Prince's Island Park

First, a big THANK YOU to Kate, who informed me that I had referred to myself as Dennis' "husband" in "Holly's Story" on the sidebar.  Funny, I had just read over that, and didn't catch it.  Glad to know someone reads this thing!  (Okay, I know a couple people do.)

Last Wednesday was a gorgeous day, so after my chiropractor appointment, I took drove to just north of downtown Calgary and took a walk around Prince's Island Park.  (Look, I learned how to make a link!)  The area was once a lumber mill, which was turned into a park in 1947.  Think Blue Lake Park without the lake, and you've got a good idea of the park.  I had heard about the park, I wanted to go take a look at it before the kids were out of school, just in case it wasn't worth my time, and I ended up with a couple grumpy kids.

It was VERY worth my while.  There are trees everywhere, which was nice, as the community we live in is new, so the trees there are no more than 3-4 years old.  Picnic tables are scattered throughout, and there are walking/biking trails, as well as a big playground.   

There's a restaurant in the park, which my chiropractor tells me is very good.  It sounded pretty busy when I walked by.

There's a lagoon that runs through it, and on this day I saw baby geese a-plenty.

I even encountered a couple Calgary Information volunteers, who happily agreed to let me take their picture.

They told me a lot about various Stampede events coming up; it's not all about rodeos and cowboy hats.  Turns out that if we wanted to, we could find a free pancake breakfast every day throughout Stampede (July 8-17.)  I don't think we'll search for that, but at least I know a little more about this very popular week.  It's nice to know there are more things than just what's happening at Stampede Park.  Since Dennis will be in Vancouver, BC during Stampede Week, the kids and I will avail ourselves to many of the festivities.

I spent about 45 minutes in the park, just strolling around.  I saw preschools having year-end picnics, families having what looked to be reunions, and lots of moms and strollers.  What a nice park to have in the downtown area.

We are already planning to come on Friday, which is Canada Day, the celebration of Canada becoming a country, and later of Canada gaining its independence from the United Kingdom.  Although, as Canada is a Constitutional Monarchy with ties to the Queen of England, I'm not sure how that whole independence thing is going.  Canadian government was very confusing to me when we first moved here; I was actually glad to help Jared study for his Grade 6 PAT (exams) so that we could all learn a little government.

But I digress.  Prince's Island Park is having a big to-do on Canada Day, which should be a lot of fun.  They will supposedly have fireworks in the evening; we will see if there are crazy people lighting them off all over town, as in Portland.  But it should be a fun time.


On a side note, about the chiropractor--while we don't have access to the Alberta health system and are required to have our own (self-pay) insurance, we do have the ability to go to pretty much any doctor that will see us.  That's the problem I have discovered up here.  While at least basic health care is free, it is very hard to find a doctor who is accepting new patients.  (Fortunately, walk-in and urgent care clinics are everywhere).  The closest doctor accepting new patients is about 40 minutes away.  So, since I wanted to be seen for more frequent migraines and my plantar fasciitus, I decided to see a chiropractor.  I saw one while pregnant with Rebecca, and it did wonders for the back pain I was experiencing. 

I actually found my chiro when I went to pick up Chinese & Thai food, in that I drove by his clinic, and that's what gave me the idea to go. 

I have to say it's been fantastic.  I have not (knock on wood) had another migraine since, and my foot is doing better.  (See the walk around the park above.)  My neck has a partially compressed disc, and my back is out of whack in several places.  I had my progress scan last Friday, and while things are still not where they should be, they are heading in that direction.  I'm very happy, and I highly recommend seeing one if at all possible.  I am very lucky that my insurance covers the visits with a small co-pay.  At least for 30 visits at this point.

Yes, I'm Still Here

Well, I knew it had been a while since I had updated the blog, but I didn't realize it was almost two months! Oops! Hopefully I'll be better with summer activities.

Sue & Denny came to visit in mid-May, bringing Abby the dog back to us and staying for May Long Weekend, Jared's birthday and a few more days. It was a great time, but I'm looking forward to their trip here in December, when the kids are out of school and Dennis is off work; his company closes down for two weeks during Christmas. Paid! Yes! Anyway, we had a great time visiting, relaxing, shopping, touring a local historical house, and even visiting Elbow Falls, which doesn't hold a candle to Multnomah Falls, but was a fun trip nonetheless.

Summer has actually arrived here in Calgary, but the mosquitoes arrived last month in full force. I guess we've been spoiled in Portland, as I don't remember too many of the nasty insects except on some of our camping trips, or in the evening in some areas. But here they're out all day and night. We've loaded up on the bug spray, and our bird feeder seems to have attracted birds who like to have a mosquito dessert, which has been helpful.

Mother's Day and Father's Day were quite affairs, with dinners out both nights. Or supper, as it seems it's called up here. The kids and Dennis spent most of Father's Day playing Little Big Planet 2 on the PS3, which was great fun for them. And fun for me to watch and hear. If you haven't experienced LBP 1 or 2, I highly recommend it. Checking out what characters they've created is part of the fun!

I'm off to my chiropractor appointment. I've been going for two weeks now, and I think it's making a difference with both my migraines and my foot issues. More on that later.

Feeling at Home; Our First Visitors

Two days ago marked our first month here in Calgary.  How did we celebrate it?  With Dennis staying home from work, sick.  Or injured from bouncing on the trampoline with the kids.  Or a combination of the two.  We're not quite sure, but we do think there was a bruised rib.  But he is well now, and we are looking forward to our first visitors next Friday--Sue & Denny!  And Abby, our dog.  I didn't think I would, but I have been missing the dog.  Funny.

We have just about unpacked all our boxes, with a little work still needing to be done on the garage and basement, plus finishing up the guest room/craft room.  I purchased another IKEA Expedit bookcase yesterday, and with Dennis' help we will get it put together today or Saturday.  Then I can finally organize the craft and scrapbooking materials, plus make an area for guests to use during their stay.  I'm very excited to have the room on its way to being done!  The living room (downstairs) will be our last room, but it's much lower on the list, as it requires more furniture purchases, which will need to wait.  But that's okay.

On the decorating front, I need a little help with two areas in my house.  First, in our master bathroom, we have this large storage area between the two sinks:

As you can see, I'm not really using them to their full capability.  At some point I will most likely put something decorative on the top shelf, but other than having rolled towels in some of the lower cubbies, any ideas?  Links to anything you have found on the web would also be helpful!

The other "problem" area is my kitchen island, or continent as Dennis calls it:

(Please forgive the mess!)  Now, part of me feels bad complaining about too much space, but seriously, this thing is huge!  There's that big center area that I just don't know how to use.  It does come in handy when I've been to the market, as I can just shove back anything that's on the counter to unload groceries.

I've searched online for photos of islands, and after looking at dozens (hundreds?), I can easily say 1) we have pretty much THE largest one around, and 2) floral arrangements seem to be the trend.  Any other ideas?  Again, web links will be gladly accepted!

On to our upcoming visitors.  I know many of our friends back in Portland have been very concerned with the well-being of my in-laws.  Everyone can rest easy, as they will be coming up next Friday for a couple weeks.  We plan to keep them busy with visiting, being tourists and celebrating Jared's birthday on May 22nd.  His birthday just happends to coincide with the Long Weekend, as Victoria Day, celebrating Queen Victoria's birthday, falls on Monday the 23rd; the kids (and Dennis) get Friday and Monday off!  Jared is very happy to have a four-day weekend for his birthday.  And no, we don't get the following Monday, Memorial Day, off, too. 

I'll be sure to post photos of their visit; it will be our first real chance to do some exploring, as we haven't done a lot so far, unpacking taking up most of our free time.

Thanks to everyone who has written cards to us and the kids; they especially get a kick out of receiving mail, and I'm trying to encourage them to write as well.

Have a great weekend! 

Easter and other things...

Hello again! I've been a slacker on updating the blog for a couple reasons: I spent several days dealing with migranes (reasons unknown) which threw off the week, and there hasn't been anything to talk about. Let's face it, you can only read "unpacked some boxes, went to the grocery store, got home without Google Maps" so many times before you unsubscribe from my blog!

But this past Sunday was Easter, so I figured it deserved a little blogging.

I found a church in the area that looked promissing, even though it isn't United Methodist, like our old church, or the church I was raised in. It seems that Calgary doesn't have UMCs. It seems (according to Wikipedia, that all-knowing source) that the Methodists joined with Presbyterians and formed the United Church of Canada.

The church I found, Deer Park United Church, looked, online, to be similar to Montavilla, which I took as a good sign. Saturday we talked about going on Easter. I finished breakfast Sunday morning, then going back upstairs to see why I hadn't seen anyone else yet. Dennis had fallen back asleep, and had awoken with a continuing sholder pain, and the kids were still in bed as well. Jared even stated he "didn't think it is right to go to a church for the first time on Easter." I personally thought that would be a perfect time, as there are so many visitors we wouldn't stick out, and we could slink off at the end if we decided the church wasn't for us. In truth, I think they aren't ready to find a new church. No problem, there's always next Sunday.

So everyone eventually got out of bed and had breakfast, and our Easter got off to a delayed start.

Dennis and the kids took a bike ride around the community, checking out Auburn House, which is like our Community Center, the tubing hill (for next winter), and other areas. I meanwhile was getting a start on Easter dinner.

I gave the family the option of going out for dinner or eating at home, and everyone voted for eating at home. Oh boy. It turns out that I have never actually made and ENTIRE Easter dinner myself. We usually eat at Sue's, and I bring something(s). But I was up for the challenge, especially since my family is a bunch of willing ginuea pigs!

I had found a post in another blog for a Potato Rosemary Strudel.

http://www.simplebites.net/a-virtual-easter-dinner-recipe-potato-rosemary-strudel/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SimpleBites+%28Simple+Bites%29

Rebecca had been looking at it with me and requested it. It really is an easy dish that looks beautiful; I highly recommend trying it. Just watch the video at the link, as it tells you everything you need to know. Dennis and Rebecca both took leftovers for lunch on Monday (and Rebecca's school does not have microwaves!)

We also had the traditional (for us) ham, although it seems that many Calgarians have turkey as well. Strange. A green bean casserole (not the usual one) and my challah bread rounded out the dinner.

On our trip up here we ate dinner one night at Boston Pizza, and Dennis and I shared a Toffee Pudding. He also had one during the week he was in England, so that is what he requested for Easter dessert. He doesn't ask for much, so I set off in search of a recipe for it, discovering it is made from dates. Hmm. Never would have guessed. It is a cake, not a pudding, and comes with a decadant, sweet topping you pour over top.

The recipe I found online was not like either one Dennis had eaten, but it was still pretty good! I'm continuing my search for one closer to the mark.

All in all we had a very nice, quiet Easter. Oh, of course there was the required Easter egg hunt in the morning. New places to hide the eggs made it that much more fun for kids and parents alike. :)

Well, it's time to try to get Jared's room unpacked. We got Expedit bookcases for both kids last week, and Rebecca's room is unpacked. Jared's will be more difficult, but it needs to be done. Wish me luck!

The School and Snow Adventures

The Kids Go To School! Yesterday was a busy day running errands and taking a nap to rest up from all the unpacking, so no blogging got done. The kids started school last Wednesday, three days after we got here. That was my plan all along: get them back into a "normal" routine. Rebecca goes to Andrew Sibbald School, which is K-4. She is enjoying the school, which does a lot of team teaching, often combining two classes of grades allowing teachers to work with smaller or larger groups. In Calgary's system, Rebecca would have been in Grade 4, but working with the principal and teacher, her testing shows many areas she is a solid Grade 3 (above-grade in reading), so that is where she is staying, and she is very happy and settling in quite well; she knows many of her classmates' names, and the girls were very happy to get another girl, as they had received several new boys as of late.

Rebecca has had to ride a bus to and from school for the first time, but she has adapted quite well, especially after the regular driver came back from vacation. Grumpy substitute drivers were not much fun for her.

Jared is at Nickle Jr High School, which is Grades 5-9. A strange division, but they seem to keep the younger kids somewhat separated, and do many things similar to Floyd Light, where he was in Portland. He is still in Grade 6, and is making friends rather easily, as I expected.

Much of the way the school system operates is similar if not identical to what we were used to in Oregon, even using the same reading levels. :) We haven't gone looking for sports or music groups, although Jared is still playing trumpet at school. We decided to take it easy for the end of the school year, figuring out what the kids want to do over the summer.

SNOW!!!!!

I had read postings on blogs and message boards about late-season snow, and sure enough, we got to experience it this morning. It was lightly snowing when we went to bed Wednesday night, and by this morning there was nearly 18 centimeters on the cars, houses, streets, etc. That's about 7 inches! They had predicted up to 20 cm, so they were really close. By the time I went to the bus stop to get Rebecca (3:15), most of the road was snow-free, and other areas were melting and getting slushy. Oh, yeah, the kids had school. :) I read just the other day that Calgary basically has a no-snow-day policy. The kids were a little bummed, but I think they had fun playing in the snow at recess.

We will see what tomorrow brings if it freezes overnight. Luckily Dennis is in Europe right now, so he doesn't have to deal with the mess on the way to work.

The snow was very different than what I got used to in Portland--light and fluffy, but heavy. It took only about 10 minutes to clean off my car; glad I got that long-handled brush before the last snow in PDX! And I got to shovel/push snow off the driveway and sidewalk before dinner. That I don't miss from my childhood in Indianapolis!

All in all it was a good first snow for us--buses were on-time or just a few minutes late, kids got to school okay, and I didn't get buried un-covering the car. But I'd be more than happy if we didn't have any more and went back to the +15C it was on Sunday. :)

Hopefully spring is on its way wherever you are. Happy Thursday.

The Unpacking Adventure

While we arrived last Sunday, April 3rd, our belongings didn't arrive until late Thursday afternoon. So we "camped out" at the house. Sleeping bags and air mattresses, along with our camp kitchen and a quick trip to the grocery store got us through several days. Thursday I met the truck at customs in Calgary, and although they were originally going to deliver the goods on Friday morning, the driver was more than happy that I would take delivery Thursday. So he and another guy unloaded beds, and bookcases, and boxes and Rubbermaid bins. I tell you, you don't know how much stuff you have until you see it all in boxes.














After unpacking a few boxes, I have decided a few things about packers:

1. Young, unmarried men, while energetic and strong, should not be allowed to pack food. I decided this upon discovering the opened box of lasagna noodles packed upside down, as well as the various (partially full) bottles packed upside down.


2. Not all packers are the same; some lovingly wrap each item and place it in the box, others put things in haphazardly, making the box look like those last few from the times when I moved myself, with the box containing several items from the kitchen, a couple from the garage, and whatever that thing left on the counter top was.


3. Packers don't all understand the concept or importance of labeling boxes with the room or content. This is especially important when looking for the espresso maker that wasn't supposed to go on the truck. (I found it on day four, in an unmarked box with a plastic drawer unit and the bucket and car wash sponge from the garage. Thank goodness for Ikea and French Presses.)

All in all the unpacking is going well. I've got my kitchen put away, except for those items floating around in a different box. While unpacking, the kitchen looked like a scene from "The Sixth Sense." (Great movie--see it if you haven't.)

The washing machine is calling to me. It plays a little tune to tell me it's finished; seriously, it's a song of some sort. I figured out how to turn off the dryer one the other night; I didn't think the kids would appreciate being awoken when the laundry was done. Tomorrow I'll write about the kids getting into school. Until then, take care. (I really have to find a better sign off...) Holly

The Journey Begins

Welcome to my blog, "The Great Dolan Adventure," which will detail and document some of our journey during our move to and time in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. First let it be said that I am not a writer by nature or nuture, but I will do my best.

I chose the blog's title because that was the word that came up time and again in conversations about our move, that it would be an adventure.

We left town on April 1st, and it was not an April Fool's joke, although it felt like it somewhat. Another day or two in Portland would have been nice, if only to rest up and visit before the journey ahead. But Dennis needed to be at work in Calgary on Monday the 4th, so by 5pm we were on the road, having cleaned (thanks in a great part to the wonderful help of my mother-in-law, Sue) my entire house almost top to bottom.

We travelled a few hours to Kennewick, Washington and spent the night. An uneventful trip. Although we did discover that we stayed at the same hotel our friend Trent W. stayed at when he was driving trucks.

Saturday we travelled to THE BORDER. I put that in caps, because if you're aware of all the "fun" we had trying to get the paperwork to get our cars across the border, you'll understand. If you're not aware, I'll bore you some other time with the tale of woe. But make it across the border we did, after some discussions that left us still wondering if we needed all the documentation we had to get our cars, ourselves and our stuff across. Things are confusing (for us AND Border Patrol & Customs) when your husband is on a two-year assigment.

If we thought the fun was trying to get across the border, we were in for a great surprise, as what we didn't know was we were about to hit a mini-blizzard! I've driven in worse, but not on an unfamiliar, two-lane highway. What "fun." After a couple hours we got through it and spend the night in Cranbrook in Eastern BC, where we discovered that Friday they were hit with unexpected snow. A lot of it! Calgary, too.

Sunday got us back on the road and by 4pm we were in Calgary, touring our new home. I feel like I'm in a dream, or playing house, or borrowing someone's vacation home. This house is unlike anything I've ever imagined living in, and even though we are only renting, it's still amazing. We are very thankful to Dennis' employer for giving us a housing allowance that allows us this home.

That's the journey to Calgary. I'll continue the story of our first week tomorrow. Until then, stay safe and thanks for coming along for the ride.

Holly