We have all felt it. You may not be feeling it now, but it is there. Nagging. Gnawing. Festering. To not feel it is to be not human; it is unescapable. Some feel it more than others…some are better at hiding it than others. Some thrive on it, while others are consumed by it. It is one little word, but it can massive repercussions. I have felt a lot of it lately, but I’m determined that it not get the best of me.

Hey kids, it’s been a while. It’s hard to believe my last post was a month and a half ago. I had very good intentions of posting weeks ago, but life kept getting in the way…I hate when that happens. Anyway, I am still alive, though insanely busy, but what else is new right? Well, I guess there is a lot that is “new,” which is why I am so busy.

So what’s keeping me occupied you ask? The usual I guess; work, family, breathing, research…the usual stuff. School has definitely been the big one of late. We are a month into the new semester and it feels like I’ve been at it forever. It’s hard to believe we’re almost at March break, though I’m not sure it has all been fun. The last few days in particular have been rough, with open house, an early release day and interim reports. Thank Jesus for the break!

One of the things keeping me occupied at school has been the upcoming trip to Europe. In just over a month, we will be departing on our exciting tour of Europe for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The trip will take us to several places in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. The planning for the trip began almost 3 years ago, and it’s hard to believe it’s almost upon us. Yesterday our fancy tour jackets arrived from EF, and today I was contacted by our Tour Director Jason (he’ll be the guy taking us around). The kids are getting very excited for the journey, and so am I, though tempered with the stress that comes with it. I’ll be sharing more information in my pre-departure post.

On the steps of the Vimy Memorial, March 2014.

It’s funny that our last tour, back in March of 2014, was a welcome relief from the awful weather we were experiencing that year. This time it’s not really an issue. Actually, the weather has been pretty good for Thunder Bay standards; it has been very mild, at times even crazy warm, like +8C, +10C. Even today, which is one the colder days we’ve had recently, was -8C. So I’m not complaining, unless we pay for this some how in the summer.

Things have been very busy on the railway front over the past few months. When I last wrote, I was a few days away from a major presentation at the Thunder Bay Museum. I was very worried about how it would go, but despite my fears, it was fantastic. I played to a full house! I didn’t actually count all the people that were there, but it had to be over 40. We had to keep fetching more and more chairs to accommodate all the people. As far as I could tell, the crowd really enjoyed the lecture and hopefully it will lead to interest in the Pigeon River Lumber Company and the Gunflint & Lake Superior Railroad when I finish my book.

Now speaking of the book, I am still plugging away at it. As of today, I have completed the better part of 5 of the planned 9 to 10 chapters, which is a decent amount of work. It hasn’t always been easy; there have been times that I really have struggled getting words down on the screen. Writers block? I can’t be entirely sure, as I’ve never written a book before. Some of it, as the title of this post reflects, is a bit of self-doubt. I really wonder at times if it is interesting, makes sense or is even readable. I think my research is sound, I’m just worried if I’m doing a good job putting it together. Lots doubts and questions. However, I’ve come this far and I can’t let that deter me. Sometimes you just must put your head down, power through and hope for the best. I guess I’ll have to see what people think when I’m all done.

Anyway, I should get rolling. Thursday is usually one of my writing nights, so I’d like to get a bit of work done before it’s time for bed. I’ll be back with more news and updates soon, likely before I leave on the trip. Until then…