The Wild Wild West

Top 5 Reasons Calgary has been wonderful to (and for) us

Work

The main reason we came to Calgary in the first place is that Jahn and I both found work in our fields.   With the differences between Ontario and Alberta in the job market, not only did we both find jobs, but we were lucky enough to find jobs that most likely wouldn't have been available to us (or, really, people our age) at home.  Being here has given us experience (and I'd say in turn confidence) that we wouldn't have had the chance to get in Ottawa for many more years.  We took on big responsibilities and it's been exciting.  And along the way, we got the chance to work with great people.    

Adventure 
While it was a lot to take in at the time, there was also something very exciting about the adventure of moving right after our wedding to start life on our own.  It felt like a bit of a throw-back to another era.  At the same time, I'm so glad we had the forethought to realize the best (and easiest) time to move away and start over was then.  It would have been easier to stay in Ottawa, but I'm so glad we made the choice we did.  It was an adventure we  took on together and it made us a stronger and more connected couple.

Stay-cations

Since we never planned to stay out west,  Jahn and I have hit up as many Alberta attractions as possible.  We've done everything from National Parks to World Heritage Sites to small towns and in-town tourist attractions.  It's great that everything is so close to Calgary -- we visited most of these places on day or weekend trips -- which is definitely a novelty when you come from Ontario.  For me, making sure to see as much of Alberta as we could helps me feel like we've really made the most of our time in our adopted province.  

But the top reasons?  

Location, location, location

The license plates in British Columbia say "The Best Place on Earth".  I'm not sure they're wrong.  Living in Calgary has not only given us the chance to explore Alberta, but also a chance to spend time in BC.  When we were in Ottawa, the Rockies always felt so far (ok, they were far) and unreachable.  But being here has given us the chance explore the Rockies  a little and it's been amazing.  The other beautiful opportunity being near BC has given us is the chance to spend time with my pretty amazing sister and her beautiful family in the Kootenays.  There's a big age gap between us, so while she's always been part of my life, being here has given me a chance to get to know her in a different way and so I'm grateful.  Knowing we won't be a day's drive from them anymore has been one of the saddest parts of moving.   

The People

The worst part of moving -- hard to know where to start.  How do you thank the people who have made up your family-away-from-family?  We have been blessed to find so many wonderful people who have filled our time in Calgary with laughter and friendship.  People have included us in their lives, their celebrations and their families so warmly we've never had to feel lonely.  I couldn't have anticipated how many wonderful friends we would find here or how hard it would be to leave them.  Thank you all so much;  I'm not sure you'll ever know how much your friendship means to us.       

  

One Month To Go

Before Jack was born, someone said to Jahn that while at times with a baby the days feel long, the weeks and months are short. It's so true. Last year on this day, I had my first real bout of throwing up from morning sickness (too much information?). One year later, I'm sitting here as my smiley, chatty, five-month-old snoozes. Hard to believe what a difference a year can make.
It's not only years that make the difference. One month from today, Jack and I will be getting on a plane and flying to Ottawa to start our new life there (Jahn will be a few days behind us in the car). When we made this decision in November, I knew how fast it would happen. Though some of the days have felt long, the months have passed in the blink of an eye and now we're into the final countdown. Hard to believe things that are now so routine are going to become things we can't do anymore, things that were part of our old life. I've started to have "lasts" of things, like our last trip to the mountains. I recognize those when they happen, but mostly I try not to think about them too much.

I'm so thankful for everything our life here has given us, and I know how much we'll miss it. So I plan to spend the next month enjoying it all, because I know how quickly it will be gone.