A Family Reunion...Fun For All!

On the August long weekend my family gathered for our tri-annual (well, this time it was 4 years since the last one) family reunion. It was a great weekend, full of laughs and memories!

Seeing everyone growing up and older is amazing! Seeing all the family traits being transferred to the next generation and seeing some of things I do mirrored by everyone else - weird but good. We spent Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday hanging out, eating and playing in the lake. It was exhausting!!

There are many fun things and laughs that happened over the weekend, but I thought I would share mine! I don't mind being on the lake but I so didn't want to go into it! I really had no plans to go into the lake on this particular weekend. I did go for a Sea-Doo ride and I made Darin (my brother-in-law) promise to not thrown us in (I really don't like cold water, in fact I even have to work my way in when visiting Maui, as I find that cold.) I did end up in it anyway!

My sister, Shannon, needed a spotter for the tube thingy she wanted to ride on with her husband, Darin (he fell off/gave up within a minute). I jumped right in to the boat, as it was at the shore. My sister had a blast (at least it looked like she was having fun and it was nice to feel the breeze out on the water. Half way through I realized I was going to have to get wet! You see, the boat gets tied to a buoy about 30 feet or so from shore. Jim, my step-father, said it was only up to my waist; that was a lie, it was more like my neck!! I was soaked! I had no dry clothes to put on, but thankfully, Shannon had some items to fit and I was cleaned up in no time. I even managed to keep my phone from falling in the lake!!

Thanks to everyone for a fun weekend and we can't wait for the next one!!

My New Adventure - It Has Begun and Life is Great!

Back in April I let you all know that I had been let go from my job at Enbridge. I loved working for Enbridge, I really did. What I have come to learn, however, is that it wasn't just the job it was the people. I met and made amazing friends at Enbridge and I know that some of them are lifetime friends. I was very blessed...wait, let me rephrase that, I AM very blessed.

I have since started working at the University of Alberta, in Risk Management Services, and I am finding it to be a very welcome and different change. The people are very nice, the pace (at this point in time) is much easier to manage. I am actually taking time for lunch, outside, in the sun!! It's fantastic! I have lots to learn which is good; but I am also taking the skills I've honed over the years and putting them to very good use.

Life is good, no it's great! I have good friends and family, a wonderful husband who I love with all my heart and a lovely little dog who makes me smile every day!

I am going to try and be better at putting up more posts as I still have a ton of topics in my list!

Until next time, have a wonderful life! Enjoy!

A New Adventure! Bring It On!!

As some people know, I was recently restructured out of a great job. I have been through all sorts of feelings and moods. I have come to accept that this has happened to me and the one thing I have learned is that despite everything I will be OK!

I am normally a happy, positive person and I have found that again. The last few months I spent in my old position I was not always happy or positive and I had started swearing, A LOT!!! That is not me, I don't like to swear, I don't care if others do it, I just don't like doing it myself.

I am angry and hurt, I will not deny those feelings and I have every right to be! And, so,  I am embracing those feelings and working through it all. For the most part I am keeping up with my happy self and enjoying the time at home and embracing my job search. It's my new adventure!

I am eager to get back to work and having a great and fulfilling new career! Wish me well and if you know of anyone who is in need of an amazing, creative EA please let me know!

Have a happy day all!

Fitness Challenge Time!

Last fall I decided it was time to do something about my overall physical fitness. I did some searches on one of my favorite ways to waste time, Pinterest and came up with two challenges which after a few failed attempts I finally finished just before leaving for Maui in December. I did the first one in September/October and the other in November/December, it felt really good to finish and also to see and feel the results!

I have finally figured out my next challenge(s). I am going to do leg raises - both the flat back and the side variety. I will work my way from 50 of each to 250 of each. Along with the flat back version of the leg raises, I will be using a 5 pound weight in the opposite hand to keep my form correct.

I have created a calendar to follow and by starting on March 31st I will be finished on May 17th! My calendar will also have me doing the stationary bike along with an ab workout and weights, to keep my arms strong.

So, here's my challenge to you, try my challenges or come up with your own. To view my challenges see below or visit my Fitness Challenge board on Pinterest. If you don't have a Pinterest account, it's easy to get one.)

Let me know how you do and if you come up with your own, please share, maybe I will choose it for my next one!

Note: When doing the arms challenge I used a 5 pound weight throughout as after awhile those 5 pounds become pretty heavy!!

PS: The images below are not me! They are just inspiration.

Maui - My Favorite Paradise!

I have had a passion for the Hawaiian Islands since I was a teenager. I have been very fortunate to have travelled there many times over the years.

First things first, buy the book "Maui Revealed"; it’s a must! You can get it for your eReader (I have the Kindle) or buy the hard copy from any bookstore. I have both but for some reason tend to use the hard copy more - I think it's the pictures! You can also visit the publishers website Wizard Publications for any updates to the latest edition.

So you've landed in Maui! Let the adventures begin. I recommend a car rental, it will take you all over the island and places you won't get to see on a tour bus or within walking distance of your hotel or condo.

Once you have your luggage and everyone is in the car, you have 2 options, this also assumes you've arrived during the day:

• Option 1 – stop at Costco and get your groceries; it is literally just outside the airport and will save you time in the long run as it is about 30 minutes to an hour back into Kahului depending on which part of the island you are staying on.
• Option 2 – drive by Costco and head for your condo and get groceries and other necessities later.

Enjoy the rest of your first day in paradise – check out the sunset from your closest beach, there’s nothing like it.

Here are a few of my favorite things to see and do in Maui:

• Bike down Haleakala and see the most amazing sunrise over the volcano – we prefer the self-guided tour of this activity (Halekala Bike Company is our company of choice and I believe the only ones to offer this) vs the guided tour for two reasons, we can go as fast or slow as we wish, and we can stop at Kula Lodge for breakfast (it’s a must do for us). The guided tours travel in packs and only go as fast as the slowest person in the group and they make multiple stops.
• Snorkel – when driving to Lahaina you can stop along the highway and just literally jump in the water and snorkel. Our favorite place is between mile marker 13 and 14 – about a ¼ mile from mile marker 14. The coral out there is amazing and lots of fun fish and even an eel or two.
• Road to Hana – beautiful drive – 50 miles long but takes you 3.5 hours. If you have a smart phone (iPhone) there are apps that are GPS activated and will tell you what’s ahead and some history of the drive. We did it in the rain and it was beautiful; I’m sure it would be lovely on a sunny day too.
• Book a snorkel tour to Molokini – best place to snorkel and it’s cool.
• Go whale watching if still in season if not book the dolphin tour! We use Pacific Whale Foundation – they have locations in Maalea and in Lahaina. I like the Lahaina location better as it’s not as windy as Maalea.
• In Kihei the beaches are very family friendly – Kamaole I is beautiful and big. Kam II and III are also very nice.
• Just south of Kihei is Wailea and that’s where all the ritzy resorts on this part of the island – there are some very nice beaches along here as well.
• Even further south of Kihei and Wailea is Makena Beach or Big Beach as it’s also known – it’s fabulous – take the second turn out for it as the parking lot fills up slightly slower than the first turn off and you can probably get a shady spot.
• Jawz Fish Tacos – after you’ve had your fill of Makena/Big Beach head back into Wailea – just past the first turn for Makena and on your right, will be the Jawz Fish Taco truck. MUST STOP!!
• More food recommendations – The Gazebo in Napili – this one requires an early morning, be there for 6:30-6:45am as there will be a line up, but the view and the food is well worth it. They also have a restaurant in Lahaina – Koa Seaside Grill which has the same menu and a great view, just a different one. I recommend the fried rice – yes for breakfast, it’s delicious, and so are the macadamia nut pancakes. We also went to Koa for dinner one night, fabulous!!

I hope you have found at least one thing you might enjoy from my ramblings about Maui! Come back soon!

Welcome to Sublime Ramblings!

Hello, I'm Jill and I've started this blog so that I can get all these random ramblings out of my head!

I've been thinking about doing this for a very long time and well here it is. I've had so many great adventures over the years and learned so many things along the way that I want to share them with everyone.

Here's a little about me; I was born in Edmonton AB, Canada and lived around the North Central portion of the province for the first 14 years of my life. In 1984 my family moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where I went to the International School of Kuala Lumpur and finished my schooling. I returned to Canada 4 years later where I landed in Edmonton and I've lived here ever since. I attended college 3 different times - fashion merchandising, travel & tourism and finally Office and Secretarial Studies at Grant MacEwan University.

I've had the opportunity to travel the world and meet incredible and wonderful people, many of whom I am still in contact with, thanks to the marvel of Facebook. I've worked for amazing and awesome companies and people. I've learned so much from each of my experiences.

I am married to the most amazing man who is my everything. Together we have had great adventures. Even our meeting each other was an adventure! We'll talk about that in one of  my upcoming blogs! We have a fur baby named JoJo, she is the most energetic and sweetest miniature schnauzer and has brought us so much joy and contentment.

So, there you go, a little about me and my world. I hope you enjoy my Sublime Ramblings and come back for each new installment. Thanks for visiting!