Starting School, Doggy Disneyland and Weather Woes...

Hello all! I have not written in a while as the last few weeks have been fairly uneventful. I have been working a lot to save up money for some upcoming adventures, and still adjusting to life out West. My job at Rylie's is a lot of fun - albeit different than Swiss Chalet. The money is definitely better... I can take home tip money in one night that I wouldn't have made in a week at SC. The trade off, however, is dealing (at times) with drunken fools, and also the longer hours... The staff are great though, and I've been getting to know everyone more as time goes on :)

On August 16^th I had a job interview at the Calgary Board of Education, and as of last week I am on their supply list! I will be supply teaching when the school year begins (as soon as my criminal record check is finalized). I am so glad to have that little piece of teaching - as the school year fast approaches I am finding myself very sad that I won't be returning to College Heights this year. It has been an important piece of my life for the last 5 years and I will miss the kids and the friends that I have made there. It has also been a constant every year when September rolls around, and if I were at home in Ontario I would be preparing for my classes and getting ready for the upcoming school year. In honor of my absence, I will have to send a picture of my back-country horse trip in the middle of September! (not quite a beach in Mexico, but it will have to do)!

Last week Charger and I ventured out to the Southland Dog Park in the South end of Calgary. It was around 28 degrees... not quite as hot as I like it, but hot enough to not be wearing a sweater! The park is HUGE and there were dogs everywhere!! The main path in the dog park stretches along the Bow River and there are multiple swimming spots. The path ends at a beach on the point. Charger was in doggy heaven... much as I imagine a little kid at Disney World for the first time!

Trying to get him to leave was almost impossible - he would start to come out of the water and then charge out for another swim and to play with the other dogs. He made lots of friends, and at the end of the walk we met another Flat Coated Retriever!!! He was almost too tired to play, but found the last of his energy to wrestle around for a bit! Once we got in the car, he looked around and collapsed in the back seat - fast asleep the whole way home!

Now, this is the part in the blog where I rant about the weather... I miss Ontario weather. The sweltering heat, humidity, thunderstorms, warm lakes... The weather here is NOT my cup of tea. Two days ago the temperature here was in the high 20's... everyone here was complaining about how hot it was, and I had a sweater on most of the time! The heat comes without humidity - it's very dry, and not actually very hot. The weather also changes so quickly. On Monday it was 27 degrees, and today it is a balmy 8 degrees and raining.

 I have decided it's a great day to curl up with a book, coffee, my hoodie and slippers!!

I guess one benefit is that I have finally sat down to do some writing on the blog... I still don't like it though! Give me back my hot, humid, sweltering Ontario weather. I miss it!!!

Hope everyone in Ontario is enjoying the heat :) Miss you all xoxo

Out and About in Calgary...

Last week I had numerous visitors! It worked out so funny - my first week in Alberta, and 3 good friends are out here for one reason or another...


On Monday I met up with Kasia in Calgary. She was here for 2 days for work, so managed to fit me in amongst her hectic schedule! We had breakfast together and then spent the day wandering around Calgary.  We found a cute little street (Stephen Street) that is closed off to traffic and had lots of cute restaurants and stores.  It was a great day!

This picture is for Sara! They have a Unicorn here too!

In the evening I met up with Michelle and Rob, who were just at the end of their weeklong trip... I meant to take pictures but we got caught up telling each other about all of our adventures, and it slipped my mind!

On Wednesday, I met up with Rachelle and her sister, and we had brunch and caught up... It was so nice to have visitors and see people I am already missing so much!

Up close and personal with the Rockies...

Wow, what a few days! On Sunday I spent the day with an old friend from Camp Manitou, and her 1 year old twin boys Casey and Liam.

 It's been a few years since Lindsay and I have seen each other and it's quite unbelievable that it happens to be in Alberta! Lindsay has always been one of the most adventurous people I know - her husband Rob and her have travelled all over North America and now have settled at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Canmore to raise their kids!

I packed up Charger and headed out to Canmore to see them... and it was my first up close and personal experience with the Rocky Mountains... as I was approaching them, I just couldn't get over how amazing and beautiful they were... I had to force myself to keep my eyes on the road!!

It was a wonderful day - we headed out to Banff and hiked up Tunnel Mountain. Rob was at work for the day, so Casey and Liam came along for the hike. Luckily, Lindsay has these really cool baby backpacks from MEC, so next thing I knew Casey was balanced happily on my back and Charger was tied around my waist! I was so nervous at first... I kept asking Lindsay "Is he going to fall out? Are you sure he is ok in there?", but as the hike went on I became a lot more comfortable, and Casey kept me entertained with his talking the whole way up!

It was such a beautiful hike - at the top you are overlooking the valley where the Banff Springs hotel is. Carrying a baby on my back and a dog tied around my waist, I was sweating and happy to reach the top... but it was worth it. It definetly deserved a quiet moment to think about where I was and how far I had come to appreciate the beauty that was surrounding me.

Then it was a quick stop for lunch (baby boys eat like champs!), and back down the mountain... Casey and Liam were both fast asleep by the time they reached the bottom - it wasn't exactly a smooth ride, proving once again that most men can fall asleep anywhere!

Once Rob came home we went out for a nice dinner in Canmore and I headed home for the night. Lindsay and I are planning a few more hikes soon, although we may try to plan them on days where Rob takes the kids, because they are a little more challenging than the one we went on this weekend... I am really looking forward to it!

On Monday I also got a job! I had a quick interview at Rylie's CattleBarn Cookhouse and Saloon, and next thing I knew the owner was asking me when I could start! I started Monday night, and it seems like it's going to be right up my alley! My uniform is a plaid shirt and jean shorts, they play country music and serve delicious steak and ribs... They also have an awesome rooftop patio. Yep, seems like my kind of place! Quite the change from teaching everyday, but I think it's going to suit me just fine for a while...!

Link to the website...

Tune in for adventures in Calgary... Miss you all tremendously!

Getting acquainted with my new home...

I awoke very early this morning, somewhat forgetting where I was. It was 5:30 am when I looked at the clock, and I lay in bed for a while before getting up.  I really wasn't that surprised – it would be 7:30 in Ontario, and early mornings have become the norm over the past week. It also takes me a while to become accustomed to sleeping in a new place. I had coffee on the little balcony and decided to take Charger out for a stroll along some of the walking paths.  This is the view from our balcony:

One thing I am already noticing about Okotoks is that they have a lot of parks, walking/biking trails and are very dog friendly! The trails go on forever and wind all over the town. I was worried at one point today that I wouldn't be able to find my way back! I'd like to find a map of the trail system so Charger and I can go and explore more thoroughly. Another thing I discovered this morning – don't go out without bug spray! I ended the walk itching my legs and arms mercilessly. Being from Ontario I suppose I should know better, but it isn't that common to get eaten by mosquitoes while walking around Guelph!

I then took the opportunity to take a walk around downtown and get some groceries... and a haircut! Camping for 4 days with no conditioner and a ponytail did a lot of damage to my hair. Hopefully it will make me more presentable, because my mission tomorrow is to hand out resumes wherever possible and find myself a job! There are so many things I want to do, but they are going to cost money that at the moment I don't have!

I also took some time to make a nice dinner. It's a bit backwards – at home I don't really cook at all, but here I have cooked and made a nice dinner 2 nights in a row. Last night I went out and bought steak and barbequed, and tonight I made spicy turkey sausage pasta! I think it's the effect of having eaten nothing but junk food, fast food and fire roasted hotdogs for 5 days! It obviously made me want to sit down and enjoy a nice meal with a glass of wine...

I finally took a picture of the Rocky Mountains.  They are in the distance, and again slightly hazy, but it is so amazing to know I am that close!

Lastly, I met up with Beth to go out to the farm and meet her horse Lux. It was so good to see her after being apart for so long, and it is so great to know someone out here who can help show me the ropes! There were some interesting characters there - mainly the funny goat who followed us around like a dog just begging to be pet!

Overall, a busy day! I probably won't post another blog post for a few days as the job search is going to be keeping me busy! I have some fun things planned for the weekend, so I will update everyone after that!