Shopping in Vancouver

I was just reminded by Dorcas that I forgot to post that I'm in Vancouver now. I flew here on Tuesday with my mom and 4 huge boxes. The boxes are still here, but my mom is now back in sunny California.

Everyday, so far, has been spent shopping for furniture and daily essentials. As I maneuver through numerous aisles at Home Depot, Ikea, Linens 'n Things, Superstore, The Future Shop and London Drugs, I am again reminded how much I dislike shopping... especially "forced" shopping. The only place I've truly enjoyed visiting is Costco, which is also true back in LA where I love wandering through the aisles buying absolutely nothing or more than I need. (Those little ladies who hand out free samples can be rather pursuasive sometimes.) So far, I've resisting getting a Costco hot dog, which are CDN$1.99 here and not USD$1.50, by the way.

Speaking of inflated prices, almost everything is significantly more expensive here in Canada, especially in British Columbia where the general and provincial sales taxes total 13%. With the Canadian dollar almost at par with the US dollar, the prices are ridiculous. A desk I wanted at Ikea is CDN$249 here, but only USD$149 in the States. It's crazy. However, I'm blessed with friends like Danette and Richard who are willing to lug some Ikea furniture up to me from Seattle.

As I continue to make Vancouver my home for the next 2-3 years, I will have to do much more shopping. Please pray for my sanity, but also please praise God that I even have the means to shop.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)