What A Great Week

I am enjoying Christmas break up here  in Fort McMurray.  It is so true that this place does grow on you.  I love my friends up here.  The people of Fort McMurray are a tough breed.  They have to be.  This gives them a lot of character.

  Tracy is a wonderful person.   I met her in Fort McMurray when I lived up here.  She is so kind and giving of herself.  Her son Connor and my son Clayton went to preschool and kindergarten together.  Tracy was always very involved at the school and now she is an anchorwoman at Kaos 91.1 in Fort McMurray and also a school trustee for the Fort McMurray Catholic School Board.  She makes a difference in the spirit of Fort McMurray and I am so proud of her and admire her so much.  Fort McMurray has always had an undeserved bad reputation.  Tracy is the kind of person that doesn't like to see Fort McMurray get a bad rap and it's meeting people like her that makes you realize that there are wonderful people here and they make Fort McMurray so nice. 

Fort McMurray has a new sports centre that is very impressive.  They needed and deserved it for a long time!  Tracy and I took the boys to the pool there and had a good visit.  Clayton loves all the things there are to do here.  There is always snow to build forts and they have outstanding cross country skiing trails and snowshoe trails.  The buzz of snowmobiles are heard in the distance and the tubing hill and ski hill at Vista Ridge are awesome.  Rick, Clay and I went to look at Christmas lights the other night and saw some foxes and deer just hanging out in the residential areas.  The culture here is different, and you will notice it when you first arrive.  There are probably more men and pick up trucks in this city than anywhere in Canada.  There are no snow days here.  I do remember Clayton still going to school when the temperatures were at -45.  There is a very large maritime population here and they have such a nice, friendly disposition.  There is also a good number of scrapbookers here as it is perfect climate for lots of crafting.

Housing is very expensive here and we owned a home here for 5 years.  Unfortunately that home has tripled in price since we bought it in 2001.  Rick rents a basement suite here and it's nice to be able to come and stay when he is working shifts when Clayton is off school.  We moved to Okotoks in 2006 and though it is nice to be back home and close to the parents, we realize now that we should have stayed here and not sold our home.  Hindsight is 20/20.  It isn't the most ideal of situations, but we do what we have to do.  Maybe some day it will be possible for us to afford to come back here and live together as a family.  If not that, then for Rick to come home to the Calgary area and work.  I realize now that we have to make the best of our situation.