The Collicut Centre

Jesse and I decided to finally do something in Red Deer. Like legit it was the first time we left the house…NOT for groceries…pretty sad. But anyways we decided to go since both of our bodies were screaming after this week of work.

Anyways they have a salt pool, a big hot tub, a few little slide, a wave pool and the monster of all saunas (it would not stop blowing steam until you stopped it). But it was a fun day… Sorry for the short post but literally that is all we have done thus far in Red Deer, and it was very relaxing.

Going home

This weekend Jesse and I decided to go back home. Jesse got a cheque in the mail and I was getting really homesick so we decided it was just the best decision. When we started going down to lethbridge the car began to overheat really bad, when we left Red Deer it was like 35+ so it was understandable why it was overheating. We had to pull off at least twice to let the car cool down a bit, but we were not the only ones that were doing this. We saw many other vehicles pulling off to the side of the road to let their engines cool down. However, it did put a damper on how fast we got home. We had to only go 100 km/h compared to the 120/30 that we normally go when driving. I can't lie, I am pretty sure we pissed off almost everyone on the road especially when the speed limit was 110 and we were going under the speed limit. But going through Calgary wasn't that bad, everyone else was going slower than normal so it was fine. But we got to mom's around 5. When we were there we bought Jesse a 5" grinder since its hard on his body using the 7"grinder that he had at work. But after that we went to my mom's. 

 But man I am telling you to see the house without all of our stuff and just mom's stuff is so surreal. She really did a great job on decorating her place, it looks empty there but I know that is how she likes her house to look. 

When we were there she gave us some leftover chinese food that she had at Juanita's. I guess that they had a lunch or something like that. Juanita also made some homemade cheesecake…and let me tell you…best effing cheesecake on the planet. Mom says that she just used condensed milk, cream cheese and some lemon juice. But I can tell that she made it more on the heavier side for the lemon juice, which I LOVE in cheesecake. 

I also got to see Charly too, he really has turned into a grumpy old man cat. We managed to clip at least one of his paws (I think mom should just take him to pet land to get his nails clipped). But he was not happy to see Jesse at all, he had this look like he was so confused. Well we left, mom went to Calgary for a week to go see Aunt Val and while she was there Grandma took care of him. But he cuddled up to me later which was nice. It was good to see my baby boy. 

Later on we went to Grandma's and she has new teeth! I couldn't believe it, I knew that she was getting new teeth but I thought they would be the same as her other ones since she loved them so much. But her smile looks totally different, you can tell she likes that you can see her teeth more. Its just weird seeing her with a different set of teeth. 

Even later on that evening, we went to go see Transformers: Age of Extinction and we all loved that movie. Except it is a long, lonnng movie. But we all liked it so that was good. 

We didn't stay very long but we got lots of stuff done and got to enjoy our weekend for once so it was nice. 

Moving

Jesse and I have moved to Red Deer! After what seemed like having the hardest time to find a place, worry about how much money that I would have for this move, worrying about gosh knows what else about moving and we have finally just did it! 

I cannot lie the beginning of our move was just frustrating. We had booked a u-haul two weeks PRIOR to our move date. We went to go get the trailer and what do you know…it was not there. How great knowing that I had to start a job the following Monday. But luckily they had a trailer in Taber, so we got 50 dollars off our u-haul since we had to drive all the way to Taber to grab our trailer let alone move all of our junk into this trailer. I swear next move we have I hope to have our own cargo trailer because the amount of bullshit that we were put through is just inexcusable. I guess that they gave our trailer to someone that did not want to wait for one, when there was a huge line-up to begin with (eye roll). 

Even though we got the trailer later than expected…we moved pretty fast. We had originally planned on moving in the following day leaving at like 3 in the morning to make it to Red Deer for 8 am. But Jesse decided to just move that following night since it really did not take long to move all of our stuff. So we drove all the way to Red Deer the following night. We were surprised because when we got there our landlord was home when he said he had to work so it was nice to finally meet him. 

But when I initially saw our place I was freaking out because I thought it was so tiny at first, so I was worried that everything wouldn't fit but we figured it out. I am so grateful for my mom though she really motivated me to unpack things and get our house sort of set up. We at least had our kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom set up by the time I started my job on Monday. 

But we took advice from our landlord and we tried this breakfast diner called Glenn's one day. They have a breakfast buffet which was so yummy. It was cute because they were all tea cup crazed out at this diner, they even had a little gift shop. It was at a good location too since it was on gasoline alley. 

Then I started work the following day and that is whole other story in itself. 

Working in the Garden of Eden...

DAY 1

While I am finished working at Shoppers and Jesse is just waiting for us to move to Red Deer. We have decided to do some day to day work. Jesse worked yesterday for this lady and I began to help out today. We were called to do some landscaping for her, guess that she is going to put her garden into a home and garden show at the end of the summer. She would normally do the work herself except that she had surgery that is not allowing her to do heavy lifting.  

To begin our day we were shovelling mulch into a wheel barrel to use in the pathway around the boxes of her garden. The mulch would then make the pathway through the garden..to be honest..I felt like the mulch didn't look that pretty in the garden I think a stone walking path would be better but if that works for her its great. Then I pulled up some garlic for her to make way for the mulch. I helped her weed her garden beds too, she told me that some weeds are actually better for you than some vegetables especially dandelion. 

But when I say this woman had plants everywhere..she literally did. She had the gardens in the boxes, she had them around the edge of her yard, in front of her gazebo, the front of her house. She had a greenhouse filled with probably hundreds of different flowers, even her house was filled with plants. She actually made an indoor garden that she can tend to all year around full with a waterfall and everything. I thought going to this job you are helping with a garden or so..I wasn't expecting that we would be tending to the 10 gardens that normal people have. She also had lots of animals too, she told us there was at least 4 skunks in her yard a few snakes and she had this parrot on the inside. Man did the parrot have sass too, it kept on looking on the owner throwing out its food then it said hello and then it went to the top of the cage and was screaming at the top of its lungs. It truly was deafening to the ears.

Greenhouse

DAY 2

Today we woke up at 5:30 am to go work at her place, because the way we saw it if we can beat the afternoon heat it would be better because it was just so hot the last day. But today we mostly weeded a portion of her garden, she didn't want anything to grow there and things did. Then we took out most of the dead stuff that was in the gardens around the fence and I put mulch back into the garden instead of the grass. But it was a struggle because I was in so much pain from the cramping in my back from shovelling the mulch from yesterday into the wheel barrel.

At the end of the day she invited us inside so she could pay us and I guess the parrot screaming meant that it just wanted to say hello. So she took him out for us and he got to say hello, she tried to get Jesse to hold him but the bird was too shy. Instead the bird just let him pet his head and when we were leaving the bird said bye bye as well. I thought it was a very cool parrot, loud, but cool.

DAY 3

We finished weeding the corner of the garden and we mulched the whole thing. We also began to clear the dead stuff out of the other beds as well. But one surprise that we got today, was we got to meet some of the critters that lived in her garden. For example, her SKUNKS and SNAKES. Was just enough to give Jesse and I a heart attack both. But I have to admit baby skunks are cute..even though deadly. 

Uncle Chris and Date at the Brick

Today Uncle chris came to visit. He was bringing down a computer for grandma. I guess he programmed it so that she would only need to touch a few buttons to get to where she needs to. He also helped to make sure that her tv only had one remote for the tv and for the on demand, which she needed. Later on we went for dinner at Ricki's, Jesse and I both had beef dip, but his was a philly and mine was made into a swiss. I really like the thought of having two different kinds as well. But I have to admit the bill was quite cheap, we were pleasantly surprised by that. 

Earlier that day though Jesse and I had a little date. We went to The Brick and we were window shopping for furniture. We didn't really see too much that we liked except for the massage chairs, the ones that have full on deep tissue massages. It was very nice having the massage especially since we were doing gardening all that morning as well. 

But thats what we did today! 

The trouble with Red Deer...

So these past few weeks has been a rollercoaster that was going to plunge straight into hell! It has been horrible! First off the prices in Red Deer are outrageous. You are paying 1000 dollars for a 1 bedroom apartment, which does not even include internet or electricity! Crazy right? or just plainly spoiled here in lethbridge? But anyways that is where our trouble began. 

The first trip to red deer we went to a place downtown and we just stood outside the place for a few minutes before saying no. For 775 dollars per month it got you a shotty looking place downtown Red Deer beside not even one but TWO strip joints, a bar and crack heads down the street. You might as well just see the needles in the storm drains it was so bad. I tried to convince myself that I could maybe stay there and live there. But even Jesse said no we couldn't, we didn't even see the place and we just said no.

The second time we went to Red Deer when we got there to see a place they already gave it away and still had the audacity to still show the place. It is kind of like saying "yeah so we gave it away...but we are going to dangle it infront of your faces anyways." Yeah. No Thanks. Then the other place we saw that day we viewed it, put in the application and never heard from the B*** again. So that was just great. 

Did I also mention more than half of the places were very specific in their listings! For example, no couples, only single person, full time working individual only. Like holy it is harder to find a place than work there, the application process is worse than a job! Never in my life would I think it would be this hard to find a place, especially since everything was in place except for finding an actual place. 

But finally when I was at work this past Saturday, Jesse and mom went to go view this basement suite and although it is 1000 dollars a month he says that everything in included in that price which works for me. I never got to see the place so it will be a surprise when we see it, but both Jesse and mom say that the guy is nice. All he really asks is for quiet and clean tenants which Jesse and I can be. But after all that strife we finally have a place and now I cannot wait for my life to begin in Red Deer. 

Working in endoscopy and living in my basement suite with Jesse!

Uncle Chris and Aunt Linda came to visit

Today my Aunt Linda and Uncle Chris came down to visit us to buy a car from grandma's friend Jane. They really needed another car since awhile back their van got written off from an accident, and their other cars windshield got busted when something fell on it in their garage. They currently only had a little sunfire beater and needed another vehicle...because especially I know how hard it can be to share only one car..let alone in Lethbridge but it probably would be even worse in Calgary! 

We really had a good visit for them too, they told us how the girls were doing and how the boys were doing too. She told us more about Lindsey and Ross and how they are doing in their new place. They congradulated me on getting a job in red deer (endoscopy unit) and for getting my drivers ed. It was nice knowing how much they support me in what we do. While they were there we had lunch at grandmas, she made spaghetti with homemade sauce. It tasted the same as it did when she used to make it for us as kids, it was bringing back memories for me. I always loved my grandmas cooking, whatever she makes its normally good if not better. We also had some salad, then later we went to a candy store for some Ice cream. 

The candy store that we went to is called Sweet Ideas and they live behind grandmas apartment building. It is cute because they have the old fashioned candy store ambiance about it and sort of a 50's dinner feel. They had like a raised Sundae bar, we had some ice cream there. I had pinacolada cheesecake, Jesse had bubblegum tutti frutti, mom had chocolate cherry, grandma had butter pecan and uncle Chris and aunt Linda had pistachio (Theirs was my favorite) 

Later on Uncle Chris gave both mom and I blessings. It was nice because Uncle Chris explained to Jesse about what a blessing is in the proper way, because I kept on trying to explain to him the purpose of them and why I wanted one. I hope he understood after he explained what it was to him though. But the blessing was exactly what I needed, it gave me clarity and made me feel comfort. 

 

But that was our visit. I truly love my Uncle and Aunt and am so glad that I am going to living somewhat close to them so that I can go visit them.