Three cheers for 'real' people

I've been pondering this for quite a while, the concept of what makes a 'real' person. Of course you exist in the physical and lately, online, sense. But there's more to just physically occupying space in the world.

Real people are those genuine souls who are the same person from work to play, from online to face-to-face. People who don't misrepresent who they are and what they like. Folks who know who they are inside and out and embrace it. Someone who says something and you know you can take them (and keep them) at their word.

I spent quite a few years growing up and then in certain relationships trying to be what I thought the other person wanted from me and I realized that inevitably I always end up unhappy. So a few years ago I decided to just be ME and love all of the quirks that make me different than others. I've found it's connected me with a lot of people who are like minded as me. Thank you friends for liking me for who I am and for not trying to change me.

So now I ask you: Are you a 'real' person?

I'm thankful for.....

A little late with this post but here goes anyway! Last weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada and as usual I headed home to Saskatchewan to spend some time with my family. I am truly thankful for them because over the years as we've grown up, grown old, grown apart we still manage to be the same loving people that we all started out as.

I've spent a lot of time away from these amazing people and away from my home province and it just makes me miss them and love them more. Thank you family for the wonderful values you've instilled in me, for the ambition I'm blessed with and for the support with each new challenge I tackle.

My furry little friend (Sassy) enjoying some sun!

It's been a while....

...and I've been feeling really guilty about it. Friends it's kind of sad when you don't even have time to write about all the great things you've been working on, the epiphanies you've been having and the things that put a smile on your face.

Between work, my studies and full-time volunteering it's a scramble to fit in a proper sleep but I'll try to chime in more often. As always, got some bloggy inspiration from a friend that I've never met but she has changed my life with her daily views on the world (thank you Lou Lou)!

I want to say thank you to all of you friends who stick with my random thoughts and not-so-adventures. You're the best friends ever!

Happy 30th Miss Meow!

It's birthdays galore for my girlfriends and next in line was my bestie Courtney (aka Miss Meow). She's just one of the loveliest lights you could ever find in the world and I'm so happy that we've become friends (after she used to make me cry when we worked together at Starbucks). I'm so blessed to have friends like you and to be able to celebrate milestones like these.

XO

Those lazy summer days....

Well technically it's fall here but you really couldn't tell this weekend. With temperatures that topped +32 over Saturday and Sunday here in Edmonton it was really hard to keep my nose to the school grindstone. So instead of keeping my mind occupied with my master's studies I got out and experienced some sunshine and heat!

In particular, I made up my mind to revisit the Edmonton Corn Maze ~ and this time I brought my friend Nicole. See Nicole is deathly afraid of corn mazes; she was truly worried today that we would be lost in the field and never find our way out. I wanted to help her overcome her fear - plus I had ulterior motives.

This year the corn maze was cut in the shape of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships logo. The hockey tournament will be hosted in Alberta this winter between the cities of Calgary and Edmonton. I am currently volunteering for Hockey Canada along with Nicole on their social media team trying to get fans engaged long before the tournament. I'm on a permanent rotation to manage the @hc_wjc Twitter handle and for the last two weeks I've been working on fan engagement, my style! So what better way to get Twitter followers involved then by taking them to the corn maze with us today?!

Nicole and I had an absolute blast getting lost and finding our way over and over. I think I've helped ease Nicole's fears while we got out for some sunshine and exercise plus our Twitter fans loved being involved in our little escapade. No matter how busy it seems to get in my life I'm happy for moments like today when work, play and friendship can all come together!

Home sweet Saskatchewan home

The last couple of Labour Day long weekends I've been away for weddings or for camping trips but this year I decided to go home to Saskatchewan for the weekend. We decided to celebrate my father's 60th birthday while I was home (his actual birthday is Sept. 9th) and I'm so glad we were able to get the family together.

We celebrated with a corn roast in the backyard, toasting to dad's health and happiness. Thanks for letting us share your birthday with you!

The birthday boy himself

And while we celebrated with great weather, harvest was getting underway. Swathing, combining, and spraying fields ~ all the farmers around (us included) were busy out in the fields literally trying to 'make hay while the sun shines'.

 Our neighbour's hemp crop

Deer! 

This truly is my favourite time of year ~ I love the yeasty smell of the crops in the fields and the shine of the equipment lights in the fields late at night. No matter where I live or how often I move away, Saskatchewan keeps calling me home. Someday I want to be living back in the "Land of the Living Skies".

Ukrainian Orthodox church in Krydor SK

Deep breath

Whew! Somehow we're at September and already it's the first day back to classes for the students in the faculty I work for. My classes don't start until next week and I'm breathing a sigh of relief that I've had nearly a month break from master's studies.

I've been grinding my teeth in my sleep lately ~ to the point where I need to book an appointment with my dentist and get a mouth-guard so I can sleep relatively easily at night. Not a surprise when I think of my summer: non-stop work, studies and volunteering (a nearly full-time job in itself).

But just when I think I'm at the end of my tether and I'm going to snap from the lack of sleep or juggling a wild schedule I stop and take a breath and realize it's not so bad.

Today I got to reconnect with our returning and incoming students and it was refreshing. Their enthusiasm to be back was infectious and their support of me and my initiatives was heart-warming. I've squared my shoulders for more. I think I can handle it.....