.  After a couple of years of that I decided I had had enough and it was time to regroup and rebuild. I was ready to move on from Maple Leaf. I resigned to accept a new job in Saskatoon (closer to home, back in the west, new challenges, etc), but at the last minute Maple Leaf offered me a role back in Winnipeg - back where it all started. I of course turned them down because we had made up our mind that we were looking for a change. When I told Sharon she started to cry - apparently we werent as comitted to change as I thought :) Onward to Winnipeg we went!

The kids were NOT happy with the news. They had grown roots in KW and did not want to leave. Jayme took it the hardest - she was 15, had just started high school and by nature shy. Moving and making new friends was not something she wanted to do. It tore my heart out to upset her the way we did, but it was the right thing to do for the family. Off we went to Winnipeg, on to new challenges and new friends. We ended up living in Sharons parents basement for a few months while we lined up a house. I couldnt ask for a better extended family than the one I lucked into. They welcomed 5 people and a shedding 100lb dog into their house with open arms and a smile. Im sure there were days when they wished they had never offered, but they never said so. Gotta love family like that! I convinced Sharon it was a good idea to buy a motorcycle during those months - well not so much convinced her as wore her down. She hates the bike, but I love it. And she loves me, so she puts up with it. We bought a beautiful house that had everything we had ever wanted, and moved out of her parents basement in June.

The new job at the Winnipeg plant was ok. I enjoyed the work, the people were ok, and it was comfortable. I was able to start letting go of my baggage from Hamilton, although that proved harder than I would have thought. My time in Hamilton was not good. The step up to the "next big thing" as I alluded to in my last post was more like a step into a pot hole that resulted in a shattered ankle. I ended up stepping my career and my self confidence back a few steps instead of advancing. It was a painful lesson, especially since I had been mildly to largely successful with every other Maple Leaf challenge before hand. About a year and a half into the new job I got a call from a recruiter that a local health food manufacturer was looking for a Supply Chain Director, and they thought I would be a good candidate. I tried to resist, after all I had just moved, but I ended up going to the interview out of curiosity. As they say, the rest is history. I left Maple Leaf and took the role with Manitoba Harvest in November of 2016. I have to say I have been loving the change ever since. The people are great, the culture is good, and the challenges are definitely there to keep me interested for the next while. Lord knows I never know what the future holds so who knows what will come of this but for now I am loving life.

Jayme has still had a hard time adjusting to the move, and her relationship with us (especially me) has suffered because of it. My heart breaks seeing her unhappy, I just want to reach out and squeeze her make her feel good. We are working on it - lots of ups and downs, and life is always an adventure. She is graduating high school this year, and had applied to the UofM. She isnt sure what exactly she wants to do, but she does actually seem excited about getting out of high school and making a new start in University.

Sharon is back at Cambrian, back in the same department she left when we moved to ON. She seems happy in her job, although I think the switch between stay at home mom and full time working mom has been a bit harder than she had anticipated. She of course has nailed it though - as she does with everything in her life she somehow manages to make it all look easy and make everyone around her happy. I wish she could have taught me a little bit of that during my Hamilton days!

The boys are.... the boys. Carter is much like his mom - he makes everything seem easy. He adjusted to the move in seemingly no time. He continues to play soccer, spends a ton of time (too much probably) on his computer and has shown a bit of a flair for cooking interestingly enough. He is such a great kid, it is always a good time having him around.  Thomas is and will always be Sharons Baby. He is such a sweet kid, and he is as always very close to his mom.