Hi Friends,

I am bacccccccck! Did you miss me? Fear that I ran away without saying goodbye? Don't worry! I've been here the whole time. Since Pepsi Refresh finished I have been working on all the official paperwork. Today I sent in all the documents to the decision makers. Hurrah! Now I am playing the waiting game, hoping that they give me official approval. So exciting! Fingers and toes crossed!

Did you know that I will be departing in 65 days?! Gulp. Time needs to sloooowwww down! I have created a MASTER "To Do" list that is as long as the KM's of this upcoming cross-Canada journey, but I am ready to tackle it.  It's a full on wrestling match over here....maybe even UFC?! Haha.

I have also managed to have some fun times with friends and family in between all this ca-razy Pepsi stuff. 
See some of my favourite pics below....

Happy times! I am a real lucky girl!

Have a b-e-a-utiful weekend. Check back for updates soon!

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xoxo

HOLY GUACAMOLE! WE DID IT! WE FINISHED IN 4TH PLACE! $5,000 FOR THE PROJECTI AM SO EXCITED! I AM SO GRATEFUL! I LOVE YOU ALL! 

This is a reenactment of my reaction to the news. The rainbow is just an added effect to show my EXCITEMENT.
Hilarious. 

More on this SUPER DUPER EXCITING news later. Eeee! 
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!
xoxo

Hi Friends,

As mentioned in a previous post, I am going to be announcing (over the next couple months) the different non-profit organizations that I will be spending time with when I am on the road! I am SUPER excited to share one of the non-profits that I have connected with from Nova Scotia...

I cannot tell you how excited I am to meet this amazing group. I LOVE their idea (so much) and think a program like The Empathy Factory could work wonders in communities across the country. I actually came across their project via twitter and have been in close contact with them ever since. Blair & Stef from The Empathy Factory have been INCREDIBLY supportive of the Roadtrip with Reason and I am so grateful. Totally proving that classic stereotype that people from the East coast are super nice. It seems to be true! Haha.

I am so happy to be able to play a small part in The Empathy Factory this coming summer - they are just in the pilot stages of their project and I cannot wait to watch them grow! Be sure to check out their Facebook page to keep updated on their current student project. So exciting!

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xo

P.S. Don't forget to vote vote vote in Pepsi Refresh Canada. It's time for us to hop, skip and jump out of 8th place!!! 4 weeks. 4 spots. PLEASE keep up the support! Love!

Hi Friends,

I am so pleased to report that things are picking up around here. I think this Roadtrip with Reason is actually going to happen! I always had faith but these days I am feeling especially positive about it. Over the next few months (prior to departure) I will be announcing some of the non-profit organizations that I will be hanging out with while I am on the road. Exciting. I have already learned oh-so-much from this experience and I haven't even left yet! 

Speaking of learning, I would LOVE to officially announce my very first non-profit organization ... *drum roll please* ...

----------

As soon as I read about their organization I was interested and am so pleased that they have welcomed my idea with open arms! They will be the first organization that I spend time with on the entire Roadtrip with Reason and I can't wait to meet these creative and passionate individuals who are striving to do positive things in NL!

I highly suggest you take some time to check out an old issue of their newspaper "backBEAT"  - it's pretty freakin' awesome!

Too.Excited.Too.Excited.Too.Excited.

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xo

P.S. Don't forget to 'LIKE' my page on Facebook or follow me on Twitter so that you can keep updated on all the upcoming announcements!! Oh and KEEP VOTING in Pepsi Refresh!

Hi Friends,

Happy Sunday! I had the most amazing time last night which was spent at the Toronto Timeraiser event. It was inspiring, eye opening and oh-so-fun. Over 10,000 volunteer hours were raised! I can't wait to put all the footage/photos together and share it with you.

Last night was also the first time that I was able to use my Roadtrip with Reason business card. In fact this is my first EVER business card, which is kind of cool. I realize it looks nothing like your average card....but who wants to be average?

I really wanted the card to a) reflect my personality b) look like a postcard c) be way less expensive than printing actual postcards and d) tell my story .... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (I think). They make me smile!

You know what else makes me smile? Your support in the PEPSI Refresh contest. Yesterday we were in 10th place for quite a few hours which blew my mind! So exciting. I know that we can get back there. I just need you to keep up the daily VOTES until April 30th....and keep spreading the word! I appreciate it so very much.

Happy trails & travels!

Much Love,
Becky xo

Hi Friends,

GUESS WHAT?! The Pepsi Refresh Project has chosen Roadtrip with Reason to participate in their next round of the contest. YAHOO! We are up against around 50 other (awesome) ideas that are all seeking $5,000 to support their project and it's all based on VOTES. The top 4 will each be given a $5,000 grant from Pepsi which is a-ma-zing!

IT WOULD BE THE BEST GIFT EVER IN THE WHOLE WORLD IF YOU WOULD VOTE FOR ME AND HELP MAKE THE ROADTRIP WITH REASON SO MUCH BIGGER AND BETTER!!! In fact, if you're one of those people who lovingly gives me a birthday present every year then you can consider your daily vote worth every gift that you would give me for the rest of my life (minus the milestone birthday's, of course...hehe)...

Voting takes place from March 1st until April 30th and you can vote EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Yep, EVERY SINGLE DAY until April 30th! Don't worry, I will remind you over and over and over again..... (please don't hate me)! To sign up for voting go to www.refresheverything.ca - sign up - vote - vote - vote - vote....

We were SO CLOSE in the last contest considering we were the only individual in our round who wasn't part of a major organization/school/team - and yet somehow (you!!!!) we came in 25th place (out of about 400) with over 900 votes. SO GREAT!

Your support is SO appreciated. I promise I wouldn't be asking if this truly didn't mean so much to me. Thank you!

Don't forget that you can find me on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube too...and be sure to spread the word any way you know how and keep on spreading it!!

Much LOVE!
-- Becky :)

P.S. You have 10 votes / day, but can only vote for Roadtrip with Reason ONCE per day. Be sure to check out the other projects in the $10,000, $25,000 & $100,000 categories and find some projects that you want to vote for too! Every one is so deserving of votes.

Hi Ladies & Gents,

I have been feeling quite musical this week (more than usual). You see, music plays a pretty big role in my every day life ( I could not get through the 9-5 without the help of CBC Radio 3) .... and I think any successful road trip requires a seriously awesome soundtrack.

Imperative! Definite necessity! Absolutely vital!

Anyway, I have decided to be generous (hah) and share my TOP 5 current Canadian favourites .... you can thank me later! I will be adding to this list of favourites on a weekly basis so stay tuned!

1) Hey Rosetta - Young Glass - St. John's, NL

2) Said the Whale -- This City's a mess -- Vancouver, BC

3) Land of Talk -- The Man Who Breaks Things -- Montreal, QC

4) Pat LePoideven -- Rocket Boy -- Princeton, BC

5) The Acorn -- Crooked Legs -- Ottawa, ON

There is plenty more where that came from. There must be something special in the water here.


Let me know what your favourite travel songs are -- as I said, I will be adding to the list on a weekly basis & hope to eventually have a serious master list that will keep me company for 4 months on the road...

Hope you enjoy the first one!

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xo

I was having a conversation today about the Big Apple. No, I am not talking about NYC... I am talking about the BIG Apple that is located in Colborne, Ontario. Ya know, the place that sells delicious pies? The conversation reminded me of a promise I made back in the day...

In my third year of University, an old friend and I took a winter weekend off and headed to Ottawa. We skipped the apple on the way there and instead decided to make a stop upon our return. it was 8:30 p.m. on a Sunday evening - snowing and cold - but I was able to convince him to pull over for some caramel apple pie. Delicious. The inside of the attached apple building is covered with pictures of BIG attractions from all over the world - animals, fruit, random objects - I thought it was so fun and so bizarre. Who started that BIG trend anyway? It was in that moment that I vowed to my friend that I would one day see every BIG roadside attraction in Canada.

It may seem like a pretty silly vow but if there is one thing you should know about me, it is that I am ALWAYS willing to take part in cheesy photo ops. Always.

So, here I am in the midst of planning a major Roadtrip with Reason across Canada. I thought this would be my chance to fufill that vow. Upon further inspection I have discovered that there are SO MANY in our country! Approximately 35 World's Largest (not including the 5+ that are just BIG). Baseball bat, mosquito, wind chimes, mushroom, piggy bank,  lobster, maple leaf ... the list goes on and on. Who knew? 

I will be on a pretty intense time constraint (about a week / province) which includes travel time, volunteering and other fun....so I don't know if I will be able to make it happen or not. I am going to do my best though. 

Have YOU ever seen any of these attractions? 
Any advice? Do you have a favourite? Please feel free to share your thoughts...I think it will be tough for me to choose!

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xo  

Hi Friends,

Happy Weekend! I am not feeling 100% today so I decided to stay in and medicate myself the best way I know how.

Sleep.
Soup.
Sweatpants.
Stories.

I received another great book during the holidays - The Canada Chronicles. A Four-Year Hitchhiking Odyssey - it was written by Matthew Jackson, a Canadian journalist who quit his job and thumbed his way across Canada for four years (1997 - 2000). 

Has anyone else heard about this before? Or read it?

I am a hundred pages in and am enjoying it so far. He has some pretty hilarious stories to share about his adventure, and some heart-warming ones as well. I used to dream about hitchhiking but as a 'young woman' (& admittedly naive), I haven't ever taken the leap. Maybe one day when I have some kind of partner in crime to come with.....or not? (Don't worry Dad!) Haha. Either way, his book is really adding to my excitement for my own trip which is only 6ish months away. As a solo traveller (unless you would like to join me) there is a little bit of nervousness and apprehension about the whole experience - will people be friendly, welcoming and helpful? OR will they be uninterested and just plain mean?! Hah!

I highly doubt that I will come across that kind of attitude very often. This week alone I have been contacted by total strangers offering me suggestions on not-for-profits in their communities, things to do, places to eat and even their couches to sleep on! Thank you twitter!

I wanted to share a little excerpt from the book with you. It comes from Chapter 3, titled " Crossroads", just as he is finished giving his backstory and his about to hit the

"Ultimately, my decision to follow an unlikely dream has resulted in this book, eight years after the idea was first conceived. My primary hope is that it may restore some of that essential faith we seem to have lost in humanity, something we are in great need of right now, especially as the world's media seems bent on dissecting only the details of tragedy. Moreover, I hope that you will enjoy the book for its stories about Canadians, as well as for its humour, adventure and candour, and that it may inspire some of you to pursue your own passions.

Dare to dream big. Dare to laugh hard. At some point in life we, like Robert Frost, must all face a path diverging at the edge of a wood. May you choose your path wisely and may it make all the difference in your own life."

That is all for now! If you haven't already, please feel free to 'like' our journey on Facebook or join our e-mailing list...

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xo

Bonjour!

Just wanted to give a super quick update to share as 2010 comes to a close. Be sure to sign up for my e-mailing list HERE so you can continue to receive regular updates! You can also always find me on facebook and twitter!

Happy (almost) New Year!!!

Wishing you only good things in 2011.

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xo