There are so many things that we share, but there are some things that we may not have touched on!

Last week we shared about 10 Fun Facts About Cam and now here are 

10 facts that you may not know about Courtney.

1. Obviously, I am a photographer, but I also love to create things through many different kinds of artistic expressions. I will openly admit, not all the things I have tried have been a success. Can we all say it together: Pinterest faaaaail! But I love having the freedom to explore new things. My brain is at its best when it is working out how to accomplish something, even if that something is just a little art project with my kids. One skill that I really want to learn is how to do watercolour painting.

2. I am terrified of snakes!!! Like fall dead, or more likely, shove someone down behind me and RUN kind of terrified! Whether it is a garden snake or king cobra, both will incite the same reaction. It doesn’t even matter if it is in a cage across the room, or just one on TV- they are all terrifying! I love my kids, but they often can’t even get me to walk through reptile exhibits at the zoo, I will just wait outside. I don’t know what exactly it is about them, maybe how they move their bodies or their flicky little tongues- blech, I can’t even handle the thought of them!

I helped our son with a school project a few years ago, about boa constrictors… He needed to create a diorama, and given my love for crafts, I volunteered to help. As we sat at the kitchen table making the diorama, one foot grazed my other, and I nearly jumped out of my skin AND peed my pants at the same time! Snakes are just NOT for me!!!

3. I am SUUUPER competitive, but was the most passive child ever. My parents couldn’t force me to play any competitive games with other kids. I remember refusing to compete in a potato sack race with other kids when I was about 5 years old. I just cried because I didn’t want to compete. That all took a turn when I was a little older, and then I kinda went the other way…

I started playing volleyball, basketball, and softball at a very competitive level and continued through my young adult years. I’m competitive in most areas of my life- especially at games. Just ask anyone who has played Dutch Blitz with me- a game that Cam actually refuses to play with me…

4. I love all things Disney. ALL. THE. THINGS!!!! Any time spent in a pool as a child was pretending I was Ariel from “The Little Mermaid”. I’m almost positive that is where my adoration of red hair came from! Cam & I went to Disney World for our honeymoon, and have been back a couple of times since. The sights, smells, sounds- it all makes me feel like a kid again. Just walking through the gates onto Main Street, U.S.A. brings me to happy tears every single time. It truly is the most magical place on earth! We took our kids to Disneyland in 2018, and getting to see them experience the park for the first time was even more magical than ever! When life returns to some semblance of “normal”, our next big family trip will be to take on Disney World in Florida.

5. On days where it is cold or rainy outside, and I’m in the mood for a movie, but can’t figure out what to watch, I will always, always, ALWAYS watch “Jurassic Park”. I saw it in the theatre when I was a kid, and have loved it ever since. I’ve easily watched that movie well over two hundred times! Clever girl…

6. I love EVERYTHING about Australia- well, besides the vast array of deadly snakes! I have been obsessed with Australia since I was a kid. If I ever needed to do a report in school, you could bet your bottom dollar that it would be about Australia or an Australian animal. God knew how much I loved Australia that He even gave me an Aussie sister-in-law! Our family had the opportunity to travel to Australia in 2014, where Cam & I also got to shoot their wedding. Now that my brother & his family live there, we can’t wait to plan a return trip for a visit!

7. I’m a big nerd. I have a strong allegiance to Hufflepuff (that’s right, I wear that badge proudly), the Rebel Alliance, and the characters of the Marvel universe- just to name a few! While I have never dressed as a Wookie, Cam has definitely helped me to embrace and release my inner nerd in the years since we’ve been married. Never before did I think I could be talked into a Friday night of playing Marvel Legendary, but here we are… And now it is usually at my suggestion!!! 

8. I am a self-proclaimed foodie, and love any chance I get to learn more about cooking! One of our favourite things to do together is to take cooking classes. We have done classes for various cuisines such as Thai, Mexican, Italian, and a macaron class as well (Thank you Schoolhaus). I have allergies to gluten and just recently dairy, so this has kicked our kitchen creativity into high gear as we learn and adapt. Cam is sooooo amazing at this and is always finding ways to spoil me with modifying some of the recipes that I miss most- he just has the biggest servant’s heart!

9. One of my biggest pet peeves is clutter. For me, physical clutter equates to mental clutter, so I try my best to keep surfaces in our home clean. Clothes that are too small, I try to donate or pass them on to someone who can use them ASAP. Small kitchen appliances we don’t need anymore, hellooooo VarageSale. Having space in my physical life keeps me from feeling bogged down mentally.

But at the same time, I also have children… so this is one of our most frequent topics of debate. I like to keep things clean, but they reaaaaally have their hearts set on collecting every scrap of paper that they’ve ever written on. So this may be a forever work in progress for our household!

10. I LOVE to travel, and I get excited at having a trip on the calendar to plan towards. Obviously, that is a little different right now, but that hasn’t stopped me from planning where we might go for our 20th wedding anniversary- gotta keep dreaming! Sometimes these travel plans will lead us to a far off place, but sometimes its places we want to explore in our own province or country. A few years ago we started doing family day trips to small communities around us and have found so many cool places not that far from home. I enjoy seeing things that are off the beaten path in the places that we visit. While we do check out those iconic stops, one of my favourite things is to ‘live as the locals do’. Finding those hidden gems that give you the real feel for a city sparks so much joy in my heart! 

One of my favourite things about visiting other countries is wandering through grocery stores. I may be alone in this, but Cam & I can spend HOURS wandering through grocery stores or markets! I think this stems from our love of cooking, but I love finding ingredients that are unique and thinking about how you might prepare them. Or finding things that we just don’t have here! For example- those who know Tim Tam biscuits, love them. While we only get about 3 or 4 flavours in Canada, in Australia we found a TIM TAM AISLE with well over 20 different kinds!!! I kid you not when I tell you that we had a good half a suitcase dedicated to bringing those little delights home with us!