Looking back on 2012...

Better late than never!! Here is my 2012 recap!
 

On June 16th 2012 my Nanna Margaret (aka wacky nan) passed away. Before she died, when she was ill, I thought about her everyday. I even dreamt about her. This didn't change after she died, although the dreams have become less and less in the more recent months. She was truly a woman like no other, she made some poor decisions and never had much in the way of money or material goods (despite her abundance of get-rich-quick schemes), yet she had this amazing zest for life that I have never seen in anyone before. 
 As kids we thought it was hilarious when she suggested she try scuba diving by pulling herself down the anchor chain of the boat (even though she could barely walk at the time)... or tried to convince us that people could walk on water (can't remember how that came about),... or when she let Paul and Olly dangle their action men out of the car on strings and drag them along the road as we were driving... or when she let us push her into a swimming pool in a chair fully clothed whilst we filmed it to try get on "you've been framed!"... or when she declared that if she started to get old and lose her mind we had to take her into the mountains to die alone with the wolves!
Even within months of her death, she was adamant she wanted to move to Scarborough/Whitby seaside, maybe it was her lively mind just desperate to get out of the house. She showed so much patience, creativity and happiness despite her circumstances (which were never great) and even in the later years of her life when times were extremely hard for her and other parts of her body were failing, her strong mind was still alive until the very end. Whilst we didn't take her to the mountains to die with the wolves, I think she would be glad that she at least didn't go senile.
I keep trying to be sensitive to any "signs" I might be getting that my Nanna is still around in spirit! I haven't had any obvious signs yet, but one morning about a week after her death, I woke up and had the song "super-Cali-fragelistic-expi-Ali-docious" from Mary poppies (a film I had watched over and over with my Nanna), the song was going round and round my head, but only those words, and I could tell I had been singing it over and over for hours in my head whilst I was asleep. I will keep watching for signs, but either way she is still very much alive in my mind, and always will be. 

Other goings on in 2012!
 

March - I started my generic VFR course for air traffic control in Toronto! This is something I had been waiting for for 3 years, it lasted 6 months and was a lot of studying and hard work, but well worth it! I march we packed our bags (and the kitties of course) and moved to Toronto from Williams Lake. Ryan and I were both extremely relieved to be getting out of Williams lake, not necessarily because of the town itself, but because we felt trapped there until I got my course date.

June - my parents visited us for a few days in June, on their way back from the uk after helping to look after Nanna. Actually, the morning after they arrived was when my Nanna died. It was horrible, more so for my dad who knew that she didn't have long when they had to leave her and catch the plane to Toronto. Despite the sad circumstance, it was lovely to see them both, we spent time looking around Toronto, and visited Niagara Falls.

  June and November - Dave Matthews band! This year we didn't get to see Dave in the Gorge, but we saw him twice in Toronto instead, once in an amphitheater and once in a stadium..we have discovered the outside venues are a far better place to see Dave!

A new addition to the family: Ryan's old cat Kaycee (also a short haired exotic) moved in with us, it was funny to see the cats terrorize each other for the first few weeks, but now they have all settled down and are friends!

September : with my generic VFR course complete, I was posted to Buttonville tower, a small yet busy airport on the outskirts of Toronto. I felt like this one stroke of good luck made up for all the bad luck I've had in the past couple of years!
Also in September my little brother Tom moved out to Oakville to go to college at Sheridan to study media. It has been great having some family close by!

Buttonville Control Tower

December: for Ryan's birthday we had a family gathering where Ryan's family came around and got to see our house for the fist time, we made a big meal and had a great night! Unfortunately December was to be a stressful month. On Christmas Eve Ryan's mum Renee went into hospital. She suffers from COPD which is a combination of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and had caught pneumonia. The result was that she was placed on life support for 4 days! Thankfully, She is now recovering at home.

It just goes to show that life is short, and can change with the drop of a hat!

Other highlights of 2012:
- getting to listen to Val's debut album release! I'm so proud of her for turning her dreams into a reality, and am looking forward to seeing her when she visits in Spring!

“The dead do not need to rise. They are a part of the earth now and the earth can never be conquered. For the earth endureth forever. It will outlive all systems of tyranny. Those who have entered it honourably, have already achieved immortality.” 

― Ernest Hemingway

Looking back on 2011....

I quite like the idea of my once-per-year blog, it definitely has it's merits: 1) I only have to do it once every year, and 2) I actually have something to write about if I wait an entire year between each post!

This year has flown by,  it's been a tougher year than usual, with lots of stress, hard work and  uncertainty. However, every cloud has a silver lining, and when thinking of my 2011 highlights it makes me realise that life isn't so bad after all, and a lot of people have life much worse.

Without further delay, here are my highlights, and not-so-highlights of 2011!

 1) Another trip to Las Vegas,  this time with my mum and dad! Highlights: Seeing Terry Fator the ventriloquist, watching Dad (attempt) to beat roulette, and the luxurious hotel rooms at the Vdara where we stayed. Not-so-highlights: I'm not sure if this should go into highlights because it was very funny, but Dad declaring that he'd lost the will to live after attempting to consume basically every item at the buffet!! We all ate so much, and that night I lied in bed and seriously wondered if it was possible for my stomach to burst open from eating so much.

lots of booze to swill down all the food...

Mum and dad at the Hoover Dam

Me and Ryan at the Hoover Dam

2) In May, we spent 2 weeks visiting England and a week in Greece! It was such a great trip, it was strange to go back the UK after so long. Highlights:  So many highlights!! So much great hospitality from all my family that I haven't seen in ages. Catching up with old school friends over a delicious curry and a delicious meal courtesy of Esther and Giles. I met my cousin Neil's two children for the first time which was great! Trying to drive in England was hilarious, (I only drove on the wrong side of the road once with Hannah in Leeds... an easy mistake to make!) Ryan and I visited Wainstalls, the village that I grew up in, and I showed Ryan my old primary school (Wainstalls J&I) and high school (North Halifax Grammar). Everywhere looked much smaller than I remember! Also, seeing a taping of the Graham Norton show in London was a definite highlight! Ryan and I were front row of the audience, the guests were Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms promoting Hangover 2, it was hilarious! I can't wait to go back for another visit to England, and I'm hoping it will be sooner rather than later! Not-so-highlights: Getting ill in London, I spent most of the time huddled up in bed in our Holiday Inn room like a little hobbit. Also, I wish we had planned more time in Yorkshire, 9 days just wasn't enough to see everyone!

Me, Ryan, Ether and Giles

Lots of cousins!!

Ryan and I infront of the house I grew up in, Wainstalls W.Yorkshire.

3) The major turn of events in 2011 was that Ryan and I bought a house! It desperately needed updating, and we were up for the challenge. Highlights: The satisfaction of finishing a job, and learning so many new skills. Also, seeing Ryan gain so much confidence, going from "we will DEFINITELY have to hire someone for this job" to "I think we can do this ourselves" was great. I am extremely proud of the fact that we have had no hired help for any part of the project, but definitely gained a lot from my mum and dad visiting a couple of times to help! Not-so-highlights: The injuries. I definitely seem to be accident prone, and the constant falling, bashing my head and dropping things on my toes gets really tiring. Also, most of this years stress has stemmed from this project. just . constant. stress.

The kitchen before (the gross orange shag carpet ran throughout the house).

The kitchen after!

3) August and September brought a slight reprieve from house renos in the form of a visit from Ryan's friends Andrew and Michelle, and a trip to Golden, BC where we met up with friends Laura and Chad to go white water rafting down the Kicking Horse, an icy-cold glacier fed river with plenty of rapids!! Highlights: Watching Ryan get the first dunk of the day after calling me a pot bellied pig (it was so worth the humiliation). Also, I hate to say it, but Andrew and Michelle falling overboard definitely added to the thrill! Not-so-highlights: Having to replace two of the Land Rover tires after one blew out on the highway. $550 later we were back on the road...

4) The fall flew by, and soon enough we were into winter!  Since I worked through Christmas, Ryan and I visited my family in Nanaimo in mid December. Highlights: Playing lots of Cranium! Seeing how much weight my mum has lost (30lbs!)and meeting my brother Olly's girlfriend Grace for the first time. Also, visiting Val and her 2 1/2 year old Jakob, it always great to see how his personality has changed each visit. Not-so-highlights: The trip was too short, (only 2 days)!

View from our house in November

Ryan, my parents, myself and brother Dan walking around Nanaimo Harbour

 

Val and I

5) A great Christmas surprise!:  December 21st, I got the long awaited news that I have been accepted onto an air traffic control course in Toronto in April 2012! It's something that I have wanted for a long time, and was an awesome, very unexpected Christmas present!

With that in mind I'll look forward to the adventures ahead, and hopefully by the time I write my next blog, I'll be a licensed controller ! Happy New Year everyone!

Looking back on 2010

This is my first ever blog. I was sat, bored, looking through my facebook pictures. It occurred to me that whilst on the surface, 2010 felt like a year full of frustrations and closed doors; I actually managed to squeeze in quite a lot of fun!

So -- here is my highlights list;  memories, trips and achievements of 2010.

1.  A trip to Vegas!! Along with Ryan, Mark, my brother and his beautiful girlfriend. Highlights; climbing aboard the 3 thrill rides at the top of the Stratosphere and seeing the Lion King production..awesome! Not-so-highlights; discovering "circus circus" is nowhere near as fun as it sounds, and having to give housekeeping an extra good tip to ensure puke-free sheets after  quite the messy night out. - oh and the hangover that ensued should be added to this portion!
   



Miranda and I in front of the Bellagio



2.  Skiing! After lots of coaxing Ryan, we finally made the trip up to Mount Washington... and the rest was history! We quit the gym, and instead treated ourselves to season ski passes. Highlights; skiing with my family; in particular mum and dad...absolutely hilarious. Not-so-highlights; waiting the 20 minutes for my mum to get up after feeling "somewhat faint" at the top of the mountain.
   

   

   A real live-action snapshot
   
   

3. Visits from the homeland.  I had three visits from family and friends back in England this year! The first were two close friends from high school, Hannah and Sophie. Highlights; Playing/singing/drumming to Coldplay on Guitar Hero (we rocked!) Not-so-highlights; Destroying our running shoes with mud on a hike in Campbell River.
   

   

   Trying to avoid the mud
   
   

4. Our second trip to George, Washington on Labour Day weekend to see the amazingly talented Dave Matthews Band play a three night gig at the beautiful Gorge Amphitheater. Highlights; Seeing Dave play from the very front row of the pit, and hearing "Sister" for the first time. Not-so-highlights; one word... portapotti!!!!
   

   

   Dave Matthews

   
    
5. November was a very special month for us. We gained two new additions to our family, my first ever pets! A 7 week old exotic kitten named 'Little Whiskey' (aka garfield, stink butt, ginger minger), and a 10 week old tabby kitten that we rescued from the SPCA named 'Autumn'.  Highlights; Seeing Autumn run and find Little Whiskey whenever she hears him crying (usually because he is lost). Not-so-highlights; None.
       

   

   Autumn and Little Whiskey playing.

   
   
6.  The two other family visits I had from aunts, uncles and cousins I hadn't seen in years were fantastic. The first to stop by were uncle Peter and auntie Janice; unfortunately Ryan and I had been ill the whole week of their visit, so we only saw them for one day. The second visit was from my uncle Kevin,auntie Sam and their two little boys Alexander and Zachary. It was lovely to show them around the island. Highlights; meeting Zachary for the first time, and hearing him say "tickle ma belli sawra, tickle ma belli" in the cutest Yorkshire accent! Not-so-highlights; Discovering our brand new bed in a box had leaked air and deflated under Sam and Kev in the night!!
   

   

    My cousins Zachary and Alexander.

   
    
7. Sketching - This year I discovered that I can kind-of draw! I have now started sketching in my spare time, I have only finished two pictures so far. It feels great to see the finished product of something you have worked on for hours!
   
   
8. My trip to NYC! Yup, the big apple. I went along with Sophie and Hannah for a weekend trip. We seemed to cram a lot into the time we spent, walking miles through the heart of New York City visiting the sights and sounds...and all in the rain! Highlights; Getting standby tickets to see Chicago on Broadway. It was totally amazing. Not-so-highlights; All the rain!!
   

   

   Posing with the 'Charging Bull' in NYC.

   
   
9. Two moves... two months. In September we moved into a much bigger, nicer house. Ahh the luxury! But it wasn't to last for long. Three weeks later, I was informed by work that I would be moving to Williams Lake, BC. I wouldn't say this was a particularly pleasant experience, but it was definitely an achievement of a sorts! Highlights; Driving up to Williams Lake with the kittens roaming around the car - Autumn's reaction to the windshield wipers was priceless. Not-so-highlights; Pretty much everything else.
   
   
10. Visiting family and friends for Christmas. This was a nice treat to be back at home in Nanaimo, BC. Not only that, but I got to catch up with my friends Val, Ingrid and Drew. Highlights; Seeing how much Jakob has grown and gained his own gorgeous personality. Not-so-highlights; the security agents at the airport making me carry both kittens in my arms at the same time through the scanner before realising that they didn't actually need me to do it. (Grrrr) Oh, and discovering it wasn't all-you-could-eat-sushi day after sitting down at the restaurant with Ingrid. Heavy were our hearts.   
     

    

    Myself, Jakob and Drew at the Mall with Val.

    
    

 There are lots more memories that pour into my mind, but I think I've shared enough for now. Let's just hope 2011 brings even more of the good stuff!