2019-06-10 04:30
It's been circling in my head and I haven't wanted to acknowledge it. I haven't wanted to let it be there. I haven't wanted to write about it, but I don't think there are many that read this… Read More
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Just Nb Blog
nb-in-mg.blogspot.com
Thanks for visiting! I started this blog in 2009 to keep in touch with family and friends while I worked in Madagascar for four years. I was blessed to have amazing and life changing experiences, travel the world, and fall in love, in more ways than one. I followed my heart and ended back up in Quebec and am still trying to adapt to life here.
It all sounds crazy to me now, but I continue to write about day-to-day life, and how I sometimes struggle through life's challenges - big or small.
2019-05-31 16:45
About a month ago, I came hours early to my physio appointment to write. I wanted to write about what's been going on. I have a project going on the back burner, about my the highs and lows… Read More
2019-05-29 22:03
I haven't written in so long and it's been calling me. I've started a blog post here and there and I've written a few about my trip, and I have to, this last trip was pivotal in my journey t… Read More
2019-04-17 19:23
I’m not sure how many people even read this thing anymore...but I’d like to help a very dedicated and talented young woman that was once in my daily life....and someone that I st… Read More
2019-04-17 00:56
I’ve been sorting through the memories of my trip…it’s unbelievable the experiences that I went through. I had no idea how strong I was. I slept on a thin mat on the… Read More
2019-04-11 13:02
Quit Edit: I’m in Amsterdam Central. So at least I made it out.I knew the camping trip wasn't going to be a luxury day at the spa...but I wasn't prepared for how it would effect my...w… Read More
2019-04-09 17:04
On day 12 (it still feels surreal to say that…I can’t believe there is a day 12 of 21…and that day 21 is over), we visited an area called Damaraland, where the Damara peo… Read More
2019-04-08 09:49
Wow. Remember when I used to travel and blog daily or every second day about all my adventures? Yeah. I can’t even imagine doing every three or four or five days with this trip. This t… Read More
2019-04-07 10:26
The last two days of my camping trip I completely shut down. I got caught up in trying to fit in, getting frustrated that I didn’t feel like drinking, socializing, or partying...&… Read More
2019-03-23 14:38
Friday March 22, 1:11pmYesterday was a very special day. We left the Lando at camp and ventured off in a safari Jeep. The breeze was welcomed as we had been baking in the sun for six straigh… Read More
2019-03-20 12:11
Just going to take a shower. Things I see: the dark.Things I hear: the noise from the bar, crickets, a small land animal like a squirrel that I can’t remember the name of, a few o… Read More
2019-03-20 12:10
Tuesday, March 19th, 9:42amDon’t have a clue. If you would have asked me last night, the answer would have been a hard no. Overheated, a bit dehydrated (the day before, in two hours, I… Read More
2019-03-20 12:01
I’m worried I’m not going to make it through the final trip. I have heat rash on my feet, I find it nearly impossible to sleep in the ground, and I’m older than all of the… Read More
2019-03-18 10:55
BlogMarch 18 730 am“It is a blessed day for a visit for to the falls.” Says one of the countless locals, selling tours, trips, souvenirs, or simply asking to escort me to wh… Read More
2019-03-16 18:17
Take away from our meet and greet with the group today: please give the driver 10-15minutes notice if you need to do a bushy-bushy.I am exhausted. Will eat supper & crash in my own tent… Read More
2019-03-16 12:43
Alright, so I've spent two nights in Zimbabwe and it's been veryyyy nice. Granted, I slept a lot, but this hotel or safari lodge or whatever it's meant to be called has been quite nice, desp… Read More
2019-03-14 19:09
*Written March 13th, 13h00*Currently en route to Johannesburg via Amsterdam. Amsterdam was a rude reminder of some of the different stages that I can go through during long distance travel.T… Read More
2019-03-11 02:50
I haven't been blogging lately because I've just been exhausted. This trip to Edmonton started out as what I thought would be a two week visit to get myself reacquainted here (I thought I wo… Read More
2019-03-06 18:32
The next morning on the Africa trip, we wake up and head into our Lando and drive five hours or so as we make our way to the Okavango Delta. I had been here again in 2010, but wow, it was fu… Read More
2019-03-05 21:06
I'm certainly going through a different and new phase of the breakup. Many sources call it different things, but this site described it bang on:Thankfully, I live with my cousin and his sign… Read More
2019-02-25 19:06
After a year or so of blogging, I was all about the Googly Analytics, checking out who was reading my blog and in which countries. Now...I write what I write...and don't really check (or car… Read More
2019-02-19 23:32
I’ve always been scared of anger.Never sure what to do with it...and thought of it as kind of a wasted emotion....But it’s here.Part of me feels like I shouldn’t have any b… Read More
2019-02-14 21:55
I've been married once before...so shouldn't I kind of know how to handle this heartbreak thing? This relocating to Alberta? It should seem somewhat familiar...right?No. Everything but famil… Read More
2019-02-13 03:04
First, I have to clarify, in my previous post - my ex didn't tell me to get over it, he told me, in so many words, to get it together. I call him...at times when I'm not ok...and when we hav… Read More
2019-02-11 17:49
I knew that starting over would be difficult....but I didn't know that finding a place would cause such emotion....I didn't know that the Edmonton job market would be so difficult, and I did… Read More
2019-02-11 01:37
I did that from sunup to sundown today.I have a place to stay.I'll figure out a place to live when I get back from my three week long trip. I'll be camping. I was totally convinced that I ne… Read More
2019-02-10 16:37
I spent my first two weeks here at one of my closest friend's house. I really like his wife and he also has two kids - two and four. Cleaning, laundry, and organizing was my therapy, but aft… Read More
2019-02-09 04:39
I know most certainly I’ll feel better, happier, settled and build a life for myself.In theory, that my heart and soul and being will heal...but I just can’t ever imagine it. Thi… Read More
2019-02-08 19:48
I'm thinking of taking a big trip.A kind of "life-changing" trip. There are two that I'm playing with. And it looks like...my ex will be contributing in some sort of way. (Or else, let's fac… Read More
2019-02-04 04:36
A four-year old just sang me happy birthday.I started the day with the intention to be grateful. Grateful because not everyone gets to grow old. Not everyone gets to grow old, or at least to… Read More
2019-02-03 03:31
I started a new blog that will most likely get more attention than this one.It's a bit tragic...but life is nothing but tragic at times.And things could be worse, and yes, I count my blessin… Read More
2019-02-03 03:29
I don’t need a new or separate blog to talk about my hardest year. I’ve had…several “hardest years”…and I’ve somehow managed to survive all of the… Read More
2019-02-03 03:28
Some moments it hurts to breathe.Leaving tomorrow for my “home” town...the sadness of leaving is becoming more and more crushing as the hours approach.I keep telling myself to qu… Read More
2019-02-03 03:27
Things haven't been feeling normal. I had been chalking it up to work stress. It's that end-of-the-year time that can make everyone feel a little too much pressure...I'm insecure in nature… Read More
2019-02-03 03:26
If Wednesday was Day 1, then today makes it Day 4.Day 1: My Happily Ever After came home and told me that he no longer wanted a relationship. He loved me, he thinks I'm the best person in th… Read More
2019-01-21 18:09
I’m supposed to be studying. Or applying for jobs. Or being some kind of productive. But all the rooms of the house are so blindingly white from all of the snow received this weekend… Read More
2019-01-04 18:26
I'm ready for the holidays to be over.Shortly before the holidays, I was lucky enough to take an amazing vacation with Ashby, but when we returned, I had some sort of virus that left me with… Read More
2018-12-28 15:29
Typically, December, especially when I am not spending Christmas in Alberta, is not the easiest part of my year.Tonight, Ashby is working extra, extra late, and I have had an emotionally rou… Read More
2018-12-17 15:22
Life sometimes feels so slow....other times it feels so busy, so instead of trying to catch up, I'll write when I can and fill in the bits and pieces when I can. I met all of my in-laws… Read More
2018-11-09 00:14
I won't even elaborate on my last post because I don't want to think about it. I have a plan and it's not the end of the world, and let's just move on.While I've been on my studying sabbatic… Read More
2018-10-30 16:26
I have been in another world for the past...month...or two...or three....or four.I've written how I decided that 2018 was not going to be like any other year....and wow, it certainly wasn't… Read More
2018-09-14 17:47
Today I attended my first Friday morning yoga class with a teacher that I truly adore. I was so happy when I showed up and saw her setting up outside since the weather was so incredibly beau… Read More
2018-09-11 20:09
This song came on today while I was driving and I fell in love with it. It made me think of our first kiss (in the parking lot of a cheesy restaurant about four days after our first date) an… Read More
2018-08-21 14:22
Lately, among other things, I've been frustrated with the memories that pop into my head at the oddest times.Yesterday, I was mowing the lawn, a task that I truly enjoy because I'm outside a… Read More
2018-08-19 14:50
Let this be a reminder to me that no matter how down I get, there's always going to be a break in the clouds...and I'll be able to pick myself up no matter what.Yesterday, I had the most per… Read More
2018-08-16 15:30
Life is attempting to swallow me up. I differed my exam that I was supposed to take this week, simply because I wasn't ready. If I fail the exam, I'm not able to take it for another three mo… Read More
2018-08-02 23:00
I'm studying for an international professional exam - that is three parts. I tried to write the first exam last year but failed miserably. Mainly because:I didn't put in enough study timeI d… Read More
2018-07-31 13:56
Creative blog title, no?My creativity isn't so great lately.. there has been so much going on and I miss documenting it like I used to in the old days.The biggest event is that I am official… Read More
2018-07-11 19:59
Four months ago today, I went on a date that would change my life.It was so unexpected, when my guy asked me out to have coffee I was confused because I thought he was going to talk to me ab… Read More
2018-07-03 21:03
Somehow nearly another month has passed by...the later half involved the mountains This guy Us together a lotAnd me bringing my main squeeze back to Alberta to meet my family.I was… Read More
2018-06-05 13:04
Despite any inner...turmoil (aka overthinking) in my last post, I have to say that almost every morning I wake up with a very full heart.I haven't officially moved (but will be shortly), but… Read More
2018-06-02 17:47
“Giving is virtuous, but so is accepting gifts gratefully.” ~Doe ZantamataI found that quote from this article and I felt like it could have easily be written by me. It's no… Read More
2018-05-17 17:51
This morning I decided I was going to have a "sick day". I've kind of been running around in circles since last Friday, doing my best to relax, but then doing laundry, vacuuming, organizing… Read More
2018-05-14 20:32
Some celebrating happened on Friday and Saturday night (both nights with steak...guess I needed me some red meat!).(Also, side note, the meal below is from Good Foods. Click on this lin… Read More
2018-05-04 16:54
Lately...I’ve had a few…well, ok, more than a few moments. Many moments. Where I ask myself, Is this really my life? Is this…what real happiness feels like? With all… Read More
2018-04-15 17:14
I was prepared to write this long post, about relationships, love, and whatever, but…I’ll keep it simple. Time will tell, but it’s highly probable….that I have met… Read More
2018-03-26 19:13
As I may have written, when I visited Alberta at the end of last year, I really had a lot of time to think. I decided that 2018 would not be a year like the last few. I would not fight so ha… Read More
2018-03-16 14:47
2018-02-14 18:24
Hmmm....how to start this without sounding like a crazy.Well....I've always been...sensitive. Emotional. Unpredictable. My feelings are strong be uplifting like an air balloon ride or drown… Read More
2018-02-13 19:19
Hey there. Rememeber me? I used to the girl with a jet setting life, travelling the globe… then adjusting to life in another province – which may as well be another country, and… Read More
2017-12-03 00:14
Still no passport, but I'm studying for an exam (on Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and then I'll take care of things. My mom's partner even offered to pay for it (which I gratefully… Read More
2017-11-21 16:47
This face says it all. (Don't you love when you act like a 101 year old with your cell phone and end up taking a picture of yourself instead of what's in front of you?).I am tired, tired, ti… Read More
2017-10-14 15:42
Not even sure I was back to Canadian resident status... came back after a very impromtu vacation to Morocco and the Canary Islands. I had planned on staying in Tennerife....but after a huge… Read More
2017-10-08 17:33
Wow, two posts in as many days!It's Thanksgiving weekend and I have zero plans and I'm not too terribly concerned... For me, Thanksgiving exists in Edmonton and nowhere else.BUT, my Edmonton… Read More
2017-10-07 15:02
Last week a friend sent me a few questions about some tourist spots in Madagscar because a friend of his is going there. I did a Google search...and then went through my blog and found the b… Read More
2017-09-05 20:40
Sunday's Goat Post left me with this surreal feeling....like, am I really living in this big city...essentially alone... in a...job that isn't terribly exciting (but stable....and I'm all ab… Read More
2017-09-04 15:25
I am plagued....or blessed with the occasional urge to just be a complete idiot and do something fun, original, and unplanned. Although this specific event required a little bit of planning… Read More
2017-08-23 15:08
I've been kind of a mess....or can we just say that I stay in a mess state - but with varying degrees?Someone I love very much is starting chemotherapy and radiation treatment today. I tried… Read More
2017-08-10 14:18
I started my new job in Madagascar, EIGHT YEARS ago today.You can read about it here ....but there wasn't much to say. I was in shock.I remember everything so clearly....I thought I had an i… Read More
2017-07-16 21:46
"Explore Montreal" has been on my To-Do List...for far too long. Last summer, just when things started to get good, I hurt my leg and was on crutches, and then off-crutches, I couldn't walk… Read More
2017-07-15 16:43
I’m sure it’s come up a time or two that I haven’t met any “true” friends here. I’ve met some people that I hang around with….a friend that I keep… Read More
2017-07-11 23:55
I'm really excited to share how I've been eating the last four-ish weeks.I've been able to able to start a low carbohydrate, medium protein, high fat diet. It's not a "diet" per se, it… Read More
2017-07-08 14:10
I can't decide if I should write the long version or the short version.Ok, short version since I just deleted ten paragraphs of the long version and am making a second attempt at this.I boug… Read More
2017-03-19 12:28
Tomorrow is a Monday (or already is a Monday depending on where you are in the world), and for about a month now, I've been doing weekly Monday posts on Facebook regarding Mental Health. It… Read More
2017-03-18 03:33
Well, so much has happened since I last wrote…A snowstorm (like a serious one). And yes, snowstorms happen back in the “country” back where I’m y’all from y&rs&hell…Read More
2017-02-25 17:13
It hasn't been that long since my last post of snow-mageddon (like Armageddon....but with snow? 😀😀)But what an eventful couple of weeks. My car cost $1400 in repairs, I… Read More
2017-02-15 14:52
Well, yesterday, I was complaining, shall we say, about the snow removal process in Montreal.And, seriously, thank you thank you thank you WORLD for this man in my life, that offered to leav… Read More
2017-02-14 17:20
So, Montreal has this OBSESSION about snow removal. Back where I come from (said in a red-neck old man accent), the major streets get cleared as they get cleared. The side streets....don't o… Read More
2017-02-13 03:31
Well, aren't I the Chatty Kathy these days....Today, I had another choir concert. It was less formal and was at a geriatric center. It's called that. A "geriatric center". I don't know if I'… Read More
2017-02-11 17:05
In another lifetime, we stood in front of all of our closest friends, our adopted family, and God and promised to be together until death do us part.I wore a $10 dress I bought in Hawaii… Read More
2017-02-09 22:36
I must, I must, I REPEAT, I MUST develop a new blog site for the stuff that's going on in my life now. I often don't write in this blog....because the people that read it...aren't the people… Read More
2017-02-06 21:53
I've has a pretty busy couple of weeks here, but I can't complain.I have a half written post written about last weekend's activities, that made a huge impact in my life (and hopefully with m… Read More
2017-01-22 02:02
Maybe you've heard Bell Canada's adds on the radio or television about "speaking out" regarding mental illness.Bell has been one of the few companies to be so public with raising awareness w… Read More
2016-12-11 18:38
Last week I was not in a good place. I was filled with worry and angst…unsure of myself and uncertain about the future. Trying not to go back and count all the mistakes I made of made… Read More
2016-12-05 04:06
After a very, very disappointing wait, I found out that I didn't get the job that I'm perfectly suited for. Also, my aunt's husband passed away the week before. Also, I'm getting very discou… Read More
2016-11-27 15:40
Forgive me, it's been a month and ten days since my last blog post.....But, I've been active on other areas of social media...Facebook, Instagram.....I just haven't felt like sitting down an… Read More
2016-10-17 03:47
Well, I've started my 22 day tour..First starting in Vancouver, then Edmonton, then Hawaii, then back to Edmonton.I hadn't been to Vancouver in YEARS and couldn't decide what to do based on… Read More
2016-10-11 01:05
Wow, I think I was on an Adele high after my last post. I'm still singing her songs and so thankful that I hung out with these four great chicks.But today it kind of makes me sad that I don'… Read More
2016-10-02 03:21
It's just after 11pm and I'm waiting for the subway.The ticket machines are broken & I've had a glass or two of champers....so I hopped the gate (no idea that I physically could hop the… Read More
2016-09-22 04:42
The family of four might not be a thing...but I have a pretty cute/funny/loving consolation prize until I get on that family building stuff.She never puts up a fuss no matter where I take he… Read More
2016-09-18 03:40
Sad post ahead....There has been a lot of progress on my beat up body this week....but I'm still not able to walk very long without pain and my mouth is still not back to normal after my sur… Read More
2016-09-11 03:16
Wow! I just looked back at the photo I published last week of my face. I'm looking A LOT better. Most people that don't know that I had my dental surgery can't even tell that anything is dif… Read More
2016-09-03 02:35
This summer....just keeps getting better and better....Just before I fell, I had an emergency dentist because I had some weird pain. It turned out that there was an infection in the space ab… Read More
2016-08-29 02:54
Well, the big boot cast is finally off. I have some kind of fancy pants tape on my ankle that is supposed to help the inside injury to recover in six weeks. I'm supposed to be able to use a… Read More
2016-08-22 23:28
If you should ever find yourself in Montreal, please visit L'Artisan (address on the photo below). It was less than one block from my first Montreal apartment and it might just be the best b… Read More
2016-08-20 23:39
Well, I passed the three week mark since Stairgate 2016 and I've been surviving. THANKFULLY, my mom came to visit me from Vancouver and has been here with me for the past week. She leaves to… Read More
2016-08-10 19:27
Well a week and a half later from my fall down the stairs and life is sort of starting to normalize. Groceries get delivered, the neighbour girl walks the dog in the morning, the dog walker… Read More
2016-08-10 01:42
I need to write a post about what life is like on high doses of codeine....and how I'm healing from my ridiculously fortunate fall...and what life is like on crutches and a wheelchair...but… Read More
2016-08-07 01:51
Stairgate 2016 leaves me A LOT of time to think.While marriage is clearly not for me (& I've never really wanted a wedding, thus the Madagascar impromptu one that was pretty freaking awe… Read More
2016-07-31 01:44
I finished my workout around 8pm yesterday - what I like to call the "Elephant Ballet" because I have old hardwood floors and I don't have a workout mat yet so I'm pretty sure my downstairs… Read More
