Well I had an excellent time on My April long weekend adventure. As some of you know, I had the pleasure of meeting another NN member. I had a wonderful time with him and he was a fantastic host. I also got to spend a lot of time with myself doing things just for me. I stayed in a hotel, which always makes me feel luxurious. I went exploring. I read. I wrote. I visited a beautiful museum. It was exactly what a weekend away should be and I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity and means to make it happen.

Now in 16 days I head to New York city. So much potential for exploring, trying new things, adventure, and luxuriousness. I'm nervous and excited. I will also have a chance to meet another NN member so that will be nice too.

I've also been applying to schools for the Fall and Spring semesters. The school that I recently graduated from reactivated my student status because I left in good academic standing and didn't attend any other schools between graduating and re-applying. It will be my back up plan. The school that I really hope I get into has an English department and a separate creative writing department, which I think is amazing. They also have a teaching certification program that I can apply to when I complete my degree. It is half the cost of the other school and would require me to move but I'm absolutely okay with that as renting is so much cheaper there. I'm a little worried about finding work though. I'm hoping I can find casual or part time work in my current field but I'll take anything I can get. I'm just so excited

Cross your fingers for me people!

Sassiness
Independence
Sexiness

and a really good cover

Spontaneous:

adjective
1.coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned:
a spontaneous burst of applause.
2.(of a person) given to acting upon sudden impulses.
3.(of natural phenomena) arising from internal forces or causes; independent of external agencies; self-acting.
4.growing naturally or without cultivation, as plants and fruits; indigenous.
5. produced by natural process.

I've never really considered myself spontaneous, but I've never been much of a planner either. I don't think I'm very impulsive but I am incredibly decisive. When I decide that I want to do something, I usually make it happen- even if it takes me a very long time.

Monday night I felt spontaneous and, dare I say, impulsive. I've been meaning to travel to a nearby island and spend some time in a city that is apparently one of the most beautiful cities in my province for quite some time. I opted to work 11 days in a row for some overtime because at the end of those 11 days is a 4 day long weekend. On a whim I looked into some hotels in that city during those 4 days. I found a great deal and before I new it, I had a confirmation in my inbox for 2 nights.

I cannot wait for the next nine days to fly by!

"Two or three things I know for sure, and one of them is that if we are not beautiful to each other, we cannot know beauty in any form."

Dorothy Allison

A bit of an update with me. As I've mentioned before I was having some difficulties at work but I'm very glad to say that I'm having much better job satisfaction these days. There's a very good dynamic with the group in the house right now and I've been able to focus more on case planning rather than just security. It feels so much more meaningful to me to be helping someone succeed with their goals rather than punishing them for their mistakes. I used to think that I wanted to work in prisons but I've changed my mind so now I don't know exactly where my job will lead. Even though I'm pretty happy at my job, I still daydream about writing for a living, moving out into the country, and fostering therapy dogs so that I can volunteer to bring them to much needed places. Pretty idyllic, I know .

This may seem kind of random but, I think that therapy animals are incredibly important and valuable to all of us but particularly those who have not had a lot of (positive) human contact. I have seen it. People who have been institutionalized in some way or another, people fleeing abuse, people are or have been homeless, the elderly, the sick... the most vulnerable of us. People who live in facilities where there are strict boundaries such as prisons or mental health facilities, those who are not entirely ready to hold and be held due to trauma, those who are deemed unworthy, weak, or dirty, and those who have lost connection. We can't always rely on each other for support and comfort when we need it. Luckily, animals do not judge and are a wonderful substitute.

They will not become uncomfortable as we cry against their warm fur. They won't cringe and turn their heads if we smell from days, weeks, or years of living on the streets or in shelters. They don't love us out of obligation or try to fake an understanding of our circumstances to placate us. They don't rub our noses in our mistakes. They will simply be with us.

As much as we imagine that we are the much superior beings, animals seem to have a high emotional intellect. D, the dog I've been watching is a complete goofball. She makes me laugh during every single walk. Some of the things she does seem stupid- spending a significant amount of time sniffing every single spot that another dog has peed in since, oh just the beginning of time; happily rubbing her face in the muck and mud; and grabbing the leash in her mouth and "walking me" just to name a few examples! But she is also in tune to some small things that I never would have picked up on. On two separate occasions with two different people she very stubbornly stopped and sat or laid down until the people passed us. Both of these people indicated to me that they were deaf/hard of hearing when I tried to explain that I didn't know what had gotten into her. I don't know if she was feeling the need to be cautious or what exactly her reaction was, but she absolutely sensed something different about these two. I've heard about dogs who can tell when people are sick due to their sensitive sense of smell but this really made me think.

Anyway, that's my life and those are the random thoughts swirling around in my brain. Thanks for stopping by!

I don't know if I will be able to give her up after 5 weeks is up!

The conference I was going to in Arizona was cancelled. Looks like I might go to New York city in May instead. Don't mind if I do!

I was really looking forward to the conference but the organizers would like more time to work on the content, organization, and to get more speakers in so it is post-poned until 2016. I guess New York will do instead

2014 has been good to me. I graduated university, I got a full time job, I spent a lot of time with family and friends. I made mistakes and learned from them. I tried new things and enjoyed a lot of them... I am so grateful for all of the wonderful experiences I had and all of the positive things in my life right now.
I'm sending out sweet hugs, kisses, and a soft shoulder for all my friends who experienced hardships this year. I hope that 2015 is your year and that in 365 days, you are looking back and reflecting with a smile instead of tears. Peace and love to all

Despite going through some rough patches at work, feeling like I wasted 5 years (and $50 000+) on an education for a field of work that I may not even be interested in, and just having second thoughts about a lot of life choices I've made recently, this year has actually been very good to me. I am excited about Christmas for the first time in a looooong time. I have spent the last three seasons alone/ away from my family and it has been well, lonely. This year however, I am a full time employee with benefits and vacation time like a real grown up! *Puffs out chest* So I am taking a week off, getting on a bus and going back out to the Prairies! Now, I'm not religious at all but I did grow up celebrating Christmas and I value using the time as an opportunity to see loved ones. As for it being the season of giving, well I think that there is never a bad time for kindness and generosity so...

Anyway without further ado may I present....

My first ever tree in my own place. It's tiny and I bought all of the decorations at the dollar store but I love it



Matrim showing his Christmas Spirit



I may have mentioned on status that I was dog sitting a couple of weeks ago. I wish I could have got better pics of her but well, I'm no photographer and this one is a bit of a handful

Matrim meets D:

I'm going to Tucson, Arizona in June 2015. Yep, it shall be an adventure.