got the job offer in person. Called home to tell my wife we were moving to Ottawa, Ontario. Smiles, hugs, joy all around.

Once you arrive in the new city, the excitement wears off; there are the basics to take care of. Changing insurance, waiting between 1pm and 9pm for the cable guy, getting a new car license ... all unpleasant experiences. To top it all off, you have to go the referee clinic knowing no one and with the street cred of a brand new kid. Tough times.

The new hood

Because of house prices (way too high), we expanded our search outside of Ottawa and across the river to Gatineau, Quebec. That's not like moving from St. Louis, MO, to East St. Louis, IL, or anything like that. But it is different. As you can imagine, the first difference is the language. They speak French really well, and I do so really poorly.

Continued...