Things thus far.

To start things off, things here are insane. Even though most of the time I'm quite bored (it's been too cold to go outside much lol) it's been really busy. There's lots of stuff one has to do when getting ready for the real world.
I can't believe a full week has passed, but I've gotten SO much done and accomplished in that amount of time.

My trip from the very beginning!!
The 5 hour plane ride from Vallarta to Vancouver was BORING and long, and the people beside me were very nice and quiet.
Then when I got to the Vancouver airport I had to collect my bags and recheck them at the terminal, and then wait 2 hours for the plane to be de-iced (!!). You have to understand, this is a girl who hasn’t seen snow for over 7 years. This was a little bit... odd, to say the least.
The plane from Vancouver to Edmonton went by very quick, because it was only an hour and 5 minutes. The stewardesses were hilarious, and it felt nice to be able to stretch out a little bit (since I had a whole row of seats to myself). Honestly, I’ve never been more thankful for an empty row of seating in my life.
When I arrived in Edmonton, my grandparent were waiting for me (with a HUGE, thick coat), and we got all of my luggage out to the car (it was 1:30 am, by the way) and the FIRST thing I saw when I got out of the plane was an ice sculpture!! It was insane, since, like I said, I hadn't seen SNOW in almost 8 years.
Gross, right?! Right.
So we went home, and I slipped on black ice (the ice that's completely, 100% clear so you can't see it) and then I went to bed.
This was EARLY Friday morning. .
So (later) Friday morning I bundled up and headed into Edmonton with my grandparents. It was a whole 4C outside (mon deu, it was cold) and I got my social insurance number, my health care number (both in under an hour. I swear, I was in shock. In Vallarta, it would have taken HOURS or WEEKS. No joke. It's retarded. I don't want to talk about it.) and then we went shopping and I got socks and boots and jeans and more coats and leggings, and now I need snow pants.
I always feel like a marshmallow. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this.

On Saturday I unpacked most of the day, and a friend came up and we hung out for a while.
Then in the evening, my Uncle and his wife and their 2 kinds came over, and I played with them allll night (they're hilarious) and THEN, later in the night (around 10 pm) my Grandpa's Sister and her boyfriend came over and spent the night.
Oh, and all day it SNOWED like no other, and it was -18 in the morning. (still gross.)
So Sunday we really did nothing. I shoveled snow and Papa (my grandpa) kept pushing me into snow banks.
It was actually kind of fun. Since we're in the country, there's not really much to do out here, so I'm reading a ton and just working on my writing and knitting. I don't actually have as much time on the computer as I am used to, since my grandparents don't realllllly like me being on it all the time, though they never really say anything about it. They’re cool like that.

Monday, was a good day.
In the afternoon we went into town to go visit my great-grandfather, then we went to an Open House at the college that I'm going to, and it was pretty awesome. I learned a lot about the Culinary Arts course and how the best way would be to apply and all that jazz. It's FREAKING exciting! I LOVE the head Chef and how he is. He's like the old professional grandpa, the one who was in the army and didn't like the way they ran things but still has some of the discipline... or something.
It was COLD outside (-15C in the sunlight, feels like -25 in the shade) and every time we had to leave a building, my lungs told me that they hated me.
Tuesday, was just a total chill day. I went for a walk (when it was -11C outside....) and I swear, I almost died. Other than that, I just worked on getting settled.
On Wednesday I went to a second hand store, and Holy crap, I LOVE those things. I got the most adorable leather jacket (i love it) for 8 dollars, and a black denim coat for 8 dollars (it too is awesome) and some beautiful warm sweaters for 6 dollars apiece. That kind of store is freaking sweet because there is SO much vintage, and it's so cheap.
Oh man. SUCH a good day.
And Thurdsay.
OH Thursday.
On Sunday, my uncle and aunt left to go to Cuba for 10 days, and from Thursday until Monday my grandparents and I are babysitting the 2 kids (Z, 1, and G, 2.5). They're funny, but VERY high energy and a little bit spoiled.
It's going to be interesting.
G seems to have a little bit of a hair fetish, and since I have SO much hair, he absolutely loves my hair. I had it loose and I was lying on the floor and he came and started playing with it and even laying down in it!
It was kind of weird, not gonna lie, but it was cute.

And you know, things had been going well!
On Thursday we got there at Lunch, G and Z were nice and chill, and they went down for their nap and then down to bed later that night without problems.

On Friday, my Uncle on my father’s side came and picked me up at Noon, as we, along with my Aunt and their baby daughter (G, 2.5 years old) all went to go see a move. Tangled, to be exact.
You know, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard in a cartoon as I did in that movie.
And it was SO adorable, whenever the princess would start to cry, Baby G would start to cry too. But it wasn’t the annoying baby cry, it was just a heartbreaking little sniffle and whimper. I laughed at her too (and yes, it was a little calloused. Whatever.).
We then went to dinner, and at 5 pm they dropped me off at home.
Later that evening, my awesome Grandpa drove me all the way into Edmonton (about a half-hour drive from where we were) so I could go to a youth group. The best part of the evening was surprising a friend to the point of speechlessness. And let me assure you, this friend is very rarely quiet.
At one point we went out to deliver fliers in the FREEZING cold, and they all laughed at me because I was shivering, and they were trying to convince me that it was “warm out!”.
Lies.
Afterward we went back to the church and prepared the ingredients to make mini-pizzas, which was a lot of fun.
I think I’m going to enjoy that youth group!
One of the oddest things for me has been not having too many responsibilities. No kids’ church, no teaching youth group, no playing in Worship. And, for the moment at least, I can enjoy it. I do think, however, that after a while of this it’s going to get boring.
But who knows what’s in store, right?
Right.

Saturday, being yesterday, was a little bit (and by little bit, I mean a LOT) more of a challenge with the kids. They’re missing their parents, and we’ve disrupted their schedules a little too much. G wouldn’t go down for a nap and, as a consequence, was so overtired at bedtime that he didn’t go down without a little bit of a fight.
All day was devoted to them and making sure my grandparents didn’t go insane (I must give them credit, though. It’s been over 14 years since they last we really hands-on with their grandchildren, and they’re handling this like champs.) and then in the evening I spent a while talking to some amazing people and setting up this lovely blog.
Admittedly, it’s not done yet. But it’s coming along.

Today was a fantastic day.
I went to church somewhere that I’d never gone before and saw a whole bunch of people that I hadn’t seen in over 11 years.
I did remember them all, but they remembered me as a small child. Some of them even changed my diapers!!
All afternoon they shared stories of when they knew my parents while growing up, and being around them was a blast.
In other news, G and Z are pretty at the end of their ropes. Tonight was pretty rough, but they’re now both sleeping and I do hope it lasts throughout the night.
Their parents come home tomorrow afternoon and from there we’re FREE!!

This week is going to be pretty intense, I hope.
I’d like to move into my permanent home this week, and I have a couple of appointments with important people.
There’s STILL so much to do!
I need to talk to the Chef from the restaurant that I’m going to, finish my applications (I KNOW, I know, it’s getting really late. But I’m told there’s still a bit of time, so I’m not stressing as of yet) and get some legal papers from my Gramma (who is in Mexico), and a bunch of other stuff.

Keep me in your thoughts!! I’ll be needing it

Don’t Panic.