AJ's Nova Scotia: It's Been A Long Time!

What can I say, I have been gone fro nearly a year, no blogging at all. What started a temporary situation turned into a full blown sabbatical.

In 2016, February to be exact, I got laid off from my job, which saw me focusing on nothing but finding a new position. Not the easiest of tasks in Nova Scotia! Thankfully I was paid for a couple of months so it gave me some breathing space to keep a look out. In March I went on vacation, I flew over to the UK to meet up with my father, his partner, my brother and his girlfriend. Having met up at Gatwick we stayed overnight and then flew out the next day to Cypress and embarked on a week long cruise to Israel and Turkey. We were scheduled to visit Beirut, but high winds prevented us from making it there and instead we spent extra time in Cyprus. I found the trip quite amazing and learned a lot especially in Jerusalem. I have included a couple of images from that trip below:

The Western Wall

Holy Lanterns in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Alanya, Turkey

Korykos Castle, Turkey

Holy Sepulchre Interior, Jerusalem

After returning from my cultural adventure, my job hunt intensified. I had a few interviews, even came close a couple of times and then finally landed a term position in May as a Communications Assistant for a Real Estate Firm. It was a baptism of fire and a steep learning curve, but I really enjoyed my time there and the skills I gained along the way. The term was supposed to only be for 3 months, but I Eden up being employed there for 8 months. I knew my time was limited there so I kept an eye out for other jobs and as if perfectly timed, the week before I left there I landed a permanent position at a local firm as a Marketing Coordinator, which I am not just over 4 months into the role and very much enjoying it. The Real Estate firm have tried to coax me back into the fold there, but as much as I enjoyed the work, I am now earning more and with much better benefits closer to home. So it's really a no brainer that I will be staying put. As I left the one position and before starting the new I headed off on vacation once again and met up with my dad and his partner in December for a Caribbean Cruise, which was undoubtedly my most favourite sea faring adventure to date. I met some fabulous people on there and visited the most beautiful islands Barbados, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines. You can view the slideshow of this trip below:

I actually embarked on another trip in February for my birthday. This time I flew down to meet up with the family in Fort Lauderdale and we sailed from Miami around the Bahamas to Grand Turk, San Juan and Nassau. I actually spent my birthday interacting with Sting Rays on Balmoral Island in Nassau. Gorgeous! We stayed an extra night in Miami, and got to see the sights there which I loved especially the Everglades, finally ticked off my bucket list! I am so far behind, and still editing these images, but here are a few from that trip.

And that I think, just about brings us up to date. I ma super busy with work and have no other travel plans until Feb next year. Of course that might change! I am hoping to get out and about around the Province as the weather starts to improve, it has once again been a long Winter and we are currently in a dismal, grey and cold Spring. My In-Laws cam over last June for their first visit so I was out a lot last year snapping away, I hope to post some of those images in due course. I cannot claim to be the blogger I once was, but I will try and update every now and again!!