Have you ever tried to buy a parka in July?  It may come as a surprise to you, but apparently most stores don't sell such items at this time of year.  I have come to learn that July is not the best season to prepare yourself for -50C weather! 

These are some of the things I have bought this month:
Snow pants
Snow boots
Parka
Mittens
Base Layers
More base layers
Fleece jackets
Toques
Balaclava
Scarfs
Wool
More wool
Heating pads
Heated blankets

Thank god for online shopping!  My orders are slowly arriving and I am confident that I have enough clothing to keep me toasty warm! Which, consequently means that Crystal's prediction of me freezing to death within 2 hours will not become a reality. 

Have I mentioned the Rubbermaid bins?  So many Rubbermaid bins.  It seems that this is the best way to ship a years worth of everything to the middle of nowhere. 

I am currently buying everything I use in life in bulk.  I am stocking up for a year of no access to shopping (apart from an extremely expensive little Co-op. $10 for a loaf of wonder bread!  No thank you!).  Life is a constant shopping spree, which is a bizarre feeling after a few years of being a poor student and feeling like I can't spend at all.   It is rather freeing actually.

Planning for various sicknesses.  Cold medication, tummy medication, flu medication, vitamins... everything I can think of. 

Now, lets talk about FOOOD.  How much food can two girls eat? 3 shopping carts at Costco should be a good start.  Lots of soup and chili is in my future.

Life is funny these days, but I wouldn't want it any other way! I am looking ahead at this coming year with fear, anxiety, anticipation, excitement, enthusiasm, and a sense of adventure! 

Five weeks from today I will be boarding a plane and beginning my journey to Colville Lake, Northwest Territories. 

Rewind to April 2018. 

I was finishing up my final teaching practicum through Simon Fraser University and had started to seriously consider my employment options moving forward.  I wanted adventure, escape, and a fresh start.  With a hefty student loan to pay off I began to explore the possibility of teaching in the Yukon.  However, after much consideration I decided that I could not move to an isolated location UNLESS I had a friend who would join me.  I tried to sell the idea on every teacher friend I had, but no one was convinced.  Eventually I pulled the plug on moving North and started applying to jobs locally.  I was hired on with the Surrey School District and took a position at Lena Shaw Elementary School. 

Side Note: Can I just say how much I LOVED working with the staff and students at Lena Shaw! 

O.k., back to my journey North...

Fast forward a few weeks into my employment with Surrey Schools.

My dear friend, Jenn, invited me to join her for a day at the beach.  One nasty sunburn, and a conversation about my dream to teach up North, later and the two of us had completely changed the course of our coming years.  By the following afternoon we had both settled on the Northwest Territories as our desired location to move.  We reached out to a coordinator and expressed our desire to apply as a team.  Most schools in Northern communities only employ a handful of teachers and the chances of a school hiring more than one teacher was slim. But Jenn and I are determined people.  We do not shy away from a challenge and were very eager to share our enthusiasm for teaching with the North. 

The stars aligned and the perfect opportunity was made available.  While scrolling through postings we came across Colville Lake School and both immediately fell in love!  This posting checked all our boxes.  Not only were they hiring two teachers, they were also hiring for our desired grade levels.  With no hesitation, we applied.

The next day we received a call and an interview was scheduled.  We both interviewed on the following Tuesday and were offered the job that same night.  And just like that.  Everything changed.