We live in VICTORIA?!

Yes, it's true...we are residents of Victoria. This past month has certainly flown by. I can't believe that one month ago today (Aug 25, 2010) we were busy with loading the UHaul, cleaning, and saying our last tearful goodbyes to all we know and love in Edmonton. We had a long (15.5 hours) drive to Vancouver and then we traveled to Victoria on Aug 29. I am so thankful for all the helping hands we had on move in day - my parents came over from the mainland, our landlord (for reals!), cousins Craig & Melissa and aunt Joanne. We could not have done all of that heavy lifting without help, and the generosity of those in our lives never ceases to amaze me. It made moving in to a new city just that much easier. After a few days of working on unpacking, I was back to White Rock (Dallas came shortly after) to celebrate the wedding of my sister and her h-band Joel. It was a fantastic mash up of family, friends, food and love...all of my favourite things! Their photos are really gorgeous - you should check them out here

It was only when we got back to the Island after the wedding that it all started to really sink in. It seems to continue to sink in, often in waves...I'm going about my day and it hits me that I can't go for coffee with my dear friends at work or to the market or eat ice cream sandwiches with Caitlin and Arlene, we can't hang out with the Jeske's, etc. Dallas says he notices this the most on weekends, when it is not as easy to get together with the people who know us so well.

So you are probably wondering, what ARE they doing? Well, Dallas started work almost right away, and I have still not started work yet (I will probably talk about the work situation in a later post...or not. Email me if you want details). Dallas is logging 10 hour days, working on construction of the new patient care centre at the Royal Jubilee Hospital. He joined the IBEW (electrician's union) which was an easy decision for us. He receives a good wage and benefits and all of these things will help us move towards more traveling and buying a house. And maybe other things, ahem, little Synchyshyn's? But only maybe on the last one there.

I think Dallas and I both have moments of "is this for real?" One of the first moments like that for me was a week or two ago when I was riding my BICYCLE beside the OCEAN for the first time in a very long time. It is this glorious experiences that make me feel at home in Victoria. We are slowly getting to know the city, but it is admittedly easier for me to do given that I am not yet working.

While Dallas has been working all of the time I have been exploring Victoria, on bicycle and by car. I've ridden downtown twice and it is a good time. This is a beautiful city on so many fronts and you definitely get to experience that differently on 2 wheels instead of 4. I've been taking care of the multitude of administrative tasks that seem to accompany an interprovincial move. Car inspections, address changes with every bill/catalog/magazine we get, getting rid of stuff (we have only 1 closets, storage is an issue), trying to find a job, etc. I think I have 5 or 6 to-do lists on the go. So I have not just been sitting on the couch and eating bon bons.

I've also been cooking quite a bit. I made stuffed mushrooms this week (SO good.), and blueberry muffins yesterday. There are 2 apple trees in our yard and our landlord gave us a bunch of apples so pie is on the list for tomorrow (it is supposed to be rainy). It is beautiful and sunny outside right now but Dallas is surfing and I'm waiting for him to get back so that we can (hopefully) go on a bike ride.

I really didn't get to finish all the posts I wanted to write about Edmonton, so I'm going to try to get back to those.