Making the leap!

So far 2014 has been a year of change, so what's one more?

As of Thanksgiving I am done working at Wascana Centre Authority. It has been a good and challenging three years. I have grown immensely through this job and done things I know I couldn't have handled even five years ago, which is quite amazing when you think about it. I have been stretched to capacity; I have had some great opportunities, and now it's time to make the leap and jump into the unknown.

Mark Twain once said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, and catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” With this in mind, I am beginning my own business - Prairie Girl Websites & More - creating and maintaining information-based websites and administering social media platforms for small to medium-sized businesses and organizations.

Although I have done this type of work occasionally for years, this will be quite a leap of faith to do it full-time and to run my own business. I know I can do it, but it will certainly be a challenge. God is in this change and I'm certain He will use it to continue to grow and stretch and teach me. It's just like Him to take me completely out of my element and then show me His faithfulness!

It's 2 months 'til my birthday and time for an update!

So far this year I've been able to cross off seven items, and I hope to get a few more done before I turn 41 in just two months time. I wonder which item is next???

The '40 Things & More' List!

1. Go snowshoeing.
2. Serve a meal in a soup kitchen.
3. Eat something I've never tried before.
4. Visit a town in Saskatchewan that I've never been to before.
5. Plan my dream 40th birthday trip.
6. Start running again.
7. Visit a US state I haven't been to before.
8. Read a classic novel.
9. Create and complete a scrapbook for one of the trips I've taken in my 30s.
10. Do up a will.
11. Complete one of my cross-stitch projects.
12. Go kayaking.
13. Get my website business off the ground.
14. Take a self-defense class/course.
15. Go horseback riding.
16. Visit a museum or historic site in Saskatchewan that I haven't been to before.
17. Give blood regularly.
18. Attend a Victorian Tea.
19. Ride my bike in the city.
20. Stop and smell the flowers at a garden I haven't been to before.
21. Try an activity that's new to me.
22. Walk a portion of the Trans Canada Trail that I haven't been on before.
23. Learn more about my family history.
24. Visit a park in Regina I haven't been to before.
25. Participate in a fundraiser that involves a physical activity.
26. Simplify some area of my life that needs simplifying.
27. Learn how to change a tire on a vehicle.
28. Explore Regina's backyard - see what's just outside the city limits.
29. Learn more about Canadian history.
30. Visit a natural site in Saskatchewan I haven't been to before.
31. Learn to play the guitar.
32. Visit a Canadian National Park I haven't been to before.
33. Climb Wascana Hill in Douglas Park and watch a sunset.
34. Visit the observatory at the Science Centre.
35. Attend Mosaic - a multicultural festival held annually.
36. Play my first solo concert on the bells.
37. Attend an outdoor movie event.
38. Go fly a kite!
39. Play a mini golf course I haven't been on before.
40. Go on dream 40th birthday trip!
41. Attend a Regina Red Sox baseball game.
42. Visit Saskatchewan's only lighthouse.
43. Run a 5K.
44. Visit the Great Sandhills in Saskatchewan.
45. Visit a Canadian province or territory I haven't been to before.
46. Attend the annual kite festival in Swift Current.
47. Visit a major US city I haven't been to before.
48. Watch a sunrise.
49. Try another activity that's new to me.
50. It's a surprise (even to me!) - I'll know it when the opportunity presents itself.

#48 - Watch a sunrise

Thanks to a move earlier this year, I now face east and have the opportunity to watch the sunrises from my balcony each day. If not for this fact, good old #48 would have been a much harder task for me to do, especially in the summer!

For some reason, I was up much earlier than I planned to be today, but I was rewarded with the chance to view a very lovely sunrise. What a beautiful way to start the day. :)

#16 - Visit a museum or historic site in Saskatchewan that I haven't been to before

In late August I decided to take a little road trip. Indian Head is located just an hour east of Regina on Highway 1 and it is the home of the historic Bell Barn.

The Bell Barn had fallen into a state of disrepair over the years and it had gotten to the point where the historic building would need to be torn down. Fortunately, a group of concerned citizens came together to form the Bell Barn Society and began raising funds for the barn's restoration.

The needed funds were raised, and in 2008 the barn was taken apart one stone at a time and rebuilt one stone at a time. The project was completed - the barn was restored in 2010 and a grand opening was held.

Since that time people from all over the world have come to see this unique barn. It hosts its fair share of school groups and the upper level is often used for barn dances.

The Historic Bell Barn is really quite a sight to see, and I'm glad I took the time to stop by and check it out. You should too!

#41 - Attend a Regina Red Sox baseball game

Attending a Regina Red Sox game had been in my original '40 Things' list last year, but the season ended before I realized it had and the home team didn't make it into the playoffs. I then struck this item from the list because I still naively thought I could do all '40 Things' in one year. Yes, ha-ha-ha.

Anyway, when I decided to continue my list for the upcoming year and add a few bonus items to the list, this item made it back on. But would you believe I just about missed my opportunity to see a game again this year? If the Red Sox hadn't made it to the post-season this year, I would have been out of luck once again!

Fast forward to a very warm summer evening in August and I finally made it to a game! I had hoped to be joined by a baseball-loving female friend, but it wasn't to be.

Although I was glad I had finally made it to a game, I was disappointed that I didn't enjoy the experience more. Why? I'm not sure... probably a number of reasons, but none of them matters very much now. What did I learn? Most things are more fun to experience with a friend or a loved one.

#45 - Visit a Canadian province or territory I haven't been to before

Now this was a hard one as I've been as far west as I can go in Canada and have been as far east as Ottawa, Ontario. That only leaves the northern territories and eastern Canada (Quebec and the Maritime provinces) left to visit - and they are not close by! Fortunately, a dream of a plan (and trip!) came together last minute this summer.

My friend Melinda and I had talked of driving up to Alaska in the summer, but when I began researching it and truly learned how far away Alaska was and how long it would take us to drive there by car, we put it off.

Then in the spring the notion of an Alaskan cruise came to mind. It was an odd thought mostly because Melinda had told me in the past she would never consider a cruise. I filed the thought away with a quick prayer that went something like this, "God, if you want us to see Alaska this summer and a cruise is the method, you're going to have to win Melinda over on the cruise idea." Just a couple of weeks later, Melinda came over to my place for a visit - and she pulled out a brochure for an Alaskan cruise! I'm pretty sure I whooped with joy and said, "Really?" Real it was!

To make a long story short, we tried to find and book something that would work within our small window of opportunity, but weren't having much success. Then we found Audra - an amazing travel consultant - who searched and searched and finally found us the perfect cruise within our time frame.

One of the most exciting opportunities for me was the option to take a day trip into the Yukon from our stop in Skagway at the northern part of the Inside Passage. Sign me up!

We had a beautiful day for our bus ride from Skagway, Alaska through a bit of northern British Columbia (BC) and into the Yukon territory. Here was our first stop - the customary get-a-picture-with-the-sign-to-prove-you-were-really-there stop!

Our visit to the Yukon included stops at a tourist-type village for lunch, at the town of Carcross, and at the very beautiful Emerald Lake.

The return trip was by bus to Fraser, BC and then by train through the mountains from Fraser back to Skagway - something else I've always wanted to do: take a train ride through the mountains!

It was a most delightful trip from beginning to end - I only wish it would have been a bit longer. I'll just have to go back someday...

#4 - Visit a town in Saskatchewan that I've never been to before

On my way back home from Edmonton, I decided to take the scenic route so I could see some new territory.

On Highway 16 between Lloydminster and the Battlefords, I turned south on Highway 21 and headed to Unity. This was a little place I knew nothing about except that my aunt had worked in the bank there for a time. I was surprised that it was such a picturesque drive - there were lush green, rolling hills and beautiful views as I made my way to this small town.

On the outskirts of Unity was a heritage museum. I ended up stopping here for a lunch break and then strolled around the grounds before getting back on the road again. I was impressed by the number of buildings on the museum grounds and know I need to return one day to give it a much more thorough tour.

On my way out of Unity I was very surprised to pass by the Sifto Salt Plant. I had no idea this even existed in Saskatchewan and here it was pretty much in the middle of nowhere!

From Unity I headed east to on Highway 14 to Wilkie and then southeast to Biggar, Saskatchewan.

Wilkie was a pretty little town and again one I'd like to stop in and see a bit more of sometime. I was impressed that it's history was well preserved in old buildings and a museum right in the middle of town. It was also very tidy/well kept town and had a very interesting-looking church I'd like to explore.

 

Next up was Biggar. This was what I really wanted to see! Having been involved in the swimming club as a child, Biggar was one of the towns we competed with at swim meets. We always heard their slogan, "New York is big, but this is Biggar!" and I wanted to see it and the town myself.

After traveling through two very small places I was surprised at how big a town Biggar was. This is another place I need to spend more time in. I drove around the town a bit and found what I was looking for... tada!

I also found the Biggar museum which just happened to have a small gift shop, and I bought myself a postcard with the infamous saying on it. Task complete. Now I'll just have to plan an entire trip around these three Saskatchewan towns so I can investigate them further...

This scenic detour on an otherwise typical drive was enjoyable, interesting and surprising. You just never know what you may find or learn about a place. My goal is to do a bit more of this - take the detours and enjoy the surprises!