Revival

Wow. I didn't blog at all in 2015. That kinda makes me sad. I've always wanted to keep my blog as active as I can, but sometimes life just gets away from you. Now, it's 2016 and I feel like I have a fresh start.

I officially marked my 3rd year in Canada in December. I love this country. To bits. But I have to admit that moving here has not been without its challenges. To be honest, I didn't even notice that something was wrong, but I think being away from my support system, my amazing friends from back home, took its toll on me. I felt just a tad bit lost.

I think I'm finally finding my way.

Since moving to Red Deer in December of 2013, I have developed friendships with some wonderful ladies. I'm also now part of a kick-ass book club whose meetings I look forward to every month. I now hold a permanent position at work--as a systems analyst for the 911 Dispatch Centre, no less--a position that I am still in awe of every day. I even started a business!

I'm still working on getting my ducks in a row, but hopefully I'll get there soon. My biggest goals this year are to save for a house, work on my fitness, and of course, travel. It's been 3 years since my passport last got stamped. It's time to get on that again!

With that, I'd like to end my post with a photo I took 2 years ago, when I first moved to Red Deer. It was close to Christmas, and Bower Ponds had just opened for skating season. It was magical. The photo reminds me of a scene from a Christmas card, and I think I fell in love with Red Deer that night.

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Rueon Thai Restaurant

I'm not too big of a fan of curry, and since I've never really had real Thai food, I thought I wouldn't like Thai cuisine. Boy, was I wrong.

Last night, on our quest to find as many ethnic restaurants in Alberta as we possibly can, hubby and I stopped at Rueon Thai Restaurant in Red Deer. The place is highly recommended by a co-worker and has a 5-star rating on Google, so we thought we'd give it a try.

Rueon, apparently meaning "wooden house", is a gem. The restaurant decor is simple, but the food and service was great. We had Spring Rolls as an appetizer and it didn't disappoint. It was perfectly cooked and tasted really good with hoisin sauce and sriracha. It was so good that we had to order another serving! We also had Pad Thai. It was our first time having it so we don't have anything to compare it to, but it was delicious. The best food of the night, however, was the Mas Mann or Massaman curry (pictured above). Like I already said, curry is not in my list of favorite foods, but Rueon's take on this concoction of coconut milk, peanut sauce, and of course curry, is heavenly. It's a mixture of flavors that ends up as a party in your mouth. The added star anise made it the most engaging dish I've ever had in my life. By engaging, I mean: I wanted to look at it, I wanted to smell it, I wanted to eat it--and not stop. LOL!

It's been a while since I wrote about a restaurant on my blog. This post is proof of how inspiring Rueon is. I can hardly wait to sample more of their exciting offerings.

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