Canadian Camouflage

I bet you never knew that Canada had magical powers. But it's true..I swear to you...it is..we REALLY do.

You see, around and about this time of year...we as a country have amazing magical abilities. In fact, we're so awesome that we're actually almost the mighty morphing power rangers - it's seriously true.

It's a funny thing about living in this area of the world...winter hits and everything is lovely and sparkly and white. The whole world glistens this beautiful glow...

And then...

It happens.

I'm not sure whether it's because of a national security threat, or it's basic training in the possible event of a national security threat....or if it's just because we're just too plain old nice for our own good...but it HAPPENS.

What happens exactly you want to know?

We CAMOUFLAGE. Together. AS ONE.

Like I said - we the Canadian people...are the mighty morphing freakin' power rangers.

You see, as the winter goes on...the snow starts to look a little...not so nice. It gets brown and kind of gross and instead of being its nice, white, lovely self regular white yucky ..it's this brown icky everywhere you look. So, being the far too nice people that we are...we don't want to make the snow FEEL bad...so we camouflageingly morph our cars to look exactly like it.

Don't believe me?

I came home the other night and said "who the heck is here driving a BROWN CAR?"




..and then I realized that it was my mothers silver car.

Classic case of guilt induced camouflage morphing.

Classic.

A Love Letter

Dear Canada;

I know that lately we've been distant. In the summer our reunion was grand, and I thought that we'd never drift again. But it seems that I've left you on your own on a few occasions in the last few years and it has caused a rift deeper than I thought possible, which I know is not fair to you, or to me. I know that I've been absent off and on for a few years but I thought you understood. I know that this time of year has been especially hard on our relationship, but you need to see where I'm coming from and go easy on me. It's not that I don't love you - I do. It's just that, well, I find you rather...a tad...cold lately. You're nice and all, but when I'm around you I can't help but shudder, to the point where sometimes I can't stop shivering - just when I THINK about you. It's not YOU exactly, it's just the way that you present yourself. You give off the impression that you're warm and friendly. I can see you from the windows of my house, and you look rather respectable. Like something that ANYONE would want. The sun is shining and it makes the cape that you've covered yourself with look as thought it's made of diamonds...and we all know that diamonds are a girls best friend. You trick me with your beautiful blues into thinking that you'll be what I want to surround myself with...but once I take a step towards you and open up to greet you, you take my breath away. And not in a good way. The negativity that surrounds you is getting to me and when I look around and see you plummet further and further into the dark depths of this negative side of the spectrum...it makes me want to curl up in my bed and never go outside again. I need you to be positive once again for the sake of everything good in this world, but especially our relationship. I remember the summer when we laughed, danced and frolicked about and those memories make me so happy, that I just want those times back again.

I'm sorry to have to break it to you like this, and I don't want to hurt your feelings..because I really do love you with all of my heart. But until are able to find warmth in your heart, until you stop tricking me and making me believe that you're something that you're not...like you do every time this time of year...I don't think that this relationship can continue.

You may think that it's all a big game. And I know that your mother is putting you up to it. It is her nature after all. But it's time for you to clean up your act. Take off your cape to show the true beauty hiding within to me and once that happens...I know that we can be friends again. And maybe, one day hopefully not too far away from now...things will blossom into something more.

In other words....something needs to be done. Warm the heck up, or I'm leaving you.

Again.

Love Always Conditionally,

Erin

PS - I'm willing to meet you in the middle on this issue, but I can't be the one to do all of the work and give up everything in this relationship. You warm up a bit and I'll add another layer to insulate my feelings when I feel insulted by your behaviour. After all, isn't that what relationships are all about? Finding a way to meet in the middle so that everyone is happy...or something like that.

Brrr

I would like to take a brief moment to remind mother nature that..

IT'S STILL SEPTEMBER.

I wore four. Yes, count them...FOUR sweaters today. Plus regular shirts. I could barely move my arms, I couldn't see past the three hoods that were over my head and I was continually doing the 'get warm jiggle' where I jumped up and down and/or hopped around constantly..

It snowed in northern Ontario the other day.

It felt like snow here today.

I know that it's fall, I know that tomorrow is October...but SERIOUSLY?!?! This is just a LITTLE insane.

So, let's play a fun game..how many sweaters will Erin be wearing by February?

My guess will be...23.

I should mention that yes, I was outside from 6:30am - 3:30pm...but STILL...must it be THIS COLD? How am I going to survive another six months of this..if it's only going to get WORSE? I was already wearing shoes AND mits...and if you know me..you know that I was the girl who for YEARS swore that you COULD actually wear flip flips in up to two feet of snow, as long as there were semi-decent foot tracks infront of you to walk in...who refused to ever wear a winter jacket for a good 4-6 years and would never be seen in mittens, let alone a hat or hood. But, alas, my age is showing..and I'm kind of okay with that...because man..it's darn cold.

Oh Canadian winters...how I HAVE NOT missed thee..

Fall-spiration

As time flies by, it seems that I can no longer deny the fact that fall is upon us..

There is a brisk chill to the air, the leaves are changing colour at a rapid speed and the days are getting increasingly shorter and shorter..

Although it saddens me that the days of summer are no longer here...that another season has come and gone..there are also a lot of things that I look forward to with the end of summer.

For instance...sweaters. I love being all cuddled up in blankets and sweaters, and fall is the perfect season to put on a big oversized sweater and wrap up in a big blanket with a book in hand.

Another 'fall' love of mine is apple cider. We had our first jug of it from the farmers market this weekend and we've been devouring it like crazy. There is just something so comfortable about the sweet, rich taste of fresh apple cider..I cannot get enough of it.

Because the air has a bit of bite in it, everyone seems to be craving warm comfort foods that the season and the harvest brings us...in the last little while we've started making dinners which warm the body and the soul..tonight I'm going to make chicken pot pie and an apple crisp for dessert..you can't get much more seasonal than that :P

The colours also have me swooning...the newly appearing yellows, oranges and reds mixed in with the still present but ever fading greens have me absolutely captivated every time I step outside. Everywhere I look it's a picture of perfection, and I can't help but smile when I see the beautiful palet that mother nature has made :)

Fall also means that my birthday and thanksgiving are almost upon us...both things which I enjoy because it means that we gather together as a family and eat delicious meals...This year will be ever more special because that particular weekend will be filled with the arrival of more family who are moving back home and three birthdays all in a row :)

Time seems to be passing me by faster than ever and life is moving at a rapid pace...and although it's sad to say goodbye to another summer, this one which seemed particularily short as I was absent for a good deal of it..the thought of all of the wonderful things that fall has to offer keeps a smile on my face :)

Simplicity

Well, I've been procrastinating again...

Blogging has not been at the fore-front of my mind...as I've been rather busy the last month (how has it been a month since I've been home?!) and I've been enjoying the last little bits of what is apparently summer before I settle in for winter at home..

To update, I'm working on adjusting to being home. It's definitely a process...where everything feels familiar..yet nothing feels the same at all. It's hard to explain unless of course you've been through this..but even if you have..everyone experiences and feels things differently...so as much as I have people who know what I'm going through..sometimes I feel like my head is spinning...and I think that I've come to the conclusion that that's okay..because my poor little brain has a lot of stuff to process. As much I've settled back into my 'old' life..things are constantly keeping me on my toes and my mind is constantly trying to figure out everything..

So, I've been spending my days working, spending time with lovely friends and trying to organize my life...or in true Erin fashion...AVOIDING organizing my life.

It's crazy to think that not that long ago I was bopping around Europe, I was country hopping on weekends, watching the sun set over lake Zurich and enjoying the benefits of a completely different lifestyle..

Now I'm back home, and it's a polar opposite. The house is never spotless, we never eat veal for dinner..people pronounce w's correctly...and I think I smile more.

I wondered how I would do, going from the big metropolis of Zurich, with it's fabulous transportation system, a host of friends nearby, a big city's attractions and lots of interesting things to do and places to go..

I mean, I live..here. In BUCKHORN. Where I'm not even sure what the big things to do are...I mean...sometimes we order in Chinese from the one takeout restuarant that exists here..and that's pretty exciting.

But, it's home.

It has my family, who I forgot just HOW much I love chatting with about everything and anything...It has wonderful old friends who I swear just keep getting better and better...It has a job that I love more than anything...It has my puppy, who loves me for me unconditionally...It has beautiful sunsets, girls nights, car rides, euchre, radio in english and so so so so so so much more.

So tonight, I could be in Zurich..where I'm sure something fun and exciting is happening..

But instead, it's 9pm..and my family has gone to bed because they've all worked ridiculously hard all day...we had dinner together, and chats together...I've talked to wonderful friends on the phone..I've tried to clean my room some more and instead, danced around my room to songs on the radio. So for now...I'm now enjoying my evening, eating green olives from the jar while watching wheel of fortune...

And for the moment...despite the whirlwind of fun that my last year was..and how simple and quaint this moment might seem...I am completely and totally content. Maybe it takes being away to see this...and maybe it will get old..but for the moment at least...life can't get much better than this.

Days End

There are some things about home that I never even realized I missed.

While driving home the other night, my entire view for the entire drive home was filled with the views of an absolutely stunning sunset.

I didn't realize that in Switzerland, the sunsets were never really like this. They just don't measure up...they're short, quick and simple. So, I pulled over my car and enjoyed the beautiful views...I went all over europe looking for beautiful things...and turns out that the place I come from is filled with beauty every time I turn around. I still don't go anywhere without my camera :)

How could I not be happy enjoying this view?



<3

Home Again, Home Again...Jigitty Jig.

After two weeks of bopping around Eastern Europe I made my way back to Zurich and spent my last night in Europe pulling an all nighter. I'm not REALLY sure how smart that was..my theory was that I'd get to spend some time with a friend who I love dearly and won't get to see very often once I was back home..and the other was that maybe I'd sleep on the plane and be able to switch over my sleep schedule with relative ease.

So, I spent the evening talking, playing cards and laughing...moving in slow motion to get the final loose ends put together so that I could get on a flight home.

After an extended plane ride (horray for them FIXING the mechanical errors AS we were sitting on the plane waiting to take off..:S) I finally touched down at Pearson International Airport in Toronto..

To find my two best friends (and my faaaaaavourite little boy) waiting to pick me up from the airport with glittery welcome home signs and big hugs all around :) I got my ear chatted off by a four year old who I think had been secretly bottling up EVERYTHING he could think of to talk to me about for an entire year and saving it until he finally saw me again.

It's the weirdest feeling to go home after a year away..I really don't think that words can explain it..when I left my Dad said that "everything will feel familiar, but just be different enough to not be familiar at all" and, like always, he's SO right.

Now I'm running around trying to get caught up on sleep, trying to balance all of the friends and family that I want to see, and trying to jump back into doing some work too.

I've met up with my grandfather and had lunch with him, spent a good deal of time talking on the phone with people I hope to see soon, have made tentative dates to meet up with old friends that I haven't seen in years and have hung out with my best friends every day since I've been home. I've slept on Jenna's couch after sitting around being our normal goofy selves...and I've sat in my Dad's office chatting like we use to in the good old days and laid on the bed in my parents room telling my mom a little bit of everything. I met up with an old friend who I hadn't seen in years and years...and sat in Tim Hortons having a marathon catch up coffee date with Rhiannon.

It's been a good 4 days home...and I'm excited for all of the things to come...but for now...I'd better jump in the shower and get my butt into gear because there are things to be done and work is calling my name.

For now, I leave you with a cute photo we took on Monday...



My two best friends, me, and my favourite "little" boy.
(Jenna, Me, Nicholas & Rhiannon)

Welcome Home

I'm soon moving back to my sweet, quaint and hopefully peaceful existence in Canada after an entire year away in my psuedo-home just outside of Zurich..

I've gotten so into the habit of blogging in this form though..that I don't know if I can really end my 'blogging' story here..and it just doesn't feel right to continue to update my Switzerland blog about random things when I'm not..in Switzerland...I just feel like this is a completely new chapter of my life all over again..even if it is "just" to go home.

I'm going home with a new love for home...for the people, the places and the things there...I'm going home with a newfound appreciation..with new goals, and ideas and perspectives..

Sometimes it scares me, sometimes I don't want this particular European adventure to end..and sometimes I just want to be home more than anything..

If nothing else though..I know that I have a newfound love and respect for making the most of things, for living each day, each moment and cherishing it. For going above and beyond to do the things that make ME happy, and I think that more than anything..this blog will be a record of the happy things in my life that make me love my life in Canada.

Just because I'm going home, doesn't mean that the adventures have to end..and that's what this blog will get to do...But don't worry..I'm sure I'll have another blog dedicated to another travel destination at some point or another!