A surprise visit!

About three weeks ago, I thought that it would be a great idea if my older brother Paul and I took a trip out to New Brunswick to see our little brother Nick for a surprise visit. I called Paul that same very night, he thought it was a wicked idea too but he didn't know when we should go - I thought the sooner the better.

To be quite honest I was missing my little brother, we got to see him over the Christmas Holidays but it just wasn't enough time.

So... with that in mind I started to check out flight times and prices. Called my brother Paul the next day and gave him a few dates and options. Before you knew it we had already booked our flight and hotel room and were set to fly out in three weeks time.

Meanwhile, as this was being planned, our brother Nick had no clue what was up. We wanted to make sure that we were able to spend time with him considering we were only going to be there for a weekend. So, I got in touch with his girlfriend, Virg. She was amazing! She was able to get Nick off of work on Saturday and Sunday and keep a huge secret that she was dying to tell.

The three weeks came up fast. Feb 3rd was finally here. Paul and I had never been so excited to travel and hang out with one another. To be honest, I can't recall when us siblings ever got to hang out exclusively... got to be at least over a decade, for sure. But what I can say is that we brought the best out of each other. 

And we're off...

Paul and I waiting to board the plane.

On the plane. Ready to take off.

About to land in Moncton, New Brunswick.

After we landed in Moncton, New Brunswick I thought to myself that this is probably the smallest airport that I've ever been in. Only three gates and one security check. Very unusual considering I'm used to traveling to major cities with bigger airports. Virg came and picked us up. We packed the car and were off to the hotel to drop off our stuff.

We stayed in The Hampton Inn by Hilton. When we got there we were bumped to a Whirlpool suite with only one California king size bed. For couples this would've of been a great bump, but for a brother and sister - yah not so much. None the less, it was a very nice room. Super clean and modern. Too bad we never got to use the Whirlpool.

After we checked in we made our way to Main street. Got something to eat and headed over to the Keg for Drinks. The Keg is where my little brother works. We thought that it would be a great idea to wait for him to finish his shift and then surprise the shit out of him.

Needless to say, he was. He was so shocked he didn't even know what to say, think or do. Which is rare for him.

Nick just seeing us for the first time.

A super happy bro.

Paul, Nick and Virg.

The three of us. Paul, I think at this point, was up for 29 hrs +. He just came off the night shift before leaving.

The next day we headed out to the slopes. We traveled to Wentworth ski hill in Nova Scotia. Paul and I were excited to see two provinces in one weekend. Total score! Nick, Virg and I snowboarded and Paul put on skis. Thank goodness Nick and Virg know what they are doing because without their help, Paul and I wouldn't be landing 180s and 360s. NOT. But we were doing jumps, landing some and falling a lot with others.

Entering Nova Scotia

Really cool artwork inside the Chalet.

In line waiting for the lift.

Grabbing lunch.

Getting ready to head back to Moncton, NB. Needless to say, it was a wicked, fun filled day and I'd do it again in a heart beat.

Sunday was a great day to chill, considering every inch of our body was sore. Must of been all those jumps Paul and I landed. Well... didn't land. lol. We spent the day hanging out with our little brother. (Just thinking about him makes me miss him even more and wishing he was just around the corner so I can chill with him for an extra 10 more minutes. But that's just not reality.)

In the end, Paul and I were so happy that we hopped on a plane and got to spend the weekend with our brother Nick. Some really good bonding time. We hope that we can do it again this summer, but with the whole family. Can anyone say "road trip".

On the plane coming back home. Bitter sweet. Miss ya buddy. We'll see you soon. xo.

Take control

Why is it so hard to control every aspect of our lives? Our kids, our house hold, work, weight, the list goes on and on. And should we treat life like a game of strategy? Make one move that effects, potentially, it all.

I often think that.

And sometimes I think it's all about balance and positive energy. If we project positive energy towards something that we would like to conquer or achieve the chances are we will be able to reach that goal.

I know for me trying to control my children is a huge deal and is something that I work on, very hard, everyday. It is not easy and it is probably that hardest task that has ever been given to me. We think children are complicated but really, they're simple. If we could only learn from them I think we as adults would be less stressed out and more carefree. As for me, I have to realize that it's not about controlling my children; I need to teach them.

When it comes to your life you are able to control it. You are able to create your own destiny. Life will fall into its own and everything will find its place. Remember that when you find yourself in an unlikely situation. Ask yourself how you got there and what you can do to make it a better place.

One of the best pieces of advice I got from an unlikely source was "Go with the universe and not against it." This simple quote comes in handy when I find myself in situations that I can't control. In return it makes the situation less stressful and me in a better frame of mind. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

Take control of your life. Who knows where it just might take you.

Mind drifting

Do you ever find yourself zoning out into your own thoughts? Especially, when you're in a conversation with someone? Well, I found myself in that zone today. To be honest I can't even remember what I was thinking about, I just remember my mind wondering from one thought to the next. Did the person across from me realize that I was nodding my head and saying uh huh and oh reallys, even though I had only heard a word or two? K, maybe it was a few more words then that. Half way through the conversation I found myself realizing that I wasn't listening and I should be, because I actually did care what this person was saying. Is this "mind-drifting" another way of multi-tasking? Mind-tasking? How is it that our minds can focus on more than one thing at a time? The human body never fails to amuse me. I'm always learning something new about us human beings. This "mind-drifting" really has me thinking. Lots of unanswered questions. I think I might do some more research on this matter just to find out if this is a common thing that occurs to people and if so, why. Does this sort of "mind-drifting" happens to you? Do share.