The Mssng "I" // Part One

It all started during the first few chapters of Eat, Pray, Love... I decided I wanted my own quest for that often-sought-after quest to finding your "inner peace" or rediscovering the true worth of your life. 

We live in a world where most people's next ambition is at the top of a mountain, or also known as the term climax, but once they hit that point, then it goes back down to the low slope at the bottom of the valley. People get hyped about their next "big gig" or the next chapter. I used to see life like this, but the more I opened up and listened to what people were saying, it sure wasn't those big

moments that they claimed to have cherished the most. The best memories, as you all darn well know, come from moments you never even planned. 

So, my friends, I have become a searcher in the common days of life for things that sparkle. 

Now by sparkle I don't mean glitter glue and a bunch of 5-year-olds. By sparkle I mean that split second in a day when you look up at the pink haze in the clouds and feel as though you are speechless of thought. That's the kind of thing I look for in my day-to-day. 

Oddly enough, sparks fly all throughout our days, but sometimes we never give them a chance because we are "too busy" or in a rough mood. Let's change that! 

Find the gratitude in things that you never did before. Pull an Ashley and admire the clouds, but please don't follow suit as much as to walk into a peers backpack. 

Health-Freak Hiking

How to survive in the wilderness on kale chips and chickpeas...


SO, as many of you may know, and many may still be oblivious to my love of food, it should be no surprise that I am blogging about my "healthy hiking alternatives". Since my start of back-packing in 2013, I have adjusted my straps numerous times, and have also found some surprisingly simple changes to my squished and most-often melted menu. 

Let's take a closer look into the "average" back-pack vs. mine, to understand what I mean by this new term "Health-Freak", coined on me when I stated I liked fro-yo more than ice-cream:

The typical hiker's food sack includes:

-Trail mix, always
-Oatmeal
-Some form of gnarly and tough meat, and a lot of it
-Coffee (most of the true adventurers will have some)
-Babybel cheese
-A large amount of some gluten-full base layer (eg. Naan, wraps, pita)
-Smooshe (aka: melted chocolate, pronounced smoosh-EH by us Canadians)

-Candy 
-Clif Bars


Then there is my food sack:

-Trail mix, as usual
-Granola
*wait for it, wait for it!*
-Dried apples, strawberries, pineapple (mango if I'm lucky, or have a heavy cash flow)
-Kale chips & seaweed
-Falafel patties, fried and dried (a mixture of ingerdients with chickpeas)
-As fresh as can be, straight from the sea candied salmon
-Peanut butter (NEVER LEAVE WITHOUT IT)
-Fruit Plus snack bars
-Veggie chips that end up as veggie crumbs, but still tasty
-Home-made energy bars with loads of protein

I mean, what can I say? I love my greens, and I am perfectly happy to pack 10 extra pounds if it means I get to be labelled a Foodie. 

Below you will find my most prized pieces of fruit and veg, pre-dried today:

I enlarged this baby so you can just about see all that vitamin K going on! 

People Counting

So, many people count sheep when they need to sleep, or they count their fingers when doing math-related work, but recently I was given the opportunity to count people, as a job. Yes, people. I work for the government now, counting people...

As many of you Canadian folks know it is the year of the Census, and I am happy to announce my recruitment onto a BC team! Normally I'd say I'm a people-watcher, but now I'm a people-counter! Cool, eh? 

As part of my guidelines for working in a Government occupation I have to keep things confidential, so this is about as much as I can tell you: I got another job.

Heading Home

So here I am, with news for you, that I am heading home...

I was accepted into the program I applied for and will be moving to the Okanagan this fall, excited and scared beyond measures.

 It has been a difficult few months, isolated in a new town with few friends, working and praying for what the future may hold. I have been on top of the world, singing and dancing while enjoying the West Coast waves, and I have also been in the dumps, wishing I had a friend to share in my adventures. Through it all, though, I have held close to family and have discerned where I am to be in the next year to come. I chose school. 

I love to learn and there is so much possibility in the unknown. I want to continue growing in my abilities and move forward in my ambitions.

 I am always scared of the future, but I keep reminding myself that I can't decide the future, I can only decide the here and now, so I must relax and focus on who I am today. 

If you have ever loved a place so dearly, you will know, because you continue to come back.

Here I go, taking the jump, and how I will land, only He knows... 

From Here On In

"There she goes... There she goes again..." 

Okay, so many of you close friends are probably wondering where I am and what I am doing, huh? Well, let me tell you. I am currently situated on an island in the middle of a kitchen writing on my blog. Oh, alright... The truthful answer is that yes, I am on an island, a little bit north, a little bit west, a little bit close to the ocean. You get the gist? Anyways...what am I doing? Well, funny you should ask, because these days not even my parents can answer that one! I have been spending the last two months in deep contemplation as to where the winds will blow me, and which of God's little sign posts I should follow. 

First and foremost you should know that I have applied to two different culinary schools, one close to home, one not-so-close to home, depending on your definition of "home". "Culinary school?" you ask. Well, yeah, didn't you know that I am a health-freak who loves to spend her free-time dancing to tunes in the kitchen and researching the healthier alternatives to practically ever recipe known to man?! Well, now you know. I like food. I like food so much, I want to make a career out of it. Obtaining a Red Seal is the primary focus of my ambition, but what I really want to do is spread the word of how important nutrition is. I have contemplated becoming a nutritionist or consultant, or maybe try my hand at horticulture, or I might even go into sustainability and crop management. Whatever I decide, I want it to be right for me when the time comes, so I hope you continue to ask me about it in years down the road, because who knows, maybe I'll have changed my mind again! 

So culinary applications are a thing, but have you heard I am also applying to take a year-long missions trip in Australia? This was a really sudden endeavor, but one that I have always had a hunch about, ever since I was a kid. I am drawn to proclaim the Lord's message and I also love meeting new people, so I thought, "Hey this could be for me!" I would absolutely love the opportunity to travel across the globe for a good cause and if I get accepted you might be hearing more from me, as I get quite excited about even the littlest things, like floss being on sale, for instance. 

Well, it's looking pretty interesting here folks. All I know for sure is that I still have a job and I still have God's love, so if all else fails I continue to work and pray for the future!

Ash 

My Face 

By: Ashley EM Higginson

 This face was splattered delicately by an 

artist who was not shameful to mix colours.

He took a blank canvas and decided to splash it with a constellation of stars, so it would shine for everyone, regardless of the hour.

By adding two deep oceans, the artist 

created an overwhelming wave of beauty.

He was very particular to create a blooming effect on the cheeks,

 which would brighten and wither with the seasons, 

the emotions, and the help of the sun.

The artist also took his talents to create from something as common as straw into golden locks that seemed to bounce to the harmony of the features.

Up-to-Date

So...as many have heard, I, Ashley the Adventurous, am declaring that I will not be pursuing school next semester, because I'm silly. No, because I am being logical. 

I will be taking next semester off to work a full-time job (where-ever that may be... outdoor store or health food store hopefully!), buy a car, and plan some backpacking trips. I went into university when really, what I wanted was to take a gap year and figure things out regarding my uber-bubbly self and what my attributes and interests could do for a future career. 

SIDE NOTE: So, I like the earth, art, sustainable living, food, and people....which got me thinking of going into geography and sociology. I'd love to be a promoter of a richer life, because too many people are struggling to find purpose and meaning, but are also looking the wrong direction. I want to steer people in the direction of health and the love of living that is found in running, eating fresh kale from the garden, recycling, buying local or second hand, or just learning how to reflect on their life through deep prayer. I believe that people have to first understand the earth (through geography) and then how they are related to their society (through sociology) to really grasp how they can make a difference in the world and find a personal satisfaction in other aspects of their lives. 

^ So there's my thoughts typed out, but if you really want to know what is really going on in the time ahead, send me a message or email me (ahiggs66@gmail.com), because I love interacting with people on a personal level! I will also be pretty free in the next months to come... after I finish my first semester of university...


PS: I am not giving up on school! I love it and have really learned how to learn, I am just postponing my education until next fall! STAY TUNED!