The Journey I've Already Taken...

Although my trip hasn't even begun yet, I've already had quite the journey in my life! So how did I get to the point of dropping everything and quitting my job, moving back home, and going traveling? Well I could start this story all the way back on the day I was born- July 10, 1984, but then I'd be here all day! So let's begin when I moved to Fort McMurray, Alberta on December 26, 2005.

I had graduated from the Radio Broadcasting program at Humber College a few months prior and I was DYING to break into the industry. So I applied to every single job posting I saw, and accepted the first job I was offered- which of course happened to be NORTH of the middle of nowhere. People called me brave, people called me crazy- I even had my doubts when I stepped off the plane to a whole bunch of nothing!- but living in Fort McMurray ended up being 2 of the best years of my life.

I loved my job, I made some great friends...and for a while I actually thought I had found my happy ending! Yes, I met a boy. And I fell in love. HARD. Things moved quite quickly in our relationship- we bought a puppy after only being together for 4 months, we bought a house after only 6 months...I was loving my little "family" and being all domesticated, but then things quickly came crashing down. My dog was hit by a car and killed on Christmas Eve 2007 and I was devastated. After that, I decided I wanted to start fresh with a new job in a new city, so that's how I ended up in Squamish, BC in March 2008. My boyfriend said he would join me shortly thereafter...but he never did. Although our relationship was slightly strained due to the fact that I was still grieving the loss of my dog, I was still completely blind-sided when my boyfriend called me out of nowhere and said it was over.

Now I don't want you to feel sorry for me because in hindsight that was the best thing that could have happened to me! But don't get me wrong- it still sucked. I was in a new city all by myself with no friends and no family (well a few 1,000 km away!), so it took me a while to get back on my feet again. To be honest, I never really SETTLED in BC...I did eventually make some friends and I have amazing memories from my time there, but I just couldn't find my niche.

It was at the end of 2008 when I first started thinking about quitting my job and going traveling. I had nothing holding me back- I wasn't too crazy about my job, I was single, I was still young, and I had a bunch of money saved from when my ex bought me out of the house we owned together (one of the many upsides of our break-up! haha). So in April 2009 I packed up my bags, moved back home and started planning this amazing adventure I am about to embark on!

Alright, so much for keeping this story short! Hopefully I didn't bore you to death but I thought it would be nice to give you (in case you didn't know already!) an overview of what has gotten me to this point. Thanks for reading...more tomorrow!

Love, Dianna

Days til I Leave: 13