Well, the New Year has come already! It seems just yesterday I was ringing in 2015 thinking "now what will I do this year to be a better me?" .. and suddenly it was over! It's okay that I didn't accomplish all of my goals from last year - 30 day challenges EVERY month might have been a little too ambitious. I am still working on a better me though and, hey, if I wasn't working on it EVERY day of my life, what would there be left for me?! I am only human after all. First step though, updating this blog more often to keep me motivated and try and get a bit of spunk back in my life. I did have an amazing year in 2015 though so first, a quick review:
January - returned from a great vacation back to my great job. Unlike most people I was looking forward to getting back to taking care of people and working with a great bunch of nurses. I can't recall anything too exciting that happened in January - perhaps planning our trip to South America! Start those pins!
February - Even though I was already working in a great job, thus far it was only temporary.. until this month! The person I was covering decided not to stay and so I applied for the position I was already working, had an interview, and got offered the job!
As soon as we returned from the jungle, we headed to do another hike - the Quilotoa loop to a lake in the middle of an old crater. We got lost (just a little), hiked the entire loop in 3 days, met a new friend (a dog we named 'Pollo' who followed us the entire way), and felt the extreme cold of high altitude!
From there it was off to Banos - the adventure capital of Ecuador! Though we didn't go zip-lining on the many zip-lines available, we did go cycling down past a ton of waterfalls, to end up at the famous waterfall I had pinned before we left - El Diablo! We went rafting, went on the swing at the end of the world, and experienced the hot pools that gave Banos it's name!
Our last stop was the most unexpected - a small fisher town called "Peurto Lopez", with a small island just off of it known as "the poor man's Galapagos". Here we started off with a nice hike through a national park, chilling on the beach and relaxing.
We went back to our hotel and then headed to a nearby beach to watch the sunset. Not unusual for us, but I was sure in for a surprise! As we were setting up the camera to take a picture of us in front of the sunset in a remote area of the beach.. suddenly he popped the question! He tied a piece of grass around my finger and said "Will you Marry Me?" I was so shocked that I didn't say yes! Until I realized he was serious.. then I said "Of course!!"
Our amazing trip ended with a boat ride to the poor man's Galapagos and then a long journey back to the city, to catch our plane home!
Meeting my beautiful Niece in August and congratulating my brother, and best sister in-law I could ever ask for, on their engagement (also in August), and congratulating two of my closest friends on the birth of their babies, one on August 29, and another November 21.
January - returned from a great vacation back to my great job. Unlike most people I was looking forward to getting back to taking care of people and working with a great bunch of nurses. I can't recall anything too exciting that happened in January - perhaps planning our trip to South America! Start those pins!
Of course, the highlight of the month was not work.. it was the announcement of my adorable Neice (though I didn't get to meet her in person till several months later)
March - While the snow was melting and Edmonton was a balmy 15 degrees, I took off to South America with the love of my life! To Colombia and Beyond! Arrived around March 16 to a FREEZING 10 degree, wet, Bogota (the capital of Colombia). I said "if this is South America, I'm going back!".. fortunately we discovered soon after heading north that Bogota just happens to be the rainiest (and coldest) city in the entire country. We spent a couple of nights there, explored a bit of the city (got a bit of altitude sickness), then headed straight north. After about 15 hours, exhausted, we landed in Guatape (or a tiny town near it) and finally saw (and climbed) the rock stairs I pinned months before!
After 2 nights in Guatape (where it was still rainy pretty much the entire time but really quiet and beautiful) we headed north again, to the sea, to spend one day and night in Cartagena (pronounced Cart-a-hey-na).. a very busy, humid, touristy town. We saw the old fort, dipped our feet in the ocean, tried water in a bag (that EVERYONE seemed to be drinking), and saw some neat street performers.
Finally, we were on our way to the top of the country, to experience the Caribbean ocean, to hike the famous Lost City Trek "La Cuidad Perdida" (the most challenging hike I've had due to 100% humidity and a couple of straight uphill runs), and chill out in a hidden tourist beach hostel!
On to April, where we were off to the next country: Ecuador! We were about to experience a journey unexpected, and a story we'll be telling our children! It started out with the city of Quito - a city where we had money, a camera lense, and a sweater all stolen in day one. It poured rain every evening and we got lost trying to take the city bus.. but we didn't let that stop our fun! We went out in the rain, saw a few old churches, and stood on the "equator"
From there, we headed to the Amazon for 5 days of off the grid adventures where we saw many different creatures, experienced the true rain of the rain-forest and lived among nature.
From there it was off to Banos - the adventure capital of Ecuador! Though we didn't go zip-lining on the many zip-lines available, we did go cycling down past a ton of waterfalls, to end up at the famous waterfall I had pinned before we left - El Diablo! We went rafting, went on the swing at the end of the world, and experienced the hot pools that gave Banos it's name!
Our last stop was the most unexpected - a small fisher town called "Peurto Lopez", with a small island just off of it known as "the poor man's Galapagos". Here we started off with a nice hike through a national park, chilling on the beach and relaxing.
(He actually did capture the proposal on camera but unfortunately I don't have a copy.. also the picture to the right is not me.. unfortunately I never got a picture of the piece of grass on my finger!)
Our amazing trip ended with a boat ride to the poor man's Galapagos and then a long journey back to the city, to catch our plane home!
Looking back, it's hard to beat April as a month. It was pretty spectacular. As for the rest of the year, it seems to have flown by. Once we started discussing wedding plans and moving things forward that feels like all that happened. This year I'd like to not focus as much on wedding plans but on our relationship, and letting him know that he's important to me!
Other highlights of the year that must be mentioned, however, are: Hiking the Chilkoot trail with my mother and future in-laws. An inspiring challenge in July
Meeting my beautiful Niece in August and congratulating my brother, and best sister in-law I could ever ask for, on their engagement (also in August), and congratulating two of my closest friends on the birth of their babies, one on August 29, and another November 21.
On that note, here are my goals for 2016:
1 - Less TV - starting out with a TV free January, and it's already working very well! I have started this blog during that time (which some may argue is just as unproductive as watching TV but I feel is a way to motivate me to accomplish things)
2 - Exercise to tone and feel better about myself - started yesterday with Wii Fit, today I renew my gym membership (which I forgot expired till I went after hours to discover my pass no longer worked)
3 - Eat less sugar - reducing my sugar shouldn't be too hard. I've done sugar-free lent before and perhaps I will again.
4 - Focus on being a better friend, girlfriend, and future wife - I'll try to listen more, complain less, and make those phone calls to people out of town much more often!
I feel it's good to have just a few goals to start rather then be overambitious so I'll start with these. I'll try and keep updating my progress this year and I'll post my before-and-after exercise photos when I've accomplished my goal!
That's all for now! Happy 2016!
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