One door closes, another flies open (pun intended). We’re moving out west!
The Ottawa chapter of our life is ending (for now) and we begin a new one in 2020 on the West Coast in Port Alberni, Vancouver Island. I never thought I’d be announcing a move out west this year but it’s happening and it’s happening fast!
I’ll wait here while you Google Map (yes google mapping is a verb) where it is… I had no clue when I first began the interview process at Coulson Group.
Thanks to @exploreportalberni and @portalbernibc I started to get a good feel for the city. I’ve researched a heck out of the city and even asked a friend on Vancouver Island her thoughts on the city before heading out for an in-person interview. And despite her telling me it was a bad idea to move there here I am uprooting our life to start a new adventure.
To be honest the idea of this city has been on our bucket list for a while (Mike and I have a joint one) where we can see ocean and mountains at the same time. We are also excited to move out of a large city. So we’re excited about the outdoor life possibilities from water sports to hiking to camping to surfing in Tofino and more, that comes with this move.
The Food Scene in Port Alberni
I spent a weekend visiting Port Alberni and drove around endlessly. I also tried to eat at as many places as humanly possible to get a good feel for the city.
First up was brunch at Pescadores, where I was able to get gluten-free toast!
I grabbed corn tortilla tacos from All Mex’d Up Taco Shop and a Cauliflower Crust Pizza from the Pizza Factory. There is no photo as I was wayyy too hungry to take a picture.
I even found a cute smoothie shop! I popped into Smoothology where I got the Cocoa Monkey smoothie and she gifted me with a bag of popcorn. Since I love my popcorn, I’ll definitely be a regular here.
We’re really going to love our time here.
Why? Because of the abundance of outdoor things we can do. Despite it being overcast and rainy all weekend, I was able to walk/hike a bit around Sprout Lake and then met up with a real estate agent to start looking at properties.
The Reason We’re Moving
Last but not least (and really it’s first), I’m excited to tackle my new role at Coulson Group as their Marketing Director. From aerial firefighting to ice blast technology and more this company is fascinating and has so many great divisions. I’ve never been more excited about a role and company than when I joined Kobo in 2013. Which I’ve called my dream job for a while now. That title has got a new contender!
December will be spent hugging as many Ottawa friends that have made my time here amazing and packing up our house for the big move. And then the move out west will happen over the course of a few months, first me and then Mike will join me later next year!
Wish us luck!