Greetings everyone. It's a crisp and sunny morning here at Annis Bay.
I am excited that March is here and the snow is starting to melt.
Annis Bay is located approximately 10k west of Sicamous off the TCH Hwy. Where I live is a private gated area on the Big Shuswap lake.
My husband and I moved here about 18 months ago from Chilliwack BC.
(There's a whole backstory to why we moved here but that is for another blog post)
Visiting this area every summer for many years made me yearn to have a place of our own at the lake. Our kids spent many summers here growing up and it became our go to summer holiday spot. My BFF has a place here as well. So we always had a place to park our butts.
But just like many other vacation spots it is much different when you put roots down and make a permanent move.
We moved to the area in July 2020, when the pandemic was still fairly new. Things were a bit chaotic as we were preparing to move. The week before our move my Mom passed from Alzheimers. It was quite sudden but somewhat expected. Although I would say we are never really ready for someone close to us to pass away.
We moved ourselves and got settled in. Within a week of moving we discovered some septic issues and had to put in a new Very Expensive Septic system.. There's a saying here, “all you need is Water, Waste and Wine.” So we had a few glitches to overcome. We got it done and enjoyed our first summer as “lake people.”
When our first winter came it was not so bad. Very quiet and peaceful. I kayaked all winter as the weather was pretty great. I did some virtual challenges, joined the community run club and started to meet a few people.
My husband and I explored different trails with our pupper and took up snowshoeing as well.
I did have some darker days in the winter as well. I was a bit lonely and missed my friends and family a lot. I had doubts about the move and still do some days. But life is what you make it and I was given an opportunity to move to this beautiful spot and meet new and amazing people. My husband and I have moved from one side of the country to the other and back. Moving was nothing new. I am grateful for all the amazing people I have met over the years.
I have learned to be very “Resilient”
2021/2022 has been a bit harder with the restrictions and lack of interactions with people. We endured a lot of smoke up here last summer with fires all around us as well.
But I am filled with lots of optimism as Spring comes, restrictions are easing and we can start to get into maybe a bit more of what we love.
Sometimes things appear to be the best…we have a bit of FOMO. Then we dive in and go well…now what. Well we learn, we grow, and we make the best of each experience.
Life is meant to be lived, explored, challenged and lived out with veracity. Not everything will always work out the way you plan it. That is okay. It is how you live it that counts.
I am very grateful for where I am.
Sidenote: I moved my personal training business online in the Spring of 2020 and continue to instruct. I am now working locally with Seniors teaching as well.
I published my own self care journal in the fall of 2021. Life is what you make it…Keep on trucking.
Lisa March 2022
