Our Apartment Tour

View of living room from kitchen

Dan and I have made a big change.  We've moved from a 200 year old,  4 bedroom, 3 story home to a brand new apartment that is about 720 square feet.

Right now it still feels very spacious, and that is because none of our furniture, clothing, or art has arrived.  It's really beautiful, and there is loads of potential. I daydream about where the couch will go, and where I will hang some of our favourite paintings and photographs.  Right now it is still a bare canvas, and that is okay for now.

Everything is brand new.  The fridge doesn't leak,  the ceiling in the shower is at a normal height and we don't have to crouch, all of our windows have screens and the tap handles at the kitchen sink are all intact.  We loved our old place with all of its quirks, but we're certainly enjoying the novelty of things that work.

The kitchen.  We have a dishwasher!   "I'm never washing another dish IN MY LIFE" -Dan

There are lots of great things about this place.  The apartments and townhomes were all built to LEED Silver certification.  That means that it was constructed and furnished with high effeciency in mind.  We won't have to put shrink plastic on the windows this winter!

Our location is exceptional.  We're close to downtown, the YMCA,  a nature reserve, and a CarShare operation.

We welcome guests and visitors to our humble abode!  But maybe wait a week or so before you come visit, and then we won't have to fight over the one chair. 

In a few weeks, look forward to a better tour when we're properly moved in.  I'll have my camera back, and the pictures will show it off much better than cell phone pictures.

Makeshift Bedroom

Thanksgiving in a Strange Land

I've been impressed with myself with how I'm adjusting to a new place, a new country - until yesterday.

Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. When not with family, I've been known to corral anyone I can into our house and stuff them with turkey and roasted vegetables. This was the first year Dan and I were truly on our own for this holiday.  Normally this small thing would not stop me from bustling around the kitchen, cooking enough food to feed 30 people.  Normally I have all manner of cooking tools at my disposal: spoons, spatulas, baking trays, saucepans, meat thermometers, garlic peelers/crushers and turkey basters. Right now our kitchen houses a casserole dish and a slotted spoon.  I thought about how we could make McGyver a turkey dinner - it involved a very small turkey and boiling vegetables in the sink - but it just wasn't feasible.

I did a little bit of moping, and was preparing myself for my first peanut-butter-and-jam-sandwich-Thanksgiving-dinner when I got an email to snap me out of my sulky mood. My mother emailed me money and said "Happy Thanksgiving.  Go out for dinner" and Daniel had already been researching possible places we find turkey dinner. My people know me well.

As it turned out, we never did find a turkey dinner, but we did have a really nice meal (complete with leftovers!) So this Thanksgiving I'm thankful for new opportunities, family, friends... and the very best enchiladas.