SOLD!

The apartment in White Rock is well and truly sold! The new owner took possession last week. After wondering if it was ever going to sell, and having the requisite 'get your hopes up moments', it finally sold. Lots of smoke and finally a fire. After months of trying to sell it, in the end, the closing date happened pretty quickly.  It feels a bit strange for it to be gone. There were lots of happy memories, but in the later years, many more sad memories.  It's sad to say goodbye, but we must keep moving forward in this journey, whatever that may be. A big thank you to our real estate agent and his team for their tireless efforts in selling the place... from showings, to email updates, to phone calls... we really could not have done it without you!

However, the drama doesn't end there. In a another twist, 25% of the proceeds of the sale have been held back by the Canadian government until we issue the necessary documentation deeming the residence to be dad's primary residence. Dad is now a non-resident, hence the government stepping in for a piece of the action. (Not sure there was anyway around this... was not able to sell dad's place while he was living in it for obvious reasons.) We were put on to a tax accountant specializing in foreign clients. I emailed him the necessary paperwork to get the ball rolling. What did I get in return? An automated response saying that he was away on his annual two week holiday. No mention to me that he would be out of town for two whole weeks. While dad's nursing home waits for the bond money, racking up hundreds of dollars in interest as we wait. Well, what was I expecting... everything wrapped up neat and tidy and topped with a bow!?

In addition to my infinite medical knowledge, property expertise and financial planning, I can now add international banking to my 'Skills-I-Never-Knew-I-Would-Acquire' list. I am on first name basis with bank officers in two countries, and am learning the ins and outs of swift codes and foreign exchange rates. Needless to say, it's a bit of a worry, transferring multiple amounts of money overseas.  I will be glad when it is complete.

On the dad side of things; he seems to have recovered from his chest infection.  So glad he is under medical supervision... while it is a worry, at least it's not the "I can't breathe, I'm so so worried and am about to have another panic attack" worry of the past.  Must mean we have made some progress!  One thing dad hasn't lost is his sense of humor!  Always when dad got a hair cut, we would remark about him having a hair cut... and he would always say, "Yes, the hair just over my left ear."  Oh, hahaha.  Last week I noticed that he had a haircut, so repeated his joke to him.  He had a big smile on his face.  I took it one further and said, "You've had your ears lowered."  Oh dear, we laughed. ;)

I will leave you with a quote I came across this past week ;)  I think someone wrote it with me in mind ... Don't let the sadness of the past, or the fear of the future, rob the happiness of the present.