The List

For those of you who know me well you know I am pretty organised. I wouldn't say my house is the cleanest or my drawers are the tidiest but I do like to plan out things in great detail. I almost always have a back up plan and go to great lengths to analyse any possible situations or outcomes based on my decisions. I am a thinker, an analyser and a total stress head, so it's only natural that after the initial shock of living in a new country I would develop a list of things I would like to experience while here.

D & I are in the midst of figuring out our plans for the future - ie when will we go back to Australia, what will we do there, where will we live etc. This has obviously been brought on by my constant need to know what my next step is - it hasn't always been in the right direction either, I am constantly side stepping but despite feeling like I was standing still for a long time I like to think I haven't gone backwards many times.

Anyhow, back to the point, I am a planner by nature and I like to have a clear picture in my mind of what is on the cards for me. I'm not saying one or two years in Canada will give me all the answers that 26 years in Australia couldn't give me, but I see this as a good opportunity to see and do as much as I can in a short amount of time. This list isn't Canada exclusive and it's not in order... I might also add more things as I think of them but this is the list so far (a few things have already been completed)...


My List

• Get a job - I don't care what I do as long as i'm working to pay for the experiences I want to have.
• Rent a place by ourselves - after living at home for over 2 years we are ready for independence.
• Obtain drivers license and get a car - I'm trying to find a way around surrendering our Aussie licences but we definitely want a car to explore our surroundings.
• Learn a new skill/hobby to take home with me - I don't really have any interests other than organising holidays which are temporary highs followed by long drawn out lows of reality. I'm very fickle and set out with good intentions but find it hard to stick to anything (apart from D) I'd love to find a passion.
• See an NHL game (ice hockey) - I just wanna see some body-checks and hot men with no teeth!
• Experience dog sledding - I miss my dog (otherwise knows as my son) so much I can't explain it. I would love to spend some time with the sled dogs of Canada - even though I will probably cry...
• Go to the Calgary Stampede - When we live 15 mins from Calgary this would be a stupid thing to leave off the list, after all it's described as 'The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth'.
• See Banff & Jasper NP - 2 of the most famous parks in the world it would be a crime to come to Canada & not go there, especially since they are both in Alberta.
• Photograph the Northern Lights - I'm not sure what our chances are of this as it isn't something I can control (drives me NUTS BTW) and we are quite far south in terms of where the Aurora Borealis is usually visible, but who knows we may get lucky here, or take a drive further North but who knows what the weather will be doing.
• Dig for fossils in Drumheller - it's a dinosaur graveyard, can't get much cooler than that.
• See a real prairie sunset - I mean no mountains, no hills, just flat as far as the eye can see in every direction, don't care where just wanna see it!
• View Mt McKinley in Denali NP - D & I have a slight obsession with National Parks and mountains, I would love to see the highest peak on the continent in one of the true wildernesses left on Earth - Alaska, but apparently constant cloud cover makes this difficult, we will see!
• Encounter a bear or a moose or both in the wild - Again not something I can control... D has seen both and i'm jealous.
• Go to the East Coast of Canada & USA inc Niagara Falls - Both times we have been to the states, and now living in Canada we are on/near the west coast. While we are here I would LOVE to see the other side of the continent.
• Visit Vancouver & Victoria - My old boss said that Victoria (not the Aussie version) is one of the most amazing places he had ever been. For someone as well traveled as he was that is saying something, so I wanna go see what all the fuss is about.
• Witness the geothermal wonders of Yellowstone NP - for YEARS D and I have been dreaming of going to the world's first national park, and unfortunately it has always been just out of reach due to it's remoteness and the fact it's frozen solid for over 6 months of the year. We now live a 10 hr drive from there and we are GOING to visit!
• Spend a Canadian winter somewhere in Mexico - Apparently this is the thing to do to escape the severe cold, i'm so there :)
• Be content and live in the moment - sounds easy but for a person like me who is never satisfied and lives in the future this is probably the hardest one of the whole list