Nothing Says Travel Decor Like PinkSky Co

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Turquoise Compass

With a natural born love for travel and the fact that I’m married to a commercial pilot, it’s no surprise that we decorated the nursery in a travel theme. Prior to our baby’s birth, we didn’t know the gender. I couldn’t wait to have the greatest surprise of my life – even though the waiting was torture for my poor husband. For that reason, we wanted the nursery to be unique, yet remain gender neutral. As for the colour scheme, we went with crisp white, pale greys, various shades of turquoise, and pops of vibrant primary colours. I knew once the baby arrived, I could add more gender-specific colours and decor to the room if desired – although I’m not a fan of gender-specific anything. I knew my colour choices would work perfectly for both a boy or a girl. Continue reading →

We’re on the Move Again|Moving with the Tides to Halifax

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Turquoise Compass

Peggy’s Cove

My mother recently shared a saying with me she saw online (even before we heard the news): “Advice from the ocean: be SHORE of yourself, come out of your SHELL, take time to COAST, avoid PIER pressure, SEA life’s beauty, don’t get TIDE down, MAKE WAVES “, and it couldn’t be more true! We are coasting, seeing life’s beauty, and making waves along the way! Looks like we are meant be living back on the OCEAN. Well, as you probably expected, we are on the move again! Surprised? I’m not! I’m moving to my fourth city in under 12 months. The joys of being a pilot wife; everyday is an adventure! We have been transferred to…

Continue reading →

What’s on Your Bucket List? Help me Develop Mine!

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Turquoise Compass

What’s on your bucket list? Help me develop my bucket list in progress by suggesting new and exciting things you’ve accomplished or plan to accomplish! What’s top on your 2016 list? Check out the countries I’ve visited, my completed bucket list, around the world bucket list, and northern living bucket list to get a sense of what I’ve accomplished so that you can suggest something NEW! See my dilemma? I’m drawing a blank. Continue reading →

Northern Living Bucket List

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Turquoise Compass

2015-2016

I had the incredible opportunity of living in Northern Ontario when my husband was -based in Timmins, Ontario when he worked for Thunder Airlines as a King Air 100 pilot. I made a commitment to myself that during my time in Northeastern Ontario, I would do as much as I could do and see as much as I could see. Since I knew living in the north wouldn’t be forever, I wanted to make the best of my experience and have as many adventures as possible. I immediately immersed myself in the community and found myself a job teaching at the local college half the time, while teaching vinyasa yoga at a local holistic spa, practicing yoga, traveling, and writing for Northeastern Ontario Tourism during the other half of the time. It wasn’t long before I was checking things off my northern bucket list. From snow tubing, winter fireworks, making s’mores over an open winter bush campfire, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, hosting yoga workshops, to dogsledding, I pretty much did it all. During my time in the northern regions of Ontario, I visited as many northern communities that I could reach–even as far north as Peawanuck on Hudson’s Bay, which is the second most northern community in Ontario only accessible by plane or winter ice roads (as shown on Ice Road Truckers). Although the arctic temperatures last 8-9 months of the year, I was able to create the life I wanted to live and live my life to the fullest–even if it meant I lived it in alpaca fleece and thermal wool winter wear. It’s an adventure I will never forget.

Here are the experiences I completed during my 8 months of living in Northern Ontario and my multiple trips and visits to the north. Continue reading →

Bucket List in Progress

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Turquoise Compass

My in progress bucket list will probably never be as adventurous or extensive as my around-the-world bucket list, completed bucket list, or my northern living bucket list. It’s hard to top the year I traveled to 22 countries, while checking endless items off of my bucket list from skydiving, hang gliding, sand boarding, body boarding, SUP, kite surfing, scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, and beyond. Not only that, it’s hard to beat my 2015-2016 adventures of living in the north, while experiencing the best adventure travel tours anyone could hope for from snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, yoga in the snow, snow tubing, seeing polar bears, wildlife tours, hiking, winter bush fires, to dog sledding. How can I compete? I can’t! I just keep on living. Even though I’m not traveling full time anymore, I’m still traveling locally, within Canada, and sometimes abroad, but now just half the time. I’ll never stop trying new things, visiting new places, and adding items to my ‘loving-life-list’. With each item I check off my bucket list, I find another thing to add to it. Here’s to living life to the fullest, dreaming a new dream, and enjoying this beautiful life we have been given.

My mantra is to live, dream, travel, and do yoga. I’m doing just that.
C.S. Lewis says it best: “you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

Here is my in progress Bucket List:

1. ~~Get engaged~~ (sneak peak, engagement photos)
2. ~~Wedding Expo~~
3. Plan a turquoise inspired wedding (wedding shower & bridal shower)
4. ~~Find my dream dress~~ (wedding dress shopping)
5. ~~Tasting tour in Maine, US~~
6. ~~Makeup lesson with a Professional Makeup Artist~~
7. Complete my Yoga Teacher Training
8. Dominican Republic ~~wedding ceremony on the beach~~
9. Marry the man of my dreams
10. Trash the dress
11. ~~Start my 500 hour Yoga Teacher Training~~
12. ~~Teach yoga~~
13. Adventurous honeymoon in Mexico
14. ~~Hideaway at Royalton Riviera Cancun~~
15. ~~Best kept secret: my husband is now a Porter Pilot~~
16. ~~Be flown by my husband on a major airline~~
17. ~~Move somewhere new (again)~~
18. ~~Get a new job~~
19. ~~Teach kids yoga~~
20. ~~Ottawa, Fury FC Game~~
21. ~~Boston~~
22. ~~Thunder Bay~~
23. ~~Kingston~~
24. Be a bridesmaid
25. Attend a national yoga conference
26. Host a yoga & wellness weekend retreat
27. Complete a yoga teacher training abroad
28. Teach yoga abroad
29. Attend a yoga retreat
30. Buy a paddle board
31. Buy a home on the water
32. Buy a body board
33. Visit every winery in Nova Scotia
34. Surf the tidal boar
35. Visit Chicago

***As always, travel somewhere new!

Any suggestions of what I should add to my list? Check out my other bucket lists to see what I’ve done and recommend something NEW: countries I’ve visited, completed bucket list, & around-the-world bucket list

*I’ll be adding items to my in-progress-bucket-list as I think of new and exciting things I want to try and unique places I want to visit. I may adjust/change experiences as I travel to new destinations.

Jessica,

Turquoise Compass is on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest

Countries Visited

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Turquoise Compass

Countries visited:

Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia)
United States (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Washington DC, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, California, Nevada, Michigan, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii )
Bahamas
Cuba
Jamaica
Dominican Republic
Trinidad and Tobago
Mexico
Belize
Honduras
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Guyana
Brazil
Puerto Rico
Australia
New Zealand
France
Monaco
Switzerland
Italy
Vatican City
Greece
Albania
Croatia
Montenegro
Germany
Czech Republic
Slovenia
Netherlands
Belgium
England

Check out my other bucket lists: completed bucket list & around-the-world bucket list

Turquoise Compass is on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest

Jessica,

Completed Bucket List

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Turquoise Compass

I started completing items on my “bucket-list” when I was in high school. Even though I have no intention of kicking the bucket anytime soon, I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of having a rolling adventure to-do-list. Each year, I add new items to my list and try to accomplish them before the year is done. Often times, I find myself experiencing an activity I didn’t even know existed! I get anxious with excitement just thinking about the next journey I will take or new thing I will try. Until I can’t think of another place to visit or another activity to do, I will continue to live my life to the fullest by checking off items on my ‘loving-life-list’. There is still so much more for me to see and do.

This is what I have been able to complete thus far in no particular order:

Experiences:

Snorkeling
Scuba Diving
Surfing
Whale Watching
Swim with Dolphins
Swim with wild whale Sharks
Swim with wild sting rays
Catamaran tour
Deep Sea Kayaking
Canoeing
Wind Surfing
Water Skiing
Tarzan Swing
Canopy Tour/Zip lining
Rappelling
Visit an active volcano
Swim in the only lake in the world with fresh water sharks
Drive-In Movie
Christmas & New Year in NYC
Back Pack throughout Mexico & Central America
Travel by myself
Stay in hostels
Ride on the back of a motochonco
Hitch Hike
Downhill Ski & Cross Country Ski
Snow boarding
Ice Skating
Snow Shoeing
Ice Climbing
Rock Climbing
Cruise
Stay at a resort
Hiking
Visit the Mayan Ruins
Swim in a Cenote
White Water Rafting
Horse Back Ride in the mountains
Parasail
Visit the aquarium at Atlantis
Camp on the beach
Boogie Boarding
Body Boarding
River Boarding
Drive on the left side of the road
Ride in a horse and carriage
Tent Camping
Drive a jet ski
Disney World
Live in a big city
Visit Hollywood
Fishing
Ottawa for Canada Day
Watch the Canada Day fireworks from the roof top of the Chateau Laurier
Helicopter Ride
Fly an airplane
Caving
Sailing
Driving Range
Buggy Tour
Parliament
White House
Drive a Mustang
Hotel Hop
San Diego Zoo
Lazy 5 Ranch

Life Moments:

Start a blog
Become a teacher
Book a flight and just leave
Dye my hair Rihanna red ombre
Fall in love
Road trip with friends
Study Abroad
Study at a private School
Meet Erin Gruwell and the Freedom Writers
Mom and daughter trip
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Education
Master’s in Education
Volunteer
Meet new friends
Learn Spanish
Tutor second language learners
Try new things on each trip
Train at a Crossfit box
Try a new class
Learn to make my own jewellery
Buy a house
Pay off my student loans
Plan a vacation for someone
See my favourite band in concert
Sing in front of thousands of people
Sing in a band
Fly first class
Travel with carry-on luggage only (a big deal for me)
Visit a new place in my home province
Remain pen-pals with childhood friend
Reunite with old friends
D.C. & L.A. Holocaust Museum
Fly in Diamond Aircraft across 4 provinces
Run a 5km marathon
Play varsity rugby
Coach high school soccer and rugby
Principal’s Certificate
Throw a surprise party for someone
Fill a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child
Go to the movies solo
Teach at a college
Move to a new city
Try different jobs
Stay in touch with a childhood pen-pal

In every city that I visit, I try to experience as much of the culture as I can by visiting as many of the iconic landmarks, monuments, museums, parks, restaurants, markets, sporting events, and festivals as I can. My fast-track travel style enables me to see much in a short amount of time. Although hyperactive traveling can be exhausting, it is also rewarding. I always make an effort to try something new in each destination that I visit. I would rather have memories of experiences had, rather than souvenirs.

I’ll continue to add to my bucket list in progress by creating yearly goals for myself; there is no better way to look forward to each new year!

Check out my other bucket lists: countries I’ve visited & around-the-world bucket list

Jessica,

Turquoise Compass is on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest