General Archives » Page 5 of 33

Trish Blogs … for change

Photo by Paul Wesson Photography

Change is good. Change makes us grow.

Blogging in itself is certainly no change for me, I’ve been at it on & off now for seven and a half years. I’ve been posting pretty consistently for the last 4 years at least.

But I hope to inspire change with what I blog. Change in myself and/or in the others who do me the honor of reading my work.

My life often feels like it follows the same direction as technological innovation – constant change… I’m in an ever-flowing state of flux. I learned to embrace change early in life and find for the most part that I welcome and in fact even look forward to it. This is not the way for many others. People often fear change, even hate change.

Yet, we all love new things. It’s a bit of a conundrum really. How do we manage change while embracing new things? I recently upgraded my tablet from the Samsung Galaxy which I had a love-hate relationship with. It served me well, when it worked. It crashed frequently, and drove me insane with how slow it became. I tried everything to fix the problem, so the next step was an upgrade. Do I go with the new version of the same product? Minimizing the change? That’s not my way.

I had been waiting since April 2010 when the first Ipad was released, for a mini version. It was just too big for my purposes. I didn’t need, or want, a smart phone but I wanted to carry my tablet with me. So, I now need to relearn an iproduct (my last one being the ipod touch when it was new on the market). It’s exciting, but also a pain to setup all the day to day stuff all over again. There always seems to be a bit lost with what is gained.

And with the recent release of of the BlackBerry Z10, my curiosity has been peaked. I’d love to take this innovative new smart phone for a test drive. 🙂 Maybe, more changes are ahead. 😉

Personal changes may soon come as well in the form of a physical move, from one house to another, one job to another, perhaps even one community to another. These are changes that I look upon with anxious anticipation. I love the excitement of a fresh start. While not without a ton of work, these are changes that I always find energizing, refreshing and rejuvenating.

Recently some of my blogging activities have allowed me the opportunity to make new friends. Each new relationship comes with changes to day to day life. Conversations take a different twist, topics of discussion are new or at the very least with new perspectives. My outlook on things are molded slightly differently with each new insight. How could one not look at things differently when bouncing ideas off of Bublé’s twin, getting advice from Rent-a-Hubby and finding a shoulder to lean on in a Digital Summit BFF?

As for changing my blog for the better, I’ve changed my name/domain, my webhost AND my design (thanks to these great new friends for their input). I’m working on some ideas for an editorial calendar to bring a little more cohesiveness and fun to my writing. I hope it will be appealing to my readers and perhaps bring a few more ;-). All in the interest of improvement, a little work is created to have a more polished look, and better home for my passions. Things don’t get better without change.

Drop me a note and tell what you think about the changes, or share your own story of change for the better.

—————

Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun or email me at trish at trishblogs dot com!

I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)

If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!

Filed Under: balance, General, West Nova Family Tagged With: Blackberry Z10, change, innovation, Ipad Mini

FordNAIAS wrapped up

by Trish

Let’s see if I can wrap this up, post #5 about a 3 day FordNAIAS event, and I barely touched the surface!

Photo courtesy of @paulletourneau

Of course the North American International Auto Show was more than just a Ford event, all the big players were there with their finest. I found a few of my favourites as we wandered the show room on our way to the giant Ford area. The highlights for me included a gorgeous silver Jaguar XKR-S 2013 convertible, the Corvette Stingray, and the SMART car Forstars concept (with glass star-viewing roof and built in projector for turning your back yard into your own theatre al fresco!).

[cincopa AYLAgHrcAp7h]

After a nice lunch, and some time to relax and recoup with our friends, it was time to catch the first bus back to the hotel, grab our luggage and get to the airport. This meant saying a few goodbyes, sadly sooner than I would have liked.

Heading home we now had travel companions (in all of the friends we’d made) that made the trip much more bearable. That tiny little commuter between Detroit and Toronto felt like a class trip. Tamara and Heather, Paul, John, Christine and Felicia, Jennifer, Lyndon… I’m sure I missed some. A few of us had time to grab a last supper together – so to speak – before catching our connecting flights. I was overwhelmed when I walked onto the Boeing 767-300, after our little Dash 8. Apparently it was headed for London from Halifax. I swear 3 dash 8’s could easily fit inside of that plane!

Once home I was already tweeting my new found friends, bloggers and Ford staff alike. Rent-a-hubby, Paul & I have a trip to Peru to plan 😉 And the whole gang has a press trip to organize to check out Tanya’s home in South Africa!! Luckily for me, I have my complete collection of Michael Bublé to remind me of Ford NAIAS until then!

One of these days, I’ll find an opportunity to meet our Twitter wing man, Carson too!

Ford may just have made a car gal, and specifically a Ford Gal, out of me.

You can find my (mostly) complete collection of FordNAIAS photos here.

For Day 1 of the FordNAIAS digital summit, click here

For the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, click here

A recap of the rest of Day 2 can be found here

To read about the unveiling of the Ford Atlas at the Ford NAIAS click here

My travel and expenses to the Ford Digital Summit were covered by Ford, however I was not compensated in anyway for my time or this post. Opinions expressed are my own.

—————

Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at ceilidho at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!

I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)

Filed Under: General, Reviews, Sponsored, West Nova Family Tagged With: FordNAIAS, NAIAS

FordNAIAS Auto Show | Ford Atlas

by Trish

Those who know me well are likely a little surprised to see all these Ford posts from me lately. You don’t know me to be a car gal. Little known fact: I used to be into cars. I had posters of Lamborghinis and Jaguars on my wall. I photographed MGB’s and Mustang convertibles driving by on road trips when I was not yet a driver. I was married to a car guy, a mechanic who owned an old Ford Ranger (84?) when we met and until he was employed elsewhere was a Ford man. I liked cars. But I like the environment more, so my interest in cars waned. With recent strides in efficiency and other green efforts, especially by Ford, my interest has begun to build.

So ya, I like cars. Fuel-efficient and alternative fuel cars especially. Not having affordable or accessible options available to me for driving the hilly longer distances required of Nova Scotia drivers, I bought a 2012 Focus. I average 7.6 liters/100km. Not bad.

But am I a truck gal? I’m all about driving purpose-driven vehicles. If you need a truck, by all means, drive a truck! If you don’t, why drive something that consumes so much energy? That being said, after my getaway to #FordNAIAS and a short subsequent road trip, I returned home to snowbanks blocking my driveway. They were small crusty snowbanks. My friend’s truck would have handled it no problem!

The 2014 Ford Atlas concept… would have eaten the snow in my driveway for breakfast and gone looking for more!

[cincopa AwNAkErV_cil]

When Ford Canada invited me to the North American International Auto Show, I was thrilled. Besides taking in The Henry Ford while there, what excited me most was the unveiling of some of the concept vehicles. With limited time, I only caught a few, but the Ford Atlas was our focal point. With our media credentials verified we were escorted to the press show. Talk about impressive! We saw the Transit and Transit Connect in their glory, then the highlight… the Ford Atlas concept truck. Spectacular!

This video will show you what Ford’s unveiling of this gorgeous truck involved. I was awestruck to be honest. I could see how a truck lover would be excited.

A few interesting facts about the Ford Atlas:

Photo compliments of Ford

Tailgate step turns into cargo cradle to carry long items – < no more balancing long items on the tailgate and hoping they don’t break or go flying with the force of inertia! >
360-degree camera helps steer truck in tight spots < this in itself could help me overcome my fear of driving big trucks 😉 >
Power-deployable running boards < how cool is that? >
Intelligent Access unlocks doors and tailgate when you walk up < so I’m a bit of a technology geek, I think this is really cool >
Work glove-friendly truck-specific MyFord Touch < more tech geek stuff, I know 😉 >
Rain-sensing wipers < !!! too cool !!! >
Text-to-voice capability < your truck could read stuff to you! 😉 >

After the unveiling we headed to the COBO Centre for the auto show. I’ll include photos of the rest of the show in a subsequent post for now let’s stick with Ford.

To be honest, the classic 1948 F-100 pickup in the COBO Centre had me drooling. < I know, I know, there is nothing fuel efficient or green about that truck… but a girl is allowed her weaknesses 😉 >

[cincopa A0LAgFb6_oVt]

I had my photo taken sitting in my red 2014 Mustang Shelby convertible, and made a few photos of the eye candy that Mustangs really are. < More weaknesses, I know. >

Photo compliments of @wedding_crasher

For Day 1 of the FordNAIAS digital summit, click here

For the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, click here

A recap of the rest of Day 2 can be found here

To read the FordNAIAS Wrapup click here

My travel and expenses to the Ford Digital Summit were covered by Ford, however I was not compensated in anyway for my time or this post. Opinions expressed are my own.

—————

Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at ceilidho at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!

I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)

Filed Under: General, Reviews, Sponsored, West Nova Family Tagged With: Ford Atlas, FordNAIAS, NAIAS

The Ford Rouge Factory at FordNAIAS

by Trish

The Ford Rouge Factory was impressive, to say the least. As a part of the FordNAIAS digital summit day 2 began with an overwhelming experience of history and education.

The Ford Rouge Factory produces the F150, and used to also manufacture Model A’s, Thunderbirds and Mustangs.

Henry Ford designed the assembly plant to automate the process of building Model T’s and cut production time from 12 hours by a team of workers for each car. He wanted to make cars available to the masses. The best way to make them affordable was to reduce the time it took to produce them. After studying other assembly plants he came up with a system that reduced production time to 98 minutes per car! Today the plant manufactures F150’s from raw materials to finished product, eliminating the wait time associated with parts being ordered/delivered, etc.

From start to finish, the F150 is created from raw materials in 40 hours! It spends 6 hours on the assembly line, which is a masterpiece in itself. Thanks to a strong union/company relationship work stations are designed to be customized to the worker with the ability to elevate the platforms and more. Walking around the assembly plant walkway above, I was amazed by the condition of the workspace. Clean as can be, without any off gasses to be detected…

Ford has thought of everything, making the plant tour interactive, educational and fun.

A visit to the observation deck allowed an opportunity to view and learn about the incredible living roof system designed ten years ago to recover the environment around the plant. Recirculating the water back into the environment, feeding man-made ponds, gardens and even an orchard – the cleanup is really spectacular. From a plant that had a heavy cloud hanging over it < quite literally > to clear skies and the largest living roof in the world, spanning multiple football fields worth of sedum.

A film of the life of Henry Ford and development of the Ford Motor Company shares fascinating details about how the Ford Motor Company got it’s start. It includes details about Henry Ford’s resistance to the union, which inevitably was formed and became a strong contribution to the health of the company.

From the 3 screen Legacy Theatre, we moved to the panoramic, multi-screen, multi-sensory theatre that requires swiveling seating in order to capture the full experience of the Art of Manufacturing. This film walked us through every aspect of car and truck manufacturing from raw materials to finished painted & polished vehicle. The music the film is set to is performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. From wind, heat, sound and vibration, this is a fantastic experience.

I heard it said that a gentleman custom ordered a truck, got his VIN and attended the plant to request viewing of its production. He was informed it was scheduled to be on the line the following day, and allowed to return to the plant and follow his truck through the assembly line! We don’t really think about everything involved in the production of our cars, we just get in and turn the key. I’m willing to bet this gentleman never sells his truck.

After seeing the precision involved in the assembly of the F150 I was in awe considering what went into the design of the plant to begin with – to lay that out step by step, then physically design it would have required significant time & energy. I asked what sort of time is involved in refitting the plant for changes to models. And was told minor changes can be made on the fly but for major changes, like those the F150 underwent 4 years ago, the plant was shut down for about two weeks.

What impressed me more than anything was to realize the family connection that has been retained. Even with a company of this size and duration, family ties remain. Bill Ford, the Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company , is the great-grandson on Henry Ford who founded the company in 1903.

The Ford Rouge Factory tour is just another site worth seeing in the fascinating Detroit/Motor City.

For Day 1 of the FordNAIAS digital summit, click here

A recap of the rest of Day 2 can be found here

To read about the unveiling of the Ford Atlas at the Ford NAIAS click here

To read the FordNAIAS Wrapup click here

My travel and expenses to the Ford Digital Summit were covered by Ford, however I was not compensated in anyway for my time or this post. Opinions expressed are my own.

—————

Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at ceilidho at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!

I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)

If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!

Filed Under: General, Reviews, Sponsored, West Nova Family Tagged With: F150, Ford Rouge Factory, FordNAIAS

Halifax Emera Skating Oval | City Mom Now

by Trish

Have you heard of the Halifax Emera Skating Oval? Many of us can remember days of outdoor skating. When we could head out to the local pond or lake, or flooded backyard for an afternoon of gliding around with rosy cheeks and a thermos full of hot chocolate. For those climate change nay-sayers, all it takes is a good look around many Canadian winter neighborhoods to get an understanding of how things have changed within generations.

For more click here

Filed Under: General Tagged With: City Mom Now, CMN, Halifax, Halifax Skating Oval

Ex-etiquette, we all have something to learn

by Trish

Photo by Paul Wesson Photography

It took about two years for my ex and I to find ex-etiquette that seems to work for us. Once we got past the bitterness, the awkwardness and the newness of everything we found a place that has the greatest level of harmony for us all.

I almost jeopardized that in a new relationship who just didn’t understand that two adults who no longer love one another CAN and SHOULD have a civil and friendly relationship for their children’s sake. Fortunately I woke up and saw the effect it was having before any permanent damage was done. After a sincere apology and open communication things feel even more harmonious. This is all I could ask for my girls.

The children who seem to be the most well adapted to the new arrangements are the ones who see their parents speaking in civil, if not friendly, manners while always making the children feel at peace. If they can attend an event and easily transition between both parents (as well their respected spouses/relatives) there will be less unnecessary stress upon the children. Imagine being the child who can expect both of their parents, and whoever else is a part of their lives, to be ever present – just as they might in a traditional nuclear household? It IS possible. I’ve seen it.

Picture this: Christmas Eve; it’s dad’s week to have the children. His parents and significant other will be arriving for dinner momentarily. Mom and her new husband arrive at the door, with dessert and a bottle of wine in hand. Everyone has agreed that the traditional Christmas celebrations centre around the children, therefore, everyone has agreed to set differences aside and celebrate WITH the children. Mom and step-dad leave at bedtime and head home, waiting for the kids’ call to say they are up and ready for opening gifts from Santa. Mom and step-dad head back over for the magical moments of Christmas morning. Later that day, dad and significant other troop to mom’s house with the kids to finish exchanging gifts and have Christmas dinner with mom and step-dad’s extended family. This may sound absurd to some, but I have witnessed a very similar scenario, to which I was included as extended family.

We may not realistically ever achieve even a semblance of this, but can strive for something like it. I think as human beings we find anger the most difficult to let go of. However, the negative energy associated with anger is much more draining and spreads much more than we can ever imagine. Sometimes it is necessary to establish firm boundaries so that the situations that anger us become fewer and farther between. But ultimately, if we can look beyond and still follow the course of action in the best interests of our children, everyone will be happier in the end.

If you’re trying to find that middle ground of forgiveness and compromise, perhaps there are some resources that would be helpful. Is there a book you would recommend in navigating these choppy waters?

I’m currently reading “Ex-etiquette for parents – Good behavior After a Divorce or Separation”, by Jann Blackstone-Ford and Sharyl Jupe. These two women are friends in co-parenting. They write a national advice column: Ex-Etiquette

Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at ceilidho at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!

I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)

If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!

Filed Under: Coaching, General, Parenting Tagged With: co-parenting, divorce, ex-etiquette

Life Lessons – Coming Full Circle

by Trish

I recently un-celebrated my 38^th birthday. It was not a happy day for me. Not for my age, but for recently associated painful memories. And of course… It happened at a time when I was making difficult decisions to protect myself from further heartache, leaving me somewhat alone during some of my darkest days.

A wonderful friend provided me with support across the miles and I felt a little less alone.

Then things continued changing for me.

Everything happens for a reason. We have lessons to be learned and sometimes it takes multiple cracks at it before they have enough depth to begin effecting our lives. < It’s not fun to learn the same lessons over and over so, of course, the sooner we catch on the better. 😉 >

I am always trying to remind myself that every experience is a lesson to be learned, to look positively on the process or the outcome, or some aspect that will eventually serve to improve my life.

In the midst of it heartache is the hardest to learn from, but in hindsight it could be the simplest lesson to be learned. If only we allow ourselves to live through the hurt and reflect. When we avoid the pain, we tend to relive the lessons.

I’ve taken to really trying to live by the philosophy of Now. Live in the moment, live for today. The past is over, tomorrow is yet to come. And every relationship (friend, lover, family, etc.) has a purpose. Sometimes they enter our lives for a reason, sometimes for a period of time, and some will always be there. I try not to over think the purpose too much anymore. I’m not very good at that, and the heartache always seems to be magnified when I give in.

I am in a place of transition in every aspect of my life it seems.

Trying to establish stable work, a home for my family and eventually a relationship (partner in life) that will grow while feeling stable and safe. I not only feel like I’ve come full circle in that it’s a time to re-establish my life. Those who I rely on for support are those lifetime friends, some of whom have re-entered my life during my time of need. I feel a sense of belonging in a place I haven’t even thought of as home for years.

What is to come is yet to be seen. While I try to be proactive and plan, I am also trying to allow what is meant to be to come to fruition without much interference. There’s a certain fear in not directing it all. There’s a certain power in leaving it to the universe. My worries are less. Though I feel somewhat at a loss. I want to be in control of my destiny. I am not.

38 may not be old, but it sure feels like late in life to be starting over in some ways.

How do you reconcile not having complete control over your destiny?

Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at ceilidho at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!

I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)

If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!

Filed Under: balance, General, Health & Fitness Tagged With: change, full circle, life lessons

at playcafé – Dartmouth | City Mom Now Halifax

by Trish

Halifax needs more of these great play cafés!

The at playcafé is a fantastic café for work at home parents who want to get out of the home office, and entertain the kids, while having an opportunity to get some work done. The open concept of the play area which includes baby, toddler, and preschool/school-age play areas, makes it easy to keep an eye out while taking advantage of the free Wifi and sipping on a hot beverage or grabbing lunch. The highlight for kids being the climbing gym designed specially by at playcafé.

To read more click here

Filed Under: General, Halifax, Reviews Tagged With: at playcafé, City Mom Now, City Mom Now Halifax, CMN, Dartmouth

Imagine Salon and Spa – Bedford | City Mom Now Halifax

by Trish

The holiday chaos is fast approaching and you’re looking for a place to get prepared and rejuvenated all at once. Picture yourself walking into a salon where you are welcomed with cheer and immediately offered a hot beverage or glass of water, while smiling staff take your coat. Moms who are looking for a family-friendly full-service salon need look no further than Imagine Salon & Spa. A family operated business, Ian Marc’s Imagine Salon & Spa is worth the trip, whether or not you live/work in Bedford.