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I was born and raised in Edmonton but like many others, I had the urge to leave my hometown as soon as I was able. Because of that, in 2004, I applied for a holiday working visa to the UK and left after I finished my university degree. I decided to live in London and I absolutely loved it. After the 2005 London bombings, UK immigration became very strict, and long story short, I ended up leaving my beloved London and moved back to Edmonton in the fall of 2006.

Now, I have to be honest, coming back to Edmonton was very difficult for me. I moved back to my parent’s house and was unemployed and felt like a failure. I went a month of feeling sorry for myself until my parents convinced me to try and make the most of my current situation and made me promise them one year of living in Edmonton before running off to another city. I agreed and that began my new adventure of rediscovering my hometown.

I decided to approach living in Edmonton like I was in a new and exciting city I had never lived in before. I soon discovered I had more things to do than I had the time or money for. I went to concerts and shows, visited different art & cultural exhibits and festivals, and made a point to try out different restaurants whenever I could. I also got a season subscription to the Alberta Ballet (a ballet company that is, in my opinion, on par with some of the best ballet companies in the world). I met amazing people and got involved in a local church (Church on 99) where they truly make a difference in people's lives and help the community they're located in. On top of all of this, I adopted two rescue dogs from SCARS (Second Chance Animal Rescue Society) and learned about the amazing dog owner community and all the wonderful off-leash parks Edmonton has. After all these years, I finally had an incredible epiphany of how beautiful Edmonton is, how wonderful the people are, and how proud I am to be Canadian and more specifically an Edmontonian.

It’s now five years later and I’m still in Edmonton. I still keep in touch with the friends I met in London and I occasionally meet up with them in various international cities, but I'm always happy to be coming home. I have my own house now, a new job as a Marketing and Website Coordinator at Creative Door (www.creativedoor.com), two dog children, and a new husband. I have to admit, that last thing is the best thing that happened to me and to think that all happened right here in Edmonton! My new husband is Edmonton born and raised as well and our wedding was held at the Hawrelak Park Amphitheatre this past September 17.