Making It Our Own

We are still ploughing away at getting the house ready for us to move in. At first, we thought it would just require a small amount of cleaning and some possible cosmetic surgery (it contains some wallpaper we could really live without). When we noticed a leak under the sink, we called in a plumber. We got a new kitchen tap and a bit of the under the sink plumbing replaced. We have also decided to get a new washer and dryer set. It actually had a function called 'Soap Saver'. Mid-cycle, a long black tube would deposit your sudsy wash water into the adjacent laundry tub. It would then suck in back into the machine to use on the next load. Since we don't have a manual (3 of the appliance manuals were not left) we are not sure how to ensure that during a cycle, sudsy water does not come shooting from said black tube into our non-existent laundry basin.

We have also been stripping the wallpaper. Since it is vinyl, this involves tearing off the plastic surface first. The bedroom offered the most satisfying large sheets coming off at once. The process in the kitchen has been more arduous, requiring a lot more putty knife scraping. Once the vinyl surface has been removed, we have then been able to moisten the remaining paper backing and scrape off the softened remainder with putty knives. So far, the only painted and semi-finished room has been the bedroom. We used some paint my brother Jason had left over from when he and Stacey got there house painted.

Since nearly every possible light fixture in the house is a chandelier, we wanted some more simple and modern lighting. We went to Ikea, 'the crack cocaine of the home decor sector' (as I have recently seen it described). We went in around 3:30pm. We didn't leave until closing and even then, not until we had grabbed a bag of Swedish meatballs. You know you have spent too long in a store when you come home with the email address of a sales assistant. :)

Mom has been helping us with loads of things, including the kitchen clean-up. Dad has been our resident electrician, installing light fixtures, navigating the sometimes unusual product of a do-it-yourselfer's attempt at wiring, and restore power to the garage (woo hoo!).

Also in the last couple of days, Calgary has seen it's first significant snowfall of the season. Col has been a real trooper, considering bad weather in Ireland in days of rain. We shoveled our sidewalks (darn corner lot with it's darn double sidewalks), and have been enjoying the few bits of wildlife coming by the place (birds and squirrels and rabbits, oh my!). Dad has taken us out in the car to a local mall parking lot for what he calls 'Skid School'. This is basically gunning it, then slamming on the brakes and feeling the anti-lock breaking system (ABS) kicking in. Instead of having to pump the brakes when skidding, this feature kicks in to pump the automatically for you. You only have to keep your foot depressed on the brake. He also showed us how to steer in a skid when ABS is working (by walking out into the road, having us slam on the brakes and steer around him... chancer!).

Anywho, that's enough for today. We haven't even carved our pumpkin and Halloween is tonight!

All A Bit Of A Whirlwind...

Well... I know I haven't been back to this space in a really really long time, but a lot has been going on in our lives! Col and I have successfully picked up and moved from Dublin (Ireland) to Calgary (Canada). Not just that, but we have managed to find a house we like in a neighborhood we like (the one I grew up in). Even better, we have successfully purchased said house! We have just taken possession today.

It's been a bit of a long road, though compared to some people looking to immigrate to Canada we seem to have been fastracked! :) We endured the mountains of paperwork that came along with applying for Permanent Residency for Colette. We waited uncertainly for months, unsure of what would happen if our claim was denied (as my work visa for Ireland was non-renewable and I wouldn't be able to make a life there). We experienced the stress of selling one's home and moving as we left the apartment in the centre of Dublin. And we experienced all kinds of chaos on the flight over to Calgary. This included missing our connection and getting a piece of baggage stuck in the luggage carousel (which we eventually had to cut out), being ambushed by a very greedy porter into using his services (we were naive and didn't know any better), and having security permanently remove the pint of Bulmers from our luggage we had bought in the Duty-Free for my dad (they only relented when I started to cry...).

However it must be said that aside from the few small headaches mentioned above, we have been very fortunate. Both of our families have been absolutely wonderful, allowing us to stay with them for as long as we need. Their hospitality and support has made a possibly difficult move relatively painless. We know how lucky we are.

Other things also seem to be falling into place for us. We were able to find a house within our price range in a neighborhood that is, on average, quite beyond our price range. And to boot, we have had some weird moments of good fortune, especially in the past few days. Everytime we have gone to purchase one of the few bits of things for the new house, we have been able to benefit from some bit of good luck or another. A few examples... When we went to buy a bed, there was one of the model we wanted left in sotck from a now-completed promotion. Trouble was, it was in Vancouver. The store shipped it to Calgary for free, and gave it to us for the sale price. When we were buying bed linens (and a microwave) at Home Outfitters, friendly staff helped us sniff out the best deals. Then the cashier helped us take advantage of signing up for the cards offered by HBC, which knocked off 20%. These allowed us to pick up $250 worth of merchandise for about $150. And to top it off, we ended up walking away with a further $100 in $20 gift vouchers. Then we went to Future Shop, where we spotted a tv we wanted (which was already on sale and at a promotional price). A return visit later in the day meant that on box had already been opened, so a further $50 was knocked off the price. Then a staff member arranged a further discount for us, one for which he then got in trouble with his supervisor. Various costs keep popping up, but the bits of money we have been able to save with our 'good fortune' means that we are able to keep up.

Probably one of the best bits of luck we have had is to have been recommended our realtor. Werner Molicki was recommended to us by a friend of the family who had been satisfied in the past with his service. He has been patient, considerate, and a real comfort during a stressful time. He seems to go out of his way to take care of his clients, and we certainly feel that he has had our best interests at heart. I would certainly recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a house in Calgary. He has integrity... and I never thought I would be saying that about a real estate agent. :)

Anywho, tomorrow we begin to clean-up our new home and do a few little jobs in it (like painting). Things that will truly make it 'ours'. Col has already been asleep for about an hour now, and I suppose I'd better go to bed too. There is work to be done in the morning! G'night.