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A place for all those who can’t find a place called home.

2023 IN PICTURES. WHERE WAS I LAST YEAR?

WOW 2023 is already over. What a rocket it has been for me.

First of all, I feel so sad that the blog crashed last month.

My hosting was hacked and I had to start everything over from scratch and even though I promised myself I would be done by the end of 2023, I am not done. I lost all of the photos I ever posted in the articles so it is going to take me a while to recover from that (thankfully I saved the posts and the pages recently).

THE BLOG WILL BE BACK.

I guess the blog was due for a new life anyways. For the new people around here that don’t know, I started the blog in 2014 when I came to Canada for my working holiday visa. At that point in my life, I wanted to come and stay in Canada. I was refused that year when I applied for the Quebec Visa after my working holiday so I had to go back to France for a bit. That was 10 years ago! 10 years!!!! WOW. And today, I am proud to say that I am FINALLY a CANADIAN CITIZEN!!!! Yeah I guess that was the biggest new of my year (even though my year has been huge).

Hang in there with me while I re-organise all the articles and try to find all the photos again.

I am going to start by my 2024 previsions and then go into my recap and then the photos.

2024 previsions

Anyways, I still can’t believe I am now a Canadian. A dream come true as they say. After all that work put into papers and fights to get a visa. The COVID-19 to go through with the uncertainty of whether or not I was going to have to go back to France because of a visa issue due to delays. A long time dream dreamt has become true for me but also for so many of my friends. Big cheer to us all.

With a dream accomplished though comes a new set of interrogations. What’s next? I was living for becoming a Canadian citizen for so long that I lost track of all my other dreams – or almost. I needed another big one of course and I guess I found it.

Buy a van (Sprinter size) and drive down to Ushuaïa with my floof. Develop my photography business so I can afford to be on the road and take contracts at the same time to finance the trip. Yeah, that is another big one that I would rather do now than in 10 years when I am older. Because yes, 2024 means 34… I don’t feel that great about that but that is a February problem.

On a blog side of things, 2024 will be the renew of Welcome Home. I have some wishes for the blog – starting with the domain but they are all taken with the full name so I am still working on that. I really like Welcome Home because even after 10 years, it still has the same meaning for me. I was on a hunt for a place I would love to call home and now that Canada is my new home, I still feel appealed by discovering more. I guess once you start, you can’t stop! Home can also mean the physical place you live in and I am still looking for that home and I hope I manage to get my Van that I will call home.

I also want to include more of my dog in it because he has become part of my home too. So any dog advice I can have regarding travel will be there. I want to keep the journal side of things but I also want the blog to be more professional for advice on trips and destinations. I know the old blog was a pain to search and it was basically mostly a list of blogs but I want to change that.
I don’t know if I want to keep wordpress but I am exploring other options right now. We will see where time takes me.

2023 look back

To recap my 2023 year… I don’t even know where to start.

In January and February I had my first real photography paid jobs for two different proposals. It was a very funny thing because when I was driving to the locations, I had nothing else in mind that a feeling that I was made to do that. That feeling of peace that almost makes you cry you know? Have you ever experienced that? This is when I knew that I made the right choice quitting and pursuing my photography career. Those two months were also though because with no money getting in and a dog to feed, a rent to pay, insurances to pay, gear and things to pay to put in place my business, money was flying by. That is why I got two night jobs, one at the Saddledome (the Hockey arena – sorry Habs, I work for the Flames but I still cheer for you), and one at a Winebar (I have to learn about wine as a French person!).

At that time, I was living alone in my flat and paying almost 2000$ for it. Between electricity, internet, Silas and the insurances, 2000$ might not seem a lot, but when you are your own business and live off small jobs, it is a lot. because 2000$ is just the fixed expenses so you have to add all of the rest to it like food… By the end of February, my old roommate asked me if I wanted to move back in with her, and calculating everything, I was dividing my expensed in two if I did… So I did, by April, I moved back in.

By March I still didn’t have the big break I was hoping for but I got in contact with another photographer in Banff (Banff Photography) for a small gig teaching photography at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake over the summer. I calculated long hours of driving but I was so willing to do it. Driving to the mountains for work is not a bad commute! It appeared that it was one of the best decisions I made this year. Nick (the owner) also asked me to take photos for him and edit photos as well. He trusted me with his business and I took care of his clients as if they were mine. It felt so good to be part of a team and learn from it and grow from it. For those who ask, the commute is two hours one way and two hours back. I was doing it 3 to 4 times a week (and yes, it is impossible to find affordable accommodation in Banff or Canmore with a dog unfortunately).

May was the time where I finally sold Chris (my dear van) and where I flew with Silas to France for my brother’s wedding. That was a nice break before the storm that is has been since June!

I also did a short time at Decathlon in Calgary (a French sport shop that I recommend 100%) but with the three jobs + me trying to develop my business for 2024, it was impossible for me to keep up.

So from June to October, life has just been a rush of work between Calgary and Banff and Lake Louise. I didn’t see the time pass, I almost left Silas alone too much but I am taking him back under control now. It was a whirlwind of things happening and me having no time for nothing. I didn’t camp as much as I wanted, I didn’t hike as much as I wanted, I didn’t paddle as much as I wanted. But I tried my best. I was up at 4am and in bed at midnight.

Since November, I had more time to dedicate to Silas and I. I worked on my business and tried to get my head over the water of things. I have only two weddings lined up for next year so far but I couldn’t be more excited!

I hope 2023 was graceful to you and a bit less stressful than mine. I wish you all the best for 2024 and here is the thing you were all waiting for…. The recap in pictures.

Wholeheartedly,
Dorine

2023 in pictures

January 2023 – Alberta, Canada

January 1st: Abraham Lake

January 13th – Cross Country ski & January 14th – Dog sledding trials

February 2023 – Alberta, Canada

February 2nd: Fort Mc Murray.

February 12th: Peyto Lake

March 2023 – Alberta, Canada

March 8th: Kananaskis Country

March 29th – Lake Louise

March 19th – Chester Lake

April 2023 – Alberta, Canada

April 2nd – Silas got neutered

Discovering Banff and starting some shoots for Banff Photography

April 23rd – Golden, BC

April 28th – Montreal, Quebec to sell Chris

May 2023 – Alberta, France & San Diego, USA

June 2023 – Alberta, Canada

June 3rd – Helen Lake

June 4th – Little Lougheed

We even saw a bear on the road. To this day, we are still not sure if it is a Grizzly, a Cinnamon bear, a black bear, a spirit bear… any insides for us?

June 4th – Kayak in the dark in Calgary

June 17th – Lake Minnewanka

June 18th – Grotto Canyon

Moraine Lake, Lake Louise & Banff – Multiple times

June 15th – We had snow on Moraine Lake road!!!

July 2023 – Alberta, Canada

July 1st to 3rd – Groove in the wild as a photographer

July 4th – Banff National Park

July 7th to July 16th – Stampede. I was doing service there for the whole festival. Very tiring from 9am to 9pm everyday for 10 days! I had SO MUCH FUN though. We were a good team. I got to discover all the activities, rodeos and dog jumps.