Are you sure its not Christmas?

Is it Christmas time again? I could've been fooled if I wouldn't have known better! It definatley is a winter wonderland here in Ft. McMurray with temps dropping down to -15 F and the town covered in a blanket of white glissening snow. Aniela has finally worn a coat for the first time and is adjusting well to the cold air. Although when she steps outside she does take a long gasp and holds her breath as if the wind was knocked out of her. We stopped by our future house and I was surprised at how tall the snow banks are. Put it this way, I could barely see the top of parked cars!!! Everyone says this year was pretty bad for snowfall...hopefully it has all melted away by the time we move up. As for the house, we are so excited about the space. No more stuffing things under beds and filling every closet to the brim!! The finished basement will be a great addition with 2 full bedrooms and seperate bath, perfect for family and friends who are able to come up and visit.

As for the rumors that theres not much up here..well in a way its true... but from what we can tell it's really a nice town. Every person has been so nice to us and has taken the time to smile, say hi, and make small talk. It does have a small town feel and it's definatley a mining town but nothing like the picture I had painted in my head from the negative feedback of others. Hey they have a Wal-Mart so it cant be that small..eh!! We are staying in the main town area which is only about 10 minutes away from where we will be living. The drive to our house is beautiful with tall evergreens and white birch trees along the main road. It felt like we were in the mountains except theres no mountains in sight. I was really suprised at how hilly the area is. I expected flat land but as we came in from the airport my ears actually popped driving into town. While in Canada Charlies parents suggested that we had to try Tim Hortons and stop by Canadian Tire.

Tim Hortons or as the Canadians say "Timmy's" is definatley a staple here in "Ft. Mac". I can see why... I had there "cinnomon bun hot smoothie". Yes..it is as good as it sounds and hits the spot in this cold weather. Timmy's is like a Panera but has more of a fast food resteraunt feel to it. Unfortunatley its always packed!!! I think we will just have to invest in a new coffee machine.
Next we went to Canadian Tire which was right next to Wal-Mart. They pretty much have everything from tires to kitchen utensils, even a section of clothes. Similar to Wal-Mart. Overall I think we'll survive just fine. And theres always the trips into Edmonton which we just found out has a COSTCO. I thought for sure I would have to go through withdrawl!
Tomorrow were off to Edmonton to see the town and get together with Charlies boss and the CAT dealer. Hopefully we get a chance to stop by and shop a little at the mall there...which I hear is the largest mall in North America!