Why the title? We all know that life is filled with change, and since August 2005, my life has gone through a lot, all for the better. I moved out of my parents’ house and out on my own, not in Quebec where I grew up, but two provinces over, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I was hired at a law firm where I was later promoted into a paralegal position – something that I had wanted for some time. I met Neal, we moved in together, got engaged, got married, and on April 8, 2011, our daughter was born, bringing yet more changes!
* My birthday is on December 25th – yup, a Christmas baby!
* I grew up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and lived in the same place, had the same bedroom, from when I was a baby until I moved to Halifax when I was 25.
* Although I grew up in Montreal, some of my best and most vivid memories are from the weekends and summers spent in Rawdon, Quebec, which is located a little over an hour’s drive from Montreal. Both my grandmothers lived there, and we all used to joke that we were related to about half the town. Despite the chuckles, I do think that was more truth than joke!
* My mom still lives in Montreal, but my sister, Sherry moved to Halifax in July 2011 – it is so incredible to have my sister, her husband and my nieces living so close!
* In 1995, when I was 15, Quebec had a Referendum over the issue of separating from Canada and becoming its own country. Although I couldn’t vote, I was certainly on the “No” (ie, the more rational) side of THAT debate. That was probably my first brush with politics that really hit home and pissed me off. That was also when I really started to realize that I did not want to spend the rest of my life in Quebec.
* In 2004, I visited Halifax, Nova Scotia. I visited the city with some girlfriends of mine, but they were driving and because I wanted to spend more time in Halifax, I decided to fly in a couple of days early. That was my very first flight. And I flew by myself. To a city I didn’t know. It was awesome, and I fell in love with this city on my first night here and knew this was where I wanted to live.
* Because I’m a world-class worrier, I didn’t end up moving to Halifax until the end of August 2005, almost a year after I visited here. But the main thing is that I made it! It was exactly one month after moving here that I started work at Wickwire Holm, a law firm downtown, as a receptionist. Less than a year later, I became the firm’s foreclosure paralegal.
* On Saint Patrick’s Day of 2006, the luck of the Irish was with me. That was when I met Neal in line at a bar – little did I know then that he would become my wonderful husband.
* Neal and I got married on September 5, 2009. It was a beautiful, glorious day with perfect weather, many laughs, no disasters, no tears, just happiness and lots and lots of dancing. He is my best friend. I cannot imagine my life without him.
* Our daughter, Claire Elizabeth Guthrie, was born on April 9, 2011, weighing 7 lbs, 4 oz!
* On June 6, 2013, my father passed away from a sudden heart attack. He wasn’t the image of health, but it was still unexpected. I wrote about it here.
* On December 16, 2013, I started a new job. It was very difficult for me to leave Wickwire Holm because the people there had become my family, especially when I didn’t have any family in the city. And I enjoyed the position I had there. But an opportunity came up at Cox & Palmer and it meant that I could learn about Wills & Estates. I knew that it is important to expand my knowledge, so I took the plunge, and now I am the Wills & Estates paralegal.
