Our Lifestyle Adventures: A Nanny in Calgary, the Second Time Around!

Spring in Phoenix, Arizona and Calgary, Alberta

Did I tell you that I have an international family? And that I love doting on my grandkids? Well, I have three daughters.

Kai trying to carry Jax

Trisha, my eldest lives in Seattle, Washington. In fact, that is where I met Bill, while I was a Nanny in Seattle, taking care of Kenji, Trisha’s youngest when he was born nine years ago! Her eldest Krishna, 23, is already a hairstylist in Santa Monica and her second, Daniela, is away in college.

My second Claudine lives in Calgary, Alberta and now it is the turn of her almost three-year-old Kai and nearly one-year-old Jax, my fifth and sixth grandkids. I took care of her eldest Enzo when he was born ten years ago. So I just hopped on a flight to Calgary to be a Nanny there for the second time!

My youngest, April is temporarily in Manila after a 5-year stint in London. She will be migrating to Australia next year. And I will be a Nanny there, too, because my time with Kyrie, my seventh grandkid, born last September 2015 was too short. You saw how I combined sight-seeing with babysitting (http://goo.gl/AIuQ1S).

Taking care of grandkids, up to 2 years of age, is so soothing to me. There is this unconditional love that develops. Grandma dotes on the young one and tries to provide his every need. In turn, he gives back all the coos, aahs, and smiles he has inside his young soul. There is absolutely nothing negative in this relationship, no hesitation, no argument, and no rancor. I end up not feeling anxious, stressed, or unloved. It is one of the best feelings in the world, maybe like a honeymoon.

EDMONTON

the basketball game in Edmonton

But, as usual, I will not forget that I am also a wanderer at heart. As soon as I stepped out of the airport, Claudine drove me all the way to Edmonton for the basketball championship game of Alberta for boys under thirteen. Her two stepsons were playing, and that is always a great experience!

Edmonton is the home of the biggest mall in Canada, more spacious than the Mall of the Americas in Minneapolis, and one of the top ten in the world, with an indoor beach and theme park! What is more, Edmonton is also home to a branch of the Filipino restaurant chain, Max! And that is where we had familiar Filipino food, cooked the good old way!

CALGARY

the picture window in the Calgary house

the Easter lilies

Back in Calgary, I am now enjoying the spacious home of Claudine and my son-in-law Arnold. It is all of 4,500 square feet in 3 levels, sitting on a fairly sized lot. There are four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a family room and a laundry room on the second floor, a spacious living area with a sala, a large kitchen with a walk-in pantry, and a formal dining area, an office/den, and a half bath on the ground floor. There is a basement with a living area, a bar, a bedroom and a full bath. 

   

Easter Sunday happenings

In the meantime, Bill commissioned Claudine to buy Easter lilies for me (he is still in Phoenix). Now they are providing great joy for me in the Great Room, my bedroom, and the sitting room! Easter Sunday was a big celebration. There was the turkey, with all the trimmings and sides, plus grilled prawns, seafood pasta, macaroni soup, three pies, two cakes, and fruits. Then there was the Easter egg hunt inside the house. The collage on the left shows the kids' excitement at all the  eggs and prizes they got: clockwise from bottom right, an amazed Enzo, a focused Kai, and Jax in utter disbelief at his pail-full (we also don't  know how he got his loot).

Within my first two weeks in Calgary, I woke up to a dusting of snow once and twice watched as the cold flakes covered the deck floor, painting a white canvass outside the huge picture windows. In complete contrast, Bill sent me pictures of the desert bursting in spring! When he finally joins me on April 2, we will visit other places around Calgary such as the Kootenay National Park. By then the weather will be better. And there are Canadian friends we met at Viewpoint that we also want to visit.

view from the deck