2012 ...

2012 was the year of change in my world, both professional and personal.  It was a year of many highs and some relatively stressful lows but all in all, it was a great year.  Here's a summary of the year ... 

In January, I enjoyed a few days with C in Sydney before he departed for Canada where I would join him in February.  I focused on finishing off my unit in Canadian history while continuing to work through the Alberta teaching certification process.  January was also a time to spend with family before I headed back to Canada.

January - A visit in Sydney from Mum

January - Enjoying the last few weeks of being on the beach in Manly

In February, I left my private teaching job and headed to the (relative) unknown in Canada.  I met my brother, Tom in Vancouver for a few days of exploring before we met C and headed north on Vancouver Island to pick up the delightful Ladyleigh's Abigail is So Posh.

February - Farewell to the view from my 'classroom'

Abbey in her new home

In March, I got a tutoring job and continued to look for a position in a Calgary school.  I loved the part-time working hours while studying and enjoying Abbey.

March - Learning to drive in winter conditions on my way to my new tutoring job in Millarville

March - Enjoying Banff with Abbey

April was a fairly quiet month but life got busier towards the end of the month when I landed a dream job in Calgary - teaching Grade 5 at a small girls school.  I continued to attempt my Masters research but gave it away when it proved to be too challenging working between two countries.

April - The snow disappeared and I bought a bike to celebrate

May livened up with being back in a school and working full time hours for the first time in a couple of years.  In May, I ramped up my running training with a few small running events in preparation for the Millarville Half Marathon in June.

May - Grade 5 camp during week 3 of my new job at Calgary Girls School

June was super busy with report writing (on students I barely knew) and preparing for the half marathon.  There were some bureaucratic wins in June, most notably a year-long teaching contract at CGS and an Albertan drivers licence.

June - Millarville Half Marathon

June - An Albertan drivers licence

I was looking forward to July for some time as it was the month that Mum visited us in Calgary.  The month was filled with adventures including the Calgary Stampede and associated events, a US/Canada road trip, the Calgary Folk Festival, hiking and rafting on the Bow River.

July - Mother, daughter and puppy road trip

July - Calgary Folk Fest

At the beginning of August, I bid farewell to Mum and set about enjoying the last few weeks of the summer holidays.

August - Hiking to Galatea Lakes

August - Enjoying food and wine in the Okanagon

In September, I returned to work, this time as a Grade 4 teacher.  There was still some summer fun to be had with hikes and running events as well as my first Calgary Westie Walk.

September - Picklejar Lakes hike

September - Calgary Westie Walk

October was a busy month mainly spent finishing my last uni assignment for the year (only one unit to go!)  It started to get cold pretty quickly and I had to concentrate on developing my winter driving skills.  The end of the month was marked by a Halloween celebration.

October - Reading treat after finishing last uni assignment for the year

October - Halloween celebrations

November and December were all about work and music in our household.  Both C and I were very busy at work but had somehow managed to buy tickets to a number of concerts, all of which were fantastic.  Both months were very slow on the blogging front but there are a couple of interesting stories to share which I will do over the next week or so, including one particularly exciting story which definitely deserves a mention here but it's too big not to have it's own post! (no, I'm not engaged or pregnant!)  C and I finished the year getting back to nature with some time spent on the beautiful, wild west coast of Canada (photos to come).

November - Leonard Cohen in concert

November - Vancouver Historic Half

December - Christmas lights in the snow

December - Enjoying the wet and wild west coast of Canada

2013 is shaping up to be an interesting one with a few things on the go and I look forward to sharing my adventures with you all.  I hope that 2013 is a happy and prosperous one for you, wherever you are in the world.