For those that know me they know three things – I’m an excessive planner, very organized and a little high strung. Throw in a little OCD and stubbornness in there and you’ve got me in a nutshell!

My planning and organization tendencies come into play on a daily basis. I can probably tell you what I’m doing at this time next week. And I’m not going to lie, sometimes when plans change it freaks me out a little and I may slightly panic. I don’t take things well that are sprung on me however minor they may be. It kind of seems crazy, but that’s just how I am. And my poor boyfriend and family have the pleasure of putting up with it all! *Insert sarcasm here*

I don’t remember being like this so much when I was a child, but as I’ve gotten older these traits have become much stronger. Although my mom told me I was always one who needed to know what we were doing and when we were doing it.

Take our recent summer vacation for instance. My boyfriend Noel and I went to B.C. for a week with a stop in Edmonton and Jasper along the way. We knew where we were staying four nights of the week, but the other three we were just going to see where we ended up depending on what we felt like doing. Sounds fun? Maybe for some but not for someone with a personality like me. This is a planner’s nightmare and it means stress!

Of course everything worked out during our trip. We never had a problem finding a hotel and a nice one at that and looking back, it was actually a lot of fun. But if I had the choice to do it that way again or to plan our stay each night before we left on vacation, I would absolutely no question do the latter. I guess you can’t take the planning out of the girl no matter how hard you try!

I really think part of Noel’s plan for our holidays was to teach me how to relax and be more laid back and to just go with things. This is something I’m really trying to work at.

But I honestly do not know what the word ‘relax’ means. It’s never been a word in my vocabulary. It’s amazing how you would think something so simple, such as relaxing could be so darn hard for a person like me. I have even tried yoga in an attempt to force myself to relax and I don’t love it because it’s too slow and there isn’t enough energy. I need something like Zumba or step aerobics to keep my interest. I have found that a day at the spa can do the trick, but it’s a temporary feeling of relaxation. A short while later I’m back to my planning, scheduling and high strung ways.

This is something that I just thrive on. I am normally ‘on-the-go’ most of the time. Of course this too can have its downfalls. So for me, I need to take time and remember to relax.

This past weekend we were in Canmore with my sister Lindsey and my niece Isla. I have to say it was one of the most relaxing times I’ve had in a long time. Hiking, checking out the shops and getting a massage was definitely a nice change of pace. Even breathing in the mountain air seemed to help.

If only I could keep that feeling, but I guess it’s impossible to be on vacation forever – at least for most of us!

efawcett@reddeerexpress.com