Fresh Start

I have been back home for just over a month now and I am somewhat organized.  Though there have been a lot of stresses with getting settled in yet another city (number three this year) it has never felt better to be home.

Tomorrow I start a new job!  I had gone back to work at my old salon, but after three weeks it just wasn't feeling like the right move.  I went for an interview and found a place that had all the things I liked about my Sydney salon so I went for it.  It was tough to tell my old boss I was leaving, but my gut tells me this is definitely the right move.  Even better, it's on the south side of town, which is where Joel works and where we plan on living.  Before we left for Oz we lived and I worked downtown and I couldn't see us living anywhere else.  Funny how one year away has got me ready for suburbia!  Now everything I need will be in my little south side bubble.

Right now we are staying at my parents until we save up enough money for an apartment (we didn't come home with much money in our pockets).  Hopefully now that we have two full paychecks coming in we will be able to get our own place soon!  We'll also have to get ourselves a car.  I've been checking out Kijiji and thankfully we can get a decent VW for good prices.  In Oz we had to buy the most embarrassing car ever and I told Joel that will never happen again!

The weather here in Edmonton has been great!  We have snow, but it's not been cold.  The coldest it's been in the last few weeks was -10 C.  There's been lots of sun, many days in the positive temperatures, and big, fluffy flakes when it does snow.  If winter was like this every year I'd be happy!  For those wondering, it doesn't feel extra cold after spending a year away from winter.  I'm  wearing my fall coat, so haven't had to bundle up too much.

On February eleventh we welcomed a new niece- Arianna Carolyn.  Joel's sister had her first baby almost two months early.  She arrived tiny but healthy.  We went to meet our new niece a few hours after she was born and we were honored by being asked by Savannah and Jamie to be Arianna's godparents.  She'll stay in the NIC unit for a few more weeks, but she is doing great.