Happy Trails Nashville!

It’s official. Our stint in Nashville is coming to an end. We knew it had to happen some day. Our new home will be…drumroll, please…CANADA! Yes, we’re heading to Edmonton, Alberta (pictured below). Dayven has accepted a sales position covering all of Alberta and British Columbia. The irony of this is we raced out to Phoenix to visit Charlie & Marta one more time before they moved to Canada (afraid we may not see them for a while) and now we’re going to be about 4 hours south of them. At first I had mixed feelings about it - we LOVE Nashville and have made some great friends here and it is so accessible for family and friends, but we're excited for a new adventure too. Of course, it’s colder than a witch’s broomstick up there, so I’m really glad we kept all our warm woollies from Illinois so we can survive. Everyone tells us that Edmonton is a beautiful city so we’re anxious to check it out for ourselves. It’s a great opportunity for Dayven and the more time I’ve had to think about it, I’m looking forward to it, too. We’ll be getting all the benefits of an International move without having to leave the continent! Of course, down the road we may have the opportunity for more exotic locales, but for now, Canada will do. The only real downside I can see is the distance. For Dayven’s mom, Karen, it will be about the same travel time. United has a non-stop flight from Denver to Edmonton that takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes. My parents will have a little bit more of a trek ahead of them. They'll have a 3 hour flight to Minneapolis, then another 3 hour flight to Edmonton. We're hoping the distance won't really be a big deterrent and we'll be able to entice them with the promise of new adventures and a very sweet, snuggly little peanut.

Facts about Edmonton…
- It’s the capital of Alberta, with a population of about 1.4 million people, making it the 5th largest city in Canada.
- It is called the “City of Festivals” because they host over 30 festivals each year that celebrate food, music, culture, sports, theatre and art.
- During the summer, the sun rises around 4am and sets around 11pm! During the winter, it is only light from 8am to 4pm.
- In the Summer, the average high temps are in the 70’s and low 80’s. In the winter, highs are in the 20’s, lows in the single digits or below zero. brrrrr…..
- It’s just a 4 hour drive to the Canadian Rockies. Banff and Jasper are popular spots for skiing, snowmobiling and dog-sledding in the winter and hiking, whitewater rafting and horseback riding in the summer.
- It is home to the largest indoor mall in North America – with a giant water park, a man-made lake and sea caverns with a submarine ride, a skating rink, two mini-golf courses, 21 movie theatres, a Vegas-style casino and an amusement park with rides and attractions.
- They also have one of the world’s largest urban parklands, the River Valley, with a network of parks that house greenway trails, picnicking areas, playgrounds and cross country skiing.

Dayven is very excited about his new job. Although he'll have a large territory, we’re hoping he won’t have to travel quite as much as he does now. There is almost an overwhelming amount of things to do to get ready for the move. Wyatt needs a passport, we need residence and work visas, we have to find a place to live in Edmonton and we have to sell our house in Nashville. Of course, I'll be chronicling every step in the process on our blog!