We’re leaving Calgary!
I realized that I didn’t write a blog post since September. Well, between September and December I’m always super busy with Christmas markets, then we visited my family in Germany and then, then we knew we would be moving at the end of April and I was scared of officially announcing it. I hinted at it the last few weeks on social media but I haven’t told you the whole story and our plans yet. Oh and before I do that + you worry about how to say goodbye to me: I will still be at four markets in Alberta before we leave + I’m hoping to come back for 5 markets in Alberta + Saskatchewan in the fall! (Look for details here.)
The plan
We always knew that we didn’t want to stay in Calgary forever. The original plan was to stay here for 5 years and now it has almost been 6, so it really is time for a change. There are so many great places to live + I would like to explore and try as many things as possible in my life. My husband Guillaume, as you might know, is from Quebec and the eastern branch of the company he works for, wants him on their team by the end of summer. We could have just stayed here and moved in August but that’s not our style.
We met while travelling and travelling is the one thing that we always said we would do as much as possible. Can you guess what we’ll do after storing our furniture + boxes at his parents in rural Quebec? Yassssss! We’ll be on the road in Europe (and a little bit of Africa) for 3 months.
But don’t worry, the online shop will stay open + I’ve got a bunch of fun projects with makers from other countries planned while travelling!
Our itinerary will go something like this:
Ok – maybe a written explanation makes more sense than my doodles:
• One week Iceland, lots of exploring + hot springs
• Two weeks England + Scotland: visiting old friends, concerts + vistas of the highlands
• Two weeks Northern Ireland + Ireland: Exploring + hanging out with my sis-in-law Anne-Louise
• Two weeks Portugal: Beaches, sunburns (probably) + meeting my parents in Lisbon
• 10 days Morocco: Desert, mountains + colourful tiles
• 1 months Germany: meeting my niece for the first time, quick trips to Luxemburg + France, visiting friends + some Baltic Sea
I’m still trying to connect with makers in Iceland, Portugal + Morocco. Should you know somehow really cool who you think would be a good match for me and who is on Instagram, it would be awesome if you could get in touch with me: leonie@mapleandoakdesigns.com
But mostly, getting some inspiration + fresh thinking. The last three years with my little business have been intense + I need that little step away to come back in the fall full of new ideas + a plan on how to start over in Quebec. I hope you’ll all be following along on my blog, Instagram or Facebook – I don’t want to make anyone jealous but hope to inspire you to live a life that feels right for you and no one else. Even if it might seem unorthodox, different and a little bit scary!
With love from the Maple And Oak Diaries,
❤ Leonie❤
