New Car!

Well, the day has finally arrived and I am a new car owner!  I decided to bite the bullet and shell out (aka go into more debt) for a brand new Dodge Grand Caravan.  Yes, I am the proud owner of a... minivan.  Not quite the dude-magnet car I had always thought I would own but hey!  I shopped around for some time (as you know) and settled on my beautiful white van with optimal storage capacity, back row Stow-N-Go, removable middle bench and *gasp* POWER LOCKS AND WINDOWS! Not that these particular perks are a must but after years of having to remind my passengers to push down the lock to secure my vehicle, being able to "beep beep" my locks into place is quite a novelty!  Not quite a novelty however is filling up the gas tank.  I actually cried a little as my hand started to cramp from holding the gas nozzle for so long. 

Now, I have received a lot of teasing about my choice of ride, particularly about the fact that most single females don't opt for such an obvious family vehicle, but I am all about function and practicality baby.  This van will allow me to take as much stuff up with me to Wemindji as I can fit and not have to rely on the sometimes iffy Canada Post service for shipping my goods.  For this, I am happy.  This car is also brand-spankin' new so I hope that I will get to spend some time with it before major repair costs come into play.  This van is comfy, safe and came with the Quebec legally-required winter tires!  What more could a girl ask for. 

Anyways, other than that milestone I have had - as usual - a pretty busy week.  I visited Dollarama today with Monika where we stocked up on "prizes" aka bribes for good behaviour, odds and ends and supplies you can't get up north (who am I kidding, that's everything).

I have visited IKEA twice since getting my van last Friday and made use of my optimal cargo storage as well grabbed a few things from my storage locker to bring back with me (mainly unread books and decor. Now that I have a bigger home I need to fill it obviously).

The last stop on my shopping list is Costco and I may wait until the last minute to do that since I need to buy some fresh stuff and want it to last.  I am trying hard to stick to my budget but I am notoriously bad with money (hence working in the North to pay the bills!) and it has been difficult!!  Perhaps knowing that I won't be able to shop for 4.5 months inspires the shopaholic deep within.

On Friday after picking up the new wheels Carmen and I set into motion the surprise birthday plans that had been in the works for Monika's birthday!  We had been so sneaky with Monika's best friend and sister for WEEKS, it was killing me to not spill the beans accidentally.  We shopped at IKEA, went to dinner at The Three Brewers where Monika's friend and sister arrived to surprise Monika!  Then we took Monika to a Jay's game (I drove in that crazy rainstorm, and EVEN BACKED INTO AN UNDERGROUND PARKING SPACE - I know, insane) where we sat and judged the baseball players based on looks.  Okay, maybe I was the only one doing that since I had no idea what was going on, but it was fun nonetheless!

Since then I have been bowling with old friends, lunching, brunching and breakfasting, all while trying to squeeze in a nap here and there (nap count on vacation: 1)

Another exciting piece of news:  I have been honored with the position of Maid of Honor at my dear friend Katherine's upcoming nuptials! I knew I was going to be a bridesmaid but was totally surprised at being asked to be M.O.H at the engagement party last weekend!! Totally touched and very excited.  I can't wait to start planning all the fun events and being helpful to my friend as she plans her big day!

Anyways, I hate to say it but the countdown is back on, I will be returning to Wemindji on August 10th so it is social, family and shopping crunch time.  Still, I have a couple more weeks to enjoy this lovely (read: awful hot) weather with friends and family, I am a lucky girl!

My baby.

Game!  Sitting so close to the... goal net?  HA

Co-conspirators Sandra and Raquel - guess which one is related to Monika

Apparently I need to do some sun work on my face...

What is going on? No idea?

Juuuust take pictures to fill the time!

Buns!

I cannot turn this pic around!! Ah!! Delicious cake.

The happy couple Katherine and Mike

EEEE!

Ultimate seating capacity.

So pretty. 

Oh by the way, CONGRATULATIONS ROYAL COUPLE.  I lost all the bets on name, weight and gender but I am still overjoyed at the royal birth.

Obligatory Bobo picture.

Pooped after a long day of barking AT EVERYTHING.

Bowling! Where I lost every single game, bruised my hand and finger, chipped or broke each finger nail, pulled a muscle in both my neck AND butt.  So.. much.. fun...

Sweet Summer

I feel this post will be a little short as I haven't done much over the past week.  That is completely okay with me by the way!  My goal this summer was to DO NOTHING.  Besides the odd day trip or hang out with friends here and there, I really wanted to relax, catch up on my reading, TV shows and most important of all - SLEEP.  Slowly, this has been successful!  I started watching Vikings, amazing!  I am finishing the Hunger Games Trilogy and I am averaging about 8-10 hours of sleep a night.  Life is good! 

I am seeing family, friends and a lot of the open road for some reason.  I have done more travelling since I got home than I have in a whole year in Wemindji, and that is saying a lot. 

After taking in the '97 Tercel for more intense repairs, I am SERIOUSLY in the market for a newer car.  While I maintain that this car has been a life saver on more than one occasion, made it possible for me to complete teacher's college with my sanity 90% intact and travel to a foreign land to begin my career, it was not meant for such adventure.  I received this car from my generous Grandfather with 74km on it, a well taken care of vehicle with no major issues.  The odometer now stands with a staggering 124km, I can't believe I put 50km on it in 2 years! That's a lot of sitting.  And a lot of gas oy vey!  So stay tuned this week, we may be seeing me rolling around in something a little better suited for my northern needs.  Fingers crossed!

On another note, I spent an amazing few days at a friend Shelby's cottage with the Wemindji girls Brandi, Carmen and Monika.  Knowing that we will be saturated with the company of each other for a year in just a few short weeks doesn't seem to deter the need to hang out still!! Shelby's cottage was beautiful and rustic and I managed to get severely burned which is all my fault of course.  We went water sporting (I and Monika sat on the front of the boat and lounged while others risked their lives for the rush of adrenaline).  We were there during the big storm that hit Toronto and only really got some intense rain but it kept cutting out The Bachelorette so I feel your pain Torontonians :P

Otherwise I have been putting off reorganizing my lesson plan binders and planning the first few weeks (especially since I left my GVC binders at school so I can't remember what I am supposed to have ready for the first week of school, awesome - late nights are coming my way in August!) doing some light shopping here and there for supplies for the next 5 months and researching vans to possibly buy this summer!

4 more weeks and I am home (Wemindji) and a new adventure begins all over again!  But I'll stop counting down now :P

Katherine and I - in a nutshell <3

Bridesmaids shot!

My future dog.

Little snapping friend!

Brandi risking her life.

Model Monika - HAPPY BIRTHDAY ON MONDAY MONIKA!!!!

Catching some rays through deceiving storm clouds...

Carmen risking her life.

Me pretending to drive the boat.

Home and Gone Again!

Ah! It has been a busy couple of weeks since I made the long trip home from Wemindji, Quebec to Oakville, Ontario.  Lots has happened too!

Lets see, first: tons of scary forest fires have popped up around the Cree Nation in Northern Quebec.  They started near Eastmain, prompting an emergency evacuation.  Lightening struck and 5 fires began burning within a 45km radius of Wemindji this past week, putting fear into the hearts of residents both in town and away.  With all my lemon juice stored in my pantry, I wondered if it might act as an accelerant and blow my place up!  We'll see. As for now, the residents of Wemindji have only been advised to stay alert and keep emergency supplies handy but I don't expect the town to burst into flames based on what I am hearing so that is good news!  381 (the last stop gas station for 381 KM until Matagami) almost bit the dust with a few of the out buildings burned down, but the restaurant, bathrooms and gas pumps remained unscathed! Thank goodness!

After arriving back to Oakville after the long 2-day drove from Wemindji I was thoroughly pooped.  I am not sure if it was the hours of intense driving, just finishing my first year of intense teaching, or a mix of the two, but I was - and still am exhausted.  Not long after arriving home, I took off on another road trip adventure across Massachusetts with my mom.  We hit up Salem, Boston and Provincetown in 5 days.  Well, actually 2 of those days were spent driving there and back but we managed to squeeze in quite a lot of sight seeing, touristy things and shopping before heading back!  My only regret was not making a pit stop at Duty Free :|

After arriving in Salem later Monday evening, we had a really nice dinner in town and stayed at a old hotel in the heart of the town.  The next day we took a trolley ride around town, saw the Salem Witch Museum, the Witch House and did various other witchy things.  It was really cool and very spooky. 

The next day was Boston for about 2 days.  Let me tell you something.  Driving in Boston is for people with nothing to fear, nothing to loose and quite possibly a lower-than-average IQ. I will NEVER EVER DRIVE IN BOSTON AGAIN.  Couldn't pay me enough to do it.  I can't even begin to describe the horror that is Boston traffic.  Imagine this: 10 lane roads (on a bridge no less), very faded or non-existent lines on merging lanes or just lanes in general, freaky 3 or 5 way intersections with no discernible paths for crossing, and for those intersections, 5647894 traffic lights pointed in every single direction (even skywards I swear).  Can I turn right on a red in Mass?  I have no idea, depending on my mood I made up my own rules which is what I think all Boston drivers have decided to do.  No one signals, no one lets you in and no one courtesy waves!!!

Anyways, after finagling my way through Boston traffic (on the 4th of July to add salt to the wound!) my mom and I managed to see some pretty awesome buildings on a trolley tour, walk up Beacon Hill for some dinner, tour the Harvard University campus, take a boat tour of the Charles River, shop and eat at Quincy Market and lots of other fun things.

On the 4th my mom and I drove the coast to Provincetown.  It was a hot, sunny day and the town was PACKED. The shopping was great though and I made it my goal to only eat lobster that day.  I made it to lunch before tapping out, Lobster Eggs Benedict for brekky, Lobster Sliders for lunch.  I decided to switch to the slightly lighter fare of Shrimp Scampi for dinner, at least sticking with the seafood theme.  The beach in Provincetown was surprisingly not packed and we relaxed for a short time there.  Fireworks went off promptly at 9pm and they were awesome! Massachusetts really cools down when the sun sets so at least there was some relief from the intense 30 degree+ heat we experienced all week.  It was quite an adjustment from the cooler, no-humidity "summer" I have been experiencing in Wemindji so that was interesting.  I hate the heat, lemme just put that out there.  Obviously I was not born for heat and sunlight so this only makes sense. 

The drive home was long but much more direct.  My mom and I listened to ghost story podcasts I downloaded on my phone for the trip which was pretty entertaining and spooky!

Currently I am struggling with the decision to buy a new/used car.  While my trusty '97 Tercel has been so good to me, I have not been so kind in return.  These 1500+km journeys a few times a year have upped the maintenance costs considerably and while I am loyal and committed to this relationship, I need more.  More space, more reliability, just more! Its not you Green Machine, its me.  Now if anyone knows me well, they know that I am perpetually low on cash so buying a used van or something like it is pretty much not in the cards.  What I am looking at it getting some kind of reasonable financing from a reputable source and obtaining a vehicle that way.  I have never bought a car before, know nothing about cars, buying them, or hassling with a dealership for the best deal so I am pretty much a sucker in that sense.  I have received some good advice from Carmen, a recent car buyer for a new vehicle for up North, and done a little research into the type of vehicle that would best suit my needs.  Reading consumer reviews and shopping around has lead me to seek out the Dodge Grand Caravan.  It is good on gas, has TONS of cargo space and frankly looks like it might be a little better suited for long-distance travel than my poor little 2-door sedan.  Anyways, with my debt load I am not even sure I can get approved for a new car so this could all be just a dream.  I'll keep you posted.

So now I am home and getting ready to leave again for a nice couple of says at a friend's cottage where I can relax and watch other people risk their lives on water crafts doing dangerous things in dangerous open bodies of water.  I will be nicely curled up at a safe distance with some kind of beverage and perhaps paint my toenails.  This is how I relax at a cottage.  None of this "roughing it" stuff for me.  I was instructed to bring a sleeping bag however which sent chills down my spine.
'

BUGSSS

So many bugs.  At one point I thought it was raining but no.  The droplets smacking my window were merely the bodies of thousands of bugs being hit all at once. 

Delightful treat left for us at the Amosphere Hotel!

Our drive was made considerably slower this time due to being stuck behind 2 of these things for hours and everyone on the planet driving 80km/hr

Carmen ran out of wiper fluid... HAHAHAHA

A nice treat after a long drive.

My total KM for the drive home.

At the boarder!

Not only did I have to drive in downtown Boston, but for a large portion of that drive I was stuck behind an ONION TRUCK.

Obligatory bathroom shot of the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem

Cute hotel room

Spooky hallway.  I just imagined some child riding their tricycle up and down the halls screeching "REDRUM"

In the stocks!

Hawthorne Hotel

Spooky dining hall

Spooky lobby

Yeaaaaahhh!

This flag was the size of a house, no lie. Ever patriotic.

The only physical original treasure the city of Salem has that is tied to the Salem Witch Trials. 

A brave bookstore display

Well, I love hotel freebies.  This is something I am not ashamed of!  Imagine my utter GLEE when the hotel concierge in Boston told me that there was a closet full of complementary freebies (accessible by the guests) should we need anything extra.  Lets just say I took liberties with that closet.

Boston in the evening

Quincy Market

The USS Constitution.  Never before in my life have I had to walk through METAL DETECTORS to go to a museum before but that's the United States for ya...

An old prison now a hotel.  Cool!

The Crimson offices - the Harvard Newspaper

Entrance to Harvard residence halls.

The Harvard Lampoon - comedic newpaper

Harvard Library

Provincetown

Beach at Provincetown

The oceaaaan

Happy 4th of July!

A picture hung in my hotel room in Yarmouth.  Hi there...

World's Smallest Closet

Quaint.