The first real day in Vancouver!
I guess technically that was yesterday, but it just didn't feel like a real day. The dads were still here so it was still kind of chaotic. Plus we spent 6 hours on an adventure to the states and back.
It was project day!! We'd ordered a closet organization system from the Container Store and had that to set up. This was a true adventure. There was an existing closet organization set up that was really underwhelming and no where near as functional. Taking that down was pretty straightforward. Then we looked at the assembly for the one we'd bought. It required a power drill to make holes in the drywall and drill into the studs in order to properly anchor the entire system. We did not have a power drill. One of every kind of ratchet and screwdriver, yes. Power drill, no. We figured the Costco nearby might have one. We navigated our way there and tried to enter the store, like normal people. A very kind employee informed us that membership is required for entry, and we could attain said membership around by the exit door. I inquired as to whether or not we could do our shopping and then get our membership. No. We're now members at Costco. Looking for a power drill proved more difficult. This location has evidently stopped selling power drills. Since we don't have a Canadian phone plan yet, we had no tools to look up a new store. Traipsing back to the apartment, the thought occurred that a Canadian phone plan might not be a bad idea. A Home Depot was located only a couple of train stops away, and we set out towards the urban store. Quite quickly we found a power drill, bits for it, and a stud finder.
After we returned from that adventure, we quickly realized we didn't have a battery for the stud finder.... The best laid plans, huh? We figured out where the studs were eventually, and then worked around that for this project. It took some finagling as the closet is about half a foot smaller than what we'd initially thought, but we got all the pieces in there and then a majority of the clothes.
We got the bookshelves for the pantry put together really quickly. They fit PERFECTLY in the bonus room. Then there's still plenty of space for Max's desk and study area. That room is amazing!
The adventure to Home Depot and just navigating in the bedroom to unpack took up a massive amount of the day. Once Jake was done with his project work at school, he headed back to the apartment. We wanted to go out and do something fun since it was our first Saturday night in town. We opted for a fudge shop which Jake promised to be amazing and then seeing the movie Godzilla, since it was opening night. Turns out, the fudge place was a Rocky Mountain Chocolate. Still amazing fudge, but nothing I haven't seen before.... The movie was amazing!!! I've never really seen anything related to Godzilla before, but this movie really knocked it out of the park for me. It was a 10 something pm showing, so it was straight to bed for me! The guys are up playing video games. It's nice to see Max and Jake having so much fun together.
To wrap up this post, a commentary on the beautiful place we now call home, from one of its natives:
There was a popular phone retailer next door to the Home Depot, so we stopped in and set up our account. It makes more sense to pay for the phone line and an international plan than to pay for the roaming fees on an American phone. The salesman was unbelievably nice and put up with our questions about Vancouver. He told us that race isn't really of concern here. I've also found this to be true so far. Folks of every color, height, age, and gender mix and mingle in this buzzing city, always friendly toward each other, no matter if you're a friend or a stranger. This is quite a change coming up from the states. It's not that racism is a rampant infection we can't fight off, but I'd say it certainly still lingers in our society, like a scar from an age old injury. Here there's not even a scar. It's as if racism never even saw the light of day. People came and created the city from every corner of this earth, and together they continue to evolve the city, its culture, and its makeup.
