MIL

MIL #1 is here visit us. I say "MIL #1" because technically I have two MILs since my FIL is married to a woman is who is not Andrew's mother. So yes, MIL #1 (aka Carol) is here visiting. She arrived yesterday and leaves next week. She came with a friend of hers and her friend's grandson. Bethany and I drove out to the airport to pick Carol up (the other two were taking a shuttle to their hotel in the city) and after waiting for AGES she finally emerged from the doors. Hooray! It was good to see her. The thing is that I have only met Carol three times and each of these times was quite brief - once in 2008 when we went to Aussie and I met A's family before we were married...once in 2009 when we went there again for A's brother's wedding and last year when we were over there for A's Dad's wedding (she didn't come to the wedding but we met her at a shopping mall for a little visit). And......we don't ever hear from her regularly so yeah....I don't know her that well. I've decided that I want to get to know her better though so I have been asking her questions etc. and she likes to chat too so...it has been great so far. Not awkward at all. Bethany LOVES having "Grandma" around too so this is also a bonus.

A and I have been thinking about our future and his schooling etc, and we have tossed around the idea of maybe going to Australia in a couple of years so that he can go to school full-time and finish his degree earlier. I know that he is anxious to finish and could probably get a student loan there. Plus his family is there and it is cheaper to live over there (especially in Melbourne)....anyway...right now it is an idea. A big obstacle that we would have to overcome would be my immigration. Yes, I am now a resident of NZ but that doesn't count for anything in Australia. I would have to go through the whole immigration stuff again which is costly and takes time. But.....if that is where we will need to go than that is where we will need to go and I will just have to have faith that it will all work out. I have mixed feelings about going there though. Yes, it would be wonderful to have a whole house to rent with a fenced yard for the kiddies and yes it would be wonderful for Andrew to finish school in two years (as opposed to 6 years part-time) so that we can get on with our future and where we want to be (the ultimate goal is for us to come back to Canada....yay!!!!!)....however, I am comfortable here. I know New Zealand. I know NZ weather and I have friends here - good friends. It has been good for us to be in a place too where we kind of have to grow together without the influence of family and there isn't anything poisonous here that will kill me (I don't think anyway). And, I have concerns about being so close to some of my inlaws too (though if we were in Melbourne it wouldn't be so bad because only one of my sister in laws lives there and she is quite chill) and....I am that much further away from my family........but.....anyway....we'll have to see what happens.