aMAZing!

Finally, after living in the North for almost a year, I got to see some beautiful Northern Lights! My friend Sarah, was the one who spotted them on her way over to my place for dinner.

Clearly, I made her wait for the food, while I whipped out my trusty camera and prayed that I could  fumble through a few settings and take some decent photos.

Voila...it worked.  I didn't get too many shots since I left my mittens inside in my haste to snap these ones.

I can't believe how great they were right from my driveway.

The crazy thing is how fast they can disappear.  A couple hours later there was nothing but stars to see. It left me with a hankering for more.  I sure hope I get other opportunities to experience this amazing phenomena.
 

Look Up

I am happy to see the days starting to get longer; it gets tiresome going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark.  I wish I could say its something that is new to me living in the North, but alas, I can recall many winter days back in Ottawa, when I did the exact same thing.

Still it's nice to get to see a bit of the sunrise and sunset on the odd day. Sometimes the morning sky is quite remarkable; a nice pinky mauve; and of course the red/orange sunsets are always gorgeous too.

But some days it's just the weird clouds or the way the light hits the trees that inspires me for a while.  I keep taking pictures just in case actually get around to taking up painting rather than just threaten to.

Happy New Year!!!

Okay, so more like Happy Mid January!

As I mentioned in my Very Late Christmas posting, I've been very busy.  I had great intentions though, and I did think of all my friends and family on the big day.

New Years Eve means fireworks in the North; I did my best at taking photos, but I wasn't well prepared and my settings were quite right.  Here are a few of the shots I took...the the best, but you can get the impression of what they were like in person.

 

After the Fireworks, I spent the evening with some of the managers here, enjoying some quiet conversation and great company...with a little baby on site, I also got my baby cuddling fix!

I find New years is always a time when I reflect on the past year; sometimes they've been good ones, others not so good.  2011 was a mixed bag for me.  I got to experience different parts of Canada and see a few sights I'd never seen before; I made a couple new friends, but mostly missed my old ones.  I know they are still there for me and I'm still here for them too, but I sure wish we could visit over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.

I've given up on most of the standard New Year's resolutions...lose weight, etc...that one seems to work best for me when I stop stressing about it. This year my big goals are to be kinder to others, and kinder to myself.  The latter is always a hard one for me.  I also need to force myself to be creative and work at doing the things I wanted to do in my spare time when I moved here.  Things like, do that darn French program, get out and experience the community, and get those creative juices flowing...whether it's writing, painting, or even just blogging...just do it damn it. For me, if I can be creative, it de-stresses me; something I really need, but when you are working a lot and thinking about it when you're not there, finding the energy to do something else can be daunting.

All in all, I'm missing my family so it feels like 2012 might be a year to get through. Not the right attitude, I know, but hey, I can't be cheerful all the time! I guess, I should add in another resolution...Think positively!

The photo above was my favorite, even if it's a bit grainy...I just looked so magical. So befitting a magical image, I am wishing all of you and Happy and Prosperous New Year...filled with fun, laughter, and of course Magic! May your wildest dreams come true.

Better Late Than Never!

Clearly, I've been a tad busy since I haven't posted anything since Thanksgiving.

Here is my very late Christmas wish for you; I hope it was a wonderful one, filled with love and laughter.  I hope you were surrounded by all the people you love the best.

Working in retail means that even if my family were nearby, I wouldn't get to spend much time with them anyway.  So I spent the crazy days heading up to the Big Event working long hours and fanatically helping other busy shoppers. It was good in a way, because it kept me too busy to mope around.  I had a lovely Christmas tree and a few little decorations to make my humble abode at least a little festive.

I even got to be a little creative; This is what happens to really bad books that aren't worth passing on...

They become cute little tree ornaments :)

Living away from my wonderful kids, the rest of my family, and my very lovely friends is hard at times. Certainly Christmas is one of the hardest ones.   Thank goodness for skype.  I loved getting the chance to join in celebrations back in Ottawa, even if it was only for a short while, and I couldn't actually taste the ragout.

I did get to cook a turkey, which I shared with Charlie, then I got to join up with the rest of the Northern Managers for a more boisterous Christmas visit.

For those of you who, called me, skyped me, or sent me little letters and other surprises, you made my Christmas and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.