2016 at a Glance

Another year is almost over and I am still alive! That is always a good thing! Anyhow, overall it was one of the most memorable years of my life! For starters...

I turned eighteen! I had been counting down about five years for this birthday!

I actually went to prom!

And graduated!

I went on a really cool canoe trip in Algonquin park with three friends!

I played my last year of high school basket ball

And starred in my high school's play as Tweedle dee, with my friend Alex as Tweedle dum, in the production of Alice in Wonderland.

I helped organise some local youth from my town to attend the 2016 March for Life!

Then right after high school, I spent the coolest five months of my life doing an internship at Sandy Pines Wildlife Center....

Where I spent a lot of my time working with raccoons!

I may not have travelled very far this year, but I did go to Niagara falls!

And Toronto!!

After I finished my time at Sandy Pines, I went to stay on a small horse ranch to further develop my horsemanship skills!

And then Christmas happened! Probably one of the better Christmas's to date!

And then I got sick, bed ridden, tired, grouchy, and feverish! An amazing way to end off an extraordinary year! Oh well, I can't really complain! I only got sick a recorded four times this year!

Overall I would say 2016 has been a good year! It was probably the most challenging, in the sense that I tried many new things, and went pretty far outside my comfort zone at times! However, It all paid off in the end! I also made so many new friends! I am so happy to have met all the people I did, and I hope to see them all again someday! I looked back at my list of goals for this year, and I met pretty much all of them! 

2016 Goals:
- Develop more spiritually: I have definitely developed more in my spiritual life! Biking 4km to church every Sunday during the summer, really made me think about what my faith meant to me!

- Increase my fitness: I succeeded! I can finally do a push up (several push ups) properly. I also mastered my bridge, I ran my fastest 1500meter, and 800meter race this year! I also did very well in my military fitness test!

- Pass with good grades: I did! All my grade twelve courses I passed with higher then and 80! Except for math, but it was my best high school math grade ever, and it wasn't far from an 80.

- Gluten Free: I hardly cheated at all this year!

- Get a ribbon in Track and Field, and a new school record: I got two ribbons and broke the 800meter senior girls record twice! 

My Hopes for 2016 that came true were...

- get good grades
- get an internship
- find a source of income
- Finish the rough draft of a novel
- Get a role in the production of, "Alice in Wonderland"

My favourite song of the year was probably "Beautiful," by Grace Vanderwal. And my favourite movie was obviously "Rogue One!" 

My most memorable moment of the year was horse back riding in the hills with a traveller I met from England. It was a beautiful day, and we both had a lot in common, so it was a good time!

So that was my 2016 for you! My goals for 2017 are....

- Increase my fitness level
- Travel outside of Canada
- Finish the second draft of my novel
- Improve in my horsemanship
- Be the best Nanny ever! (yes, that is my new job starting soon!)
- Continue being Gluten Free, and also cut out all candies. 
- Develop more spiritually 
- Continue blogging
- Get my G2 driving license

Hopefully I am just as successful as I was this year! I am sure I will be though, as long as I put my mind to it! 

Showing off my Basketball award this year!

Anyhow, Happy New Years everyone! I hope your New Year will be full of happy moments, and good times! 

Some quotes to take you into the New Year!!!!

"Love all, Trust few, Always paddle your own canoe!" - Sue from the Wildlife Center

" Another adventure always awaits you! You just have to be the Gandalf that gets yourself out to do it!" - Messaged from the traveller that I went horseback riding with.

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift! That is why it is called the present!" - Kung Fu Panda

Christmas 2016!!

I love Christmas! It is definitely my favourite holiday of the year! Not just because of the festive activities going on all around, but because it celebrates the birth of my Saviour Jesus Christ! Who doesn't love birthdays?! 

 Anyhow, this year's Christmas was a good one! I went to my Uncle's on the 22nd to look after their house while they went on a Christmas date to the spa. It was really relaxing actually! Their two kids were at school, their house was already spotless, so all I had to worry about was their dog, who was no trouble at all! I had a whole six hours to just sit and write, which I haven't had in a long time! It was a Christmas gift in itself! They managed to convince me to stay till Christmas Eve, so I helped my aunt shop and prepare food for Christmas dinner. I didn't realise until this year how crazy and stressful Christmas shopping is! lol

A craft I did with my little cousin!

I might enjoy Christmas Eve more then Christmas! That is because my community hosts a Christmas dinner! Everyone is welcome, and there is no cost! Unfortunately my parents were too busy to go, but I still went with most of my siblings trailing along! The food was so good, and it was so nice to visit and share a meal with other members of the community. Santa even came, and my four youngest siblings went up to see him! My youngest sister was so brave! She dashed to the front of the line, determined to be the first one to speak to Santa. Afterwards all the children got to pick a toy out of Santa's bag, which made them very happy! 

On Christmas morning I woke up to the sound of my siblings dancing around the house in glee, over all the gifts under the tree! I wanted to sleep longer, but it was Christmas, so I dragged myself out of bed, (or should I say the couch), and headed over to the tree! There was a bunch of yummy snacks on a nearby table, and all my siblings were gathered around the tree, fingering their gifts excitedly, trying to figure out what they had got! In our house, opening gifts goes from youngest to eldest, one at a time. I like this, because it drags out the moment a little longer, and everyone gets a chance to be in the spotlight! This year the gifts were amazing! I thought I was only getting two gifts, but Mom surprised me with several more! The kids also got a lot of things they had wanted, and their reactions were priceless! 

Here is a link to one of my sister's reactions I recorded!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afnl6chwn18&feature=em-upload_owner

Everyone is excited to see what you get!

My eleven year old sister got what she wanted!

Anyhow, I got the best gift ever!

Winter Riding boots!

I also got a journal! I get one every year!

I also got other handy things like socks, and art supplies! Overall, I was surprised and happy with the gifts I got! Thanks Mom, Dad, Colina, Alex O'brien, and Nancy!

Star Wars PJ Nancy got me!

The cover of a puzzle Mom got me! She knows I love fantasy and owls, so she thought this was perfect for me! It is!

A painting I did with the incredible art set my aunt gave me!

 Afterwards, several member of my family went to Christmas mass. I stayed home, since I went Christmas Eve, and kept an eye on the younger ones. They were good though, very occupied with their gifts! When my parents got home we all got dressed up, then headed to my Uncles for Christmas Dinner! And guess who drove?

Me! I was so freaked out! I hate driving! But I did it! On the highway too! (I learned that I hate merging with traffic!)

Anyhow we arrived safe and sound at my uncles, and we had an amazing time! My aunt makes a spectacular meal, and I ate till I felt my stomach would explode! My uncle also showed us this really cool thing he got for Christmas! Its a pair of high tech goggles you wear. You stick your phone into the designated spot, and start the program. It puts you in a 3D virtual reality! Every where you look you see something! I did the roller coaster program, and it literally felt like I was on a roller coaster! I had butterflies, and I was screaming, because it felt so real! It was cool, but also kind of scary. I'm afraid if you did it enough you would lose your mind!

A birds eye view of all the food!

The little kids table!

 Anyways, despite having an amazing Christmas, I feel awful right now! My whole family has this terrible flu that has me bed ridden, which is rare! It really sucks, because I was only healthy for about five days, and now I am sick again! Oh well, more time to write!

Merry Christmas everyone! Remember that Christmas is twelve days!

What a Ride!

Sometimes life doesn't hand you the cards you want....that was my previous week in a nutshell! I was probably the sickest I have been all year! It slowly got to the point where I couldn't talk, or eat food, and it hurt to breath! My throat was so swollen! However, thanks to God, and a few good doses of this herb called oregano oil, I am feeling better now!

But now let's talk about how crazy I am sometimes!

I decided the first day I could finally speak again (barely speak again) that i was feeling well enough to go on a trail ride! Haha!! Of course the snow would start falling and wind blowing just as we entered the woods. I actually kind of felt like I was in an action movie with all the snow falling around me, the wind blowing violently, and me clinging on to my horse intensely. Clinging on, because I was feeling so sick! Then of course things had to go worse! We went off the trail, because Linda wanted to show me this special mushroom that grows on birch trees called chaga. It is an interesting fungus that has a lot of healing properties! Anyhow, neither of us knew about a knee deep hole under the snow, and my horse (Venus) fell in it!

I got off, because I didn't think she could get out with me on her. I managed to pull her out, She was fine, just kind of in shock. Then I was faced with another dilemma.

I was riding bareback!

I had no way to get back on her!

Except to jump! Now I was still feeling really weak from my cold, and even when I feel healthy, I still find it difficult to jump up onto a horse! However, I knew I only had two options!

Walk the several kilometres back, leading my horse through knee deep snow, or...

Get back up on my horse!

I'm not sure how I did it, but I got back on her, and laid on her back exhausted till we both got home. I gave her a treat and let her go, which she was more then happy about! Linda and I both agreed afterwards that we wouldn't ride into that part of the woods again!

Covered in snow from my little adventure!

 Anyhow, besides that little adventure, my time here has been amazing! I get to ride everyday, the food is so good, and the work is relaxing. I get up at 7am, eat breakfast, then do the morning chores. This usually consists of filling the horses water bucket, feeding the horses hay, and a special dietary blend.

To fill the water bucket you use a hand pump! Very clever!

Some of the horses need to gain weight or have hoof problems, so we give them dietary blends!

Then we usually go for one trail ride in the morning, and one in the early afternoon! The area around here is so beautiful and perfect for trail riding!

During the times of the day we aren't riding, I am either preparing apples to make apple sauce or apple crisp, or trying to market her riding business, and sell her kittens! I have been very successful with selling her kittens! I sold all but one in a week! We just have one left! Anyone want a kitten?!

The remaining kitten!

Anyways, Christmas is fast approaching! As a gift for my family I purchased a family riding package for them here, and they loved it! It was great to share my passion of horse back riding with my family!

Mom even rode a horse!!

As a gift for me, Mom and Dad took me to see Rogue one, a Star Wars story! It was amazing! I have so many good things to say about it, but that will have to be for another blog post! Anyhow, my next post will probably be after Christmas! Have an amazing Christmas everyone, and stay safe!

A Constant Journey

Nomad, what does the term mean? According to the Dictionary it means...

"A member of a people having no permanent abode, and who travel from place to place."

When I was contemplating starting a new blog, I was honestly at a loss for what to call it! How would I describe my life, and more importantly, my future?! Adventurous has often been a term I have used to describe myself! I thought about it for awhile, and pondered over what kind of people in the world travelled lots, and were adventurous, and then Nomads popped into my mind! 

Like a Nomad I have travelled from place to place! I have never lived in one location for more then three years, I have travelled all over my home country of Canada, and for being eighteen, I have left the country and been to a few other places around the world! At this point I almost get restless when I have been in one place for an extended period of time! 

Enjoying a cool afternoon in a patch of forest in Germany!

I have no permanent abode! Right now I kind of float between households. First I worked at a wildlife shelter, now I am working at a small horse ranch, and after that I have a job as a nanny set up! At the moment I go where the wind takes me!

Enjoying a cold winter day on a rural horse farm!

 I am a part of a group of people!Through my life adventures I have met lots of unique and inspiring people who are either passionate about the same issues as I, or are very adventurous! These people inspire me, and keep me motivated to achieve my dreams!

Hanging out with some international friends I made during my Wildlife Rehabilitation internship!

 So what are my dreams? I have so many, a giant bucket list actually! However the key ones are....

- Serve God to the best of my ability by making the most out of the life he has given me! 
- Become an author - I am already a published poet! I have written the rough draft to a novel, so now I just got to polish it, and try to get it published!
- See the world! - I have already been all over Canada, I have been to New York city, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania . I have also been to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy! New travel goals, Iceland, England, Romania, and Africa!

Those are the big three anyhow! I could die before I accomplish them all...fall down the stairs the wrong way, or fall of a horse for that matter! However, these goals motivate me to strive forward, and live each day, each month, and each year like it were my last!

So, I am Jacinta Secker, I am eighteen, the eldest of eight, and a Canadian. I have one dog who I love to bits! His name is Boo, and he is like my baby! Unfortunately I am unable to bring him on my travels. I also have a cat named Ginger! I used to have more pets, but since I moved out, they all had to find new homes. I have a lot of hobbies and interests! I love sports, art, writing (love writing!!), animal care, and horseback riding! I also enjoy baking and cooking!

My dog and I!

My family

My favourite horse at the wildlife center, and probably my favourite horse ever!

My greatest life adventures have been.....

. Travelling across Canada with my family in our large van! We went through every province in Canada except for Newfoundland and PEI. 

. Travelling to New York City for a school trip! It was my first time outside of Canada, and the largest city I had ever been too!

. I travelled to Europe with a friend to work on an Icelandic pony farm in Germany! We were there for about two months, and it was an amazing experience! While we were in Europe we also travelled through Austria and Switzerland, to Italy, where we spent two weeks!

Exercising an Icelandic pony in Germany!

 After I completed high school, I did an internship at Sandy Pines Wildlife Center! It was an amazing experience, and I met lots of people from around the world! I wrote a blog about it! Check it out here!http://intothewildsandypines.blogspot.ca/

Handling a Saw Whet owl!

Releasing baby turtles with the other interns!

And now I am staying at a small horse ranch in rural Ontario! I have known the lady who runs the place for several years, and she asked if I would like to stay and help her till I begin my job as a Nanny. 

I am loving it here! The work is relaxing and fun! I get to ride everyday, I have a room of my own, and Linda and her husband are the nicest people! They have grown the majority of their own food, and almost everything else is homemade! There is a lot of food to go between the three of us, but it sounds as if they might be hosting some one else soon from Belgium and Germany! I am so excited to meet these girls!

Venus and I!

A view of the house

Early Morning trail rides!

So I will try to write a new post each week! The internet where I am at is not the greatest at times, so we shall see what happens! Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy following me virtually on my adventures!