Geesh, it's like this move is official or something. I changed my address on yet another permanent bill and updated my cell phone to a Halifax number. It's like I live here or something! ;)
Ha, and then right after I originally posted this, the Welcome Wagon lady showed up.
She was very nice and helpful, although her basket of treats didn't contain too much of use. A free introductory subscription to the newspaper was the highlight I think. Oh, and the plethora of different freebie pens are sorta neat...haha. She did give me something to do while DBF is away next month though... A lot of the businesses involved are further up old highway 3, so I think I'll use this as my excuse to explore out that way when I'm looking for an afternoon drive.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
0 degrees!
Who knew I'd get excited when it WARMED UP to zero degrees?!
Finally, I was able to bundle up and get out for a walk with the dog. Poor guy has seemed pretty bored since we got to the house. First I was too busy to get out, then the weather went to ass. Our old routine of the daily walks around the old property are long gone....
I HAD to get out there today. I'm going stir crazy keeping myself tucked away in the house. That's one of the hazards to working at home....I don't HAVE to go out each day so sometimes I get into a rut and find myself hermitting inside.
I've caught myself getting into a funk this week... especially after Monday when I realized how I really need to get over my lack of Winter driving experience. I have enough other stuff to make me feel blue...being away from home, family and friends... I don't need to subject myself to lack of fresh air and sunlight too!
So, with dog on leash and two hoods to keep my ears warm, off we went. I had no idea how warm it would be out there, so assumed that by the time I walked the block to the mailbox I'd probably be ready to turn around and come back. But I was pleasantly surprised! Not freezing out at all! So we kept on going down the path to the other side of the subdivision and took a route that brought us back up the other end of our street. 20+ minutes. Nice!
Mojo was pretty happy to be out there, but he looked pooped and cold so I think 20 minutes is our limit in snowy weather. He'd be even happier (and so would my arm!) if we could find somewhere to let him off leash to run for a bit. We'll work on that.
Finally, I was able to bundle up and get out for a walk with the dog. Poor guy has seemed pretty bored since we got to the house. First I was too busy to get out, then the weather went to ass. Our old routine of the daily walks around the old property are long gone....
I HAD to get out there today. I'm going stir crazy keeping myself tucked away in the house. That's one of the hazards to working at home....I don't HAVE to go out each day so sometimes I get into a rut and find myself hermitting inside.
I've caught myself getting into a funk this week... especially after Monday when I realized how I really need to get over my lack of Winter driving experience. I have enough other stuff to make me feel blue...being away from home, family and friends... I don't need to subject myself to lack of fresh air and sunlight too!
So, with dog on leash and two hoods to keep my ears warm, off we went. I had no idea how warm it would be out there, so assumed that by the time I walked the block to the mailbox I'd probably be ready to turn around and come back. But I was pleasantly surprised! Not freezing out at all! So we kept on going down the path to the other side of the subdivision and took a route that brought us back up the other end of our street. 20+ minutes. Nice!
Mojo was pretty happy to be out there, but he looked pooped and cold so I think 20 minutes is our limit in snowy weather. He'd be even happier (and so would my arm!) if we could find somewhere to let him off leash to run for a bit. We'll work on that.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Car Insurance
OK, so apparently we have to shop around for car insurance. In BC it was government run, so you really had no choice....which sucked for so many reasons, but sure made it easy when it came time to get or renew your insurance.
So I guess I need input from you lovely locals!
Where do you get your insurance? Do you have a secret to finding the best deal?
Help us out!
So I guess I need input from you lovely locals!
Where do you get your insurance? Do you have a secret to finding the best deal?
Help us out!
Health Care - check!
Well that was easy.
Called a number for general information I found on the Nova Scotia Health Care website....wrong number, but she gave me the right one.
Called there, spent maybe 5 minutes giving some information and voila!.. application on it's way.
Yet another friendly Haligonian in customer service too. I'm beginning to realize why visitors think BCers are snobby... because a lot of the customer service people are pretty grouchy!
Called a number for general information I found on the Nova Scotia Health Care website....wrong number, but she gave me the right one.
Called there, spent maybe 5 minutes giving some information and voila!.. application on it's way.
Yet another friendly Haligonian in customer service too. I'm beginning to realize why visitors think BCers are snobby... because a lot of the customer service people are pretty grouchy!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Halifax Weather 101
First rule: Get up early and check weather situation
My car has an issue with it's turbo. The problem arose before we left BC, but I didn't have the time to get it dealt with before I had to ship it out here. It's still drivable, but annoying....so I made an appointment to take it into the dealership here today.
I was pleased that they open early enough that I could just follow DBF on his way to work, so when we dropped off my car I could have his car for the day.
Except....that when we got up this morning there was a bunch of snow on the ground. Which, sadly, I'm not comfortable driving in yet. (don't make fun...I'm from the island where snow rarely happens...)
No big deal normally, except we waited too long for him to be able to drive himself to work and get parking. Ugh. Sorry honey. (FYI: the parking issue is a joke....I'll remember that for a future blog.) Conveniently, one of our neighbors is also Navy and happened to be leaving for work while we were standing outside discussing this, so DBF went over and introduced himself and got a ride. How nice of my honey was that??! I would've paid for his cab because I felt like a sissy ass that wouldn't drive.
Next time, I'll get up half an hour early to check the weather. Lesson learned.
My car has an issue with it's turbo. The problem arose before we left BC, but I didn't have the time to get it dealt with before I had to ship it out here. It's still drivable, but annoying....so I made an appointment to take it into the dealership here today.
I was pleased that they open early enough that I could just follow DBF on his way to work, so when we dropped off my car I could have his car for the day.
Except....that when we got up this morning there was a bunch of snow on the ground. Which, sadly, I'm not comfortable driving in yet. (don't make fun...I'm from the island where snow rarely happens...)
No big deal normally, except we waited too long for him to be able to drive himself to work and get parking. Ugh. Sorry honey. (FYI: the parking issue is a joke....I'll remember that for a future blog.) Conveniently, one of our neighbors is also Navy and happened to be leaving for work while we were standing outside discussing this, so DBF went over and introduced himself and got a ride. How nice of my honey was that??! I would've paid for his cab because I felt like a sissy ass that wouldn't drive.
Next time, I'll get up half an hour early to check the weather. Lesson learned.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
I think I'm onto something here!
We have this lovely HUGE window in our bedroom. It's amazing really. In fact, even though all of the houses in our subdivision have some sort of architecturally interesting feature, we are the ONLY house to boast the full size half-moon window.
Anywho.... this morning I was up and out of bed by about 8:45 so I decided to make the most of it. I looked online to see what time Sobey's opened and luckily it is 10am on Sundays. So I got myself all ready, got my shopping list in order, and set out for my weekly shopping. After last Saturday afternoon I figure any time is better than that!
Now, this sounds absolutely fabulous....however.... the custom blinds are only fit to the bottom main portion of the window. Which is best for aesthetics...it looks great. But this leaves the top portion of the window uncovered, thus letting all of the morning sunlight in far earlier than we would normally like. (We do have curtains that just need to be altered to fit...)
Soooo.....I've been up extra early the last two mornings. Trust me, this is not normal. We are not early risers if we don't have to be.
Anywho.... this morning I was up and out of bed by about 8:45 so I decided to make the most of it. I looked online to see what time Sobey's opened and luckily it is 10am on Sundays. So I got myself all ready, got my shopping list in order, and set out for my weekly shopping. After last Saturday afternoon I figure any time is better than that!Boy, I hope I wake up early every Sunday! Shopping was glorious. No full parking lot. No shortage of shopping carts. No massive crowd of people getting in each other's way at every turn. The meat department was full and fresh. (The produce department could learn something from the meat department there though.) Most of the sale items were actually in stock and those that weren't....well, oh well!
I happily wandered up and down each and every aisle finding almost everything I needed without once getting angered by someone blocking the lane or chatting or anything. It didn't even bother me that I was going to have to make a quick WalMart and SuperStore stop to get the few things Sobey's didn't seem to carry.
OK, maybe I need to get out more. I'm a bit too excited about early morning shopping. haha. Besides, the chances of me getting up early every Sunday are really not that high. But we shall see!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Random photos I finally uploaded from my camera...
Honey, the painting machine, painting the living room.
Mojo saying goodbye to the hotel resident doggie, Cocoa.
The beautiful plant DBF's Mom sent on move-in day.
Mojo enjoying the snowy deck for the first time.
Stoopy helping put away the clean linens.Office - check!
A la Mrs. Furious, I thought I'd show you in photos what I've been up to this morning....
This is my office at 9:30 am:
After a hearty breakfast and a yummy coffee (thanks Honey!),
this is my office at 12:30 pm:
Maybe it won't be so tough to be motivated for work now!
Now....if the drill fairy would show up to hang my shelving, I'd be complete!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Little Suzy Homemaker
OK, so this is probably silly....but I'm quite proud of myself. haha.
My first week of cooking in the new place is pretty much under my belt and I have to say I'm very pleased with how my plans turned out.
On Sunday I made a roast. Yup, I think maybe my first roast ever. (Hmmmm....although I do recollect trying one of those roasting bag thingies years ago....but whatever.) I used the Great Pretenderloin recipe from ESBM, but made a sirloin roast instead of the tenderloin (I didn't see the need for a $60 roast!). It was awesome! And the best part is we had three meals from it and there was still enough to freeze for some other night. We had the roast the first night, beef dip another night, and hot beef sammiches too!
On Wednesday I made Chowdy Doody (also from ESBM) which required one of those store bought roasted chickens. That also served double duty, as I took the meat that wasn't used in the soup and chopped it up for fresh chicken salad sammiches last night. So yum! And there was enough that we both had leftovers for today. I put mine on some mixed greens for lunch.
So now I'm off to figure out what other yummy wonderous things I can make and get multiple meals out of!
My first week of cooking in the new place is pretty much under my belt and I have to say I'm very pleased with how my plans turned out.
On Sunday I made a roast. Yup, I think maybe my first roast ever. (Hmmmm....although I do recollect trying one of those roasting bag thingies years ago....but whatever.) I used the Great Pretenderloin recipe from ESBM, but made a sirloin roast instead of the tenderloin (I didn't see the need for a $60 roast!). It was awesome! And the best part is we had three meals from it and there was still enough to freeze for some other night. We had the roast the first night, beef dip another night, and hot beef sammiches too!
On Wednesday I made Chowdy Doody (also from ESBM) which required one of those store bought roasted chickens. That also served double duty, as I took the meat that wasn't used in the soup and chopped it up for fresh chicken salad sammiches last night. So yum! And there was enough that we both had leftovers for today. I put mine on some mixed greens for lunch.
So now I'm off to figure out what other yummy wonderous things I can make and get multiple meals out of!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Fun with Future Shop
A few posts back I mentioned a slight problem with Future Shop. I thought it might make for a mildly interesting blog topic. Maybe not to you all, but it was a good conversation for us at the time....
Back in November, when we came out for our househunting trip, we decided to go in and pick out our new TV, etc. We had intended on just looking, but ended up picking stuff out and buying it because it was a good deal. The TV was on sale, and the salesman was gung-ho (of course!) so we didn't see the point in waiting and just went ahead and bought the stuff at the time.
Of course, we didn't need it delivered until January so we asked about layaway instead.
How it works is that if you pay full price at the time of purchase they will hold your stuff in stock until whenever you want it delivered. If you only put a down payment on it, they can't guarantee that it will be in stock when you need it. Makes sense. So, we paid for everything in full up front. The TV and the receiver were in stock, so they were immediately tagged as ours. The speakers had to be ordered in, but would be there way before we actually needed them and would also be tagged as ours upon their arrival in the warehouse. All good.
Since we were in town a week before we had arranged delivery, we had been into the store a few times to look at DVD players, cables, etc and had even seen our salesguy and he confirmed that our stuff was all there and tagged, awaiting our delivery date. Awesome!
Fast forward to delivery day......
DBF was all excited waiting for the Future Shop truck to arrive. He raced around getting the new stand all put together in anticipation that our system would be arriving in the afternoon. We were stoked to see the truck pull up about an hour earlier than expected. How exciting to see those boys drag that massive TV box out of the truck and up our stairs!! But wait, what do they mean "sign here"?? Isn't there more stuff on the truck for us? Nope, sorry, but this is all they gave us to deliver. Say what?!
So, long story short...we called, got put on hold, hung up, called again, got put on hold, hung up. DBF decided just to drive down there and find out WTF. He found our salesguy and explained what happened...so buddy went into the back and sure enough he finds that someone has tampered with our order! The receiver is there....and TWO speakers (we bought FIVE)....and the paperwork has been torn off and is laying on the floor. Nice!
Now, had I been there I probably would have lost it and pulled out my bitchy, screaming voice on the guy. Instead, it was DBF and he just stood there staring at the guy. I can imagine the poor guy was probably terrified....DBF can be imposing when he wants to. DBF explained that obviously he would like his $50 delivery fee refunded....which was done without question. Then the guy even offered up a credit towards something else for the trouble, so DBF got a pair of speaker stands that we needed for cost ($60 off...nice mark-up eh).
Luckily the missing three speakers were on order and arrived the next day, so we were able to pick them up and it wasn't really all that big of a deal....but what a hassle!!
Nice business ethic there though, eh? Some other sales guy probably had a deal pending and didn't want to have to order the speakers in, so just took ours out of the warehouse knowing that more would be there in a couple of days. Lame. Not cool.
But at least we got a bit of free shit.
Back in November, when we came out for our househunting trip, we decided to go in and pick out our new TV, etc. We had intended on just looking, but ended up picking stuff out and buying it because it was a good deal. The TV was on sale, and the salesman was gung-ho (of course!) so we didn't see the point in waiting and just went ahead and bought the stuff at the time.
Of course, we didn't need it delivered until January so we asked about layaway instead.
How it works is that if you pay full price at the time of purchase they will hold your stuff in stock until whenever you want it delivered. If you only put a down payment on it, they can't guarantee that it will be in stock when you need it. Makes sense. So, we paid for everything in full up front. The TV and the receiver were in stock, so they were immediately tagged as ours. The speakers had to be ordered in, but would be there way before we actually needed them and would also be tagged as ours upon their arrival in the warehouse. All good.
Since we were in town a week before we had arranged delivery, we had been into the store a few times to look at DVD players, cables, etc and had even seen our salesguy and he confirmed that our stuff was all there and tagged, awaiting our delivery date. Awesome!
Fast forward to delivery day......
DBF was all excited waiting for the Future Shop truck to arrive. He raced around getting the new stand all put together in anticipation that our system would be arriving in the afternoon. We were stoked to see the truck pull up about an hour earlier than expected. How exciting to see those boys drag that massive TV box out of the truck and up our stairs!! But wait, what do they mean "sign here"?? Isn't there more stuff on the truck for us? Nope, sorry, but this is all they gave us to deliver. Say what?!
So, long story short...we called, got put on hold, hung up, called again, got put on hold, hung up. DBF decided just to drive down there and find out WTF. He found our salesguy and explained what happened...so buddy went into the back and sure enough he finds that someone has tampered with our order! The receiver is there....and TWO speakers (we bought FIVE)....and the paperwork has been torn off and is laying on the floor. Nice!
Now, had I been there I probably would have lost it and pulled out my bitchy, screaming voice on the guy. Instead, it was DBF and he just stood there staring at the guy. I can imagine the poor guy was probably terrified....DBF can be imposing when he wants to. DBF explained that obviously he would like his $50 delivery fee refunded....which was done without question. Then the guy even offered up a credit towards something else for the trouble, so DBF got a pair of speaker stands that we needed for cost ($60 off...nice mark-up eh).
Luckily the missing three speakers were on order and arrived the next day, so we were able to pick them up and it wasn't really all that big of a deal....but what a hassle!!
Nice business ethic there though, eh? Some other sales guy probably had a deal pending and didn't want to have to order the speakers in, so just took ours out of the warehouse knowing that more would be there in a couple of days. Lame. Not cool.
But at least we got a bit of free shit.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Stuff
While out running a few errands, these are things I noticed:
- there are A LOT of NASTY potholes out there
- I need a cuter toque
- Starbucks always serves their bevvies with the lids on here
- the bank machine was on the outside of the bank (which I find odd because it's a helluva lot colder here)
- customer service types are super-duper friendly here
- there are A LOT of NASTY potholes out there
- I need a cuter toque
- Starbucks always serves their bevvies with the lids on here
- the bank machine was on the outside of the bank (which I find odd because it's a helluva lot colder here)
- customer service types are super-duper friendly here
More to do
This week's crazy-ass to do list:
- find post office and put in change of address (ASAP!!!) - done
- organize office - done
- borrow drill so we can hang the bracketless shelf over my desk
- finish putting bedroom furniture in place
- laundry - done
- finally get all clothes, etc put away in bedroom - done
- finish putting away all linens and bathroom paraphenalia - done
- find new home for litter box
- find new home for dining room bench (it's been shafted from it's spot by the new ottoman) - done for now
- remove box of "garage sale" dishes, etc from kitchen - done
- organize pantry and empty last box of kitchen stuff - done
- pick up tables from the Brick - done
- DBF to finish pinning down stereo wires, etc. - done
- get living room furniture into proper placement - done
(Next week we're dealing with painting bathroom, organizing spare room, and oh god....the garage! DBF also has his guitar room/den to contend with. and somewhere in there we need an area rug and some art on the walls....)
- online banking - done
- fax back insurance papers - done
- organize all receipts for DBF to take to work to claim back our monies! - done
- order bday gift online for friend back at home - done
- learn how to sort and organize garbage/recycling/compost (I think we might need a degree in bioscience for this one!)
- choose date for housewarming and send out invites - done
- find post office and put in change of address (ASAP!!!) - done
- organize office - done
- borrow drill so we can hang the bracketless shelf over my desk
- finish putting bedroom furniture in place
- laundry - done
- finally get all clothes, etc put away in bedroom - done
- finish putting away all linens and bathroom paraphenalia - done
- find new home for litter box
- find new home for dining room bench (it's been shafted from it's spot by the new ottoman) - done for now
- remove box of "garage sale" dishes, etc from kitchen - done
- organize pantry and empty last box of kitchen stuff - done
- pick up tables from the Brick - done
- DBF to finish pinning down stereo wires, etc. - done
- get living room furniture into proper placement - done
(Next week we're dealing with painting bathroom, organizing spare room, and oh god....the garage! DBF also has his guitar room/den to contend with. and somewhere in there we need an area rug and some art on the walls....)
- online banking - done
- fax back insurance papers - done
- organize all receipts for DBF to take to work to claim back our monies! - done
- order bday gift online for friend back at home - done
- learn how to sort and organize garbage/recycling/compost (I think we might need a degree in bioscience for this one!)
- choose date for housewarming and send out invites - done
I heart Lulu!
Oh, Oh, Oh! It has to be just for me!! It really must be!! hahahhaha... :)I just wandered onto the Lululemon website to check out hoodies and such. I love the one I got before I left Victoria and want to get another one to get me through winter out here. I need a pair of the original style fleecy-type pants too.
I was sad to discover a month or so ago that there is no Lulu east of Montreal. Boooooooo!
Until now!!!!
"We will be opening our first Halifax location on May 16, 2008."
Sunday, January 20, 2008
And we're in!!
While I a wait for our roast to cook I thought I'd finally try to get caught up here. Yes, I am making a roast....weeeeeeeeeeee....how exciting to finally cook in our own home! Well, actually I made turkey burgers last night and DBF made spaghetti and meatballs on Thursday, so I guess we're doing pretty good. Soooooo nice to not eat out for a while. This morning I made us a big breaky and then made a couple of batches of cookies too.
The move-in went pretty well. A lot of the stuff wound up in the wrong rooms because the layout here is so different from our old house, but such is life. We had them put a ton of stuff in the garage, so it's packed in there for now. I'll be making friends with Craigslist over the next couple of months!
A couple of things had some minor damage, which is more annoying than anything. The movers can be pretty rough on stuff and our Ikea dressers need a bit more TLC. The dressers aren't even a year old and look really nice so I am a bit miffed that they managed to crack one of the side panels....even though it's just thin fiber-board stuff, it would probably last me a lifetime if they had been more careful. We're going to call the moving company about it this week and see if we can claim it. A few other pieces got a few dings, but nothing worth fighting over.
The unpack is a joke. They send a couple of workers over to pull all of your stuff out of boxes, but they just leave it on the floors or counters or wherever. Mainly it's just so you can A) have an official claim if anything is broken and B) have the boxes and packing materials taken away. I had them unpack maybe a third of the boxes....a lot of stuff got packed up out of closets and storage and we don't really want it unpacked just yet. We'll deal with it when Spring cleaning comes around and we can have that garage sale we've been waiting for. Next time we do this I think I'll just take the chance that something might be broken (nothing was this time) and unpack everything myself. It was a bigger hassel sorting through the messes of stuff (especially if it was unpacked in the wrong room or on the wrong level of the house).
I have pretty much finished with the kitchen. There are fewer cupboards and drawers here, but it's so much nicer it's all worth it. It forced us to get rid of some uneeded glasses and such so it's all good. Just need to reorganize the pantry now that we have groceries, and we need to decide what to hang on the wall. I love that we have a proper spot for the dining table now too....makes it much more enjoyable to use...and DBF installed a dimmer on the light today so it's perfect for dinners now.
Our furniture and electronics all arrived this week (after a minor hassle with Future Shop) so the living room is coming along nicely now. The couch is pretty comfy, so we're stoked about that. DBF is even warming up to the ottoman...but I don't think we'll keep it in the living room anyway....we need an actual table surface. Our tables should be in for pick up this week. The giant TV is growing on me. It's a bit odd watching shows where the people's heads are twice life-size! haha, but HDTV is AWESOME!! I can't wait to watch Amazing Race in HD tonight! DBF seems quite pleased with his new sound system too....he spent a lot of time setting it up and now he is ready to tinker and tweak it until he figures out all of the bells and whistles.
We have done a tiny bit of exploring and found that an extra 10 minute drive brings us to another couple of plazas that house a Sobey's, Blockbuster, our bank, and a vet clinic. All things we needed. I ventured out for the huge first shop yesterday....not in love with the Sobey's (I miss Thrifty's!!), but it was better than the Superstore. Even the Superstores here are different. Me no likey!! But I'm sure I'll get used to it.....
I have my office partially set up. Ready to rock for work tomorrow at least. Hopefully throughout the week I'll finish it up and it will be one less room to deal with. The bedroom shouldn't take much longer either...I have most of my stuff in the closet and DBF should get his stuff in there one night this week after we finally get laundry done. I just realized that the box with the detergent and stuff is probably buried in the garage in a box marked "basement"....ooops.
All in all, things are coming along. The only big project we really have left is painting the bathroom (to match the bedroom....it's a cheater onsuite) and since DBF is a painting machine that won't take long at all. After that it's just making the place a home...and we're well on our way to that!
The move-in went pretty well. A lot of the stuff wound up in the wrong rooms because the layout here is so different from our old house, but such is life. We had them put a ton of stuff in the garage, so it's packed in there for now. I'll be making friends with Craigslist over the next couple of months!
A couple of things had some minor damage, which is more annoying than anything. The movers can be pretty rough on stuff and our Ikea dressers need a bit more TLC. The dressers aren't even a year old and look really nice so I am a bit miffed that they managed to crack one of the side panels....even though it's just thin fiber-board stuff, it would probably last me a lifetime if they had been more careful. We're going to call the moving company about it this week and see if we can claim it. A few other pieces got a few dings, but nothing worth fighting over.
The unpack is a joke. They send a couple of workers over to pull all of your stuff out of boxes, but they just leave it on the floors or counters or wherever. Mainly it's just so you can A) have an official claim if anything is broken and B) have the boxes and packing materials taken away. I had them unpack maybe a third of the boxes....a lot of stuff got packed up out of closets and storage and we don't really want it unpacked just yet. We'll deal with it when Spring cleaning comes around and we can have that garage sale we've been waiting for. Next time we do this I think I'll just take the chance that something might be broken (nothing was this time) and unpack everything myself. It was a bigger hassel sorting through the messes of stuff (especially if it was unpacked in the wrong room or on the wrong level of the house).
I have pretty much finished with the kitchen. There are fewer cupboards and drawers here, but it's so much nicer it's all worth it. It forced us to get rid of some uneeded glasses and such so it's all good. Just need to reorganize the pantry now that we have groceries, and we need to decide what to hang on the wall. I love that we have a proper spot for the dining table now too....makes it much more enjoyable to use...and DBF installed a dimmer on the light today so it's perfect for dinners now.
Our furniture and electronics all arrived this week (after a minor hassle with Future Shop) so the living room is coming along nicely now. The couch is pretty comfy, so we're stoked about that. DBF is even warming up to the ottoman...but I don't think we'll keep it in the living room anyway....we need an actual table surface. Our tables should be in for pick up this week. The giant TV is growing on me. It's a bit odd watching shows where the people's heads are twice life-size! haha, but HDTV is AWESOME!! I can't wait to watch Amazing Race in HD tonight! DBF seems quite pleased with his new sound system too....he spent a lot of time setting it up and now he is ready to tinker and tweak it until he figures out all of the bells and whistles.
We have done a tiny bit of exploring and found that an extra 10 minute drive brings us to another couple of plazas that house a Sobey's, Blockbuster, our bank, and a vet clinic. All things we needed. I ventured out for the huge first shop yesterday....not in love with the Sobey's (I miss Thrifty's!!), but it was better than the Superstore. Even the Superstores here are different. Me no likey!! But I'm sure I'll get used to it.....
I have my office partially set up. Ready to rock for work tomorrow at least. Hopefully throughout the week I'll finish it up and it will be one less room to deal with. The bedroom shouldn't take much longer either...I have most of my stuff in the closet and DBF should get his stuff in there one night this week after we finally get laundry done. I just realized that the box with the detergent and stuff is probably buried in the garage in a box marked "basement"....ooops.
All in all, things are coming along. The only big project we really have left is painting the bathroom (to match the bedroom....it's a cheater onsuite) and since DBF is a painting machine that won't take long at all. After that it's just making the place a home...and we're well on our way to that!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
It's official!!
We is homeowners!!! :)
There was a bit of confusion with the mortgage company about some DND funds that held up the release of our house for about two hours yesterday, which was mildly annoying because we were DYING to get in, but it led to us finding out that DND pays the CMHC portion of our loan so the two hours were totally worth it.
We had already stopped at Home Depot to pick up our paint and supplies, so as soon as we got the go-ahead from the lawyers office we went straight over and got to work.
First, I have to say that DBF is a painting MACHINE! He basically did most of the painting by himself. (I have a few pics I'll post later...) I learned that I'm a sucky painter. I have sissy little wrists and hands and it was hurting me to hold and push the roller for any length of time. Of course, I am a whiz with the tape and edging now though (there is a lot of trim in that house! and some interesting curves through a couple of doorways)!
We painted the living room and the master bedroom. Both are shades of earthy greens, and both turned out almost exactly as we had hoped. WooT!
Today the movers are bringing our stuff finally! DBF already loaded his stuff out from the hotel in his car, and I'm on my way after I finish typing this. The movers should be at the house right now.... I hope!!
Tonight we shall sleep in our own bed in our own house!!!
Tomorrow the furniture and the TV are delivered. Friday the cable/internet/phone will be connected. Oh, how I can't wait to live like a normal person again!! Talk to you all when we get connected again.... have a great couple of days!
There was a bit of confusion with the mortgage company about some DND funds that held up the release of our house for about two hours yesterday, which was mildly annoying because we were DYING to get in, but it led to us finding out that DND pays the CMHC portion of our loan so the two hours were totally worth it.
We had already stopped at Home Depot to pick up our paint and supplies, so as soon as we got the go-ahead from the lawyers office we went straight over and got to work.
First, I have to say that DBF is a painting MACHINE! He basically did most of the painting by himself. (I have a few pics I'll post later...) I learned that I'm a sucky painter. I have sissy little wrists and hands and it was hurting me to hold and push the roller for any length of time. Of course, I am a whiz with the tape and edging now though (there is a lot of trim in that house! and some interesting curves through a couple of doorways)!
We painted the living room and the master bedroom. Both are shades of earthy greens, and both turned out almost exactly as we had hoped. WooT!
Today the movers are bringing our stuff finally! DBF already loaded his stuff out from the hotel in his car, and I'm on my way after I finish typing this. The movers should be at the house right now.... I hope!!
Tonight we shall sleep in our own bed in our own house!!!
Tomorrow the furniture and the TV are delivered. Friday the cable/internet/phone will be connected. Oh, how I can't wait to live like a normal person again!! Talk to you all when we get connected again.... have a great couple of days!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Countdown has begun...
And today we did our pre-close inspection and signed all the lawyer's papers. Tomorrow the house is finally ours!!! Just waiting on their lawyer to finish up their crap and hand it off.
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
East Coast Eatin!
After our shopping extravaganza we had planned to go for steak & lobster at The Keg, but they don't take reservations on Saturdays and there was an hour long wait so we decided to find somewhere else.
We know McElvie's serves lobster so we opted to see if they had room (after walking about 6 blocks out of the way...hehe). This ended up being an excellent choice....quieter, good service, and yummy whole lobsters instead of just the tails...and the steak was perfect too!
I was pretty stoked (and a bit nervous) because it was my first whole lobster! (turns out they did pre-crack it for us so it wasn't too nerve-wracking, but we still had fun fulling them apart.) Super yummy!!
But, what I wanna know, is who on earth eats the yucky stuff inside the actual body. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!
Living Room Set - check!
Saturday was furniture shopping day. Now, you'd think that this would be exciting, but as you may remember we have already been through this process back in November when we came out to get the house. We had our minds set on something specific and can't find it. So, we decided to try over on the Dartmouth side at Gallery 1 and Leon's....as we had pretty much exhausted most of the possibilities in Halifax.
Gallery 1 was huge, overwhelming, and in the end disappointing. Leon's was a joke...lots to chose from, but no decent styles and of course no changing fabrics or anything...everything is as is.
So, we decided to regroup and go back to the beginning and start over. Back to The Brick we went. And there it was...the first set that caught our eye was a set we had almost immediately dismissed the first time around (because back then we were still focused on a two-cushion sofa...only to eventually realize those are EXTREMELY difficult to find). And it was ON SALE. Discontinued item, one set left, priced just right! We had to take the ottoman as part of the set, but they brought the prices down even lower than the sale price, so we basically got the ottoman for free. If we don't find a place for it in the house, we'll just sell it.
The set isn't the "perfect choice" for either of us, but a good middle of the road compromise. It's the right color, it's comfortable, it has the curved arms that I like, and the squared cushions that DBF likes. It's going to look stellar in our living room and we both have somewhere to lay to watch movies. All important bases covered! Oh, and because it's the floor set, we can have it delivered right away!!
We ended up chosing a set of occassional tables while we were there too. We liked the price of these (even if they are glass and we're probably going to have to take out stock in Windex to keep them clean all the time!) and I kept going back to the cool legs. Plus I think the color will match fairly closely to the TV stand I ordered the other day.
Next up.... area rug, lamps, and art!
And the prezzies keep on coming...
Oh! and on Friday, our SECOND housewarming giftie arrived!! Love it...not even in the house yet and gifties are coming in. hehehehehehe!
From the other Jamie we got a pair of those cute Valentine's Starbucks mugs I've been drooling over! She knows me well and pays close attention!
Here's one (other one dirty already...hahaha):
From the other Jamie we got a pair of those cute Valentine's Starbucks mugs I've been drooling over! She knows me well and pays close attention!
Here's one (other one dirty already...hahaha):
Cars
On Friday, my car arrived. My first real piece of home! Quite exciting...haha, how silly is that?!
(Too bad it has to go into the shop though because something went wrong with the Turbo right before it was shipped off from Victoria. Boooooo!)
DBF's poor car has taken a beating on it's cross-country tour. This is what a car that drove from Victoria-Winnipeg-Toronto-Halifax in the middle of December looks like.
Salt and sand = bad!
Friday, January 11, 2008
The Shopping Begins!
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! I just ordered our first piece of new furniture!!
I ordered this TV stand from Costco online. It will be delivered within 7-10 days. How convenient!
Our new huge-ass 50" plasma TV is being delivered the day after we get our house, so our old TV stand just isn't gonna cut it. Too bad, because I actually really like the old one...but yaaieeeee for newer, cooler stuff!!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Oh poo!
In the two years I've been walking Mojo I don't think I've ever had to pick up his poop. We always walked around the field in our old neighborhood where he'd do his business where no one else ever walked...or along the Galloping Goose trail where I could just kick it in the bushes. :)
But here we are at this pet friendly hotel, with a beatiful chocolate lab of their own, where I figure it's only right to pick up after my dog. So for three days I've picked up poo. Blech.
Now the snow has melted right down to bare grass and I realize that it's a minefield of huge doggie poo EVERYWHERE. They don't pick up after the lab AT ALL.
It's in the rules for having a pet here to pick up after it, so I will keep doing so. But I have to say that my dog's one poop a day wouldn't even matter next to the hundreds of piles I have to dodge around to walk him out there.
What's sad is that it's a beautiful little lakefront area of grass with picnic tables. I hope they clean it up come Spring!!
But here we are at this pet friendly hotel, with a beatiful chocolate lab of their own, where I figure it's only right to pick up after my dog. So for three days I've picked up poo. Blech.
Now the snow has melted right down to bare grass and I realize that it's a minefield of huge doggie poo EVERYWHERE. They don't pick up after the lab AT ALL.
It's in the rules for having a pet here to pick up after it, so I will keep doing so. But I have to say that my dog's one poop a day wouldn't even matter next to the hundreds of piles I have to dodge around to walk him out there.
What's sad is that it's a beautiful little lakefront area of grass with picnic tables. I hope they clean it up come Spring!!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
It never ends!
Yikes! Now that we're here, it's a whole new crazy-ass to-do list!!
- call for new phone/internet/cable (thankfully this is one-stop shopping!) - DONE
- find locksmith to change locks on new house (DND is paying, so might as well!)
- email previous insurance company to get forms for cancelling old contents insurance
- investigate gym possibilities
- contact Revenue Canada to inquire about changing from GST to HST (for work contract)
- submit address change to Canada Post (we held off on this so our mail wouldn't start going to the new house before we move in)
- start tedious task of changing address on all subscriptions, government stuff, etc.
- find out about switching to Nova Scotia car insurance
- find out about switching to Nova Scotia driver's license
- find out about switching to Nova Scotia health care (website says you have to live here three months, so what do I do about prescriptions and health care until then?)
- pick out and buy new light fixture for new living room
- pick out and buy new taps for 2 x bathrooms and kitchen
- pick out paint for living room and bedroom
- find new living room furniture (sooner rather than later would be nice!)
- update cell phone number
- find good pizza delivery place (this is a must!)
Whew. I think that's enough for now!!
- call for new phone/internet/cable (thankfully this is one-stop shopping!) - DONE
- find locksmith to change locks on new house (DND is paying, so might as well!)
- email previous insurance company to get forms for cancelling old contents insurance
- investigate gym possibilities
- contact Revenue Canada to inquire about changing from GST to HST (for work contract)
- submit address change to Canada Post (we held off on this so our mail wouldn't start going to the new house before we move in)
- start tedious task of changing address on all subscriptions, government stuff, etc.
- find out about switching to Nova Scotia car insurance
- find out about switching to Nova Scotia driver's license
- find out about switching to Nova Scotia health care (website says you have to live here three months, so what do I do about prescriptions and health care until then?)
- pick out and buy new light fixture for new living room
- pick out and buy new taps for 2 x bathrooms and kitchen
- pick out paint for living room and bedroom
- find new living room furniture (sooner rather than later would be nice!)
- update cell phone number
- find good pizza delivery place (this is a must!)
Whew. I think that's enough for now!!
Reader Alert!
I wrote a lot tonight...make sure you scroll back through "older posts" to catch the first one or two!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
We have arrived! - Day Five
And here we are at today!
DBF left early again this morning, for his first sail on his new ship. (Side note: good news is that he will be back on Friday, not Monday like we had expected! and he's off all next week for the closing of the house and delivery of our stuff!) I managed to get back to sleep almost right away and he had set the alarm to get me up in time for work. I only hit snooze a couple of times.... :)
I had promised housekeeping that they could come in today, so after getting some work done I tidied our gianormous mess up a little (haha, yes I cleaned for the housekeeper) and then took Mojo out for a walk and a car ride so they could get in here undisturbed.
We took a drive up to Starbucks (of course) and then cruised past our new house. The sold sign is up! but the rest of the sign is missing and there were garbage guys picking up so I didn't take any pictures. Maybe some of the dirty snow will have melted by Tuesday and we can get a good picture of the sign before they take it down.
I took the long way back through Lakeside and Timberlea to see what is there (not much!) and actually encountered a roadcheck (I'm guessing maybe looking for seatbelts or insurance?) on the way back to the highway. Mojo barked at him for a few minutes while we chatted about my BC license plate...then when I said military move he smiled and said have a nice day. haha. It's definitely more military friendly here!
When I got back to the hotel I decided to take a few more pictures of the lake because it's starting to thaw with all of the mild weather we've had. 9 degrees today!
Then back in to work away for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. Tomorrow I hope to fully get onto East Coast time!
We have arrived! - Day Four
DBF's first big day at his new job. Scary!! New position, new ship, new coworkers, new city. Yikes!
He got up early and took a cab into work so he didn't have to worry about parking and such. I rolled over and couldn't get back to sleep of course, but then fell asleep and didn't wake up until about an hour after I should have started work. Ooops! By the time I walked the dog and got myself together it was two hours late! I stayed on West Coast time for my first day...stupid jetlag!
The big thing for the day was the lovely giftie from my Mom. The front desk called up around 5:00 to say they had a delivery for me. When the knock on the door came, it was a giant leafy green plant!! Yaaieeeee! I had to give up almost all of my plants, and most especially my two really big plants and I was quite disappointed. This one is actually nicer than either of mine were, so I hope I can keep it that way!!
DBF got home very late from work. Normally he is off by 3:30 or so, but because the ship was sailing the next day that had a lot to load, etc so no one could leave until they were all done. He got a ride home from the Navigator but even then it was after 6:00 when he got here. I was still working though, so we finally got out for dinner at around 7:30.
After that we just made a pitstop at Wal-mart so he could get some new comfy socks for work, then another stop at Starbucks so I could get good coffee for the hotel room. (I took a moment to drool over the SUPER CUTE Valentine's mug I want!).
Flight? Car Ride? Huh?
And we were all so worried about the dog and cat. Pttth. Look at them, right at home!!
We have arrived! - Day Three
Sunday we slept in a bit, then set out to run some errands. We settled on Jack Astor's for lunch because neither of us had ever been there, but now we know why. Nothing exciting and I doubt we'll go back on purpose.
After picking up a few groceries to get me through breakfasts and lunches this week, we grabbed the obligatory Starbucks bevvies then set out towards the Dockyards so DBF could see how long the drive was and where he might find parking for work. (Side story: you have to be a member for 15 years to get a parking spot on base!! everyone else has to park randomly wherever they can find it...mostly like 20-30 minutes walk away!) He decided to just take the $10 cab ride for his first day instead.
I should point out that the weather has been quite mild. I have not needed my coat yet...just my warm LuluLemon hoodie and a scarf. Nice!!
Oh, and I did remember to take pictures from our hotel window before we went out....it wasn't as sunny, but you'll see how cool it is. There were even kids sledding down the hill across the lake and you can see where people have scraped off areas for skating. I haven't seen a frozen lake since I was 6 years old in Fort St. John!!
We wandered through Costco to check out snow tires and to see if there was anything fun we might need for our new house. We made a quick stop at Future Shop to ogle our new TV and make sure we hadn't missed out on any price drops over the holidays. We talked to the guy about maybe getting a Playstation 3 because we are thinking of getting a Blu-Ray player anyway and for about $100 more you can get the game system which plays Blu-Ray anyway. DBF wants a force feedback steering wheel for racing games though so we have to see if PS3 has one of those before we commit.
After picking up a few groceries to get me through breakfasts and lunches this week, we grabbed the obligatory Starbucks bevvies then set out towards the Dockyards so DBF could see how long the drive was and where he might find parking for work. (Side story: you have to be a member for 15 years to get a parking spot on base!! everyone else has to park randomly wherever they can find it...mostly like 20-30 minutes walk away!) He decided to just take the $10 cab ride for his first day instead.
In the evening, we headed back over to Dartmouth to visit with Mark (Cosette was at work). We learned another new thing about here though....gotta watch for 2 for 1 pizza places. We just assumed all places were 2 for 1, and when we ordered from Pizza Delight (which wasn't even very good pizza) it cost $50!!
On our way back to Halifax we missed a turn, but after a few rights and an extra left we found our way back to the bridge. :)
Christmas Prezzies!
This summer honey accidentally smashed the iPod I got him for Christmas last year. Something about a machine at the gym being tougher than the little music maker. :) So, this year I got him another iPod...this one is only a Nano, but I got him the armband for it too...so it's better for using at the gym.
He ended up surprizing me with two big gifties!!
My main Christmas prezzie was an AWESOME pair of real Mukluks from Winnipeg. :) Now, I know that sounds weird, but we had just been talking about Mukluks before he went away (I have no idea why) so when he saw them he just knew he had to get them. They are super comfy, cozy and warm. I heart them!
Then he also decided to get me a very nice new watch...as an extra thank you for all of the extra work I did on the house and move-out. Awwwwwww!! It's a beautiful Bulova and it's a watch I totally would have picked out myself. I have to take it in and have some links removed though because I have sissy tiny wrists!!
I also got him Ratatouille and a cheesy William Shatner CD. And he got me the final season of Gilmore Girls to go with the Season 6 set my Mom got me, so now I have the whole set.
We have arrived! - Day One/Two
OK, here it is! The post you have all be anxiously anticipating!!
We have arrived!!!
Well, fine, we arrived like 3 1/2 days ago, but give us a break...we were tired!!
I think I'll break this down into a couple of posts...one for each day...make it a little easier to write and to follow. :)
DAY ONE/TWO: FRIDAY & SATURDAY
After managing to fit absolutely everything I had with me into my two suitcases we dragged them out to the car along with my laptop bag, purse, cat carrier and a small bag containing the one tiny little plant I decided to take along with me. Tiffaney offered to drive so that she and Nicole could see me off at the airport.
I had to be there 90 minutes before the flight because you can't book your seat online when you travel with your pet. No worries, this left time for dinner before the flight....well, almost! After check-in we headed over to the White Spot so I could enjoy my one last Triple-O burger. We arrived at the restaurant at pretty much exactly 6:30 which we thought would be plenty of time for an airport restaurant....I had to be through security by 7:25. Crazy us, we assumed an airport restaurant would expedite service since 99% of their patrons are probably about to catch a flight. Well, we should know better than to assume!!
After waiting more than 5 minutes just get served, we waited over another 20 minutes for our food to arrive. I had to choke down my burger and barely made it through my fries. Not quite the situation I wanted before having to get on a plane for an hour and a half. By the time I got through security, my plane was already boarding....I just squeaked myself in at the end of pre-boarding.
The upside to this was that I didn't have time for a really teary goodbye. We had some hugs, and definitely a few tears, but I had to suck them back (I almost lost it in front of the first security guy) so I could get through security with my cat in my arms. Unfortunately it also meant that I didn't even have time to turn around and wave a final goodbye. BYE GIRLS!!!
The flight to Calgary was OK. Poor little Stoopy was not impressed about being in his cage on the floor, but it's not a super long flight and the turbulence wasn't too bad, so all in all he was OK. We lucked out with an empty middle seat so I had some room for my feet, but they don't let you move the carrier off the floor which is sort of stupid...especially since the woman in the aisle seat would have been fine with it.
Our layover in Calgary was only supposed to be about 45 mins, but ended up being a little over an hour. Then they were still loading baggage even after we were all on the plane so we were well over half an hour late leaving. The turbulence then started before we were even off the ground. By far, the worst turbulence I've ever encountered!! Up and down, back and forth. I was pretty proud that I didn't get sick...in fact I was only even slightly nauseous...maybe because I was more worried about the poor cat than I was about myself. He let out a few pretty serious meows, but once the turbulence let up he calmed as best he could. He did manage to get a claw out the side of the cage and into my toe at one point, but I figured that it was only fair. :)
The landing in Halifax was quite pretty....lots of snowy trees and such!
Cosette was there to meet me. Poor girl had been waiting an extra half hour and was starting to wonder if my plane was ever going to show up! I'm sure glad she is a morning person and being up and at it for 7:00am is normal for her.
We stopped by her place to pick up Mark and their daughter Camille. We dropped Mark at work, then made our way over the bridge to my hotel. DBF had actually arrived at the hotel around 6:00am and had called Cosette to let her know that he and the dog were safe and sound.
He was so sound asleep when we got to the room that he didn't even hear us come clomping in with all of my crap! Mojo greeted me with a short growl followed by recognition and some major tail wagging. I set the cat up with his new litter box (thanks Cosette!) and some food and water, washed my face, brushed my teeth and climbed into bed next to DBF. Yaaiiieee for the king size bed and comfy duvet! Three hours later we awoke and he realized I was there. :)
We spent the day lounging around the room, exchanging Christmas prezzies and ordered room service. After dinner we decided to go to a movie...we ended up choosing Sweeny Todd, which turned out to be a lot gorier than Tim Burton movies usually are...but I still enjoyed the singing!
I wish I had taken a picture of the view that first day because it was absolutely perfect for our first day in Halifax. We look right out over Chocolate Lake...it's all frozen and snow covered and the sun was shining. Lovely!!
We have arrived!!!
Well, fine, we arrived like 3 1/2 days ago, but give us a break...we were tired!!
I think I'll break this down into a couple of posts...one for each day...make it a little easier to write and to follow. :)
DAY ONE/TWO: FRIDAY & SATURDAY
After managing to fit absolutely everything I had with me into my two suitcases we dragged them out to the car along with my laptop bag, purse, cat carrier and a small bag containing the one tiny little plant I decided to take along with me. Tiffaney offered to drive so that she and Nicole could see me off at the airport.
I had to be there 90 minutes before the flight because you can't book your seat online when you travel with your pet. No worries, this left time for dinner before the flight....well, almost! After check-in we headed over to the White Spot so I could enjoy my one last Triple-O burger. We arrived at the restaurant at pretty much exactly 6:30 which we thought would be plenty of time for an airport restaurant....I had to be through security by 7:25. Crazy us, we assumed an airport restaurant would expedite service since 99% of their patrons are probably about to catch a flight. Well, we should know better than to assume!!
After waiting more than 5 minutes just get served, we waited over another 20 minutes for our food to arrive. I had to choke down my burger and barely made it through my fries. Not quite the situation I wanted before having to get on a plane for an hour and a half. By the time I got through security, my plane was already boarding....I just squeaked myself in at the end of pre-boarding.
The upside to this was that I didn't have time for a really teary goodbye. We had some hugs, and definitely a few tears, but I had to suck them back (I almost lost it in front of the first security guy) so I could get through security with my cat in my arms. Unfortunately it also meant that I didn't even have time to turn around and wave a final goodbye. BYE GIRLS!!!
The flight to Calgary was OK. Poor little Stoopy was not impressed about being in his cage on the floor, but it's not a super long flight and the turbulence wasn't too bad, so all in all he was OK. We lucked out with an empty middle seat so I had some room for my feet, but they don't let you move the carrier off the floor which is sort of stupid...especially since the woman in the aisle seat would have been fine with it.
Our layover in Calgary was only supposed to be about 45 mins, but ended up being a little over an hour. Then they were still loading baggage even after we were all on the plane so we were well over half an hour late leaving. The turbulence then started before we were even off the ground. By far, the worst turbulence I've ever encountered!! Up and down, back and forth. I was pretty proud that I didn't get sick...in fact I was only even slightly nauseous...maybe because I was more worried about the poor cat than I was about myself. He let out a few pretty serious meows, but once the turbulence let up he calmed as best he could. He did manage to get a claw out the side of the cage and into my toe at one point, but I figured that it was only fair. :)
The landing in Halifax was quite pretty....lots of snowy trees and such!
Cosette was there to meet me. Poor girl had been waiting an extra half hour and was starting to wonder if my plane was ever going to show up! I'm sure glad she is a morning person and being up and at it for 7:00am is normal for her.
We stopped by her place to pick up Mark and their daughter Camille. We dropped Mark at work, then made our way over the bridge to my hotel. DBF had actually arrived at the hotel around 6:00am and had called Cosette to let her know that he and the dog were safe and sound.
He was so sound asleep when we got to the room that he didn't even hear us come clomping in with all of my crap! Mojo greeted me with a short growl followed by recognition and some major tail wagging. I set the cat up with his new litter box (thanks Cosette!) and some food and water, washed my face, brushed my teeth and climbed into bed next to DBF. Yaaiiieee for the king size bed and comfy duvet! Three hours later we awoke and he realized I was there. :)
We spent the day lounging around the room, exchanging Christmas prezzies and ordered room service. After dinner we decided to go to a movie...we ended up choosing Sweeny Todd, which turned out to be a lot gorier than Tim Burton movies usually are...but I still enjoyed the singing!
I wish I had taken a picture of the view that first day because it was absolutely perfect for our first day in Halifax. We look right out over Chocolate Lake...it's all frozen and snow covered and the sun was shining. Lovely!!
Friday, January 4, 2008
Sniffling, Snuffling Girl
I'm going to be dehydrated by the time I get to Halifax with all the tears that have already been shed.
Last night I had a lovely dinner at a local Vietnamese restaurant with a group of friends. My girlfriend and I have been talking about going for Pho forever so we finally had to get it done. Again, I am just in awe of how amazing my friends are. I just feel so loved and know they will truly miss me as much as I'll miss them. It's funny how you just don't really realize it until something like a huge move comes up.
Hugging Mike, Ang, Charmaine, Ingmarie and Alex last night, knowing it was the last time for a long time, was really tough. I'LL MISS YOU GUYS!!
Last night I had a lovely dinner at a local Vietnamese restaurant with a group of friends. My girlfriend and I have been talking about going for Pho forever so we finally had to get it done. Again, I am just in awe of how amazing my friends are. I just feel so loved and know they will truly miss me as much as I'll miss them. It's funny how you just don't really realize it until something like a huge move comes up.
Hugging Mike, Ang, Charmaine, Ingmarie and Alex last night, knowing it was the last time for a long time, was really tough. I'LL MISS YOU GUYS!!
Ingmarie & I
Me & Charmaine
Me & MikeyTonight I had coffee with my bestest friend, the other Jamie, and we did really good until I had to drop her off. Neither of us is usually too mushy, and we tried not to talk about it...but in the end my eyes still got glassy and it was pretty hard to just say goodbye. I LOVE YOU MAN!
Tomorrow Nicole and Tiffaney are both taking me to the airport and I'm hoping that it won't be a scene, but airports are notorious for emotional goodbyes and lord knows I won't need any help in the emotion department. I'm hoping the three of us can just have a drink and make it through with no tears. THANKS FOR BEING THERE FOR ME YOU TWO!!
I had originally suggested that my Mom come down and take me to the airport because I had to leave her place last weekend. I had thought it would be a chance for us to see each other again and a fun mother-daughter goodbye. She decided she would do it...but I ended up asking her not to. After all of the near crying jags I've already had this week, I just know that having her at the airport would turn into a major blubbering mess...making it hard to get onto the flight without a mental breakdown. We already had our personal goodbye and I think it's best for both of us to leave it like that. MOM, I'LL MISS YOU AND I LOVE YOU!! I'll visit soon I promise!
I mean, seriously, I cried the other night when I picked Jen up FROM the airport. I wasn't even going anywhere. I was just standing there waiting for her, and all of a sudden my eyes teared up. It is just the stupid airport!!!
So there it is folks, tomorrow I leave the West Coast. The only place I've ever called home.
Halifax...you'd better live up to expectation!!!! Honey, can't wait to see you on Saturday!!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The to-do lists just keep on coming
Yup, another crazy-ass to-do list! Thank God my friend loaned me her Jeep while she is at work today. Not sure how I figured I was going to get all of this done on foot!
- buy case of beer
- race out to old place and check mail
- stop at neighbor's house and drop off beer as thank you for helping move massive Firebird parts for DBF
- pick up gift certificate for best restaurant ever out by old house
- stop by neighbor Jen's place to drop off mail key & thank you card/gc for letting me use her car all last week!
- race back into town to meet up for much overdue lunch with oldest friend (who I haven't seen in a couple of years)
- 4:45 spa massage at Silk Road (what a great bday prezzie!)
- shower and get cleaned up after massage
- dinner with one of my bestest friends
- somewhere in there find time to pick up giftie for friend that is letting me live on her couch all week (and use her Jeep today!)
- buy baby Gravol for helping kittie sleep on airplane tomorrow night (oh and Pounce treats to hide it in)
Oh boy! I'd better get going!!
- buy case of beer
- race out to old place and check mail
- stop at neighbor's house and drop off beer as thank you for helping move massive Firebird parts for DBF
- pick up gift certificate for best restaurant ever out by old house
- stop by neighbor Jen's place to drop off mail key & thank you card/gc for letting me use her car all last week!
- race back into town to meet up for much overdue lunch with oldest friend (who I haven't seen in a couple of years)
- 4:45 spa massage at Silk Road (what a great bday prezzie!)
- shower and get cleaned up after massage
- dinner with one of my bestest friends
- somewhere in there find time to pick up giftie for friend that is letting me live on her couch all week (and use her Jeep today!)
- buy baby Gravol for helping kittie sleep on airplane tomorrow night (oh and Pounce treats to hide it in)
Oh boy! I'd better get going!!
Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves?
For after dinner chat and coffees, some friends and I headed to my favorite Starbucks last night.
I always stop to look and see what cool mugs or paraphenalia might be on sale...especially after Christmas. I refrained from buying anything (even though there are a couple of cute Christmas mugs on for half price!) because I really just don't have anymore room in my suitcases.
But what really struck me is that on the opposite side of that happy Christmas shelf was a ... yes, you've guessed it ... a VALENTINE'S DAY shelf!!! Good lord people. We haven't even finished ringing in the New Year have we? Christmas trees and holiday wreaths are still up! People are still finishing up their turkey dinner leftovers. Crazy I tell ya!
OK, but having said that I found the CUTEST MUG EVER!!! and I'm so buying it as soon as I get to Halifax.
:)
I always stop to look and see what cool mugs or paraphenalia might be on sale...especially after Christmas. I refrained from buying anything (even though there are a couple of cute Christmas mugs on for half price!) because I really just don't have anymore room in my suitcases.
But what really struck me is that on the opposite side of that happy Christmas shelf was a ... yes, you've guessed it ... a VALENTINE'S DAY shelf!!! Good lord people. We haven't even finished ringing in the New Year have we? Christmas trees and holiday wreaths are still up! People are still finishing up their turkey dinner leftovers. Crazy I tell ya!
OK, but having said that I found the CUTEST MUG EVER!!! and I'm so buying it as soon as I get to Halifax.
:)
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Why didn't we buy snow tires BEFORE he left?
Because we are cheap and stupid sometimes...that's why!
For those of you that have just tuned in, you may not know that DBF is driving across Canada right now...
For our move we ended up choosing to go to Halifax separately. Because the move is over the holidays, and because DBF probably won't get leave time again for a while, he wanted to see his son in Winnipeg before we headed out East. I wanted to stay here get as much quality time as possible with my friends and family since I won't be able to just come home and visit any old time I feel like it.
Any other time of year this probably would have been a good idea.
Not so much in the Winter.
He is loaded down with as much of his stuff that he could take, plus our 75 pound dog in his Hyundai Tiburon. Yup, a sports car. With big, fat new tires. But not snow tires. They call them "all-season", but really at that size and style they might as well be summer slicks. I think they meant "Vancouver Island all-season" because they certainly aren't doing him any good out there in the provinces that actually have Winter.
His trip from Victoria to Winnipeg was harrowing enough what with Rogers Pass being a sucky stretch of highway even in clear conditions.
But the worst has been his drive from Winnipeg to Toronto. He likes to road trip and drive long distances in long periods of time. He prefers to just get from point A to point B without stopping unless he has to. I worry when he does this.... He left Winnpeg first thing on Monday morning with the hopes of arriving in the Toronto area by sometime Tuesday morning. But somewhere on the highway between Thunder Bay and Sioux St Marie he just couldn't drive through the snowstorm anymore and had to stop until daylight. But I think he just up and carried on as soon as he could.
I just got a call from his Mom and he has arrived at her place safely now (at 3:30 this morning!) and she told him to sleep as long as he needs. I am looking forward to his call when he wakes up so I can hear his voice for myself.
Next he has to make it the rest of the way to Halifax. He is hoping to arrive there on Saturday to meet up with me, and so he can have Sunday off to relax and get organized before starting work on his new ship on Monday.
I wish Mother Nature would work with us on this and stop sending Winter storms in his path! Hopefully he gets some clearer roads for the remainder of his trip.
For those of you that have just tuned in, you may not know that DBF is driving across Canada right now...
For our move we ended up choosing to go to Halifax separately. Because the move is over the holidays, and because DBF probably won't get leave time again for a while, he wanted to see his son in Winnipeg before we headed out East. I wanted to stay here get as much quality time as possible with my friends and family since I won't be able to just come home and visit any old time I feel like it.
Any other time of year this probably would have been a good idea.
Not so much in the Winter.
He is loaded down with as much of his stuff that he could take, plus our 75 pound dog in his Hyundai Tiburon. Yup, a sports car. With big, fat new tires. But not snow tires. They call them "all-season", but really at that size and style they might as well be summer slicks. I think they meant "Vancouver Island all-season" because they certainly aren't doing him any good out there in the provinces that actually have Winter.
His trip from Victoria to Winnipeg was harrowing enough what with Rogers Pass being a sucky stretch of highway even in clear conditions.
But the worst has been his drive from Winnipeg to Toronto. He likes to road trip and drive long distances in long periods of time. He prefers to just get from point A to point B without stopping unless he has to. I worry when he does this.... He left Winnpeg first thing on Monday morning with the hopes of arriving in the Toronto area by sometime Tuesday morning. But somewhere on the highway between Thunder Bay and Sioux St Marie he just couldn't drive through the snowstorm anymore and had to stop until daylight. But I think he just up and carried on as soon as he could.
I just got a call from his Mom and he has arrived at her place safely now (at 3:30 this morning!) and she told him to sleep as long as he needs. I am looking forward to his call when he wakes up so I can hear his voice for myself.
Next he has to make it the rest of the way to Halifax. He is hoping to arrive there on Saturday to meet up with me, and so he can have Sunday off to relax and get organized before starting work on his new ship on Monday.
I wish Mother Nature would work with us on this and stop sending Winter storms in his path! Hopefully he gets some clearer roads for the remainder of his trip.
Welcome 2008!!
And here it is....a new year!! Welcome 2008!
I am still couch surfing for a few more days, so it won't really feel like a new year/new start for me until I get to Halifax and see my sweetie again. It's getting tougher by the day to deal with this situation and I'm looking forward to celebrating in our own style in our own house.
Hope that each and every one of you rang in the New Year with the ones you love and had a fabulous time whatever you did.
I am comforted in the fact that I have fabulous friends that continue to support and amaze me with their best wishes. This move has shown me how much I am loved here. *mwah! kisses and hugs for all of you!!
I didn't get a whole lot of pictures last night, but here are a few:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
