It may be a rut but it's all mine

Some people will tell you I'm in a rut, others will say that I am a creature of habit. Personally I say I'm just content. I am the person that tends to buy the same items at the same stores all the time. As I've been moving I started to wonder if they'd notice I was even gone.

Calgary is a bigish city and todays society is not focussed as much on customer service, so I think between those two items they probably won't notice one less customer no matter how regularly I buy items from their location.

I am excited to set up new habits, locations, items and stores in Winnipeg. It never takes me long to hunt up those haunts of mine. I remember when I was working in Australia for 3 weeks and within the first three days I had my routine firmly established. Now if that was somewhere I was living for only 3 weeks imagine if I'm there for 2 years. I might have my routine established in the first day - we'll have to see.

You may have guessed from the above that I'm not exactly thrilled about change in my life so I've been having feelings of extreme excitement warring with my inherent dislike of change. However, in my new quest to be more positive I've been focussing on the excitement and reminding myself that this gives me a great chance to make or break habits that need it.

Packing

When I was 16-18 or 19 years old I moved around on a regular basis for a variety of reasons. I lived with family, friends and strangers and finally got my own apartment and I've lived there ever since.

During all of those moves I lived out of a couple of duffle bags, and that was it so I don't think I fully appreciated what a pain it would be to do this particular move. In the time I've been here I've not looked through anything. I moved in, nested and have gotten to the point where it may take dynamite to get me to Winnipeg. What I am loving about this is was I'm downsizing but that is not enough to make this whole process completely enjoyable.

Oh well I'm too the point now where I'm almost all packed so I might as well suck it up and get over it ;).

On a sad side note my kitty is moving to BC this weekend and I will miss her very much.

Stampede 2009

Well, another year, another Stampede. The Calgary Stampede is referred to as the greatest outdoor show on earth and kicks off with a parade on Friday morning and runs for 10 days. The Salvation Army band is the longest running marching band in the parade and I've been marching with them for 12 or 13 years now and loving every minute of it. I started marching with them holding the banner, then moved up to the timbrels and now I march with the band itself. I still enjoy marching no matter how wiped I am at the end. To see the crowds of people, all the kids waving and having fun, and the fact that my weirdest friends are the ones who call my name out when I march :). I don't know where I'll be next summer but I know if I'm not marching I'll feel the loss but I'll be thinking of the group as they go down and I know I won't miss the blisters I always get.

Friday night of course it was down to the grounds to hang out, watch the chuckwagon races which are very exciting, and the grandstand show. This year as I headed down to the grounds from the train station the police were stopping everyone and there were a whole bunch of official looking black vehicles and media. I was very curious as to who was arriving and low and behold it was Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper...very exciting. After that we were allowed to go ahead and I met up with the band and we went into the grounds. I loved the chuckwagon races and even managed to pick the team featuring a Calgary Flame for my pick in one of the heats and the grandstand show was fabulous. Although, I didn't like one particular set of stunts where it just looked like they were going to die, and die horribly.

Saturday afternoon and evening was the carnival, BBQ and concert. There was a HUGE number of people there for the carnival and that was fantastic. I was thrilled to see such a response for a church event. The food was as always excellent, and the program was very entertaining. After the program a whole bunch of us went out for something to eat and to catch up with each other. Fred and Wendy were down from Edmonton, and it's always good to see Wendy unfortunately she brought Fred but what are you going to do? I'm kidding, of course it was great to see both of them.

Well, today ends another stampede weekend and my last as a member of the band (possibly, one never knows), but it definitely ends out my year before heading to college, and it ended on a great note.

Ruthlessly Sorted

As I am getting ready to move I am going through boxes, bags and other assorted storage items that I haven't gone through in a very long time if ever. When I first moved into my apartment my mother dropped off a large load of things that she'd kept for me and I never went into them. So now I am taking the opportunity and going through all the boxes and I find I am getting rid of as much as I can stand. I am pushing aside that thin streak of sentimentality and tossing aside what doesn't mean the most to me. Now of course I am nothing if not practical, so, I will be having a yard sale, be donating any useful items to the Salvation Army etc...

I have enjoyed seeing some of them items though. I found my grade 6 year book and it still burns me that I didn't press hard enough on the paper so you can only read about 3 words :). I also discovered the reasons behind why I am not allowed to have a library card anymore, and the remnants of my obsession with finding items that had my name on them. What I really love to find are the pictures - which are not going anywhere. Pictures of my dad with...HAIR, and I don't actually ever remember him with hair so it's a big revelation. Pictures of my various uncles weddings, and pictures of me growing up - apparently the attitude was there from day 1.

Now I will go continue to sort, and hopefully toss, but thoroughly enjoy some walks down memory lane.

Here I go

Well, I may be writing in my blog more often over the next couple of months, but it's hard to say. This month I am obviously because for some reason I find myself compelled to write in my blog and that almost never goes well :).

I am feeling a little tugged both ways right now because there's this massive to do list but I don't want to start some things now because it's too early and at the same time I feel like I'm leaving in no time at all. The best I can do is keep plugging away at the items and the fact of the matter is what is done is done, and what isn't isn't. I can't change that nor would I if I could. The deadline helps me stay focussed.

I've started to come to the realization that oh my goodness I'm leaving this city that I've lived in for my entire life. Leaving a routine that is firmly established and centred around a church that I've been attending since I was 7 years old. No matter how often I reassure myself that I'll see my friends and family for vacation and online it just won't be the same. No more phone calls from people saying they are ont their way to pick me up for a night out...no more "we're going to BP's" and knowing which one cause it's the only one we go to. So, I'm a little sad in and around the thrill of moving forward and doing what I'm meant to do.

Someone asked me once "What do you think when I say home", and I answered Calgary, and they were a bit surprised, but I know that no matter what changes happen in my life, and no matter where I end up this will always be home. Even if it isn't my first answer. I don't think you can ever forget the first place that was truly home.

Now, does the person who asked me that remember that conversation?

Busy

One of the comments I quite often get from people I socialize with that I met through work is "Wow, you're so busy". I always respond "No, not really" and in the past couple of years that statement was especially true. I was only out generally 2 sometimes 3 nights a week and of course Sundays. This was a huge slow down from someone who growing up considered less then 4 nights a week out a vacation. However, since my acceptance to training college my schedule has completely gotten away from me. Ah well, it is good to be reminded of how to live a filled life and I figure it's good preparation for what will be in my books and everyone elses a very busy lifestyle in a few months.

On the practical side of things I'm going around my apartment cleaning and sorting. I haven't started packing yet although that will come soon enough. The big thing for me is that I haven't cleaned out my stuff in over 5 years. The one thing about moving around every couple of months like I did when I was younger was that I didn't have that much stuff to worry about. Now I'm going to get much closer to that then I have been in awhile.

In other news, my birthday passed just recently and I always enjoy that. This year I headed to Edmonton and enjoyed being a little bit spoiled up there. Of course they do that every time I'm up there so I don't need a birthday but this time I got presents.

Now to reorganize my life and figure out how I'm going to fit in a trip to BC for my cat, packing, moving, moving again and getting to Winnipeg. Not to mention all the smaller yet no less vital things like the fact that I still have to do my day-to-day items like get groceries, go to work and make it to band practice.

Wish me luck, pray for me and stay away the minimum safe distance :)

Who'da Thunk?!?!

I found out very recently that I was accepted into the 2009 session for Canada's College for Officers Training. I am and will probably continue to walk around in a slight daze wondering if it's real.

I have been talking about going to training college for as long as I can possibly remember so the fact that it's finally here seems odd. I am excited and terrified about the challenge ahead of me as I move forward.

Everyone around me has been wonderfully supportive and I know they will continue to be so and I am always thankful for that. This support makes the challenges ahead seem surmountable instead of insurmountable.