Where did February go

And just like that, February is over. Finished. Gone. I don't know about other people but for me, February always seems to finish before it even starts. You almost blink and then it's gone. This month for me has been full of excitement; from birthdays, to trips, to emergency visits, I can honestly say this month had it all.

Since this month was so eventful, I'm going to give you guys small journal entries of some special and/or crazy days.

Lets start off strong....

Firstly I am a strong believer in bucket lists... lets be honest I'm just a strong believer in making lists in general. (They make everything easier) When I was 13 my Grandma told me about her bucket list, all the things she wanted to do before she got to see God face to face.  I thought it was the coolest thing, it was all these dreams and activities, that she knew she wanted to complete. Talk about having an adventurous spirit! After this is when I made my first bucket list, and over time I added more and more to it. One of the list items was "Celebrate my Birthday in a different country." 


So on February 10th I got to cross "Celebrate my Birthday in a different country" off my bucket list. The day started off nice and early, at 6:30am and after getting dressed and ready I was off to Spanish class like a regular day. I was told that in traditional Spanish culture, on your birthday you bring in a snack to share with your friends to celebrate your special day. My sharing snack of choice was mini donuts, and honestly they weren't very good, but they did bring people all together. After class a group of friends and me went to popular Wok restaurant in the centre of Madrid. Six people, representing 6 different countries, all sat at one table. (a table that was actually intended for 4 people) Together all squeezed in, we shared a meal over great conversations and lots of laughs. By the end of lunch I was told happy birthday in 6 different languages and sang to in 4, it was definitely a moment I would never forget. After lunch Rose and I had to go a STEP meeting, the meeting flew by, and just like that we were grabbing our things to head to a second meeting. But this second meeting included pizza, breadsticks and lactose free chocolate cake, therefore it was worth attending. To follow and end the night, I went home to be welcomed by a table full of Sushi, all I can say is that on my birthday I ate enough food to feed a family of 4.. for a week.

 In all honestly I was not looking forward to this birthday. Normally I spend the day with my mom, and then have family dinner, this year not only was I away from home, but I had two meetings. Honestly not my ideal way to spend my day, but it turned into such a special day, with memories that I'll never forget.


 On February 16th I got the amazing opportunity to cross another bucket list item off. I have a lot of close friends who live in Northern Ireland, I've been there once before and I love the country so much. When I was living at home, I always would wish that I could go to NI for the weekend, but living in Canada it was not realistic to jet off for the weekend. But living in Spain, that was another story. As a late birthday present I got to go to Northern Ireland for the weekend, thus crossing "go to Northern Ireland for the weekend" off my bucket list. The weekend was amazing, great time spent with friends and was exactly what I needed to renew my tired spirit. Sometimes so much change at once calls for some needed familiarity, for me being with my friends, in a country that feels like home was exactly what I needed to help me come back to Spain with more energy and determination. 

All in all, "God's Country" as Northern Ireland is nicknamed, was exactly what I needed.

Lets end the month off with an adventure. On Sunday February 26, after waking up I decided to start the day off with a quick run through the mountain trials near my house. So there I was running down hill, thinking to myself "I'm surprised I haven't tripped over any of these rocks before," not even 2 mins after I had this thought occurred I was tripping over a rock, falling flat on my face. OW! Covered in dirt, with scratches and a fractured pride to tie it all together, I decided to get back up and keep running. (and hope nobody saw) I ran another 3km before I decided to start back towards my house. As I was started back down the mountain, one minute I was running, the next I was on the ground with throbbing pain in my ankle. What just happened?! The answer is I slipped on an erosion path, and a rock. I still wonder how I'm this clumsy. And with 2km left until I wold be back at the house my only option was to walk. So after the most painful walk of my life, I was finally back at the house and waiting for my host mom to get home so we could go to the hospital. The long story short, after 4 hours in the hospital, enough paperwork to last me a lifetime, and some x-rays, the doctor was amazed that I only tore a ligament in my ankle. His prescription was, a brace, a lot of Advil and rest. (Therefore no more running) Though it's not broken limping around is not ideal. 

All in all this month was busy... very busy. But even through the chaos, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming peace. At the end of the day all these stories all add up to make this experience, well an experience.