Guest Post: I Heart Edmonton

Just Bella is the perfect name for Christine's blog because everything she writes about is exactly that. Fashion, family, food -- she's my kind of girl. Most recently, her pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are calling my name.
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Hello everyone, greetings from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada!! I am so happy to hang out here at the SoHo while Natalie is off on her cross-country adventure. Thank you so much for having me and letting me share some reasons why I love my city.

Sure we have one of the largest malls in the world and, let's be real here, I do frequent it quite often ;) but that's the obvious stuff. I think like most things in life, it's the little things that make all the difference. The things that the locals know. The things we do on a lazy, Sunday morning. The things that make us smile when returning from a long trip. It's these little things that really make a place home.

Here are a few of my fave little things...

1. River Valley:
There are so many places to escape in the river valley or one of the many ravines in the city. I frequent the Terwillegar dog park quite often for walks with my mom-in-law. It's so beautiful down there, especially right now when all the leaves are changing. I don't have a dog, but I love that I can go here and pretend I do... and pick the cutest, best behaved one.  ;)

2. High Tea at the Rutherford House:
A historic building that houses the best restaurant for lunch and high tea. It is my best friend, Taryn and I's fave Saturday afternoon date. We just like to say we're "ladies who lunch", haha.

3. Snow!
Okay, we Edmontonians have a love-hate relationship with the weather. If you've ever met anyone from Alberta, you'll notice we talk about the weather a lot. We've had snow in June yet the rare Christmas with no snow. The weather here is well, weird. But I love our snowy, sunny winters. You never know what you're going to get and it keeps us on our toes. 

4. Duchess Bake Shop:
One word. No, make that two words... macarons and meringues. YUM.

5. Festivals:
We have such a friendly, vibrant arts community and wear the name "festival city" well.  It is one festival after another in the summer.  That photo is my view at the Edmonton Folk Festival watching Ben Harper under the stars *swoon*.

6. The Rocky Mountains:
There are no mountains in Edmonton, but I love that we are a hop, skip and 3 hour drive to Banff or Jasper National Park. My husband and I got engaged at Lake Louise, so it'll always hold a special place in my heart.

7. Edmonton Oilers:
I grew up in a hockey family. I was what they call a "rink rat" running around playing and eating candy at my brother's hockey games. This city loves it's hockey and has some of the best fans around. I was living in an apartment downtown the year the Oilers made the Stanley cup finals. You could hear an echo of cheers throughout the whole city when they scored. It was an amazing feeling hear so many joined together in their hockey happiness. Check out this link to see what kind of fans we are. I was there this game... goosebumps.

8. And of course, the people:
It's the smiling faces of my friends and family the make me appreciate every single day here.