It's just the beginning..

A very wise woman once said in her blog, that writing is almost always easier when we are experiencing the negative. With the recent events, I have decided to create a blog, as an outlet. A place for me to vent, gather advice and also document the happier times.

The New Year started off amazing.  I am a new mom again, and lucky enough to be able to stay home and spend quality time with both of my boys.  Evan is such a wonderful sweet baby and Gavin is over the moon to be a big brother, and he is such a help! We are all still adjusting, but I also don’t know life without these two – it’s a profound sense of completion. 

On January 7^th, as it most always does here in Langley, it was raining.  As I gathered clothes off the floor, I noticed they were soaked.  I then realized, the bedroom had a flood.  While we are on the second floor, when it rains, water comes through the roof, down the outer wall and onto our floor.  After moving the furniture from against the wall, the smell and sight of mould overcame me.  My heart sank and my stomach knotted.  Here was my newborn baby, sleeping in a bed above mould.  The anger started and of course I phoned the landlady’s son (she speaks mainly Vietnamese and the communication barrier is sometimes too great for me) He in turn, phoned our landlady who came down, towel dried the carpet, ignored me as I pointed out the mould, cranked the apartment heat and left.  I heard nothing from anyone after that. 

January 11^th, it continued. I had given the landlady time to find a solution but I hadn’t yet had an update.  I gave her son a call again to find out what he intended on doing.  He was under the assumption the problem had been fixed.  I firmly reminded him of the disgusting mould and the fact that the flooding occurs every time it rains, which in January is literally every day.  He sent his brother in to steam clean the room.  This was done, but did not clean the mould, or fix the roof.  When I asked yet again about a repair and more permanent solution to the problem, he told me they would take care of it – in the summer.  At this point I looked to moving (we also have carpenter ants and still no working door buzzer)

Earlier this week, the bottom of the wall began to deteriorate.  The paint is bubbling and peeling, the drywall is soggy and crumbling away and the mould growing more rampant everyday (yup, its still raining!)  Sure enough, after all my phone calls, the towel drying began.  Both the landlady and her son(s) refuse to acknowledge the mould and the extreme health and safety issues (did I mention the “condemned” fire extinguisher we have?)  Again I hear it won’t be looked at until at least the spring (doesn’t it rain then too?) So I waged a new battle – war really.  The Tenant Resource and Advisory Center, Fraser Valley Health, and the City of Langley all informed me that I am able to sue the landlady for: a portion of January rent for the unuseable space, if not all of January rent, moving costs, emotional stress, any incurred cleaning costs and February’s rent. I also need not give notice when we do move (at least not the 30day standard)  That’s the news on the “home” front. 

If I rewind back a week, there is also a point at which my “personal life” began to deteriorate.  It should be no news (if you know me) that I hate the city, I hate everyday the traffic, lack of greenspace, the rush of people…need I go on? A combination of all this and topped up with some PPD and adjusting to my expanded family and it’s new dynamic, led me to collapse, ironic given the state of the apartment.  I received a text early one morning that simply let me know that my marriage was over. Just like that. After a few texts and one emotion-packed conversation it was sorted out. Well, not really, I still don't understand. His reasoning was that I am not happy, although it had never been an issue before, I had never told him I wasn't happy.  He knows I hate the city and therefore I should leave.  Take the kids and go to where I am happy. Would he follow? No.  Was he coming home then? No.  A road trip is in order. I'm homesick, I have PPD, and way overwhelmed with the stress of the house.  Knowing that I am returning "home" and going to see my family has brought a "band-aid" to the pain. I know that being around my loved ones and talking things out will bring some good things to light.  There is a plan in place and with the help of my family, I know I can follow through. 

I plan to blog about this trip as well as the rest of my "den-life" as a MamaBear, as I set out to recouperate, rejuvinate and rediscover. Thank you all for reading, I welcome any comments, critiques and advice you may have to offer.