New Year’s Resolutions Past and Future

The end of one year and the start of a new one creates the perfect time to wipe the slate clean and start over.  Each year I am one of the many that creates resolutions to help guide me on the year to follow and also like many I think they are often quickly forgotten and pushed to the side.  This year was a little different for me, if only because I had the resolution documented so I couldn’t forget them.  I’m actually proud of my resolutions for 2013 because all of them except for one was at least attempted.  So on this last day of the year I want to quickly look back at my resolutions for 2013 and share my new resolutions for 2014 (some of which will look pretty familiar).

In 2013 I came up with four things I wanted to work towards, all of which were things that work towards my overall life goals.  They were to move more, complete a 365 day photo project, complete another Nanowrimo challenge and read fifty books.  Each of these resolutions have had their own challenges and they are also ones that I have ignored in other years so I was pretty determined to complete them.

The resolution to move more was probably the easiest of all the resolutions because it was vague enough not to give me outlandish goals but still specific enough to get me up off the couch.  This resolution took me a while to actually fulfill because it wasn’t until I got my fitbit that I actually could see that I was actively working towards moving more.  I have already written about how wonderful this change has been for me.  It has been incredibly powerful to see results that I want and at a steady pace.  I feel like this resolution is one that I can check off as being completed without any second thoughts. 

The second resolution is also one that I’m happy to say was a success.  In 2012 I started to do a picture a day with the plan of completing an album of 365 moments that would have made up my year.  I did not complete this project in 2012 – in fact I made it to October and completely gave up on it which made me even more determined to do it this year.  I mean really I was so close to be done it was silly to stop.  I’m ecstatic to say that I have completed this project (my very last photo is of the movie poster for The Book Thief which I saw this afternoon).  The difference this year is that I created and printed the pages as I went along.  As I started to see the finished pages coming to the house I realized how truly special and great this project is.  I think it is my favourite album that I have created to this point in my life as a scrapbooker.  This year was an amazing year in a lot of ways and I have it all captured to remember forever.  I highly recommend everyone doing something like this.   There were times it felt like a drag or I would wonder how much I would really like to see hundreds of pictures of my cat or my dinners but when I look at the album even those pictures are pretty special and tell a story.

My third resolution is the one disappointment of the year.  I did not do Nanowrimo this year.  I had planned on signing up to do the summer camp version again which was being held in July. I signed up with intentions of working on a novel I have been researching for a bit but after the craziness of the floods in June I just couldn’t seem to get to a spot where I could actually focus and get to work.  I had a second opportunity to try in November and I did consider it but November is a notoriously busy month for me because of the work I put into our adopted Christmas family so rather than disappoint myself with an unfinished goal I put it to the side for the year.

My last resolution to read fifty books was actually added towards the end of the first week of January.  I have always loved reading but since graduating from university I have found that I don’t do as much of it as I would like.  I’m far too easily distracted by other things and even with the resolution I still didn’t quite make it to my goal.  I read 28 books this year.  I am a little disappointed by this but at the same time I’m pretty sure it is more than I have read in any year since I left university.  What I wasn’t expecting from this resolution though is that I would fall in love with fiction again.  A lot of the reading I had been doing was more research type books.  I got lost in a world of history and forgot how much fun losing myself in fiction could be.  Of all four resolutions this one was by far the most fun to try and achieve and so I don’t consider it a failure only getting part of the way to the end – it just means I have to try again.

Now as we stand at the start of a brand new year and I have done the look back it is time to look forward.  I have once again created a list of resolutions and much like last year I’m going to document them so that they stay fresh and I actually work towards them.  I plan on looking back at the end of 2014 and having even more check marks for completed resolutions.  So here is the list for 2014:

·         Move More/Lose More

o   With my fitbit I get a weekly report of what my average steps per day is and I plan on recording that on my blog page.  My last week was not my best week but it is the starting point.  I average 6,535.  This time next year I would like to see that number doubled.  Of course with moving more I expect to see my weight continue to drop.  This will be especially important because I have big plans for 2015 and I don’t want to be slowed down by my weight.

·         At least one day a week is a vegetarian day

o   In the summer this past year I decided to try to go part time vegetarian and I loved it.  I have continued to have meat free days and want to keep this going.  I love the variety it has brought into my diet and I look forward to continuing to explore other food choices.

·         Regular blog posts

o   I try to be good about posting but having just cleared out my blog posts folder on my computer and I realized that I write a lot that I never post.  So this year I will try to not let fear/nerves get in the way from me posting.  It also encourages me to set aside time each week to do some writing which also helps me keep motivated on working on my fiction

·         365 Photos for 2014

o   I wasn’t sure I was going to put this on the list again.  I loved my 2013 project but it has felt like a burden at times but at the same time like I said above it is one of my favourite albums so how could I not do it again.  I expect 2014 to be filled with just as many memories that I want to capture.

·         Read 50 books

o   Yep this one is back again too.  What can I say but I hate to see things incomplete so it is back and this year I will do it.  I have proved to myself in the last couple months I am capable of reading a book a week so I just have to make sure I do it consistently this year.

·         Complete a Nanowrimo challenge

o   That’s right it is another of my resolutions that has come back.  I just want to prove to myself that the first year I did this and completed a novel wasn’t a fluke – besides I also figure it is a good excuse to actually get my Titanic/WWI novel written.

I have to say that as great as 2013 was for me I am more excited to see what 2014 has in store.  I feel like each year just gets better and better so how can next year not be amazing.  I think as each year goes by I get closer and closer to being the person I really want to be. 

Before I end this post I just want to take a minute and wish you all a very Happy New Year.  I hope that 2014 is a stellar year for all of us.  I hope it will be a year filled with good deeds, good friends and a whole lot of memories.

My Christmas Wish

I have to admit I struggle with Christmas each year.  I love the idea of the holiday but Christmas and I just don’t tend to get along.  I tend to find that if something bad is going to happen to me it seems to happen around Christmas (or maybe I’m just more sensitive to the things that happen at this time of year).  I always go into the season with the hope and expectation that things will be amazing & wonderful.  Sadly, I usually find myself disappointed.  I don’t think I’m alone in this - I think lots of people build up Christmas and are disappointed when it doesn’t go as planned.  I also think that I can’t possibly be the only one that suffers with wanting feel more Christmassy (I mean there is even that song “Where are You Christmas” by Faith Hill).  I have to double my efforts to try keeping a positive attitude during this time of year but -- my family can attest to this -- my best efforts aren’t always successful.  This year it feels even tougher for me.  I am finding that my mood is not very Christmassy and I decided to try and do something about it this year. 

When I started to try and figure out when my mood shifted and began to drop, I realized that it was as soon as I was done organizing, wrapping and dropping off the gifts that I had arranged for the Christmas family I adopted.  Adopting a Christmas family has been a tradition that we have done at work as long as I have been there (7 years for those who are wondering).  It is something I have always loved helping with and was excited to be able to take the lead on last year.  This year I wasn’t sure how it would work because my workplace is still displaced from the floods in June so the traditional fundraising we would do was not as practical or easy to arrange.  Logistically this meant I was fighting an uphill battle to get the funds I needed to give a special family an amazing gift.  The Christmas family gave me a purpose for the month of November.  I was on the hunt for the perfect gifts for the family.  I’m not normally a shopper but when I hit the malls for my Christmas family I feel like I’m on top of the world.  Once it was done though I felt my usual wave of disappointment because I had lost that sense of purpose.  I feel this year that sense of disappointment seemed stronger but I think that is just because it was such a surprising year.  I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be the most successful of gift drives (and had even set aside a large chunk of my own Christmas budget to go towards the family) but I was blown away by the generosity of my friends and co-workers.  I honestly think that this was the most successful year.  It has left me just wanting to do more.

This desire to do more led me to the idea for my Christmas wish which is for a happier, kinder, more generous world.  Now sadly I don’t have a magic wand or a fairy godmother to actually make this wish happen for the world but I can make this happen for a few random people that happen to cross my path between now and Christmas.  I will do my best to try and make a small difference in the world directly around me.  I don’t have a true plan yet but I know that the more good deeds I can do the better I will feel.  Now please don’t get me wrong I try to do good things year round because I have always felt a strong drive to try and make a difference for people but at this time of year I actually crave the mood boost that comes with those good deeds more.

More than that though, my wish is for anyone who is reading this blog (I know it’s not a huge list of people) to also go out and try the same thing.  Ask your own friends to join in this mission.  I would love to see everyone go out and do something unexpected and wonderful for someone else.  Shovel a walk for a neighbour, hold open a door for someone, volunteer somewhere, buy a coffee for the person in line behind you – just go out and do something positive and nice for someone be they family, friend, neighbour or stranger.  This time of year as we rush around and get stressed out you would be amazed at how great you will feel knowing you made someone else smile (and I promise that even if you don’t see it, you will make the recipient smile – for all the good deeds I have done I have also been blessed enough to experience some of it in return).  I would love to read about your own experiences in the comments section at the end of this post.  Share your own stories, help give me ideas for more I can do and let’s show the world that there are people who are willing to do nice things for other people just because they can.  Let’s find a way to bring a little more peace, goodwill and holiday cheer to our world (even if it is just the small part we as individuals take up on this planet).  I promise if you are suffering from lack of that Christmassy feeling that after you do even just one good deed you will start to feel it.

Join with me for the next ten days and try to do something good for someone.  Let’s show the world how generous we can really be by putting our best foot forward.  We can create a happier, kinder and more generous world one good deed at a time.

Sometimes the Stars Line Up

The older I get the more I am really starting to believe things happen for a reason.  Some people would argue that it is just coincidences or that we see reason behind the things we want to see reason behind but today once again I was confronted the idea that sometimes things are just meant to be.  We may not always get it or understand what is going on but sometimes we are just in the right spot at the right time.

It was announced today that Alberta Health Services is withdrawing the lease on the Holy Cross Center which sadly means that I will be changing work locations.  We don’t have any details or know where we are going but I will admit it stresses me out a little bit.  I have struggled the past few months with the longer commute time and the fear that now it will be permanent or god forbid it might even be longer depending on where we move.  This has me questioning everything from what I value to what I’m willing to sacrifice for a paycheck.  The reality is questioning my job and my role there is not something new – this has just added a new level to the questions.  It is just another thing on the con side of the list.

The good news in all of this is that instead of being at work and dealing with the drama that is no doubt unfolding there I am still on holidays.  Being at Rosebud right now is probably the very best thing for me.  I don’t have to listen to all the rumours or deal with other people who have the same questions I do.  Not only that but as the only guest in the Inn tonight I have a quiet place to relax, unwind and begin the process of sorting everything out.  If I was at home not only would I be dealing with all the rumours and craziness but I also have my parents visiting so time on my own would not be as easily found.  No matter what goes on in my life being on my own has always been the only way I can actually sort through and deal with anything that causes me stress.  Being alone allows me the freedom to let my brain just run without having to filter the emotions that come with it.  There is nothing worse than trying to sort stuff out with a bunch of people asking you if you are okay when you have that far away distant look on your face.  So being away is a blessing in disguise.  This trip has been planned for probably 6 months or more but it certainly couldn’t have happened at a better time.

The other thing that sort of hit me as being random and maybe meant to be about the timing of the announcement is that last night I found myself questioning things.  I was sitting watching a gorgeous sunset at Horsethief Canyon.  This canyon is amazing and beautiful.  It made me feel small and yet connected to our world.  I was the only person there and with nothing to do but watch the sun slowly sink over the horizon my brain was free to wander.  I don’t necessarily know what my thoughts are on god and religion but I was asking questions of myself and/or someone that may have been listening.  The main question I was asking is if it was time for me to move on at work?  I don’t have an answer to this question but it is funny that things that could help sway my choice happened the next day.  Sure you can argue coincidence but again more and more I think sometimes things are just meant to be.  Of course reading it as a sign is probably a bit of stretch for where my brain is at right now but it is funny how things happen.

Of course now the question is what do I make of everything that is happening?  Thankfully I guess I’m still very logical when it comes to working things out and that means that although the day is coming when I’m going to have to decide once and for all if I want to continue to work where I am or if I’m going to try and find something new, I am not going to have to make that decision right away.  I do think that it means it is time to really consider what I want, what I’m looking for and what would really make me happy.  It is probably also time to pull out my resume and make sure that it is actually up to date.

The world is full of questions and I guess I have found a few more to add to my list.  So for tonight I guess it was enough to just write about it and get it off my chest and out in the world.  Now I shall sit back and enjoy the quiet of the sleepy little town of Rosebud.  I will listen to the crickets and continue work on my novel banishing all the heavy thoughts until I return back to Calgary and am forced to deal with them head on.

Ready for a Slower Pace

The only way I know how to describe this summer is strange.  It has been hectic and crazy and now as we enter the last week before September (where did summer go anyway?)  I am finally getting a chance to slow down.  Sure it took running away to Rosebud but even after only a few hours here I already feel my mind slowing and my body relaxing.  I see yoga poses and long walks in my future J

As I was driving out I realized the best way to describe how I had been feeling is the way you do after a really crazy day.  The type of day where it is go go go until you finally get to lay down in your bed at the end of the night.  You don’t realize how crazy the day has been until exhausted you sink into your pillow and mattress.  The past two months have been go go go for me and I’m hoping that this week at Rosebud will be like laying down for the night.  (Go figure that I would think of sleeping when I get to Rosebud when one of my favourite things at the B&B is the beds…hehehe)  I am already anticipating that feeling of everything melting away.

Things in my real world have been pretty crazy since Calgary flooded.  My office is still displaced from our building and it looks like we will be until at least December.  My Nan ended up in the hospital which probably isn’t that shocking when you consider she is 94 but the fact that I have never in my life really known her to be sick at all was scary.  She is back at home now and doing better though so that’s good.  She is probably the subject of a blog entry I should write one day all on her own.  Added to that is some uncertainty that came with the end of Creative Memories (and soon the start of a new company).  Of course there has also been a lot of great things like my BC vacation and Mondays off which gave me time to do some fun things with friends.  The one thing all of it has in common is that it has kept me very busy and kept my mind spinning, leaving little time to work on writing or anything really creative.

It is funny to me how quickly we can move at times dealing with situations and not realizing the toll it is taking on us or the changes it is creating.  I realized the minute I sat down after unpacking and settling into my room how the last few months have changed me.  As I sat there with a whole week of nothing stretching in front of me I felt like I should be doing something.  That is when it clicked that no I have nothing to do but slow down and relax.  Yes I brought my novel with me and I plan on writing it and yes I have some digital scrapbook stuff to finish up but for the first time in a long time I realized that it was okay for me to just sit down and stare out the window and let the world spin on by.

There are a lot of things I love about Rosebud but as I looked out the window what made me feel amazing is that there were no cars, no road noise (just some crickets) and no one needing my attention.  It is the perfect place for me to get away to because it is so close to home and yet it feels like it is another world.  I can connect to my life if I want or I can ignore it and get lost in a good book or with a pen in my hand.  I’m so ready for this recharge.  I look forward to the inspiration that will come with it.

10 Ten Things I Learned Driving to Vancouver

A friend of mine often does top ten Tuesday lists and so taking her lead I came up with one of my own (because really this is just what happens when you leave me driving for hours.)  So this is the top ten things I learned and/or rediscovered while driving to Vancouver today.

10. We are so lucky to live so close to the Rockies.  They are beautiful.
I have driven the drive to Vancouver many times (often as a passenger but also as a driver) every time I am always amazed at just how pretty the drive is.  There is something really special about the mountains and I love having the excuse to drive through them rather than fly over them.

9. I love driving on the highway it is freeing
To say I was resistant to learning to drive is probably a bit of an understatement but when I get behind the wheel on the highway I don’t know why I fought so hard against getting my license.  My favourite stretch of the drive to BC is always the same – right outside of Kamloops over the Coquihalla.  The reason I love it is because the speed goes back to 110km/hour and normally I have it to myself.  When I have driven in the past I usually stay in Kamloops for the night so I get up and head to the ferry before anyone else is up.  So tonight when I was coming in around dinner time I wasn’t sure it would be the same but for the most part it was.  This was also the section of the highway when my mood went from happy to really excited J

8. I have a thing for hitchhikers that look like hippies. 
Okay so this is totally random but for whatever reason of all the hitchhikers I saw along the way the only ones I actually wanted to pick up (not that I did) were the ones that looked like hippies.  I guess my brain figures they would have more fun stories to share and probably be less likely to murder me.

7. I have horrible taste in music.
I should preface this one by saying that in reality I have a very wide range of musical tastes.  I like just about everything so I’m sure not all my music is bad.  On this road trip though when you considering I was coming to Vancouver to see The Package Tour with New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men my musical choices were a little bit of a throw back.  I spent the majority of the drive reliving my junior high school days.  It was awesome in all its horrible glory.

6. I can’t sing but I really enjoying singing badly really loud.
To go with the horrible musical choices that kept me entertained I was reminded of how much fun it is to just sing them out.  Luckily with no passengers there was no one to have to behave for so I sang my heart out all the way to Vancouver…well okay maybe not all the way to Vancouver by the time I hit Chilliwack I was pretty tired and just ready to be at the hotel.

5. I love my car!
This is not really new.  I have loved my car since day one but when I think back to making the same trip in my Tercel and compare it to my little Corolla and this trip turned out to be a much better drive.  She is well named – yes she is named, Serenity or Reni for short.  She brought me a whole lot of serenity the further away from Calgary she took me.  (On a side note that might be more to do with all the craziness of the last few weeks rather than the car, but for now I will give credit the car)  I will also admit that I will never be able to live without air conditioning ever again.  When I was driving through Kamloops and area with temperatures in the 30s (that’s Celsius) I couldn’t help but remember the many times I was dying in my Tercel, melting into the seats.  Much nicer this time around, I almost need a sweater a couple of times.  I loved it!

4. A Tim Horton’s ice cap is heaven at 3pm on a long road trip.
What can I say but the afternoon is hard for me.  I’m good in the morning and in the evening but in the heat of the day all I want to do is take a siesta.  To fight that today I stopped and grabbed a donut and an ice cap.  Maybe it is because it has been so long since I had one but it tasted amazing.  I’m drooling thinking about it.

3. I will never be the fastest driver
I realized that I’m content just going along.  I don’t feel the need to race off up the mountain and actually enjoy being at the back of the pack.  It is much more relaxing at the end of the line than being at the front of it.  You don’t have to worry about the grill of a semi filling your rear view mirror chasing your car down.

2. Driving makes my creative juices flow so instead of being a writer that drinks I need to be one that drives.
I have no clue why this works so well for me but every time I get in the car the ideas start to flow.  I guess some of it is because the world just blurs by out the window and I don’t have to worry about anything except myself and my car leaving at least part of my brain free to wander.

1. I am at my best when I’m travelling.
Sometimes in my day to day life I forget that I actually like who I am.  I get caught up in stress and life which can leave me cranky.  When I travel though that all gets left behind.  I am more outgoing, happier and seem to draw people to me rather than scare them off.  I love the me that I get to be when I’m travelling – now I just have to find a way to make sure she doesn’t hide when I’m home.

365 Photos = 365 Captured Memories for 2013

Last year on January first like a good Creative Memories Consultant I was online and checking out to see what was happening for resolutions and photographs, trying to steal ideas that I could bring to my parties or to my own photos and I came across the idea for taking a photo a day. As I looked at digital stuff that people had done for the year before I thought how cool they looked. On a whim I decided to take up the challenge. I was going to take 366 photos (2012 was a leap year) and going to create my very own photo a day book.

This was the first photo I took (and considering I have spent the last week incredibly sick it makes me laugh now that how I spent my NYE is in fact how I’m spending the end of the year) I joked that I would be happy if I made it to February but truthfully figured I would be able to keep it going until the spring. The reality was I actually made into October having only missed a handful of days when for whatever reason I gave up on the idea. Now sitting here on Dec 31 I’m kicking myself for not gutting it out for a few more weeks but that has just fired me up for this year.

It might seem like a bit of a silly challenge or resolution but I can tell you that my goals of becoming a better photographer and paying more attention to the little details that happen around me that got me started last year were more than met even though I didn’t finish the challenge in 2012. I learned a great deal as I tried to stretch my brain to find interesting and beautiful pictures to capture the moments of my day to day life. I endured a bunch of teasing from my family for taking way too many photos of the cats but when I look at the photos there were a lot of really great moments captured that I never would have paid attention to but got me really excited at the time (From the announcement Wil Wheaton was coming to Calgary Expo, to adventures in my first Union rally, to the birth of a new baby, to even something as silly as that really cold morning – and let me tell you trying to photograph a thermometer at 6:50am before going to work is more challenging than you would think).

Although I had goals that I expected what has surprised me is the unexpected benefit that I found in the last two weeks. As I have been dealing with the passing of my cat, Molly, I realized I actually caught on film a lot of the things she did that made me feel very special. They were little moments like her cuddling against my chest or Molly curled up in her favourite chair. At the time they were just a photo for the day to meet my challenge but they now mean so much more to me. In going through them I was able to sort through some of my emotions and remember the really great things about my cat. I have also changed them into a beautiful memory book that whenever I’m missing my cat I can go back and look through and smile.

So my challenge to all of you this year is pick up your camera, your cell phones or anything that you are using to capture memories at least once a day and capture a moment. I will do it with you and try to keep you motivated. This time next year you will have 365 memories captured. To make it even more special anyone that completes this challenge and is willing to give me your photos I will create a digital scrapbook to display the photos for you. (It will be up to you if you want to buy the book but I will put it together for you.)

Let me know if you are taking up the challenge. Let me help keep you motivated as I try to keep myself going. This year will the year I get it done! I wish you all a very Happy New Year. May all your resolutions be met with the same determination on Dec 31st 2013 as they were created with on January 1st. 2013 will be the best year ever!

My Little Piece of Serenity

“Enter as Strangers...Leave as Friends.” It is a simple sentiment but when you actually experience that sentiment the impact is so much more powerful than those few words. These are the words that greet you as you walk through the beautiful double doors (the I want in my future house) and into Rosebud Country Inn. These words are posted proudly above the dining room and what I didn’t realize or expect when I first saw them on my very first visit how true they are. Every time I enter this cozy bed and breakfast the sign is always the first thing I notice and it always puts me right at ease. It always makes me feel like I’m not just entering a hotel but I’m entering a home.

I have fallen in love with this little B&B and a large part of that has to do with one of the owners, BJ. She welcomes you to the bed and breakfast like you would a friend into your home. (In fact now having visited multiple times we even get hugs). She is one of those women that is so perfectly suited to running a B&B because of her personality. She has the confidence and joy that you see in people that are doing what they love. She is friendly, bubbly, charming, funny and incredibly generous and sweet. She will bend over backwards to make your visit amazing. Whether it is saying yes to a special breakfast request (mmm…orange French toast) or helping arranging a picnic dinner so that I would have food when everything else in town was closed, BJ is always willing to go above and beyond. She goes a long way to helping make you feel special and pampered while you are visiting. It doesn’t matter if it is your first visit or your 4th (or I’m assuming your 10th or 100th) I have little doubt that each visit will always be amazing and a one of a kind experience and that speaks to the brilliance of what BJ has done with this inn.



Me, Anne, BJ, Rose and Hedy

Of course as great as BJ is there is so much more to this little inn that has kept me coming back. Last night, I spent my sixth night (spread over 4 visits) and I’m still just as impressed. I love the fact that when you walk into your room, waiting on your bed is a little treat bag full of stuff to pamper you. Each and every time I have come the scents contained in this bag have been different as well which creates a nice surprise even though I know it will be there for me. The rooms, themselves, are gorgeous. Of course don’t even get me started on the beds. I don’t generally like any beds that aren’t mine but I dream of the beds at the inn. Not only do you come back from the theatre to find the comforter turned down and a little chocolate waiting but they are so comfortable I can almost imagine myself doing nothing but sleeping. I joked before going out in the summer that I was going to skip a couple nights of sleep just so I could really enjoy the sleep the first night I was there. Now as if that isn’t enough to really know you have a good vacation spot but how about a good morning cup of coffee or tea served to your room before breakfast? Well that happens at the inn too. It blows me away (even though I don’t drink coffee first thing in the am) that everything is organized enough to get all the rooms some coffee before they come down for your breakfast. When we are out there at Christmas it creates a great moment of friendship when we can sit around in the lounge or one of our rooms and enjoy a little time together before we head down to breakfast. I really believe that it is these little details that make this place so special to me. They are the details you take for granted but I know if I showed up and didn’t have them I would be so disappointed. Those little touches make you feel like you really matter and aren’t just someone filling a bed.

I can’t talk about the draw of this little inn without talking about Rosebud itself. It is a tiny little place in the middle of Alberta. I think it is actually probably one of the prettiest places in Alberta. I may be a little biased though because I love the way I feel when I’m there. There may not be a gas station but they have a theatre that constantly blows me away. I have experienced more emotion sitting in the seats watching the small stage that I have in any other theatre. As a lover of seeing live performances I have loved going out to the Rosebud Theatre for the last four seasons to see the different plays put on and am very much looking forward to experiencing my fifth season.

The town revolves around the plays. The local residents get involved with them and it gives it a very down to earth feel. But it does not take away from the quality of the shows, so please don’t get that idea. You can tell that the theatre and the town are very proud of the performances that go on. I think it is the town involvement that has created a culture of creativity. I consider myself to be a creative soul and I love creating things whether it is with my writing, my photography or even my scrapbooking and so when I see the support that seems to exist in this little town for the arts I have a great deal of respect for everyone there. I think it is that support and openness to the creative world that has left the air just charged with creativity. It is that feeling that I seek out. When I am out there I have more ideas flow, I have more desire to create and I can produce things that I’m not sure would happen otherwise. I love how inspired I feel when I’m in Rosebud.

I could probably go on and on about the things I love about my time out in Rosebud. I can’t help but gush when I really love something. However let me end this blog with some of my favourite photos from Rosebud and the inn, I mean a picture is worth a thousand words right. All I can say is if you are looking for a place to visit that is close to home but will make you feel like you have been to another world try opening your heart to Rosebud, I don’t think you will be disappointed. Who knows you might just find me wandering with my camera down the streets.

For more information please check out these sites:

Rosebud Country Inn

Rosebud Theatre

Also please check out the Rosebud Country Inn Youtube video and be sure to ‘Like’ them on facebook.

Photo Wednesday: Brave Young Men

As this will be my last photo Wednesday before Remembrance Day I wanted to share a couple special photos.  A few years ago, on a mission to get photos for a scrapbook, I took over my parents spare bedroom and scanned over 500 photos from their albums and from my grandparents albums.  These are two of the photos I found.

Grandpa is the top row third from the left.

Grandpa is the bottom row fourth from the left.

These are a couple of photos that I had never seen before.  The only picture I had seen I have included below, it was of him in his uniform.  Most of you know I love history and specifically World War history.  I have spent hours upon hours reading and learning everything I can about the two wars that shaped our world.  Part of the reason I am so driven to get this infomation is because I never really got a lot of information about my Grandpa's time in the war.  I never felt comfortable enough to ask him and since it wasn't something he ever talked about I never got to hear the stories.  What I do know is that when I look at these photos I feel pride for him.  When I look at the photos of these young men I can't help but wonder what became of them and who they all are.  I'm sure there were a great deal of stories between all of them.  I may never know the truth behind those faces but I hope to find out at some point.

I would also like to share two more photos.  These are the individual photos I have of both my Grandpa and my Grandad in their uniforms. I'm grateful that both of them fought in World War II and both of them survived, when so many did not.  

Grandad - Ralph Taylor

Grandpa - Ken McBryan

I hope you have enjoyed a little piece of my history.  I also hope everyone will take a few minutes on November 11 this year to remember all those who have fought and still fight on our behalf.

Happy Thanksgiving

It is that time of year again where people are planning big dinners and being thankful for the things in their life. This year Thanksgiving has actually left me feeling a little guilty. I got my first dinner invite a few weeks ago and they have kept coming but I have turned each one down. I decided I wanted to not do anything for this long weekend. After many weeks of running around and being busy the thought of a quiet weekend at home watching dvds, reading, writing and scrapbooking is calling my name. So that is what I have planned, complete with a homemade pizza with all my favourite toppings and a bottle of wine that I got out in BC. Of course it goes against the idea of holidays, which I have always felt should be spent with family (either our own or the ones we choose to be our family) which is probably why I am feeling guilty.

I am also feeling a little selfish for choosing to spend this holiday alone. I will admit that part of me is scared of any food centered holidays right now. It seems like I have only just been getting my weight loss under control again and there is a lot of fear that this day would completely derail me. I know it is an irrational fear and that had I prepared and planned I would have made it through the weekend without going off track. I know this day shouldn’t be about food but it is. I mean most of my Thanksgiving memories revolve around food, whether it was the year we had to have spaghetti because the turkey wasn’t thawed or last year when I made my first pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving more than any other holidays is about food, especially in my family. I guess I just wasn’t feel strong enough or confident enough to face that this year. I hope you will all forgive me this little bit of selfishness as I go through the process of changing my mindset and habits around food.

All this being said I am feeling guilty. I love all my friends and family that have invited me to share in their Thanksgiving dinners. I write this blog in hopes you will all understand that I have not turned you down (and in some cases said I was going to other dinners) because I don’t want to be with you but because I needed to be with myself this year. I know I probably could have just said this to all of you and you would have understood but I hate to disappoint anyone. I truly hope you will all understand and know that although I avoided this year’s Thanksgiving it has been done so that I can give you many more when I can appreciate the day as a time for being thankful rather than a time for eating turkey until it hurts.

I hope that all my friends, family and other readers of this blog have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am thankful to have you all in my life. I look forward to spending many more holidays with you. I promise that this will be the only holiday I skip out on. Life is too short to avoid them forever but know that although I am not at your tables you are all in my heart.

Happy Thanksgiving.