By foot, by car, by bike, by plane....getting around Vancouver is interesting!

So one of my first experiences traveling around Vancouver was when Dwight and I moved out to BC. Driving from Ottawa across the country in January may our arrival in Vancouver feel like we were arriving in Hawaii. That being said the travel through the valley was uninspiring and rather busy.....lines and lines of traffic as far as the eye could see! And this was not even downtown....out thought was the one that usually crosses your mind...must be an accident? Maybe there is construction? Nope.....just the millions of people that live in and around Vancouver.This single fact, coupled with watching the news every morning and seeing the hours it took to get into town, has driven us to make the decision NOT to commute while we live in Vancouver.

Over the past three weeks I have settled into a travel routine....my total commute takes me about 10 mins, the interesting part....5 mins of it is spent in the parking garage! Really.....take a look at this video...the first week I actually took a wrong turn three times....! Our parking is deep underground at the Sheraton Wall Center....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpxIeFsJlfs

The walk down is even interesting....seem you have to have a pretty fancy car to be here! But I am happy with my little mini!

We recently took a little "get to know Vancouver" bike ride and I must admit as much as it was a beautiful ride it was one of the most dangerous I have ever done! And not because of what you think.....nope it was not the cars that were problem....it was the other cyclists....! Ok, Ok so we were on the scenic seawall....and it was a sunny Saturday....but OMG....these people just don't know how to ride a bike...from the tourists that have not been on a bike for 20 years so the this wobbles every time they move their head, to the families with the kids in pull wagons that decide to stop in the middle of the path, and the best.....the ones that when you say "on your left" they actually MOVE to the left! The best description we could come up with was...."it's more dangerous that riding with a pack of triathletes in their areobars! Needless to say it was not a training ride....but the views were spectacular and we did get to know the city.

Walking the city is wonderful.....on the weekend we park the car and walk ever where....as a matter of fact Dwight has not been in the car since he has come over.......everything is so close and even when you do walk a little further its ok because there is so much going on.....on Canada we had a fantastic time walking the city and taking in all of the events, music food.....fun....even the relight of the Olympic flame! But this time with no fences!
Another walking experience I had was a couple of weeks ago....it is really nice to be close to so much...and one of the things we are close to is Robson street. So it seems that when I need a little bit of a break from working and working out this is where I tend to go for a walk.....which inevitably ends up with me shopping! This night however I was headed to a specific store, Guess by Marciano...but when I approached the store I found two rather large men in black suites guarding the entrance and a cute little girl in a little clack dress. Odd I thought....is there someone famous in there and we are not allowed in? So I asked....the answer from my little black dress was ...well its a invitation only fund raising event...so I mentioned....well I am a Marciano member (signed up in Las Vegas!) so she immediately said...of course please go in!

Too fun....I had two glasses of Champagne, appy's, shopped in one of my favorite stores, mingled with beautiful people....and even got 20% off my purchase......and an amazing goodies bag! Inside; a $20 gift card, a full size MAC eye shadow and lipstick, a note book and an invitation to come back again!

Another recent travel that took place for me was my trip back to Victoria last week...I hopped on the Harbor air float plane and was treated to a wonderful flight.....I hope to take it again very soon...........

I have been enjoying Vancouver, the sights, sounds and the experiences. Its a big city and very different than being in Victoria. We are beginning our search for a condo...I think we have decided on Yaletown/Coal Harbour.....each spot has its beauty....and the best part is that there will be no commuting!


Talk soon................

Life in the city

So this week has been interesting........I started a new job last week after being off for just over a year, and I have not exactly been keeping up the old professional banking skills! Don't think I have been completely docile during my entire downtime.....I did some pretty progressive landscaping, got addicted to hot yoga, went to the gym a few times a week...and usually included a couple of lunch dates so I could remember how to have conversations with other people. But a work lifestyle it was not.........and that was welcoming. As a good friend of mine told me; once you start forgetting what day of the week it is you know you have finally settled into a life of relaxing.....that did happen....and I was relaxed.

Last week.........not so much!

I suppose I should expect a little stress...I am in a new city, a new apartment (a VRBO so none of my own stuff)  a new job, and I am alone.....Dwight does not join me until the end of the month. All of these experiences made me think "What is it about our need for routine in our lives, and once we get it we want it to change?"

My first day at work was filled with what, where, when and how is expected of me. Of course, the first thing you try to establish is sense of belonging, and there is no better way to do that then to set up your work area and establish a routine.  Even if its getting a coffee at a certain time of the day, by having something you can expect its can bring you a sense of calm. The building is certainly interesting......rather like Fort Knox, the reason why? Well there are about 350 people that work there and a large part of them handle a lot of cash....not the ones that report to me however even out material is pretty sensitive.....so its best not to know whats happening in the building...the best way to do that....make it a rather boring building....and that it is......on the outside.

There is so much happening right now all I can think of is.......take every moment as a new experience and be happy that I get to have them before they become routine. We often forget that life is just a series of moments, those moments turn into experiences and those experiences become our lives..........when our life becomes routine it just means that we need to branch out and find new experiences.........and from the looks of this town.....that wont be hard to do!!!

I travel back to Victoria this weekend to complete the final details of selling our house and all of the moving stuff......I am looking forward to seeing my friends. Of everything that has changed that is the one this that I do regret.....there is noting more important than the people you surround yourself with and unfortunately they will now be much further away..........I hope that I can be one of their experiences on a regular basis and we don't loose touch, good people are hard to find...........good friends are even harder.

No pictures on this one......but there will be next time..........promise..........


Till next time...........

Welcome...you to my new blog, and me to my new city!

Thanks for coming back...and making the effort to follow my blog posts...I know it can be a pain when people change sites..new bookmarks etc etc, I really do appreciate it! 

So how is Vancouver....well so far so good.  We checked into the Sheraton Wall Center residential north tower yesterday afternoon. We have rented a very tiny one bedroom condo until we find our own condo.....what it lacks in size it makes up in views.......check these out!

I think this place will work out just fine.......

As I type I cant stop thinking about this new job of mine....a Director or Global Retail operations.........big title but really its not that big of a deal! Basically its running two centers that support all of the credit functions for Western Canada, one here and one in Calgary. I am actually looking forward to working again, really I am.....I have never been good at being idle however I have enjoyed the last year off...its taught me a lot. Spending time alone allows you to ponder what drives you and what drives you crazy! I found that I just don't need to be busy, but I need to be challenged....something I hope this new role will do. Based on my nervousness I am guessing it will......! I am fascinated by my anxiousness....its been over a year since I have been in the professional world and I am not sure I remember how to do it...not to mention I don't know if  I am going to fit into my suits!

The next few weeks will unfold quickly.......the house in Victoria closes at the end of June so I will be back in town for that, starting a new job always taxes you, looking for a new home......which will be very different than the one we had.....and all in all trying to stay sane! That usually means that there will be a good bottle of wine, or two, consumed in the process and I will definitely share the details of with you........

I hope you will tune in often to see how things are going........

Talk soon