In order to avoid doing some dishes, now that Kieran's in bed, I'm going to update my blog instead! I hope you all appreciate my sacrafice! :)

Fiona and Jason are out geocaching, I think... well, I'm pretty certain. Even the damp, cold weather doesn't stop those two from finding tupperware in the woods! This past weekend, Jason took the family for a geocache in what I refer to as "wild Alberta"! We drove to the west end, and went through this hella schwanky neighbourhood. Jason usually doesn't have an exact idea of where we are going to park, as to be closer to the cache... so he was winging it, once again! lol We kept driving, until we found some new subdivisions being built (the kind for old golf-playing couples who clearly need 5 bedrooms)! There was a path, that went down what I'll call a mild escarpment. There were lines, as if trucks had driven this way many times. It was about 2kms DOWNHILL. All I could think was... My God... I'm gonna have to walk back up this crazy thing!!! Did I mention the heat???? It was at least 30C (that's 86F for you Americans)! I'll just remind you all that I'm almost 4 mos. pregnant, too. Are you feeling really sorry for me, now?! lol Good! We had to hike through some prickers (wild rose bushes) and brush to get around a massive mud puddle, and then followed the trail to a huge open field. Yes, this was where the buffalo once roamed, I'm sure of it!! It was a massive field, with grass (or whatever it was) up to my hips. That was fun, wading through that. Those rods wrapped around my ankles and gave me a few burn marks. This wasn't where the torture began... We headed for a treed area to the left, and had to bush-wack through there... I think we must have gone about 100m into that wooded area, before giving up and heading back. I was so fed up, and ready to swear off geocaching for life!! Fiona was very tired, and hot by this time... as were the rest of us. We had also forgotten our water in the van! Smart! We took a short-cut back, which involved climbing up a super steep cliff/hill in order to bypass much of the path (including the mud)! That was crazy. Jason got some cuts, as the cliff was laden with thistle bushes. Not that I ever thought I could have before, but I am now CERTAIN that I could never do Survivor... unless I was a size 2, and wore a super-hot bikini to make all the dumb guys want to keep me around! ;)

I think fall has officially arrived. It really is true that we only have 2 seasons up here in Canada: Winter and July. It's like as soon as August hit, we were pulling out the pants and long sleeves. I love autumn. I love the cool nights, warm sweaters, hot drinks, and comfortable walks w/o insane heat... However, the inevitable follows... that being the dreaded winter!! I don't mind snow, and the cold... but I am not a fan of 6 months of such conditions!

We're still trying to figure out what we're going to do regarding housing and where we're living. Somedays, I just want to pack up and move somewhere less expensive, so we can actually buy a house that fits our needs, rather than our pocket book. It's not just about wanting to start out big, rather than having something to work up from. It's about fairness. The market in Edmonton is getting out of control. I guess all the big cities in Canada are facing the same problem. It's no big deal to see a house sell for $500,000 around here. The average family home in Edmonton (2-3 bedrooms, most likely a bungalow), sells for $300,000! People are offering more than the asking price to secure the bid, and even forgoing home inspections! My brother is selling his 2 bdrm condo in Calgary for $369,000! A CONDO! That's an apartment. What is this world coming to, anyway? When is this bubble going to burst? I'd gladly be the one with the pin to bring it down! I keep looking at other cities, like Fredericton or even Winnipeg, and I should just stop. It's aggrivating to see what $150,000 will get you there, when it barely gets you a 3 bedroom townhouse here. The other side is, that I sooo don't want to move again... and certainly not out of province. I'm getting used to Edmonton, and Alberta. I like this city. I just wish we could afford to provide adequate housing for our family. *sigh* Enough of that. We're still weighing options, but will have to decide soon, b/c this market is climbing by the day.

Before I close, I wanted to post a link to a video of Ani Difranco performing on the Henry Rollins show, on the IFC (Independant Film Channel)... I'm off to do those dishes, and maybe play a cd or something... All I can hear is some strange music, in some European language (Romanian most likely), as our neighbours downstairs must be listening to it while they make supper!

Good night.