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2017 Re-Cap

2017 was an incredible year filled with MANY changes and experiences I never imagined would befall this little country 'gal.

January - Started off with by returning to school (full-time). In pursuit of me following my life long dream of becoming a Paramedic I needed to take Biology, Chemistry, and Math credits as it had been 6+ years since I last took any of the sciences. The Pre-Health program at Conestoga seemed to be the best option, as I wanted to get my accreditation for Paramedicine  at Conestoga College. Returning to school was quite the adjustment as I had not been in full time school for 6+ years, but it quickly grew on me as I got to know my colleagues and schedule. It took me awhile to re-teach myself how to study... it's different as an adult!

February - Within the first week I found out that as a mature student, using my grades from the "Pre-Health" program (instead of my highschool transcript) they would NOT even look at my application for Paramedic Diploma -Sept 2017. They told me I'd have to wait to apply till Sept 2018. It was a very stressful week as I was all of the sudden OUT of a PLAN. However, as I have learned through many of life's different lessons, that for everything that happens there is a purpose. After spending many hours on the phone taking with many different college administrators and applying at schools all over Ontario... I was left to WAIT. Waiting seems to be my lot in life, but that doesn't make it any easier!

March - The month was filled with wedding planning, school assessments, and birthdays! I also wrote a lot of entrance exams at different colleges as part of my potential acceptance into their Sept 2017 start...

April - Showers, weddings, and wrapping up at Conestoga. I threw a BUCK n' DOE for Daniel and Rachel... it was a great night, lots of people came to celebrate the couple-to-be. Their wedding was April 23rd - right smack in the middle of my "finals" at STOGA. It was such a fun time though and I was super proud to be a part of their special day!
Also... I got my acceptance letter for... WAIT, back up! My cousin (Supervisor Paramedic at NEMS) told me about this private college that had a great reputation in all the services in the area. Okay, well if you've read my other posts, you know a lot about it already! So... I finished my finals at Stoga and 4 days later I started at OCHT... something's just work out!

May - I began at OCHT May 1st. We got to know one another really quickly as the first day of school was a lab day and we were already beginning to "access" one another and put faith in each other carrying each other around on different pieces of equipment. It was a full month and got increasingly harder as the months grew warmer and this girl wished she was able to be outside in the sun! I was able to get outside almost everyday for my jogs though - SPRING IS THE BEST!

June & July all blurred together as the summer months were busy with midterms and training for my race! Also, got hired on with Voyageur (Patient Transfer Services) - again against all odds!

August - my favourite month of the year! I checked off another thing on my bucket list - TOUGH MUDDER. I ran it with some of the best people, and although we didn't have incredible time... it was a challenge we all faced together and overcame. We didn't train at all together, but individually we all worked hard to run it in the time we did! 100% going to do it again, hopefully every year to beat previous years time! Who's in it with me?
Also... met Mr. Incredible. Little did I realize how special  Benjamin would come to mean to me.
Finished first semester and was so ready for a little break - made it out to the cottage for a week and then wilderness camping over the long weekend - perfect way to "end" summer and chill before a new semester would start.

September - We were told that second semester was going to be the most challenging - so much theory to learn in a very short period, so we were all a little nervous about it, but somehow we were going to make it through. I was working 36hr/week in between studying and classes. It was very busy but somehow managed to accomplish everything I needed to every week!

October - Fall is my absolute favourite season of the year. Pumpkin spice lattes, hikes with friends, and the smell of the leaves... Especially when you can introduce special people to pumpkin spice lattes at the cutest shops! Somethings... just happen!

November - I've been away for November/December for so long that I haven't been able to be around for Christmas Prep and all the hype of Christmas in North America for so long... I was so excited to be able to be a part of it. The first part of getting ready for Christmas was finding and cutting the PERFECT Christmas tree! It was tricky to find an afternoon that worked for everyone, but eventually we made it work and we indeed didn't only find 1, but 2 perfect trees. One for the big room at my parents farm and one for the small sitting room - made it super cozy. It was decorated a few days later which meant that Christmas was right around the corner. Ben, James, and I tackled all the outdoor lights... it's always fun, but so much work! Gah, do I ever love the pre-christmas season!

December - Most people didn't see much of me the first few weeks of December as I was lost in my books or in the lab! Exams all went well and we reached the end of second semester successfully! Finally, Christmas BREAK - we hit the lucky side as our exams fell on the Monday - which meant we got an "extra" few days added to our 2 week break! So much of my Christmas break was spent with different family and Benjamin! It was such a special time - a great time of reflecting on the past year and being so thankful for how everything worked out! I couldn't have asked for more. Every little bump in the road turned out to be the thing that pushed me closer to where I needed to be... closer to everything I've ever dreamed of.

2017 was definitely a huge "life-changing" year, but I'm so excited for what 2018 holds - ONLY God knows!

Here's to 2018!!!

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