On the road again...

I couldn't help but think of the Willie Nelson song *On the Road Again* for the title of this entry. Darcy and I have had a wonderful time with my brother and sister-in-law over the past five days. I had a headache our first day here likely due to the 5,000 foot elevation. After spending some time relaxing I decided to buy some clothes (something that I don't do very often!). My brother is a store manager for an upscale men's clothing store called Jos A Bank. So I bought a suit, four dress shirts, one belt, one pair of wool pants and one pair of Johnston & Murphy shoes. Everthing was close to 50% off so I only paid $750.00. I know, it's still a lot of money but it's a bargain. My brother is probably correct in that my new employer will likely not tolerate staff wearing cotton pants with their mandatory shirt and tie policy. I also own a nice Hugo Boss suit and three dress shirts and some nice ties and one pair of Florsheim shoes. So my new workplace wardrobe is complete.

I've had two good work outs with my brother this past Friday and Sunday. I can always count on my brother to have a good anaerobic workout! He is studying to become a certified personal athletic trainer. Sunday afternoon I shot some hoop (played basketball) with my brother for an aerobic workout. I can't emphasize enough how refreshing it is to be outside in a cool, dry climate! My stamina is so higher and I feel better. Plus the spectacular mountain view is breath taking! The shorter, brown colored front range mountains provide a start contrast to the white capped Rocky Mountains. Maybe one day my wife and I will settle in Denver.

Other somewhat boring news to report is that I went to my bank and made a withdrawal from my checking account. I will keep my Washington Mutual account open but will take most of my money up to Canada to invest. We also need to take about $2,500 with us overseas to sustain us until my first paycheck. The college will pay for our hotel and some food but we'll need to rent a car until I pass probation. The other news is that Darcy's Sentra is in the shop because it needs a new starter and front brakes. Unfortunately the starter was rebuilt only a year and a half ago so this shouldn't have happened. But this wasn't the first time that one of our cars needed a part replaced that had only been repaired the previous year. It happened to my Volvo last month (new alternator) and I was forced to sell it at a terrible loss.

Anyway the car will be ready Monday morning so we should be on the road around 10:30 am. The distance from Denver to Edmonton is about 1,100 miles and it will take two days of driving. We'll likely stay in Butte or Billings Montana Monday night. Time permitting I'd like to visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana. We'll drive right by it so it's possible we'll have time to visit. The other landmark that I'd like to see is the Lewis & Clark Intrepative Center in Great Falls, Montana. It's not too far south of our home province of Alberta so we'll likely visit it this coming Tuesday.

I guess that's all for now. I need to refill my drink and visit more with my brother and sister-in-law. The next blog entry will likely be later in the week from Edmonton, Alberta!