Sara in NWT

One of my favourite things to do in Yellowknife is dawdle. Aiden's school starts at 8:30 and so does my work. From the bottom of the hill they are in opposite directions. So Aiden has decided that in the mornings we should "dawdle" down the hill together. He likes to get to school very early- it has free WiFi away from mom and dad. So we get ready as soon as the CBC hourly news comes on. Then for the next five minutes we dawdle down the hill. Inevitably we have to stop so he can tie his boots (again). But for five minutes we get to chat and hang out. For as long as I have been a mom I have never walked either of my kids to school, so this is a new experience. And it is great. We talk about how the light is changing, what the weather is like and which classes he has that day. Before you know it we are at the bottom of the hill and he is going one way and I am going the other. Aiden is in grade 10 so I only have three years left where he is home. If leaving 15 minutes...

I work in a building called Lahm Ridge Tower, which is a 3 story (four floors) building that houses a good chunk of the Education, Culture and Employment staff (ECE). Every payday the 3rd floor hosts "goodie day". Here's how it works: Each small unit of ECE is assigned a payday. Usually three units cover one pay day. My unit's turn was this past Friday. The units assigned that particular payday bake goodies for the staff of ECE. Usually that means about 20 people baking, cooking or bringing fruit or chocolate for about 100 people. Some units organize themes and sometimes it is just a random mix. I baked about 3 dozen biscotti seen near Benoit's creme brulle!! He had a draw for the creme brulle- which everyone loved! He also dressed the part in a full chef's outfit- now that's commitment! While I am not overly social, I love the idea of a shared coffee break. It gives everyone a chance to get together to share food and talk about what is going on ...

Yellowknife is home to a series of fantastic parks and recreation services. I was immediately taken with the number of parks the city has and the number of sports complexes. For a city that hovers around 20,000, it certainly hits above it's weight in this department. My current favourite spot is the Fieldhouse. This indoor soccer centre features two fields and a walking/running track above the fields. While it is currently fairly quiet now, I know it will get busier as those who run and walk outside head indoors. What I like most is that ,somehow, it is quiet. Today the surfaces were divided into three. One soccer field was divided for two separate practices and on the other field a game of tennis was being played. Even with all that activity there was very little noise. Which allows Brent and I to walk and talk. Both boys have been coming with us, but with very different approaches. Aiden has been running 5 km and Owen... well Owen is  technically walking. But he is also watc...

"Hell yeah", is the atheist's equivalent to "Amen". I mention this as not everyone might have grown up in the Ottawa Valley- or it seems rural towns everywhere that embrace this idiom. It indicates, like Amen, an emphatic agreement with a statement. Hell Yeah Yellowknife is a Facebook page devoted to only good things that happen in Yellowknife. It is a page to celebrate living in Yellowknife. No griping, whinging or moaning allowed. It is an uplifting page where you can hear about stolen bikes being recovered by eagle eyed residents, wallets being returned, coffee being paid for at Tim's or today- Aiden being given a part for his shop project. Brent and Aiden had gone to a plumbing supply store to get the part required to finish his shop project. While waiting Brent struck up a conversation with a contractor who was buying a lot of merchandise that was being retrieved from the stock room. The guy listened to why Brent and Aiden were at the store and ...

Apart from the obvious temperature differences, I am finding living in Yellowknife is similar to living in St. George’s Grenada. Lots of walking (mainly up hills), loving the local library and grocery shopping, lots of grocery shopping. In Yellowknife, like Grenada, there are lots of little catch all stores, some high end stores for tourists, a few large chain stores for furniture and groceries, and then there is CK’s in Grenada and Northern Food Service in Yellowknife. Anyone with teenagers understands the value of being able to buy things like salsa, rice or in Owen’s case oatmeal, in bulk. CK’s in Grenada sold pantry items and some frozen foods in bulk. Northern Food Service does the same thing. Unlike CK's which was open daily to the public Northern Food Service is only open 10-5 on a Saturday. For the rest of the week the company services mining camps, restaurants and the many aurora viewing resorts in Yellowknife. In the south Costco is a big draw for, it se...