For a little while now, I’ve been titling my posts with ‘Halifax Wedding Photographer’ and recently I announced that my wife and I were moving.  Well, a week ago today, we moved.  My brothers Kevin and Brandon who both live in the Kitchener area, came down to Burlington for 8:00am to help load the uhaul.  I REALLY appreciated the help.  I was photographing Abby and Brent’s wedding the day before, so naturally I was tired in the morning.

We took a few hours to load the truck and then we went to put my car on the trailer.  The first attempt ended with the trailer’s front end lifting up when the car started rolling up the ramp.  It turns out the hitch wasn’t as tight as we thought.  We figured out the problem and got the car up and on the trailer.  Then I went to open the door and there was no clearance on the trailer’s wheel guards.  After a minute of being puzzled and laughing, Kevin figured it out and I was able to get out of the car.

We got everyone some McDonalds for lunch, said our emotional goodbyes and hit the road for the long 1800+km drive.  I’m glad it was a Saturday because the traffic through Toronto can be terrible without a uhaul and a trailer.  We didn’t have too much traffic to deal with, so I was happy.

We stopped a few times for gas because that truck is a guzzler.  I think we spend nearly $800 on gas for the drive total, bloody ridiculous.  Since it was so loud in the cab of the truck, we couldn’t even listen to music while we were driving, we just talked for the most part.  The first day, we booked a hotel in Edmundston New Brunswick.  The hardest part of the drive started at about Montreal.  With the rain and lack of reflectors on the road, finding the lines was a pain, and I had to be very focused to stay in my lane.  Through a construction zone with an unpaved shoulder, I had 2 transport trucks and a man and a van service in Southall pass between me and the median.  We were just inches apart and I had no space on my right, just gravel that surely would have been trouble if I hit it.  I was not impressed to say the least, but it turned out alright.  When we got to the hotel at 3:3o am, we went right to sleep.

We got up at 9:00 am and hit the road right away to make it to Halifax as early as possible. It felt like it took forever to get through New Brunswick, but at least the weather was good.  I can’t say the same for Halifax.  It started raining just before we hit Nova Scotia and it absolutely poured when we got to Halifax.  Luckily it let up once we started unloading the truck, otherwise everything would have been soaked.  I guess I mean ‘more soaked’ since there was a leak in the truck and everything was somewhat wet already.

The truck unloading went pretty well with the help from my friend Devin whom I met while we were both photographing the Canada Games here in Halifax back in February.  Without his help, there is no way I could have gotten our large items like the couch etc. into the house.  That couch required us to take off both front doors and it still barely fit.

With the truck unpacked and our mattress wet, we slept our first night on the couch.  It was some of the best sleep I’d had in a while, I was just so tired.  It took us a couple days to get everything put away, and we’re still getting settled in, but we’re trying to get out and enjoy our week off as well.  Just yesterday we drove down to Lunenburg and tomorrow we’re hitting up Peggy’s cove.

I’m looking forward to all of the adventures that await us out here and the new friends we’ll make.  I will always look forward to my trips back to Ontario to visit my family and their visits out here.  I am going to be booking weddings in both Ontario and Nova Scotia which will get me back to Ontario more often, so don’t let the ‘Halifax’ title stop you Ontarians from contacting me.

Sorry for the very long post.  Here are some pictures from the move and our first week.

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!!!

The GPS before we left, that 1851 km total is daunting.This exit is where we used to get off the QEW everyday and would say that we should just keep going to Nova Scotia, this time we did.Just after the Quebec border I partially filled the gas tank.  A lot of gas stations have a $100 limit.  I put $35 more in after that.Cinnamon was VERY good in the truck, she didn’t whine and slept most of the drive.  Me in the truck.The Nova Scotia sign through the front window in the rain.Our House (for 6 months).Cinnamon has found a good spot to watch people pass by.  That’s right, I’ve already gotten myself a Nova Scotia License and Plate.  I plan on getting a vanity plate, maybe ‘Photos’ or ‘Go Pens’ I don’t know yet.Robyn walking Cinnamon.  We’re at the top of a hill, it’s a pretty nice view save for the wires.In Lunenburg, you can get live lobsters if you want.Robyn and I went to the Rum Runner’s restaurant for lunch in Lunenburg.I love colourful houses.