A New Beginning

Hello! Wow, well it has been months since I have written on my blog. As many of you know, Dom and I are now back in beautiful Victoria. The reasons for returning are not easy or simple, even though I seem to explain them that way hoping maybe the sadness will subside quicker I guess. It has taken me awhile, but I seem to have turned a corner and feel hopeful and pushing forward. Maybe one of these days I will write about the whole experience. We wouldn't change a thing, and would go again in the same circumstances.

We are completely broke, actually very in debt. My goal over the next year is to get rid of all the debt we have accrued, and I'm very determined. I am the only one working so far, and not getting much money. We are living in a basement suite of a house, no car. It may not be very exciting and most likely a bit depressing to read about, but I think it will help keep me motivated to write about it on here.

By my guess we are in debt to the sound of $12 or $13,000 Canadian dollars. I will have an accurate figure in the next few days, as I realize this is an important part of managing it. My other short term help ideas are to move to a cheaper rent unit as quickly as possible; contact companies for lower interest or move money; budget, etc. I hope to hear ideas from everyone and I'm actually getting pretty used to being the poor kid around (Dom not so much). Today I got a free pillow and lamp from generous people I work with. You might remember that we sold or gave away EVERYTHING.

Best wishes~~L

Last week in Victoria

Wow. I don't think I have ever been so busy in my life (at least not that I remember, trying to live in the moment here). This post is going to be very random because that is how my thoughts are.
- A few weeks ago I took all these pictures of the village (area of town I live in) to post because all the trees are blooming and it is so beautiful here. I haven't had a chance to go through them yet.
- Dom and I went sailing for Easter weekend with my aunt and uncle here in the gulf islands which was fantastic and I have some cool pics from that and keep meaning to do a write up.
- The car sold! Yeah!
- Did a crazy, very emotional two day road trip to Seattle to drop Maya off at the airport to be shipped to my parents. Just got back last night and already miss her immensely. I wish she could be our buddy on the start of this adventure.
- Got to see my sister Naomi in Seattle yesterday with her adorable family. They are soooo awesome and make the best parents. I love them so much. Even though I only got to spend a couple hours with them, it was really special to me.
- My great friend Laurie drove us to Seattle and even though she was the first to start crying as Maya was going in her crate to leave, I don't think I could have done it without her. She always knows what to say, and is a beautiful positive person.
- I am getting really, REALLY excited to go. I am really proud of Dom and I for being able to make this happen.
- My body hurts. all over. (most likely from stress, emotions and hormones all at once)
- Don't know if I'll be able to post again before we leave... so if not, stay tuned for Norway!!! Ahhhh!!!

Sarah's Visit

Sisters :) Here we are on a hike, love the rain forest background.

My beautiful sister Sarah at the dog park with Maya

Photos!

Happy Couple

Hope you enjoy!

Great Weekend!

I had a fantastic weekend. The weather here is just beautiful and warm. Our really good friend (that is a pro photographer on the side) took some pics of us on Saturday which I will post in the next few days after sifting through the hundreds. I am so happy with how they turned out though. Really stunning work. We went out for photos at sunrise which kind of sucked because the ground was all frosty and it was really cold, and no sleeping in on a Sat. But, I am so glad we did because the light was great and it really shows.

This same amazing friend then went luggage shopping with me and we found a killer deal, so that part is all taken care of. Yeah! One more thing off the list. What else is on that list that is stressing me out?
- Sell the car... I have posted and listed it everywhere I can think of, and still no bites over the last week. :(
- Find someone to take over our cell phone contract or we have to pay $350 in cancellation fees.
- Find a place to live in Kristiansand. I thought we could stay in a hostel for a bit while we got to know the neighborhoods, but it is seriously 3X the price of renting!
- Finalize all the dog info for shipping: this is seriously frustrating as each site seems to say something different. Even the Norwegian official site has conflicting info. I'm waiting for an email response from them, and will try calling tomorrow.
- Plan our going-away party that is in 2 weeks
- Everything else :)

Down to the Wire

Well, less than 4 weeks to go... I'm feeling pretty excited considering. Still have to sell the car, find someone to take over our cell phone plan, finish getting rid of stuff and figure out the financial crap. Money. Ugh. Don't you just love the recession? It seems every little thing that I do to prepare for this move costs something. Went to change my address to have our mail forwarded to a friend here in Canada (same town)... $40. In the US this service is free. Not sure why it costs money here since the mail system is subsidised...

Anyway, on a very happy note, I got to see my sister this last week! She flew out during her spring break and stayed for 4 days. It was SO nice to see her and get to spend tons of time talking and catching up (she lives in Illinois finishing law school). Stupid me didn't get any pictures except of cupcakes we made (I'll post the recipe later). I'm hoping to get some sent from our friend so I can post. Sunday was a beautiful spring day and we actually made it to the park for some Frisbee which reminded me alot of summer. The days are growing longer and I love it! I think that I better suck up as much as possible because Norway still has snow on the ground.

Spring has Sprung!

The last week or so in Victoria has just been gorgeous! Mild weather, everyone getting their gardens ready, and yes... flowers starting to bloom. I know many of you are still buried in snow, so don't hate, I'll be moaning with you next year. But since this is my last spring here, I have been outside every single day! Here are a few pics from hiking (you can kind of see Mt. Baker in the distance). Maya loves hiking, and is so good off-leash, I am a proud momma.
Poor Dom was battling the cold/flu crap last week and missed three days of work. It looks like he has finally won however and thank goodness no one else got it. I snapped this picture of him napping on the sofa while sick (which Maya totally loved!). The funny thing is that I already donated all our extra blankets in prep for the move, so he is inside my sleeping bag.

In other news, I have been inspired to change Maya's diet. After much research, I have started her on a raw diet this last weekend. I'm following a great book my girlfriend lent me (it's Australian). My poor pooch got fleas a few months ago, and was so miserable. I really didn't want to take the route of pumping pesticides on her every month, and I'm glad to say I was able to get rid of them using all natural remedies and lots of frustration in a couple weeks. She also has a sensitive tummy, and always seems to have digestive problems even though she was on 'really good expensive dry dog food'. Anyways... the raw food is a hit! She loves eating the raw meaty bones and veggie pulp (run through juicer, I drink the juice). Her snacks and treats have been raw almonds and cheese and peanut butter. The only thing she is not fond of that I just tried today was liver. I finally cut it up really small and mixed it with cottage cheese and honey, and she ate most of it. I however, almost hurled. Ugh. This new diet is really messy, and I think most people who do it must feed their dogs outside. I need a fenced yard!
I hope you are all happy and healthy and enjoy your day!

Winter Wonderland

The past week here has been crazy! Snow everywhere just in time for Christmas, and it is absolutely beautiful. Dom kept saying he wanted a white Christmas, and he seems to have good luck. For those if you unaware, snow is rare in Victoria... in the 6 years I have lived here (holy crap... it has been that long?!?), it usually snows one day or two out of a winter and melts right away. This snow has stayed for more than a week now, and there is a a ton of it! 

I took these photos on Monday morning while shoveling out my office entrances. The sun was just starting to rise around 7:30 in the morning, and it was awesome!