Alberta Winds

2am, half sleeping with my tent flaps bashing against my head. I had been silently praying that my tent would hold up for the night...

Then snap, the tent collapsed on me as not one, but three of the four poles all snapped.

I resorted to pulling my mat out and sleeping outside, where I actually got more sleep as the rubble of my tent and my friend's remaining tent protected me from the 50km winds.

That morning, our mess tent was destroyed as well as a few other tents that were flattened. Thankfully a crew member of mine set up a refugee tent where four of us are currently sleeping.

Due to the winds, we haven't been able to plant trees. In a way, its nice to have a little break, but I came out here to make money, and not planting means not making money. I know it can't be helped, since safety is key, but its still rather disappointing.

We have been having fun though! We have been staying in the town of Edson in a motel. We went swimming at the pool which had a hot tub as well! It was exactly what I needed! We also went bowling then hung out at a bar where I danced my heart out for awhile. I then came back to the hotel and fully enjoyed the comforts of a warm room and a bed!

Once these crazy winds settle down we should have three more days of planting, then we move off to another camp. Never a dull moment tree planting!

Trees....and more Trees!

Cold mornings, hot afternoons, cold nights! Overheating, freezing, repeat!

Take a step, dig a hole, plant a tree, close hole, repeat!

Get scratched, laugh, learn to accept pain, treasure good moments, repeat!

Work hard, feel satisfied, eat lots, bond with crew members, be positive, enjoy the view, and the result of all of this so far has made me a very satisfied individual! I am so happy I decided to go tree planting!

Its been a great experience so far tree planting in Alberta! I am a week and a half in and on day four of planting I planted 1085 trees!!! Looking forward to increasing that number! I am on an amazing crew and have a stellar crew boss! I feel incredibly blessed! Will keep you all updated on the adventure!

Back to Nomading

My eight months of school are over! I remember at the beginning of the year wondering if I could last staying in one place for so long! Haha, I actually really enjoyed my eight months of being static, and I learned so much in that span of time! 

However, I am on the move again! I'm heading off to Northern Alberta for three months to tree plant with Summit Reforestation! I've never done it before, but am super excited about the adventure! Tree planting is really rough, so I've been told. You plant six days a week from early morning to late afternoon. Its back breaking, you are out in the elements, and the terrain is rough. However, there is a lot of money to be made as you get paid per tree you plant! They have also increased the price they pay you per tree, which they haven't done in a while. I am hoping to make enough that I can pay off school, since I don't like being in debt. I also hope to be able to support my three children in Uganda a little more, and focus on jiu jitsu a lot more when I return! 

Speaking of which!

Yah, my blue belt was a total surprise, but I am so excited for the learning opportunities it will bring! I realised while in school that jiu jitsu really is my greatest passion right now. I had to really push myself to prioritise school over it! I will probably continue working at Absolute Equestrian when I return from tree planting and then train jiu jitsu in the evenings. There might be some room for travelling as well though! The cool thing about tree planting is the harder you work, the more you make! I like that concept! 

Mom is also taking off for a tree planting camp as an assistant chef in B.C. We are working for the same company just in different locations

Emma and I testing out camping gear

I'll be pretty remote, and camping the whole time I'm there. However, on days off I will try to write short blog posts and fill them with awesome pics! Rock on everyone! 

Happy Women's Day!!

Happy international Women's Day!

Its hard to believe that a year ago today I was in Kampala asking a grade seven class what women in their lives inspired them! It also marks the one year anniversary of experiencing the symptoms of typhoid!(but we can ignore that experience for today).

Today I want to give a shout out to some of the women who inspire me, and have shaped me into the woman I am today!

Kathy Rideout

She was my best friend's mother, always a joy to be around. She had a personality like no other, an infectious smile, and brilliant humour. When my mother came down with Lyme disease, she became like a mother for me. She would come check on my siblings and I, she would home school me during this time, do baking, and sewing with me. She was a very generous, and spiritual woman and it touched me greatly as a child.

Unfortunately, shortly after my mother recovered, Mrs. Rideout got her second case of cancer. Few months later I was laying flowers at her grave. Her life example and influence is why I am a Christian and will continue to be in the future! I may have only been twelve when she left my life, but she had a big impact on me.

Bridget Secker

If you think I have drive to do things, you should look at my mother! She was in the military, joined a convent, was a nanny, had eight kids, and is now studying to be a linguist in university. She has taught me to go for what I desire no matter the odds! Her strength and passion are a huge inspiration for me!

Cyndi Bell Abroms

My boss Cyndi has a fire within her that I don't often see in too many people. She had a dream to have her own horse farm, and she achieved it on her own. She has taught me that with hard work you can achieve anything! She has overcome so much adversity and is still one of the strongest and generous people I know!

Theresa Hills

My previous horse back riding coach doesn't get very many days off, but she loves what she does! I have learned so much about riding, and leadership from this woman. Her mental and physical strength show that you can be unstoppable as a women, and her passion for what she does is truly inspirational.

Sue Meech

The director and founder of Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre is a woman like no other! She has done so much with her life its mind blowing! Her passion and dedication to the welfare of animals has fuelled my passion for animal care, and wildlife. She is a "get'er" done sort of person but is always down for a slice of cake and to crack some jokes. She has taught me that hard work is important, but that its still okay to have some fun here and there too!

Christine

I met this young women in Uganda and was immediately drawn to her! She always had her hand up, was an active participant in all school activities, and a willing leader. She wasn't afraid to try anything, even if she wasn't sure of her success in the activity or not. After school hours she would come and see me to learn more. Despite her circumstances, she never lost hope in her dreams, and was confident in herself. She has inspired me to follow my dreams, pursue knowledge, and not be afraid to take some risks.

This is only a small list of the women who have inspired me, but there are many more! Special shout out to Karelia, Sierra, and Alex O'Brien who have been my most loyal friends for almost a decade; To my sisters who have always been there for me: To all the women I have come to know in the jiu jitsu community who continue to inspire me to push the limits; To all my co-workers and classmates who are there for me everyday,  and to all the women who have been for me, supported me, and inspired me over the years! I do not know where I would be without you all! Wishing you all a fantastic day, and a big shout out to all the women in my life! Adversity makes us stronger, so embrace it! When you put your mind to it, you can be unstoppable! 

Mental Health Day + Updates

Four hours of sleep, running around all day, and broken wet boots......I could not drag my butt down to Toronto to meet my Mom and go home for the weekend! 

I literally snapped mentally! I could not pull myself one more step unless my life was in danger, and so I laid in bed and cried about how I missed my last chance to go home before school ends! 

So today, I decided to spend my free day paying attention to me! My needs, doing things I wanted to do, trying not to think about home too much, and focusing on what I'm grateful for! Indeed, I have a lot to be grateful for! I have a roof over my head, I'm warm, I have a decent supply of food, I have books to read, art supplies, I'm in good health, and fit....the list goes on! 

This semester has been pretty tough! The course material is not difficult, it is more or less the lack of time spread between work, co-op, jiu jitsu, and school that makes me feel stretched to my limits! I've tried to figure out how I could drop one, but I really can't! If I don't work, I don't eat; If I drop co-op I fail school: If I drop out of school I lose my investment, and jiu jitsu is my favourite part of the day so no point in dropping that! 

Today, I have none of these though! I have chosen to ignore school related tasks, or any task for that matter and do I what I want! Which is pretty simple actually! Catch up on sleep, read, sketch, and most importantly write! I've missed creative writing tremendously since this semester started! Living on my own, and running from activity to activity, I have found that a lot of what I want to say or sort out I've had to keep within myself. Today, I could explore the issues and questions in my mind through writing, which has been extremely therapeutic! 

As far as news goes, I've been doing my placement at the Toronto Zoo in the Eurasia zone! Its been an incredible experience so far! Some of the animals I've got to work with include camels, wild horses, mountain goats, an African crane, and Amur tigers (Siberians). I feel extremely blessed for this unique experience!

Jiu jitsu has been loads of learning and fun! Its great to have a fitness activity that is so engaging and exciting! I've also been taking some wrestling, and learning some judo to improve my stand up game.



My Nomad spirit has kicked in again, so I accepted a tree planting job up in northern B.C and Alberta with summit tree planting. Tree planting is known as one of the toughest jobs on the planet, so it will not be an easy experience by far, but its short term (3months) and I can make a lot of money doing it if I work hard! Its sad in a way as I'll have to say goodbye to jiu jitsu for a few months, and Denver, but my soul is getting restless staying one area for this long, and I want to go out and have another adventure! 

Plus, I kind of want to go back to Uganda and check in on the sponsored students, and catch up with my friends there! This could be another one of those exciting years!!! 

21 years in pictures

Wow! Its hard to believe I'm already 21 years old!!!! These 21 years have been a series of incredible experiences and adventure! Here are some photos summing up the last 21 years of my life! 

21 crazy, but amazing years! Thank you to all the people who helped me along the way! Looking forward to seeing how my year as a 21 year old plays out!