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We had landed at 1pm and by 4 we were viewing the first house. Our realtor was great. He was able to schedule us to see all the homes we had wanted to in one evening. This allowed us to be able to put an offer in on a house the next afternoon. We basically narrowed it down to 3 homes that we loved. The first one didn’t work out because of some water damage/issues we had noticed in the basement. We really did love the house and yard, but because of the time constraints it wasn’t something that we could even explore regarding damage, cost of repairs, negotiating with sellers, etc. The second house we almost put an offer in until we realized that there were a few issues with the neighborhood that we weren’t willing to live with. The third house ended up having another offer in, but in the end they liked ours better and we got the house. We are very excited about it. The yard is smaller than what we hoped, but there is a huge park and green space behind our home. It will be perfect to take Cisco out to walk around in and it’s nice knowing we won’t have any back neighbors. The house is only 7 years old. So we don’t need to do much work right away. There are definitely things we would like to change, but we can do that in the years to come. We ended up with a very short possession date. We will be moved before the month is through. I still can’t believe this is all happening, and so fast at that! It is going to be an exciting new adventure. I am going to be sad to say good-bye to this community. We are definitely going to miss the amazing friends we’ve made during our time here. I know we will see them again, it just won’t be as often as we do now.

I also have other sad news. Since we won’t be living in the Great White North for much longer, this blog won’t really be pertinent anymore. We have created a new blog that will follow our lives as we move back into civilization. Unfortunately, due to some issues we’ve had, we have decided to make this blog a little more private. We still invite you to follow along with us if you’d like. The difference between that blog and this one, is you will have to register in order to read it. To register for our new blog, check it out here.

I’m hoping we will have a few more great experiences up here before our time comes to an end. So don’t give up on us quite yet!

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This past week Etienne went to the school to play badminton with a couple of the teachers and his boss.

Etienne used to play a lot in high school and college. It’s been years since he’s played and he really enjoyed it. One of the teachers is really good, so they were able to play a competitive game. It seemed like everyone had a good time.

Even a couple of students showed up to participate in the fun

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The most surprising was the other day when he brought home prosciutto and Provolone cheese! Who would have thought we’d ever see products like that up here. However, It still doesn’t solve our problem with fresh produce. I’ve been sad lately with the lack of fruit in town, until yesterday. Etienne brought home a watermelon. It wasn’t the watermelon that surprised me, it was what he said that did.

Etienne: Guess what I bought today?

Me: (Since I could see through the bag) a watermelon?

Etienne: Yup, and guess how much it was?

Me: $30?

Etienne: no, it was only $15!!

Yes, that’s right, he paid fifteen dollars for a watermelon!! I can’t believe that he was happy that he only spent $15 on a 2kg piece of fruit. It’s amazing what living in the North will do to your perceptions of pricing.

We cut it up today and ate some. I do have to admit that it was pretty good. I don’t know if it tasted like a $15 watermelon, but it was sweet and juicy none the less.

The Proof....

What makes this even more entertaining is what it says underneath the price! Neither of us noticed it until I had uploaded the picture into the post. Did you notice the “Nutrition North” comment?? I had a really good laugh when I read it!!

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It doesn’t feel like we’ve been here almost 2 years already! Where the did the time go? I can honestly say that I’m not 100% ready to leave yet. We are heading south to look for a home at the end of April. The actual move day will depend on our possession date. This is going to be a big change for us. We’re used to living in small communities, and now we’re moving to an area about 30 minutes from big city Ontario! I’m am going to miss a lot of things from here. First and foremost the friendships we’ve made. This is the one thing I hate about moving; moving away from amazing friends you’ve made. I know that Cisco is going to miss her buddy as well. I will also miss the ability to drive for less than 10 minutes and be so far away from everything and everyone. I’ve had some amazing experiences up here and will be sad not to be able to do them again (kayaking, ice fishing, spending time “on the land”, snowmachine rides, etc). On the other hand, there are things I’m looking forward to. Going to a grocery store and being able to buy fresh produce. Having that produce last longer than 2 days because it hasn’t been exposed to extreme temperatures. Being able to actually touch and look at something before I buy it, as opposed to seeing it on my computer screen and hoping that it’s what I want, the right size, etc. I’m also looking forward to being able to eat out if I don’t feel like making supper. I’m sure there are many more things I will miss and am looking forward to, I just can’t think of them right now.

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If you remember from this post, our fridge was fully stocked a week ago.

So it’s been a week since our last foodmail order. We are officially out of most of the produce we bought. So yesterday we went to the store to restock our supply. Well, I can’t say that I’m completely surprised at what we found:

The Northern Store was closed because there was no staff.

The Co-Op had minimal produce and out of what was there, I bought 2 tomatoes and a carton of strawberries. That’s it!! They did have blueberries, bananas and kiwi, however, they were already spoiled. The blueberries were shriveled into tiny little pebbles, the kiwi were in a box and the box was wet from the rotting fruit, the bananas were bruised and discolored from the exposure to temperature changes. So I guess we’ll have to try the Northern Store today (if it’s open) and see if we can find a little more produce. I know that I’ve had to lower my expectations up here, but come on, not being able to buy some lettuce (heck, I don’t even care what kind it is at this point), bell peppers, fruit that isn’t past it’s expiry date, isn’t asking too much is it?? I guess we’re going to have to use the frozen and canned fruit and vegetables for a while.

Oh the joys of northern living! It’s a good thing there are so many things I love up here, that the fresh produce issue really isn’t that bad. I just like to vent from time to time. So thanks for listening!

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Today Etienne showed me this article he read from the Globe and Mail. I had a chance to read through it today. It is a really long article, but definitely worth the read.

It’s about the History of Nunavut and an explanation of why the territory is plagued with social and economical issues. There really isn’t a lot of finger pointing or someone trying to save the world in it. It is more information of what the journalist found while traveling through the territory interviewing different ranks within society.

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Yesterday we decided to take Cisco and her buddy Siku for a run with the snowmachine out to Fox Trap Island. It was a little cooler than the past week or so, but it was still nice to be able to get out for a bit. I think the dogs were thankful to get out and stretch their legs. I think we should have ran them a little more. They were leading us all the way home….They still had an amazing amount of energy.  It is just a km or so from town out on the sea ice. We drove out there, walked around a took a few pictures.

Just hanging out...

One of the many Inukshuks on the Island

The dogs playing and checking out the "sights"

Wait...I think they were having a stand off....Who's going to pounce first?

What a beautiful day

Etienne having fun with the camera.....

Walking around...You can see town in the background

Taking a quick break

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This past weekend Chester hosted the Women’s Young at Heart Hockey Tournament.

There were five teams competing; Chester, Repulse Bay, Coral Harbour, Gjoa Haven and Cambridge Bay. We headed down to the arena on Friday to watch Chester vs. Repulse, the first came of the tournament. The teams played Friday evening, Saturday and then the finals were on Sunday. The winners were:

1. Repulse Bay

2. Gjoa Haven

3. Coral Harbour

4. Chesterfield Inlet

5. Cambridge Bay

It sounds like everyone had a good time. I noticed a few of the players were sporting some impressive bruises at work Monday morning. Everyone was still walking and smiling, so things must have gone well.

Repulse Team entering the ice

Chester Team - Pregame stretching/warm-up

Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremony

The Mayor giving the Opening Ceremony Speech

Last pep talk before the game

Getting ready to start

Face-off!

Go Ana!

Score....BOO!!

A few seconds before Chester scored! YAAAA!!!!

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However, 5 years later, she is still the same. I’m not sure if it’s that she’s a picky eater or just messy. What she does is, grabs a mouthful of food, dumps it on the floor and then picks through the pieces she wants to eat. I don’t understand?? All the food came from the same bag of dog food. However, to her, they must smell/taste different. When she’s done eating there is always a pile of food on the floor. The only time she will eat this is if her food dish is empty and she’s still hungry.

This is what we see everyday!!

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