Existential Melting Handicap Stripper

For those of you who have been my dedicated readers of my life thoughts, goals and dreams I am hoping this post will make you smile if nothing else today. If there is one thing I have been doing a lot of lately it has been smiling and I am in no way prepared for it to end. I have had a great past few months since my last post and really have nothing to complain about these days besides the -17 degree weather we are getting which yes I absolutely hate and feel like crying every time I step outside. Running these past few days has been either indoors needless to say.

Time for the updates to flow like wine. I had to say goodbye to my other half Meghan who I mentioned in my last blog who took off to England to do her phd and is going to be the most amazing doctor out there. We've kept in touch via facebook, facetime and lengthy messages but I sincerely miss her more than anything. Meg lived only a couple blocks away and it was nothing for me to bike on over to her apartment and talk for hours about relationships, goals, dreams, etc. She was my go-to girl for so long and still is if anything just more electronically. We had her going away at the loose moose and I made sure to stop by her place the day before she left to say goodbye. Meg, I cannot wait for you to get your cute butt back to Canada again soon or I am going to be forced to make an irrational plane ticket purchase to England to visit you.

I'm still at Ritche bridal and achieved my wedding planning certification on the side. I am still thinking of business names but ideally I would love to specialize in destination weddings or rustic/country weddings on a smaller scale. While I would still take on the grand weddings J-LO styles I think my specialty will be in the more intimate venue weddings. I cannot wait to take this by storm but for now I  am just working in bridal still selling like crazy and making dreams come true! Our store is booming lately with sales and we are getting more media popular with our blog and my personal project Instagram for the store. For all the upcoming weddings of 2014 please come see me as I am sure I can help you find your dress!            

I had the absolute privilege of being Mr. Mark Stewart's date for the wedding of Katie and Andy. They had a beautiful wedding near Niagara falls with a barn reception in a very intimate/romantic setting. Despite getting some unfortunate news only minutes before the reception, Stew and I had an amazing time and couldn't be more happy for this wonderful couple. Katie and Andy thank you again for having us to your beautiful wedding--those Aussies sure know how to party!! One hell of a wedding and one hell of a party.

            

October through Christmas was an interesting few months for me as I was in a bit of difficult position and going through a sort of mess of a life situation. The good news is that I am probably the happiest I have been since sitting on the beach on vacation. I find myself wondering each day if I am going to wake up with a punch to the face or something but I  can genuinely say I am so happy and wouldn't change it for the world. A few factors are that fitness wise I have been running again and been able to clock a lot of kms. I also have been doing incredible in sales with my job. I love my friends and roommate andddddddddddddd just so happened to find myself a male companion to spend a lot of time with lately, yes indeed, a boyfriend. I will not say to much as to protect the identity of this Tuxedo Mask man of mine (yes that was a sailor moon reference) but the important thing is that I am over the moon right now.

Christmas was nice and I was able to see both mom and dad for the holidays. I spent half my time in London and half my time in Calgary. Just enough time to spend with mom and her broken wrist catching up, drinking wine and dressing the animals up in silly outfits. We had a great Christmas together and it was nice to finally see my mother! 

I flew out boxing day to Calgary to see my dad and family out west. We had a wonderful dinner with some of the family including my cousin and his girlfriend, family friend Carol and my Nana. Lots of food and laughs. Dad and I had plenty of our heart to hearts that I cherish so much and it was nice to just be at home for some relaxation time. I flew back to Toronto the day before New Years Eve and Warren picked me up from the airport. I worked a day before New Years Eve and then spent NYE with Warren and his friends for a nice quiet evening. We had a great night and of course plenty of champagne. 

My plans for this new year will be to continue running without injury hopefully. I plan to run a couple half marathons but don't want to push the distances too much in race so that I don't end up out of another summer of running realistically. I would LOVE to do a duathlon this summer so lets stay healthy shall we?!

 I also hope to further my involvement in the bridal industry aka with developing my wedding planning business. I just want to be fully happy in my career. I plan to travel to Cuba in April and get some fun in the sun. Many plans I cannot disclose just yet because of my fear of jinxing things buttttttttttttttttt I can say the only really bad thing that has happened to me lately is that Kristen and my apartment got busted into a week ago. A couple guys broke into wind mobile down below (cell phone store) and scared the shit out of us. We called the police and it was an absolute nightmare BUT we are okay and survived the night. The police were absolutely useless to us and treated us like little girls but we were able to have a good laugh about the situation hours later when kristen said "Courtney, what if they broke in, they could have grabbed so much nike stuff!" to which I responded "Nike stuff?! they could have grabbed our throats!!!" 

Anyways I will wrap this up as my hands are tired and its a friday night but the summary of this post is that I am happy, healthy and still living the dream. I hope all my readers are doing well and as per usual I will give a few shout outs. FIRST to Caity and Dan Galbraith who are expecting their first baby in July--I am so happy for you both and cannot wait to see this beautiful baby you crazy bastards introduce to the world. To my roommate and besty Kristen who reminds me every day to

slow  down a bit and enjoy the finer things in life like trashy reality tv and our neighbours cat who greets us at the back now and then. To my cousin Leanne who is also pregnant with her second child!! To my parents who have continued to be a major support system to me and never fail to make me laugh. To my best boys Stew and Little who may be the most ridiculous individuals I know but still to this day are the only guys I would share country tunes and a bottle of whiskey with, Love you babes.

I shall write again soon my dears. Hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New Years! love you all!!

xoxo

cheers

Summer Ender

I realized today that it has been almost a full 4 months since my last entry and it is time once again for an update! As we head into September I am definitely in a different place career wise than I thought I would be for my last post. My experience with Air Canada Rouge did not work out and I was hired later by Westjet to work in the airport here in Toronto. However, the training for Westjet has yet to start as they had told me it would back in July. I ended up coming back to Ritche and am happier than ever with this decision.

My boss has given me a raise and more responsibility as a senior employee. I have also began the Instagram account for Ritche bridal and am now taking on this social media task full force. I have future plans to further my career in the meantime with bridal and gain more experience in the various elements of designers, wedding planning, etc. I realized I really do enjoy this industry and happen to be not bad at it!

This summer I have been working a lot but managed to get away for a couple weekends to friends' cottages. I bought myself a bike and have been motoring around the city like crazy--saving myself money on TTC tokens and getting to see new parts of Toronto that I hadn't before. I love it!
Dad was able to come visit me a month ago and we got away to Niagara Falls for some winery visits, casino and shopping. While I am sad to report that I did not make millions in the casino that day it was a great to spend time with dad and kill a few bottles of wine.

This fall has many exciting things to come, a couple weddings to visit, a crazy busy season ahead in bridal, birthdays and gaining education/experience in my field. I am happy to report that I am nearly fully recovered physically from my previous streak of injuries. After recovering from an SI joint dysfunction that put me out of running for a while I ended up blowing my knee out doing box jumps after taking up crossfit. I was almost completely immobile for a week straight and had my share of going stir crazy before I eased back into some light workouts. I am now able to run again (short distances) and have been focusing on weight training. I do not think I will be going back to box jumps anytime soon though. If you have no idea what I am talking about, just google "box jump fails" and you will likely see how I got injured or could at least imagine it. Not pretty.

For those important people in my life--Amanda Switzer, congrats on your big move to Guelph for a new career and endless opportunities. Kristen Kuzemko, my roommate who has been rocking the Nike job as a pacer and filling our apartment with shoes galore and Nike products in general, Stew who has recently moved to a beautiful apartment in the heart of the city with his little brother Adam--your place has now made me realize how ghetto my apartment is (thank you lol), Iftin my coworker who consistently motivates me to chase my dreams down and keep reaching new heights in the bridal industry I thank you for being my rock girl. Caity, Amanda and mom whose birthdays are in September--love you all and can't wait to celebrate! Megan, my twin and greatest wine-drinking-late-night-chatting partner best wishes and luck to you as you head on this epic journey ahead of you to England for your PHD! My amazing brother who has been living on his own for a while now and is the best dog sitter a sister could ask for, thank you :) Tom, my good friend who has now moved to Toronto--I promise you will love this city soon enough I am glad you're here!

As far as my future travel plans, I am currently trying to convince my mother to go to New York City on boxing day or at least in between Christmas and New Years. We both have never been and could use a girls getaway--mom if you're reading this, I hope you are looking at flights--lets make this happen! I also plan to get a good solid all inclusive vacation in at some point soon as I am seriously missing the sun and am sad as ever to report that I never made it to the beach once this summer, REALLY!? yes...
For all my Aussie lovers overseas, I am so grateful we have kept in such great touch, now get your butts to Canada so I can see you again!

Much love to everyone and hope you all had a great summer :) keep the dream alive
xoxo 

Patience is a Virtue

I have not forgot about this blog but feel the need to wait until some life events happen before writing--when I say life events I mean more than just buying meat at the local Portugese deli for the first time (I think it was meat?) so here goes folks.

Since February and going home for MONSTER JAM which was a gong show btw as per usual I would have to say my biggest triumph of March had to be accomplishing 30k Around the Bay. Not only was this my longest distance ever but something I had to really mentally prepare for for a while. As a hard ass on myself I put in the training hours--at some points doing my 21km+ runs at 4am just to make sure I got my long run in that coincided with work yet I was still extremely nervous standing in the corral of the race that morning. I worked the Saturday before in bridal and then had my traditional routine of music prep and some wine before an early night and early morning with Kris and Adam to head to the race. I was nervous as hell especially entering the corral thinking "what the hell have I got myself into". The race could not have gone better. The first 10k were great and a lot of calming myself down to not overthink the race, the next 10 were a bit more of a struggle as the route quiets down and there isn't as much support to cheer you on. I was told by my fellow run leader Inge "the race doesn't really start til the 20km mark" sweet.....and she was right. From 20km onward, it is rolling hills and the build up to the massive hill everyone warns you about. I hit the hill and yes, it was a bastard and a half of a hill but my running preparations in Thailand had actually made this hill look not that bad. Not to mention my ego telling me that there was no way in hell I was walking this beast I powered through it to the top to see that I had a mere 4km to go. I felt amazing crossing the finish line and I have Kris my roomie to thank for preparing me with when to take my gels and other useful tips, as well as Adam for giving me multiple pep talks prior to the race. I came in smiling and felt the ultimate runners high. my mom and brother came for support and it was possibly one of my favourite races.

I had my interview with Air Canada Rouge and hey, what do you know I got the job as a flight attendant on Air Canada's new fleet of airline that is starting up this July 2013. I had to wait a long time to get the official results but officially landed my dream job. The day I found out I was about to head out for an 8km run, headphones on when I checked my email one last time and saw AC ROUGE in bold. I only told Kristen first (sorry parents!) because I was so overwhelmed. I hyperventilated and ran out the door to the gym. It took me a while to let it sink in but I could not be happier.

I began training this week and while the first day was overwhelming to the point of tears in terms of material and reading I managed to survive the first week of flight attendant training. The highlight for me was definitely learning the safety demo (laugh all you want but I'll be your woman pointing out your emergency exits). The people in my classes are amazing and so friendly. one of the guys in our class gave nicknames to everyone today and mine is officially "Sporty Spice" which I still haven't decided if that is a compliment or insult considering Mel C was the ugliest spice girl.
Training will commence until May 31st and then we have been told that June 12-17 we will be flying somewhere for our customer service training yet we have no idea where yet. I don't even care where I am just so excited to go somewhere!

I left Ritche bridal but have been kept on as temporary employee so I may work on occasion when I am not flying. It was probably one of the hardest jobs to leave as leaving my girl/rock Iftin was brutal but we've kept in touch every single day since. Iftin and Jess and I went out my last Saturday at Ritche to hemmingways here in Toronto and had plenty a cocktails and they surprised me by celebrating my belated birthday!

Let's see, well since ATB which I boasted previously about I have been injured and not running for about 3 weeks under my chiropractors orders. I have been treated a few times by Dr. Ali at East Liberty Medical Clinic who has changed my life. while I haven't been able to run I have been able to strength train and increase my use of weights (and when I say increase my use I mean start lifting more than 10lbs). While I think I might die when I start running again I have been appreciating the strength training for good measures. I have forfeited running the sporting life 10k which Nike Run Club has been training our runners for for the past 10 weeks or so. I am sad that I am unable to run but am so happy for all my amazing runners who have worked so hard for this race. I would love to be running it but have realized I need to listen to my body (and chiro) and wait til I'm fully healed. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!

I went home last weekend and got to see some great friends and have some good chats about life, careers and getting our ducks in a row. I am happy to report that while some of my ducks are still trying to line up with broken legs or missing wings I think they might be happening. As most of you know I feel that happiness is the most important thing despite money and status. I have never wanted a job that makes me important or rich I just want something that makes me happy and something I can work around. I think I have found that. I also am planning to train for a triathlon this summer and have been studying up about training techniques for when I am healed and ready to go.

Okay, I apologize for the novel but you guys know what you signed in to. Toronto has been amazing, my roommate is amazing and despite my current physical set back from running I am still confident when I say I am still living the dream.

Now, please enjoy your in flight entertainment brought to you by air Canada rouge and yours truly

xo

It's been almost a month since I've been home and I am so happy to be able to lounge on the couch with my pup Ollie and enjoy the luxuries of cable TV for a weekend. This year has been crazy busy so far so any chance I get to unwind a bit feels like a million bucks.

January started out strong as it has been mayhem in the world of bridal with all the summer weddings this year and the need for brides to get their dresses asap. Late nights, long weekends, and endless appointments have been my life but sales have been at an all time high! We've had a couple trunk shows and the bridal sale which brought lots of business and was great entertainment as employees. I am happy to say I am really enjoying the sales world so far and genuinely getting better at my job. While I am still looking for the big career change, so far this is a pretty good gig!

Nike has been awesome as per usual. We've had our defeat winter program running since before Christmas and just wrapped up in January. The program consisted of goal setting and challenges to encourage our runners to keep running through all winter ailments and battle the cold. There were 3 challenges that consisted of running tracks, trivial games and obstacle course-like missions that brough out lots of new faces and awarded runners with free Nike swagg (who doesn't love free swag??!). I am proud to say my run club North Toronto were the undefeated champs of all 3 challenges! We had our major final event at the end of January that brought out over 300 runners down at the docks in Toronto for a battle royale type atmosphere of hurdles, wall climbing, tires, balance beams and probably one of the coldest days of the year. The whole thing was filmed and Nike pulled out all the stops making it a really awesome event to wrap up the defeat winter program. We're now focusing on smaller goals for February and helping our runners work towards race goals like the GoodLife Marathon, 30k Around the Bay and the Sporting Life 10k just to name a few.

 

My roommate Kristen has had an epic year already starting a new role as a Nike Pacer for a full time job. She made the big leave from Sears to Nike just a couple weeks ago and is now living the dream of sweet sweet Nike swag and running. She was also featured on the cover of Cycling magazine for her big ride across Canada this past September. So yes, yes, I am living with a celebrity and to be honest it is a challenge trying to get to the front door of our apartment with all the papparazzi these days but hey, we're makin it. I am so proud of her and she has many more big goals ahead with her first Half Ironman ahead in the fall of this year as well as some major pace goals for upcoming races. We'll be running the 30k Around the Bay together in a month and I am so excited because I know I'll have her there to drag my lifeless body across the finish line if I can't make it.

Our roommate Melissa has decided to move out in March so it'll be down to the 2 of us in little Portugal. We'll be sad to see Melissa go but it'll mean another new change for me having my own room and not sleeping on futon in our living room haha. I've been looking for decor ideas and have been inspired by my travels with artistic elements.

This weekend I am home for family day and MONSTER JAM here in London. This epic event was introduced to me years back but unfortunately I haven't always been able to make the event due to work or other commitments. Last year we were in Oz so obviously missed it which makes this year that much more exciting. I'll be dressing up in my finest trailer trash attire and hitting the JLC to cheer on Gravedigger with my two besties Kyle Little and Mark Stewart in one of the trashiest, messiest, drunkest nights of the year. It ain't gonna be pretty folks but it sure is a riot.

I've had some down in the dumps moments in the past few weeks often feeling like I need to be progressing with my life but have decided to make some changes in my life which has brought my life to a complete turn around. For one, I've been writing more and working on little projects in my free time. I have continued writing to my Nana traditional letters as well as writing to my best pen pal of life, Sean Markle who puts a smile on my face every time I receive anything in the mail. Most recently he sent me the most amazing picture of Paul Newman knowing my love of this actor and the movie, Cool Hand Luke. I can't wait to frame the picture and thank you again Sean for making my day! Other goals I've been working on are my personal fitness; still running and have incorporated more weight and circuit training to get toned and stronger. I've been eating more lean meats, vegetables and what Kris and I call "balanced" meals as opposed to skipping meals and eating snacks to meet calorie intake for the day in things like popcorn and crackers. I feel a lot better and though I often feel like a rabbit with the amount of vegetables I go through in a week my body has thanked me for a cleaner eating regime. I've kept up with running and been focusing on my weekend long runs working towards Around the Bay. Long runs aren't easy folks with my latest being a 23km run right before the snow storm. it was tough and a few times thought I may need to bail out but made it home in the end. While I still can't imagine doing a full marathon the ATB will be my biggest challenge yet. This year I plan to focus more on strengthening my mucles and hitting some pbs in pace and generally just entering more races. Career is my eye-on-the-prize this year and will be my biggest achievement if I can land the position of my dreams which has been to be a flight attendant for a while!! I also plan this year to speak with some publishers about the book I wrote while overseas. I have been dabbling with the idea as my book is very personal but it is something I wouldn't mind looking into if not just to get ideas and quotes of the possibility.

I got a new tattoo as well! I decided to get the pattern of a bracelet I bought in Cambodia on my arm done by Scoot at FYInk. He was awesome! I love the new ink and while it was a painful 3.5hours of work I am thoroughly impressed with his work and the piece in general. This bracelet is meaningful to me not only because of my journey but because of the luck elephants bring and the reminder of the challenges I overcame taking that year to myself to travel. Cambodians are awesome people who appreciate life and are happy despite some of the challenges of their living conditions. These people really opened my eyes and made me think about how lucky I am to have what I have and enjoy the finer things in life. So Cambodia, you will forever be a part of me, quite literally.  

Last but not least, I am currently reading 'The Book of Awesome' which has put a smile on my face on my commute to work on the subway. While this book is just a light read its been a great pick me up and has allowed me to appreciate the smaller things in life. Often times the book has made me laugh that things the author considers awesome I truly have thought about many times. For example, seeing the waitress coming around the corner with your food before it hits the table--so awesome. Or entering a lane at a grocery store just as a girl is coming off her break and you are first in line, awesome. Or even random things like high-tens (rather than high-fives), new socks, or having exact change--awesome. I definitely recommend this book!

I look forward to the next few months of races, getting a bedroom, possibly finding my dream job and of course the continuous possibility of me winning the lottery and  vanishing off to somewhere fabulous at any given time. To my readers and followers, I will put this in writing that if I win the lottery, you will get a vacation for reading my jibber jabber and having some faith in me haha.
Looking forward to many more changes, achievements and events of 2013.

Happy b-lated Valentines day, happy early St. Patricks day and more importantly happy monster jam day to my red neck peeps! I'll end this by leaving you with some epic music to check out that I have been embracing so far this year: The Lumineers, The Civil Wars, Fossil Collective, Ryan Adams and getting back to my country roots with the newest albums from my faves!
Have a great weekend folks, chat soon!
much love,

Court
xo

Merry Christmas readers!

The year is almost over and its hard to believe that one year ago I was setting up camp with Stewy and Dad in Sydney, Australia. I have to admit, I am extremely happy to be sitting by the fire this year with a Christmas tree, goodies baking in the oven and about to watch Bing Crosby's White Christmas. I love my traditions especially around the holiday season.

Mom and Steven picked me up yesterday from my bridal job and we drove back to London. I was so happy to get home for the holidays and see my puppy Ollie! I spent my first night with my boys Stewy and Little celebrating Little's new house and Stewy's recent birthday. We had a great time with friends and made our way to Cowboys where Little and I tore up the dance floor as per usual. Today I hit the gym and have been spending quality time with my family.

This year has been absolutely amazing and I feel so lucky to have accomplished so much. I've traveled, met some amazing people, made a big move to a big city and have two jobs that I love. I've been thinking about what I want my new years resolution to be and have some ideas brewing but want to keep them a secret for now. I have a feeling 2013 is going to be a really great year for me and I can't wait!

Since September I've had a lot of great things going on in my life. For one, my running has been at an all time high and I set a new personal best just this week breaking an average pace of 4:25! I've been loving my Nike job and all the free swag I get from the company. My run group has been amazing too and continues to impress me with their improvements and winning our winter challenges. I've become really close with people I've met through Nike and the best part is my roommate and bestie Kristen works with me! Bridal has been great and I've been loving my staff and helping brides find their dresses. There's been a lot of engagements popping up on my newsfeed and I've been using it to my advantage to try and get brides to come in and have me as their consultant!
I went to my best friend caity and dan's wedding in November and was so happy to see her marry her best friend and man of her dreams. I bawled like a baby the second I saw her walk out in her beautiful dress looking absolutely breath taking. I still remember playing barbies with Caity in my basement talking about when we thought we'd get married and I could not be happier for her and dan's life together.

I've kept in great communication with some friends in Australia and have seriously considered going back for a visit. Anyone willing to donate to my vacation to Aus fund is more than welcome. Somehow I just don't have $2000 laying around these days to take off again but if I did you know where I'd be. I am still pursuing my goal of becoming a flight attendant and hoping that if I can land that gig that I can continue to travel.

This holiday season I want to wish all my friends and family a very merry christmas and happy new year. I hope everyone is surrounded by loved ones this year and has the chance to reflect on thier past year and appreciate all the good things in their lives. While the holidays can be a little sad for some I hope everyone enjoys the company of loved ones and sees the good in the coming year. My best wishes to all of you this holiday! I hope everyone has a nice cocktail in hand and a Christmas movie on the tv! Love you all, Merry Christmas

Life in the City

It has been far too long since my last blog update! I was going to end this blog upon returning to Canada but realized my journey is never really over so why not keep the blog anyways?

Since Calgary I moved back to London to spend some time with my mother, Lois and work and see my amazing friends. I had a fantastic time catching up with everyone, going to barneys, running through my old turf in Springbank, reuniting with people I haven't seen in literally a year and just getting back to my old life. Rick was kind enough to give me some training at Fit Gym and kicked my ass multple times in strength training and German volume training workouts. If anyone wants a recommendation for a trainer in London to get fit, msg me immediately.  My beautiful sister Elyse and her boyfriend Alex had their baby Liam in July and he is a gem! So happy for them!!

I worked hard at finding some kind of opportunity in Toronto and though I am not teaching yet, have found two phenomenal jobs that I am SO happy with. I am a Nike Run Leader for the runner's lounge. I lead runs once a week from north Toronto on a 3-6km route through the streets of Toronto and usually followed by a social or some kind of Nike sponsored treat like frozen yogurt, free protein bar samples, yoga, etc. I've met some incredible people and best part is, I get to run as a living! I am also working at Ritche's Bridal as a Bridal Consultant--aka the show "Say Yes to the Dress" in real life. I absolutely love my job and all the people I work with. Just yesterday I had 3 brides cry because they found their dress and I felt so happy for them I nearly cried myself. The owners are fantastic people who encouraged me to try on some of the dresses and I truly felt like a princess getting to wear Maggie Sotterro, Paloma Blanca, Pronovias and Kittychien dresses. One day :)

I am living in Kristen's place right now while she rides across Canada for Sick Kids Foundation. I am living with her cousin and the 3 of us will get a place once Kris returns. It has taken me some time to get used to the busy life of living in a big city; taking street cars and subways and always on the go-go-go but I absolutely love it. I am still working on trying to get a job as a flight attendant for any airline out there and welcome all connections and suggestions with open arms. For now I am more than happy with my jobs and am excited about this new chapter in my life. I am learning French through Rosetta Stone which has turned out to be a great program and fun too!

Upcoming events in my life include my two besties birthdays Amanda and Caity in Sept as well as my mother Lois, LJ's wedding with Kyle Little, Caity and Dan's wedding in November, of course Halloween and Thanksgiving in canada this year and soon enough CHRISTMAS. I know its well away and most Canadians want to avoid thinking of the winter weather but I am so excited for Christmas in Canada this year and have already been planning the baked goodies for mom and I to make :)

I still think about my travels every single day and can't deny that I've been thinking about the next places I want to travel including South America, Dubai, Egypt, and more of the tropical islands. I still am in contact with my friends in Australia and the family that i became so close with is already trying to plan my next visit to Australia on their bill! How could I not love Aussies. Mick, our friend from Mooloolaba was able to visit back in July and we showed him a good time in London taking him to kools, jacks, barneys and getting him traditional canadian food like poutine!

Anyways, I think I am going to keep this blog going a little longer whether people read it or not. I know there is another journey out there for me its just a matter of when and where :)

Back in Cow Town

I've been back in Calgary now for a couple weeks and while still adjusting slightly to the changes of being back in Canada, enjoying the luxuries of having everything at my disposal again. My first driving experience required a lot of reminding myself to stay on the right side and not be nervous about the Calgary tailgating. I still get a bit nervous in cars and buses from our experience in Asia with traffic--oh, and the fact that our bus crashed in Cambodia, that may have been the kicker.

Since returning to Calgary (cow town) I've been searching for jobs in London and Toronto, running up a storm and got a new tattoo of a hibiscus flower. I've been keeping myself busy with goals for my future, getting in touch with people and readapting to reality. The 100th Calgary Stampede starts tomorrow and the city is bursting with excitement for its arrival. We plan to go to the grand opening parade in the morning and then dad and I will be heading to Lethbridge, just a couple hours outside of Calgary as I will be doing my first race of this summer there, a 10km on Saturday morning. After, we'll be returning to Calgary where I will be meeting up with the lovely Emily Strybosch for the stampede events! Looking forward to seeing her again and my mom will be arriving on the Monday after, very exciting! I haven't seen my mother in a year so needless to say it will be quite the reunion. Going to need a few bottles of wine at least :) Then we'll have lots of stampede events, the Brad Paisley concert, chuck and rodeo finals tickets and then I'll be back to London in no time!

Let me back track a little here with FIJI....it was absolutely amazing and such a life changing experience. I stayed at Amunuca Island Resort which was about an hour to hour and a half boat ride from the mainland Nadi. I stayed on the mainland the first night as my flight got me in in the afternoon when the boats had already left. I got up early the next morning and headed to my oasis. Most people my age were staying on Beachcomber Island--known for its wild parties and drinking. I was happy to not be par-taking as Fiji was my time to relax, let loose and do solely what I wanted to do. My resort was stunning with an infinity pool, white sand, crystal clear blue water--the works--basically most people's screen savers. Most of the people on my resort were coulpes or families but I met two guys Dave and Jay who worked together back in Melbourne who were there to dive. Jay had been to Amunuca many times previously with his wife and kids. I got chatting with Dave and Jay on the first day over our tattoos and became quick friends. We made friends with a lot of the couples that came and went so we had a nice little crew.

The dive shop owners Shane and Rachel basically adopted me as one of their own and treated me like gold. I loved them and miss them so much. I had the opportunity to go to cloudbreak the day after Kelly Slater won the Volcom Fiji Pro Surf competition and got so close to him that it was awkward to take pictures at one point. Such a beautiful man and such a great experience. The waves were 10ft at least and like nothing I had ever seen in my life. Absolutely breathtaking, like watching an avalanche.

Dave and Jay caught a giant mackeral the one day so I got to try fresh cooked fish literally straight from the ocean in front of us--so good! We played water volleyball a few times and I was able to use the gym a couple times before the gutted it for renovations. I still managed to run where I could around the island to keep in shape. Lots of happy hour beverages and tanning and most importantly, relaxing. It was the perfect vacation I needed. We met a wonderful couple named Chelsea and Carol and I ended up being Chelsea's only bridesmaid and witness at their beachfront wedding on the Saturday before I left. It was a beautiful ceremony and I was so happy to be a part of it. I never thought I would be in a wedding in Fiji!

We met a great family from the gold coast as well who I still keep in touch with that were so much fun. We also met some Brits, more aussies and kiwis too. Such great people! Sometimes I felt like Jason Segel in forgetting sarah marshall when the servers would continually ask when my husband was arriving to dinner or breakfast and I had to reiterate repeatedly that no, I was there on my own. "No boyfriend?" "no...just me" "oh...sorry maam" "no its quite okay actually." I found it funny but I think the Fijians felt a bit sorry for me at times. However, it didn't stop miss Rachel from living vicariously through me and trying to marry me off to one of the Fijian boys that worked on the resort. Sorry Rach, not going to happen! haha.

Fiji opened my eyes to a lot and I really felt like I learned a lot about myself in the time I had to reflect on the past 10 months. I felt like I finally accepted the person I am and grew up a bit. It may sound cliche but I really had my eye opening to life experience. I was able to write a lot in Fiji and geuinely felt great the entire time I was there. Some of my best writing yet. I felt confident, happy and loved the conversations I was having with fellow travelers about their experiences and what htey wanted in life as well. I shed a few tears on my bus to the airport to leave but was happy to end my 10 month vacation on such a high note. I spent a couple nights at Rachel McKay's before heading back to Calgary on the 21st.

Dad and Steven were there to greet me and I could not have been happier to get home after 13 hours of flying brisbane to LA and then an 8-10 hour layover in LA suffering from jetlag and then another 2 hour flight to Calgary. Dad and I shared some drinks that night and caught up as much as we could and damn it was good to be back. The family came over on the Saturday for my return and we had a great time catching up, sharing stories and just enjoying each others company.

Now, when I think about it, I just feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to travel to so many wonderful places. I met so many incredible people and lapped up luxury in many places. I would definitely go back to Fiji, Thailand and Australia again one day! I got tim hortons the day after I got back and it was gloriousssssss. I've also had swiss chalet which was incredible. It''s the little things like that that you miss when you're traveling. Now, I will be flying back to London soon and could not be more excited to see all the wonderful friends in my life. I lose sleep some nights just thinking about seeing everyone and finding out what everyone has been up to since I've been gone. I am also excited to get a job and get my career going finally.

I have missed everyone tremendously and while I would love to tell more stories, there just isn't enough space so if I ever decide to try and publish my writing...stay tuned! I have uploaded most if not all of my pictures to my facebook page so feel free to take a look! I will see everyone very soon, it is so good to be back, I am truly and utterly happy :)