Hey guys!
Over the holidays, I went to Sydney, Nova Scotia where most of my relatives live. I hadn't been back for 8 years, so it was a much needed reunion!
If you haven't been to Nova Scotia, I highly recommend it! (Especially in the summer or fall- it was FREEZING when I went!) There's not a lot to do when it's that cold- my hands felt like they were going to fall off when I walked outside- so we went from house to house visiting and celebrating.
Here's a recap-
Bumpy start:
We were on the plane to Sydney from Toronto and everything was going according to plan. We are about 300 ft off the runway in Sydney and the pilot just picks up, full speed. Next thing we know, we're going back into the air and we have no idea what's going on. The pilot says NOTHING. Everyone is legit freaking out. We land in Halifax and they tell us that they're going to take us back to Toronto and fly us to Sydney on a later flight tomorrow. Okay, so at this point, it's already 2 am, everyone's exhausted, and we were sooo close to Sydney. Nothing they were saying was making sense (I was also delusional from being so tired, that could've had something to do with it). So, needless to say, everyone freaked out even more over the course of an hour and a half, still sitting on the plane in Halifax. They finally agreed to have a Montreal crew take us to Sydney whenever they arrived at the airport, which happened to 3 hours later. We FINALLY arrived to Sydney around 8 am (we were supposed to land at 1 am).
Relaxing:
We chilled out most of our first day there- literally and figuratively - did I mention it was cold?Then, we went and visited each set of grandparents. Most of the trip was spent visiting aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and catching up. There were birthday parties, New Year's celebrations, and lots of hockey games- after all the juniors were on. My brother and I got to jam out in our favorite music store as well- the Long & McQuade on Charlotte's St.
#snapchatsawitfirst - sydneyscotia
Food on food:
There was a LOT of food. For some reason, I feel like grandparents always want to feed you, even after you've eaten a full meal. I mean, I'm not complaining. I hadn't seen a Tim Hortons in a few months so my brother and I made a couple trips lol. Also, one thing about Sydney, it seems like everyone just has baked goods on the ready. I ate so many pork pies, oat cakes, and shortbread. There's also sooo much fish. Nova Scotia has amazing crab and lobster! Even the McDonal's has lobster lol.
Cousins:
I got to see all of my cousins!!! My 12 year old cousin, Maira, and I saw Pitch Perfect 3 which I may have enjoyed even more than her. How are those movies so addicting? My 9 year old cousin, Kiera, spent all night with my brother and I playing the whisper challenge and Pictionary. We also played Mad Libs and Would You Rather, which has resulted in her regularly using words like Meditarsels and Filangies.
New Years:
We celebrated new years with my grandparents and were right on the water for the fireworks and at 3 am, we had to be at the airport to get back to Arizona. Our flight was delayed out of Toronto but we made it back. The week went by crazy fast.
Quick turn-around:
I had to start prep the day I got back because, on January 4th, I had the second shoot day for the documentary I'm producing directing. I'm so excited to share more about this project and share the trailer! I still had to answer some calls while I was away, but I really didn't work much. I think finding a balance between work and family is really important, especially because I hadn't seen mine in so long. I had a lot to catch up on, including a self tape audition due the day I got back, but it's definitely worth it to just be present and stress free whenever you can.
Thanks for reading! Get ready for lots of blogs and vlogs!
If you want to keep up with my ridiculous vlogs, new projects and daily pics, head to my YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter :)
@sydneyscotia
xoxo
Syd