Camper Christina – A New Chapter Begins!

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved being outside. My parents took us up north a few times and I loved being there more than anywhere else on earth. Outside is where I felt like I belonged and knew it right from the start.

The House I grew up in, had a giant orchard behind it. I remember being very small and running out into the orchard, playing hide and seek with my brother, then running up and down the mounds of dirt once the construction began. Soon after that, the people started to move in and all my greenspace behind our house disappeared.

Once the orchard was gone, I would sometimes play in the backyard, but I always felt a bit confined after that.   I would ride my bike to the creek a few blocks away and spend time in nature there, playing in the water, catching frogs and enjoying my time by the quiet wooded creek area. I feel as if that is where my need to travel to peaceful nature began. I was born and raised in St. Catharines, Ontario. Aside from Living in Oakville to attend college for a few years and living in Niagara Falls, New York for a few years, I have been in St. Catharines most of my life.

I love Saint Catharine’s and I always will, but for the majority of my years, I have felt like my heart was torn. My  passion for the outdoors and for being in nature has grown since I was a little girl and now it has almost turned from a want to a need. The past year of my life has been amazing! From May 2015 until March 2016, I went on over 15 camping trips. A very large majority of those trips were north from where I live in St. Catharines.

I wondered why I kept driving back and forth to the North? Besides my mom and dad, and some really awesome friends, I don’t have anything tying me to St. Catharines, so why should I keep driving somewhere to visit, when in all honesty, all I want to do is stay there, and never return. The only thing that was holding me back, was me. I was incredibly panicked and stressed when I even just slightly thought about moving, so how could I proceed in doing something that terrified me into almost feeling sick with stress and panic?

I started thinking long and hard and did the one thing I do very well when it comes to making decisions and conquering my fears….. Research.  They say knowledge is power and I truly believe that to be true, because once I gather all my facts and know the answers to all my questions, the fear usually subsides.  It reminds me of Super Mario where he runs around hitting the question mark boxes.  He smashes them open, get points (answers) and is able to move on the next level.  Once I answer the questions, I can proceed to the next level.

I began browsing the Internet looking for information. Were there jobs available? Were there houses that I could afford? Where would I live? How would I choose? I had learned about a job online that I might be able to do, but after talking to my bank representative, I found out I have to work 2-3 years to be approved for a mortgage with my own business. I continued with the research, how much pay do I need to get a certain priced house? I called my realtor to ask him to give me an estimate of what type of numbers I’d be looking at if I sold my home and how well it would sell? I did not have a new  job yet and I had not made a decision to go anywhere, but I continued to gather information…. just to see what I needed to do if I one day, I decided to go.

I started cleaning out my house and purging things I no longer needed, because that was something that was stressing me out about being able to move. The more I got things sorted, the more I started to feel like, YES…  I could move, and have it not be that stressful.

I talked to my financial advisor and after I got all the answers I needed from the bank, I felt better about that as well. The next thing to do was just go online and see if there were any jobs that might suit me and would pay me enough to get the mortgage I was told I would be able to afford.

Then, suddenly, I was online one night and  the perfect job was on the screen in front of me, waiting for me.  The job description was incredible!   They were looking for someone who had all the exact same skills I had, including some of my outdoors experience as well.   It was like they wrote the job posting for me, or about me and I knew right away, it was my job.

I spent time creating the perfect cover letter. I went outside the box on this one. I wanted to be noticed and show them I was perfect for this job.  I revised my resume and made sure it was perfect and finally I sent it in. I waited two days and called to ensure they received my email and was asked to do a phone interview the following week. In the meantime, I kept visualizing myself living there, performing duties at my new job and doing everything mentally to make what I want happen. I also continued on my purge, cleaning out my house and preparing in case what I thought would happen, did happen.    The phone interview went spectacularly well and led me to have a live interview at the property where I’d be working, if, I triumphed in the interview.

I arrived an hour before I was due and drove through the very small, but quaint town of Port Carling. I took some photos and enjoyed the warm air and beautiful scenery.  I was as prepared as I could be and now it was time to knock it out of the park!   I wasn’t really nervous as I knew that this was my job. I felt it in my bones and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.  I met my new boss and his operations manager and it went really really well, and in the end, I was offered the position!

In less than three weeks my new career and new life will begin!!!   I am extremely sad to leave my current place of work where I am so grateful to have such a wonderful boss and amazing co-workers.  I will miss my fabulous friends, and my parents, but they are all close enough to visit, and I truly hope that they will do so.  I will also hugely miss my beautiful little house that I have spent the last 9 years making my own.  I believe it will be one of the hardest things I will ever have to do, but I am ready to do it.

And if you are wondering, I am still very scared and have anxiety about everything that I am doing, but now, it is manageable and not so overwhelming that I can’t deal with it.  Everything worth having, worth doing, is scary, but if it’s something you know is right for you, you just have to overcome that fear and take the plunge!  I am eager and ready to start my new life in Port Carling. Everything else will fall into place, as it has so far during this entire journey.  It is part of how I know it is the right move for me.

In less than a month, I will have a HUGE new area to explore and I will be close to many of the places I love with all my heart. I can not wait to get out there and start adventuring and publishing posts to share with you!  If you are in the area, and you know the best places to paddle, hike, camp and explore, I would definitely appreciate any advice or information you can offer.  Until then, my outdoor adventures will have to be put on hold for a few more weeks, but I will be back at it very very soon!   All that red tape crap needs to be handled and  loose ends need to be tied up first, but I very much look forward to my new life, in Muskoka and am counting the hours until it is a reality!

Although this post isn’t about camping or exploring, I felt it was important to write about my experience in making one of the biggest decisions of my life.  I know a few people who are struggling with making some major life changes, and I wanted to do my best to inspire them, and maybe even you, to overcome your fears.  Possibly by showing how I did it, it will help that process happen for you as well.    I hope you will continue to check out my blog and join me on my new adventures, coming soon in beautiful Muskoka… my new home!

Happy moving! 😉

Camper Christina