The countdowns begin...

Tonight is the last night I will be in my house.

The last night in my own bed.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...well to my sisters at least. One more day and the movers arrive. Forty-five more days and Mr. Ridley Chen will arrive. Eleven short days after that, we will be leaving on a jet plane.

So, what am I doing right now, but updating all of you. What I should be doing right now, finishing packing. Roadrunner movers will be here at 9 a.m. sharp. Hopefully they live up to their name. You see, taking a year off of work, leaving everything behind in the hopes of seeing the world, means one needs to save some money. Therefore, I can only pray that I have quick movers and the bill will put less of a dent in my wallet than expected. I have moved. A lot. Because I haven't stayed in one locale for very long I have succumb to the fact my family can only help out so much. Hence, movers. I heart movers. When I left home at the ripe age of 18 years, I went to college in Calgary. During our practicum placements I was hired on and went to school part-time and worked in Red Deer part-time. Following college I moved to Red Deer permanently, or so I thought. However, once life takes a hold of you, there is no turning back. I missed writing and I missed working at the newspaper since while I was in Red Deer I was working at a printing company doing graphic design. I missed being out and about with the community. So I packed my bags with the help of my family and headed to Killam where I worked for a weekly newspaper. I was there for only five short months when I was offered the opportunity to become a part owner in a newspaper in Tofield. So, once again I packed my bags and headed north. Ok...only about 80 miles north, but far enough I was forced to move once again. I lived in Tofield for over six years. I think that was a record. When I decided I wanted to spread my wings, as they say, I was hired into the field of communications and moved to Camrose. Once again with the help from family and friends we packed my stuff and I headed south. So, since the first move to Camrose I have been to Sylvan Lake, Red Deer, back to Camrose and then finally back to Red Deer all in the course of five years. Luckly, I have worked for only two different organizations...don't get me wrong I have moved a lot but for good reason.

Up until now I have loved living in Red Deer. Still do. But, there is a whole world out there for me to explore and I am lucky enough to work for an organization that has allowed me the time off to spend with loved ones and fulfill a dream of travelling.

And...in 55 days I will be leaving on a jet plane to begin my adventure.

All packed up and ready to go!

It's a dogs life...

You know how people say that sometimes owners tend to look like their dogs...er dog's look like their owners. Well, I am not saying that I actually look like my dog, Natty, or that she looks like me. Heaven help me if I had an underbite like she does. I probably would disown my parents for never getting my jaw reset. However, there may or may not be a few things that the two of us have in common. For instance, neither of us are keen on jumping feet first into a pool of water. Well, unless I can clearly see the bottom, I can touch my feet on the ground or that I am positive that nothing that other than an air mattress is going to rub against my legs. I hate to admit it but we probably both have a wee bit of a princess attitude. I will also admit that we share my king sized bed. I get one side, she gets the other. Since this is a day of confessions, I will also state that I may or may not take up less space than she does. To put it into perspective, she weighs 10 lbs. We also share an affinity to coffee, preferably Starbucks. Not sure where she gets her high-end taste from, but none-the-less we do love a strong cup of joe. Case in point to the photo. Thank God it was empty and she only tore apart the cup in hopes of getting the last few drops.

I grew up on a farm, although you probably would never be able to tell unless I told you. Which I just have. My sister and I, however will also admit that our Dad was quite lenient with us. We weren't really forced to do a lot of farm work. We were a bit spoiled that way.  Most of the time we would come home from school, run into the house, grab a snack and sit and watch the Young and the Restless. Even though we both have now become accustomed to the 'other' style of living, that doesn't involve hauling bales or feeding cows, we are still able to get our fill of farm life. My dad still lives on the farm, still has his cows and still works as hard as he did when he was 30. Bless his heart. He loves the farm. He loves his cows. He also loves us, and has promised that he will adopt Natty for the year. So, while I am away in a tropical locale, Natty will be experiencing her own adventure. I have a feeling she will be just fine. She may not even want to become a 'city' dog again after she experiences the freedom of the prairies.

It's going to be a good life...once the packing is complete...

To my friends, and new readers, I travelled to Malaysia in February 2011 and it was a trip of a life time. I spent over three weeks touring in and around Kuala Lumpur, Miri and a few places in between. Here is a little glimpse into my wonderful vacation in a tropical paradise.

So, now the packing extravaganza begins. Thank God for family. I have been blessed with their help, since I am somewhat of a procrastinator. It is to them I owe a huge debt of gratitude for taking the reigns and getting me started on the last thing I ever want to do...packing, and purging. See if it were up to me I would sit and complain endlessly about all the things I have to do to get ready. Yes, I should be excited. And yes, I am. However, I am also the type of person that may come across organized, but anyone who is close to me will tell you that you should never judge a book by its cover. My name is Shelley and I am a disorganized procrastinator. I am also a self-proclaimed worry wart. No, the three do not go together well. I was once told that I am imperfectly perfect. I try my best to be organized and to get-things-done, however I am also the type that will attempt to have a place for everything, only to forget where I put it. I also may or may not have a tendency to ramble (surprise if you haven't noticed by now).

In my attempt to break the habit of leaving things till the last minute I currently have five days till the movers arrive. Yes. Five. Days. Kitchen packed. Check. Closets packed. Check. Spare room packed. Check. Oh look at me go. Garage half-packed. Now to tackle the bedroom, and the clothes. Yes, my two walk-in closets, but for the record I did pack my coats, shoes, purses and scarves. Actually, my dad helped me pack the accessories. This is what is currently written on the box: coats, shoes, purses and scarves, scarves and more scarves. I wouldn't let him count them all.

Okay, now that I have given you a run through of my final packing tasks I guess I better stop procrastinating and start packing. Sigh.

And so it begins...

This is my first blog post.


Exciting.


Yes. It. Is.


Well...for me anyway. 


It only took me a day to come up with a name. And for me the most indecisive person that is quite the accomplishment. Normally I would have waffled a few weeks maybe months and spent more time editing the design to ensure it flowed with the name rather than the other way around. Anyway with the help from my friends Freckled Faces + Favourite Places blog is born, I am officially a blogger. Maybe not a money-making blogger, but a blogger none the less. 


And so some of you may understand why I have started this ever-so-exciting blog, however some of you may be completely oblivious and wonder if I am off my rocker. Freckled Faces + Favourite Places is a bit of an oddity I will admit. However, for those of you who don't know me, I have a few freckles, okay well maybe more than a few. Someone once told me that a face without freckles is like a sky without stars. I am not sure if they truly meant this or were just feeling sorry for me in my pre-teen years living with a face that had more beauty marks than a Dalmatian has spots. So you get it. I have freckles. I also love faces. Taking photos of faces actually. It is my hobby. It is my passion. A majority of my friends receive 'free' photos shoot sessions just because I like to do it. And yes, I appreciate when they award me with gift cards. wine or movie passes. Hint. Hint. Wink. Wink. But, back to the background of the name. I am also leaving on a jet plane for Asia in just over 50 days. Yes. 50 days. It will be an adventure of a life time which I will be sharing with my best friend, partner in crime or as he would refer to himself as the better half, Ridley. For the last year, Ridley has been across the world from me. We have stayed connected via email, blackberry messenger and skype. Ahhhh I heart technology. It made us possible. So needless to say, we decided that it was time that I take a leap of faith and make the trek to Asia. However, I am still a planner and so instead of completely cutting all ties at home, I was blessed with a leave of absence from work for one year. Yes one year. I am lucky. So, for the next year we will be together, I will see the world, and you will be by my side along the way. I will write and rant. I will share my musings. 


I. Can't. Wait. 


The countdown is on...

Alberta August 2010

Malaysia February 2011