August 22, 2009

So Far

So far we have been busy. Basically, all WORK, and no PLAY. Well, maybe a little bit of play...
Last weekend we went out to this Sand Castle Competition at the beach with some of the other Dental Families. Can I just tell you what an ENORMOUS BLESSING it is to have instant FRIENDSHIP and a SUPPORT SYSTEM from the other families here. I know that it is a tender mercy from above! Our BOB jogging stroller got it's big debut at the beach. It tore it up in the sand, and I was glad to have it so Miley could sit next to her new friend Sam. Kids get a lot of attention out here. It must be because they are not everywhere you turn around like they are in Utah So, everywhere we went on the beach these sweet little Asian women would stop in front of us and say "OH! So BEAUTIFUL!!" Yeah, I see what you mean, 'Beautiful'...

Miley looks like she is trying to choke herself. She's a novelty here anyway.

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We have been burning the candle at both ends lately trying to get the house in order before Justin starts school. He has been refinishing furniture, painting walls, hanging decorations, selling furniture, and maintaining our yard, all while driving all over Halifax trying to get things figured out for school.

We are loving life so far in Nova Scotia, but there have been a few things that have taken some getting used to...

  • We've traded the most annoying Utah Magpies in the world for Some Crazy Crows who can tear up garbage like it's no body's business.
  • Speaking of garbage, everywhere we go there are about 4 different garbage containers. Recycling, organics, dirty garbage, and paper. At our home it's the same. The garbage picks up every two weeks and you can only have six bags of garbage per household. So, we divide our food waste into a compost, recycle just about everything else except for dirty garbage such as diapers, and then there are specific rules on how we dispose of paper and cardboard. It's all VERY GOOD, just DIFFERENT. At first I could not eat a yogurt, or feed Miley without having to stop and think things through about where I was going to dispose of the cartons when I was done. I've learned a lot in a short period of time about being less wasteful.
  • We've traded a DRY climate in for HUMIDITY-which is still taking some getting used to. Our neighbors lent us a 'dehumidifier'-I never knew those existed.
  • And we've traded the ROCKY MOUNTAINS for the ATLANTIC OCEAN. The scenery is gorgeous here, but we can't seem to find our sense of direction.
  • We are also first timers to Tropical Storms and Hurricanes. I guess we will be introduced when the first hurricane of the season, Bill, pays us a visit this weekend.

We are slowly but surely learning how to familiarize ourselves with this 'foreign' country. Here are a few pictures of some of the places near by...

Enjoy!

14 comments:

Henderson said...

What a fun adventure!! Where you live is so beautiful, how exciting. Good luck with school and the house and all the new opportunities.

Kristin said...

That is different. I bet you come back wanting to recycle! You live in such a beautiful place. I'm so glad you have that support group!

JO said...

we are so happy to have you here in Halifax!

Anonymous said...

Looks like you guys have been having fun! Hopefully will be able to catch up with you guys soon! Would love to have you over!

Briar said...

Oh my goodness! you are making want to move to Nova Scotia. Looks like Heaven to me.

Kara said...

How exciting! I bet it's so nice to have instant friend!! It looks beautiful there!! Good luck with everything, what a neat experience for you guys!

Shayla and James said...

What a quaint little town that you have moved too. I am so glad you have been making some new friends and could enjoy the sand castle competition. Your pictures captivate the simplistic beauty that is now surrounding you. I enjoyed the pictures.

Laura Barrett said...

glad you're settling in well, and making new friends, i knew you wouldn't have a problem. it's so beautiful! thanks for sharing the pics:)

Ariel said...

It looks beautiful there. It is so nice to have an instant network of friends. I know they will become some of your very best friends. I am glad everything went smoothly with the move.

big MAK said...

Wow! We decided we are going to skip France and move to Nova Scotia! hehe It is so beautiful and your house makes me want to live there ;) it is so cute! We are glad everything is coming into place for you guys! Good luck Justin with school. Jason and his wife came and told us they are now in our ward!! We are excited to still have a Madsen here. Great people! Best of luck!

ARLdoubleE said...

Yay for blogging! I am so excited we have this so we can still see what's going on in your exciting life! Sorry I missed your call the other day...I was so disappointed when I listened to the meassage and heard it was you. I was like...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, and then I treied calling 0012345678 back, and of course No Jess on the other end! I am going to set up a skype account and maybe we can chat sometime. Good to see that you guys are enjoying yourselves. I want to come visit you! Miss you!

The Full Nelson said...

glad you've enjoyed yourself here so far. Looks like you're getting in lots of the scenery

The Lotts said...

Wow Jess! I love it. Can I come over?!

mrs. farlanderz said...

We are happy that you are getting settled in. We have been so recluse this last month, doing some settling of our own. We are excited to get to know you and your family better over the coming years. Tell Justin not to stress out too much over school (if he is). It all works out. Helene and I have had such a good experience so far. It was hard saying good bye to the exiting students which makes welcoming some new family members all the more sweet.
The Farlands.