Spring Into Change

Seasons change and so do we!  In the spring of this year, the perfect opportunity came about to do something new, something brave and something I have been plotting for much of my adult life.  In a matter of one month, I moved me and my 2 young boys from the small east coast city of Moncton to the outskirts of the largest city in Canada, Toronto.  A new beginning. As much as I love nature and the outdoors, I’ve always considered myself a city girl first.  In my travels I’ve spent time in most of the major Canadian cities and had multiple love affairs with Manhattan. Since moving, I returned to work from my maternity leave and began commuting a few days a week to the downtown core, right where the financial and entertainment districts meet.

There is an energy in the city that runs through my veins and makes me feel alive.  I love navigating about the crowds of people on the sidewalks.  I love the diversity…seeing people from every culture and background immersed in the same space.  The food…oh my goodness the food!  Having Schwarma on every corner is absolute heaven!  I love the sound of the tram rumbling down the tracks, the bicycle bells and car horns a-blazing.  I love looking up into the sea of skyscrapers, appreciating the architecture and photographing the city-scapes.  The endless opportunities for exploration is so inspiring and uncovering the hidden gems among the masses makes my heart skip a beat.

As much as I soak up my time in the metropolis, at the end of my work day I make my hour long commute on the train back to a quiet suburb of 40,000 in which I am now proud to call home.  My new town has lots of parks and green space, good schools, a variety of facilities for the kids and a strong sense of community.  It is a quiet town with little traffic so you can attend sporting events and festivals with ease.  You can get in and out of the grocery store quickly and any place you might need to go, is no more than 15 minutes away.  This kind of living is reminiscent of home and has made the transition a little easier for my family.

With two seasons passed, I look back at all we have been through and how much work it was to execute an inter-provincial move with two small children.  Now that we are settled into our new life and have established our routines, I feel like we have blossomed and I am inspired to write again.  As the seasons continue to change, I look forward to sharing some of the important lessons I’ve learned along the way, but remember…you can take the girl out of the east coast but you cant take the east coast out of the girl!