just the beginning.

It is safe to say, my adventure has most definitely started. After saying some sad goodbyes to some lovely people I was off. At 5:30 in the morning on Monday, I was dropped off at the Hamilton airport by my Mom & Dad. During my flight to Calgary, I met Jim, a welder from BRANTFORD Ontario. Such a small world! We had great conversation and the flight went by in the blink of an eye. Soon enough I was hugging Annie and Arlo in the Vancouver airport. It was so good to see them. I was able to quickly grab my knapsack, and bicycle and we were on our way. Anne did a wonderful job strapping the bike to the top of their Subaru and we were off to see their new house! We pulled up to a lovely house on a beautiful street. I was so happy when Annie announced this was theirs. It was amazing to see the gardens and the great amount of work that they had already put into it. Over the next couple days, many laughs were had, plays with Arlo, a spa night, stories read, errands run and yummy food made and best of all lots of time spent catching up with Anne, Ben, Arlo. As wonderful as my time had been with the Bresnahee’s it was coming to a close quite quickly, as I started my job at Cox Bay later on in the week. On Thursday Morning at 5:30, (do I sense an early morning trend here) I was off again. Ben & Anne helped me tie my bike back to the Subaru and we were off to the ferrie. I do not think I had truly processed how difficult it would be navigating myself onto a ferry with a gigantic bike box, huge, overfilled knapsack, smaller stuffed knapsack, & the biggest “purse” known to man kind. However, with the help of a very cute and helpful man, I was able to make the journey a little simpler. He was a paramedic from Nanaimo, that was working full time in Vancouver as a paramedic, as it is too difficult on the Island to find full-time work. I really appreciated his efforts to help me but even more-so the reminder of how powerful going out of your way for somebody can be- Definitely made my day so much better. Upon getting in the ferry terminal, I know had to juggle all the baggage on my own once again. To make things easier, I asked at the customer service desk if they would be able to watch my bag…. Upon going to retrieve my bag the strap had gotten stuck underneath the door. My bus was at the terminal and I had no time to waste. I urgently tried to pry the strap loose, with no luck. Finally, I decided the best option was to cut the strap-on my brand new birthday pack- and be on my way. I won’t bore you with the ridiculous details of how my heart broke etc. but continue to tell you that the bus ride was good. What made things easier was that Annie was able to find a bus that would drop me off at Cox Bay Information Center opposed to right in town. I was dropped off and promptly picked up by a co-worker and brought to the resort. She dropped me off right on sight, at a four bedroom accommodation. It has a beautiful fire place and nice rooms, well see if this place sticks with me. By the sounds of it, no one stays around this house for long. Right now, I have one roommate with two empty rooms. I travelled down to the water and finally took it all in. The ocean definitely has a way of putting me at peace. When I started this blog again, I made a promise to myself to be honest and write about everything- the good, the bad. The first couple days are always the hardest for me. I am pretty sure they could have a parade, party or bouncy castle (all good things) and I would still have the same experience. I remember Strathcona Park last year, I went to bed from a campfire the first night and so deeply regretted my decision to come there, and within three days I loved it. Right now, I’m just trying to remember that, and the awkward unknown feelings pass with time. The hardest challenge is learning/acknowledging this time and appreciating it. That is really what I’m trying to do. Take the positives and make the most of it. Walking by the ocean, really helped me remember that. On a super positive note- I called the bike company and the man was able to come to the resort and pick up my bike to put it together- WOOHOO! This means by tomorrow night, I will most likely have a bike to ride. This is a huge positive. I can’t wait to go to town and do some groceries, check out the house-renting market. I’m hoping something good will come my way.

So the adventure has begun. I can only imagine what tomorrow brings, but I’m stoked to see what it has in store for me.

"It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice" 

                                      -unknown