It's been a year

I love the app TIMEHOP. Senti kasi akong tao. This app helps me remember what exactly happened to my life on each exact day of the previous years. Kaya nga as much as possible, I want to post on time (or on date sa IG) para tama ang reckoning.

Anyway, Timehop reminded me awhile ago that on September 21 last year, Ford drove to BC to bring all our things there.

It wasn't easy to pack a house. We only lived in that townhouse for 2 years and 8 months but we've accumulated quite a lot. Blame it to the shopaholic wife.

We were grateful because my parents-in-law came over for a week to help us out. Ang galing galing ng daddy ni Ford magligpit. We never would have made it without him. At 70+ he is still strong.

Ford rented a big truck and he was the one who drove it all the way to Surrey. Normally, 13-14 hours ang driving time, longer kapag truck/commercial vehicle syempre. May driver's log eh, hindi dapat mag-exceed sa 13 hours yata ang accumulated driving time in a day so kelangan huminto.

To be honest, I was so worried that time. Ang laki-laki kasi ng truck, kaya ba ng asawa ko? My husband is a very good driver (I wouldn't have married him if he's not, seriously), but it was his first time to drive a truck like that. Ang haba pa ng biyahe. But it would cost us a fortune naman kung magha-hire kami ng professional movers.

I really prayed hard na makabalik sila nang maayos. Kasama niya rin kasi ang parents niya sa biyahe eh. Naiwan kami ni Nathan sa Edmonton.

They brought all our stuff in a storage. Ang mahal nun ha. We had to rent a really big one kasi we could only move to our new apartment by October 1 pa. Kaya instead na direcho na sa new place namin, sa storage muna. Kaya naghakot pa uli kami pagdating namin sa Surrey.

It took them one day to unload everything. They slept in a motel for two nights.

Thankfully, they were back on the night of September 23. Sobra-sobrang nakahinga na talaga ako noon.

Usung-uso dito ang mga ganyang rental moving trucks kasi nga usung-uso rin dito ang pagmo-move. Those who couldn't drive have to hire a driver, of course. Ang mahal nun for sure.

Just last night, we saw in the news that a couple from New Brunswick hired a professional mover to transport their things to Vancouver. When the driver stopped in Abbotsford to transfer the things in a smaller truck, ayun nawala yung truck. The abandoned truck was found after some time but all the things were gone. I really feel bad for the couple. Sure, may insurance, pero syempre hindi naman nun mapapalitan yung ibang mga gamit na may sentimental value. Maloloka siguro ako kung sa amin nangyari yun! Masyado nga kasi akong attached sa mga gamit ko eh.

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Browsing through last year's pictures made me sad again. Naalala ko pa kasi ang pakiramdam noong nagpa-pack na kami ng gamit. Ang lungkot-lungkot.

Halos lahat ng gamit namin ay bago pa kaya hindi ko naging option na ibenta nang mura o ipamigay. Hindi ko talaga naisip na aalis kami kaagad sa bahay na yun.

Ang sabi ni Ford hindi raw ako maka-move on. True. Palagi kong naaalala ang Secord house namin. Siguro kasi nga hanggang ngayon wala pa rin kaming bagong bahay and most of our things are still in the storage. I miss having space. I miss having a place to decorate and to love again.

Ford and I have agreed to buy a new place by the second quarter of next year. Nathan and I are going home to the Philippines on January to April so we'll start scouting for a house pagbalik namin. Well, that depends pa rin pala kasi Ford is eyeing on a new townhouse na pre-construction. We'll see. Pero basta I am so looking forward to moving to our new home next year.

Better late than never

August 1, 2017. Ford handed me this postcard the moment he stepped in our apartment. I got confused. I was actually expecting a postcard from my BFF Raxie but not that soon (I just sent her my address the previous night).

When I looked into the postcard, it was indeed from Raxie (who else?). But the card's not from Japan (where she was that time) but from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Huwhaaaat?!?!

I already thought that it could be one of the two postcards from Raxie that 'didn't make it.' But hello, that was two years ago! As in 2015 pa!

I checked on my IG posts and found this:

Itong Chiang Mai post card nga na dumating ang isa sa mga missing. Nakakaloka! Raxie sent it to my Edmonton address in August 2015 pa (I was vacationing in Pinas that time).

TWO YEARS LATE. Posible palang dumating pa ang letter/card after two years! Di ko talaga ma-reconcile sa utak ko haha. Even Raxie was so shocked! I have to idea kung kaninong 'fault' ba ito, sa Thailand o Canada Post. Oh well, better late than never.

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So how did this postcard still reach me now that we're living in BC?

I would have to commend my husband for subscribing to Canada Post's mail forwarding service. At first I didn't know na meron palang ganito. Pero dahil uso nga dito sa North America ang pamove-move ng tirahan/province, eto na nga.

My husband subscribed for a year and paid $104.25. It was a good decision because we didn't have to worry anymore about our incoming mails, especially those job-related ones (like T4 from previous employers, etc.).

I was very impressed with the service. Ang efficient kasi. We received our first redirected mail on October 5, 2016 (we arrived here on October 2).

Too bad our subscription is about to expire on September 28, 2017. So I have until that day to wait for the last missing postcard lol.

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By the way, I finally received the Japan Postcard the other day (August 9). It only took 8-9 days to arrive.

Thank you, my BFF Raxie, for always remembering me during your travels!