2017 at a Glance!

2017 has been one crazy year! I did so much, challenged myself, tried so many new things, and learned....I learned a lot!

Unlike last year, I stuck around one area for quite some time! I was in the GTA for a total of 10 months! However, I did a lot in 10 months, and this year in general! Here are the highlights of my 2017!

 I turned 19 this year! Was suddenly able to buy alcohol!

 Did a workaway at a trail riding farm! I made a lot of good memories there!

 Moved to the GTA and became a nanny to three adopted boys from Lithuania!

Spent six months training at Jiu jitsu!

Stayed in the jail hostel! It was the same one my father stayed in when he was my age!

Organised the Killaloe squad for the March for Life again, and designed the shirts!

Worked at a horse farm in Bowmanville outside of Toronto.

Volunteered at the Toronto Wildlife Centre.

Overall, despite a lot of injuries and set backs near the end, it was a good year! I feel like I learned more this year then I ever learned during my years in school! I learned problem solving, navigation, street smarts, further developed my writing skills, jiu jitsu, horsemanship, good work habits, and those are only the few that come to mind! I'm sure I've learned more! I also developed self confidence. I'm not frightened to go out in public now! I am more confident in myself! I learned to see the brighter side of me, that I had such trouble seeing as a teenager.

2017 Goals Reflection:

Develop more Spiritually: This year was an interesting year spiritually, cause I definitely experienced more highs and lows. Lately, its felt like I am holding onto it by a string. Still, I believe it is stronger then it was, and I hope that spending time at a Christian mission in Africa will only make it stronger!

Increase my Fitness level: Definitely happened! Working at the horse farm, and doing jiu jitsu 9-10 hours a week, made me a lot stronger. I had such nice abs by the end of it! lol. Hopefully I can continue with jiu jitsu at some point next year, or at least find another way to stay fit!

Finish the second draft of my novel: Not only was the second finished, but the third, and the fourth! Now its time to send it in to publishers!

Improve my horsemanship: Can check that off! Did so much riding this summer! It was a blast! I got a lot better at lunging, posting, started teaching a little bit as well! Next goal is to perfect my English canter!

Be the Best Nanny ever: I don't think I did too bad! The family kept asking me to stay longer, the boys loved me, and I really loved them too! I discovered though, that although I'm not horrible at the job, I can't see myself doing it again.

No cheating on my diet: I get better at not cheating every year! Did pretty good this year!

Continue Blogging: I'm still here!

Travel outside Canada: Sadly, I couldn't find time for that this year! Next year though!

Get my G2: Kind of disappointed I put it off and didn't end up getting it! But I did drive more this year, sometimes up to five hours of driving, so I feel more ready to go for it next year!


My hopes in 2017 that came true.....

- developed more spiritually
- polished my book to publication stage
- increased my fitness level
- Made new friends
- Improved my horsemanship
- Got more wildlife rehab experience.

My favourite song from 2017 was probably, "A Million Dreams," from the musical the ''Greatest Showman". My favourite movie was, "I am not Ashamed." My favourite TV show was, "The Man in High Castle".

The most memorable moment this year......probably at the jiu jitsu cottage social. There was this Tarzan swing over the lake there, and it was the coolest feeling ever swinging from it into the water! That small, happy, free moment hasn't left my mind!

So, that was my 2017! My goals for 2018.....

- Go to Africa
- Publish, or work towards publishing my novel
- Write a new novel
- Develop more spiritually
- Increase my fitness level'
- Get my G2
- Go to post Secondary
- Keep Boo (my dog) with me after Africa
- Get some Dental work done on my teeth
- Continue blogging

My Hopes for 2018...

- continue jiu jitsu somehow
- get accepted into a vet tech program
- go to British Columbia for a few weeks
- get an animal related job after Africa till school
- make new friends
- maybe date somebody (maybe)

Thank you all for following my adventures and being a part of this crazy, roller coaster, yet incredible thing we call life! Its been awesome seeing the number of followers increase! I love you all, and I hope to see many of you in the future! Here are some thoughts to leave with you as we head into the new year!


"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one." -Bruce lee

"The wizard once said that the only way to know if you were on the right path was to step outside the labyrinth. When you are inside, you can't see where you are going." - Shadow (Of Shadow and Time)

"Leave your ego at the door!" - jiu jitsu

“Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect.” - Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter)

" Not all who wander are lost." - JR Tolkien.

Off Grid Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! Hope you all had an amazing holiday!

This Christmas, I house sat an off grid farm! This was probably the most eventful house sitting experience of my life! It was a mix of nightmarish, yet awesome experiences!

The Good Things!

The peace and quiet! I was able to do a lot of concept art for my novels, and also draft a new one!

The writing couch!

Chris Chilling in the living room

Thought I would try some charcoal art.

Concept art

 The good food, clean air, the view, the animals...

Chris loves this horse!

The Bad Things!

- I was super sick from something I ate my first night! Was throwing up, had a hard time walking, and my vision was blurry. 

- On Christmas night, someone came into the house while we were away and left the stove open! That was freaky! They also ditched their truck on the driveway. The one nice thing about small towns is that you find out who did it eventually, which I did! They were super drunk and didn't know what they were doing.....apparently!

The ditched truck

 - I got a speck of hay in my eye, which sliced through the upper sclera (White of the eye)! Had to go to the hospital, because I was in a lot of pain, and my eye was swelling up severely! The wait time was four hours, but I got in half an hour later, cause I was starting to get feverish. They put a lot of drops in my eye, then washed it out with this weird eye wash thing, that took 15-20min. It was super scary, because they left me in a dark room with it attached to my eyeball, and didn't tell me when they were coming back! All in all, I survived, and its starting to heal nicely! 

Hospital selfie

 The family who owns this farm should be coming back tonight! Despite the few scary things that occurred this week, I'm glad I stayed! Super thankful that my brother Christopher stayed with me too. He was extremely helpful!

Chris shovelling off the solar panels for me!

 As I mentioned earlier, Chris and I did go home for Christmas! I got lots of lovely gifts this year! Mostly items that will be helpful when traveling, and also a super cool writing pen! It was fun watching my siblings open gifts too! Then in the evening, we had an amazing dinner! 

Christmas is probably my favourite holiday ever!

The gag gifts!

Hot water bottle raccoon Nancy got me!

Two more weeks till Africa! Its coming up so fast!

Home!

Going from -5 to -30! 

The beautiful silence....

Night adventures....

Christmas spirit....

I'm home! I survived Toronto! I almost forgot about why I loved the country so much, but now I am beginning to remember! Life here is truly magical!

I said a very sad goodbye to everyone at the horse farm! They really became like family and I had a great week there, even though I couldn't do much. (My shoulder injury bounced back)

Saying goodbye to the boys was sad. They didn't really understand that I was leaving! I intend to go visit them often when I get back from Africa! 

This week I've been busy planning my trip. Getting health insurance, registering with the embassy in Uganda, finding a host family while I'm in London for a week! Overall, its been relaxing, but I've still had plenty of things to do! 

On Sunday a large group of us, (my siblings, Sierra, Rike, and two other workawayers), went to see, The Last Jedi! I happen to be a huge fan of Star Wars, so I was super excited about it! Overall, I enjoyed it. It wasn't my favourite Star Wars movie, but it was still enjoyable! It was weird seeing people I went to school with coming out of the theatre. Everyone is growing up so fast! One of these people spotted me, and was like, "Since when have you been back in Pembroke?"

 I guess I kind of come and go unannounced! I guess I'm a little like Gandalf!

Anyhow, I was brave and applied for school! I finally feel ready to go! After two years full of experiences, and adventures, I feel ready to sit back in a desk for a little bit, and learn some more! 

Then I'll probably go and repeat this adventure all over again!

I applied to college, because I am very much a hands on learner! I've chosen colleges closer to Toronto since I've already formed a small community for myself there. Here is what I applied for...

Seneca: Vet assistant
Ridge Town(Guelph): Performance horse handling
Durham: Animal handler, and paramedic
Northern: Vet tech wildlife rehab

If I get accepted into all of them, I will probably go with the vet tech, just cause I shouldn't even be able to get into it! I'm apparently missing a credit, but who knows! Maybe experience will count for something?! 

I had a really hard time deciding if I should go to Kingston or Northern for vet tech, but in the end, I know I have never really liked the city of Kingston, and that I'm not so much into research, which is a big component of the program there. 

Going to Durham would be nice though, since it is close to the farm, and I could potentially work and stay there while I go to school!

Anyhow, I won't be getting letters till I'm in Africa! Africa is a nice distraction to keep the anticipation out of my mind.

Over Christmas I'm going to be house sitting on an off grid property. I'm still going to be close to home, and able to celebrate with the family, but it will be kind of like having my own home for a week! I will take plenty of pictures, because its a stunning view up there! 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!