"I hope that I can say, when all my days are done, that I had my fun"

Hey guys,

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! What a yucky Monday it is outside, its like a winters day!I hope it gets nicer for the week ahead. Last week was jam packed! My week flew because I had so much going on, none of which was Canada related. ( I really need to start getting organised!). On Wednesday night I went to Live at the Marquee with my sister and my cousin. Ellie Goulding was playing but the main reason we went was because my sisters friend was the supporting act for Ellie. Her band is called Blooms and they were amazing, she has such a beautiful and unique voice. You should definitely check her out!

The next night I went to Kodaline with my boyfriend. He got me tickets as a present months ago. They were outstanding! The crowd sang word for word every song. It was a great night. The next day wasn't great however as it was my last day with the children in work. We had a graduation for them where they performed songs and a dance. I was so proud of how well they did and how cute they looked. Saying goodbye to some of the families was so difficult as I had a really lovely connection with some of them. I got such thoughtful gifts and received  kind words and well wishes for my new adventure. I have two more days left in work now as I help them prepare for September and on Thursday we are heading to Kenmare for a team building day and for me, its one last hurrah with my work mates.

On Friday, I went to the dog track for a well deserved work night out. We had a ball, myself especially, as I won money from 5 out of 11 races. ( bare in mind some races I got 20c back but nonetheless I was very excited). We gambled, had some drinks and food and the night ended with some hilarious dance routines and a sing song. All in all, a great night!

On Saturday, I got my hair done. For the people that have to put up with me on a daily basis they will know that when I get an idea into my head I want it done...Yesterday. I decided I wanted to get rid of my jet black hair. As if things aren't changing enough for me I said why not change my hair too. I wanted to go to a brown with caramel tones and that's what I got! I am so happy with it! I just have to make sure I don't get any ideas to change it for awhile!

That night I attended a 40th wedding anniversary of the parents of my friend/cousin, Rosie. What a fabulous night. We all got a bus down to the Auld Triangle in Macroom and celebrated this amazing milestone. Her parents have been so good to me over the years and are like my second family, I was so happy to be part of their night and I even got up and sang a song for them. I will really miss walking into their house without knocking and making myself at home there. The food and desserts we superb in the Auld Triangle. For anyone who has never been, you really should try it. An extra plus of the night was being reunited with my friend who has been travelling for the last 6 months! Its good to have you back Aoife :-) Below are a few pictures of the night.

Hope you all had a fun filled weekend also!

"I hope that I can say

When all my days are done

That I had my fun"-Kodaline

I'm off to organise my last work event happening this Thursday. Wish me luck! 

Talk soon xx

Zita J

Thank you!

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! I really enjoyed mine. I went to The Cork Summer Show on Saturday with a few friends. We had a great time drinking cocktails and beer in the glorious sunshine while walking around looking at the animals and enjoying all the entertainment. My sister and Nancy joined us.Nancy had a ball looking at the "cute" animals, dancing to the country music and having her favourite food, pizza. For anyone who has never been to the Cork Summer Show, you should definitely pencil it into your diary for next year. Its brilliant for all ages and when the sun is shining you feel like you could be anywhere in the world.

After having such a nice weekend, you would think I would be dreading Monday and the week ahead right? Well, you would be right there. I am dreading it! Why? The reason being is its my last week in work. 

Some of you may know that I work with children. Since receiving my degree in Early Childhood Studies three years ago I have worked in three settings. The two settings previous to where I am now were both outstanding services with excellent childcare workers, some of whom I am still in contact with today. Currently and where I have been for nearly two years is Togher Family Centre and you have no idea the pride I feel when I tell people I work here. It is an exceptional centre that the people of Togher are so lucky to have. However what makes it so exceptional is the people inside.

Let me take you back a few years to when I undertook my work placement for college, I was a student at Togher Family Centre and I felt so welcomed and learned so much. Little did I know years later I would be the Preschool Assistant Supervisor, organising work nights out and writing a blog post on how I will miss working there. Luckily with the constant support I get from my manager I have thankfully received a one year career break, meaning if I decided to come home from Canada a year from now I can just slot right back in to my job.However, there is a real possibility that I might not return after a year and potentially when I am saying bye to my amazing colleagues this could be a longer goodbye than we all expect.

This week is going to be full of emotions with the preparations for the childrens graduation, so before things get too busy and everyone gets ready for their summer holidays I want to say thank you.

Thank you to all the staff from each room for being such great workers, educators, for the support you gave me during tough times and also for being great friends. I have become so close to some of you and I hope these friendships can continue for years to come.

Thank you to all the preschool staff, for the laughs, the tears, the dance moves and for all having such different personalities, its what made ye such a great bunch to work with.

 P.s "I wasn't there!" (private joke)

To my right hand woman, my work Mum and friend, Nora. You have taught me so much. I remember when I was a student and I was nearly finished my placement, you sat me down and told me, "If you don't work with children in the future it will be a shame." , It is you that has made me believe in my ability and gave me the confidence to be a leader. Thank you for always supporting me, making me laugh and making me see the true magic of childhood. I will forever look up to you.

To the parents and people of Togher, thank you for making me feel part of your community. For sharing your stories, experiences and for trusting me with your worries and your most prized possession.

Last but certainly not least, the children. Thank you to the fantastic children I have had the pleasure of teaching over the last two years. Each and every one of you are so special and unique. For anyone lucky enough to work with 3-5 year olds you will know that, what you see, is what you get. If you have a spot.. they will tell you. If they do a fart...they will tell you. If they don't like something they will tell you. They are honest, kind, curious, loving, adventurous among a million other qualities that I hope they never lose as they embark on their new chapter to "Big School". Although I was teaching them, they have taught me so much, besides all the names of the characters from Frozen, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Big Hero 6. Every day they show me how to have fun, how to let go of worries and how to live in the moment. I am so proud of  them and how ready they are to move on. To the children I don't get to be with next year I know ye are in the most amazing hands.

" You don't stop playing because you get old, you get old because you stop playing"

Thank you for the memories <3 

Zita J 

xx

Getting Personal

Monday is nearly over everyone, one step closer to the weekend. I have something on every weekend before I leave so I really look forward to them. Today I decided I would let you all in on some facts about me so you would get to know the girl between the screen a little bit better. So here it goes..

1. My middle name is James hence why my blog name is "J is for James" and why I am called Zita J by lots of people

2. I know James is a boys name, people often say " that's a boys name", sometimes I just say, "Really?" The reason behind it is because I am named after my late uncle.

3. My Mum's name is also Zita.

4. I have a small immediate family consisting of a Mum, Dad and sister but have quite a large extended family with lots of aunts and uncles and about 60 cousins!

5. I have a pet cat called Blinky, I got her in January for my birthday and she was from a homeless shelter. She was timid and shy, now she rules the house.

6. Every animal I have owned has been crazy, My first dogs name was "Shoes", maybe they were all crazy as payback for the terrible names I gave them.

7. My favourite food is rashers! I could eat a whole pack if you let me. I would share any food but if someone tries to take a rasher off me I get odd, Really odd!

8. Speaking of my love of rashers, when I was smaller and being babysat by a neighbour she gave us our lunch. A fry, with NO rashers. When she arrived with her plate of food, what was on her plate but RASHERS. Me being an outspoken curly head little girl, I piped up and said, "where are my rashers?".  Being cute worked and I got my rasher fix:-)

9. When I was younger I played so many games, like most children should. Besides Tip The Can and Rotten Egg, Hide and Seek (the classic) was one of my ultimate favourites. I always wanted to be the best at it. One day while playing it with my Mum, Dad and Sister, my Dad decided to help me win and my sister was on. He hid me in a cupboard above the wardrobe. All excited that my sister would never find me, the excitement got the better of me. My dad was hiding in the same room under the bed covers when I said "Daddy I need to pee". He replied, "Just wait she'll find us soon!", To which I replied, "Daddy, too late!". He opened the cupboard to take me down and put me into the shower fully clothed and hosed me down,while laughing hysterically , Its my Mum I felt sorry for who had to deal with a stream of wee running down the wardrobe on her lovely dresses.

10. While I have already shared quite a few personal things with you, why not keep going? From the outside looking in, I may look like a confident person but like most people I have many insecurities and behind every selfie or poser pictures, is a girl who has been through a fair share of personal ups and downs. I am quite an anxious person. I have learned that having a good balance of exercise, healthy eating and surrounding yourself with positive people helps to manage it and that's what works for me:-)

11. I have had my fair share of awkward moments in my 25 years. For some reason I get nervous when talking to certain people or in certain situations and anything could happen. Here is a funny example, while clubbing a few years ago I was walking passed a groups of lads with one of my friends. Instead of just walking passed like a normal person, I walked passed lunging and bobbing my head and shouted "HOW R DA BOI'S!?! just like the turtle on the Sminky Shorts video. 

Another example more recently was telling one of the Dad's in work that, "He wouldn't be my Dad anymore". I actually meant I wouldn't be working there next year so I wouldn't be teaching his daughter but of course it came out like that! There is an endless list, some too embarrassing to even publicly admit.

12. Sometimes, I cringe when I think about these moments,other times I remember its what makes me... me! I am not normal but then again who wants to be....

13. This might surprise some people but I adore Roy Keane! For as long as I remember I have been obsessed. I have countless autographs and when I was 12, I skipped school to get his book signed. My mum came up with a great idea to get my sick note from school signed by him (which the school loved..NOT!). This went down a treat with my idol and I ended up being on fourteen newspapers the next day for my Mums creative idea. The whole thing was a blur to be honest. My goal is to get another book of his signed and get the same photo just 13 years later:-)

14. Keeping to sport related topics, I loved sports when I was younger. I played soccer and GAA. When someone told me it was a boys sport and not for girls, I stupidly listened and stopped! Don't you just wish you could go back to some moments in your teenage years and tell your younger self to stand up for what you love?

15. There are many things we wish we did differently or said or not said, right?  However I think I have learned a lot from my experiences I have been through in my short 25 years. I have learnt that life doesn't always go to plan, although that can be stressful, maybe that's the path you are meant to go on. Its OK not to feel OK. There are lots of people around you who feel the same. Talk to people who care about you, find what you love and what works for you, everything will be OK and most importantly...Never hide in cupboards if your excited and need to pee.

Have a great week in this lovely sunshine:-)

Talk soon xx

Zita J 

What I am leaving behind...

When planning on what blog posts to write before my departure, this particular topic was one I wasn't sure should I share with you as its very honest and personal. Then I thought of the reason behind setting up my blog was to share my experiences with my family, my friends and anyone who is interested in seeing my journey both before I go and during. So here it goes.

As the time draws nearer and I can almost count the weeks on one hand I am beginning to get anxious about my decision, especially when I think of what I am leaving behind...

My house. When I think about the fact that I won't be coming home to my house for quite some time makes this decision a little harder. I adore the house I live in. I feel very lucky sometimes when I drive in my drive way and see the beautiful house and colourful garden I have occupied for 25 years. I have so many memories of my garden from playing in the treehouse, playing rotten egg with my neighbours, the countless parties outdoors, to recent times of chasing Nancy around it.

Inside I am going to miss things like baking cheesecakes in my kitchen, my bedroom and my cosy bed and some of the clothes I am leaving in my wardrobe (jokes). Materialistic things aside. Its not what I am going to miss, its who...

Friends. You know when people say " I have the best friends in the world!", well, I do. Ranging from the friends I see every few days here in Cork to the ones dotted across the world. They are all so special. I am very blessed to have a close group of girl friends that I have known about 13 years. We have been through a lot together, from moves to different counties to moves over seas and to this day if I go a week without seeing some of them I get withdrawal symptoms. I love how close I am to some of them, so much so that I can walk into one of their houses without knocking and I am made feel like a family member right away.

This weekend it going to be a tough one for me and one of my friends as we realised that its our last weekend together before I go away. Some of them are jetting off to New York and Las Vegas for a few weeks ( I am very jealous but I better get use to seeing pictures of them having fun without me). As one of them won't be back by the time I leave, we are going to make the most of our last weekend together. Each and every one of them have different qualities, strong minded, brave, caring, funny, hard working, that's what makes them so special.( ye can fight among yourselves girls over which qualities ye think ye have). They have been so encouraging and supportive about me moving and although I will be devastated leaving them behind, I know nothing will have changed when I return.

Family. As I go to write this I am already finding it difficult to put into words how much I will miss my family. 

My Dad, As I blogged about the quality time I spent last week with my dad before I depart, you were made aware that I don't see him as often as I would like, however I am hoping that as he travels a lot, Toronto may be somewhere he visits a few times :-) Every time I spend time with my Dad he spoils me rotten. He is such a generous, hard working man and a big softy at times. Not knowing the next time I see him is very hard but one thing is for sure, I will always be his little girl.

Nancy. Oh dear. Little Nancy, I currently can't see what I am typing as my eyes are welling up. How am I going to leave my favourite little two year old behind? I think when it comes to thinking about saying bye bye to my little niece, I crumble, My fear is of missing out on so much of her growing up and the thought that she will forget about me. Nancy, I think has been the best thing that has happened to our family, She has brought so much laughter, madness and excitement into our house and has two of the proudest parents in the world. I will just have to Skype her all the time so she remembers what I look like.

My sister. " There is only two of us Zita J, you and me, So you can't go forever! OKAY?" That's what my sister, Cathy, said to me when I told her I was moving, and she's right. There is only two of us so I know it will be hard on both of us, There is something really great about having an older sister, Firstly, you can argue with a sister and within 10 minutes ye can be laughing at something ridiculous. Secondly, you always have someone to look up to no matter how old you get. At the risk of sounding extremely cheesy, my sister is my inspiration. She fascinates me sometimes the things she gets done. She runs a very successful blog and business Turquoise Flamingo, Along with numerous other ventures such as Oh Me Oh My Diy and  a little bird told me. She does all this while being a full time hands on Mum to fabulously crazy toddler. She really is a true inspiration, not only to me but to many others I'm sure.I know saying bye to her and her little family will not be easy

My Mum. So how do you leave behind your best friend? I don't know and honestly I'm dreading it. Myself and my Mum have a fantastic relationship. We chat and gossip just like I would with my friends. She is young both in her looks and at heart.( hope the genes carry over). When I officially decided I was moving, we cried, then laughed that we always cry and then cried again. She is the most amazing woman I know. She is caring, understanding, strong, emotional ( I wonder where I get it from), brave and very stylish.( a MILF as some would say). I am not a mother but the only comparison I can think of to understand how my mum might feel is how I feel when I see the children I work with grow up and move on. I know its on a much smaller scale but its hard watching children you have taught, worked so hard with and cared for so much move on and face the big bad world. So for mums who watch their children move across the world, I can't imagine how they feel and how my poor mum with her tiny little head feels about the next five weeks that are quickly approaching.

Can you see how I have days were I feel anxious about my new adventure when I think about what I am leaving behind?

Talk soon xx

Zita J

Quality Time

Hope you all had a nice bank holiday weekend,

I'm just back after spending a lovely few days in Spain. The weather was certainly a little different to what it is right now in Cork. Myself and Parker went to Spain to spend some time with my Dad before we head off in July. It was great to take a few days off work and just relax and enjoy some overdue quality time with my Dad who I don't see as often as I would like.

As holidays go I spent most of mine...eating. I can well and truly say I have had enough prawn pil pil to last me a month. Of the four days we were there we went out for dinner twice. We enjoyed some delicious tapas,desserts and of course cocktails. I always think that other countries make more of an effort when it comes to cocktail making compared to here. The other two nights we had a BBQ on the balcony over looking the beach.

During the day time we mainly spent it sunbathing, which is of no benefit to me as I could quite possibly be the palest human on earth. Even when I was sitting on the plane earlier I said to Parker, "Look I have a tan, don't I?" and he just smiled and nodded. I don't have what other people call a tan but I am definitely a different shade of pale.

On Saturday we took a trip to Puerto Banus. I have been there a few times but Parker has not so I wanted him to see the copious amounts of money spent on yachts and cars.

While walking around Puerto Banus we passed a place called Ocean Club which is renowned for seeing celebrities and people with lots of money lounge around drinking champagne. That's not to say if someone handed me a load of cash that I wouldn't go in. I am probably just jealous really. As we strolled passed Ocean Club, Parker spotted a Man United player, Januzaj. He was having lunch with friends but we were both too scared to ask for a picture. On our way back I thought I would be all brave, bragging "I don't care, I will get a picture" but I chickened out. However, Parker did wave at him and he waved back, I was delighted with myself even if he does look like he still needs parental supervision at the cinema.

To sum up my short little break away, I think no matter where you are if the sun is shining you are always going to enjoy yourself. Driving to the airport this morning I was thinking about the next time I will be going to the airport will be July 20th. As I got out to give my Dad a hug and kiss I got a bit teary eyed. I am not sure was it the fact that it is Monday and the end of a holiday or was it the uncertainty of when I would see him again. Queuing up to check in I couldn't help but think, "God help the people around me in July if I am getting emotional already". 

In the next few weeks I am going to embrace the time I get to spend with family and friends. After all the greatest gift you can give someone is your time, as you are giving them a piece of your life that you can never get back. Surround yourselves with the ones you love everyone <3

Talk soon xx

Zita J 

p.s see more pics below of my holiday or follow me on Instagram (username: zitajames)