Hey, I'm still here!

I'm sitting here in my Osgoode home... now 4 years after the move to a new life. I now realize, it wasn't really a new life, just a new path. Each step of my life journey has made me who I am today, no one can change that except for me. I have re-embraced the vibrant, active, strong woman that I am, and have surrounded myself with loving, active, dynamic friends and family again.

I still long for the canoe nights at the club, the club trips, the folk and film nights, Second Cup and Kempenfelt Bay... they are all a part of me because of the people that touched me along the way. They are always with me, stirring those memories and feelings. And thanks to facebook, I can stay in touch with day to day (or week to week lol) lives.

The highlights of the past few years!

• Moved last year from our Kemptville townhouse to our raised bungalow split level with lots and lots of trees! I have a pair of Cardinals that sign and frolic morning and night. I just love this place


• We added one member to our family... Pepper the cat. He is a loving, gentle cat that sleeps at my feet every night. In the morning when I stir, he licks my feet! yeek! I'm up! I'm up!!


• Chatchi is 16 years old, and still going! We thought she was going to leave us this winter, but sunshine came and she is a spring chicken. She prefers sleeping outside now. So I let her... she knows what she needs. She has found a few favourite spots in the garden, and I keep bowls of water around so she can drink. When it gets colder again... we'll see how she transitions back to the house.


• She and Pepper are sharing a dish, and this morning were eating together, at the same time... how things change, and adapt as they should.


• Alain is now in the last stage of divorce. The agreement is signed... it took 2 years. Unknowingly, I was pushing my needs and feelings aside while this whole process was going on. It was all about that for so long! Now it feels a curtain has raised, the weight is off the shoulders, the stress has left our neck and shoulders... we can now move on to US!


• I joined a choir called Shout Sister and met wonderful women who have now become very close friends!


• I have reunited as friends with my long lost sister as she takes her life and guides it the way she wants too.


• I am spending more time with Sara, and she is coming out to canoe with me more often. We just recently went canoe camping for 3 days at Crotch Lake in Lanark County. She now has her Canoe ABC and her Tripping 1. She is my assistant in training!


• I've started teaching canoe and canoe tripping again. With a web site too! http://www.icanoe2.com/ I used my license plate as the company name... totally not what I expected 5 years ago when I treated myself to a personal plate, but it was there and so easy to decide! So that is he name of the business too! I continue to teach in my style, the ORCKA program.


• I started to practice yoga with Riverview Yoga and became friends with Zita Blakey. An interesting, adventuresome, empowering woman or whom I have great respect.


• Sandy and Claude have also helped me to get in touch with my feelings and my spirituality. Somethings that I have avoided for years, if not my life!!


• Reconnecting with my friend John who kick started me back to teaching outdoors stuff.


• Alain's daughter, my little friend, Alexandra is a very gently and funny girl. She loves to play in the pool that we now have, we have cooked together a few times, planted the pumpkin seeds for the fall fair, but mainly, she spends time with her Daddy. He is the best Daddy that any little girl could have. He is honest with her, loves her to bits!! and plays with her all the time. They still have story time before bed, or movie night together. I am very happy that they have been able to grow together in this special relationship of Daddy and Daughter. She is very important in his life and MINE.


• So... a little about the family life. I think from now on it will be easier to settle into a routine, now that we have a written and agreed to agreement. Shared custody, meaning shared vacation time, weekend, holidays, etc... we will be able to plan ahead a little at least. And we are now allowed to have expectations... a little bit. Expectation can get you into trouble too... so careful where you tread!

So, this blog will now become part of http://www.icanoe.com/ where I will insert recipes, tips, trips, thoughts, pictures to share some of my experiences in the great outdoors. I may even include ah ha moments!

I hope you will join me!

Celine

Life as a family...

Well, it's only been 2 months since I drove away from Bernick to Kemptville, but it seems like a lifetime already. So many changes and adjustments all around! My friends in Barrie, my family, Alain and his daughter, and myself too...

When we first moved into the house, we decided we would paint a couple of rooms, and install a new floor. Alex wanted her room, pink, pink, pink... so that's what we did. Since all the rooms were painted the same yellow, we decided to paint our room too... sort of a gold colour. I then bought a new duvee and sheets to go with the new paint colour. It's a maroon with some gold and blue in it... the blind in the room is a dark blue, so it all flowed well together. Then we bought new dressers from Ikea, with end tables... and voila! a new room!

Alex's room is more woodsy, with my old pine furniture that Alain refenished one day... he surprised me when I came home one day. I had started working, and he still had a few weeks off, so a lot of jobs we done while I was at work. I like that!!! We also bought Disney Princess stuff for Alex to put all over her room, with the cutest pink lamp from Home Depot, and tadah! a new room for Alex. She loves her room, and feels at home in her room... we love all cuddling and reading her books before she goes to sleep.

The rest of the house we are just adding shelves and adjusting to a lack of space in the kitchen. I would LOVE a new kitchen, but it's going to have to wait. We bought new living and dining room furniture to replace my run down old stuff... it looked fine in my last house!! but now it's time to update. The colours are fairly modern, which is supprising for this country look gal, but it fits! and I like it... now we are the neat freaks with Alex and the cat Chatchi... I cleaned the cats paws today because they were full of mud, and I didn't want her spoiling the new couch! she hasn't scratched it yet either...

The job is going ok... it's not my dream job. It's a lot of boring data stuff and hardly any interaction with the team. Everyone keeps to themselves. I hope I can make some friends at work... at least a few to chat with at lunch. But I did join Good Life just down the street, and will probably work out most lunch hours instead. A work out buddy or two would be good!

I joined CURVES as well close to home, so in the morning, I go to work out from 6:30-7:00am. When I come back, Alain has made my coffee for me!! what a treasure!! That is real love because he hates the smell and taste of coffee... so the deal is I don't take a sip until I"m in the car, so we can still kiss good bye in the morning.

oh.. sorry for the mushy stuff!! LOL

Alex and I had a neat morning, a special moment... I showed her how to scan and use Paint... that's what you see in the pictures below... she made a sign with name for her bedroom door. One Saturday morning, while I had my coffee, and Alain slept in...

The family life is agreeing with me... I love having someone to kiss good bye and hello when I come home or go to work... besides the cat. But I still do that to her too... and so do Alex and Alain!

I am still in love, and still enjoying life. We also bought a Bell Prospector! And there will be many more stories from the canoe adventures. The first canoe we bought, Alain sold it for $1100! We decided to do that when we went for a canoe ride with Alex and she couldn't move because it is so tippy. The Prospector will be great, she can practically dance and it won't tip, very stable but also very responsivel Light too!! it's only 39 lbs, in Kevlar Light...

Okay, so enjoy the pictures, and until next time! Be Happy!! okay... the pictures won't upload right now... I will try later... stay tuned!

At Home in K-ville!

Well, the house sold in Barrie on the 21st of July, and I moved to K-ville the 24th of July. Alain and I spent a few days at the cottage in St Maurice, waiting for the closing of our new house on the 31st.

We took the canoe to the cottage, and all the camping gear, expecting to do a little trip. But both of us were tired. All the stress of selling the house, leaving the job, saying good bye to my very good friends in Barrie, just rushed up to me in a flood. I had a few good cries. But I do know that this is the path for me right now. It is a new turn, and new river... who knows what will be around the bend. Life is an adventure!

We did take a little day trip into Parc de la Mauricie, just north of Shewinigan. (Jean Chretien's old riding) I didn't see Jean anywhere, but it was quite a town. Almost European the way it was laid out. AT least I think it's European of what I imagine Europe would be.... I have never been to Europe! ha ha! The parc was beautiful, no wind, cool water to swim in, picturesque mountains. WE are going back next year to do a portage trip... it's like Ontario's Algonquin.













On July 31st, we had to also move all of Alain's stuff out of the apartment, and into the house. We didn't ge the keys until 3pm!!! So we moved until 9pm, up and down the stairs, load after load in my little Toyota pick up. We filled the garage with his stuff... and that was just from his 2 bedroom bachelor apartment! I couldn't imagine all my stuff in the garage too!

That night we set up the bed and TV with the DVD, watched a movie and drank champagne. Oh yeah.. he also insisted on carrying me accross the threshhold!! I was afraid he would hurt himself, bust an vein in his forhead or something, break his back! But he survived... we had a good laugh.


We cracked open Julinda's Champagne Bottle on the back deck! Thanks Juls!! I was drunk fast.. I had to close one eye to watch the movie, seeing double and sideways!!

That's how the move was done.... we still had to replace the floors in the bedrooms, so we didn't move any furniture up there. My stuff wouldn't be moved in for another two weeks from storage.






More later!

Good night for now!

Solo Paddler

Solo paddler will become a trio crew...

A new Adventure Begins

I'm a middle aged woman who is drastically changing her life. I have finally decided to share my life with someone, which means: moving, changing jobs, leaving a town that has helped me grow as because of the people that I have met, and the things that I have done.

I am an adventurous spirit to begin with... love change, if it's in a good way... so this is good for me to rattle my world. I really do beleive that if you're not living on the edge, you are taking up too much room on this earth. We are only here for a short time, so I like to make the most of the moments, dare to dream and take that risk.

ahhh.. love, can make you do some crazy and fun things... Alain and his daughter are my new adventure in life. I know it's not going to be easy, but the good times will prevail.

So this is my personal journal of the adventure!