Hello readers. Welcome back. Did you go anywhere? I didn’t...ok, technically I did, I moved almost 50 blocks. I would have updated you sooner but I have been without aid of technology since Wednesday afternoon.

With the exception of my cable, internet and phone the move has gone off without a hitch—basically. One minor issue was that my shelving unit would not fit up the stairs. Being without tools the movers took it back to their shop to take it apart. I got the call on Friday that they could bring it back, but I asked if we could do it Monday—or later in the week. My reason—no room. Thursday was more than a bit chaotic here at my new home. I met with the two drivers from the Brick who dropped off my new couch, bed and dressers then raced back to my old apartment to meet the movers. I had them put everything in the living room—I knew I needed to set up the bed in the bedroom and wouldn’t be able to move with boxes in the room. I made it to an interview in the afternoon—this is the second time they have changed the time for me. (I was in Vancouver last time and this time I called to say I still had movers at my apartment and she pushed the time back again to accommodate me) There was a maze through the living room and when my landlord came to do a final walk through asked me if I had a couch. I pointed in the direction of the window and said ‘under there somewhere.’ I managed to get the bed set up that night and slept a very sound sleep.

My weekend was spent doing some unpacking, re-arranging my furniture and wandering around the neighbourhood a bit. Only a tiny bit of walking and exploring though—we had snow on the weekend. The colder temperatures and my lack of anything suitable to wear outside kept me inside staring at the piles of boxes. I’m still not sure where everything is going to go and it is now Sunday night.

I am short an entry way closet so all of my coats are in what I need to use as a storage closet. It is packed to the ceiling at the moment and I realized a couple of hours ago there is still one large item to go in—and it isn’t going to fit. Yes, the new apartment is much smaller. The space isn’t my issue—it is the lack of storage space that is becoming an issue. Ah well. It will all work out in the end and Value Village may get a few more items before next weekend.


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It is Monday. I finally have internet/cable/phone back. At least for the moment. The nice man who came to hook everything up (oddly enough same guy as last time), said that he will be required to update the line leading into the house, that requires the landlords permission because it means taking the wires out of the house, put new ones in and potentially drill a hole in the side of the house. I said NO. I am not going to make them do that to upgrade their lines. Do not ask me to ask my new landlord to do that...nope...not gonna happen. If I need to do that I will be switching my services to Shaw.

The apartment is a state of disaster. I am anxiously awaiting the shelf...thought why I'm not sure cause I was the one that told him there was no rush. The unpacking is at a bit of a standstill until I get the shelf in place and determine how much space I have to put a few of the other items that need to be placed. I really need to tackle the clothes but don't seem to have the energy. Maybe later tonight.

The focus now of course is on finding a new job. I have been speaking with a few people and some interesting things are potentially coming down the line...but nothing new yet. I'm torn between wanting time off and wanting a job. I guess when it is meant to be it will be. Positive thoughts...good thoughts...it will come.

I have a wedding in June that I am looking forward to. A few days to meet up with an old pal and then a wedding on the weekend. Sounds like a great road trip.

Now if only the weather would cooperate. There was snow on the weekend...snow. Yuck. A few days of some mid-teen, or even 20's would perk me up and help with the exploration of my new area.

I'll finish the Vancouver trip...later in the week.

Today we talk about my new apartment. I drove around a lot on the weekend and pounded the pavement looking for my new home. I narrowed it down to two parts of the city, Oliver or Whyte Ave. I have viewed apartments in both areas and managed to get to view a couple. I found the perfect one today and it seemed like a match made in heaven. He liked me, I liked him. I sign the papers tomorrow. I arrived back to my 'old' apartment this afternoon and managed to line up a moving truck, get my lights moved over on the right day and my cable/phone/internet. I'm super excited but I always have moments of 'what if he changes his mind?' 'what if one of my references doesn't work out?' and I will feel that way until I have the key in my hand tomorrow night.

I have been in touch with my 'old' landlord to let him know when I would be leaving the unit, etc. He mentioned in his email he was concerned with the state of my apartment. He had people in to view it when I was in Vancouver. I told him not to...but he has the right to do it as per Alberta law. I told him not to because I left the apartment in a state of chaos. I had boxes and stacks of 'stuff' everywhere. Dishes all over the counter, the sink was dirty (not full of dirty dishes--just dirty), and the floor hadn't been swept in a while. And luckily I had spilt a tea strainers worth of tea leaves the morning I left--so little dried brown bits were all over the floor in the living room. When he emailed and said he wanted to view it I knew he wouldn't be impressed....but I wasn't expecting company when I left--I was in the middle of a move. I was in a state of chaos. Ah well...good thing I am leaving. His email response to the mess has made me feel like a big ol' dirt bag....I didn't bother to respond back other than to say it is clean and he can show it anytime now.

The new apartment is smaller than my present one--but much more lovely. It has hardwood floors in the living room and bedroom and slate tiles in the bathroom and kitchen. A tiny balcony off the kitchen and a full size fridge. The best thing is the laundry in the apartment...my very own front loading washer and dryer. YEAH! It is a sage green colour on the walls...but I will need to see that again before I confirm it. The whole place has a cozy--single girl in the city look about it. I have windows on all 4 sides of the building and lots of light. Even a small backyard that any of the tenants are allowed to use.

Of course I am already decorating it in my head...lol. Can't wait to get there...that will erase the harsh words of my landlord. Who is he to criticize--how clean would your home be a week before you move and when you are not expecting company. Sheesh. As you can tell he really got under my skin with his email.

Onwards.

No news on the job front, but I'm sure that will come. I have faith in the world.

My new apartment is according to google maps an 11 minute walk to the weekly farmers market in Strathcona which means it is a 12 minute walk to the beadstore I really like. Oh, and I just remembered the awesome cupcake store not far away...that could be a problem. LOL. There are lots of trendy restaurants around the area and the street I live on is tree lined with lots of grass and flowers. And is a quick walk to the ravine....so that sounds like a photo op waiting to happen. I have met the neighbour next door and the lady who lives in the basement apartment. It seems like a lovely place and everyone is very friendly.

The movers arrive on Thursday and I have called the furniture company and pending any major problem I will have a new bed by Thursday night. The tricky part on Thursday will be coordinating the movers and the furniture delivery. No doubt they will both want me at the same time.

I am camping out in my bedroom at the old apartment at the moment. Did I mention I sold my bed and couch...getting new--starting over. Yes, I think this is my mid-life crisis. So I have been sleeping on the floor the past few nights. Well, not the floor. I have the following:

yoga mat
camping air mattress
sleeping bag
mattress cover
duvet
sleeping bag
me

Lots of layers between the carpet and my skin.

So in the bedroom is my lawn chair, tv, 'bed' and dressers. I am quite happy and it kind of reminds me of my bachelor apartment in Iqaluit.

There will of course be pictures--when I find the cord that will allow me to download from the camera....its in a box....somewhere...

Send happy thoughts on me getting the keys for the new apartment. And of course getting more calls for interviews.

Clearview to Hope, BC. Day 3.

The vista changed dramatically as I headed into Kamloops. No mountains, just long sloping hills and lots of shrubs and sage bushes. Smells so nice.

The day went off without any hitches or glitches. I stopped at a park just outside of Kamloops and just vegged for a while. I read, made lunch in front of a lake and laid on a blanket in the sun for a few minutes. It was delightful but I knew if I didn't get back in the truck I would never make my campsite for the night. I like to get there semi-early and enjoy the set up...you know...set up in the light.

And so on to Hope--what a great name for a town.

As I crossed over into BC I decided it was time for lunch. Yep, a whole hour on the road and time to take a break. I knew it would be a slow drive to Vancouver.

 Mount Robson Park. The picnic table faced a beautiful lake that had two loons swimming and diving. Except for the occasional large truck rumbling by and the odd car load--family photo op in front of the sign I was alone surrounded by nature.

Lovely close up of some of the many flowers and foilage spotted on my trip.

And here...wait for it...right after I took this shot I looked over towards the right and saw this next photo....

Yep, black bear. I sat and watched him for about 10 minutes then felt I should leave him in peace. In total I saw 3 black bears on my trip...but this was the first one.




This is one of the bears from my return trip.

The rest of the drive to Clearwater was relatively quiet.

Here's a few pictures from around the campground in Clearwater.

Isn't this a great place to have an event? Out in the middle of this great pond with the smell of lilac bushes wafting through the air.

This was my campsite...photo taken after the tent came down...d'oh. I meant to take a pic of my new tent. Maybe next time.

So...FINALLY word back on the Whitecourt job and since the title of this post isn't I got the job or I'm moving to Whitecourt you can guess where this is going. I didn't get the job. I was disappointed this afternoon...seriously disappointed in how they handled it, how I reacted and just over-all disappointed. Apparently a candidate came from out of nowhere the day after I met with them--she lives in town and that's that. So....on to the next one. I am now packing with the intention of moving in Edmonton...just need to find an apartment ASAP and hire me some moving men!

Ok, I'm back and settled (??) into the life I left a week ago. The trip was great and I am already planning my first GV trip in my head....but first...the trip itself.

I had two interviews on Tuesday before I left town. One for a company that I hadn't previously met with, one I would call a second interview. Company A was so not the one for me. It would have been very similar to the company I just left. They don't seem to have all their ducks in a row...HR is the last position they are filling after a lot of company change--backwards in my opinion. So, I called the headhunter afterwards and told them--no. I made a few suggestions and sincerely hope they figure out exactly what they need. I'd love to help them, but my mental health is worth too much. The second interview, was a second interview. It is the job in Whitecourt--the one I am pining for. I met with the VP of H-R. I'm impressed with the company and left with the understanding that things would soon be rocking and rolling to move forward with bringing me on board. Happy Days...I danced my way out to the truck and then down the road towards Hinton.

Hinton--KOA--LOVE IT! I got the same campsite as last year and had a marvelous time. My bbq was terrific...I love veggies in foil. Yummy. And the smores...oh, can you ever really get enough smores? I know I can't. I put the wafer of chocolate on top of the graham cracker and put that on top of the grill while I toast the marshmallow. It melts it a bit and the final product is delish.

That night on my way to the washroom--trip #3 but who's counting, I looked up at the sky. This is why I keep coming back here...the sky. It was chilly and I know that means there are no clouds overhead and there wasn't. I had a great view of the stars, all of them. You don't get this type of view in a tree covered campsite.

Wednesday morning Chicken and I slept in a bit, relaxed over breakfast, did some reading, surfed the internet and then packed up and headed for BC.

How could you not love waking up to a view like that?

You may laugh at my 'roughing it' with internet access at my campsite, but at least I don't bring my own satellite dish with me.

And I think this is great--playground for pets. This KOA is very pro-dog and  I like that. You never hear them bark, but there is lots of them around and lots for them to do.

Even with all the dead bugs in/on the image it still makes for a great view.

And this is how most of my pictures from inside the truck turned out...parts of truck, parts of sky, parts of the view. Ah well.

Here is a great example of the above mentioned photography...lots of deer on the side of the road as I was pulling into Jasper...and a great interior shot of the truck.

Because I am tired and my brain is fuzzy I will end this with the crossing of the BC border...to be continued...

I'm still here...well, not here in Edmonton, but here on the internet.

Here's the brief what I've been up to update--with further details on Monday evening (maybe) and pictures Thursday or Friday when I get back to Edmonton

Tuesday--left Edmonton--camped in Hinton
Wednesday--Hinton - Clearwater, BC (saw my first black bear in the wild, has smores)
Thursday--Clearwater - Hope, BC (more smores and a rooster sighting)
Friday--Hope - Burnaby (aka Vancouver), (reminder of why I don't like driving in Vancouver and met up with my Habitat friends)
Saturday--learning to be a Global Village Leader with Habitat (planning trips in my head while trying depserately hard to listen to all that is being said around me and hopefully interject some thoughtful comments)
Sunday--more training and then off to my hotel in downtown Vancouver (there will be no power on campus and it should be interesting cause I will have no idea what time it is when I get up--no watch, no internet and must be at the meeting for 8am--wish me luck)

My first free Monday. It was really nice.

Things are rocking and rolling on the job front...I have another interview on Tuesday am and a follow up to the Whitecourt interview in the afternoon. THEN I am hitting the highway and heading to Hinton and then Vancouver on Friday....with SEVERAL stops in between.

Back to the good 'ol KOA in Hinton tomorrow night and then to trek towards Vancouver for arrival at sometime on Friday for my Habitat weekend. I should be arriving back in Edmonton on Wednesday next week. I can't wait.

My clothes are packed and ready to go and the pile of 'stuff' is growing. I thought I had this down to a science last year...but I have WAY to much stuff. I guess I should do backpacking trips then I would be forced to pack lighter. Having the truck within feet of the tent allows me to pack the 'just in case' items. Funny how I can pack for a 3 week adventure in a foreign country in two backpacks but can't seem to get my camping trips down to reasonable pile. Ah well, maybe by the end of this summer I will do better--practice makes perfect.

Internet on the road may be sporadic but more and more campsites have it so you never know. I'll try and update as I go.