The Beginning

So I guess I'm a blogger now...hmm, never thought I would ever be saying/writing those words. But yes, a couple of months ago I started to get the urge to write my own blog and that urge just wouldn't go away. Then these little 'signs' kept appearing in my life, like watching the movie "Julie & Julia" on TV one night (didn't love the movie, but I did like the concept behind it) and I started to seriously consider the idea. Everyday more writing ideas would pop into my head, usually while I was trying to catch a few z's or in the shower (I do some of my best thinking in the shower as is reflected in our water bill - eek!). Until finally I decided to take the plunge and here I am. 

Of course taking all of the ideas in my head of exactly how I wanted my blog site to look and making them into reality has proven to be a difficult task for someone as computer geekly challenged as myself. So, begrudgingly, I am checking my perfectionist's hat at the door (for now) and admitting that this is a blog in the making. I guess it is akin to a fish swimming in very shallow water, I may flop around for a little while, but eventually I will get into deeper water and start swimming and after that the ocean's the limit!

So why blog?

Well...when I was a little girl, the only thing I knew for sure I wanted to be when I grew-up was a mother. Fast forward to the present and I have accomplished that (twice) and I'm left thinking, okay, now what? 

And don't get me wrong - I ADORE my kids! Sometimes though, being a stay-at-home-mom can be kinda lonely. Throw in the fact that my hubby is away so much with his job and his paid 'hobby' (a.k.a. being an international assistant soccer referee) and suddenly life isn't looking so great. It has gotten so bad that when Joe is away I go into 'survival' mode - basically I wake up and just try to get through the day (without totally losing my sanity) and then do it all over again the next day, and the next, until he gets home. But really, who wants to live like that??

I don't.

Especially when I know that things aren't going to change for at least the next 10 years. This year alone my hubby has been gone for about 109 days out of 286 days (and that doesn't count the nights where he has to go back into the office to finish what he didn't get done). The longest stretch he was away at one time was 35 days and I felt like I barely survived it. After that stint I gained a whole new appreciation for those with spouses in the military who are deployed overseas for numerous months at a time - I have no idea how they make it through that long! (I have an enormous amount of respect for single parents as well) I would also like to give a small shout out to skype (what did we do before video chatting??)

So here is the dilemma I was faced with: an insanely busy husband, two kids who are at least 15 years too young to be considered self-sufficient, and a burning desire to find a way to be happy despite myself.

Solution: "Ramblings of a (Canadian) Redhead" is born! Of course, I knew I couldn't just sit around and write about life, I had to DO something! So, drum roll (this is the part where you make drum noises while pretending to air drum with your hands - hey, I don't have a big budget...yet!)

I have decided that starting on November 1st, I am going to attempt to do something NEW every week and then blog about it (insert oohs and aahhs here). Yes, too often I have found myself stuck in the humdrum of my daily routines and it is time to shake things up a bit! Now, this does not mean that I will be doing something crazy adventurous every week like climbing Mount Everest - let's be realistic, I am still a mom of two young kids after all - however, I can promise you that everything I do will be something that I have never done before! I'm excited! How about you? This is going to be a whole lot of fun for me and hopefully mildly entertaining for you at the same time. So, no matter who you are, or what your struggles in life are, I hope that my "Journey into the New" will inspire you to step outside your own normalcy and try something different (mental note: find a cooler title for this) - and ya, I would love to hear about it too!

Okay - nuff ramblin from this redhead - time to publish this baby!