House number!

We've had this backboard and the numbers for well over six months now and finally got around to putting it together!

Next step: erect above garage.

Fun times in Calgary

Usually when I'm in Calgary my time is spent at home or running errands around town and at the mall (hah!), but this time I added something new to the mix: an evening of UFC fights and karaoke.

Last Saturday Brody's boss's wife and a couple of his kids were hanging out at a pub in NE Calgary and we decided to head out to meet them there.

A few hours and a couple drinks later, we were laughing and having a grand old time. The fights were good (I even watched this time...even if my eyes were closed during a few crazy punch sequences), but the karaoke and company were fantastic.

Jocelyn is a talented little lady with a voice that just makes you stop and stare. Check out her latest song now: The Thought of You. Creepily, I have listened to it about 10 times today and I'm not getting bored of it.

Her brother, who works with Brody, is also an absolute hilarity,and not a bad karaoke-er. My abs and cheeks got a full workout that night.

Their step mom is also hilarious and crazy at the same time. After several hours, numerous shots and a lot of laughs, we were snapping BlackBerry photos as she reminisced about introducing Brody to her husband.

It was nice definitely nice to meet some new people in this big old city, that's for sure.

Tomorrow we're off to Phoenix for some golf and hot weather. Adios!

PS - go and check out Jocelyn's music right now!

Home sweet home

It's official. Brodie and I own our very first detached home. It doesn't have a white picket fence, and there aren't 2.5 kids living in it (though he does have two roommates....), but it's lovely and suburban and scary and great and I'm happy that I once again have a place to call my own. From the pictures above, you will also notice Barkley is settling in nicely, as well. He even has a buddy, Atlas, who belongs to Brodie's roommate Candice. Atlas weighs about 7 pounds I suspect, which is nearly 1/10 of Barkley. Somehow, they still manage to wrestle safely.

I flew in from Fort McMurray on Wednesday morning while Brodie left the great white north in our U-haul. No, I didn't fly because I didn't want to drive in a U-haul with Brodie for eight straight hours; I had meetings here in Calgary on Wednesday and Thursday, so work required me to travel via plane.

After spending Wednesday night downtown in a hotel and then working all day Thursday, I was really looking forward to finally stepping foot inside our new house. That is, until I remembered all the work I had to do. Thursday evening a friend of Brodie's popped over to help him unload the truck. It took less than an hour and with all my traffic control, I managed to get them to drop the boxes in the right places, which made unpacking a bit easier.

Friday morning Brodie left for Edmonton to help open a new 60,000 square foot ginormous store and I got up to tackle the house. There were boxes everywhere, but I managed to work my way through them, one at a time. I also tried to make sure I put away everything I unpacked from a box. It's funny how being away from your own personal household possessions for six months helps you decide what's necessary and what's not. As a result of all the unpacking, I have another large box to drop off at the Salvation Army tomorrow.

Today I spent the morning doing much of the same as Friday - unpacking, setting up an office area in the unfinished basement and making notes of things I needed to pick up.

After two days of hard, steady work, the place is finally starting to resemble a home. Our home.

I can't wait until you can all come over for a little house warming get together. Check out the pics of our new place here (more decorating to come...).

PS - once again, please ignore the terribly-decorated Christmas tree above (and in the post below). Brodie has informed me he'll "fix it when he gets home".

Ciao bellas.

oxo