Life is a Whirlwind.
It's been a minute since I last wrote and A LOT has happened in the last few weeks. Before I dive in, I have to give a huge shout out to my husband, partner, dog parent, hiking buddy and best friend: James. This move was so scary and stressful but honestly the BEST thing that could have happened to us. We’ve grown so much over the past couple months and it’s incredible. I’m so proud of us and love the life we’ve created together with Ella and Copper.
Ok…so I’ll begin with the drama the other week with my dog, Ella. I think Mercury was actually in retrograde that week because I literally thought she was going to die. I'm not being dramatic either. The amount of blood leaving her body had me bawling and freaking out—she's never had anything like this happen before. It doesn't help that she's 9 years old so I'm usually on the brink of paranoia when something odd happens to her. We hadn't even done vet research in the area so I went with my gut and called the nearest animal hospital—about 10 minutes from our house—to get her in right away. Every vet, tech, student, and nurse I worked with (yes, that many people worked with us) were so empathetic and caring, it put my worries a little bit at ease. While it was heartbreaking to leave her there overnight (she's never been away like that before), I knew she was in good hands. A week, and many days of force-feeding her meds, later, she's eating her food and has her energy back! That scare put a lot of things into perspective for me and one of them is being thankful I do work remote so I could stay home and monitor her. It was especially hard for me because James was out of town for those days, so I was on my own taking care of her...oh and Copper too. He was here and just as wild as ever!
Work has been kind of a roller coaster. While I’m finding my groove in this working remote life, it still can be quite lonely and at times you feel like you’re being forgotten. I’ve reminded myself that’s NOT the case and do what I can to speak up more in meetings. I prefer collaboration in person via the phone, but so far I’ve had multiple people tell me it doesn’t even feel like I left—which to me means I’m doing really well in my job. Earlier this month I officially joined The Commons Calgary, a coworking space, and it has literally been my saving grace. Each Friday, they have “Commons Coffee” which is a 30 minute networking time to meet and chat with other members. I’ve already started making friends! Everyone has been so nice and welcoming. We also had 90s themed breakfast last week full of flannel, overalls, scrunchies and Dunkaroos. Yeah, it was amazing. While one of my strengths is communications and relationship building, it’s a little out of my comfort zone to build connections with people that aren’t tied to my job and I don’t know their work schedule/balance. I’m also happy to have a place that I can also make an impact in the community outside of my day job. I’ve been so busy at work that I need to take time to channel my energy into other efforts that will help me continue to grow. I’m looking forward to what’s to come!
There’s also been no shortage of trips to the mountains for our little family. We’ve hiked or skied every single weekend! Besides Hawaii, the mountains here are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Each time we drive west, I’m blown away by the beauty of the Canadian Rockies and also how intimidating they are. It’s always a humbling experience being out there and when you summit one of the mountains, it’s one of the best feelings in the world!
Hiking Chester Lake Trail
Outside of climbing mountains and working like crazy, I decided to read more and I also bought Michelle Obama's "Becoming" journal. I read her book last year and was so inspired by how she came out from her less than glamorous upbringing and life jouney that I wanted to take it a step further and write out everything from my life. Her journal is set up to do just that. It breaks down sections of your life for you to reminisce on and write out—whether you decide to keep it personal or share publicly. I've enjoyed reflecting on where I've come from and setting new goals and intentions for myself. It's actually quite therapeutic to think about the past how certain events shaped me into being who I am today.
In one section, she asks you to write out 10 things that you want for yourself and at least one step you're taking to make that wish come true. Here are my 10 wants:
To find my purpose in Calgary
Step: Start a networking group for women...essentially taking what I learned from Lean In Circles and bringing that sense of trust and community here
To summit a 14er (a mountain that is 14,000 ft high)
Step: Summit mountains in Banff, Jasper, etc.
To be more informed
Step: Listen to at least one podcast a day
Step: Read one book a month
Have a healthy relationship with James
Step: One date night a week
Step: Listen more
To travel more
Step: Spend less on random shit and save money
Stay better connected to family and friends
Step: At least one phone call a week (I anticipate this one increasing)
To be and feel healthy
Step: Go to yoga 3-4 times a week
Step: Eat less junk (CANDY YOU NEED TO LEAVE MY LIFE)
Have more experiences
Step: Do one new thing each weekend
Be fulfilled in my work/career
Step: Stay positive
Step: Keep relationships
Step: Never stop growing
Contentment with the state of life I am in today
Step: Continue reaching for goals 1–9
This seems like A LOT but I'm well on my way with all of them and it feels really good. I'm proud of myself for taking risks and staying positive with the continued change and transition in my life.
On that note, I will leave you with a few quotes from the INCREDIBLE Gloria Steinem, from her book "The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off!"—which I finished the other day:
xo, Stef
