We're here!

Well, we've made it! We 'landed' in Calgary at 8pm local time on 5th November.
Gary and Lisa drove us to the airport (thanks so much guys) and the farewells were hard - as we expected! After tearful hugs and promises to see each other next year we waved them goodbye. As we sat in the airport lounge, and then aboard the plane, I started to have my 'Oh God what are we doing????' thoughts. I was warned that it would happen by those who've been there and done it before us, and wondered when it might occur. I don't think it helped that I was so tired after very little sleep the night before. The nerves really started to kick in as we taxied down the runway and I felt really sick. It took a few hours before I began to feel more human again (a little nap helped) but by the time we were over Greenland I think I'd sorted myself out!
The flight was good, and the whole 'landing' process was really smooth and uneventful. All the immigration officials were really friendly and polite 'typically Canadian!' and put us at our ease. We made it through to the exits within the hour and Ian and Jayne were there to meet us and give us a ride to our apartment.
The apartment is a 'walkout' in Fiona and Terry's house in Drake Landing. It is brand new and gorgeous! It has everything we need for now and is very comfortable. Jake and Jaz are particularly impressed with the real flame fire that automatically turns itself on and off to keep the heat regular! We all had a good night's sleep and woke up raring to go!
There was a snowstorm as we landed on Wednesday which excited the kids no end! There's not much by Canadian standards but enough to get Jake and Jaz excited! Our first full day dawned bright and sunny with crisp white snow-covered rooftops around us - better than another grey English autumn day any time!
We packed a lot into our first day - registering for Alberta healthcare, Social insurance numbers, driving licence applications, car hire, new simcards for our phones, and an appointment with our bank manager at RBC - not to mention a trip to the pet store to buy our cat Domino some goodies for her arrival on Friday!
Lots more to do over the next few days, including shopping for a car (test drives - yippee!) and a meeting with our mortgage advisor before we start house hunting. The children have been really good so far so we also need to reward them with some treat time - maybe a trip to the cinema or the ice rink is on the cards!