Why I do it

I have a friend who recently told me that he didn't understand blogging, he asked why I couldn't just keep my experiences private. So this is my list of the top five reasons I keep this blog.

1. I needed somebodies view of the North before I picked up my entire life to relocate. I was looking for the smallest piece of mind. I want to be that for someone else.

2. I wish I knew the details of the adventures my grandparents embarked on in their youth. As long as nothing happens to the Internet, my grandchildren will have my adventures at their finger tips in case they are ever interested.

3. My blog keeps my family and friends up to date on my life.

4. A woman named Erica from Tim Hortons head office once told me about her trip through Europe. She also told me about her regret in not writing down her experiences. She gave me advice, similar to the advice everyone else gives me. She said, 'Enjoy it while your living it.' I am taking both her regret and her advice and spinning them into something I will appreciate for the rest of my life. My blog helps me with that.

5. I have been found by incredible people who have contacted me after coming across the things I write.

Secretly, I also write for that friend, hoping that he cares enough to be interested in the words I write on the blog he doesn't really understand.

Northern flora

Since my return from the South, I have been blown away by the green that I've found in Iqaluit. Since September last year, I haven't seen a more beautiful month for flora. Tuesday was my day off so my friends Kayla, Sherri and Jill joined me for an afternoon on the land. We hiked as far as we could on the land across the bay. We climbed and scaled and even took a polar bear dip in a secluded spot that we found in the Ocean. We snapped some pictures of the cute tiny flowers that you can find on the land in the summer.

Other than this excursion on the land, I haven't done much since I've been home. I have been managing Tim's without my other half in business, Katie. I've been living at work and sleeping whenever I get a chance. It's a good way to keep my mind off of missing everyone and everything about Ontario. I did however, bite the bullet and max out my credit card to purchase my mommy a round trip to come and spend two weeks in Iqaluit over Christmas. This gives me something new to count down to! I used to think that no one in my family would ever get to see where I live. They wouldn't see my apartment or where I work. I cant wait for my mom to meet all of my friends here and of course, to enjoy the City with her.

Home

Home has been incredible. I have spent so much time with my family and friends, doing everything I cannot do in the arctic. I promised myself I would go without stopping and live every moment to my best ability... I have done that well. Today I finally crashed. I am so over tired that it makes me laugh. I figured that between naps, I would blog to fill all of you in on what vacation done my way looks like.

I spent the first days down South with my family. I did dinner with mom's side on a Saturday and with dad's side on a Sunday. I spent as much time as I could with my baby sister Jenna. I went out to St.Catherines to stay with her for one night. We took my college friends and one of her room mates shopping in the states.

We ran into this chicken across the boarder. Jenna never turns down a photo op

On the way home from the States my sister got a phone call she had been waiting for. Jen was up for a huge job opportunity and managed to get herself in. (no surprise here... the girl is a go-getter to say the least) She grabbed a position as the Canadian SCORE rep and is currently travelling Canada on the Budweiser Big Rig with this beautiful group of Bud Girls.

Jenna, second from the left

Of course, Jenna's new job was the perfect reason to extend my stay in St.Catherines for celebration. Where I also got to dance in my first rain storm since my return.

I planned to spend as much time as I could at the cottage. I managed to work it out well. I love this place more than any other place in the world.

 I spent the first weekend there with my college room mates, Lauren, Candice and Sara, as well as Candice and Sara's boyfriend's Brent and Luc.

These are my felstead sisters

We are big fans of jumping pictures... and Brent is not a fan of cold water on over cast days.

I shot my first pellet gun and smoked my first cigar at the cottage this summer. I have excellent aim but the cigar wasn't my best idea. When my friends left, Pat came up between jobs on the road. When Pat left, I spent a very relaxing night alone before my family joined me the next day.

When the family arrived, the party started. We broke out every water toy and boat. We played every board game and I whooped my dads butt in a few rounds of Chinese checkers. We hit up the cliffs for jumping and we entertained ourselves with knee boarding, water skiing and tubing.

My dad and I woke up early one morning to take a canoe trip together. It felt really nice to spend alone time with my daddy after so long, especially out on the water surrounded by greenery.  

I spent a week and a half at the cottage and when I got back Candice and I drove out to Niagara Falls to stay at Sara and Laurens. We drank copious amounts of cheap wine and watched Disney movies. Three of us took a trip out to Decew falls in St. Catherines, which my sister had told me about.

We missioned it with the help of perfectly placed ropes down to three water falls, where we played like children in the water. Thank goodness for my underwater camera.

Yesterday we went up to Sara's cottage and spent the day in Lake Eerie. I have gotten more sun than this arctic girl can handle. I am going to rest up today so that I have enough energy to sing my lungs out tomorrow at a Brad Paisley concert with Candice, Luc and my friend Kaila. Until I crash again, I plan to enjoy the last week of this very non-stop vacation.