Helpful shipping websites if you live in Nunavut

It's been a while, but we've been busy. We've enjoyed a beautiful summer full of vibrant flowers, warm days and annoying mosquitos. I'm working now and when I'm not working I'm usually playing with one of our four dogs. Yeah FOUR, I know it's totally CRAZY! If someone would've told me I'd have 3 dogs I would've said never, and now with 4 I almost can't believe it myself. Also I've been able to save some dogs. One of the hardest parts of living here was seeing how dogs are treated here. Not all are treated poorly but a lot are and I'm happy to say I've made a difference and plan on continuing to do so with my time here.

Anyways since our year anniversary of moving to Nunavut is coming up I thought I'd share the websites that have made my life easier since we started this journey last September. So here they are:

www.landsend.com Lands End was always my Moms favourite, but hey they ain't so bad and if you sign up for their weekly email, you'll most likely get free shipping and 10 to 40 percent off.

www.christmascentral.com Thank you Norma for this site. If you like Christmas and going crazy with the decorating, check this US website out...You can order a damn tree and it's 17.00 flat rate shipping!! My X-Mas lights just came. Awesome stuff.

www.well.ca Need a toothbrush, toothpaste, chocolate or laundry detergent? You can get it here and free shipping and a Flare subscription if you spend over a certain amount.

www.thebodyshop.ca If I remember correctly these guys have a 5.00 shipping fee. Who doesn't love their satsuma body wash?

www.oldnavy.ca Old Navy ships in Canada, free shipping over 50.00 and you can NOW shop online.

www.costco.ca I love Costco, I miss shopping at Costco but we still visit them online. Free shipping on most items. Our air purifier has so far been the best purchase we've made. Serious mud dust up here in Cambridge Bay.

www.silkroadspicemerchant.ca I love to cook and miss my visits to the Gourmet Warehouse in Vancouver but I'm sure glad I stumbled upon these guys. If you spend 150.00 they'll cover 20.00 of shipping, to Cam Bay it was 14.00 for a box of great, way too hard to find in Nunavut spices.

www.amazon.ca I like Amazon, some like Chapters but I find Amazon ships pretty damn quick.

www.victoriassecret.com Really do I need to say anything....It's Victoria Secret. Thank god they ship to Nunavut.

www.bestbuy.ca My husband wanted me to post Best Buy for their free shipping.

www.cuisinart.ca Hello Cuisinart, I love their stuff. Just ordered a new mixer from them. Free shipping!!!!

www.ebay.ca I love ebay when I'm down south and I love it when I'm up north!

www.llbean.com Not really my style but its free shipping!

www.bose.ca Hi Free shipping!!!

www.revolveclothing.com This site has purses and all sorts of stuff.

Loving the Light and Wedding Pics.

Well after a few months away we've returned to the relaxing slower pace of Cambridge Bay. As well to the all day all night light, which I LOVE! I feel energized all the time with this light, and have no problem sleeping. While we were down south we tied the knot in Secret Cove at Rockwater Resort, which is next door to where we live in Halfmoon Bay. We had a wonderful wedding, and all the crazy crafting paid off. Heres some photos of our Special Day...ENJOY!

Here's a shot of Ralph, our ringbearer just before he went down the aisle.And here he is taking one of my bridesmaids down the aisle.
You wouldn't think it but these are Nike Air Pumps made by Cole Haan, but really they ain't as comfy as a sneaker.

I worked with our local florist to come up with some vivid, bright, LOCAL flowers and provided our mint julep cups which kept costs down.

Special K and I found these unique vintage goblets with an arctic scene etched in them. We had them cleaned up by our silversmith, and they were stunning....for goblets.


Miriam Haskell from New York, had these puppies made for ME! Thank you Joy!

Watching a slide show prepared by my friend Dar. Thanks Dar!

Our favourite place to kiss, Pier 17.

Here's some votives. I embossed them, well 160 of em. The glow was the perfect amount of light needed. I probably burnt myself 160 times too!



We danced to Dean Martins "Ain't that a kick in the Head"

Under the Apple Tree....Ralphs favourite place in hot summers.

Pier 17, Davis Bay....I love this shot.
Our friend Steph made our cake. I asked for Hazelnut Chocolate and she did an awesome job!!!

My bridesmaids, Shannon, Kassy...Maid of Honor Michelle, Jillian and Andy.

Wanna know how to drive yourself insane?....Handstamp 100 programs, 1 stamp at a time.

I got these done in a week.

Heres Ralphy again.
Another way of driving yourself insane is making tissue flowers...I made 80. I was making these before we came up North.

My flowergirls....Braelyn, Juli and Madison.
My Mom, Shannon, Andy and Kas.The Bridal Party.

Beautiful Weather to Wild Weather

Here are a few shots of the weather we've had down here.....

And the stormy weather which I love just as much as the sunny weather we've had.

But it was a wild one. The wind was so strong against the side of my car I couldn't get my door open. Heres a few shots of that...

I've never seen the ocean so rough...search and rescue were out in helicopters searching for distressed boats...Trees falling...I had a branch hit the side of our house so hard I thought the roof was coming down. Power was out..The dog was afraid of the roaring ocean....but I loved it!

Missing the North

Its amazing beautiful day here in North Vancouver. I've spent the last week with a friend I've known since I was 2. It's been a rewarding visit. It feels like yesterday we were building tree forts, playing barbies and giggling about boys. I also have to admit I miss the North, but mainly for the fact here I feel swamped with things to do, not only with our wedding but just in general. Taking Ralph to a pet store we use to go to turned into an event, not only was Ralph taking things off the shelf, the owners couldn't believe he was 4 already. Stopping for sushi turned into a parking space pursuit, which lead to some road rage. The driving here is insane and my visit here has confirmed what I already knew, that I never want to live in Vancouver again. The North Shore when I was growing up was pretty clean (not so much anymore)and with Grouse Mountain and the Burrard Inlet, its a beautiful place. Just a little busy for me. It's lower lonsdale area is turning into a mini Yaletown and once where a house once stood, now a condo stands. My visit to North Van has been great, not only did I catch up and have some quality time with an old friend, I think this visit down south will make me appreciate the North a little more than when I left.

Loving The Weather Down Here

Hey all. Wow, I'm so happy to be home. I miss Special K and all but damn I needed a break. I have been enjoying my visit home enhanced by visits from friends who have hopped on the ferry from Vancouver to come spend some time with me. On friday night my friend Michelle came over and I took her to one of Special K's and my favourite places in Gibsons; Smittys Oyster House. We devoured some Oysters Rockerfeller then Michelle had some Halibut fritters, while I had poached halibut. I must mention I've been in my sandals everyday since returning, its damn beautiful weather here.

Heres some pics...

I love this old building, an old ship building shop.

Fresh Oysters!!!!

The Poached Halibut

Halibut Fritters

The view to Trail Islands from the Backyard.

Ralph enjoying his vacay too!

Ralph at our favourite spot, Sargeants Bay.

Vancouver 2010

Hey all. I arrived home in Vancouver yesterday just in time to witness Olympic mayhem, which was actually awesome. I say that being someone who was not excited to see the Olympics come to town, I lived below the Eagleridge bluffs in West Van at the time. Whenever they blasted for the new highway, stuff would fall of the walls. Anyways I've gotten over my hate of the games and turned it to love. YVR was crowded with people in Red and White, and you get that I'am Canadian feeling. People were singing "OH CANADA" everywhere you went. Its a good feeling and I'm glad to be here to witness the end of it.

The weather here is AMAZING! The apple and cherry blossoms are out in full swing, I couldn't have picked a better time to arrive. It sure was nice to walk Ralph with just a sweatshirt and not a parka on. My friend had her toque and mittens on, and I kept saying it's so warm! Like its sandal weather here. I'm going to keep this short because I want to get outside and enjoy every bit of this I can. Happy March all!!!!

Vancouver Bound Soon And Other Neat Things

Hey there people...Well everything is good up here in the Great White North. I've spoken to quite a few people in the past 24 hours as most have received our wedding invitations. It was nice to hear some voices and to know that soon I'll be home devouring butter chicken with ya'all and sipping on my Timmy's coffee(not at the same time). I've been keeping busy with exercise, sewing and day dreaming about the shoe department at Holt Renfrew, which does not have online shopping like its American rival http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/ . I've discovered http://www.landsend.com/ is damn good for shipping rates to Nunavut and http://www.endless.com/ has some serious nice bags and shoes...thank you Mom for that last site. I can't believe I'll be back in Vancouver at the end of the month, just in time for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics:( And no I don't care for them, and really it's just because I hate traffic jams....If you've read this blog before you know I have OCD, OCD and traffic jams don't mix, so yeah I'll avoid downtown and just listen to friends bitch about the chaos. Vancouver already sucks with its lack of maintaining or upgrading infrastructure, I can only imagine what this week is like when they shut down a majority of main drags. Dad if you read this...just don't go out..stay home;) its better off for you and the tourists..Friends you should not drive unless you smoke one first...wait just stay home and smoke one. The time I've spent here has gone by fast AND slow at times. Being in Nunavut has its goods and its bads, but I think this experience has given our relationship a different kind of strength than what we had before, I actually think we wouldn't have learnt so much about each other this fast down south, its amazing what living in the North can do to you. Its not over yet, I will return to Nunavut in early May and we will continue to live here for a few more years. I think this place has its perks like if you want your food mailed to you, you have a thing for indented cans, almost getting run down by drunks on snowmobiles or if you like extreme cold:), no but really it is a neat place and definitely not an experience you'll get anywhere else. I do miss BC and everything that comes with it. I'm lucky that I have friends that send me movies they've made for me while they're half baked...THANKS DAR!!! As well I talk to some of you on a daily basis I kinda forget where I'm till I have to put that god damned parka on! Also I got that job I wanted...now I just wait for papers and approvals to be processed which in Nunavut can take a while. Its snowing like crazy here...yes I know, no shit I'm in the arctic what did I expect?! Anyways I'm going to go chillax and watch some Southpark. Hope everyone out there is doing well. I can't wait to see all of you down south! I miss everyone so much!!

The Glow of the Sun

Here are a few shots of my walk into town.
The sun was spectacular today!

General Happenings at 4am.

Lately all I can think about is the backyard and the hammock, and how pretty soon rain or shine, I will be in it. SOON HOME SWEET SOUTHERN HOME:) I keep forgetting to take the time and write a new post...so here goes. All I've had on my mind is WEDDING. Wedding this, wedding that, honeymoon this, honeymoon that. So my grandmother Caroline was a big fan of the French Polynesian and I'd never been so that was my first choice..Ahh Bora Bora an over water bungalow..a butler...a glass floor to witness the action below the bungalow...alcohol that doesn't require a permit or a shitload for shipping..did I mention the butler that serves it to me on that silver platter?...ahh now that's my paradise. Then I needed to factor in travel. The areas I wanted to go were remote, dangerous, unsafe and 4 tiny plane rides away, after taking 2 big planes just really didn't seem right. Places you want to see before you have kids, but whatever my future off spring will learn to love adventure:)just like Mommy....Then we thought hmmm Hawaii 4 hours on West Jet whom we are fans of because so far they haven't lost my dog....Thanks Air Canada! and Dog the Bounty Hunter is in Hawaii...Special K so wants to stalk him. Anyways we were both totally into it until we realized we just wanted to chill in Halfmoon Bay and hit some of our favourite restaurants, have some quiet time together and stay in the most luxurious and most unique accommodations that BC's coast has to offer. No car rental as ours is at home. Ralph the dog has his Grandpa taking care of him for 4 nights and his Grandma for 1(Yes Mom that's you, I was going to mention this today had you answered your phone:) So this gives us time to enjoy our tent cabin at Rockwater Resort, where we are getting married. See tent here: http://www.rockwatersecretcoveresort.com/site/accommodations/tenthouse_suites.html That's just one of our luxe places to go without Ralphy. After that we are traveling North to a few different cabins and then sailing to Texada, Cortez, Copeland Islands Marine Park, Refuge Cove and just hanging out on the water in Desolation Sound. The more I think about it the more I like it. With guests arriving from all over the globe and even Vancouver it just didn't seem right to see them so briefly. So for those of you out there who are coming we will continue the celebration the next morning at Rockwater and have a scrumptious breakfast and just spend some quality time with people instead of running/rushing off to catch a plane. Then before you know it we'll have to head to our second home the Great White North, which hopefully won't be so damn white when I return. I plan on camping and fishing and god knows I'll do whatever I can outside before the winter sets in. Oh but I will be back in Vancouver briefly in July and again very briefly in December as we are doing Hawaii then.

This pic I took 4 days before I left for Cambridge Bay. You can see here why I miss BC and also why I was such a damn early bird. How the hell could I miss this? I remember being in the backyard in PJs, coffee, tripod and camera in hand trying not to step where Ralph had dropped one of his "morning presents" for me.

This pic was at Frances Peninsula. This is Ralph in being his typical self. We'd say 'ok Ralph time to go', and he looks at us and just sits in the water. What a jerk. Ralph having a moment.
I so can't wait to see how he reacts to being home. My chillaxing bestfriend.

On to other topics of interest. Baby Deo our foster dog is doing very well and I'm happy to say he looks amazing. I haven't mentioned him much on here because I found people reacted dramatically and a little odd to my posts. Its been a good thing not only for me to have Baby Deo here but for our dog as well, Ralph acts as if hes Baby Deo's Dad and protects him, plays with him and Baby Deo in return mounts Ralphs face and just gives it. Yeah hes a humper, but hes a dog humper, he hasn't once tried to mount my leg unlike other dogs that I've known or owned before. I'm so glad I stood up and did the right thing and didn't just pretend he was someone else's problem. At the end of the day I'm the one who gets to live with my actions. If you want to make a difference you need to start with yourself. Thats the only way you are ever going to make a change. He will be a great pet for our neighbours in Halfmoon Bay. I can't wait for them to meet him.

Ralph and Baby Deo playing tag. If I could only show you how much this dog has recovered from the suffering and abuse that no one should have to endure. He looks damn happy and probably mounted Ralph 10 seconds after this pic was taken.

So I'm back to school...Thank God! I've read books here so fast its crazy. I just can't get enough! So I'm taking on some history courses through http://www.athabascau.ca/

Hmm what else..oh my wedding gown just arrived in Vancouver from New York, now lets just hope I fit in it!

So its around 4 am here. For some crazy reason my sleep schedule is not on time and punctual as what it once was. I've been told that people when they move here have this issue/problem with sleep. Well now I'm officially one of them. I was told not to fight it but to just adjust with it so that's why I'm up writing a post at 4 am. Anyways I'm going to load up a few pics, post this, knock a pill back and hopefully pass out into psychedelic dreams that this tiny pill brings me.

Peace Out Ya'all! and Sweet Dreams wherever you are.

Cabin Fever to OCD

Our led tealights on our INDOOR windowsil !

Hello all! I hope 2010 is treating you all well. Our 2010 has been somewhat interesting in good and bad ways. I myself have discovered cabin fever and wow it may be the weirdest fever I've ever had! It also brought some demons from the past roaring out. In my teens I was diagnosed with OCD obsessive compulsive disorder. The movie "As good as it gets" stars Jack Nicholson as a person who suffers(I hate the word suffers) from the disorder. His is different from mine where he has to open, close or lock doors a certain amount of times. My disorder deals with cleanliness, and I'm the type who becomes obsessed with cleaning, over planning and confirming things over and over again. I haven't used medication for it for 11 years now. I found the cleaning, the planning and in general making sure certain things were in order was a benefit to me. I stopped being medicated because at the time I thought the world was over medicated. This past week I've felt the frustration that comes with OCD, like when you do something but you don't know that you've done it right so you do it over again...well I do it over and over again until I'm tired, exhausted and mentally frustrated. Add the stress of holidays without friends and family, planning a wedding and my daily ritual of cleaning and I was a mess. Which only brought Special K and I to a war of the roses routine. After speaking to friends and family we went and met with a counsellor and a doctor, who found that the stress of moving here and all the other stress that goes along with it had brought my disorder out. I have kept this disorder a secret from most of my friends and family but now I'm sharing it just so you can see the negatives and the positives of my move to Nunavut. I can't really classify this as a negative, as I just don't see it that way. I like having a clean house, and I like things in order. I'm already feeling better as we have started to slowly switch to a new medication, which actually allows me to sleep!!! Yes a solid 8 hours of sleep! Wacky dreams do follow and that is an entirely different blog....but I'm glad because I don't feel as tense or as frustrated as I've been feeling. We had my birthday party here last night and it was nice to hang out with our closest friends in Cambridge Bay and I baked a black forest cake which turned out better than I thought it would! I took a few pics but I forgot to pull out the camera until the end of the night. Anyways heres a few pics...