Cabin Fever :)

Defined: Cabin fever (also known as House Syndrome) is an idiomatic term for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in, in a small space, with nothing to do, for an extended period (as in a simple country vacation cottage during a long rain or snow).

HA.HA.HA. Although I have not yet caught cabin fever, Jessica and I had a hilarious chat today about the effects of cabin fever and how my evening plans of "scrabble and pilates" could potentially turn into cabin fever in the future. lol. I am just joking- I love it here. There is always something fun to do with someone. Whether it be fishing, kayaking, watching a movie, or simply having beer in the guide shack- I am never bored. Truthfully I am usually to exhausted to be bored- any time I have to relax I'm either reading or sleeping. Its a pretty awesome life.

I started running today. Amber is going to be my trainer and whip me into shape....we have already sworn off of carbs (aka: the home made fresh bread everyday) and I'm going to work at minimizing my portions. I eat way to well here!!!!

Hope all is well in Southern Ontario- I hear its hot! It a beautiful day here as well, time for me to go out and enjoy it :)

Cheers :)

Fishing log 101

Hello :) Reports from another day off! (yes- I've had 2 days off in 3 days- I switched days with Jenn....so now I have extra free time) despite the rain- its a pretty awesome day. I am spending my time FINALLY uploading pictures. Its actually taking facebook FOREVER to load them, I've been waiting for half an hour and its still loading......I think fast Internet is something I take for granted at home!

Right now, camp is going through a big "changeover"- meaning that people are both leaving and coming in tomorrow. It is going to be a BUSY day. Especially with the rain- the boys come into camp during lunch to cook rather than sitting out in the rain to eat. It gets crowded in the lodge and we are working on staying organized when theres 13 guys in control of the kitchen.....the one good thing from rain days = LEFTOVER fish!!!! I stuffed my face today with baked walleye, and I will go back for round two later this afternoon. I just can't get enough and I am very lucky.

Right now there is a couple here that inspires me to live my life to the fullest. They are both over 75 and are so in love they act like teenagers. He calls her "my fishing queen" and they share everything. I brought her a dessert last night and they looked forward to sharing it with her.....they define "true love" everyday as they hold hands walking down to the dock....I think its so cute and more people need to live their lives enjoying the little things.

Last night before I was going to bed I spent some time admiring spiderwebs. It sounds silly but I have a new fascination with spiders (when they are not biting me- I have a nasty spider bite on my left arm). One of the guys has been watching this one spiderweb outside of the guide shack and we spent some time last night watching the net catch moths. It was literally like a real life Charlotte's web......I felt like I was in a live taping of discovery channel...ha ha ha The plan is to feed this spider pine beetles once they come out....the bugs are starting to get bad....I'm going to try out those vitamin B1 patches that I bought at the green living show, I'm just waiting until I can't bear them anymore.

Other than my general observations and odd fishing adventures- nothing else is new with me. I have been perusing online to see if I can order some "first year teaching" guideline books to read. If anyone has any suggestions for which ones are good, or most useful- please send me a message. I want to prepare myself for September as much as possible.

Anyways, after an hr my pictures appear to have failed uploading on facebook. I give up- here are a few to enjoy :)

picture from the top of "snob hill"

the warmest day so far- we went swimming

a picture from inside the lodge!

enjoying a day off on the dock

night fishing with trent

picture from the dock

have an amazing happy and hot weekend!
Cheers

The end of May :)

Hello again! Sorry I have been so MIA in writing/communicating with people. In all honesty, this Internet is just so slow its actually a huge pain to even come online- heaven forbid I even want to upload a picture.......I am on my day off today and have already had a fun-filled jam packed day. I woke up early and cleaned my room (which as most of you know is much needed since I am a huge slob)! Last night I promised Brooke and Blake that they could come and jump on me if I was not awake by 9am....although I was up around 8ish, as soon as I heard them coming near my cabin I jumped back into bed pretending to sleep. They are so incredibly cute, its awesome that I can spend my day off playing games. I got invited to a tea party this morning AND we did some fun art colouring....I am planning on coming up with a cool fathers day craft for them to make for Mike. Those kids are living the dream up here- playing all day and taking an afternoon nap, they really don't know how good they actually have it!

The other day here it reached over 30 degrees and I decided to go in the lake.....bad decision. It was so cold it felt like there were pins and needles in my entire body, not to mention I jumped in on slippery rocks that were very hard to climb off. I am glad I experienced it- I am sure its only a matter of time until the water warms up at least a little. All of the boats here have GPS on them, so I am hoping the boys can find a nice warm bay to take us swimming.

Another item on my agenda today is something Jessica and I have been talking about for a long time. As women, one of the problems we run into when out in the boat fishing is having to pee while out on the lake. Unlike guys, we can not piss off the side of the boat- not very successfully at least. We have done some Internet research and have discovered that we can purchase our very own "shenis" which is a device that allows women to pee standing up....HA. The slogan for the shenis is "don't take life sitting down" which is also hilarious. They are not very expensive, so as a joke we are going to purchase some to try them out. Who knows when it'll come in handy. lol. Another exciting purchase I am expecting to come in today is the board game scrabble. Often times during break or at night we are looking for something fun to do when hanging out- I also have a few people that have challenged me to a game....so I put it on the "town" list for today. I look forward to playing tonight after I go fishing!

Other than that, not much else is new and exciting in my life. I absolutly love the guests that have been coming to the lodge. They are all extrememly nice, and hilarious. Last night I was "lodge girl" which made me responsible for doing dishes all day- I acutally missed being out in the dining room chatting it up with everyone. Its a pretty amazing place- rather than travelling down south, I think people should really consider coming to Northern Ontario.

Speaking of Northern Ontario, I am currently reading the book that Jayme lent to me called "through the black Spruce." It is set in Northern Ontario and discusses many of the challenges faced by isolated communities within the province- it seems fitting for where i'm headed in September :)  I am only at the beginning but I am really enjoying it!

Anyways, Its about lunch time and I smell fresh cookies coming from the kitchen :) YUM! I am living the dream I tell you.....living the dream!

If you get a chance- feel free to write/email

Cheers :)

First Day Off :)

my view every morning :)

amazing shorelunch and tanning

I have LOTS to report on! Firstly, the weather this week has been phenomenal. Absolutely beautiful to be honest- its reached 30 degrees. I am really happy that I chose this year to come up to the lodge, I hear that it is usually really snowy and icy still at this time of the year. The other day my boss let us girls go out for a shorelunch and an afternoon of fishing! It was great to see how the boys cook their meals, and of course it was amazing to spend an afternoon on the water! I  caught 6 walleyes and a few small pike. The biggest being a 20" walleye. Nothing too exciting, but I had a lot of fun. Fishing sure is addicting- its like gambling (I already have one of the guides lined up to take me out tonight LOL) The other day Mike caught the biggest pike of the year thus far, a 43". I saw the pics, and it is absolutely ginormous. last year the record was 44" so I'm thinking that it will be beat this year! Hopefully. There have also been some 29" walleyes caught already. Considering its only been a week of walleye season, I think things are going pretty well.

Other than fishing, we do a lot of work here too (might as well talk about that a little)! The first guests came in yesterday, and now we are busy working out the kinks of serving dinner to a full house. Its a big change, but I work with really great/fun people which makes it worth it. On my day off today I was lucky to SLEEP IN! I got up at 930 and watched a few movies. I am currently finishing up a few loads of laundry and then I'll head back up to my cabin to put them away! I did some cool science experiments with the kids today (always thinking about teaching) we made goop (corn starch and water) and then we made a volcano (vinegar and baking soda) I am going to hopefully get some mentos and coke and then we can have some real explosions.......its fun to play with them and get them all excited about learning :)

I am going to add a few pictures in this post (if I can figure out how) to give you a glimpse of house beautiful it is here in the north ENJOY!

have an excellent long weekend- hope the weather is great! Cheers :)

blake and I enjoying shorelunch

Jesse and his ginormous pike

Sunday :)

This page takes so long to upload!!! I have an update from my previous post, I lied a little. Ha. I work 15hr days, not 17 and we are getting closer to a normal schedule so I have a few hrs off each afternoon! Ohhh, and in response to allisons comment about hunting- I will use my catches (if I acutally get one) for meat- which means that I am being sustainable. lol, I would never kill something unless it was for a purpose.....speaking of which I have seen a moose and some bears already while being up here! There is a lot of wildlife!

Other than that, I really don't have much new to say. I am currently laying on a leather couch in the lodge that is so comfy I am contemplating just sleeping here. Its sad that its only 9pm and my quote of the evening has been "I refuse to go to bed before the children." Its still light outside!!!! Its wonderful. Today was hot and the rest of the week is supposed to be even nicer. We are being spoiled thats for sure! Spoiled is also being hundreds of km away from civilization and having internet access.....living the dream I tell yah!

Anyways, I no longer hear little feet running above me upstairs, so I am now able to go to bed. We just received a pretty substancial VHS collection in our cabin so I am going to choose one of those and fall asleep!!!

SWWL week 1

Just as I was about to give up and call it a night, my page FINALLY decided to upload. I guess that is expected due to my current internet situation. I am too lazy to walk the 100ft to the lodge, so I am sitting at the top of what we call snob hill near the wood shed, looking at the beautiful northern stars. Pretty lucky if you ask me. Other than the slow internet. I am doing AMAZING! I love it up here. Despite the 17hr days, no breaks, and endless amounts of dishes- the staff, owners and everything else makes up for it! I absoltuly love my job. I have cleaned so many cabins, and learned how to make a bed properly (mom you will be so proud- I can crew cut a fold on a matress) lol. It is pretty much amazing up here. The other staff members have become like family and we have some really great laughs together.

The weather has been nice as well. Minus rain yesterday, apparently its going to be 23 tomorrow, which means im going to be on the water hoping to catch myself a walleye- its opening season! Anything under 18 inches is MINE! lol. I love it. I have been talking to people and have decided that I might look into getting a hunting liscence since im going up north. Itd be a good thing to have, PLUS I am pretty much turning into an angler with every passing day. ha ha ha.

I miss home, but im having the time of my life. Once I start on a regular schedule and get normals breaks from 1-4 I will post some pics.......all I have to say is that you should be jealous, because while you are waking up to the smog of the city.....I am waking up the fresh air, bald eafles and endless supplies of walleye!

p.s. Mom- please send some candy! Love you xox

Roadtrip

Hello- this will be SHORT! I just arrived in tbay after a 12.5hr drive- we made GREAT time. Only hit snow in sudbury.....we are lucky to live in such a gorgeous province, if you get the chance EXPLORE IT! I am off to shower and head down to the local tavern for a celebratory beverage (this one's for you MOM happy mothers day xoxoxooxoxoxoxo)

next stop: Silver Water Wheel Lodge Tomorrow :)

*** FYI: tomorrow when I get to the lodge we  are an hour behind normal Time- aka: anyone who expects a phonecall from me, might get one early in the morning or late at night ***

and the ADVENTURE BEGINS

I am currently sitting on one end of the couch in my living room. My mom is on the other and I can see her creeping my blog from her laptop. HA, like mother like daughter. I really should be packing the remainder of my stuff but I would much rather procrastinate until the last possible minute.

Last night I had a lot of fun catching up with my friends. After  FINALLY getting everyone together, we had some pretty good laughs. Nothing like sitting at the beach and watching the waves during a thunderstorm (with maybe a little bit of croc hunting)! I also got an unexpected phonecall from my buddy Wes last night who happened to be in the neighbourhood and was able to stop by my house! Our short visit was amazing- i'll miss you Wes!

It still hasn't hit me that I'm leaving, I said goodbye but it really didn't seem to me like I'm going anywhere- I bet that will change once we hit the snow while driving tomorrow :)

Here are the plans:

4pm today: meet in Walkerton
4am Sunday: Hit the road for Thunderbay
9pm Sunday: reach T-bay
3pm Monday: destination SWWL

It is going to be a LONG adventure but certainly a FUN ONE! Who knows when I'll be back on the Internet, but keep checking my blog. I will call my mom and I'm confident her facebook status will inform everyone about my whereabouts :)

Have an incredible summer, keep in touch. Cheers :)

Good Friday :)

I haven't had a chance to write in a while because I gave my laptop away to Matt so he could make sure all is up and running for when I head out tomorrow.......I think Carolyn likes it though and is keeping it hostage to the last possible minute. I am currently waiting for her to stop by after work and drop it off. Its funny how I get used to using the one computer and while using my moms, "its just not the same" lol.

Today has been crazy busy. I didn't sleep well last night, but discovered that Home Improvement is played on CMT at 3am....kind of a bonus for being awake that early. I ended up falling asleep until about 830am and then I woke up and got my day started. The first thing I did was travel to Brantford to visit my grandparents. I actually had a really good visit with them, despite being 88 and a horrible driver, I had fun chatting with them and telling them all about my future adventures. My grandpa showed me this really cool ancestry book which had the "whiting" crest.....I told them I was going to get a tattoo of it (they were not impressed) lol. One new thing I did learn is that Whiting is a variation of Whiton, Whittin etc. It also is translated to mean "fair or pale" which in my case is VERY fitting. As a history nerd, I jump at the chance to take in anything he has to say about the war or just life in general. We had a nice chat about the Dionne Quints today and how he went to see them when he was 18....oh how I wish I could go back in time :)

When I got home, I made a stop at UPS and discussed with them the options I have at getting my stuff shipping up to Fort Hope. I have decided that shipping through them would be better than Canada Post because of the reliability. They have tracking numbers and can guarantee that everything will arrive in 5 days, and needs to be signed for. I like that they are accountable for what happens to my stuff, I would hate to see anything get lost along the way! It is going to cost me probably about $200 for an 100 pound 24X24X24 box.....I am not complaining, I'm going to be reimbursed for my moving, so I think that sounds great!

I am currently sitting in the living room and testing out my moms new web cam. Bruce is cooking me steak as my "last supper" and I'm waiting for Carolyn to bring me back my laptop.....Life is Good.

Tonight- the plans are to head out with my friends and stop by the penalty box to see poor victor at work! It'll be a busy 24hrs, but at this time tomorrow I'll be in Walkerton getting ready for the beginning of my adventure :)

"Life is either a great adventure or nothing"

- Helen Keller

The end of an Era..

Last night my mom had the unfortunate inconvenience of her van not starting. As much as I hate that ugly van, I really have some good memories driving that beast of a vehicle. Whether it was to wasaga beach, the cottage, or back and forth from Guelph an endless amount of times- the van served us well over the past 10 years. Although I am sad to see it go- I can't help but think ITS ABOUT TIME! Other than being an eyesore, it was not great on gas and there were a lot of things that needed to be fixed. Long story short, it is "the end of an era" at the Whiting household. The days of horseback riding competitions and hauling couches from students house-to-student house have come to an end. RIP Shianne the van :)

On a happier note, I am heading up to Binbrook this afternoon for one last visit with my little monkey Norelle (and Allison and Daryl of course)! Its starting to become "real" that I am actually leaving very soon. In these last few days I am learning to appreciate the small things of home that I am not going to have for the next year, ex: bruce waking me up to breakfast in bed (I'm so spoiled)

Oh and some good news, I found out today that my contract up north officially starts on August 26th 2010 which is a Thursday. I am going to be done at the fishing resort on the 20th, and then I am planning on moving to the North on the 24th so that I'll have time to settle in a little bit before I get started right away......this means I am going to possibly be having a "welcome home, goodbye and happy birthday" party here at my house Saturday August 21st 2010 (which happens to be my mom and cousins bday too so we will have LOTS to celebrate)!!!!!!! This is tentative but PLEASE mark it on your calender....I want to see as many friends/family as I can during my 3 days at home as I possibly can :)

Cheers- have a great and gorgeous sunny Wednesday!

HOW TO REACH ME THIS SUMMER :)

Here is a little "housekeeping" post I decided to write so that no one can have excuses on why we can not stay connected this summer! On Saturday I am heading out on my adventure to Dryden and I want to make sure everyone has the new address to contact me at (brownie points for those people who send me a package now so that I'll get it shortly after my arrival, HA)

Here is my address for the summer:

Sarah Whiting

Silver Water Wheel Lodge

PO Box 723

Dryden, Ontario

P8N 2Z4

A reminder to everyone that has my cell phone number/bbm....I am officially giving this phone to Marie for the summer/year, so please do not call expecting to talk to me- you can however call my mother anytime, I'm sure she'd love to chat. ha ha ha......

While up at the lodge there will be phone/Internet access that I look forward to using....I will keep you posted....

That is all my housekeeping for today. Stay tuned for my address in Fort Hope and other details as I find them out! Have a happy Monday!!!! cheers :)

Early Mothers Day

Last night my sisters and I decided to take my mom out for an early mothers day present since I will already be in the North on the real mothers day. We bought tickets to Stars on Ice and went out for a nice dinner. My sister suggested we go to "La Cantina" in Hamilton (near Hess) so we decided to give it a try. It was honestly the best food I've had in a while. The freshest salad, and an unreal Mediterranean chicken wrap. It was also very well priced...I was very impressed and would go back there any day :)

After a wonderful dinner we headed to copps for STARS ON ICE! It was an incredible show. We actually chose a great day to attend because last night was the one they were filming for the television production. Not only did I have the opportunity to being the crowd on TV, they had special guest skaters Jessica Dube and Bryce Davision come out for a skate. It was really awesome. At the end of the program they also had to have skaters who made mistakes during their program redo sections of their skate so they could edit in their performances. It was awesome to see how TV shoes are made, and how much work goes into the final product.

Overall, it was a great show! I really enjoyed myself and would go back next year if I had the opportunity! (I don't think the tour makes a stop in Fort Hope) HA!!

hope everyone has a great remainder of the weekend, cheers :)

TGIF

I had a very busy, but amazing Friday! It started with a haircut, a short haircut I might add (pictures will surface eventually), but I actually like the look...."grown up" if you will....It's nice for the summer, and it'll grow fast! Anyways, after my haircut I was lucky enough to be invited back to OLMC (my school) for a little goodbye party the students set up for me. It was absolutely amazing, they made me cards, which of course made me cry. It really got me motivated and excited for the North. It also made me realize not only how big of an impact I have on the kids, but how much they influence me. I think I learned more than they did in the past 5 weeks....ironic I guess. lol

After visiting school I drove to my favourite place in the whole world GUELPH (779 Scottsdale to be exact) and hung out with the A-team. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and say my goodbyes. We were lucky enough to have nice weather so we stayed outside for quite some time, I also went to my sisters for dinner, which obviously was Delicious. From there we went back to the boys house and ended up going downtown to Vinyl.....which is always a good time.

Today after I got home from Guelph I went to meet up with Robyn and Sean from teachers college (J/I history shout out, lol)! It was nice to catch up and learn about their placements. Its funny when teachers get together to listen to them talk....I'm sure we would bore everyone with our conversation.

Now that I'm home I am just waiting for my sisters to arrive because we are having an early mothers day girls night. It sounds corny but I am really excited, we are going to see Stars on Ice, and everyone knows about my sick obsession with ice dance.

Other than that, I've got lots of plans for packing and goodbyes, which I'm sure I'll write about later in the week....

Cheers :)

p.s. This is a formal apology to Dan, who may or may not have a chipped tooth because of an incident last night. SORRY :)