Welcome 2012!

I go back to work tomorrow after a 4 day weekend because of the New Year's holiday. It was a pretty quiet weekend, spent inside because the temperature has been in the minus twenties and tonight..wait for it.... Minus 35! :-O! My first Northwestern Ontario winter.

But it was the perfect opportunity to share that time with a rottweiler in my lap, cat at the edge of the couch and my teammate in this life's journey in the chair next to me ringing in the new year by watching Despicable Me and laughing our butts off! Mark surprised me with it after a trip to the store to get groceries. If you have not seen this movie - GO WATCH IT. It will warm your heart and make you laugh for 90 minutes straight. It will remind you how important love and happiness is in life and if you're like me, you'll want your own team of minions -- ohhh wait, I've already got that. ;) I'm grateful.

 With each new year, brings new beginnings. This weekend gave me the opportunity to think about that. I've never been one to make resolutions, but I would like to work on some things. I'm sure at some point or another, we all contemplate our life purpose and what is the meaning of life..yadi yadda stuff. I've always said the meaning of life is to be happy, although I often felt dark on the inside...and often used an array of excuses to stay unmotived. I'm working hard to improve all that and 2012 is going to be even better and discover all that I am meant to be.

I have read time and time again that to find your trueself, look no further than when you were a child - when you were pure and did not worry about judgement and before you had experiences that molded your thinking or made you insecure or were forced to conformed to society's way of being.

When I was a kid, the two things I liked the most was drawing and figure skating. I figured long ago that drawing and creating art is just a hobby to me, and that's the way I like it. I was an athlete.I was a powerhouse and strong figure skater. I was competitive and wanted to win. I felt alive while competing and performing. For some reason I let that fade away in me and had felt for nothing for years. I was an unmotivated person.....until I discovered the art of pole dancing for fitness. I took classes in Ottawa for about a year before moving to Thunder Bay. I was addicted. It reminded me of figure skating - the spinning, the strength required...the dance itself. It is a sport. It was something I got excited about for the first time in what felt like ages. When we got to Thunder Bay, there was no such studio....so I hadn't done any pole for months and lost a lot of strength and started to get unmotivated again. But look what I got for Christmas :)

My Very own X-Pole Sport. Thank you Ian for sending Christmas money and thank you Mark for encouraging me to finally get it! It was long time coming and I'm so friggin excited!! I want to get strong again. I am inspired to dance. I want to become to athlete that is in my blood, that I am meant to be.

PS. I also now know that Thunder Bay's first pole studio is opening up at the Centre of Change in a very short period of time!! Sign up people!! This is so exciting.

There's so much more I want to share about the new year to come --- so stay tuned!

In the mean time, please enjoy two of my favourite pole videos -- one from my favourite Pole dancer Oona and the other of a male pole dancer who is entering the scene. Both will blow your mind. If I can become a small bit as good as them, I will feel accomplished. ENJOY!

Mount McKay in Pictures

Mount McKay is an amazing piece created by Mother Nature millions of years ago. I think it's something like 980 feet high and you can get to the top!

It's located on the Fort William First Nations reserve and is probably where I've felt most spiritual and at peace.We got to the top and talk about a GIANT Wow! The view...the native artwork, and just overall feeling was incredible. It;s amazing what once can feel when instead of shopping, we sit outside and be still.

It's interesting because about a year and a half ago I started to become interested in learning about Native culture and collecting native artwork -- look at where life has brought us -- to a town where I can spend time with the land like this. It's beautiful...I think when you start listening to that inner voice, your intution that synchronicity in your life starts to happen....

Mark and I along with Lucy have visited Mount McKay once in the summer and once just a couple weeks ago. There's a sign on the way there that says "If you miss Mount McKay, you miss Thunder Bay" - and it's true!  Here's some pictures for your enjoyment. :)

MOUNT MCKAY

 

Thunder Bay from the top!

The artwork honouring the Ojibway elders and the Mountain Chapel from 1888..

Walking down the mountain. :) I'm always the straggler, but I take the pictures!

Those pretty purple rocks

One post in and I'm already behind keeping up with the blogging world lol. Well let's catch up....summer is gone and fall is on its way to becoming winter..... But did I ever have a wonderful summer...let's backtrack a bit to my birthday in August before this blog even started.

When I was a kid, I remember loving to pick rocks! I remember sitting in the driveway at home trying to find the shinest rocks in all that gravel... Mother Nature is Amazing...and who says adults can't enjoy in the simplicities of searching for rocks and having loads of fun doing it! It's the pureness and curiousity of a child that makes living life so divine and beautiful. Grown ups take cue!

So on my 27th birthday, that's what I wanted to do -- pick rocks.

Thunder Bay is home to the Amethyst mine and many rock treasures.

Amethyst is the gemstone of Ontario. It's a beautiful purple rock and we learned at the mine that it's actually Quartz Crystal with iron in it....You can get anywhere from light purple, to dark purple, and even reds! I asked Mark to take me there for my brithday. I didn't think he would have any fun, but I think he even had more fun than me...digging big holes to find the treasures.

You were allowed to take home whatever you found for a small fee. Here are some treasures we saw and found that day. :)

Waking up the giant....say whaaat?

Ever since I first laid eyes on the Sleeping Giant, I have been in awe. I can sit at the top of Hillcrest Park with our dog Lucy and just feel his presence and energy.

The Ojibway legend identifies the Sleeping Giant as Nanabijou, spirit of the deep sea who was turned to stone after the secret location of the rich silver mine was discolsed to white people. Well, Nanabijou, you may be sleeping, but you inspire me to live healthier and take chances!

So waking up the giant? Well I've always had the feelings that I've wanted to dream big, and have the guts to follow my heart and live my dreams. Growing up a super quiet and shy kid, I never knew how to express these feelings...but now that I am an adult, things are coming together.

I grew up in a small town and lived in the city the past several years....and really mostly felt lost inside.

Thunder Bay was never the plan. Mark and I wanted to live far away from the big, hectic city. We packed up, put our stuff in storage with the intention of driving out to Alberta and experience some time in the mountains....we never made it passed Thunder Bay. The universe was telling us to stay.

I think we all have a giant inside of us wanting to come out. Most of society gets caught up in a routine and never give any thought to stepping out of their comfort bubble....even to explore the wonders of mother nature and even man-made history in their own town. I see it here and I've done it myself.

Every year thousands of people take a trip to Ottawa to see the Parliament Buildings and take pictures. I caught the bus there for several years and never bothered to look.

Mark and I promised ourselves that Thunder Bay was going to be different...and it has been. We go to work, but also we take time to get out of the house! 

This blog will be about my life in Thunder Bay. We have only been here a few months and we both have good jobs and have met so many super awesome people...my job allows me to meet so many people and they have all been helpful and welcoming. I`ve also participated in a street festival and have gotten people excited about my favourite hobby: hooping!!! and my picture made it into the local paper, how cool is that!!...more hooping will come in future posts!

This blog will be a nice outlet of expression for me...   But I hope it will inspire people to to wake up the giant within themselves.