Blog #1: Introduction to Leann Ramsay
Well hello there! Are you into fly fishing? No way! Me too! We have something in common! My name is Leann Ramsay and I am new to Out Fly Fishing Outfitters Fly Shop. I would say “Nice to meet you!”, but I have no idea who you are; which makes this whole new blog thing interesting for the both of us.
To be honest, when I was in school, I wasn’t the biggest fan of essays and such, but when Josh Nugent (the super cool and awesome owner of Out Fly Fishing) asked me to be in charge of the website’s blog I figured it would be an interesting task; since I get to write about anything I want in regards to fishing. That sounds much more fun than school essays don’t you think? I mean who wouldn’t want to be able to learn about fly fishing (which is a super cool and fun sport) whilst being able to write to who knows how many readers!?.....I hope lots.
I don’t know if you are a professional fly fisher that has been fishing for years and is from a different part of the world, or if you’re a nube and are just starting to fly fish (like me) and live right here in the big/beautiful city of Calgary, Alberta. Either way, I am very excited to be on this journey with you!
So! Let’s get to it! Shall we? Today’s exciting blog (our very first blog) is going to be an introduction. An introduction of me and my story. Now, just to give you a heads up, my story is nowhere near as interesting as Josh’s because fly fishing has always been his life. Whereas for me, I just got into fly fishing about a year ago. I would like to say I am very thankful for this opportunity though. You’d think I would need to know a lot about fly fishing in order to work at a fly shop right? NOPE! That’s the great thing about O.F.F. Fly Shop; it doesn’t matter what your experience level is, they are always willing to help out in any way they can!
Leann Ramsay’s Story:
I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. I am the baby of a family of six and I have many hobbies. Probably too many. Hobbies are expensive. The struggle is real! I love the outdoors, which includes: hiking, camping, archery, 4x4ing, gardening, snowboarding, biking, woodwork and of course fishing. I also love dancing, singing, drawing, fashion, working out, cooking, baking, and working on vehicles. When I was in High School I wasn’t one of those people that knew exactly what they wanted to be and do after they graduate, so when my foods teacher asked me to enroll in his AP class because he liked my work, I figured “Hey! Why not, I don’t have anything else on the go!” Turns out, it was the best decision I made. My passion for cooking grew vigorously. I enrolled to SAIT for Culinary Arts and after I graduated High School I was very excited to finally have a plan. However, I had a bit of a hick up in my plan. An unplanned hick up, because life never goes according to planned. After I completed my first year of culinary school I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. No one in my family has it and I lived a healthy life. I played sports (dance, badminton, basketball and rugby) for all of my schooling years. Why me? Well, fun fact of the day: anyone can get Type 1 Diabetes regardless of their lifestyle and/or ancestry. You learn something new everyday! Turns out my body couldn’t handle stress well and decided to start attacking my pancreas without even asking my permission. Rude! Right? I know! Next thing I knew, I had to put a pause on my life plans and completely change the way I look at food. Once I got a hold of figuring the disease out, I was able to go back and complete culinary school. It felt great to complete the program even though I sadly knew I would never be able to become a Red Seal Chef. Why can’t I be a Red Seal Chef you ask? Well, unfortunately the world doesn’t always work according to the law. It’s the harsh truth. I never got lunch breaks at any kitchen job I worked. With a disease like Type 1 Diabetes you need time to manage it. On the bright side, I never gave up on my passion for food. For a while I had a Youtube Channel and I still experiment at home any chance I get. Food has endless possibilities, just like fishing! I am so excited to learn more about fishing and have you learn with me. Fishing is a way of life. Personally I enjoy it because it is like therapy for me. Let’s find out what fishing means to you! See you next time and never stop fishing!