Month: December 2012

Wrap Up 2012

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Comes the end of 2012 and looking back at the days that became weeks, weeks that became months, months that made the year.

As time flies like in the blink of an eye, my goal is to always keep the calendar full and accomplished so each year is a unique chapter with its own flavor, its own story.

It is time to rememorate the highlights of the year passed and cheer one more time for a great life!

Dear 2012:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to live, work and play in the Cayman Islands.

Thank you for challenging me in obtaining my Advanced Open Water Certificate and the change to dive every mornings.

Thank you for making me taste the life of the rich and famous drinking Moët & Chandon aboard luxurious yachts, every Sunday Fundays.

Thank you for the great occasion to light up a cigar in Cuba and sipped many Mojitos while meeting up with my mother for a weekend in Old Havana.

Thank you for this entertaining road trip in Puerto Rico, from East to West Coast, from historic San Juan to surf town of Rincon, to magnificent inland caves and waterfalls.

Thank you for this nice visit at a friend’s in St-Thomas and all this pampering at the Marriott.

Thank you for the amusing exploration of the island of St-John aboard our roofless Jeep.

Thank you for this return home to Whistler and all those weekend on the lake and wild camping.


Thank you for this latin adventure through Central America, starting in Belize diving the Great Blue Hole with a dozen Black Tip sharks.

Thank you for giving me the chance to explore the Maya temples of Tikal in Guatemala.

Thank you for making me fall in love with El Salvador: it’s sun, it’s surf, it’s sea. I might go back and never come back 😉

Thank you for this attempt to surf in the waves of Nicaragua‘s Pacific Coast.

Thank you for this unique home that I love returning to. My 7th heaven, my soft pillow, my paradise in a snowglobe.

What did I learn through this passed year?

Well, I learnt that even if you jump feet first into the new and the unknown, even if you are scared and unsure, at the end you’ll be doing just fine. By simply keeping your head up high with a positive attitude and an enthusiastic approach, you can achieve anything! Take risks, be scared, get out of your comfort zone and go explore the globe! It’s a brilliant and colorful world out there!

I learnt that sometimes to need to let go, sometimes you need to hold on. It’s finding what’s best for you. Never give up on your dreams. Never give up on yourself.  You can do anything. The only thing stopping you is yourself.

I learnt the importance of being surrounded by people that makes you happy, keeps you positive, inspire you. People that are mentally and physically active. People that smile everyday.

Wherever you are, it doesn’t matter what you do. But it is how you do it. Make a list, and make sure you check it. Restore your dreams, plan your projects and accomplish your goals, one at a time. It doesn’t matter how much you do, but as long as you do it. Remember that the only things that you regret are the risks you didn’t take. You only have one life. And it is yours to achieve.

So I thank you 2012 for all the discoveries of places, for the memorable adventures and for the encounters of amazing and inspiring people.


Farewell 2012 and welcome 2013!

Have a great year fellow footlooses!

 

Time to Be Jolly

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It is that time of the year again to put our hideous winter sweaters on and raise our sparkling glass to cheer to love, joy and peace at last. Christmas is just around the corner and I am so excited as it is my favorite time of the year. The mountains are thick and white, the air is cold and crisp, the houses are warm and cozy. The tree is fully decorated and illuminated, presents are already stacked up underneath it and the smell of spices, oranges and chocolate just flow through the air.

Coffee Bailey’s, Powder Days, Apres Ski, Snowmobiles

Holidays can run forever, or until you are out of your 26oz bottle of Bailey’s to put in your coffee in the morning. It is a time to get together and be jolly. Grab a cup of coffee, spike it with some love, put on your gears and reach the mountains. Along with your best pals, ride all day on the most untouched terrain. Powder days are usually abundant at this time and fresh runs are always found. Apres ski at one of the best patios in town, perhaps order a Caesar and munch on some delicious nachos. Come back home and soak in a hot tub for the lucky ones, or if you have pooches like I do, take a walk through the park or take your ross-country skis for a ride or even your snowshoes. I usually make sure I have a batch of home made mulled wine or spiced rum apple cider ready to reheat and put in a thermos. If it is your day off perhaps you want to bring the snowmobiles to one of the cabins in the backcountry and spend the night away in the mountains. Snack on cheese fondue and toast the bread on the wood oven. You can hear the snow melt on the roof as the hut gets warmer. If the lake is ready to go (and make sure it is), put on a pair of skates and go for a spin. Fireworks are also always fun to bring to the cabin.

Christmas Eve Dinner: A Classic Whistler Family Feast

As a tradition that runs in most of our families back home, we decide to keep it going and cook a massive feast ready for midnight on Christmas Eve. Cooking homemade food, delicious and savory recipes for 20. As much work as it seems, I just simply love it! While in the kitchen, mixing flavors and ingredients, sipping on wine and Christmas cocktails with a girlfriend, the boys play cards and video games

and the dogs are passed out on the living room carpet. Living in Whistler make us all far away from our families every Christmas. We all left 5,10, 15 years ago. This is our family now. We are family. And moments like this are simply unique and priceless.

After devouring a gourmet feast, it is time to open the presents that are waiting impatiently under the tree.Like big kids we dig in our treats, proud and happy of showing our new toys and accessories. The rigodons paired with the wines and cocktails invite us to sing and dance as the night flies to early hours of the morning.

The ladies
The gentlemen 

We eat, we drink, we dance, we celebrate. We laugh, we cry, we love. What a beautiful night. What a beautiful scene. What a beautiful family I have.

From East to West Coast, from islands to mountains, from big cities to far countries, from white sand beaches to powdered hills, I wish you all Happy Holidays and I hope you all get what you need. As for me, I surely did. And it wasn’t a watch nor a car, neither a raise at work or an envelop filled with dollars, but it was the friends and love and the genuine spirit of Christmas.