The Signs of Progress

When Amanda and I walked back from Michaels last night, I took this photo:

It's of the construction cranes at the new hospital site, as reflected in the reservoir in Muskoseepi Park.  A year ago, this photo would have been somewhat emptier, and a year or two from now, it'll be much fuller as the hospital breaks the horizon.  It was a very odd moment, because when we looked in the other direction, we could see the new ICF building on 102nd street poking around the Catholic Church belltower.

Both progress and spring are in the air.  I think we're just hoping that neither one involves floods.

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!

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?

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.

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?

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?  :-)

Windy Evening

Good evening everyone!

I was off for the weekend at noon, and was able to make it to Grande Prairie before Amanda got off from work as a result.  Now we've got all of Saturday and Sunday, and most of Monday to be together.  Yay!

We just got back about 20 minutes ago from Mr. Mike's.  I took Amanda out for supper there, and we decided to walk over to enjoy the weather.  The walk was great, supper was really good, and I'm thoroughly enjoying my time with Amanda this weekend already.

We'll be out and about at the Canada Day events this weekend (fireworks and parade).  If you're there as well, keep your eyes open -- you might see the Kissing Couple of Grande Prairie nearby!

My Not-So-Secret Addiction

My name is Jake, and I'm addicted to buying yarn.


<<sound of crickets chirping>>

Um, yeah.


I think I need to take a page from Amanda's book and start plugging away at the project I have underway, finish it, and then start working on the some of the other things I have planned.


Maybe -- just maybe -- I will.  ...But not tonight.  I'm busy chatting with Amanda and getting my stuff ready for my trip out to Grande Prairie for the weekend.  We'll be celebrating Canada Day there, and hopefully the weather will cooperate for it.  Regardless, we'll try to take a bunch of photos over the course of the weekend!

Buzz Off

Amanda and I took this photo together in a garden center somewhere in Grande Prairie on Sunday.  We were looking for a few things like pots and a tomato cage for Amanda, and we paused near the insecticides for a photo together.

Sunday was sort of an odd day.  Amanda and I knew we needed to make the most of our time together, as it was my short weekend and we only had the one day to do stuff.  ...We didn't do much.  We stayed at her apartment for a while after breakfast hanging out on her couch, then finally got out and about to do some running around.  We'd just gotten back and sat down on the couch for less than a half hour when she received a text, and we were off again.


We returned to her place after running a brief errand to her parents' house, and then were off yet again to find supper (Boston Pizza) and to go see Brave at the movie theatre.


We didn't go swimming as we had planned, or for a walk as I had hoped, and didn't have any luck finding me a reasonably-priced pair of sandals.  I did find a new pair of shoelaces though, and Amanda found the screen kit she was looking for.


Written down like this it seems like it wasn't much of a day.  To be fair, it wasn't.  But it was incredibly fun, and I was incredibly glad to be with Amanda for all of it anyway.

Everything including the kitchen sink

As we check in with our heroes, they have ventured into the endless corridors of Home Depot in search of a replacement window screen.  Lost and alone together among the yet-inanimate plumbing, they share a moment of affirmation of life and love before continuing their quest.  :-)

Not always Exciting...

So I'm in Grande Prairie again with Amanda, and very happy to be here.  So what's on the agenda for tomorrow?

...buying shoelaces.  I need shoelaces.  Amanda also needs some dirt and pots for the plants on her balcony.  So our weekend excitement, well, isn't.

But that's okay.  We're together, we're enjoying each other's company, and I'm hoping to take some photos tomorrow in spite of the weather forecast.  Until then!

Better Late than Never

I intended to post this photo last night, but my Internet Service Provider was having some difficulties.


This was the final photo Amanda and I took together last weekend.  I believe we took it beside Save-On, where I had parked while we went to Michael's and bought a few groceries to make supper with.


I'll be heading out Amanda's way in a few hours (after work) and with any luck we'll have some time tomorrow to take some more photos out and about.  That said, I just checked the weather forecast for Grande Prairie tomorrow.  The Weather Network is currently predicting a "chance of thunder-showers."


...If Amanda were here, I'd start singing part of the Bohemian Rhapsody.  But since she isn't, I won't subject you to my singing.  :-)

Yarn Tales

Amanda and I took this photo together shortly after stepping outside of Michael's last weekend.  We went there to pick up another skein of red yarn for my scarf after a discussion about whether I'd be able to live with the length of my scarf if I finished it up now.


Amanda thought it wasn't long enough, and I countered by saying that everything would be okay if I made the tassels at the end of the scarf long enough.  Eventually reason (Amanda) prevailed, and I'm planning on adding at least another foot of length to the scarf.


So when we stepped outside, I grabbed Amanda for this photo.  Looking at the photo now, I think it's funny that we were just at the right angle to have the signs for Edo and Opa (cut off somewhat) visible to either side of our heads.  Having never eaten at either of them, the photo was not planned that way.


Anyway, I'd better wrap this up for the night.  I've still got one more photo Amanda and I took together last weekend, and I'll probably be posting it tomorrow night.

Shower Time

This weekend, Amanda and I decided to check out the home offered as the grand prize in the Dream Home Lottery.  We spent a little longer than planned finding the place -- the directions we were given sent us the wrong way.


Once there, we probably spent close to an hour touring the house.  We liked the house overall, but wondered a few things.  First off, how much TV do they expect the future owners to watch?  There were TVs absolutely everywhere.  Second, why was the stone mat in the kitchen so uncomfortable, even through my shoes?


Anyway, Amanda and I took this photo in front of the shower door in the downstairs bathroom, and I think it turned out pretty good!

Ice Cream Kisses

After supper (I made teriyaki beef and a veggie stir fry), Amanda and I had some quality couch time while she knit and played with her cell phone and I tried to figure out the mechanics of Warioware D.I.Y.  After I finished making a very basic game (tap on the guy to make him move over and cuddle his girlfriend on the couch), I asked Amanda if she wanted to walk to Dairy Queen for some ice cream.

She agreed, and we went for a wander to find some frozen treats.  We took this photo on the way back (as you can tell from my half-eaten ice cream cone in the rear of the photo)  It was nearly 10pm, but it was still light out, and warm.  I love the summer!

Because Amanda had chosen a peanut buster parfait and was waiting until we got home to eat it, I decided to give her an ice cream kiss.  And then I decided to get a photo of it!

Amanda and I took a handful of other photos today, and hopefully there will be more to come tomorrow.  Stay tuned!

<<Edit:  the original version of this post had a typo -- I spelled cell "cel".  But Amanda noticed it and I fixed it!  Yay!>>

Yup...

I am happily in Grande Prairie with Amanda right now.  After work, Amanda bought Chinese food for us for supper, and then we spent the evening on the couch looking up random stuff online.

Hopefully we'll be out and about taking photos tomorrow and I'll have something new to post.  Until then!

The Countdown... always the countdown...

I have three countdowns going right now.


1)  ~15 1/2 hours until I leave Tumbler Ridge and drive to Grande Prairie to spend the weekend with Amanda.


2)  ~19 hours until I see Amanda again.


3)  ~24 hours until I can cuddle in bed with Amanda, let the stress of the week ease away, and drift off to the best night's sleep I'll have had since last Sunday.


Amanda's not feeling 100% quite yet, but I'm hoping we'll be able to get out and about somewhat this weekend.  And if we do, we'll take some photos!


Anyway, t-minus 55,800 seconds and counting...

The Long Drive Home

Monday morning is one of my least favourite times of the week.  On weekends when Amanda is in Tumbler Ridge, she's been gone ~18 hours by the time I wake up on Monday morning, and I'm very aware of how long it is until I see her again.


Those Mondays, however, pale in comparison to Monday mornings when I'm in Grande Prairie.  Those are lousy, especially considering how good they start!  I always sleep good at Amanda's on Sunday night, and waking up next to her always puts a smile on my face.  But things go downhill from there.    All too soon, we're both outside by our cars saying goodbye for another week.


This morning the sun was shining and the sky was clear.  I followed Amanda's car out of her parking lot, down the road, and along the highway until a stoplight where she had to get ready to turn left and I had to continue straight.


Then for the next three hours I had four Eurodance style songs playing over and over again on my iPod through my car's stereo while I drove home to Tumbler Ridge while thinking about the weekend and other stuff.  I got home, texted Amanda to let her know I'd made it okay,

...and started thinking about the wait until Friday night when I'll see her again.

Quality Pixar Time

Amanda and I are taking the time to watch Wall-E (she's never seen it before!) before we settle in to watch the season finale of Mad Men.

Sadly, she's still not feeling 100%, so we weren't out and about today.  As a result I won't be posting new photos this week.  I *am*, however, planning a few blog posts that will hopefully be a little longer and more thought-provoking than my usual fare.

With that, it's off to hum along with the opening song in the movie from Hello Dolly!