Experience Friday. From Toronto.

Hi All,

So last week didn’t happen because well I was taking a vacation from life while I visited my 2 amazing and beautiful best friends in Toronto for the weekend. So here is what I learned:

Second Year Comes with Higher Expectations

For any first years who are reading this; be prepared. It is not all sunshine and rainbows. More is expected and you have to up your game to stay with it. I worked a lot a head so I didn’t have to think while I was away and I thought I would be totally fine… For the most part I was but missing even one class felt like I was a month behind and I even read the lectures!

Make Your Plan with Room

When I was making out my weekly plan last Sunday night to make sure I would have everything done and ready to go on time, I gave myself a buffer day. I planned to have a week and a half’s worth of work done in 3 days. It was the best thing I ever did. Aiming to have everything done and ready to be handed in Wednesday by 5 meant that when life happened and something was going to have to wait, I wasn’t left freaking out and panicking.

Sometimes You Just Really Need a Break

Life can suck sometimes and it can leave you grasping for air. The air I was grasping for was space from my real life and spending time with my friends. This allowed me to forget everything that was going on and just be me for a little while.

Taylor Swift is a Goddess

If I need to explain this… well… just no.

Sometimes You don’t Need the Support You Think You do

Last week I received an award for Academic Excellence in my first year at SLC. For me, that was a very proud moment and I thought that I would need Skipper there. Turns out the military life got in the way and Skipper couldn’t come. As much as I hate to admit this, I did just fine on my own. Skipper if you are reading this I am still upset.

-M

And now a note from Skipper:

She’s wasn’t lying, it took a large amount of chocolate to quell this storm – Shout out to spin desserts in Kingston!

Humpday Fun!

Well its actually lets be jealous of my super awesome vacation day! You are welcome, internet!!

I am just so funny!

Anyway! My family and I took 10 days and visited a few beautiful places including Canada’s little red rock, Prince Edward Island! Other stops included Old Quebec City and Moncton, New Brunswick. The point of this holiday was to just get a way for a little while and to see apart of this beautiful country that we had not. And trust me beautiful does not do it justice. It is an absolutely perfect little island. I loved every moment of it.

Sadly, Skipper was still off in BC for training and couldn’t make it out with us. Yes I know it is all horribly sad and I missed him very very much the whole time we were there!

The whole trip was spectacular but traveling through 4 provinces that are vastly different really gives you perspective and well the ability to look at how marketing is very different depending on the region. I noticed this huge difference in Quebec the most. Aside from 99.9% of the ads being in only french the one thing that was very different was the style of them. At least where I was in Quebec City. Everything was very editorial and high fashion. I didn’t see very many ads featuring everyday normal people wearing normal clothes. Many of these ads looked like they came out of The Capital from The Hunger Games if I am being 100% honest.

It was weird to see. Growing up out west meant that I am very use to John Deer ads and others for crop fertilizer and other boy like beer ads that came on during the CFL games. So that meant that the whole high fashion ads were a little out of my ordinary. This really completed my whole European vacation in Canada experience.

Sadly I wasn’t in beautiful New Brunswick long enough to see any of their ads. We stayed on the Trans Canada highway the whole way through which made for some amazing sites but sadly, no billboards.

Now once we were in PEI the one that I noticed was their lack of outdoor advertising done in several traditional methods that us City kids are use to. Even in Charlottetown. Yes there were transit ads and I am sure the inside of their super cute trolly style buses are decked out with the standard public transit ads. But there were no billboards that I saw. Everything there is very low key and relax. I get the feeling they are more interested in being outside experiencing life than staring at advertisements that block the view.

Like I said I loved every second I spent on Canada’s beautiful red island and I truly cannot wait until I am back. From the peaceful waves of the ocean to the rich history and culture I will always miss my visit. My travels to the island helped me reconnect with myself but it also reminded me why I am so blessed to live in the amazing country I do. Canada will always be my home and my favourite place in the world to be so thank you Prince Edward Island for reminding me that I am so fortunate to be able to call this stunning place home.