Still Just a NLer…

As I sit tucked in our new home in Calgary, I can’t help but think about the past year and all the changes and adventures we have experienced.  

For those of you who don’t know yet, one year ago today, we packed ourselves and our three pups into our SUV and, following the footsteps of many a Newfoundlander, we headed west. What was left of our worldly possessions after downsizing was packed into a transport truck and followed alongside. Destination: Calgary. 

The drive across the country was an adventure in itself; taking winter driving into account, we scheduled 7-8 days to make it to our destination. How could we have guessed that three major snowstorms and an emergency overnight stop for car repairs would turn our little winter drive into a major 12-day expedition. 

Before we left, we worried about how our three small dogs would fare on the trip.  Outside of little zips around town in the St. John’s area, neither of them had been on a long car ride, and this trip was going to be a whopper. 

They were the best travel companions we could imagine —the ferry ride, the long days, the different hotel/bed every night, the roadside pit/pee stops — nothing fazed them. As long as they were with us, they just didn’t care.  

The country passed us by, we dined in our cabin on the Marine Atlantic Ferry, we giggled as we attempted to sneak the pups into a casino in NB, we ate pup-patties in Ontario, we played pool in Quebec, we nearly froze in Winter-peg, we did Christmas pup pictures in front of the tree in Manitoba, we watched westerns in Saskatchewan… 

Despite the scary and slippery roads and the long, cold hours on the road, we made our journey into an adventure: A series of road stories to share later. 

I’ll never forget that feeling when we finally reached the stretch of frozen prairie where the ‘Welcome to Calgary’ sign greeted us. I swear that never a wagon train in all the history of time had ever been so relieved. 

We spent our first few months in a rental while we scouted around Calgary’s neighbourhoods with our realtor. We knew from past trips what areas would be ideal for us. We were looking for a bungalow with a chef’s kitchen and a fenced backyard in a newer neighbourhood. Easy breezy, right? 

We found the perfect little house in a quiet and quaint neighbourhood in the Deep South of Calgary. The best part of all was that it was one street over, and about a two-minute walk to our son and his family. We couldn’t be happier. 

We settled in and started to make this house into our home. In a  Déjà vu-type situation from CBS; the house was a blank slate.  It was a pretty little house that needed some TLC and style to turn it into the wonderful home we knew it could be.  

We set to work. We spent the spring time planning our Poop Deck 2.0.  Anyone who knows us will tell you that spending time outside (when we can) is really important. We transformed our ‘yarden’ into something that suited us to a T. 

We spent our summer exploring our new city.  With every step of the way, we fell more and more in love with our new hometown (city). The Atlantic Ocean that we grew up with had been traded for gorgeous mountain vistas, we were surrounded by flowing fields of wheat and bright, vivid yellow fields of canola. We were stunned by the natural beauty of the hoodoos and Badlands.  We hosted family and friends, we stampeded and explored. 

In the fall, we revelled in the autumn colours.  We celebrated Alberta’s history at Heritage Park, we chased hot air balloons in High River, we became new Flames fans, we leaf-peeped at the larch trees as they turned vibrant yellow and then dropped their needles, and we oohed and aahed at Lady Aurora in all her glory. 

Now that winter is upon us, we’re settled in and ready to tackle the interior of our new home. In the past year, we have found we have the friendliest neighbours, and one younger couple has taken on the role of younger siblings to us both. They are included amongst our list of new friends.  Being only a 20-minute drive to my closest cousin is an added bonus. Tina and I were raised like ‘almost sisters,’ and it’s been so nice to reconnect with her and her family. Life out ‘here’ is becoming a normal thing. 

Living one street over from our younger generation has been such a privilege. 

The transition from the mom who lives with her son…then to the mom whose son lives thousands of miles away, combined with the mudder who visits and gets to hog her son’s time for two weeks.  Now, finally, the mom who lives one street over from her adult kid. It’s the most special thing ever. 

The Pike pack has officially settled out west. We are content. We are settled. We are Albertans. 

I promise, it won’t be so long between posts anymore! Make sure you subscribe and we’ll email you when a new blog post happens, then you can read them all at your own leisure…..and remember, I’m no expert, I’m just a painter gal with some thoughts to share.