One hundred days. Gone by fast. Filled with sooo much. While I didn’t keep daily notes of what I learned, felt, tried, or stumbled with since arriving in Saskatoon, I know the moments that stood out. The small actions we took to create a sense of familiarity in a foreign place. Today I’m sharing what has and is helping us lean into the A D V E N T U R E of starting fresh in a new city. The best part: most of it’s free to do, and may prompt you to re-explore your own city or town, even if you’ve been there a while and think you’ve seen it all.

1. finding play

During our last big move in 2017, we had a toddler and a baby on the way. Those girls are now 11 and 8, so it’s been a completely different experience. They remember and desperately miss what was (really, all they know), so finding parks was at the top of our must list.

Parks get us outside, expending their young energy and emotions while boosting everyone’s morale and vitamin D (win-win-win). Fortunately, the neighbourhood we’re renting in is a new, master-planned community with parks built every 400m! We can literally walk to one and hop to another for a change of scenery, which despite the gusty winds, is a pretty spectacular backdrop.

2. borrowing books

Reading is hands down our favourite family activity, so getting a library card was a no brainer. There are nine libraries scattered about the city (we’ve visited four), and you can request and pick up books at whichever one you prefer. Our fave is a 2-minute drive from my kids’ school, so we stop by every Wednesday to return, pick-up, and peruse what’s new. That's how I've found the best books: scanning titles and grabbing what catches my eye. My first random find here was Design Your Next Chapter by Debbie Travis. So timely. I needed her words then, right after leaving home. We only had a few days as a family before my husband started his new job, so delving into her story while figuring out our next steps, our next chapter, didn't make me feel alone.

I quite like memoirs and how they resonate with something I'm going through even when it's not exactly the same. Two other brilliant ones are Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci and What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella. The latter is Kinsella's last and most autobiographical piece of fiction. Highly recommend ALL three.

3. stroll downtown

From Vancouver to DC to Pennsylvania to here, every downtown core has a unique vibe. 

Exploring Saskatoon’s downtown on Canada Day was a timely chance to experience the community and celebration of cultures coming together. 

It’s quite fun to meander around downtown with no destination or agenda. In our excursions, we’ve discovered quite a few notable shops, including Soul Paper (exquisite art and writing supplies), The Better Good (organic fair trade, up/recycled), and Bulk Cheese Warehouse (a dream delicatessen). Museo Coffee Roasters was our first delicious coffee / hot chocolate experience, so we’ll definitely be returning there.

But the best find has been the Meewasin Trail. A beautiful portion of it runs downtown along the South Saskatchewan River, but you can actually access the trail from various points in the city.

My husband found another entrance near our place, which gave us a good hour walk last weekend. Now we’re on a hunt to find the others and take in the incredible natural beauty of this prairie land.

4. go for a drive

When we want to cover more ground, we hop in the car. Any outing, even to the grocery store, is bound to reveal something we haven't seen before. For instance, on our first full day here, we had a free hour before we could check into our vacation rental. As we drove around, my husband spotted an open house sign for a showhome close to our stay, so we decided, "Sure, let's go." Little did we know a condo bungalow with a finished walk-out basement would have us all falling IN LOVE with it!

*Side note: Since then, we've toured dozens of spec homes and houses for sale. A functional layout is the first and most important thing I look for, and none in my eyes have compared to that bungalow. Saskatoon's housing shortage has got builders focused on volume, not daily flow, particularly that of real young families (hi! over here!). This probably deserves a separate post, so maybe I'll dive into that another time.

5. saturday supper

Yesterday, as we tucked into my favourite Italian dish, linguine vongole, my husband said, "You know, I think Saturday supper will be our tradition, even when you girls are grown up." Food is our family love language. We gather for dinner every day, but the weekend is extra special. With the culinary scene in our old town being pretty small (compared to the places like Vancouver and DC where we'd lived before), my husband started trying his hand at the dishes and cuisines we enjoyed. Pizza came first, then other breads like challah and buttery soft rolls. He experimented with his grill and rotisserie, then moved onto a smoker (which IMO is more versatile). And when the weather cooled down, he dabbled with soups, stews, and so many of our now favourite Asian and Indian recipes.

I feel incredibly lucky to have a partner who has both an adventurous palate and a genuine passion to cook, bake, and try new methods in the kitchen. Our girls know they're lucky, too, and always let him know how much they appreciate his efforts. Every new recipe is also another opportunity to hunt and hopefully shop local for ingredients (like those ↑ decadent mussels from Charlie's Seafood Market), and ultimately savour new flavours together.

6. après dinner

A walk around our neighbourhood was something we often did in State College after dinner and dishes were done. Walking after a meal is great for digestion, but for us, simply being out together in the fresh air is why we did it. Our route took about 20-minutes, which had us back in plenty of time to wind down for the night. We’ve continued that ritual here, but no two evening walks are the same. The many parks are connected by walking paths, each of which branch out and take you in different directions. It's been a great way to explore what's immediately around us—the parks, the people, even a commercial complex 10 minutes away.

And because our area is still being developed, many of the spec houses we've toured have been from seeing and following "open house" signs during these walks!

When we're not out after supper, we either read or play games. We credit the latter to our best friends in SC who we miss so, so much. They got us playing cards early on in our friendship and it stuck! I think when we play now, it's not only a nice way to close the day as a family, but also a way to feel like our friends are with us...keeping the fun times alive no matter the miles away.

what adventures did you take when you first landed in your home city or town?

The last 100 days have been mentally and emotionally intense for all of us. Having these small, simple adventures has been a much needed relief and comfort. It's kept us connected, which is what my husband and I want most from this life-changing transition. From here, we'll see where else our city takes us. Our Saskatoon journey is just beginning.

Always,