House update

2.5 weeks and 9 showings later, still no offers on the house! They say July is the worst month to sell a house, so let's hope that August is better! Since we've had 3 showings in the last 2 days this is looking promising...

Also another update: I'm already way better than Scott at posting to the blog :) I don't even know if he knows I've been posting! Mwah ha ha!

The GIANT travel kennel has arrived!

It really is huge. Oh well, at least Dexter will have lots of leg room! More than us in fact :)
He seems to have not forgotten his crate training, yay! He went in happily right away and has been sleeping in it by choice at night and during the day. Of couse we did have to block off "his" couch, but still he chose the kennel over all his other spots, wooo!

Flights booked!

We booked our flights to New Zealand today!!!!! We fly from Vancouver on Oct. 21. We are going from Vancouver so that Dexter only has to go on one flight. And this way we can visit our Vancouver friends before we leave, including Scott's sister Lindsay. Road trip!

We can't book Dexter's flight until 2ish weeks before, so we just have to hope that he can get on the same flight =\ Apparently there's usually no problem because the cargo area doesn't fill up. Just sucks that we can't get it all reserved now for piece of mind! If he doesn't get on the same flight it's ok, because the quarantine people will pick him up from the airport and take him straight to the kennel. But I'd rather fly knowing he's on the same plane as us :)

House for sale

This beautiful Rocky Ridge home is exactly what you've been looking for! The well-designed open floor plan is perfect for entertaining, allowing you to chat with your guests as you prepare dinner. The main level boasts laminate flooring, a large family room with a gas fireplace and a sunny eating nook with access to the deck. You'll love the kitchen with its upgraded stainless steel appliances, large island with raised eating bar, and generous cabinet & counter space. Upstairs are 3 spacious bedrooms, a main bathroom and master ensuite bathroom, as well as an upstairs laundry room! The fully finished basement features a large family room with built-in shelving, another full bathroom with jetted tub, a wet bar and lots of storage. Completing this fabulous home is the fully fenced and landscaped back yard and huge tiered deck with BBQ gas line. Come see for yourself, this one's a winner!

We are pleased to advise

We are pleased to advise that your application under the Working Holiday Scheme has been approved. Have a great working holiday in New Zealand!

Kind Regards

Working Holiday Schemes Online Team

Immigration New Zealand

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Hooray!!!! Scott's was approved too :)

Dexter's too big!

...for his travel kennel :(

This means we have to get the giant size, which is way more expensive to send on a plane. Why do they charge by volume and not weight?!?!?!?

Sorry I'm a big puppy!

Yet (again) another blog

Omg, if I had a dollar for all the times I started a blog and failed to keep it going, well, I'd have 10s of dollars at least. 10s!

Anyways, this blog has a purpose! Hopefully a good solid one that'll keep it going. Also, I think Jacqui's going to join me on it, and she's a lot better at keeping things up than I am. :)

What's the purpose? We're moving to New Zealand! At least for a year. After much discussion and half-attempts to move (from Canada) to Switzerland, France, Costa Rica, etc... We finally decided on New Zealand. It would've been easier if it weren't for our dog, Dexter... Originally New Zealand wanted a 30 day quarantine period for him (due to absence of Rabies in NZ). We checked again recently and the quarantine period was reduced to 10 days. Woo! New Zealand here we come!

Our plan is to get Working Holiday visas, and take a break from the rush and stress of Canadian engineeringish jobs and go live the relaxed life somewhere else for a while. We'll get part-time/seasonal jobs if any and mostly enjoy our time with our dog and each other. Fun fun fun.

Lots to do and plan though! So far in the last couple weeks since we decided to go, we've gotten a new passport for me, applied for the visas, contacted a pet travel specialist (Boomerang Pet Carrier, here in Calgary), discovered how ridiculously expensive it is to move a pet across the world with us (think 2x as much as our flight or more), gotten vet tests started, looked into some rental property there, put the house up for sale, put my car up for sale... So much to do!

Hopefully this space will fill up with information about what we're doing and how we found it. Eventually once we're there, stories about surfing and exploring, with Dexter!