Who am I kidding?  As much as I would love to believe that getting a year older in your 40’s is similar to your 20’s it is not.  I would love to be able to say that I am in just as great shape now as I was at 23, but I am not. I would love to say that I am as footloose and fancy free, but I am not.  But, there are many things that I am now that I would never have been able to do at 23.

From the opening of Target, Billings Bridge

I am a mother to three wonderful children. A who is now 21 and living on his own working full time still fills my heart when he comes over. He isn’t with us in our daily lives any more, but our family is complete when we are all together. J who is now 10 is one of the kindest, loving kids you will ever meet. His soft heart and big snuggles is a great reminder of why 43 is way better than 23.  And sweet Apple who is now 6 is strong and determined, she has yet to meet a challenge she can’t overcome and also fills my day with cuddles, crafts and love.  All of this was not in my cards at 23. The only thing that was really important way back then was driving my convertible, going to University and getting ready to go out at 10pm at night.

We must not forget Hubby. Although we knew each other twenty years ago, we were not together, just passing friends hanging out by our best friends pool. So yes, 43 is better than 23.

This past year, at 42, I did more than I could have ever imagined possible. I traveled throughout the US, mostly for work but a little for fun, getting to experience things that I would have been way to chicken to do at 23.  I went to Las Vegas, twice! Once for my Photography business and once for my Arbonne business both amazing and both very different. I experienced Las Vegas while learning and enjoying a little of the Vegas life.  I spoke at the Blissdom conference in Dallas, I photographed a party in Chicago for Yappem, and I got to attend the wedding of one of our best friends in Santa Ynez, California.  None of these places I had been to before (well I have been to Chicago, but driving through on the Interstate is a little different than actually walking around downtown). I photographed two conferences in Toronto and I made numerous trips to Delaware.  If someone had asked me at 23 if I would be doing all of this cool and wonderful stuff I would have laughed. At 23 I was a homebody, taking my annual pilgrimage to Delaware and waiting for the next year to come around so I could do it again.

Add to all that cool and fun stuff I have been privileged to do this year, I have also had many amazing work opportunities right here in Ottawa. When I am not on the road I am most definitely working. I have photographed events, weddings and amazing families. I have met Farmers from all over the US while photographing their conference, I have met people from the travel industry while photographing for Niagara Falls and Toronto Tourism.  And honestly each and every job I have done touches my heart in some way. They are all not just jobs to me, but experiences that make me who I am today at 43.  While attending the wedding in Santa Ynez, one I could actually watch without a camera in my hand, I shed tears of joy. My husbands best friend and someone I call brother was finally getting married. One of our friends commented that they were surprised that I could still cry at a wedding after so many years of photographing weddings and the truth is, I cry at each and every one of them.  Each wedding is special and I get to know my clients and what I feel for them as they take their vows is true happiness.

So if this is what is in store for me at 43, I will take it. I look forward to 43 knowing that I have a few great projects ahead of me, a little more travel (let’s see if I can top 28 airplanes from this year) and so many things that are yet to come my way but will in a surprising and amazing way. 43 is good.

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to test out the Ford Fusion EcoBoost for a week. Please excuse my iPhone pictures as they truly don’t do this amazing vehicle justice, however, I was working all week shooting an event and the few days that I got to drive the car (yes it was a fight in our house on who got to drive it each day) my proper camera was already packed away.  Don’t despair though as we will be testing out the Ford Fusion Hybrid next week and we will have lots more opportunities to capture the beauty of these vehicles.

I realized after Hubby had the opportunity to drive it that we enjoy very different aspects of the vehicle.  For me, comfort and efficiency on the highway were much more important and forefront in my mind. I love, love, love the comfort of the seats.  As I mentioned above, I was shooting for a full week which means I was on my feet carrying many pounds of gear for long hours during the day and sometimes into the evening. Sliding into the comfort of the seats was not missed.  I love how the drivers seat contours to my neck and back and that I could adjust the lumbar to relieve pressure on my back.  We drive a lot with our trips to Delaware and quite often we take different vehicles and none of them have compared to the seats in the Fusion.  Add to that the fact that I could turn on the seat warmers with a slight touch of my finger on the console meant I was in heaven.  I know you are asking why I would need that in the summer?  Well it just happened that the week we had the Fusion we also had some cool evenings and I would rather ride with the windows down and the sunroof open using the seat warmers to keep me toasty rather than not feel the summer breezes.  That and I had to test them out for efficiency in the winter.

I loved how the car rode on the highway. I call it efficiency but truly it is the ability to pass a semi and know that I could do it without losing any power.  I felt like I had total control over the vehicle and it handles very smoothly on the highway as well as on country roads. Some of the other fancy features I truly enjoy and now miss (not going to lie here, I do miss it… a lot) is the SYNC system by Microsoft.  I could set my destination before I left or in the case where you are lost in Richmond looking for a farm, you can use the voice controls while driving and find your destination with very little interruption to your actual drive. Using Bluetooth I was able to listen to my favorite music or call up a phone number with just a touch of a button.  I know that if I had this car longer, I would have learned just a wee bit more about all that SYNC has to offer but it was very easy to just get in and drive and use the maps, phone, or radio. 

I have to make note of the EcoBoost engine. From the  Ford website, “Better fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions. All without sacrificing power and performance. That’s what you get with the state-of-the-art technology behind EcoBoost™. I couldn’t agree more. Between the two of us we made multiple trips back and forth across Ottawa and I went out to Richmond and Russell all on one tank of gas, with plenty to spare.  A full tank started by telling us we had 745km before empty and although we didn’t actually finish driving all of that before I had to fill up the car and return it, I came pretty close.  There is a graph on the side of the dash that tells you your fuel efficiency for each 30 minute interval (this can be changed to different intervals if you like, but most of our trips were of that length).  Hubby was quick to point out that I am not as efficient with my gas usage as he was, and it is true, I am heavier on the foot than he is. I have tried to change over the years, but it just doesn’t seem to happen. I am not saying that I am a speed demon, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t putt around going 5km under the speed limit. I enjoy a car with kick and the Fusion gave me exactly what I love in a car.

Hubby’s experience was a bit different. From the start he was concerned that the console was too big in between the drivers seat and the passengers. It took him only one day to turn that around and say that he understood why it was a bit higher, for better comfort in his drive.  While I loved the seats, he loved the side mirrors.  Yes, you read that right, the side mirrors!  They have the regular mirror and then an extra one up in the corner that provides a better view of what is around you. He felt that he could see more and had less of a blind spot so he could see motorcycles in the lane next to him that were riding in what would be a normal blind spot.

The other thing he truly loved about the Fusion was the quiet ride. He couldn’t believe how quiet the car is. He felt like that made his ride smoother and much more enjoyable as he didn’t have any interference to his concentration or discussion with our son in the back seat.  We often have trouble hearing the kids and we just thought it was them, but perhaps it is our car?! And the truth behind it is Ford spent a lot of research using thermal imaging technology to get that ride quieter. This quote from William Dedecker, noise, vibration and harshness engineering supervisor, Ford Motor Company “We are using thermal imaging to further improve quietness so customers can enjoy the other features our vehicles offer, such as audio systems…and even the sounds of silence.” says it all. Hubby loves to drive in silence and he was able to in the Fusion.

My review wouldn’t be complete without some input from the smaller people in the family. Our son, J, who is almost 5’3″ loved the leg room in the back seat. I think out of all of us he was the most disappointed that the car had to be returned.  He was able to stretch out behind Hubby or I which is not entirely common as we are long legged people and take up more room than most when we adjust our seat to drive. Sweet Apple loved that she was able to roll down the window and feel the air blowing on her face, most rear windows only roll down halfway which when you are five doesn’t seem all that fair.

We are looking forward to our week with the Fusion Hybrid and I must be honest here, there has been lots of discussion the past two weeks on how much we loved the Ford Fusion and if we need to change things up here. This week will be a great adventure.

Thank you to Thornley Fallis for making it possible for us to test out the Ford Vehicles.