Grateful for 2022, a Wonderful Year

Grateful for so many things in 2022

Happy New Years Eve!

This blog post is about gratitude and sharing everything I am grateful for during 2022 as we get ready to welcome 2023.

The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.

~Mary Davis

Grateful for my followers!

First, I am grateful for all who follow me and my blog. It’s an honour to have you with me. Thank you.

Second, I received my Canadian permanent residency in early February! That was super exciting and definitely something I am grateful for! Yay!

2022, Year of Discovery and Learning!

2022 was the year of discovery and learning for me as well as for Derek.

I completed two 10-week long online courses with a couple of amazing artists. The first was with Anne LaFollette and the other with Juliet Meeks.

I’ve learned how to make surface pattern designs using Adobe Illustrator and how to license my artwork and designs. See my previous blog post about these two fantastic courses.

I’m grateful for this amazing year of acquiring new skills and I’m hoping to expand my art business, making 2023 an even better year.  

Derek’s Adventures in Nova Scotia

Derek is learning all about SEO (search engine optimization) and has started a new blog called Adventures in Nova Scotia. Select the blue link above in the paragraph heading or click Adventures in Nova Scotia to learn more about his incredible new blog!

His blog is all about exploring amazing places in Nova Scotia and discovering the wonders of Canada’s ocean playground… in other words, learning about this beautiful province we now call home.

Trip back to the States

I am also grateful for the opportunity to fly down to Florida in March see my parents and then over to Texas to see our kids and grandkids. On our way back, we flew over to North Carolina to pick up the last of our belongings from storage. Then we made a repeat performance of early 2021, drove another UHAUL truck to Canada – thankfully, this time, a smaller truck!

Grateful for my talented grandson Owen

While we visited the kids in Texas, we got to see our grandson Owen’s artwork on display at their local library!! I’m so grateful that he loves art as much as I do!

Grateful for my art friends

Before we left Raleigh, North Carolina we got to enjoy dinner with some of my absolutely fabulous art friends whom I’ve known for many years. I miss them so much.

The Fundy Rose Ferry Ride

We are also very grateful for the ferry ride we took from St. John New Brunswick to Digby, Nova Scotia! By taking this ferry, we avoided having to drive the UHAUL truck an additional nine plus hours around the Bay of Fundy to get home. See Derek’s cool video below.

It was a whirlwind two weeks. We are thankful for our friend Penney who stayed at our home and took care of our two kitties, Mikey and Mango, while we were gone.

Grateful for Local Travel

We are grateful for being able to fit some local Nova Scotia travel into our busy schedules as well.

The best education I have ever received was through travel

~ Lisa Ling

Epic Soldier for a Day at Halifax Citadel

Derek participated in the Soldier for a Day experience at the Halifax Citadel this past summer. This was something he’s wanted to do ever since he learned about it. Being at the end of July, you’d expect it to be hot, but his day was wet and chilly.

Derek received personal attention from several of the guides there, but the Lance Corporal tour guide really made his experience special since the other person who was also scheduled for the tour didn’t show up. It was truly an amazing experience for both of us. Hover over the paragraph title above (which will turn blue to show you the link) or click ‘blog post’ to the right to read Derek’s blog post about his day!

As for me, I really enjoyed the costume area! The ladies in the costume shop showed us all the historical uniforms, shoes, hats, kilts, and socks, etc. that they use for the soldier for a day experience. I am a huge fan of historical clothing, and all I can say is it was out of this world amazing! I told them they had the best job ever!

My advice, if you have any interest in Canadian history and/or historical costume, you should definitely sign up for this fun filled day, rain or shine.

Grateful for Friends

I am also grateful for my friend Joan! She and I worked together when we lived in St. Louis, Missouri. She came to Nova Scotia in June via one of the cruise ships. I picked her up at the dock in Halifax and we had a wonderful day touring Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse and Village where we explored the lighthouse and small shops in the area. She’s the first friend to make it up to Nova Scotia to see me since we’ve moved here.

Lighthouses in Nova Scotia

Derek and I took time to get out and about to see numerous Lighthouses throughout Nova Scotia this year. I took photographs of these lighthouses, enhanced them digitally, and then turned them into greeting cards.

I found a local printshop near Mahone Bay I work with who makes greeting cards from my digitally enhanced photos. I am grateful for this printshop and for the three galleries where I sell my artwork and greeting cards.  

Trip to Cape Breton

In early October, we managed a second trip up to Cape Breton to see the fall colours. We weren’t certain we’d get to see any fall colors as Hurricane Fiona tore through the Maritimes just a few weeks earlier. But as luck would have it, we did get to see some colours and we enjoyed our time touring the area.

We are also grateful Nova Scotia didn’t suffer as much damage as some of the other maritime provinces, like Newfoundland and PEI (Prince Edward Island).

Sydney, Nova Scotia

We started off our trip to Cape Breton in Sydney. We made it over to see the “Big Fiddle” – Joan recommended we check that out.

We stayed in a lovely Airbnb our first night. The next morning, we enjoyed a guided tour around the Sydney area via Blackwood Tours.

We saw the Highland Village Museum and the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck, Cape Breton.

Not only was Alexander Graham Bell one of the worlds greatest inventors, involved with the telephone, the airplane, and hydrofoil, he also worked with Helen Keller and helped her defy the odds?! I never knew about his extensive work also with the deaf, including Hellen Keller.

Through travel I first became aware of the outside world. It was through travel that I found my own introspective way into becoming a part of it.

~Eudora Welly

After the guided tour, we made our way up the Cabot Trail and we stayed at our first ever glamping dome. Let’s just say, I’m grateful it was only one night in the dome.

But, with that said, it didn’t stop us from staying in another glamping dome closer to home. More to come about our second experience. So, stay tuned.

Day 2, Cape Breton Trip

The second day in Cape Breton, we continued up and around the Cabot Trail and got to meet up with Davey & Sky in Chéticamp!! Say What?! Indeed!!

Yes, we got to finally meet this adorable young couple we started following on YouTube back in 2020 before we moved to Nova Scotia. See one of their amazing videos below.

Best of Nova Scotia with Davey & Sky 2021

They are just as cute and personable as we thought they would be and we are very grateful for them taking time out of their busy schedule to meet us in Chéticamp, on the northwest shore of Cape Breton.

Next Up, Glenora Distillery

After our visit with Davey & Sky, we made our way down the west side of the Cabot Trail to the Glenora Whisky Distillery. We booked a room and a tour there. When we arrived, we were blown away by the stunning fall colors on the trees around the distillery. It was definitely time to pull out our cameras and take some pictures.

After we checked into our room, let me just say I was grateful and thrilled with how beautiful and comfortable the room was we were staying in, especially after the less than comfortable glamping dome experience the night before.

I’m also grateful for the educational whisky tour and the amazing dinner at Glenora Distillery dining room.  The food was so delicious and the desserts were fabulous!

Grateful for New Friends

The next day we started our trek toward home and made one more stop in Antigonish to see another lovely couple, Gerarda and Doug. We met them last year at the Seawind Landing during our first visit to Cape Breton.

Gerarda made us lunch and both of us were grateful for her absolutely, out of this world, seafood chowder! Derek claims it was better than anything he’s had in any of the restaurants in Nova Scotia!! We had a wonderful visit with them. Grateful to catch up and build on our friendship.  

We are also grateful for our fabulous neighbors, Vern and Linda, for taking care of our kitties while we escaped to Cape Breton for a few days.

Grateful for Fortuitous Events

One unplanned major expense this year… our dug well went dry over the summer and we had to have a new well drilled put in our front yard. It was a long eight-week wait for the drilling company to fit us into their busy schedule, as it seems we were not the only people whose dug well dried up this summer.

We are grateful for the new well, but we’re still waiting for the component (controller) to make the new well actually work. Thankfully we had enough rain this fall that our dug well has refilled and we still have water.

Grateful for Serendipity: AKA Happy Accidents

One grateful happy accident that occurred when Derek was talking with one of the plumbers about our glamping dome experience up in Cape Breton, when we were having the new drilled well hooked up to the house, via our plumber, the plumber mentioned that one of his friends had a new dome nearby that he helped install the plumbing in and suggested Derek and I contact them about staying there.

So… we did!! AND… the best part, Derek was talking to Wayne and Deborah about their dome and come to find out they just opened this summer and needed help with their website and getting their social media platforms set up. Derek built their new website Blysteiner Lake Dome and in return we got a free night at their amazing dome! It has been so awesome working with them.

We are grateful for the door of opportunity that opened with this couple and their amazing glamping dome! I can’t even begin to tell you how different this experience was as compared to the other dome in Cape Breton. We went from “camping” to five-star hotel accommodations!! See some images below from our stay.

If you come to Nova Scotia to visit us, we highly recommend you stay at the Blysteiner Lake Dome as it’s only 10 minutes from our house! You won’t be disappointed, I promise!

Grateful for my Parents

I am also grateful for being able to make a second trip down to Florida right before Christmas to visit my parents. They celebrated their 40^th anniversary in late October!  Derek and I celebrated our 16^th anniversary late December! So grateful to have made it this far together!

Please subscribe below if you’d like to follow me in 2023

If you are interested in following my future topics on art and adventure, please consider subscribing below and I will send you an occasional email keeping you up to date on my latest art and fun adventures. As always, I am interested in hearing your comments and views, please post your comments below. Wishing you and your families all the best for 2023!