Our time with the Greentruck Bed and Breakftast has come to an end. It has been an incredible journey for the past 2 years, and I am thankful for every moment of it. But it is now time to move on. For the past 8 months Ben and I have been trying to sell at least one of our homes. Originally we wanted to sell our rental property, here in Ottawa. However after 3 offers fell through, and a month or 2 with little to no bites we decided that instead of selling the rental house we would sell our home at 23 St. Remy Dr. The main reason that we wanted to sell anything in the first place was to be able to simplify our lives. A lot has happened in the last 5 years, our lives have changed and what we were doing before, simply is not what we want or need right now. Ben and I have had rental properties since our 2nd year of marriage(we will be married 10 years next summer). It is something that brought us an income, and I didn't mind taking care of the properties. Ben is also pretty handy, so he was able to look after a lot of the repairs.
However in February 2010 we had a little boy, and our lives changed forever. I was busy with Clayton, and trying to figure out how to be a mom. My life had changed in every possible way. The job that I loved and worked hard at, became very different, mostly because I was in a different state of mind. My job was no longer my number one focus. I had an amazing little boy to look after, and being stressed out at work was no longer worth it. I did go back to work between having Cooper and Clayton, but after Cooper I did not return to work. During this time I was still able to look after the rental properties, and we still had tenants who were paying. So having a rental property was still worth it. It was also right around the time that Cooper was born that we did all of the renos on our home and started the B and B.
The second major change in our lives during this time was that Ben changed jobs. And while we didn't think at the time that it would be so life changing, we now realize that it has been life changing. Ben's work has become a lifestyle for us. One that we love and one that we want to continue to pursue in every possible way. Ben's income has drastically increased, we travel more then we ever have before, and we have met some very amazing like minded people!
At the beginning of last year, we had our tenants leave, and they left the house a disaster and decided not to pay us rent for the last 3 months. While at the same time the tenant in our basement apartment decided that he didn't need to pay rent anymore. Both of these incidents cost us a lot of money, and we had just put an addition on our home. We were stressed about money. The rental income we had come to rely on was no longer there. And we had used up all of our reserves to fix up the rental property, and cover for the months without rent. I wasn't working outside of the home, and Ben's business was just starting to pick up.
The B and B during this time was a constant source of peace and encouragement. And it seemed that every time we needed just a little bit more money, we would have another guest come and stay at our home. It has been truly amazing to see how God has used the B and B to teach us 1001 things. The people that came and stayed with us, have been incredible. We have met people from all over Europe and Canada. One of our favorite guests were people from Germany. They stayed at our place for 2 weeks. We not only served them breakfast, but also ended up having a couple of dinners and beers with them. And they even took my sheets off the line when it started to rain and I wasn't home. They just became a part of our little family while they were here. We got to know them quite well, and when we go to Germany we will definitely be going to visit them. We had guests come who gave us gifts. They left us a pretzel kit and some yummy chocolates from their home town. They were really sweet ladies.
We had guests who stayed at our place a couple of times. There was one family who we really resonated with because they also had 2 boys. And it was super fun to swap stories with them. The old couples were the best. There was one couple who stayed here because they were visiting their grand daughters, and they wanted to skate the canal from end to end. And this man did it! I swear he was at least 65, he did it and his grand daughters didn't! He was a feisty one.
We had one older woman, who fell in love with our boys. I think that she had tears in her eyes as CJ gave her a hug when she went to leave. She was so happy that he gave her a hug! The couple who stayed with us last weekend gave us a huge compliment. They obviously noticed that our house was for sale, and they said after visiting with us for a couple of hours that they wished us the best with our future endeavors and were sure that no matter what we did next we would succeed and we would do it well. It made me cry, because I believe that God was giving us one last parting blessing....
Stay tuned for Part 2
Monday, November 4, 2013
July 2013
Not really sure why I hadn't posted this one yet. But here is an update from July. Enjoy!
Wow, it is July already. Summer is in full force here in Ottawa, we had some serious hot, humid, sticky weather last week. I think there were a couple of days that got up to 40 degrees celsius! I personally love the heat. One of the best feelings in the world is being able to hang out outside with a glass of wine, in my garden, at 10pm at night, with my shorts and t-shirt still on. I don't have to grab a sweater, and there is no chill in the air. Love it.
The B and B has been slower this year than last. But it has still been great, at the end of June we had my aunt and uncle and their 3 kids come to our place and stay for a couple of nights. It was a ton of fun hanging out with them! My cousins are awesome kids! I am not entirely sure of their ages, but they were old to enough to take care of our kids quite a bit. They were super polite, and just a ton of fun. I had asked Clayton to get dressed for the day and when I went into his room about 3 minutes later, to see if he needed help, he was actually dressed!!!! That never happens, but Alicia, the eldest cousin, had helped Clayton choose his clothes and get ready. It was awesome! Thanks!!!
And we have had one other guest come in during July. They were super sweet! Overall I do wish it were slightly busier, but we don't have air conditioning, so it's probably a good thing that no one has come. They may not have enjoyed July too much had they stayed!
So you know the phrase "terrible twos", well in my experience it has been the "terrible threes"! Clayton was GREAT while he was 2. He had his moments of course, but overall he was pretty easy going, and listened well. However 3 is another story. Lately he has been saying NO a lot. And he screams when he doesn't get his way. And whines,, oh my goodness. I didn't know the whining would be so bad. Clayton has also stopped napping, which is good when it comes to bedtime b/c he goes to bed without fighting me. However when 4pm rolls around it it total chaos. Nothing is good enough and he fights me about EVERYTHING!!! Sheeshh,,, it has been a tough couple of weeks trying to get used to this whole new boy. I love the child very dearly, but I have had to learn about patience. I have learned a bunch about communicating with a 3 year old. Which I guess these are good outcomes, but the ride has been a tough one. It's a good thing that I love my kids so incredible much and that they are so darned cute! But seriously if anyone has any suggestions about how to deal with crazy 3 year olds, I am all ears!
Okay so here's a super cute story, the other day, I was getting quite frustrated with Clayton, I was yelling at him and just trying to get him to stop whining, but nothing seemed to be working. Anyways, Cooper realized that I was quite frustrated, and he made me pick him up, and then he grabbed my cheek, made me look at him, and then he gave me the biggest smile ever and honked my nose!! (something that we do a lot and always makes both of us laugh) Man it was awesome, it made both Clayton and I become happier and stop getting angry with each other.
Monday, April 29, 2013
An update for Greentruck B and B for March/April
Ok, so this is a post I started a while ago, and just never finished and posted. So it's a bit dated, but I hope you enjoy it anyways.
I realized the other day that I hadn't blogged in a really long time! Wow, time flies. The last time I posted, it was just after a beautiful snowfall that made our yard look like a winter wonderland. Well it's now 2 months later, and our backyard still looks like a winter wonderland! It's March 22nd and we are still feeling very wintery in Ottawa. Last year at this time I can remember the kids playing in the backyard with no socks or shoes on. The temperature was in the high 20's and it was very summery, unfortunately we have not had such good luck this year. The winter here in Ottawa, has been long, it's been beautiful but long. I am very much looking forward to the warm weather and the kids being able to play outside without having to pack them up for 20 minutes first!
March was a busy month for Greentruck B and B. Over the course of the month we had 12 nights booked! Which was awesome. In December, January and February combined we only had 5 nights booked! I think that Ottawa is a little more appealing to tourists and travelers in the spring/summer than it is in the winter. Opening the B and B has always been something that I felt that God has put on my heart to do, I know it might not make sense to some, but I am not really sure how else to explain it, and again having March be busy made me realize, how much joy it brings us and how it provides for us when we really need it! It's been a crazy experience, but one that I value and will never regret!
I can tell you about some of our most recent guests, this past weekend we had a colleague of Ben's stay with us. It was really great, we got to spend some time with him, just hanging out and getting to know him better. He also got to see the crazy side of our children! They love to "swim" which means they jump from our coffee table onto the couches, in their "swimming suits"(underwear) It was really funny!!
Then we had some people from Germany. They were here visiting family that lived close to us. They were some of the nicest people that have stayed with us. We had an older couple stay here for Winterlude. They came with their teenage daughters and skated the entire length of the canal! It was on this gentlemen's bucket list to do, and he did it! He was probably at least 60. And then we had a gentleman who was here on business. He was working on the light rail project in Ottawa, he had to be at work for 7am, so I had to have breakfast for 6:30am, sheesh I was tired that week!! I think that I say this every time that I write in my blog, but I just love meeting these people and hearing their stories. Ben said it best the other day, having breakfast with people is such a great way to start of your day. It means you start it off by hearing stories, laughing and truly sharing your lives with other people! So neat.
As I have been thinking about what I need to update on my blog, I am kind of blown away by how much has happened in the last couple of months. So Ben and I have been on this 18 month challenge that has been put on by his company, World Financial Group. And it has been CRAZY! It has been super amazing in that we have challenged ourselves more than we thought possible. We have pushed ourselves to new limits. We have done things that we didn't think were possible. It's absolutely amazing! So far there have been 2 contests to win during the challenge, and Ben and his amazing team have achieved them both. These were challenges that allowed Ben to do more with his team and his business then he has ever been able to before. It's pretty cool! Thanks to Ben we are heading to San Francisco in 2 weeks!! I can't wait, not only are we going to be mentored and trained by one of the wealthiest and most respected men in our company, but we get to spend 2 days hanging out in San Francisco. I can't wait!
And now we are back to real time. We have gone to San Francisco, and it was amazing. What an awesome city. It's really unique, and there is so much to see and do. We spent a bunch of time walking around just seeing San Francisco. We biked across the golden gate bridge. It was magnificent. It's HUGE! We walked around Sausulito. We saw the sea lions on Pier 39, Ben especially liked that. We drove down Lombard street, which is the steepest and curviest street that I have ever been on! We walked through China town, which really felt like we were in China.(I have never been, but it is what I would expect China to be like)
After seeing San Francisco we went down to Aptos, and we were mentored by one of the giants of our company. I can't imagine a better way to spend 2 days. We went to his beach house, which had absolutely amazing views of the ocean. So while we were learning about how to become the best that we could be, and how to grow a business and be challenged in our faith, we were watching the most peaceful view I have seen in a long time. All in all I would definitely say that this was a trip of a lifetime.
Since then life has been more fulfilled, more challenging, and more exciting then ever. Ben and I have both gotten more clarity on what we want in our lives, and what is truly important in our lives. And that clarity has spilled out into every aspect of what we do. Into how we raise our kids, into how we build relationships, into how we work, and how we play. The B and B has been awesome. We have had a couple of guests stay in April, and I would have to say that our last guest was the most enjoyable guest we have had this year. The people who stayed here were just very interesting and had some really neat things to say, but they were also very calm and peaceful to be around and chat with. It was really, really neat.
Our kids are amazing! Yesterday we spent the whole day with them. It was the first hot and sunny day that Ottawa has seen this spring, and we took full advantage of it! We gardened, and played in the sandbox, we went for a long bike ride, we went for a picnic, we visited with some family, we played and then played some more outside! Both Ben and I just relaxed and enjoyed the company of our kids, and all that they are. Cooper is just the sweetest little boy, he has a smile that will make your heart melt, and Clayton will just make you laugh until your stomach hurts because he is so silly!
Well that's about it for now!! I hope you enjoyed the read, and I will leave you with some pictures!
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I realized the other day that I hadn't blogged in a really long time! Wow, time flies. The last time I posted, it was just after a beautiful snowfall that made our yard look like a winter wonderland. Well it's now 2 months later, and our backyard still looks like a winter wonderland! It's March 22nd and we are still feeling very wintery in Ottawa. Last year at this time I can remember the kids playing in the backyard with no socks or shoes on. The temperature was in the high 20's and it was very summery, unfortunately we have not had such good luck this year. The winter here in Ottawa, has been long, it's been beautiful but long. I am very much looking forward to the warm weather and the kids being able to play outside without having to pack them up for 20 minutes first!
March was a busy month for Greentruck B and B. Over the course of the month we had 12 nights booked! Which was awesome. In December, January and February combined we only had 5 nights booked! I think that Ottawa is a little more appealing to tourists and travelers in the spring/summer than it is in the winter. Opening the B and B has always been something that I felt that God has put on my heart to do, I know it might not make sense to some, but I am not really sure how else to explain it, and again having March be busy made me realize, how much joy it brings us and how it provides for us when we really need it! It's been a crazy experience, but one that I value and will never regret!
I can tell you about some of our most recent guests, this past weekend we had a colleague of Ben's stay with us. It was really great, we got to spend some time with him, just hanging out and getting to know him better. He also got to see the crazy side of our children! They love to "swim" which means they jump from our coffee table onto the couches, in their "swimming suits"(underwear) It was really funny!!
Then we had some people from Germany. They were here visiting family that lived close to us. They were some of the nicest people that have stayed with us. We had an older couple stay here for Winterlude. They came with their teenage daughters and skated the entire length of the canal! It was on this gentlemen's bucket list to do, and he did it! He was probably at least 60. And then we had a gentleman who was here on business. He was working on the light rail project in Ottawa, he had to be at work for 7am, so I had to have breakfast for 6:30am, sheesh I was tired that week!! I think that I say this every time that I write in my blog, but I just love meeting these people and hearing their stories. Ben said it best the other day, having breakfast with people is such a great way to start of your day. It means you start it off by hearing stories, laughing and truly sharing your lives with other people! So neat.
As I have been thinking about what I need to update on my blog, I am kind of blown away by how much has happened in the last couple of months. So Ben and I have been on this 18 month challenge that has been put on by his company, World Financial Group. And it has been CRAZY! It has been super amazing in that we have challenged ourselves more than we thought possible. We have pushed ourselves to new limits. We have done things that we didn't think were possible. It's absolutely amazing! So far there have been 2 contests to win during the challenge, and Ben and his amazing team have achieved them both. These were challenges that allowed Ben to do more with his team and his business then he has ever been able to before. It's pretty cool! Thanks to Ben we are heading to San Francisco in 2 weeks!! I can't wait, not only are we going to be mentored and trained by one of the wealthiest and most respected men in our company, but we get to spend 2 days hanging out in San Francisco. I can't wait!
And now we are back to real time. We have gone to San Francisco, and it was amazing. What an awesome city. It's really unique, and there is so much to see and do. We spent a bunch of time walking around just seeing San Francisco. We biked across the golden gate bridge. It was magnificent. It's HUGE! We walked around Sausulito. We saw the sea lions on Pier 39, Ben especially liked that. We drove down Lombard street, which is the steepest and curviest street that I have ever been on! We walked through China town, which really felt like we were in China.(I have never been, but it is what I would expect China to be like)
After seeing San Francisco we went down to Aptos, and we were mentored by one of the giants of our company. I can't imagine a better way to spend 2 days. We went to his beach house, which had absolutely amazing views of the ocean. So while we were learning about how to become the best that we could be, and how to grow a business and be challenged in our faith, we were watching the most peaceful view I have seen in a long time. All in all I would definitely say that this was a trip of a lifetime.
Since then life has been more fulfilled, more challenging, and more exciting then ever. Ben and I have both gotten more clarity on what we want in our lives, and what is truly important in our lives. And that clarity has spilled out into every aspect of what we do. Into how we raise our kids, into how we build relationships, into how we work, and how we play. The B and B has been awesome. We have had a couple of guests stay in April, and I would have to say that our last guest was the most enjoyable guest we have had this year. The people who stayed here were just very interesting and had some really neat things to say, but they were also very calm and peaceful to be around and chat with. It was really, really neat.
Our kids are amazing! Yesterday we spent the whole day with them. It was the first hot and sunny day that Ottawa has seen this spring, and we took full advantage of it! We gardened, and played in the sandbox, we went for a long bike ride, we went for a picnic, we visited with some family, we played and then played some more outside! Both Ben and I just relaxed and enjoyed the company of our kids, and all that they are. Cooper is just the sweetest little boy, he has a smile that will make your heart melt, and Clayton will just make you laugh until your stomach hurts because he is so silly!
Well that's about it for now!! I hope you enjoyed the read, and I will leave you with some pictures!
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