a New Florida Keys blog

I have found a new new Key West blog to read and its all round perfect for me to lose myself in. The writer updates daily and there are many years of blog archives to while away time in. Its also "real" and has a ton of photos. Happy lunchtime for me :-)

In its realness I am once again reminded to focus on finding appreciation of my life. The fact that I have it for one, and that in my life I can walk, and see and hear and use my body. I have a job and bills and a house and a family, dreams, memories, plans and a lot of love. In short, I have a lot to be thankful. In the words of Miamis "Pitbull" ~ "every day above ground is a great day, remember that".

I remember back in the days, before 9-11 when I used to live for my daily webcam perusal of the Hogs Breath as soon as I got into work in Westerham in Kent. I used to get in early enough to get my tea and see the staff at the Hogs Breath sweeping up and wiping down the bar after a Key West night of drinking. I loved it. If, by any chance, I missed it, I was sad.

It was in the time when I used to read and re-read every word of www.fla-keys.com and take in all the photos and their joy of joy, webcams.
I still look at that website often but now we also have instant internet (no more at home dial up), Google, YouTube, social media (the toilet of the internet as Lady Gaga states and I have to agree) and these wonderful blogs to wander around in.

On a plus point, its the last day of February and I have survived it without our usual February down south trip.
#winning

learnings

I learnt two awesome sayings today:

• "Just because they say it doesn't make it so" - how many of us can apply that one to our lives, every day.
• "Profanity is a sentence enhancer" - just love it.

In my observations of the two cultures I have been immersed in, in my life, I have noticed some more key differences:

• The Brits do not generally shy away from confrontation, especially the Gen X and Millennial generations. They tend to "say it how it is" and dislike what they consider two-faced behaviour intensely.
• Canadians are way keener to go with "the filter". This can be confusing to a Brit. But, not all Canadians follow this train of thought.  They are definitely more polite that an outraged Brit, and for the most part manage their emotions better, but they forgo the filter and take the direct approach. I have come to realize these are my Canadian friends.

Obviously I am stereotyping here, but these are my observations...

And finally, just because its hump day, a term I am now not only comfortable with but use weekly, I am finally at ease with the Z that arrives in words that "should" have an S in there, e.g:

• realize
• amortize

But, I do not accept "addicting" in place of "addictive" and "write you" in place of "write to you"

Just cant do it.

Happy hump day

Its another Friday....

Its Friday again. Friday seems to come round with startling speed these days reminding me how fast life is going by and how fortunate I am to have one. For a quick update I am thinking along these lines:

Wishing: we were in Florida this Spring
Planning: for a trip to Orlando and the Keys at the end of the year and a Cape Breton weekend this summer with my BFF and her fam-jam.
Dreaming of: my house to be paid for, no car debt and a condo in Bahama Bay
Realizing: that I have only eleven years to go before my planned retirement age.
Coming to terms with: the new realization that sometimes you dont know the people you thought you knew, even if you have spent almost your entire life with them and most importantly....thats ok. I can grieve the loss of what I thought it was.
Strongly aware: that my family, my girls, my "framily" are those that I will go to bat for, without fail, in the face of any and everything.
Knowing that: false friends are noted and no longer in my inner circle (thats ok too, I am over it).
Comfortable with: getting older. Its not so bad. I have clarity in places that were once cloudy and full of doubt.
Appreciating: my parents, my mum and my adopted dad. I have the strongest relationship with my amazing mother and love my dad for being always there for me.
Grateful for: this job, my manager, my team here and in NH. I am so very fortunate.
Impressed by: my husband for facing his health issues full on and making hard changes for the better.
Proud of: my two girls as they deal with issues that shouldn't even be facing them at this age. They are also rocking school and grades and earning their own money! WTG girls!
Newly thankful for: my roots. My beautiful English roots.
Still in awe of: this life in Nova Scotia and everything it encompasses and being Canadian.
Enjoying eating: chicken, hummus, red peppers and cheese sandwiches and "The Feast" homemade tomato and basil soup.
Loving: these damn pets, so much: Dukie, Alpine, Oreo, Kennedy and baby Ace who is most definitely my "mental health" advocate.
Oddly embracing: being frugal. The upside is my new found deep appreciation of everything in my life that I have.
Learning: that boundaries make for a happy and healthy life.
Appreciating: Winter... now this is new for me at this point in February. Normally by now I am about done but it occurred to me yesterday as my boots crunched on new snow that I actually love this snuggly buggly weather of pretty snowfall and oddly bright darkness at night, due to it. Yes I miss flip-flop weather but at the same time, snuggly buggly weather has its pros too. Flip-flop weather is on it way....

I love this photo of Lily in Bahama Bay.

And these two...

My heart is so tremendously full.

The first Sunday of February

Its Sunday and its February already. The sun is "splitting the rock" as they say in NL and its incredibly cold. Paul and I have gotten into a new Sunday routine where we take the dogs to the dog park in the late morning and then come home and make brunch. The afternoon is then reserved for household chores, some hot tub lounging and some TV shows as we watch so little television during the week.
Todays trip to the dog park was for only about 20 mins. We are trying to see if Alpine soreness after his first foray there was due to fitness or a bigger issue that I frankly can do without. So we are allowing a max of 20 minutes running around to see if hes ok. Its not hard to stick to that as its so incredibly cold.

Last week found me in Manchester NH for work for three days. We experienced snow squalls, Maceys and Crackerbarrel in addition to the real reason we were there - meetings with the team.  l like going to that office and I now LOVE Crackerbarrel and dont know why its taken me so long to discover it. We have driven past countless Crackerbarrels on trips to the US and I always thought it was regarding cheese. Seems not - think "
grandmas good old southern cooking and hospitality" complete with grits, fried apples, bacon and tremendous buttermilk pancakes.

Today is also Superbowl day. When I was in Manchester I got an inkling of what this evening could be like in every home south of the border and I am half wondering if its high time I bought into it and made sure we were Superbowl ready.  I think I might watch it to see what all the fuss is about...

2019 New Years resolutions

I am considering 2019 New Years resolutions as I am, as per normal these days, sitting in two places at once. I have two strong drivers this year. They are always on my radar but at this point they are screaming louder than ever that they want to drive decisions and be a priority.

With our girls growing up at a frankly alarming rate, I know for a fact that trips as a family are even more precious than they have ever been. I have always been one to want to spend money on family trips as the memories alone are more than worth it. For me I get tremendous joy in the planning, the travelling, the being there enjoying the time together as a family, and then the memories that come out of it. Unfortunately trips cost money and trips to Florida even more so, also Florida is now restricted on travel dates due to high school and weather. I want heat but not hotter than hell, can’t do anything at all, heat.

Secondly, and in direct contrast to the other main driver is my need to pay down debt. For the first time I am feeling a strong want to over-pay our mortgage. To get there we need to get rid of the remainder of this line of credit. Its significantly lower but its still freakin there, like a bad smell. Ideally it will be gone and then we can pay more on the mortgage, even if its just $50 a month – ANYTHING will help me here.

So, with these in mind, the list for 2019 (in no particular order):

·         Get rid of line of credit, finally, FFS;

·         Overpay mortgage;

·         Road trip in the summer, ideally to Jenn but that requires some more responsible consideration;
·         Our weekend get-away with BFF;
·         Get Ace moving his feet, as per Buck Brannamen style of training, and continue building our relationship
·         Work towards and attend all three Salmon River shows;
·         Save and plan for our next Florida trip – I really want a couple of days back in the Keys as well as Bahama Bay;
·         As per Geneen Roth, spend less time “in the attic” and more time on every floor;
·         Really enjoy this home we have, in the present moment, every single day;
·         Start writing. I have the concept, the name and the front cover shot all worked out, now need to create the content;
·         Rock this corporate finance team;

I am hoping that all these resolutions work in correlation or as close as possible, despite some of
this being in total contrast (saving money vs spending money 😊)
Its all about balance is it not? Therefore, its being financially responsible whilst still living – its
that thin thin line.

Happy New Year!

Christmas

Its fast approaching 2019 and as usual life is flying by. We have been in Canada almost 8 years and this place is well and truly home.
I had a call with my FIL about a week or so ago which was fun as for every sentence spoken I found myself loudly or mentally translating what was said. I just couldnt help it.

FIL - " so Melissa has a new house to move into and its really nice but she has to put carpets down, so on the floor is only... um"
Me "a subfloor?"
FIL "Yes its wood so she has to order carpets but the hall and kitchen is hard"
Me "they have tile?"
FIL "Yes and the kitchen is nice, has lots of cupboards.."
Me in my head "cabinetry"
FIL "...and has the plumbing for white goods"
Me in my head "appliances"

And so it continues, this constant mental translation of words and sayings that takes place in my head.

Its been a lovely Christmas, despite me having a fairly active cold. As usual Paul cooked a delicious Christmas dinner and Ruby and co. joined us for dinner which was as always wonderful, but the differences that really stood out to me were how I felt about pretty much everything. My friends who I completely love, I am so comfortable with them and so grateful for them. The quiet, I truly loved it. The way I still feel about the tree and the decorations, usually by now I am ready for them to be gone, but this year I am still enjoying them. Boxing day was everything Boxing day should be - binge watching a vet show (the Incredible Doctor Pol) whilst Paul watched Harry Potter, snacking on sandwiches made of hot turkey, ham, sliced roast potatoes, stuffing and cold cranberry sauce. Being able to visit with Ace, walking the dogs with Paul, helping Chloe organize her new room, watching Lily paint with her new watercolours, sitting in the dark with the cats in front of the fire and looking at the lights of the house across the road surrounded by the night sky.

So much cosy and comfort of our home. Truly thankful.

A review of 2018's NY resolutions

Its December 25th and I am sat here contemplating something to eat (no idea what) while Christmas dinner cooks in the oven. Its due at 3pm and now is almost noon and I have only had toast this morning so hunger is creeping up....
I just went over 2018's new years resolutions that I put down last December to see if I managed to achieve any of them at all:

Here they are, with outcomes now we are nearing the end of the year:

1. Continue growing at work. This has gone well as now I have a bigger team in corporate accounting which I am looking forward to leading. I decided a couple of months ago that I needed a plan for some personal leadership,  so I signed up to Spotify and now listen to leadership podcasts on my way into work, its been the best most motivating use of 40 minutes in the morning that I ever thought of. 
2. Enjoy Ace and my new saddle and keep competing and improving my riding. I am enjoying my lessons with Leah and have come to realize that the three Salmon River shows are exactly what we both need each year, no more and no less.
3. Keep working on improving myself as a human being and role model for my two girls. The leadership podcasts are helping here too. They come to me for advice and I hope they always do and I am proud of who they are growing into. 
4. Work on bringing that line of credit right down. This year we decided that we would take my bonus and put it straight on the line of credit and not book our springtime, much loved, Florida trip. This was a very hard decision and it remains hard, but bringing the line of credit limit down by a huge chunk was very satisfying.
5. Go on a road trip to somewhere new this summer. We actually went to three places, Silver Lake, ME with the girls and some friends, CB with my Canadian BFF and her family and Paul and I went on a date weekend to watch Buck Brannaman in Cornish, ME. It was all fantastic.
6. Meet up with my friend Jenne, its been too long. This has sadly not yet been achieved. Its either a 3.5 day drive or a 13 hour trip with three flights. Either way its long, the drive option is affordable but frankly epic. Still processing this one.
7. Find a level of fitness that works for me. Ah yes, I currently suck in this dept. Fitness level is at an all time low right now.
8. Succesfully grow some vegetables. This too is an epic fail this year.
9. Eat meat only from local farms where animal welfare is off a high priority, guilt-free meat as I call it. Still not managed to afford this one, the most I get too is free range eggs which is of course only the tip of the iceberg. Frankly I wish those people in charge of our meat would put the damn animals first anyway.
10. Have a once a month date-night with hubby, even if its just a coffee at Tim Hortons. We are not good at this either although we are walking the dogs together more now.