Camping

So this long holiday weekend found us camping again.

It has been a few years since there has been an occurrence of this, and I had my silent reservations but went in with fingers crossed and a hopeful heart!  I suppose I should clarify what kind of camping I'm talking about for anyone who might not know our situation well.  We are tent campers.

Our previous camping experiences in Indiana were in a small tent of Nate's that just barely fit the two of us sleeping.  I think we graduated from foam mats and sleeping bags the very first time we went together, to a queen size air mattress the second time.  Don't hold me to the details, I think I might have repressed some of the memories.  And I'm confident Nate had as well as, because I DO remember, he especially had a difficult time in our first camping trips due to very poor sleeping and back pain that came with sleeping on or very close to the ground!  Enough time had passed that he was ready and eager to try again.

However, this time, things were different.  Our basic run-of-the-mill air mattress had bit the dust and we had invested in a higher quality queen size mattress that was double tall, which allowed much more clearance between the floor and the top of the mattress.  Nate also sold me on the idea of purchasing an 8 person tent that was on sale and a great deal.  (Sidebar: Who the heck rates these tents?  What they mean to say instead of 8 people, is 8 toddlers.  I'm sure of it.)  I was going in with fingers crossed and a hopeful heart.

Nate was pumped, and I was hopeful we were in for an enjoyable weekend.  We headed north to Slave Lake.  It's the furthest north I've been in Alberta. (Although we did drive north for lunch on Sunday to a place called High Prairie, so technically that is the farthest north I've been.)  I was interested in seeing the great north :)  We left shortly after I got off work.  I packed the meals I had prepared for us the night before so they would be ready to toss in the cooler and we could hit the road.  The drive was about 3.5-4 hours there.  As we would randomly think of some important items we hoped the other person had been responsible for, we both saw the value in checklists and decided, next time we should do one of those.  But for this trip we began a mental list of thing we might need to buy once we got there.

Upon arrival, we caught a beautiful sunset, pitched the tent, and enjoyed a campfire before bed.  The tent size was great.  Nate was able to get the air mattress pumped up by using an outlet from an RV down the road when we realized the manual pump was going to take about 8 hours to inflate our jumbo mattress.  And yes, please visualize Nate walking through a campground with a queen size air mattress on his head.  It made me laugh, and feel thankful he was willing to ask for help to get that thing inflated.  The unfortunate and somewhat alarming reality was the number of mosquitoes that were were now living among.  But we did come prepared for those with mosquito coils, bug spray, and the newly released bug belt deterrent fans.

I almost lost Nate to hotel planning after a first poor nights sleep, but not wanting us to give up too easily and waste the effort we had gone to in order to get there that weekend, I suggested we try to stick it out another night.  I offered my ear plugs, because the biggest issue was noise.  And especially as Nate is a light sleeper, it affects him the most.  But even for myself, a fairly heavy sleeper, it was a rough night.  Our campsite was directly adjacent to a local airport which is no big deal during the day.  We found it could be interesting to watch the helicopter tours coming and going and the fire fighting airplanes take off and return.  But that first night a there was a helicopter that came in for landing in the wee morning hours and it just about sounded like they were going to crash right into the tent.  Shortly after that a thunderstorm shook the area.  Not great sleep.

However, we were able to do extensive napping the next day and then get good sleep that night.  It was free from late night helicopter landings, thunderstorms, and with the addition of earplugs for Nate to drown out any dogs barking etc. it made for some pretty restful sleep!

And its amazing what decent sleep can do to an outlook.  The rest of the weekend was enjoyable, but I have to admit I was looking forward to coming home to a proper shower and bathroom!

The night before we left we celebrated our 4th anniversary be doing dinner out at a nice restaurant, so I was happy we had that experience, not just camping to commemorate our 4th year together!  But I think we had a positive enough experience this time, we might even not wait a few years to try again.

Summer Light

I know I have fallen short on the house tour,  but here are a few pictures of the living room:

It's comfortable and feels like home in just the short months we've been here.  We really love the floors, fireplace, and big living room window that lets in so much natural light.  And now that we are getting into the long days of Alberta summers, we get all the more light to enjoy.  The sun is rising now around 5am and setting just after 10pm giving us light from almost 4am to 11pm.  These are definitely the longest days I've experienced.  And I do mean that in a good way.

But I will say, I do have to think more about the time.  Especially in the evenings.  Even as I'm typing this and glancing out the window, my brain still defaults to think it's around 5 by the light outside, but I look at the clock and see it's 8:30pm.

We've gotten caught staying late a few times visiting with friends in the evening.   Normally the darkness of evening keeps us cognisent of when we need to be leaving, but without it arriving to trigger a departure, we have probably outstayed our welcome a few times!

With the ample sunshine, the grass is growing at a healthy rate.  And now that we have a yard we are getting into the swing of the lawn maintenance.  It's been a number of years since I've regularly had lawns to mow, it's been pretty easy to adjust back to it again.  We haven't spent much time enjoying the yard yet, but I expect it's still to come.  We have been enjoying the flowers popping up everywhere around the house.

 A definite bonus of moving in after tenants who love gardening, move out!  We have a beautiful lilac bush, purple irises, and...other stuff that looks nice, but I don't know the names of.  However, it doesn't stop me from appreciating them!  What a great reminder that we never know what unexpected gifts might be hibernating during the long, cold seasons of life, and can only revealed in their own time.

Doctors, Dentists, and Lab work... Oh My!

Part of getting established in any new town is finding a new doctor and dentist.  This is no different for us so we began the process of getting our first appointments on the calendar.  In the last month we were able to do just that.  After Nate's quick trip to the hospital to get a possible broken finger looked at, the attending physician said he would see us.  This was great news because in the early stages of looking, I was finding the doctors were full and not accepting patients.

Yay for Nate finding us a doctor in an unexpected way!

So we have now been in and had our initial appointments with the doctor, and then did some standard blood work at the lab at the hospital.  I have to admit its a little strange to walk in and out of doctors offices and hospitals without paying for anything (except parking at the hospital) for general care and tests.  It's pretty easy to get used to.

Dental services are different.  They are not covered under the provincial healthcare, so that would still need to be covered (ideally) under benefits through your employer, otherwise you would pay out of pocket.

Nate has benefits for us through work so he was the first to go in, and then came home with a bill 2x the amount I was expecting.  So I started looking elsewhere for a dentist with a bit more reasonable rates and practices for our lifestyle and just last week we both were into the newest dentist found.  The experience was night an day.  My trip was 1/4 of the Nate's first trip to the dentist.  And when he went in with all his X-rays etc. from his recent visit elsewhere, they just did a consult, started a new chart, and charged us nothing!

So we are happy to have found health care providers that we are comfortable and confident in.

Through Nate's lab work we have recently found out his body hates gluten, which explains frequent stomach problems and aches.  So in the last week we have been researching, asking questions, and changing over to a gluten free lifestyle.  It will take some time to adjust to, but we are thankful he is otherwise healthy and needs no medications to manage his health.  And if we do it right, we will both be healthier people for the change.  ;)

Mountains

I made my first trip to the Alberta mountains this weekend!  So exciting that we can get in the car and be to the mountains in 3 hours, this is a definite first for me.  After work on Friday we headed out to find our accommodations in Canmore.  Canmore is about 15-20 minutes from Banff which I'd been hearing much about but had never seen.  After getting our bearings the first night in Canmore, we hit the road Saturday morning to see Lake Louise.  We saw the winter version of course ;) but I am excited to go back and see it in the different seasons, much like we did with Niagara Falls when we were living so close in Ontario.

We spent the morning there hiking along the edge of the frozen over lake and path just off the lake.  Afterwards we explored inside The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise looking at the shops, photograph history of the hotel along the corridors, and admiring the beautiful architecture in the lobby and hallways.

Once we had our fill at Lake Louise we headed to the town of Banff to get lunch, and explore the town.  After filling our bellies, we strolled along the streets popping into shops, and admiring the views around town with the mountains in the background at pretty much every angle.  With both our legs tired from the miles of walking we had done so far in the day, we headed back to the car to do some sightseeing from the road.  We found were the gondola operated, where the hot springs were, and grabbed handfuls of brochures to take home for any who might be interested in coming for a visit and interested in putting Banff on the itinerary.

Tired and content we headed back to Canmore for the evening, ordering a simple take out dinner and enjoying the hot tubs offered at our own hotel.

Sunday we left the mountains but still managed a full day...working out way back toward Calgary via Bragg Creek where there is a Church of God congregation that meets.  We were able to join them for their morning service before making out way the rest of the way to Calgary for some shopping and then connecting with relatives on Nate's side over dinner.  With another full day under our belts we got back in our car to drive the last leg of the trip...home.

And just like any trip...long or short it was good to fall asleep in our own bed.

But this time dreaming of mountains.

Trying to Keep Up!

As you know, I'm now a permanent resident.  3 weeks old.

Since then I've also found and started work with a local organization working to support adults with developmental disabilities.

This triggered the need to become a two car family.  Welcome to the family Meika the Mazda 3.  You are beautiful on the inside and out.

And then we did what we do best.  Moved.  Again.
I promise it is not something we really enjoy doing, but it's just the way things worked out as we were new to the community and just signed a short term 3 month lease on a house that was on the market to sell, in order to get to town and get our bearings.  So as we began to near the 3 month mark it seemed we would have the option to extend by the month or perhaps 3 months but we were both interested in finding a more permanent solution and move out on our terms.

Kijiji (Craigslist equivalent) came through again and I was able to find a great home to afford us great savings and not really sacrifice any space.  So this past weekend we took the plunge and thanks to the help of many at the church, we were able to knock out this move in record speed.  Lunch was even taken care of which was soooo helpful to be able to feed everyone in thanks for their help.  Not to mention I had been battling a cold all week and it seemed to be persistent in making me feel the worst this past Saturday and Sunday.  Not ideal moving conditions but you can't really call off moving for those reasons!  Here are a few pictures of the only completed room:  The bathroom.  I promise as other rooms come together I will share those as well.  The house has some fun retro features.

However, Monday dawned sunny and bright and I felt the best I had in many days!  We decided to take advantage of the holiday (Family Day) by taking a road trip towards the mountains.  We jumped in the Mazda, grabbed our morning Tim Horton's coffee, and were leaving town by 8am.  We drove as far west as Nordegg exploring and taking in the views before stopping at a small lodge that served lunch.  With our bellies satisfied we began making our way to Red Deer.  Once there we caught a movie The Monument Men, and then dinner before making our way back home.  We found ourselves tired and content after our adventures of the day.  I can't say that I mind living just a few hours from the mountains!

Made it

So the day finally arrive this week…Thursday, January 30th, 2014, I became a permanent resident of Canada.

Nate and I arrived in Edmonton at the immigration building at 8:30am, not knowing what the day would hold and how long we might be there.

We "checked in" with the security officer in the assigned suite, seemingly who woke up on the painful side of the bed as the first 15-30 seconds I waited to be acknowledged as she rubbed her left shoulder, rolled her neck slowly and closed her eyes.  But alas she then got around to asking for my letter detailing my appointment date and time.  Looking at the letter she underlined with her pen the 30th…"yes, correct day" and 9:00am…"yes, correct time".

"Have a seat."

So we took two plastic chairs of a pleasing black hue lined up with back to back with another row of black plastic chairs.  We were among 15-20 other individuals.  After a number of minutes passed we heard a soft murmuring of some sort from the officer and those closest to the security officer began getting up and forming a line agains the wall.  Neither of us had actually heard any instructions as we had been seated near the other end of the hall.

So we made our way back to the officer to clarify we were supposed to be lining up with the majority and not remain seated with a few of the others.

Addressing the officer, I stated I hadn't heard her instructions and if  it had been for all for permanent residency to line up.  And she replied with a nod,
"Yes, you may line up."

Nate asked if sponsors were to line up as well?

"Yes, you can stand with her."

So we got in the back of the line.

After a few more minutes the security officer opened the locked door to another hallway and led those at the front to a certain line and said something to the those in the front (which we assume was wait here, but again still couldn't hear).

After a short bit, another woman surfaced from behind a door and quietly addressed the waiting line gesturing to a light on the ceiling behind her.  Again being disadvantaged by not being within a 2 foot radius of the speaker, I could only make out a few words "I…green…come…window" before the employee exited back through the door and I saw her surface behind one of the glass stations ahead.  The first individual in line approached.  Though powers of deduction, I gathered when she turned on the green light she wanted the next person in line to approach the window.  There were a few other lines that began forming adjacent to us in the hallway,  but for what I do not know.  The other lines were being helped one at a time at other glass stations with no lights or different lights above them.

Slowly we moved up in line.  Some people taking longer than others, some taking just moments and seemed to be sent off to do something else rather quickly.  Another couple behind us in line questioned what was happening and if we heard the instructions…we filled them in on what we thought we knew,

"Green light, Go."

We eventually got our green light and advanced to the station.

I showed my letter but she just asked for my photo.  In the letter I had been requested to bring 2 permanent resident photos to the appointment today.  I pulled out one of the photos and slid it over.  Within a few moments she slid the picture under the plastic photo sheet for dimensions and said, "These are too big, you need to go downstairs and have then retaken, and then come back up"

Surprised, I then figured out that all of those very quick sessions in front of us, where all being told they needed new pictures taken.  I had gone to photo studio in town (with my letter and all specific instructions for photographers) to get the photos done and they seemed very familiar with the process and even had their own clear plastic photo dimensions sheet to check sizes on.

It seems to me they need to send out some clearer parameters in the letter to be shown to the photographers taking these photos if so many are "unusable".  But as the couple behind us in line stated as they also were sent downstairs to have their photos retaken in the conveniently located photo department…It must be a nice side business with a captive audience all funneled through for all the re-takes.

It would have been helpful, if our letters mentioned we could get our pictures taken on-sight to save a few steps and also money.

After my second set of photos was ready we make our way back upstairs to wait in line again, for the woman to look at us and says, you didn't need to see me again, you can just sit back down outside.  I said "That's all we needed to do here? You don't need to check the photos I just had done?"

"I check the photo sizes, and I don't need to check the ones from here, they know what they are doing.  They will be correct."

So the last 45m of standing in line was just a simple photo size check.  Hmmm…seems like that could have easily been done at check in…but who am I to critique?  So we walk past the couple that we know will be joining back in the waiting area of plastic chairs in a few moments, and wait again.

Soon names start to be called and individuals, family groups, and couples are shown into rooms for what I assume are the interviews.  But again, no one actually tells you what is happening.

Soon I hear my name.  "Leslie?"

And we are the ones ushered into the room.

I'm asked for my photos, passport, and work permit.

She asks me a series of questions…"Have I ever been convicted of a crime?  Have I ever been denied entry to Canada?" etc.

She tells me I will be receiving a form today to hold the place of my permanent resident card until it arrives in 6-8 weeks.  Before she hands me that form she asks if I have questions.

The only questions that's been circulating in my mind since I received my interview date is will I be able to travel freely after this date to be able to make a quick trip back to Indiana before I start working, so I ask if this form allows that.  As she hand over the form with "NOT VALID FOR TRAVEL" she supports it by saying, "No, once you received your official card you are free to come and go, but this form does not allow that."

A few days have passed and I have allowed myself to acknowledge and feel the disappointment of the trip not to be.  But also to carefully wrap those hopes back up, tucked them away, to know they can be unwrapped again and experienced later this year.

I am a permanent resident of Canada.

I have found work and will be starting next week.

Heck, I even found out I will be making more than I agreed on when I accepted that position as Alberta has raised wages in my field in the last few days.

There is much to be thankful for, and there continues to be much to look forward to as well.

So while you can't quite call me Canadian….you might say I'm starting to belong.

36 Hours

So much can happen in 36 hours.

As you might have heard (and if you didn't feel free to read up on the last post) I recently received my open work permit and hit the ground running applying for jobs even before we took off for Christmas holiday.

After one initial interview that wasn't a good fit, my phone remained sadly quiet.  I spent more days than I care to admit scouring the job postings in the local papers and online, crafting individual resumes and cover letters for each position, and (im)patiently waiting to hear back.  I was experiencing the truth that looking for a job...can be a full time job in itself.

I was also reminded what a discouraging process the job hunt can be, and let's be real...I know it had only been around a month since I started looking and applying, but I was expecting to hear much more from potential employers and rather quickly at that.  I also know the reality that so many people look for work waaaay longer than I had been looking.  I began reminding myself that I would rather wait for the right job than grab something quickly and really hate the work.

So I began working at shifting my expectations.  I began thinking and preparing more for the marathon than the sprint.

In the last week as I continued to research and read on tips of "getting the job" I was reading a suggestion to steer away from using all my energy applying for jobs that were posted.  That the chances of getting work through a publicized job posting was 20% to the 80% of jobs that were obtained through the "side door" method.  Personal connections, networking, and researching companies you admire or would like to work for and contacting them to see if they might need help or assistance from someone with your experience.

This all made good sense to me, but I was a little overwhelmed with the idea since we'd just completely transplanted to a new community and I knew little to nothing about area businesses and industry.  And while we've been blessed with a network through the church community it's so much information to sort through!

You can't just come up with a magical list of employers you would be a perfect fit for when you Google: "Awesome places to work in Wetaskiwin, AB".  (I did try.  You know... just in case.)

But I was keen on the idea and was thinking about the places I might submit my resume to that might benefit from my experience.

Begin 36 hour miracle window:

I made a huge meal as I occasionally do even with no plan of what to do with all the food.  Then I start a new game of "Ways to Use Up All the Leftovers in Other Dishes Before They Go To Waste".

Nate came home as I was taking out the huge chicken pot roast and I was looking at just how much food I had really prepared and thinking I had just advanced to tougher level in my "Ways to Use Up All The Leftovers" game.  And Nate suggested we invite up our neighbor who was a single woman.  As I internally doubted her ability to come over with 5 minutes notice, I none-the-less agreed and sent her a text to invite her over.

She accepted.

Over dinner we chatted and got to know each other better, and during the course of conversation found out she worked at an area not-for-profit that helps adults with developmental disabilities to learn employment skills and ways to be connected in the community.  She said they are often looking to hire but almost never post openings.

The following afternoon, I stopped in briefly to introduce myself at reception and drop off a resume...before I got back home from running a few errands afterwards, I had received a call back to set up an interview for the next morning!

The next morning I arrived and had a 3 part interview that went well.  Afterwards, I again was running a few errands and had a call back within the hour to offer my a position!  Towards the end of February I have been scheduled to begin working as a client support worker.

I look forward to the challenges and learning that will come with working with a different age group with developmental disabilities, but am excited to working with what seems to be a very well run organization with great leadership.

The ability to start at the end of February is also exciting as it will still give me the chance to work out the plans that had already been set in motion prior to the job offer including our move that will come quickly!

I am thankful for the way this has been coming together.
I appreciate all the prayers, thoughts, and support as I've been looking.

So if you are also in need of encouragement just remember, a lot can happen in 36 hours!

Keep Calm and Immigrate On

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's at least 2 degrees outside.  We are in the middle of a heat wave today.  Nate has taken to walking to work in the milder temperatures the last few days.  And we continue to make plans for the future.

Our short term rental has been great for us to get our bearings here, and get things switched over from Ontario (my Alberta drivers license should be in the mail!)  Next week we sign up for Alberta healthcare and we just received our benefit cards from Nate's work.  It feels good to be getting established.

As we've sifted through options  for more permanent housing solutions including meeting with a mortgage broker to discuss options, and we have concluded that we both feel more comfortable finding a longer term house rental to allow us space to create more margin in our lives.

So today we looking at house for rent in the area.

The most exciting news on top of all these other things is a breakthrough in my work status and permanent residency.

I was allowed to apply for and was granted in a few short days, an open work permit.  This allows me to work anywhere in Canada doing any work I want.  It's not restricted to jobs related to my educational background etc.  So the resume's are flowing, and I'm hoping to find a good fit soon.

Just a week or two following this exciting news, I received a letter stating the processing of my permanent resident application is now complete!  We are now simply waiting to hear from the Edmonton immigration office to be in touch and let me know when I need to come up with my original documentation...passport and so on.  And that should be the final step or darn near close!

These changes make the world seem larger again.  The possibilities of travel open up again.
Perhaps that is why the sun is shining, and the birds are chirping...the world can't help but celebrate with me.  ;)