The NEW Moi!

I gots me a rawkin' new do - Thank you Rebecca!!

T-14 Days!

So its crunch time … time to get serious about this quickly approaching adventure to Europe. A few cool things have happened over the last week, making this trip even more interesting. Via the wonders of Facebook, a very old friend of mine from Jr High/High school mentioned that he was going to be in Berlin along the same time as us and so we have made plans to meet up and see some of the sights together! Its going to be so rad to see him again and be able to catch up on all that has happened over the last 10 years!

Phil and I have managed to get the basics under control and now its time to line up the rest of the pieces.

We need to get our $$ sorted out and since we need to have 4 currencies (Euros, Pounds, Korunas and CAD) on hand for when we leave it’s been a tad trying to get a good rate on them all.

We have all our plans sorted out and know what we want to see and how we need to get everywhere . Not that we are planning tight schedule, but its good to have a few basic plans in place to that nothing is missed or regrets are had.

We have our packs – Huge suckers (60L!!) but well worth the investment as they will serve us well into the future.

We have our basic packing sorted out, but still have to do a trial run to ensure everything fits and the packs are comfy to wear and walk with. Travelling with next to nothing clothing wise is gonna be a hard go for this clothes horse and limiting myself to a singe pair of shoes and a set of flip-flops is making my head spin … But I look at it this way – More of a reason to shop in Berlin for some uber funky kicks!

Over all this chick is getting really stoked for this trip - Its been WAY too long in the making and its just the begining ....

AnniVANersary!!!

Well, well, well, would ya look at that?! It seem to be that just over 1 year ago I left my life in Toronto and made the move West. I CANNOT believe that its been 365 days here already …. Where did the time go?

I know I spent a lot of it outside, between walking, skiing, hiking and biking I have embraced the Great Outdoors more than I ever thought I would … being the uber CityGal that I am.

I also know that I spent a lot of it traveling all around North America. I flew back to Ontario 4 times (that’s 4 times more than I thought I would have), road tripped to SoCal and back, explored Seattle on numerous occasions, rode the ferry to the Island a few time to explore the north of the island and the beauty that is Victoria, skied the amazing mountains in Northern Washington and the Okanagan and took various other trips throughout BC.

I managed to score a great job, but had to make a major sacrifice to push school to the back burner … again. Its not totally off the table but its been sidelined for now. I have decided to spend my time and money travelling and enjoying life and seeing what is around the next bend. School will always be there, waiting for me with open arms.

I’ve made a ton of great new friends and met loads of cool new people.

I’ve started talking yoga classes 3 times a week and amped up my reading to a book a month!

Overall, I have made Vancouver and BC my new home and I love it here more than I ever thought I would.

Don’t get me wrong, I have days when I miss Toronto and home more than I can stand. I miss my family and my friends terribly, but I know that they are all very supportive of my decision to move and start a new chapter of my life.

Who knows what’s next …. I have a strong desire to live in many places around the world and so when the time comes to leave this stunning province its all up in the air as to where I land next!

Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
Amelia Burr:

Plastic Bags

Over the last year Phil and I have made a very serious effort to switch over from using plastic bags to canvas ones. We have been lucky in not having to purchase many of the reusable bags that we now own, as we seem to be handed them most places we go. IGA gave me a huge one for free when I spent over $50, at the Vancouver Auto Show we picked up a few more, both courtesy of Toyota and *chough-cough* Hyundai. Got 3 more at the EPIC Show at Canada Place and other various events we both attend.

It has dramatically reduced the number of bags coming into our house and we now only use them for garbage bags. Even when out for a shopping day we bring the bags along, just in case! And most people are more than happy to stuff our reusable bags rather than using their plastic ones. And they are always a few in the car ... you never know when you'll need to stop to get something right?!

So in closing, we are fullfledged, treehugging supporters of the canvas/reusable bags and urge all of you to make the change. Even just one bag can help out.

And if your not convinced, read these:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/08/f-plastics.html
http://www.reusablebags.com/news.php?id=21
http://current.com/items/89060077_canada_bans_plastic_bags
http://thegreenpages.ca/portal/ns/2008/04/ban_plastic_bags_in_atlantic_c.html
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/211921