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A Year of Magic, Mayhem, and Madness

Writer's Block Solutions / About Us  / A Year of Magic, Mayhem, and Madness

A Year of Magic, Mayhem, and Madness

Elise Volkman
Photo collage of the writer's block solutions team in 2023

This holiday season, the Writer’s Block Solutions team wants to share a little bit of our joy with everyone who has made this year so meaningful. We’re so grateful to be able to work together and support each other through months of magic, mayhem, and madness.

Allow us to sprinkle a touch of pixie dust from our year-in-review, and please join us in reminiscing as the sun sets on 2023.

 

a family of four makes silly faces a boy and a dog lying on a carpet a girl and a dog five people smile at the camera around a table under a red umbrella a woman and two children smile at the camera from the back seat of a car a family of four posing in front of hay bales, pumpkins, and the side of red barn

Val Rossi, Journalist & Founding Maestro

“Highlights from 2023 include three weddings in one year — a feat not accomplished since my 20s! Our journey began in Calgary, veered over to Ottawa, and finally came home to the accidental discovery of a private ceremony at the top of a local hiking trail in Rossland.

Beyond the whirlwind of weddings, 2023 proved a challenging year with my husband’s first stint working away in our 20-year relationship. The solo-mom summer — juggling children, home, dog, and work — only increased my respect for all single parents! 

Adding to the year’s adventures, joy came to our family in the form of a puppy, Lucy. Joining us in April on Easter weekend, this black lab cross cutie has mastered the tango and thrives on stirring up trouble. Lucy’s arrival, a perfect dose of love, eased the pain of saying goodbye to our loyal Choco after almost 17 years. Dogs truly make life better, and I cherish moments walking Lucy, discovering watering holes, adventuring in the forest, and watching her find snowflakes to chase instead of her tail.

Amidst the beautiful chaos, we managed a family getaway to a cabin in Rosebery. The simplicity of what’s for dinner or who wants to play crib next makes summer feel more barefoot and fancy free.  

Adventures continued with our first family music festival, Between The Peaks: Mountain Music Festival at Red Mountain Resort. Lola and Max proved excellent festival buddies, dancing till the end before complaining about sore feet on the shuttle ride home.”

 

a woman in a jersey smiles at a man in a hat beside her a group of people in pink and white outfits smile at the camera four people in matching sweaters stand on a deck and smile at the camera a woman holds a fish next to a man as they smile at the camera four women hold glasses of wine and smile at the camera a couple stands on a cobblestone street, smiling at the camera

Kyla Girling, Managing Editor & Project Wrangler

“For me, 2023 was another year full of quality time with family and friends, and a nice easing back into more concerts, events, and travelling. While I didn’t venture as far from home as I have in the past, it was definitely a step up considering how homebound we were just a couple of years ago. 

In addition to some great times visiting the Gulf Islands, Vancouver Island, the Okanagan Valley, and Washington State, a couple of highlights included an absolutely stellar girls’ trip in February where we hit two locations: Charleston, SC — the first time there for all of us — and Scottsdale, AZ. All the food and all the laughs with truly delightful travel companions made it an incredibly memorable trip. Lucky for us, it looks like it may have inspired a new tradition, too! 

More recently, Russ and I visited Dallas, TX (along with Arlington and Forth Worth) where I finally got to see my beloved football team, the Dallas Cowboys, play at AT&T Stadium. It was a great game, and it certainly didn’t hurt that the boys defeated the Seahawks (Russ’ team) in the NFC matchup. See you in the playoffs — or not, ha! Competitive who?”

 

four people sitting in the sun, smiling at the camera a dog sitting on a dock a deer standing in the grass

Sky Regina, Writer & Editor Extraordinaire

“My 2023 Year-in-Review includes a very lovely post-birthday treat seeing The Cure for the first time with my buds and my boo. Tears were shed!

My mom’s move to cottage country awarded us our first summer with lakeside visits, and Laika was naturally very curious about the sunny new world. Her first time on the dock resulted in her falling in! She was still very curious after that, but never “fell” in again.

To tie things off, I witnessed a picture-perfect Disney princess moment when a magical forest creature decided to pop by to say congratulations to my newlywed friends (aka a deer was grazing and we all spied on him during the wedding reception).”

 

a woman smiling at the camera over a table and drinks four people holding their drinks together over a table a woman climbing a cliff face with a rope and harness a woman hanging from a rope in a harness next to a cliff face a woman in a navy dress taking a selfie in a mirror a squirrel hanging off a screen door

Elise Volkman, Digital Marketing & Tech Whiz

“The universe bequeathed me my very own magical Disney princess moment, too, when Squirrel Girl decided to rattle my screen door with its rock-climbing skills. We’ll call it a bonding experience — not quite as magical as a calmly grazing doe at a wedding reception, but I’ll take what I can get.

After my own several-months’ hiatus from rock climbing as a result of car accident injuries, I finally got back onto the climbing wall at the end of April, and strengthened my fingers enough for some outdoor adventures in the summer months.

Somehow, amidst climbing, work, and my criminal amount of hobbies, The Tea Grannies Podcast managed to kick off Season 4 this year with much rejoicing, and I played maid of honour for another of my best friends — my very own maid of honour — for a day of pictures in the rain, tea ceremonies, much dancing, and holy matrimony. I only cried once.”

 

 

As we ride the coattails of these incredible adventures into 2024, we can only imagine the fantastic places we’ll go next.  And we can’t wait to see what the future holds for you, too! We look forward to reconnecting with everyone after the holiday festivities.

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Are you cooking up a project and need some assistance? Send us an email; we’d love to be part of your game plan! The Writer’s Block Solutions team will be out of office from December 22, 2023 until January 3, 2024 but we’ll get back to you in the new year. We hope you have some time for rest, relaxation, friends, family, or whatever floats your boat over the holidays!

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