In other news...

I had a really enjoyable trip back to Alberta last weekend. It was great to see a huge number of friends and acquaintances, as well as my family. As always, it never seems like long enough, but it's enjoyable all the same. I'm glad that I have the opportunities to see everyone from time to time.

I was also thinking about where I'm going to be in the next few years. I've been asked repeatedly if I plan to go back to my home town or to Alberta in general, and my response keeps coming back to, "I'm not sure." I'm sure some people think that I hesitate because I don't want to be close to my family, or that I really despise Alberta. However, this isn't really the case at all.

There's no doubt that I love my independence and the fact that I can make a life on my own (with K, of course) outside of the place where I grew up. Other people have difficulty with this. But the fact remains that I simply love B.C. I feel pretty much at home here, and now that I'm in the interior, I'm really enjoying the fact that K and I can drive home for our holidays rather than shelling out money for a flight. This is the real reason I'm hesitating at the move back home. Along with the fact that only a few of my friends still live in Lethbridge and I have many here in B.C. makes me want to stay. The real reason we're considering the move back to Alberta is our families, and as we start considering having a family of our own, we'd like to be closer to them all. If they were in B.C., I wouldn't be planning a move back to the 4-0-3, but since they are there, we're slowly moving closer and closer as time moves on.

Another consideration is where I get a teaching job. I'm hoping to get one here in the valley, but I have no idea if that's going to happen (even though I'm hopeful and moderately confident). I'll probably apply for jobs all over the place, and maybe even send in an application for my old mentor's teaching position. I don't know. All I know is that I've got a lot on my plate and I have no clue where I'll be in 6 months. Wherever it is, though, I'm sure I'll be happy...

- T