I have started to write this entry three times. I think I was overthinking what I wanted to say so I am just going to say it.

Tomorrow I am embarking on a new path on the journey we call life.

Tomorrow I will start working at CAA South Central head office as the Supervisor of Group Travel, Extraordinary Explorations. I know, pretty cool title, right.

I know, you are asking, what are Extraordinary Explorations – There are journeys that are unmatched, destinations that are unrivalled and places that leave their mark in an indelible way. These are some of the memorable elements that have been woven together to create the ultimate travel experience. These are no ordinary experiences – these are Extraordinary Explorations.

I am looking forward to this new and exciting chapter in my life. It brings me back to my passion of leisure travel with a twist, I am not selling the trips, I am managing them from behind the scenes.

I know that working with WE and all of the experiential travel that they represent all over the world will stay with me as I embark on this new and exciting chapter of my life. Who knows, maybe one of these experiences will involve me getting to Kenya one day in the future.

One of WE’s core values is WE are grateful. I am grateful for everything that I learned from my time at WE. It was a great year and a half ride that I will take with me for many years to come.

Looking forward to my much easier ride to work tomorrow. Yes, even though I will need to battle the Bathurst and Hwy 7 traffic, it will be much better than the almost three hours a day I spent in my car the past year and a half.

Stay tuned for much more on my new adventure of Extraordinary Explorations. Coming soon to The Lisa Chronicles.

until then,

Lisa

I don’t make new years resolutions. I don’t think I ever really have. I am pretty sure I never have because I think they could actually do the opposite of the intention, which is successful completion of a task of some sort.

The weekend before the end of the year I was at home and thinking to myself that I wanted to write more on both the blogs I write, and then the ‘resolution’ self talk happened, “I am going to start on January 1st”. Buzzer sounds, wrong answer.

I didn’t actually write a post on January 1st, but if I would have it would have sounded just like this:

Happy new year everyone! I hope you all had a great night wherever you were and who you were celebrating with. Full honesty out there, I wanted to stay home as I have never liked new years. In younger years, going downtown and freezing your butt off at Nathan Phillip’s Square, to making reservations at restaurants and paying three times the price as if you went the day before or the day after, to paying for an overprice ticket to a banquet hall party with bad buffet food and cheap wine to being sick and home alone on Y2K. Yes, I was home sick on December 31st, 1999.

This year I opted to go to a friends house where a group of friends gathered for a regular group house party. It was loud and crazy and full of kids, adults, pets and more. It was also a pot luck which even had its own Google Doc for organization. Group messaging, and so much more. Exactly what the doctor ordered this year.

In the centre of this island full of food was this stunning charcuterie board. The wood plank came from a tree of the home owners house. Brie, Boursin, Oka OH MY! Fruit, meat, crackers and more. Take a look:

I should have taken a photo of the bar set up, but I was too busy drinking. I had brought all the fixings for a great Caesar bar, but the additional options were plentiful.

Music was a huge part of the night as it should be. Thankful for spotify and queuing up the tunes we had our own karaoke party and who needs words on a screen. We are children of the 80’s we know all the words.

As the clock counted down to the end of 2018 and the start of a new year I was deliberately distracted by the friendship in the room and looking forward to the new year. Change is coming. Soon.

I read something this week that talked about when do you stop saying happy new year. I am going to say this year it is today – January 11th.

Happy new year to all of you who read along on my journey. I am grateful to you and wish you the best for your year.

Live your best life,

Lisa

December 31st, 2018 – 365 days have passed, 525, 600 minutes as the song I love goes. How do you measure a year in life. I summed up my year a few weeks ago with my Dear 2018 Post. If you didn’t read it and would like to,  you can read it here.

A few people have said this to me over the past five months and I think it holds true. “So far you have survived 100% of your worst days. You are doing great.”

The break from work was well needed, but also a struggle. A lot of memories from this time last year crept their way into my days. I spent a few days cooking and having people over and then I spent a few days of solitude. I even turned the radio and tv off and spent time in the silence of my apartment.

I wanted to take the last bit of this day to express deep gratitude. For the friends that brought food when I wasn’t eating. For the friends that called, emailed, texted, messaged. For the hours and hours on my couch just listening and shaking our heads and saying, how can this be.  For the family knew that sometimes there just isn’t anything you can say or do to make the pain stop. To the many other people in my life that lost people they loved this year. What a challenge for all of us.

Tomorrow is the start of a new 365 page book. What stories will fill the pages, no one knows. I hope it is filled with great new adventures, travel, friendship love and most of all great food.

Wishing all of you a happy new year. Tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone so let’s make each day count.

Live your best life,

Lisa