After Much Ado...

I have been promising for a while to post photos of our apartment. Since I spent yesterday cleaning up and decorating for tonight's Thanksgiving dinner party, it seemed like a good time to finally snap some photos! Granted, we need some more wall decorations, but I am really happy with it so far.

What a nice change to go from 1700 square feet of unruly house to under 900 square feet of neat and organized apartment! I love that I can clean the whole place in just a few hours. Anyway, I am off to finish up the cooking for tonight. With this being my first Thanksgiving to cook on my own (for 8 people), I figure I better get an early start!!

Hope you enjoy this sneak peak into our new place ;) And I hope that everybody had a fabulous Thanksgiving!!

Our Favorite Canadian Delicacy:

Ketchup Chips. Very weird, but addictively delicious.

Cold: The Great Equalizer

One thing that I love about cold weather is that no matter who you are - rich or poor, fat or thin, guy or girl - once bundled up to walk around in below freezing weather, everybody looks the same. Anybody in a mismatched hat and gloves might appear homeless. A homeless person with a newly-found leather jacket could be mistaken for a tenant of my apartment. The cold simply brings us all to the same level, as nobody can escape it and we all must stay warm. (Except Bosco, who seems to thrive in the snow!)

Case in point: I took Bosco for a long walk through the park yesterday (which was the coldest day since we arrived here), only to realize once I got home that I had dropped my mailbox keys somewhere along the way. Though it seemed futile (and it was), I retraced my steps, ambling through the park and along the riverside, hunched over and moving slowly, searching for the keys.

A kindly-looking man with no front teeth and a badge around his neck approached me to ask if I was okay. Not realizing his assumption, I explained that I was looking for my keys, but thanks for checking. He then told me he was part of a homeless coalition and that they just checked on everybody who was wandering aimlessly. Yup, he thought I was homeless!!

I knew I was not exactly stylish in my leggings layered under thick hiking socks and hiking boots, topped off with my puffy ski jacket, but I didn't realize that I might look homeless in my attempt to stay warm! I couldn't help but laugh at myself.

In his defense (and mine!), homelessness is really a huge problem here. I thought Nashville was bad, but it is even more extreme in Calgary. We have learned to leave our glass bottles in a separate pile by the dumpster, as somebody will always snag them to cash in - often before we have even walked back inside. I can't imagine how these people survive the winters here, or why they don't move farther south, but so it is. The gap between rich and poor in this city is at an all-time high, and it is the one major downfall I've noticed here so far.

In spite of the embarrassing notion that I might look homeless, the walk was beautiful! It has been snowing off and on all week, and the snow has yet to melt. I still am not used to waking up and looking out the window to white rooftops and powder-coated pine trees. It's quite enchanting - until you walk outside and are hit with that icy blast!! Here are a few photos of my meanderings through the park:

Homage to North 16th Street

As of last Friday, our house is, well ... not ours anymore. It's been an emotional journey, from making the decision to sell, to working like dogs for a month straight to get it ready, to negotiations, and finally to letting go and moving on. (Note the before and after shots!! We gave that place some love over the years!)

I have no regrets about the choice we made to move forward with our lives and let go of our house. We could never have fully relaxed and immersed ourselves in the Calgary experience if we still had bills and worries looming back in Nashville. And with a 100-year-old house, there would always be worries!

But still it was bittersweet to say goodbye to our first home, our sweet old Victorian lady in funky little East Nashville. We had lots of good times there - the house just has great vibes and I think anybody who visited picked up on that. It's weird and also very gratifying to know that another young couple, much like Ben and I, will be able to make North 16th Street their home. I doubt we'll ever meet them, but I wish them as much happiness as we had there!

That house survived a massive fire that hit the neighborhood in the early 1900s, the horrible tornado that took down much of East Nashville and who knows what else. Even the trees in the back yard were left undamaged, old and strong.

So here's to the good times (fab parties, first Christmases, new career paths, reading on the back deck and all that good stuff) and to the rich future the house has ahead of it. Cheers!

I Love Canadians!

After a frustrating day of waiting for our sofa to finally be delivered (2 weeks late), finding that it would not fit in the elevator, and two Ikea delivery men ultimately dropping the sofa in our lobby and wishing me luck on moving it to the 8th floor, Ben and I were floored by the kindness of some residents of our apartment building.

We initially thought we could manage to push our behemoth of a sofa up eight flights on our own - luckily, a super nice guy spotted us at the beginning of the job and offered to help. After we admitted we had eight floors to go, I was sure he would bail - but instead he ran to his own apartment, returned with bottled water for all of us, and kept on trucking.

By the 4th floor, the guys were sweating, I was cheerleading (I had quickly realized the futility of my own efforts to help), and we ran into another stranger who offered to pitch in. Finally we reached our floor, thinking victory had been achieved, but now the sofa would not fit through our doorway! The guys did not give up on us, and stuck around until they came up with a way to get the sofa in. All we had to offer in thanks was a round of beers, but it turned out that our massive sofa was a uniter in the end, not a divider, and we made some new friends.

Neither of these guys hesitated for a second in offering their help, and it reminded me of a scenario on our second day in town that really struck me: while walking through downtown, a delivery man on the street approached Ben and asked for a hand in lifting his load up onto the sidewalk. It seems like a small thing, but I was struck by the naturalness of it - not for a second did this stranger think that his request for help would be refused, nor did he feel awkward or apologetic about asking for assistance. Our relocation coordinator told us that she thought we would notice a difference in the sense of community here versus the U.S. There is a much stronger feeling of operating as a whole rather than lots of individuals, and it's quite nice.

On that note, here is a look at what we really accomplished after all that work - a new doggie bed for Bosco :-/

Rise and Shine!

Ikea will be here sometime between 10am and 4pm today with our sofa (since moving in, Ben and I have been battling it out for our one comfy chair). I just love appointments that require you to stay at home for six hours at a time. So anyway, this provides ample opportunity for me to update the blog!

Yet again, our weekend was amazing. I realize that having been here for only a month, we are still in the honeymoon phase with the city of Calgary, but so far I have only good things to say. People are just so darn friendly and the weather has been so nice for us!

We started the weekend early Saturday - as in 5:30 in the morning - for our sunrise hike with the Calgary Outdoor Club. Ben, Alicia, Almu and I joined up with a diverse group of hikers who have moved here from all over - Vietnam, Ireland, England and another American. (Many have been here for quite a while.) This seems to be the case with Calgary - like Nashville these days, very few residents are actually from Calgary. Most arrive with the intention of visiting temporarily and wind up staying. I can see why: the quality if life is high here, with an ample job market, tons of urban parks and trails, close proximity to the mountains, decent public transit and great entertainment and dining options.

Don't worry, Mom - my heart still belongs to the South!!

The hike was lovely - after catching the sunrise at a high point in the hills, we followed the trail into town for a big meal at Nellie's, renowned for their hearty and delicious breakfasts.

I destroyed a huge tostada - loaded with scrambled eggs, veggies, cheese and avocado, plus a mound of fruit that was actually fresh and not pulled from a freezer. Can't wait to go back and try the pancakes! The hike back, on a full stomach, was more challenging, as we off-roaded and did a bit of sliding on the ice. It was a great work-out, though, and I always love trekking through the woods, complete with the smell of fresh pine.

All that hiking in the cold worked up an appetite. Lucky for us, Almu had offered to prepare a traditional Spanish dinner. After recovering for several hours, we headed to her new place - a chic high-rise apartment in downtown - and feasted! Homemade sangria (absolutely delicious), a thick tomato soup, hearty Spanish omelet and crisp salad were the perfect ending to our day. We wrapped up with a trip to a nearby piano bar - oddly, there were no actual pianos being played, but it was fun nonetheless!

Goooo ... Preds? Flames?

My nimble hubby was quick on his feet yesterday and nabbed us a pair of hockey tickets from a fellow KPMG'er. And let's be realistic - these tickets are hard to come by. I figured we might catch a game after another few weeks of trying for seats. The best part? The Calgary Flames were playing the Nashville Predators!

We put on whatever red clothes we could find as to blend with the hooligan-like Flames fans, still unsure who to root for. But as soon as the game started, there was no question. Instinctually, I found myself cheering for the Preds and groaning when my hometown team missed one goal after another. My outcries were a total gut reaction, so luckily we were surrounded by families and mellowed-out couples, none of whom seemed like they would pummel me over the head for cheering for Nashville.

Sadly for us, the Predators were dominated for most of the game, with the score at 5-0 for a while. We even lost in the two fist fights that erupted on the ice. It is so strange to watch - the referees simply stand and watch as the players fight it out, only interjecting after there is a clear loser or winner. Clearly this is all part of the show. It's very theatrical!

The final score was respectable - 7-6 with the Flames taking the win. And the experience was a blast - much like football, but in an enclosed space (added tension) and a much faster-paced game. I was never a huge supporter of the Predators back at home, but now I feel bad for them that their homefield advantaged is almost non-existent. Nashvillians just have not embraced hockey. I imagine it will take some time before they can fill an arena to the brims three nights a week and still have fans chanting, stomping and generally acting fools the entire time! But when we return home, I definitely plan to catch a few games :)

We're Officially Gearheads

As Ben and I (and most of Canada) celebrated Barack Obama's victory yesterday, Calgarians also rejoiced for the first snowfall of the year, which arrived much later than usual. Sorry, skiers, but I am thrilled we had a grace period to adjust to the weather here!

To commemorate the occasion, Ben and I headed to a highly recommended outdoor shop and proceeded to pour our life's savings into gear. After two hours, help from the entire, fabulous staff of Coast Mountain Sports, and a credit card charge that I have already selectively erased from my memory, we are ready to go!

The reason for this stocking up of gear? I joined the Calgary Outdoor Club and signed us up for a sunrise hike on Saturday morning. The list of required equipment included things like icers and head lamps. Ha! We will be hard core before you know it. Ben also purchased ski discount cards for both of us to use at Sunshine Village, one of the top ski destinations in these parts.

So now we are proud owners of the aforementioned icers (which attach to your boots and supposedly keep you from slipping and sliding) and headlamps, not to mention ski pants and jackets, ski and hiking socks, warm hats, the fattest, warmest mittens you have ever seen, hiking boots, and of course the obligatory long underwear.

We are Lucky Ducks!

I am feeling so lucky and blessed right now. As Ben and I sat in our cozy apartment last night sipping red wine and listening to music, me reading a magazine and Ben browsing a cookbook, it hit me that we are finally where we want to be. I realized how much help and support we have had along the way to reach this point, and how special it is to have the chance to be newlyweds exploring a brand new city - and a truly interesting and beautiful city, at that.

After years of dating long distance and Ben traveling constantly for work, it feels like we will finally have the normal life we have always sought. It is odd, perhaps, that we had to travel thousand of miles for this sense of normalcy, but it suits us. I would not have it any other way.

I was thinking about those goofy magazine personality quizzes - they often ask, "what is your idea of a perfect Sunday?" I always have a much more detailed response than the options given, and yesterday was a play-by-play demonstration of what I hope for out of the weekend.

We spent the morning walking around our new neighborhood, hiking some trails in a nearby park, and playing with Bosco in the river. It was sunny and close to 60 degrees, unseasonably warm for November in Calgary. Next up was the Calgary Farmer's Market, a sensory overload of organic and local produce, food samples, home-made soups and sauces and more. It was a foodie's heaven, and I was soaking it all in. We topped off our gastro-indulgences with a visit to the neighboring wine shop, which was complete with a laid-back tasting counter. Now Ben was in heaven, too.

Bags loaded with colorful fruits and veggies, local honey, organic Alberta beef for Ben and several bottles of wine, we headed home to cook what was possibly the best dinner we've had since arriving in Canada. You just can't beat fresh, simple ingredients.

I can't wait to continue to explore as we settle in here. Ski season is almost upon us, so that will be the next big adventure! Below are a few photos of our visit to the park, not to mention our Friday night Halloween celebration ...