Bittersweet

May 18, 2016 - A real mix of emotion - excitement, fear, anxiety, motivation, a bit of everything as I walked to the hospital to have my knee rebuilt.

I'd gone through a lot since the injury in early January and with the help of physiotherapy, was now able to run/elliptical anywhere between 5-15km at least 3-4 times a week. All in all, not too shabby for a guy with a torn ACL & MCL. I was feeling good, being active again and even had thoughts creep into my mind that, you know what, I'm okay, I might even be able to live like this.
But no, my team had officially started their season the previous weekend and being on the bench around all my friends and teammates quickly brought me back to the fact that I am far too young, with far too much yet to accomplish to be satisfied with a bummed out knee for the next 60 years.

Signal Hill National Historic Site, Newfoundland & Labrador

It's 1897 and construction has just ended on Cabot Tower. This commemorative building sits atop Signal Hill in St. John's, Newfoundland. It is an architectural nod to John Cabot and his crew who discovered Newfoundland some 400 years earlier. Fast forward and today it is a National Historic Site and one of the most popular tourist locations in the province.

This popular spot offers an incredible view of St. John's, North America's most easterly city, and an endless stretch of blue ocean and awaiting adventure.

Cataracts Provincial Park, Newfoundland & Labrador

Down an old dirt road, in the middle of nowhere, over pothole covered "highways" and off the side of the road...we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere along the line? Then we see the Provincial Park sign and keep going until all you can hear is the power of water smashing downward. Over one last bridge and into the gravel parking lot before we rush out to see the no doubt, incredible waterfalls creating this bellowing sound. We found it! One of the best kept secrets on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland - Cataracts Provincial Park.

Bare Mountain, Newfoundland & Labrador

Just off the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, you will begin to run into mountains and a completely different type of scenery. The first major pit-stop along the Trans-Canada is Clarenville - a town of over 6,000 people and nestled in the valley of surrounding peaks. Home to White Hills Ski Resort and approximately 30 minutes from Terra Nova National Park. 

Port Blandford, Newfoundland & Labrador

Like so many of the towns across Newfoundland, Port Blandford is tucked away off the Trans-Canada Highway but is always worth the stop. The town has under 1000 people and sits 2 hours from St. John's and 20 minutes from Clarenville. There are two exits from the highway that you can take - one goes through the town and the other goes directly toward one of the bridges.

Walking Bridge

The Calm Before the Storm

Mar 1, 2016 - Anxiously counting down the days, an ongoing theme since the injury back in early January. In two days I will be back in to see the surgeon and hopefully get an idea of when and how surgery will take place to rebuild and replace my evaporated ACL ligament.

I've put in 4-6 hours of physiotherapy every week since the injury and am feeling great - all with a grain of salt of course, but nonetheless I'm optimistic, moving freely and am pain free. Rob at Nova Physio tells me I'm at and even beyond the strength he would like to see before going in for the procedure, which is great news - my work is paying off.

Just a Hop, Skip and No Jump

February 12, 2016 - I've just finished up my latest 2hour physio session. Working with some great people at Nova Physiotherapy who have really encouraged me to tackle this head on and stay positive. I've gone from zero movement in my right leg to now being able to fully extend and straighten the leg under my own power, do full 90degree step ups and more. I'm walking up AND down stairs properly now, all on the proper track to encourage my glutes and hamstrings to strengthen and do what they're designed to do - all pain free.

Twist and Pop

January 13, 2016 - I've a week of hard-work under my belt at this point and starting to feel good again after the holiday break. My local men's soccer team's winter league is starting up again tonight and I'm itching to get back on the field. We have a league of 4 teams within our club that plays once a week as a way to incorporate new things from training into game like situations and also to maintain fitness over the snowy months here in Newfoundland. The club (Feildian's Athletic Association) fields one Premier Men's squad that competes in the Newfoundland & Labrador Soccer Association Challenge Cup League, which sends its annual winner to Canadian Soccer Association National Championships.

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia

One of the most iconic places in Nova Scotia, Canada - Peggy's Cove and it's beautiful lighthouse, which is officially known as Peggy's Point Lighthouse. The entire region, which is about 50 minutes from downtown Halifax (capital of NS), represents what so much of the Province was built on - small towns, strong communities, the ocean and making the best of the rugged environment.

Peggy's Point Lighthouse

La Manche, Newfoundland & Labrador

One of the greatest aspects of Newfoundland is that you can "get away" from it all and be amongst Mother Nature in less than 30 minutes from downtown St. John's, which is the capital of the Province. Our latest hiking & camping adventure took us to La Manche Provincial Park.

This park is approximately a 50 minute drive from the core of downtown St. John's and offers plenty of campsites (82), trailer sites, playgrounds, beautiful hikes, a lifeguarded beach and over 50 species of birds as well as many other members of the animal kingdom.

For full park information, see here.

Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland & Labrador

The perfect weekend escape - the Bonavista Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada. This beautiful small section of "The Rock", as the province of Newfoundland is so affectionately known, is like stepping out of 2016 and into a much simpler, more relaxing era. But do not mistaken this laid back feeling and majestic scenery for an easy life, here as well as most of NL (Newfoundland & Labrador), you will find the hardest working, nicest people imaginable.

The town of Bonavista is a little over a 3 hour drive from the Provincial capital of St. John's on the far east of the island.  If flying to Newfoundland, St. John's is your most likely arrival point.

We stayed at a beautiful historic home which is now a bed & breakfast called Jubilee House. I highly recommend this spot. The help, Gladys, will fire up a hearty breakfast for you each day and have tea while she explains the best sites for the day - it's perfect.

Manchester, England

Welcome to Manchester, one of England's busiest, most historic cities. Its rich history in both industry and football make it a major player in England for locals and tourists alike. Hell, even the age-old Coronation Street soap opera is filmed and based out of Manchester.

The United Trinity - George Best, Denis Law, Sir Bobby Charlton.

The foundations of the city are industrious, hardworking people. My first foray here as a young teenager was very eye opening as we drove through the countless factories to reach a rough community pitch where we'd be playing against two local football clubs. We (a select team from Nova Scotia, Canada) were trounced on the day but I was able to take away the player of the game nods and a club banner from Boundary Park FC - great memories.

Now with that bit of background, you'll understand my main draw to Manchester being football...but even I was shocked at just how much more the city had going for it.

Lille, France

Been dreaming of a quaint european city with everything you'd ever want all while still boasting a regional population of over 1 million?! Welcome to the northern French city of Lille, named the European Capital of Culture in 2004.

Gros Morne, Newfoundland & Labrador

Have you ever dreamt of cruising through mountains and water carved during the ice age? What about climbing part of the Appalachian Mountain Range formed over 1.2billion years ago? Or walk the Earth's mantle, forced up by tectonic plate collisions hundreds of millions of years ago?

All of these things happen in one incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site and Parks Canada National Park - Gros Morne, Newfoundland. The National Park is located on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean. Newfoundland & Labrador (NL) is the most easterly province of Canada and is the only place in the world to have it's own timezone.

Panoramic View L-R: Gros Morne Mountains, Tablelands

New York, USA

Summer comes to an end and I'm surely not the only one who tries to cling to those warm nights, long days and better weather. This past Fall, my sister and I decided to explore The Big Apple and all it has to offer!

September means average temperatures of +20 Centigrade and perfect weather to be outside and see as much as possible of NYC from above ground rather than via subway. We had 7 full days booked and were armed with a few invaluable pieces to make this trip truly unforgettable.

Panoramic view from the Empire State Building.

Montréal, Quebec

How do you surprise your 60 year old father for Christmas?

You give him less than 48 hours notice that you'll be flying from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Montréal, Quebec to see his beloved Canadiens play at the Bell Centre!

Montréal Canadiens vs San Jose Sharks - Dec 15, 2015.