You may know them as The White Stripes.
Whatever you call them, Lesley and I were lucky enough to get floor tickets last night to see them here in Calgary.
We arrived around 7:45 and milled around the foyer until the opening act was done (no offense, opening act, I’m sure you were magnificent in your own right) visiting with Caley, buying beer, making fun of what some people were passing off as stylish clothing these days (yes, mr. white belt and shoes with blue slacks, I’m talking to you).
The acoustics in the Saddledome are dreadful. Most sound techs try to overcome this through brute-force volume, and this was no exception; this tactic works in cases where …

So the day we’ve been waiting 9 months for finally arrived: as of today, May 17, 2007… I am an official Permanent Resident of Canada! As I reported a few posts ago, I received notification at the end of April/first of May that I was approved for Permanent Residency, but today was the actual day I went in to the Calgary Immigration office to be granted the official status.

I know there was no reason to be nervous, but my stomach was doing flip flops all morning. I kept worrying that I would forget some important piece of ID, or the photos I had to have done wouldn’t be perfectly to spec… I was just …

Woohoo!
Last week we got good news on the Immigration front; my application for Permanent Residency was approved and I’m able to get a work permit now. The last step was waiting for the Calgary office to set up an appointment with me so I could go in and get my PR card. I was worried it would take forever to get my appointment set, but the letter for it with a date arrived a day or two later. I’ll be picking up my PR card on May 17th! Go me! I think we’re going to have a little “party” on either Friday the 18th or Saturday the 19th to celebrate …

“We are pleased to advise you that processing of your application for permanent residence has been approved and completed. The Canada Immigration Centre in Calgary will contact you concerning the appointment to pick up your permanent resident card.”
“You may now apply for an open work permit, which will allow you to work in the occupation and location of your choice.”
I got the two letters yesterday and finally got to read the words we’ve been waiting eight and a half months to hear… Canada has decided they like me enough to keep me! Now the bulk of the process is behind us and I just have to wait for the Calgary office to contact …

… we’ve just been busy ;)
As it’s the last day of November, I think it’s appropriate to reflect on the month. Earnings made it a busy month for Lucas at work, and I’ve been busy crafting up Christmas presents for our friends and family. Everyone on our lists are getting handmade gifts this year! I can’t really elaborate without spoiling things, so I’ll leave it at that.
Last weekend we celebrated American Thanksgiving and made our very first whole turkey in the oven. It turned out fairly decent – a little dry – but not bad! We also had mashed potatoes, peas, pumpkin pie, and pineapple pie. Mmmmm, and yes, …