So... my first blog post. I thought I was over this trend years ago, but it seems I've come back to my old outlet, and hoping to use it as some sort of self-therapy. I've had a lot on my mind lately, so here goes nothing...
There is no denying that the last year or so of my life has completely changed who I am as an individual. I've made some life-altering changes, dealt with some of the toughest and most painful situations I've ever faced, made new friends from around the world, and have sadly lost a few old ones along the way. There has been a string of very poor decisions made, but no opportunities passed. More recently I have felt so unhappy that I never thought I could get out of the depths of my despair... but at the same time, I've also experienced more joy and fulfilment out of life than I ever thought possible. This journey has taken me to many different places- Paris, Yssingeaux, Lyon, Athens, Santorini, London, Toronto, and right back home to Stoney Creek. I am truly thankful for all of the experiences (good and bad) that have come my way. To say that I've been a lucky girl is an understatement.
The last year hasn't been short of heartache, sadness, tears, longing, and loneliness... but it's been buffered by what I truly feel are the best times of my life to date. Good or bad, i haven't let any of these things hold me back. There are always going to be struggles, but if I've learned anything, it's that I'll always be up for the challenge. I'm stronger, independent and far more confident than I've ever been in my life and all of this is a reflection of my experiences over the last 12 months. For the first time in awhile, maybe ever, I'm proud of who I am and what I've accomplished.
Looking forward, there are many changes coming. Although I'm hesitant to discuss it right now, I had a very optimistic chat with my good friend AB today and we came up with a long-term plan and a time line. We have very similar goals and both want to accomplish a lot of the same things in life. AB pitched a crazy idea to me and its something that I feel I can't pass up. We're hoping to put this plan into action by January 1st, 2011. That gives us 234 more days of serious hard work, but as noted above, I'm up for the challenge. I'll post more details once the situation becomes more... realistic.
In the mean time, I've come up with a few things I'd like to accomplish in the short term. I've realized that for as long as I can remember, baking has been my one passion and number one hobby. Looking back, I really can't think of much else that has interested me since I was a child. Due to certain circumstances, I've taken a break from baking for the last little while. This very quickly brought me to the conclusion that I'm a fairly boring individual when you take that out of the equation. I need a hobby, and badly. I've toyed with a few ideas, but one that has really stuck out is photography. It's something that I've always had a mild interest in, but never pursued. Now is as good a time as any! I've been playing around with my camera and actually learning how to use it properly, reading some books, and hope to maybe take a class or two to get me started. For some reason I'm continually drawn back to my food & bev background, because now I'm very interested in learning about food styling and food photography. I think it probably has something to do with familiarity, but who knows... I could be on to something big! Along with this, I need to start learning French. I've already lost most of what I picked up while in France all summer, and I really need to become more fluent for the future. I've also got some personal health and fitness goals (always a constant battle in my life) but I'll touch on that another time.
Time to wrap this up and get to bed. It's been a long day.
Bisous!
