Back by inspiration from Emma Duncan!

I’m ashamed at how long it has been since my last blog! So long infact that I couldn’t remember my log in. I don’t think I’ve looked at blogs since I last updated. But a long non eventful day at work led me to Emma’s blog where I got re inspired to blog – I think it was her new haircut, which Ems, looks lovely- I love it!!

I’m still working for MW, I will be here until September and then the world will be my oyster or at least the UK and Canada as by then I will hopefully be a Canadian Resident. Which means I can come and go freely from the UK to Canada and work in either place. I won’t be tied to a specific organisation in Canada. I will still be a Northern Irish Citizen – No worries there!

Quick updates: I will be home in May for 2 weeks, I’m currently looking to buy a car, just a wee run about for the summer, the snow has finally melted and the sun has come back. Like Ems I also got a new hair cut except I didn’t like it and had to go back and get it re shaped.

Mum and Dad hit the TO

Mum and Dad came to visit last week. It was nice to show them where I live and work. We spent the first day in my local area. We walked the boardwalk along the front of Lake Ontario, went for coffee, walked some more had lunch and came back to the house for them to meet Paul, Lisa and the kids. We had a lovely evening and everyone got on really well. The next day Emma, Lisa and I took them for a tour downtown. We went to the Royal Ontario museum, Toronto Island and the CN Tower. The next day was very relaxed I showed them the office where I work and we all then went out for dinner. The next day they flew out to Calgary and they will drive from there to Vancouver. I will see them again next week on their way back through Toronto.

Here’s to Karen and Ruth Anne visiting next week!
Pictures: Right: Mum, Dad and I, Left: Emma, Lisa and I. Both taken on Toronto Island

Summer etc

I'm sorry my blog has gone down hill and I used to be such a regular updater! I last left you just as the summer began…The summer was good but different from last year. It was hard to work a proper 9-5 day what with people calling in for chats, one on ones, not liking what’s for lunch so going into town, watching/ being involved with program so work wise it was unsettling at times and once I had started to get used to it, the summer was nearly over.
Kate and I went to see Coldplay at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto- It was A-mazing! We had seats to the side of the stage and could see everything that was going on. As full time staff we did different activates each week, my favorite were the giant swing, paintball and water skiing. A massive highlight from the summer was my good friend Emma coming to visit. She is arrived for the last 2 weeks of camp and is currently still here. It’s great to have someone from home to see and experience what I do and have here. Thanks for coming and staying with me Ems.

Here’s to finally getting a door on our room, Rosie going to bed with a bug, pretending to be on night watch, lashes, the Fighting Irish, Nipissing Road, Bulk food store pizza, Sneak out girl in Emma’s cabin, Orange vs Red, Being stationed in the J1 boys bathrooms for the Batman game, Back to the future at Impact, “Your accent rocks”, Saved by the Bell, to Viva la vida, massage day, looking after Jack, sorting the Romania Bags, That 70’s show, to Caitlin stalking Kurt and Goldie and the farmers market, Lisa thinking that a bear could open her trailer door and come in, “remember when…”, to Braden and Yetunde’s visit, watching a beaver chop down a tree, the bean game, trying to explain to someone that I am not in fact Scottish, working the front gate on Saturday mornings, the paintball instructors opening fire on us, to the wee boy climbing out from under the porch during the clowns game wanting a lift on our golf cart then running away when Brody scared him, to accidently walking on stage with Mary just before the closing show of clowns, and to Emma falling over at the fireworks.
Pictures: Top- Kate, Rosie and I before Paintball, 2nd- Coldplay!

Home- I wrote this ages ago and didnt post it. More soon.

Yes, I know about time this was updated. But here I am back at last. So I last posted in March. Lots of time has past with lots of memories and funny stuff which will probably go unblogged. However I am now up at camp for the summer sitting in my very own trailer office in the forest! It’s great to be back up here, to see people I have not seen in a while and to meet lots of new staff. A fair few from the N. Irish shores which is nice. I’m still settling and readjusting from my trip home. I got back on Monday past. It was a great time at home, felt like I was home a lot longer than I was. It’s a true blessing to come home and feel like I had never left and be able to just pick up friendships where they left off regardless of how much contact there was during the year. My time was mainly spent catch up with friends and family, a wee trip up to the north coast and Dave and Jens wedding. I have to say Northern Ireland is definitely still home. Work has got a lot better, my boss has left and her replacement starts on Friday. He is a guy called Brian and he worked at Muskoka Woods a number of years ago, he has a real vision and passion for the job and I’m excited to work with and for him. I think my job will actually start with him, I’m looking forward to getting my teeth stuck in with some encouragement and direction. Home life is good, still getting on the best with the family I’m staying with. Although will well and truly miss my room and bathroom for the summer. Lisa and the kids are here for the summer as well. It will be nice to still have them about. I’m living with a couple of girls Kate and Rose, from the office. However currently we don’t have a door for our room, just a shower curtain! Hopefully that situation will be rectified soon. We have a sweet balcony with a lake view so really can’t complain. There are only 8 of us living there as opposed to the house I was in last year where they packed 24 of us in! Oh the blessings of being on full time staff.

Here’s to taking the dogs to the lake with Claire and Emma, eating at the Ramore winebar, driving mums new car, lots of home cooked food, “dwarfs would need to own this car… ACTUAL dwarfs!”, finding my flip flips, bug bites, Molly asking where I was all the time when I was in N.I and then went I got back ignoring me, Tim Horton turkey and bacon sandwich and to summer weather.

Ski day, Easter & Sun burn

It’s been a fairly normal week. What did suck about it was that I only got good Friday off! No Easter Monday or Tuesday for me! This is a true sign of being in the big bad world! On Friday I made dinner for the family I’m staying with and a couple of friends which seemed to be a success as there was not a lot let over. We then went to church and to the cinema with some friends from up north. Saturday and Sunday was very relaxed didn’t do much apart from go to church. On Monday Muskoka Woods had a ski day for all guests, staff and alumni. It was an hour north of Toronto outside Barrie. It was a good time no bones were broken. However I didn’t get sun burnt and we got stuck in lots of traffic on the 400 due to an accident which held us up for well over an hour. I’m going up north for a meeting tomorrow and then working from the office up there and coming back down the road on Saturday afternoon. It’s always nice to spend time at camp and not have to work rec staff!

Here’s to “I’ll bust your britches!”, The Easter bunny forgetting to come, Molly letting me put her pajamas on her without crying!, Going on Emma’s (the 5 year old) field trip with her- we’re going to a maple syrup farm should be good times had by all, bad mental images, Cadburys popping mini eggs, to Molly dipping her pasta and chicken into her orange juice before eating it, "what was i thinking? a t shirt and a suede jacket! I might as well be naked!", and to"and I was sick, I knew I was sick because there was sick beside me"
Pictures: Top- Lisa, myself and Megan. Bottom- Kate, Roise and Jordan. Taken at the ski day. All people I work with.

Walks, talks & lake views

Things are ticking along nicely. Work is good picking up rightly and getting busy. I took the opportunity to explore my local area by foot the other day. Now that it is starting to heat up a tad it was a lot more pleasurable. Where I am living its less than a five minute walk to Lake Ontario. You can see right across to the states from the cliffs. It will be a great place to go walking once the ground dries up a bit more. And hopefully not just walking as I officially today started my running season [My running season being from when it snows until it stops snowing!] I needed to post a couple of letters so I decided to run to the post office a couple of kilometers away. All was well my new trainers were fine but it is still mighty cold, will will be nice to not have to dress warm to go running- Bring on Spring and Summer!!

Here’s to Facebook scrabble, dreams of traveling out west with Emma, “Not dat way waychel, not dat way!”, Emma asking me to go on her class trip with her, to Monday night chat time, "Shrek babies" the roof falling through in Paul and Lisa’s bedroom,“You couldn’t get any less Irish…”, working from home, to cooking on Good Friday, writing letters, the extremely bad waiter at the pickle barrel, going to Rainforest café for Montana’s birthday, celebrating St Patrick’s day with Rosie and Kate and to running out of petrol due to the petrol light deciding not to work!

New year's reading

For the longest time now I’ve wanted to become a reader. I think it’s a good thing to be able to sit down and read instead of movies and tv. Inspired by avid readers my parents and my dear friend Emma [Miss you Ems]. I have decided to make myself read. My goal is one book a month. So far I’m on target with my 3rd book. I have read the Kite Runner, We need to talk about Kevin and my current book is The boy in the striped Pajama’s. The next two books that I have lined up for April and May are the curious incident of the dog in the night and my sister’s keeper. I’ll be buying my 6th book at Toronto Airport in June just before I fly home!! I even know that it will be a thousand splendid suns by the same guy that wrote the kite runner. Hopefully ill over achieve and read more than 12 books this year. There is nothing better than sitting by an open fire, with some candles and classic fm in the back ground reading a good book!

In like a lion, out like a lamb

We have had some wicked snow storms of late. One is currently coming to an end. Out my bedroom window there is currently over 3 feet of snow. When I first moved in I could see the cars driving past. I’m told winter will be over soon. I really hope so I’m sick of the cold, wet feet, and climbing over mounds of snow. I was up north again last weekend. Always a good time. Lindsay is now working up there again so it’s nice to spend time with her and everyone else. We are organising our annual golf tournament this May (on my birthday). I was up north looking into golfer gifts and sponsorship with some of the local businesses. Work is going well; I’m currently working on our scholarship program. Last year we had 33 applications and this year we have 55. This is the first major responsibility I have in my job so it’s nice to be over target and to beat last year. I have a few meetings this week to discuss the applications. I was representing the Foundation the past couple of days at an event called ‘Missionfest’. Where lots of Christian organisations are represented. It was a good time to network and let other people know what Muskoka Woods is all about.

Here's to "sure", Taking Cameron out on Tuesday night to look for tech decks, "If that accent got any thicker you could walk on it!", people watching at Missionfest, starting house season 2, "It's called a head ache!!", taking 2.5 hours to get home in the snowstorm from missionfest, playing tickle monster, "or no?", meals out with friends, to ending up knee deep in snow getting pizza for Emma's party, heading up north again on Monday and to the woman helping herself so all our chocolate!