Each time I made this promise to my father, it seemed like the move we made was further and further away from the lovely little country town I still call home - Nanango, in Queensland, Australia. Each time, the promise would give my Dad some comfort but I think he knew that the 'mildly' adventurous daughter he had raised was not going to keep her promises! It was definitely his fault though. Spending a year in a caravan travelling around Australia at aged 15 planted a thirst for travelling that would not be quenched anytime soon. 23 years later, that travel bug is still alive and well!
The first move was not too bad. Sydney, for better opportunities and the love of my life Blair, whom I married two years later. Throughout our time in Sydney (and then Kariong on the Central Coast) my work afforded me the opportunity to travel to the Solomon Islands, London twice and Singapore. Fabulous!
After 7 years in cockroach country (New South Wales), we moved to Auckland, lured by wonderful job opportunities at Sanitarium Health Food Company. I had the best job of my life there, managing their flagship brand Weet-bix. Eight years of delightful friendships, a wonderful church - Royal Oak SDA church, great jobs and the birth of our three children ensued. Challenging times, happy times, fun times. And of course we travelled that little country like crazy, leaving almost no road untraversed! New Zealand is most definitely everything you hear about it and more. Green, untouched, majestic and very, very beautiful.
Blair was promoted to General Manager at Lisa's, a dip company that he aggressively grew from $6M to $20M in the space of just 2 years through acquisitions, new product development and a vision that was initially well supported by the mother company. He was awarded the Accountant of the Year for the Northern region by the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants, making his wife tremendously proud! The best part of his time at Lisa's was the people he encountered - people he unknowingly touched that would become significant in years to come!
After eight years of living in the land of the long white cloud, the opportunity to move far across the ocean arose and of course we took it! We had never considered living in Canada but we leapt at the opportunity and moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, with three little children in tow aged 2, 3 and 5. This move was by far our most difficult. We moved to Vancouver knowing absolutely no-one. Blair took a job that positioned him as a square peg in a round hole, in an environment that was little more than hostile. Furthermore, we accepted advice from appropriate government officials to move prior to receiving our working visas. Those visas never materialized. This meant we effectively lived from suitcases because all of our worldly belongings were kept in customs and were unavailable to us. We had moved to the other side of the world, with three children under 5, no support network and none of the 'things' to make us feel settled and at home. The 'red tape' of Canadian officialdom was also very tiresome and difficult to bare. All was not lost however.
Again, we made connections with extraordinary people doing extraordinary things. The local SDA school that we enrolled our eldest child in provided a wonderful support network with tremendous teachers and administration who made us feel cherished and welcome. Thank you forever, Deer Lake School! Our youngest son was admitted to the Willingdon Playschool within days of us arriving, despite a one year waiting list! I think I must have looked completely desperate when I went to visit! This church also had a playgroup for our daughter which I visited on the same day. On the day of our first visit to Willingdon I had prayed that God would give Lachlan and I each a friend. That first day to Willingdon crossed my path with a lady who came to be very special to us indeed - Lily Kim. She had a son Lachlan's age and made sure we exchanged phone numbers before we left. Lily's son Cole became Lachlan's best friend and we did tonnes of fun things together from that day on. At Willingdon we also met friends who turned out to be ex-Adventist. This woman uplifted me and turned my thoughts to my blessings every time I tried to hold a pity party. She was truly a blessing.
In Vancouver we experienced for the first time the drama of the seasons. Autumn was absolutely breathtaking. Winter was most certainly a wonderland, especially at Grouse Mountain where we could ski after school, go ice skating outdoors and experience Santa and his real reindeer! It was very beautiful! We also took the opportunity to visit Whistler. The drive there unveiled the most stunning, majestic, incredible scenery we had ever witnessed. We were blown away! Spring gave cause to a million photographs trying to capture the hopeful message and outstanding delicacy and beauty of the blooms all around us.
Church yet again connected us with some very special people and experiences. Cornerstone SDA church in Coquitlam revealed an energetic and active congregation involved in their community. Our favourite ministry was Nightshift, a mulit-denominational organized soup kitchen and relief center set up for the countless number of homeless people we were confronted with on a daily basis. Cheap drugs, a warmer climate and an excessively high cost of living escalated the number of people living on the streets into the thousands. Blair and I found ourselves becoming indignant, self-righteous and indifferent to these people. Volunteering at Nightshift 'slapped' us in the face and opened our eyes to the fact that these were God's children, living desperate lives in horrible circumstances. Until today, the experience at Nightshift has been our most memorable and life-changing.
Blair's employment circumstances continued to deteriorate to the point where he decided he no longer wanted to pursue getting the visa, thus putting a time limit on our Canadian adventure. But where to next? We had no idea what would be in store for us, and were prepared to return to Australia, to camp in Mum and Dad's back yard if necessary!
Blair had reconnected with his very first boss, Gavin, who absolutely adored Blair and felt compassion for the situation he was now in. A new venture was forming in the USA, and Gavin wanted Blair to be a part of it. Long story short....after 10 months in Canada, we transferred with 2 weeks notice to Chicago, Illinois, where again we knew no-one. We were able to get 2 year visas to live in the USA within an incredibly short period of time (24hrs from the interview until we picked up our passports). We had not even visited Chicago before, and were warned by our Canadian friends that it was a terrible move. However, with all doors opening wide and the Canadian ones closing, we moved our little family internationally once again.
