Drawing a Blank

Yup, the imagination well has gone a little dry tonight.  Things are going well, though the living room still looks like it "esploded."  Work is good, life with Amanda is good, and the only problem is that I don't have a photo of the two of us together to share with you tonight.


Anyway, have a good night folks!

Just a Lane Away

I've been dating Amanda over a year now, and we've only gone swimming together twice.  We never went swimming in Tumbler Ridge because I disliked hitting my legs on the bottom in the shallow end when doing a sidestroke, and have only gone in Grande Prairie once.


But we're hoping to change that.  We live less about ten minutes away from the Bear Creek pool (walking), and we're planning on getting down there once in a while.  That said, it's not going to happen tonight.  Amanda's leg got banged up at work today and I'm trying to phone someone in BC -- the time zone difference is less convenient in the evening from this side of the border.


Oh, before I wrap this up, I had a funny incident on Tuesday last week.  Before coming home from work, I stopped in at the Co-op to pick up a few things.  I was walking through the store when a man stopped me and asked where the rice was.  I looked at him and said "Um, I don't work here."  He apologized, then moved on.


When I got to the cash registers, I saw why he had been confused.  I was wearing a new dark blue, short sleeved, collared shirt and my GPPL nametag.  The cashiers (and other employees) of the Co-op?  They were wearing dark blue polo shirts with nametags.


So if I ever decided to change my career mid-day, apparently I could just walk over to the Co-op and start stacking shelves.  :-)

Semi-Lazy Sunday

After our action-packed day yesterday, Amanda and I enjoyed a well-earned lazy Sunday.  We stayed in bed until 10:30, didn't have breakfast until around 11:30, and didn't head out to do our running around until 2ish.


We picked up some shampoo for her, a chair mat for me and a few groceries, then returned home for supper, laundry, and then a walk.   That's it.  We took tonight's photo just before picking up my chair mat at Staples.

I did a little more unpacking, and we're starting to see order in the living room again.  There's still a mountain of boxes, but now there is bare space on either side of that mountain.  There's a clear path to my computer desk, but also a clear path to the balcony and Amanda's side of the couch.

So it's back to work for both of us tomorrow, but this week should be easier.  I'll be in my second week of my new job, and we won't be worrying about getting the remainder of my stuff out to Grande Prairie.  I'm hoping for a good week ahead!

Tired, but here.

We're done.  Amanda, her parents, and I went to Tumbler Ridge today and spent a few hours moving the remainder of my stuff to Amanda's place in Grande Prairie.


We're exhausted.  Amanda and I left at 8, returned around 5:30ish, and for the rest of the night, the task has been unpack and dig out of the "esplosion".


I can't say that we've been totally successful in that task yet, but things *are* looking way better than they did six hours ago.  My bookshelves are in place and loaded with close to a dozen boxes worth of things, and my computer desk is set up (though I can't find my mousepad, and as my desk is red, it doesn't cooperate with my optical mouse, so I'm using a piece of cardboard).


Anyway, I'm here, so is my stuff, and bedtime is *very* soon.  Amanda and I will be doing some more unpacking tomorrow, but we're also hoping to have a day off.  I'm hoping for low-key unpacking in the morning followed by an afternoon in the park -- maybe some frisbee or swimming!

First Week...

I've finished two first weeks as of today.  I finished my first week of work at 5pm today.  So far, so good.  I've learned a lot about the library and my job there, and I'm not banging my head against the wall yet!

This also marks the end of my first week of living with Amanda (kind of).  Last Friday when we made it to Grande Prairie (me at 1am Saturday morning, Amanda a little bit earlier), it marked the beginning of my life in Grande Prairie.  Since then, we've only spent one night in Tumbler Ridge, and it was just so that we could get an early start on packing and moving the rest of my things.

Speaking of which, tomorrow will be our final day of moving.  Amanda, her parents, and I are leaving GP at 8am tomorrow to pick up the remaining things from my condo.  By 1ish (GP time) hopefully I'll be completely moved out of my condo in Tumbler Ridge.  Then my realtor will be all set -- there will be a new stove in place and none of my stuff in the way of showing it!

19th Tee

Amanda and I took this photo together in a golf cart shortly before her company's golfing tournament last Saturday.  Unfortunately we were not on the same team, and didn't get to be together until my team finished up our round (over a half hour after Amanda's).

The golfing was fun, and the supper afterward was good.  The only downside to the day was that Amanda and I had to drive out to Tumbler Ridge again afterward so that we could resume packing the next morning.  We were both incredibly tired, and I had to pull over at one point just prior to Beaverlodge because I was close to falling asleep.

We got out of the car, bought some caffeine and snacks, and then Amanda took over driving for a while.  It wasn't much fun for either of us (and the next day wasn't either), but we finished boxing up my things and brought back another carload of them to Grande Prairie.

Sunset Walk

After supper and dishes last night, Amanda and I went for a walk in Muskoseepi Park together.  We walked for quite a while, but limited ourselves to one photo:

I'm hoping (and I'm sure Amanda is hoping, too) that this will become a regular part of our routine.  It was good to get out and about, and we even ran into someone I work with at the Grande Prairie Public Library!  I didn't expect that -- running into a co-worker in Tumbler Ridge is a regular occurrence, but here?

First Day

I'm currently sitting on the couch with Amanda, resting after my first day at the new job.  Everything went fine, and all my new co-workers seem fairly friendly.  That said, I am definitely suffering from information overload.  We talked about a lot of stuff related to the library and its operations, and I've had a bit of a headache for a while.

But it felt amazingly good to get off from work and see Amanda's smiling face without having to drive three hours first!

Moved In! (sort of...)

Hi everyone!

I'm moved into Amanda's place!  ...well, sort of.  We've moved five carloads of my stuff over, and the remaining stuff in my condo has been packed into a very small space so that the place can be shown by my realtor.

Next Saturday we'll be heading out to get the rest, along with my large stuff (bookshelves, computer desk, etc.)

So as of July 22, 2012 I'm living with Amanda.

The only problem is that Amanda's living room looks like it has (in her joking way) "esploded."  I've got boxes upon boxes everywhere.  But it will get better.  I've already unpacked four boxes (mostly kitchen/food related things) and a few of my clothes (enough for work this week), and once my bookshelves are in here, about half of the boxes will be emptied into the shelves.

Now that my place has been listed and I've got most of my stuff moved over, I can start worrying about something else -- my new job that starts tomorrow.  Actually, I'm mostly looking forward to it.  The Grande Prairie Public Library seems pretty neat from a patron's standpoint, so hopefully it'll be just as good from a staff member's!

Brief Update

I'm in Grande Prairie.  I arrived here at 1am last night (GP time) with a carload of stuff that Amanda helped me unload before we went to bed.  Sadly, it's not the end of moving my stuff to Grande Prairie.  We've moved most of it, but there's still probably a few hours of packing to do at Tumbler Ridge and at least another carload of stuff to bring to Grande Prairie.

So the two of us will probably be heading back to Tumbler Ridge either tonight after the golf tournament or tomorrow morning to finish up.  Please be patient with us folks -- we'll be finished moving me soon and then updates will be on a more regular basis again.

Kissing Couple Vacation Day 4 - Part 2

Amanda and I had a few photos taken by a third party photographer (thanks mom!) in Williams Lake when we returned there on Wednesday night.

We're going to be crazy busy today packing and moving, so I'm going to cut this post short.  Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll be able to finish up our vacation photos together.

Kissing Couple Vacation Day 4

After a fantastic morning and early afternoon with Tyler of the Pouting Couple of Kamloops, we've returned to Williams Lake before heading back to Tumbler Ridge tomorrow.  We did some shopping, bought some yarn, and thoroughly enjoyed visiting with him and Irina (before she had to work)!

What else did we do?  What we do best!

This photo was taken while riding down an escalator in the Bay.

We followed it up with a photo while we were looking for shirts.

Tyler was recruited as a third-party cameraman (thanks!) for this photo of us near his and Irina's new apartment:

 We took some more photos later on that I'll hopefully be posting tomorrow night.  Until then!

Kissing Couple on Vacation Day 3

Yesterday was Day 3 of our fantastic vacation.  We drove from Williams Lake to Kamloops and got to visit with my brother and his girlfriend -- the famous Pouting Couple of Kamloops!  We were hoping to get a photo of the four of us together, but it just didn't happen.  :-(

Amanda and I stopped at the Chartreuse Moose in 100 Mile House for lunch and a photo together. 

We also stopped for a photo at Cache Creek.  It was *incredibly* hot, and much to our surprise, their women's washroom was out of order.  Their solution was to put porta-potties inside the carwash bay.  O_o  I wondered if they turned on the carwash periodically while people were inside to keep them from overheating.  Amanda thinks they just opened the doors and ran the carwash to keep them clean.

Anyway, we ended up in Kamloops mid-afternoon and looked around for a while before Tyler was off work.  We met him and Irina at their new apartment, received the grand tour, and we went for supper before returning to their place for an evening of video games (Fat Princess), cards, and Baman and Piderman videos.

Good times!

Kissing Couple Vacation Day 2

Our epic vacation adventure continued yesterday in Williams Lake.  Amanda took this photo of the two of us next to the Old Courthouse Square before we visited Wiseowl Toys (my parents' toy store).

We spent the rest of the day visiting my grandparents, both in Williams Lake, and out at Felker Lake, before returning to my parents' place later in the evening.  It was really good seeing everyone, and they were all very happy to see Amanda and me.

Kissing Couple Vacation Day 1

Amanda and I are on Day 3 of our vacation today.  Right now we're cuddling on the couch before we continue on to Kamloops to see my brother and his girlfriend -- the Pouting Couple of Kamloops!


Sunday was Day 1 of our vacation, and we drove from Tumbler Ridge to Williams Lake.  When we came down this way in December we couldn't make all of my usual stops along the drive, which meant that Amanda's first trip to Bijoux Falls had to wait until Sunday!

Amanda took this photo on her iPhone, and I followed it up with a photo of the two of us together in front of the falls

Just after we finished taking our photo together, a man and his son came up to us.  He asked if we'd mind taking a picture of the two of them together with his phone.  He handed his phone to me and commented that it was kind of hard to take photos with because of where the button was.  I looked at his phone, and it was a Samsung Galaxy S II -- I use a Galaxy S.  The photo app was exactly the same, and I had a hard time *not* telling him that he was in the experienced hands of Jake Fehr, Official Photographer of the Kissing Couple of Grande Prairie.  :-)


Anyway, the two of us made it to Williams Lake in good shape and got to spend the evening with my parents.  It was great because I've only seen them once since Christmas, and they seemed really happy to see us as well!

Busy but Unbusy

Evening everyone!


It was a crazy, busy, but unbusy day for Amanda and me.


We only did a few things, but they took the entire day and left us absolutely exhausted.  We started our morning with breakfast at the Mason's Lodge, before heading to the Prairie Mall for some shopping.  My new job has a slightly more restrictive dress code than my previous one (by actually having an official dress code), and I needed to add a few things to my closet.


By the time we were done at the mall, we had to stop by Amanda's to pack for vacation, wrap her niece's gifts, and pick up her car before driving to Amanda's sister's house for the niece's birthday party.  When the party was winding down around 6:30ish (Alberta time), we said goodbye and drove to Tumbler Ridge (Amanda led from Grande Prairie to Dawson Creek, and I led the rest of the way).


If you look at the number of things we did, and the overall energy required to perform them, our day looks like it was incredibly easy.  After all, we had breakfast, shopped, went to a four year old's birthday party, and then drove a route we're both very familiar with.


...it didn't feel like it though.

Craziness

I survived an insane night of packing last night and am sitting on the couch with Amanda very happily right now.  We're enjoying a brief moment of calm before things get crazy over the next week.  After her niece's birthday party tomorrow, Amanda and I will be returning to TR before heading south to visit my family.

Once we get back, we'll be spending a frenzied day packing followed by a golf tournament, *one* day of rest, and then Amanda will be back to work and I'll be starting my new job.

But for now, I'm worrying about my remaining packing, and the major question that will have to be answered:  who will pick our soundtrack for our 8 hour drive south?

Organized Chaos

Can you tell I'm in the process of moving?

 

Even though I'm moving out of the condo I've owned for over three years, it feels a little like it always did when I was moving out of my university dorm room every April for a few years in a row.

It's a mess right now, but I publically promise Amanda right now that it will not be this big a mess (or bigger) once it's sharing space in her apartment.  :-)

Sea of purple

I see purple.  It didn't occur to me until I looked at this photo while uploading it that it shows Amanda in a purple shirt and a purple truck in the background.  We took this photo together last weekend in Tumbler RIdge.  I believe it was on Sunday morning, probably in my building's parking lot.


We must have taken it on our first trip down to Amanda's car to load it with my stuff, as neither of us looks like we're exhausted or covered in sweat.  ...that alone sets it apart from the photo we took in front of Subway the day before.  I think I prefer this photo.  :-)

Trying to cool down...

It's still incredibly warm.  I refuse to concede defeat to the heat though, and will battle back with another classic Kissing Couple of Grande Prairie photo.


Amanda and I took this photo together on St. Patrick's Day this year on our way back from supper.

My parents had to cut their visit to Tumbler Ridge short due to the oncoming snow and cold front, and left earlier in the day as a result.  So Amanda and I went out to supper together, then took this photo just after getting out of my car once we got home.  It was cold, the wind was blowing, and snow was starting to pile up.


And the photo turned out amazing!


...between looking at this photo, remembering the weather four months ago, and having a fan placed in my bedroom window blasting cooler air from outside directly at my head, I'm actually starting to cool off a little bit.  Hmmm...  Maybe I've stumbled onto a way to win at summer.

Sweltering...

It's hot.  I know the temperature here and in Grande Prairie isn't anywhere near as warm as it has gotten elsewhere in Canada this summer already, but still...  It's hot.


According to my thermometer, it got up to +32 today.  That's not very hot compared to other parts of the world, but when you consider that just under six months ago my thermometer was showing -38, +32 is pretty warm.  I'm not well-informed about seasonal temperature swings in other parts of the continent, but a range of 70 degrees seems pretty large.


So how do Amanda and I cope with the heat?  Easy.  By doing what we do best:  taking photos together and posting them on this blog!

While uploading this photo that Amanda and I took together in Shop Easy on Saturday, I just had an idea.  I should re-post one of the photos she and I took together in January...  Maybe it would help me remember shivering and wishing for warmer weather.

Ahhhhhh.  Now if I were to hold a few ice cubes to my face and have Amanda nearby, I could imagine that we were still kissing during a winter walk instead of sitting at my desk sweating.


*sigh*

Moving Man

As I mentioned in a previous post or two, I spent most of the day Saturday helping a friend move.  As a result, I only had to make the most of the time I got to spent with Amanda around the moving.


After a morning of moving, I announced I was taking a lunch break, texted Amanda, and asked her if she wanted to meet me at Subway in 10 minutes.  I drove up from my friend's house to see Amanda about to cross the road to Subway.  There was no easy way to stop and pick her up (and it wouldn't have saved her any time), so I turned into the parking lot, then met her.


We said hi, kissed, and I said that we'd better take a photo while we had the chance.  Here's the result:

I look a little grubby (moving was hot and sweaty work), but Amanda looks incredibly cute.  The only problem is that I didn't want to transfer all the sweat and dirt from my clothes to hers, so I couldn't hold her very close while we took this photo.  At any rate, it turned out great, and lunch with her was the best way I could've spent my break from moving!

Not Enough Time

Hi folks,

I was helping a friend move today, and Amanda was taking a day off in my condo, so we didn't get much time together today.  We *did* manage to re-watch the South Park movie together though.  I've seen it recently, but Amanda hadn't watched it in years.

I got to watch her reactions to parts of the movie and remember what it was like seeing for the first time.  It was great!

We will have more time together tomorrow, and hopefully we'll be able to get a few photos.  Please stay tuned!

Quality Downtime

Amanda's out here for the weekend, and all's right with the world.  She showed up around 8:30, looking incredibly cute, and is now sleeping as I write this post.


I'm helping someone move tomorrow, and I'm hoping that Amanda will use the day to enjoy some quality downtime -- knitting, playing a video game, reading, etc.  She's worked hard all week, and we'll be busy Sunday packing up her car with my stuff for her to take back to Grande Prairie with her, so it'd be nice for her to have one real day off.


Anyway, no photos tonight, but perhaps we'll try to get some tomorrow after I return home (maybe taken during an evening walk!), and some on Sunday.

Brick Wall

I don't quite remember where or when Amanda and I took this photo together on Canada Day.  There is a brick wall behind us though.  Maybe that'll be enough for someone out there to identify the location.  :-)


Given our general pose though, I think we may have taken it while sitting and waiting for the parade to start.

...Sherlock Holmes would be ashamed of my deductive skills.

Timing is Everything

I've been counting down to myself for a few days now.  There are only 18 more days until I start my new job at the Grande Prairie Public Library.


In that time, I have to

• play tour guide for my future-in-laws (Friday)
• help my boss move (Saturday)
• enjoy a final Sunday in Tumbler Ridge with Amanda (Sunday)
• work (5 more days)
• attend Amanda's niece's birthday party
• drive south and visit family on a *very* brief vacation
• pack up and move to Grande Prairie
• list my condo
• finish many other smaller tasks

It seems like a lot, especially considering I'm just moving to a new place three hours away, and my current place is not incredibly large.


So what's the plan?


Well, I'll play tour guide and mover the next few days.  I'll pack what I can so that Amanda can take it back to Grande Prairie with her when she leaves on Sunday.


Then I'll do my best to enjoy Sunday with Amanda to its fullest.  It'll be the last one we'll have here together.


After that, I'll pack what I can through the week so I can take it to Amanda's on the way to her niece's party.  We'll be heading on holidays after that, and then it'll be crunch time.  I think we'll probably have three frantic days of packing and driving before (hopefully) having Sunday entirely off to rest up before heading back to work.


It's going to be a busy few weeks, but they certainly shouldn't be boring!

Canadian Clarity

I've taken many photos that I've posted to this blog over the past few months, but I think the one I'm posting tonight is one of my all-time favourites.

I *love* this photo.


Amanda and I both look great, the photo was taken mostly level, and the colours are incredible.  Amanda looked amazing in the red Team Canada sweater I loaned her for Canada Day and I've always personally liked how I look in my black Team Canada sweater.


The lighting is great, the photo is focused perfectly, and my hair looks good even wet.


Good job, Jake of Sunday afternoon!  (*pats self on back*)

Blowing in to Grande Prairie

This was the final photo Amanda and I took together on the weekend of June 23-24.  It has nothing to do with tonight's blog post other than having the word "air" which sort of relates to this post's title.

I have some big news for blog readers.


I'm coming to Grande Prairie.  Not for a weekend.  Not for a vacation.  For good.


About a month ago, I applied for a job posted at the Grande Prairie Public Library.  It sounded like a neat job, a good opportunity, and a possible way to let Amanda and I live in the same city.  I didn't expect anything to come of it.  I assumed that the library would be overwhelmed with applicants and that the posting would be filled internally by a current employee of the library.


I was wrong.  Two weeks ago when I returned from Grande Prairie, my cell phone rang as I was turning onto the street I live on.  I ignored the call.  I assumed it was probably my parents, that they'd leave a message, and that it really wasn't worth me pulling over two minutes from home just to answer the phone.


When I dropped my suitcase on my bed and listened to my voicemail message, I learned how wrong I was.  The phone call had been from a staff member at the Grande Prairie Public Library who wanted to schedule an interview.  I looked at my watch, thought about the fact that I'd been in Grande Prairie three hours before, sighed, and then called back.


We scheduled my interview for the following Monday.  As a result, Amanda and my weekend plans changed slightly, and I went back to Grande Prairie on Saturday night after work.  My interview was on Monday morning and it seemed to go well.  Then I returned to Tumbler Ridge and went back to work on my normal schedule.


...until Thursday.


On Thursday night there was a voicemail on my phone asking me to call the Grande Prairie Public Library.  It was already after 8, so I waited for the next morning, played a brief game of phone tag, and then got the news.  They wanted to hire me for the job.


I start in a few short weeks.  So over the next two weeks I'll be wrapping stuff up in Tumbler Ridge, then taking a (very) short vacation with Amanda before spending the remainder of my week of vacation moving to Grande Prairie.


Updates might be a little sporadic during the next three weeks, so I humbly ask for your patience starting now.  Once I've moved to Grande Prairie and gotten settled in, things should return to a normal schedule.  As an extra benefit, because Amanda and I won't be limited to seeing each other on weekends when the weather cooperates and we're both healthy, I shouldn't have too many photo shortages in the future.


So that's the big news.  The Kissing Couple of Grande Prairie will *both* be living in Grande Prairie.


Exciting, isn't it?  :-)

Ready for the Fireworks

Amanda and I took this photo together just before leaving for the Canada Day fireworks.  We're each wearing one of my Team Canada hockey sweaters.  I'm wearing the black 2002 sweater, and Amanda is wearing the red podium sweater from the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Just a minute after we took this photo, we left for Muskoseepi Park to watch the Canada Day fireworks together and with Amanda's friends and family.

The fireworks were amazing.  We sat together oohing and aahing until the show was over and we walked back to Amanda's apartment.

We managed a few more photos together last night and today, and I'll be posting them over the course of the next few days.