For those who don’t know, from the 5th thru the 12th of April, I was up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 12 hours each direction of flying, and let me tell you that’s a story that’ll be covered later on in this post, but never the less… you really get an appreciation for the length of the travel when you hear it in terms of hours in flight. My trip over there was quite relaxing, on my hop from Portland, Oregon to Toronto, Ontario, Canada the plane was even only about half full! So we had plenty of room to stretch out and actually enjoy the flight instead of being all cramped up. Quite enjoyable, and make the trip seem less painful as I plugged in my laptop and enjoyed a movie and working on a couple projects.

Then I landed in Halifax at about 10:30pm local time. As per norm for me travelling, I hadn’t slept the night before, so I had been up for going on 40 hours at this point. But I was alive, I was enjoying it, and I was happy to be there. Erin, whom I had gone on the visit to see, was there to meet me, and we used a transport service called Driver Daves, which if you’re ever in the Halifax area and need a ride to and from the Airport? I highly recommend! We gathered my luggage and set off for her place. Getting back to her place about 11:30pm, my travel had finally come to an end. It was so nice to just be able to stretch… ugh, finally.

Over the next couple days, we explored Halifax, and I got to witness first hand this city I had been hearing about for over 2 years. My only regret? That I didn’t stop to take more photos. But I’ll admit I was completely unprepared for the wind portion of the weather there and as such it was rather nippy you might say. It still surprises me as I think back on it how much the area reminded me of a smaller version of the Seattle area I grew up in. Nice people, culturally diverse, wonderful food, wonderful atmosphere, just all around good times.

Over the weekend, we took the 4 hour drive north to Prince Edward Island (PEI) and visited her parents for a night. PEI has a remarkably small population for a province, only something like 130,000 people live there, and as you’re driving from the Confederation Bridge across to Charlottetown you really get an appreciation for all the farm land that exists out there. Then we arrived… and it was almost immediately obvious I was in for a bit of a surprise. (Granted, I knew it was happening, but I had no idea to the extent) I was flat out shocked at the sheer amount of amazing food they decided to make. I could instantly tell it was something her parents enjoyed doing, and I felt honoured and humbled by the entire experience. Not exactly something that happens a lot to me.

It was on the way back from PEI that I had what I’d consider a moment of clarity. Ever have one? Where everything in your world just feels right, everything is going according how you’d think, and you just know? Yea, had one of those…

Needless to say, the end result is, Erin and I are now engaged.

I’m working on getting everything in order to move up (or down as the case may be) to Halifax. I’m working on getting everything locally in order, and I’m going to be leaving Northern Idaho. It’s a big move, and it won’t be without bumps, but it’s something that feels right, and it’s something that I want to do. So here’s to it.

And you know? There was more I was going to say, but that feels like a pretty good place to close this post, and I’ll save that for another one. So in closing, here’s a couple pictures that I took while on the trip. Enjoy.

Идея за подарък

I’ve spent some time doing some light reading up on the area, and it’s remarkably similar to the area I grew up in for being over 3200 miles away (~5400 km, for those in metric! Oh yea, learning that conversion in my head quickly too). Surrounded by water, city on a hill, only real thing missing is the amazing mountain shots. But by the same token, Halifax has a music and food culture that I’d just about kill for. You don’t realize how little you have around you, until you really take a look at somewhere else. Maybe it’s the fact that Idaho has almost nothing in comparison, maybe it’s that I just need a change of pace, or maybe there’s something I haven’t quite said here yet that is really driving me. Odds are really good it’s the last one, but that’s a story for another post now isn’t it?

At any rate, April 5th I leave for Halifax, and return about a week later. After that? Who knows now, but things are looking good, and I’m super excited for this trip. March is going to be a very long month indeed, any suggestions for speeding it up a bit?

In closing, I want to point out to everyone something that was linked by my friend Andy on his Facebook account. In this article by the Huffington Post there is an amazing video showcasing some of the beautiful things that make the Seattle area so incredibly special. I urge everyone to go check it out, and see just how wonderful an area most of the people who know me grew up in. I was so taken back by the music in the piece, that I went in search of a full copy, and Erin actually found the link I’m about to share. Enjoy some just damn good music.

Mat Kearney — City of Black and White

Til later.

For those who haven’t heard, I’m in the process of moving across the continent, to Canada, to start my life a new. It came out of nowhere, and it’s an opportunity I’d be a complete fool to pass up. I won’t make that mistake again, I’m grabbing life by the horns, and doing this. Tickets are purchased, I’ll be flying out for a visit in the beginning of April, and then attempting to make the move sometime there after. I can honestly say I’ve never wanted anything more in my life. It excites me, fills me with energy, and gives me reason to fight thru each day with a smile on my face and a passion in my soul.

While I’m there, you can be sure this site will be filled with photos, experiences, and memories I wish to share with the public. My Canon PowerShot SX20 IS will be taking the trek with me, and I’ll be snapping many many pictures of the new area. It’ll be my first venture living outside the northwest, and I look forward to the different experiences it will bring me. Moreover, since I’ll be moving out of the country, it’ll be even more entertaining, let me tell you what… the process of immigrating is not one I wish on anyone. E-gads.

I guess I’m writing this to catch up, to say yes, I’m alive and well now. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this, thinking about what might happen, and I’m ready for it. There’s more to tell, so much more, but for now I’d like to close this one, and save those stories for another day.

My inner muse has returned in part, so you should be seeing more frequent updates from me on this site. I hope everyone is well, and if you want to, drop a line in the comments! I’d love to hear from ya’ll.

Til then.

Monday night, I open my door only to find a “We missed you” card from the post office. It listed for a parcel, and I hadn’t exactly ordered anything, so my mind started running thru the gambit of things it could potentially and logically be. Wrong address? Doubtful, I live in Idaho for petes sake, I mean really now… Package from family? Well a) it’s a bit early in the season for that, and b) it was marked with delivery confirmation, which no one in my family would typically do, so nope, not that. Well what else could it be? I was totally stumped. Oh well I figured, I’ll just go check it tomorrow, and figure it out.

Sure enough, 10:30am and I was down at the Coeur d’Alene Post Office to pick up my mystery package and finally put an end to this confusion. And then I got the biggest shock of all. A friend, a very good friend, who is one of the people I can talk to things about, decided I needed a bit of a pick me up and sent me a care package. I was … to put it mildly … in shock. I don’t typically get such things, and I honestly had no way to know how to react. Irony is, I’ve sent quite a few of them myself, and I’ve often wondered how people take getting such a thing, but it’s never stopped me in the past. Now as I sat there with box in hand, I realised exactly how that felt, and you know what? As I lay here unable to get back to sleep, I now know that simple gesture turned around my faith in humanity.

It’s the little things that make the biggest difference, and as we head forward into the holiday season, I’d like everyone to remember that. It’s not about what we’re expected to do, it’s not about what we’re planning to do, it’s the little things that happen each and every day, the little surprises that happen every once in a blue moon, it’s those things that keep us remembering that this is a life worth living and enjoying to it’s fullest each and every day. If you take nothing else from the ramblings of this red headed wacko, take that with you, please, and share it.

And to that person, I just want to say yet again. Thank you.

In other news, you might have noticed some random topics being published here under the category of Plinky. What is that all about? Well Plinky.com is a little meme idea wherein they give you a topic, and you’re to write about it. A lot of times where there’s silence on this website I either don’t have a good thing to talk about (I love writing, but writers block is a pain), or I’ve been extremely busy. Of late? It’s been writers block, so I’ve really taken to this idea that someone poses a question, and a large number of people write on it. I’m very likely to continue doing this, and so you’ll probably see that category surge forward in posts at a very regular rate.

And finally, I’m so happy to see summer pass. It’s starting into the cold winters here already, and it’s absolutely beautiful. I can’t express how much I love this season, where all the leaves are turning colour, and the outside air is cold and crisp. I entirely plan on taking full advantage of my camera this time to capture some of the beautiful that’s out there, and I’ll be sharing it right here on the website. I hope this message finds everyone well, and enjoying their turn of seasons. And you can be sure, I’ll be writing more soon.

I’ve had a lot of thoughts running thru my head lately, some good, some not so much, but all growing so I can’t really complain. It’s lead to some interesting conversations, especially with my question posted on Facebook of “what is your biggest fear?”. What’s mine? Dying alone. The idea literally scares me out of my mind, and I don’t quite know why. Maybe posting this will help me figure out why, and if nothing else, it’ll get it out in the open and down on paper, which typically allows me to stop thinking about it non-stop.

In personal news, I’m on the job hunt, and I’m redoing my vCard website. It’s giving me a chance to update my résumé, play around with CSS3, and keep fresh on the details I so very much pride myself on knowing. I’ve found like riding a bike, I never really forget the skills, I just also must admit I still can’t draw worth anything! Good thing I’ve got my camera right? Otherwise I’d never have any source images for anything I want to do! Funny when I think back that in college someone was trying to get me to be a 3D modeller for their start-up business. Oh well, I digress.

I hope this post finds everyone out there well, and if we haven’t spoken in a while, drop me a line! I’d love to hear from you. I’m rebuilding my contact list anyway, and to be entirely honest, I’d like to know how folks are doing and catch up. So hit me up.

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July, or for my Canadian visitors, a wonderful Canada Day. One of my top favourite holidays, what other day do you get to enjoy the simple act of blowing stuff up?

On to me? Well, I’m working at simplifying my life again, clearing out the clutter, and getting back to basics. I’ve put some serious research into this, and I fear my amazon.com wish list has grown (and will continue to grow) at a rather insane rate. I’m not looking for a lot of things, I’m looking for a few nice things, but the wish list gives me a place to decide “hrm, do I want to go this route or that route?” A couple of things I’m focusing on:

1. Kitchen supplies — I’m really looking at going mostly cast iron. Getting rid of the insane excess I own, and paring down to a couple nice pots and pans. Multitaskers of the world unite. Alton Brown would be pleased.
2. Furniture — I’ve come to realize that most, if not all, of my furniture is very old and worn out. Replacing this is one of the biggest things on the list, but also the most complicated. Admittedly the area I could use the most help in figuring out a good set that would fit my retrofit. Ideas? Suggestions? Comment section or contact me! I’d love to hear what others are doing.
3. Clothing — Much like my furniture, I haven’t done a proper clothing shop in I honestly don’t know how long. So I’m getting rid of the old and worn (for the most part), and getting the new and comfortable.
4. Electronics — Yes, I’m a complete geek. I’ve now got a 40″ Sony TV, a new Panasonic Blu-Ray player, and a Miele Vacuum. That said, I’m not done… Technology was designed to make our lives easier and more enjoyable, and while the former part of that may be scientifically proven wrong, the latter half can indeed be true. What’s life if you’re not willing to have some fun right?

So I’m making things simple, I’m cleaning things up, and I’m getting back to basics. I like this idea, it’s refreshing, and while it’s a lot of work now, the result is entirely worth it to me. If you’ve wondered what I’ve been up to of late, this would be the answer. Well, that and working my 4 10s each week, as well as crowbaring some overtime in here and there to help. Oh, and playing some WoW, heroic Lich King dead, woot!

This is me, signing off for now, enjoy your day!

_{Credits to header image for this post to: Eustaquio Santimano}

Why am I saying this? For the first time in my whole life, I know exactly what I want. I thought I had before, I thought I had found my way, but now? Right this instant as I’m typing this? I know without question, reserve, or mystery. What I am feeling right now is the most pure feeling I’ve ever had in my whole life, and I can’t describe how much I enjoy it.

I want to ride that rollercoaster, cherish in the high points, sail thru the low points, and experience every moment inbetween. More importantly? I know I want to share that journey. Most importantly? I know with who.

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face, after a day yesterday where I hit a low point. For those who know me, it tears me up inside to know I hurt someone… and yesterday? I did, and it killed me. A low point in the rollercoaster indeed. I couldn’t sleep for crap, it kept me up thinking, wondering, hoping for better… Then I finally crashed from exhaustion, woke up, and suddenly… I knew. I knew it was a new day, new hopes, new dreams, renewed faith, and I smiled.

Here is to a brighter tomorrow, cause we’ve got a long climb to the next peak.

One thing I will say, I missed my friends, both old and new. You don’t really realize what you’ve got staring at you in the face until you’re not able to contact it for a while. Granted, I was there for a very specific purpose, and I wouldn’t have traded it at all. But it does put one into kinda a reflective mode. Anyway!

Coming sooner than later (ie: very likely this week):

1. Updated About Me Page: I’m not pleased at all with the great american novel that is my about me page, so yea, major revamp time.
2. Couple Posts of Ideas: I’ve been organizing my life a bit of late, and there’s a couple ideas I’ve come up with that would assist me with using the tools I already use better.
3. Integration: If you couldn’t tell, I’m not only here, but I’m on Twitter and on Facebook as well. They’re my choice for ‘asides’ posts if you will. What do I want to do with that? Get a little more bi-directional posting, so that everywhere can be updated every time.

Anyway, yea, that’s me. And look, it didn’t take a year for the next update! *cough* More later.

P.S.: Broiler + Sandwich stuffs + 5 minutes == Charcoal.

So lets see, what’s happened since my last post… Well, there was that whole Christmas season which came and went all to quickly it seemed. I went from December 5th to December 25th in one day it seemed, and I can hardly remember the time inbetween. I guess that’s what “life in the fast lane” is like. Course, I’m still rather shocked that we’re already in February.

January was stressful. That’s about the nicest thing I can say about it aside from the fact that I celebrated my birthday towards the end of the month. Work was the main source of the stress, with the store recording record low sales, and yet still having the foot traffic of previous years. Basically, we were customer service for a great part of January, and in a commision based business, that’s a huge source of stress.

So what does the future lay for me? Honestly? I’m not sure… I like my job, I enjoy the people I work with, and I really do like the customers I’m helping out. But unless something changes, I’m fearful that someone else may choose to change our store in one form or another. I guess only the future will tell, but I can be certain that I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure our store continues to service the area.

Other than all of that… I’m doing quite well I’ve met some new people who I’m very much enjoying talking with, and I’m progressing my life in my own way. Heck, I’m even working on a new idea for the website a bit as far as design to let me rediscover myself in that way too.

I guess this post comes down to one thing… I’m doing as the slogan for this site has said for a year now. I’m rediscovering myself, one post at a time, one day at a time. And what have I discovered so far? Well, that’s another post for another day.

Til then.

(P.S.: Of all the things I know the most right now, I know I need love.)