New Beginnings

On Sunday morning, my husband and I packed up the last of our belongings, and said our goodbyes to family members and we drove west. Originally we had planned on making some stops to visit friends and family, but with an appointment early Tuesday morning to get the keys to our new home coming fast, we just drove straight through to our destination, Vancouver Island. It was a whirlwind trip, that consisted of scattered conversation, little sleep and many Tim Hortons stops along the way.  I think my body is still recovering from sitting and sleeping in the front seat of the truck for 36 hours. However, we made it safe and sound to our newest home in Sooke, British Columbia.

For those who aren't aware, my husband, myself and our two dogs had been living and travelling for the past year in our Scamper Camper. A few short weeks ago, I arrived home after working a graveyard shift to find my husband and our friend V-Man frantically moving all of our belongings out of the camper, and into the House of Pain because the damn thing had sprung many leaks overnight. Luckily, we had already planned to dismantle the trailer and use it to haul all of our belongings back to British Columbia, where we had decided many months ago that we wanted to permanently settle.

We arrived to Nanaimo late Monday night, and after driving to Victoria, and having many attempts to camp thwarted for various reasons, we parked on the side of the road and caught a few winks around 2am, woke up early, cleaned ourselves up in a McDonald's bathroom, met the Realtor and got our keys. We have been cleaning and running errands and visiting family and taking in the cool ocean air ever since, and it has been wonderful.

It is so good to be home.

Conflicted Feelings

In two short months, we will be heading east again, to make our way back to Saskatchewan for most of the summer. Even though we still have two more months here, I am already getting sad about leaving, and want us to figure out our plans for when we come back. Because we are coming back.

Our original plans, although not set in stone in any way, included a lot more travelling around than we have been doing. Our original plan did not include Vancouver Island at all, because of the cost of the ferry with our truck and trailer. Our original plan had us down in the States by now, somewhere. But, plans change, and the universe throws us for loops, and all things happen for a reason. We didn't know it at the time, but we were supposed to end up here.

We arrived here with nowhere to go. No campgrounds would even let us park in them, because our rig was so old. We were stuck, and fearing having to live in a Walmart parking lot, or having to head back to the mainland as an epic fail. After a couple days of stress, we found Malahat, thanks to that weird girl in the Walmart parking lot. We have met interesting and wonderful people, and we are starting to make friends. The dogs have a whole pack that they play with every single day. We do day trips around the area, and have even more planned. If we stayed here, we would have something to do, at any given time. I'm even starting to get used to the rain...it is so much better than 40 below zero.

I have to laugh at myself. The girl who wanted nothing but to get off the farm her whole life, is dreading having to go back to the city for a couple months...even a city the size of Regina. I like this quiet, rural way of life we have here. I like the fact that I don't spend any money on cigarettes or alcohol, and that all my interactions are sober and meaningful and not hazy at all. I'm afraid that when I go back, I will go back to my old ways, because for the first time in over 10 years, I feel healthy. And then I feel bad, because I don't want anyone back home to think that I blame them for anything, or think less of them, or however all this may sound.  I needed to get away, and I needed to make some changes in myself, and I did. I just couldn't do it at home. I needed to get out of the rut I put myself in.

Although I have mixed feelings about heading back to Saskatchewan, I am excited to see certain people, and you all know who you are. I'm predicting many good visits and laughs and camping trips, and I have made Mother Nature promise that the weather will be beautiful the whole time we are home.

See you in May.

What's Up

This week has been both lazy and busy. I've been mostly cooped up in the camper due to an insane amount of rain this week, but we did get out to Beacon Hill Park for the day today, and hung out by the ocean and took the pups for a walk. It was good to get out, even in the rain. 

Other than that, I've spent my week cooking and doing laundry and annoying people all over the internet trying to sell my Etsy stuff. 

I also started a new blog today, that will be mostly Etsy/craft related, so I won't have to talk shop as much over here, although I will link to it when necessary. The new blog is http://abigailroaddesigns.blogspot.com. Go check it out if ya like. 

I was going to write a post, but now I'm tired and it's 2am, so I'll be back tomorrow.

Smooches. 

Wanna See Some Pictures?

This is a picture of the ocean. I snapped a bunch of photos on the ferry, but it was so windy, I was afraid I was going to fall off the boat, so unfortunately none of them turned out very well. I'm glad I didn't get any photos of  a whale, I would have shit my pants. Whales scare the hell out of me. Maybe it's because they're so big. Now that I'm thinking of it, it's possible that I have a phobia of things that are enormous, because I'm also afraid of seeing the planet Earth from above,  mountains, and large birds.

This is what we live in. We call it "The Little Green Bean" and the " Gypsy Caravan that Love Built", but most people call it "An Ugly Piece of Shit". Never to our faces though, 'cause that would be mean. Other than the occasional roof leak, it's pretty sweet, and we're happy in our home on wheels. Oh, and if you want to send us anything, our address is "42".

While walking on a beach in Vancouver, we came across this piece of "art". It makes me think of dinosaurs, or something Fred Flintstone might put on his BBQ. Come to think of it, I'm not afraid of dinosaurs, I think they're super cool, so that rambling in the first paragraph about a possible phobia doesn't quite work. I'll put some thought into it and get back to you.

These are our dogs. Their Separation Anxiety Disorder has gone from mild to moderate when we had a home, to severe, since we left Saskatchewan.They seem to be enjoying the trip though. They've met some other dogs, and have had the opportunity to pee on many trees that they never had the chance to pee on before. Anyone who has any tips on how to train dogs to chill the fuck out, please email me asap.

And, that's all for now.

Thanksgiving and Camper Living

Well, we've officially been living in our Scamper Camper since the 29th of September, and today we are "celebrating" our first holiday in our home on wheels. When I woke up this morning, Smyrish asked me what I was thankful for, and due to the lack of caffeine,and a liver full of vanilla vodka, all I could think of for an answer was "Pillows, I'm thankful for pillows." He one-upped me by telling me he was thankful for his beautiful wife, his home that can go anywhere and the dogs. He's a smooth operator, that one.

So far, camper living has been both fun, and challenging. Anyone who knows me, knows that I like things to be neat and tidy, and everything needs to be in its place. The last couple weeks, I've been struggling with the fact that everything isn't in its place, because we are still doing work on the camper, and there just isn't anywhere to put it all yet. Hopefully this week it will all get put together. I'm sure the fact that I'm still getting used to not smoking hasn't been helping my attitude, but this morning I feel refreshed and positive, and I know that it can only get better from here. It has been nice to have a yard for the dogs, and the weather has been positively splendid, and I feel like I'm getting to enjoy a few more weeks of summer camping.

Smyrish has been working his ass off getting everything working, and I've been doing mostly nothing, due to my lack of knowledge in all areas of construction and electronics, so I'm just waiting for my turn to be productive. I'm making curtains, and today I will start making new cushions for our benches, and then it'll be time for us to make this house on wheels a home. I'm starting to get really excited about hitting the open road, even though in the back of my head, I do have a few worries. The unknown can be both exciting and terrifying.

The next couple weeks are going to be insanely busy, trying to get all our affairs in order, getting the camper done, and saying good-bye to all our friends and family. We've got birthdays, a wedding and our official going away party coming up, so with any luck, we'll get a chance to visit with everyone at one of these functions.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to thank everyone who has helped us work on the camper, given us a place to park and live, and has been positive and encouraging and helpful when hearing of our travel plans. We know we're crazy, so it's nice to know that you're all okay with it.

Now go out and enjoy the sunshine and record breaking temperatures.

Varadero Day One

From my travel journal (January 23, 2010)......




After five days in Havana, full of its "jinertos", odd smells, good music and interesting people, we headed to our resort in Varadero. Having never been to an all-inclusive resort before, I had no idea what the deal was, or what to expect.

After we checked in and were walking to our villa, I was reminded of the movie "Dirty Dancing". Ever since that moment, I have kept my eyes open for Patrick Swayze and Lenny Brisco from "Law and Order". Then, after seeing what I can only assume are the staffs quarters, I am positive that the real fun happens after the Caribbean dancing ends and the free bar closes, and that Lenny is around here somewhere, fixing all those botched abortions while Mr. Swayze teaches all the young tourist girls that their hips don't lie.



Side note to the Palinode: Smyrish has informed me that he's never actually sat down and watched Dirty Dancing, so I will have to get that DVD back from you. I know it's only been a couple years since I borrowed it to you, so I hope you're done with it. Thanks. :)


** I am fully aware that Lenny and Mr. Swayze have passed away.

Photos from Cuba

View of the Yayabo River, near Sancti Spiritus.

Juan Valdez? (near Trinidad)

A view of my toes, and the Atlantic Ocean, (Varadero)

Trinidad, from above.

Catamarans and kayaks at the end of the day. (Varadero)

Myself, George Burns, and our bitches, kickin' it in Havana.

The Young Communists building. (Havana)

Boys fishing by The Fort. (Havana)

Home Sweet Home

Well, we made it back safe and sound from the Communist Republic of Cuba. It was a great trip, lots of fun, very eye-opening and full of memories.

I had planned on blogging throughout my trip, however, once there, I realized that was out of the question. Access to the internet is not only limited and slow, but very expensive ( about 8-10 dollars per hour, ouch.)

Once I learned that, I thought that I would just write in my travel journal, and then promptly realized that I had left my journal on my desk at home. Sheesh. I did get some writing done though, thanks to hotel stationary and Scrabble score sheets, and will post some of my entries here over the weekend. I am also hoping Smyrish will do a guest post and give his side of the story.

Hope the past couple weeks have been good to you all.

Cheers!

Hello 2009! Where's My Hover Board?

Well, it is 2009. We're not living on Mars or The Moon, and none of my friends have flying cars or hover boards yet, so I'm guessing this year will be about the same as the last few, globally. Which is okay, because I must admit, I have a phobia of moving to Mars, and having to fly through space in a rocket ship. And, I'm afraid of heights, so my car best be stayin' on the ground.

I never in a million years thought that this year would be so big for me. If you had asked me at 27 what I thought 2009 would bring, I must admit, I thought it was going to be exactly the same as 2007 and 2008.

In 2009, I am turning thirty. I am getting married. I will be planning for children, a trip to Thailand with Smyrish, a trip to Europe with Wench. It will be a mish-mash of what I believe to be married plans, and free-spirited single girl plans, and I just hope I can do it all with some class, sanity, and a smile.

And, boy, am I excited. It sure is nice to have things to look forward to!

Great Train Adventure '08 (Part Four)

My favorite part of our visit to Kingston, Ontario, was our drunken playtime and ghost hunting at Skeleton Park, after a night of hopping from pub to pub. I love ghost stories, and this park has some of the best. After hearing all the stories about children finding bones while playing in the playground, and people in the neighborhood running into a very angry ghost that tried to stab them before he disappeared, I was determined to be scared shitless, so I could have my own story to tell.

Alas, nothing too creepy happened. I left the boys, as they tried to dig up pieces of old tombstones, and wandered around like a crazy person with my camera, asking nicely for the dead people to smile and say cheese. I took about 40-50 photos that night in the park. I was thrilled when there were a handful of photos that were somewhat mysterious, with blobs/orbs and smoke in them, that I could not explain for the life of me, even after the boys gave me some very logical explanations, which boys tend to do, because they aren't much fun when it comes to ghost hunting. (All I know is, that if there was something on my camera lense, then ALL of the photos should have had these weird things in them, not just a few.)

Draggin' their feet, diggin' for bones.

Creepy pillar of "smoke". I apologize for the poor upload quality.

Who knows, maybe there were ghosts there with us, maybe there weren't. I think they were. Skeleton Park didn't scare me, and I was a tad disappointed. I wanted that adrenaline rush. However, once we hit the Ottawa Jail a few days later, I learned just how scary dead people, and history can be, and was wishing that I was back in uneventful Skeleton Park.

The Great Train Adventure of '08 (Part Three)

We left The City in flip-flops and t-shirts on April 21st,  and by the time we arrived in ToonTown two hours later, there was a blizzard so bad that we couldn't even see, and I had to dig for shoes that actually covered my feet for fear of frostbite. Luckily, by the time we got to Toronto on the 23rd, it was hot and sunny and there wasn't a flake of snow to be found.

We spent our first two days of holidays just wandering around Toronto. We must have walked about 16 hours a day. We visited a couple friends of Smyrish, and just went with the flow. No plans, nowhere to be, just enjoyed being away. My feet were killing me, but I just loved being out in the sun, and it was a trip, taking in the view of high-rises, running businessmen on Bay Street, and homeless people sleeping on grates to keep warm. By the time we left, I really had to wonder if maybe Canada should take a break from helping in other countries, and do something about our own. 

After our 2 days in Toronto, we hopped back on the train and headed to Kingston to visit our friend Hobbsley. Soon after we arrived at his apartment, we cleaned ourselves up, and he whisked us away to a Law School BBQ before taking us on a very nice tour of the city, telling us all about it's history, stopping in at many pubs along the way. We were good and slammered by the time we made our way to Skeleton Park to look for bones, grave markers and ghosts, the latter of which I swear that I caught on a couple shots on my digital camera. 

The next day, we were hungover beyond belief. That Hobbsley sure can party. We didn't get up to much, other than some more wandering, coffee and Scrabble, and pints, as I awoke with evidence that at some point the day before, I had sprained my ankle, but was obviously too drunk to remember when or how I did it. Thankfully, Hobbsley had a tensor bandage, to keep my ankle in place as we wandered on down to the ferry for a ride that night.

The next morning, we said our goodbye's to Hobbsley and headed back to the train station, and were on our way to grand ol' Montreal.

* I will post photos as soon as I learn how to work this darn computer!

Great Train Adventure '08 (Part Deux)

Although I don't necessarily feel old, my body is starting to get a bit too old to be sleeping in uncomfortable seats, benches and on cold train station floors, or so it tells me. By the time we were sitting on the train to Montreal, after our visits in Toronto and Kingston, I also learned that sitting for long periods of time with no way to put my feet up, was also hard on my body. I am not as flexible as I once was, and walking in flip-flops for 16 hours a day actually hurts my feet, and does a number on my ankles and back. Who'd a thunk it? Not this chickadee.

Other than some uncomfortable nights, the train was wonderful as usual. I love to just sit back with my headphones on, a book on my lap, and take in the Canadian scenery. It's like nothing else. To have Smyrish with me, made it all the more wonderful. It was so nice to have someone to share the experience with, especially when it wasn't so good, and the time passed more quickly, what with having someone to talk to, play Scrabble with and whatnot.

Singin' on the Train

We were both dreading the train ride home from Longlac to ToonTown. We had been very lucky in scoring good seats on our entire trip, but our luck ran out in the last couple days, when we became just two of the many cramped travellers in comfort class. We didn't sleep much, but we did spend the last of our money on beer in the bar car, laughing and talking to strangers and singing to the banjo and mandolin music that Eliza brought with her. It was a glorious way to end a holiday.

See You Soon!!!

Since I will be gone (and I just know you'll all miss me), and I most likely won't be updating until I get back (with many wonderful tales of The Great Canadian Train Excursion of '08) due to limited InterWeb access, and a hate I can't explain for most internet cafe's, I am leaving you with this run-on sentence, some links to posts by other bloggers, and sites I think you should check out, in my absence, 'cause they are A-OK.

Enjoy!!!!

Dangerous Toys: Dangerous, or Just Toys? - from {redacted}

Fat Free Vegan Recipes

Drinking Games - by the Webtender

Easy Cheeseball - via allrecipes.com

Laundromats - by Smyrish

A Post About Nothing - from Pop Culture Sculpture

Gotta Remind Myself - by Jonesalicious

Feel the Bra - via Citizen of the Month

It Makes me Feel Like a Kid Again - by the Nervous Axon

A Cup of Coffee - by The Palinode

Byokal - via zefrank

It's Almost Time!

In approximately 12 days, Smyrish and I will be off to Toon Town to catch the train, and head to Eastern Canada. I can't fucking wait. I need a holiday like nobodies business, and I am thrilled that I have somehow lucked out and my rotation has helped me get twenty-one days off of work, when I only asked for fourteen.

I am mostly excited to have an adventure with the boyfriend, on my most favorite form of transport, and can't wait to sit down and make some final arrangements and travel plans.

It's gonna be a blast. Visiting friends, drinking on the train, meeting new people, seeing new places.......all my favorite things.

And for the first time in my travelling life, I have more than enough money to do it, and have everything at home taken care of at the same time.

Woo hoo!

Journey to Thirty

I spent most of my morning thus far drinking re-heated, leftover-from-god-knows-when coffee, and perusing blogs. I stumbled upon Nicolemarie and her Journey to Thirty, and got to thinking that my own journey to thirty is off to a brisk start.

In 5 months, I will be twenty-nine. Twenty-nine. It's a good number. I like odd numbers. Much nicer sounding than twenty-eight, but not as nice as twenty-seven. Oh, how I loved being twenty-seven.

I remember a time when thirty seemed so old. People who were thirty, had their shit together. They owned homes, they had children, they had regular jobs, and university degrees. They sat around having drinks and watching their kids play, and went to bed at a decent hour, because they had many adult things to do the next day.

Even when I was in my early twenties, and most of my friends were in their late twenties and early thirties, I still thought that the way to go, was get all the partying and adventure out of my system, because once I got to thirty, it was all going to come to a screeching halt. I don't know why I thought that, I just did. I looked at some of my older friends, and for some reason thought that what they were doing with their lives was wrong, immature even. All they did was go to school, go to work and party all the live-long day. They acted just like I did, and dammit, I was years younger! Didn't they want to grow up?

I had a crisis when I turned twenty-five. I was trying to find myself, after finally getting over the B-Rock break-up, and hated being single for the first time, ever. I had just gotten back from Scotland, and was working two jobs just to get back on my feet, and just get by. Although I looked hotter than ever, I felt like the ugliest piece of shit in the world. My self-esteem was at an all time low. I feared that everyone else was going to all of a sudden get married, have kids, buy homes, and I was going to be left in the dust. I thought that that was what twenty-five year olds were supposed to do. I felt completely and utterly alone in the world, and just wanted to run away from it all, but I was stuck, financially, and couldn't even afford to feed myself. I couldn't believe that I was twenty-five, and didn't have any life-plans on the go. And then I broke my leg, and my dad died, and the last six months of being twenty-five are just a blur of depression and drinking. Oh, how I hated twenty-five. I don't wish twenty-five on my worst enemy.

By the time twenty-seven hit, I was good to go. Somewhere in year twenty-six, I just accepted the fact that I was me, and that maybe having a house and a white-picket fence, kids, and a nasty divorce just wasn't in my future. That was for regular people, and I wasn't really like regular people. I celebrated the fact that I had made it to the rock and roll death age, by loving life, and learning to love myself a bit more, and everything started to change in this whacked out brain of mine.

Twenty-eight hasn't been all bad. Sure, the winter was hell. I'm sure I'll have many more hellish winters and bouts of depression in my lifetime. That's just they way it is, for me. I still think though, deep down, I want the house and the kid and the person to grow old with, just like I did when I was twenty-five, but I've learned that I am lucky, in a way, that I don't have all that to tie me down, just yet. Oh, and I think that I party harder than my friends did when they were my age way back when I was in my early-twenties, and I now understand why they were just like me. Not everyone wants the lives that our parents had. Not all of us fit into that mould.

I don't know what life will be like when I'm thirty. In a way, I'm kind of excited, just to get my twenties over with, but I don't want to rush too much, because I sure as hell am not ready for forty.

I think that I need to really put my foot down on myself, and start saving money, in order to make twenty-nine as memorable as I can. I am itching to travel again, and have decided that having adventure in life is what makes me the happiest. I want to add more stories to my mental library, I want to stay in more hostels, before I feel much too old to stay in a hostel. I want to sleep on a few more dirty train station floors, and meet as many people from around the globe as I can. For the first time in my life, I feel confident, and truly happy and want to fit as much into life as possible, in case some life-altering change hits me, or it does come to a screeching halt.

Anyone want to join me?