Thursday, October 22, 2009

Weddings and Wine

Heading back to Ontario was a strange experience for Kel and I. As we crossed the border into Windsor and made our way home to Leamington it had felt like we never left. Not exactly the reaction I had thought I was going to have, me either, but I guess when nothing has changed there's nothing new to see. I don't know why I thought it would all look different to me...?

Well I think part of it was that we came back with a new set of eyes, or so we thought. Physically things have changed in some ways, but in the grand scheme of things we just re-inserted ourselves back into that world...hesitantly. We weren't quite ready to really take a break and found ourselves embarking on adventures of our own with friends from old places!

I headed to St. Catharines for a weekend of grape and wine action! A festival they have every year...And I must say it didn't disappoint. As usual, it was filled with live music, good times and great friends. And of course we went to The Chilli Pepper and Rockfords...where we partied most of the 4 years I attended Brock University. All in all a fabulous weekend!

And while I did partake in one evening of Grape and Wine -it would have been a sin not to :) - and shared my love for the band at the Chilli Pepper, I was off to the Kawartha Lakes region north of Toronto to watch one of my beautiful girlfriends tie the knot.

It's a long story to explain how I know both the bride and groom. Tim I've known since my first year in university and Kristi (T), I lived with my last two years of university. Somewhere in between, they met and the rest is history.

Thank you Kerry and T's friend Katie for the FB pics :)

The wedding was absolutely beautiful and it was great to see everyone...and I mean everyone. It was like a Brock University reunion. Well actually maybe not Brock, maybe Ajax....or maybe those are synonymous terms, as at times, it felt like Ajax was taking over Brock and vice versa. On either side of the fence it didn't matter because the group of people there to support T and Tim were all amazing and many hold a little spot in my heart...and lots of crazy memories!

Much love to all of you, I love you heaps and heaps and can't wait until next time!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Made it to Michigan

After World's Greatest Marketing Seminar in L.A., it was time to head home. After dropping Dad off at the airport in Las Vegas, Kel and I were off! We basically drove for 3 days straight...sleeping in the car both nights we were on the road. Although it wasn't our ideal place of rest we were pretty used to it considering it wasn't the first time the car became our bed! lol. The night sky was brilliant and the mountains of Utah and Colorado were a nice place to be again. It'll be the last time we see those mountains for a while. *sigh* Venturing along the border of Colorado and Kansas revealed some eclectic people. I think we saw our first REAL rednecks, mullets and all.
Finally we arrived in Michigan at our Dad's place and all we could do was crash! Obviously! lol

The next couple days we just relaxed...and creeped facebook of course, and replied to emails and such. It was nice to actually do nothing. lol. We also helped our Dad put his boat in the water and we went for a boat ride and swim in Lake St. Clair. I'm pretty sure it was the last nice day of the year so I'm glad we took advantage of that!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

World's Greatest Marketing Seminar

Well, I don't have too much to say about this one. World's Greatest Marketing Seminar was basically the end of our trip on the West. Although the course was educational and I had a lot of insights about what I want to do and directions for a prospective business, I knew we were heading home right after the course was finished and I must say I wasn't thrilled about it. But it was where we were supposed to be going, and it became quite obvious when the course started to seem dull and I was uninterested in half the stuff that was being taught.

At first I thought it was the difference between the high energy at camps, which we've been experiencing all summer, compared to the mediocre energy of a course. And then I thought it was just my own boredom and weak attention span when it comes to talking about business. BUT I soon discovered that it was perfect. It was perfect that the course wasn't fulfilling to me
because the universe wanted to show me that it was time for me to leave. There was nothing left for me here now and I was meant to be somewhere else.

I was sad to be leaving...not just to be leaving the West which I fell in love with, but all my friends and strong connections I made over the past 8 months. Although Leamington has been our home all our lives, Kel and I now have multiple homes and families all over the continent.
Nothing like throwing it all on the line there Kate. lol. I had a major energy shift coming from the high energy of camps into the lower energy of a seminar. It was a serious adjustment for me to make. Coming back into the real world isn't always the wake up call you want, but it's usually what you need. The course was full of valuable information and we did get some kick ass ideas about what to do with our blog, but for me it was the end of a cycle, not neccessarily of learning, but just the end of a cycle in my life. Of that go go go, learn, gather, network. I feel like it's time to start applying what I've learned and really commit to something to make it work.
Leaving the west sucks. But we do have plenty of homes to come back to when we decide to go back. On to whatever is next!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Even and Burbo!

Our amazingly, fabulous (yes, he is fabulous) friend Even was kind enough to let us stay at his house after our fun-filled two weeks of camp in Sanger.

But before we went to Even's, Kel, Chris, Veronica, Ben, Irma, Lea, and I all went out for dinner in Santa Monica followed by a walk on the beach under the full moonlight. I guess you could say it was a night to show our love to the moon and to release whatever was on our minds. We definitely did that! lol. Levitate anyone?

Kel and I, and Veronica tagged along as well, then headed to L.A. for some much needed R&R. Kel and I had actually been going non-stop since July. Two months of continuous fun is fun...but still tiring.

Even has an amazing house and its filled with amazing art by none other than Even himself. He also shares his pad with his slobbering handsome dog BURBO! lol. I love him! His spit is everywhere and he is like a miniature wrecking ball sometimes, but he is a sweetheart and very entertaining. haha.

We didn't see Even much when we were there. He had lots of fabulous parties to go to..lol..But we did go to a cabaret show with him to watch his friend Bernie. It was great! I had an awesome time, and they even made a shout out to us Warriors! Congrats to Bernie on the show and on being a new Warrior! A-HO!

Mostly Kel, V and I just hung out. Watched TV! The one night we had a goddess party with Lea and Irma. Ben came along as well, even though he's technically not a goddess. V came up with the idea of a traveling journal and so the 5 of us spent the night decorating it and putting all our love and radiant energy into it.
It was a magical creation and is currently with Lea I believe, aka Medusa. Oh la la! :) I love these ladies and can't wait to find out what adventures are to come for each of us! What she said!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

August? When was that?

Oh my, August went by so fast it was as if it didn't even happen...but it's impossible to forget all the adventures we had that month! It was an amazing experience, filled with amazing people! Couldn't have asked for a better experience and a better August! Thanks to all, old friends and new!


Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Return to Sanger...Birthplace of our Enlightened Warriors!

It wasn't quite a full year since our last visit to Sanger when we returned to volunteer for Warrior and Wizard in August, but it was a full circle moment (for me at least).

We had only been at Diane's for like 2 days and Katie and I were committed to being at Warrior and Wizard to volunteer in CA if that's where we were meant to be. Well, that's sure where we were meant to be because we were confirmed and leaving in two days within 5 mins of me sending that email! Talk about getting answers quick! And talk about going with the flow. :)

Back to the grounds where we first became Warriors last September. Something in the air, the energy, the heat...I was at home, every part of my being felt it. Writing it right now brings it all back. I guess it's that easy to go back to the places you want to go! Being in Sanger was like returning to the place I was born. It's a place that will always reinforce me of my power and remind me of my contribution to this world. Playing small is no longer an option, and everything I do is in line with my purpose. And well, the next two weeks at camp sure did want to test that!! lol. I'm not surprised considering it's the place where it all began...

We worked, we played, we laughed, and I know we cried. Two very different activities within two very different weeks. It was different than our camps up in Squamish, but a great experience in awareness, love and service. YES! We are so grateful for all our new friends, for the deeper connections with old ones and for being able to do and witness some of the most amazing shit ever!!!


A-HO and So Be It!
Thanks to Irma for some of the awesome photos!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Soft Rock in White Rock

After Mind of Steel Heart of Gold (MSHG) we decided to move on from Burnaby and hauled all our stuff to Diane's place in White Rock, BC. It was absolutely beautiful.


The first night after camp Dad put Katie and I up in a B&B on the waterfront pretty much. It was absolutely beautiful. We spent most of the night chilling on the balcony overlooking the ocean or strait...I'm not sure...I think it was a strait, while munching on pizza and nachos. Although all the great food at camp was to be missed (especially the crumble), we 'preferred' something a little more on the less disciplined side of things for a change. Every day at camp I told Diane I was manifesting pizza in the lunch line, buuuut nothing. I wasn't surprised. Lol, so ya I was pretty determined to get some.

Diane was in our group for MSHG and was kind enough to extend an invitation for us to stay with her as long as we needed knowing that we really didn't have any plans made for our next move. Well after a FULL day of laundry and drying out wet belongings, we had our answer. We were off to California.

I love staying with new people and getting a glimpse into their lives. Diane certainly knows how to have fun. From our walk down the peer and gelato to awesome dinners, we had a blast in the company of her high energy and happiness! Birds of a feather flock together I guess :)

Diane, don't forget your declarations! And thanks for the pics that we used in the MSHG vid!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Mind of Steel Heart of Gold

Ummmm..... There are absolutely no words to describe this week. It's a month passed as I'm writing this and I'm still saying "Really??? Did that ACTUALLY happen???"

Hahaha, ya it's hard to really put into words or even cohesive thoughts what Mind of Steel, Heart of Gold was for me. Possibly a culmination of everything I've learned starting a year ago! All I can say is that it was one of THE most amazing experiences of my life, and I am so proud of myself, my Dad, and my sister at how far we've come and how much we've changed..for the better of course! lol. I am so grateful...and to echo Kel, "I can't believe I actually did that!?!?!" ah! Great way to end our camp adventures in Squamish!

Much love to Soft Rock! Enjoy the video xo

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Mamma Mullen in the Hiz-ouse!!!

Mom arrived in Vancouver on the beautiful Civic Holiday Weekend! The night she arrived we headed out to Jessica's place in Coquitlam for a BBQ with her family. Mmmmm.... The Voo's are such amazing people and let us into their home without even giving us a chance to say YES! lol They and made us feel like we were home. Vancouver now holds a special place in our hearts. Not just for the Voo's, but for everyone who welcomed us with open arms...and open hearts. :)

The next day we started our week long adventure with Mama Mullen! We did a beautiful drive along the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver up to Whistler with a little stop in Squamish...as if we weren't already spending enough time there. It was nice to show Mom where we were spending the majority of our summer! And although it's not the same experience as being at camp, the view on the drive up in unbelievable and worth the trip!

We headed out to Vancouver Island and stayed with some family, Mike and Marlene, in Courtenay, BC. We didn't have the best weather or highest and best energy possible, but we had a good time anyways! Took a little drive up to Telegraph Cove and Port McNeil. Well it wasn't really little, but it created lots of space for us to chat and bond again. Being away from each other for 7 months can create some distance...nothing we couldn't gap though!

After a few days of just chilling we headed down to Parksville for the sand scultpure competition before heading back to the mainland. Artists from all over the world came to build and had some amazing sculptures! I think the theme was 'the olympics'.




One thing I know to be true is that my week spent with Mom was not about what we saw, where we went or what we did, it was about just being in the moment with an open heart and very much going with the flow of whatever was thrown at me.


Hmmmm,...the week was interesting. Although us three Mullen women had some grunts at the beginning of our trip, we worked through the knots. Three VERY different energies coming together as one after months apart....it's bound to happen! But that was normal. I knew that would happen. The interesting part was when the universe dropped a challenge into our lap. A challenge that tested us right to our core but did not defeat. The point of this banter...The lesson learned: The perfect house in the the perfect neighborhood with the perfect family and the perfect cars and the perfect friends...is a lie. It's a lie if you're not really LIVING. And once you actually start LIVING the life you've always wanted,....the 'perfect life' doesn't really matter anymore.


End note: I love my life! And my family!