Steven Reimer

We're back to pseudo-normal. Our holidays in Manitoba were great and flew by. We participated in an obligatory auto-cross. My dad always tries to arrange one for when we come out. The legendary "24" gave up the ghost after several years of racing when most cars last a day.

Two days after returning to Calgary, Julene left for the long weekend for Toronto to spend time with a friend. I stayed home and single-parented. Unfortunately, due to weather, we spent most of the time cooped up inside going stir-crazy.

Now, we are back to what has been normal for the summer. Sharing a house while we wait for ours to be completed. We are told that we are getting a letter in the mail with a date for our final walk-through. We wait with baited breath. Once we receive that, we start finalizing the mortgage and house insurance as well as making arrangements with utility, cable and Internet providers.

I can't decide if the time has gone quickly or slowly. It can feel like either at times.

We are leaving tonight for Manitoba to spend a week with my family. This means no Internet and no cell-phone service for the most part. Especially with my Telus work phone which only has coverage in Winnipeg. Another much needed break. This will be a short breather until when I come back and have to remotely oversee a software roll out for a major client.

Taking kids on the flight should be interesting as always. We're not so concerned about Abby who is very good at entertaining herself, but Joel is one, and one year-olds are hard to entertain in a confined space. Julene is picking up some new toys which will hopefully capture his attention. Snacks will also be packed and distributed as slowly as possible - one Cheerio at a time.

I'm going to try and drop by the house one more time on my way home, to capture any recent progress to show the folks. It is progressing rather quickly and will hopefully sustain this momentum. It will be exciting to see the difference when we get back.

See you in September.

We went to visit our house again yesterday. Some progress was made with the siding, but what we were really interested in was whether or not the ceilings had been textured. This is the point where we are supposed to get a soft date for our final walk through. Low and behold, the ceilings had texture! Now we are trying to patiently wait for the walk through date as well as trying to not get our hopes up regarding how soon that date might be.

How long does it take to paint, install cabinets, fixtures and flooring?

Wow, things are crazy. At work, at home.

Good news on our house! It's really coming along. Take a look at the pictures. We just had the pre-drywall walk through to make sure the doors, windows, outlets etc. were all correct before insulating and closing the walls. There was only one minor closet issue that the supervisor said was no big deal. He expected that drywall should be done next week. At that point, we get a soft date for our final walk through a week prior to possession. So that means that very soon we should know approximately when we'll be moving in! I am really looking forward to getting a garage again.

Work is insanely busy. I'll leave it at that. I'm doing my best to keep my lips above the water.

Julene and the kids are back and forth to Bow Island a lot to give our gracious hosts some breaks. Joel is proving to be a handful just like his sister was at this age. How do you teach contentment to a 1 year old boy? Ideas?