Jackie Doing Jackie: From Vanderhoof to Iceland

Some weeks, I honestly have to stop and ask myself…

“How did this become my life?”

Tonight, I’m sitting in Vanderhoof, BC, the geographic centre of the province.

This week, I’ve been working with incredible ESS teams and First Nations communities, talking evacuation planning, Reception Centres, exercises, and how communities support each other when disaster strikes.

Just days ago, I was in Vancouver presenting during Emergency Preparedness Week talking disaster preparedness and the importance of getting communities ready before wildfire season arrives.

Somewhere along the way, retirement stoppd looking like slowing down...and started looking like finally living."

And in the middle of all of that, I escaped for a couple of days to my friend’s cabin in Fraser Lake.

Quiet mornings. Beautiful scenery. Laughter. Good conversations. Coffee overlooking the lake. A chance to breathe for a minute before the next adventure begins. It was absolutely fabulous.

Saturday, I’m facilitating an ESS Exercise in Vanderhoof alongside neighbouring ESS teams and First Nations communities as everyone prepares for what could be a very busy fire season.

Then Monday, I head to Edmonton for the CRHNET conference where I’ll be presenting on the importance of exercises, preparedness, and building confident communities ready to respond when disaster strikes.

And then Friday… everything changes.

Toronto. Then Copenhagen. Then Iceland.

And from Iceland, I board a cruise ship heading all the way to London. A week in London. Theatre. Coffee shops. Wandering bookstores. Watching The Devil Wears Prada in the West End, which honestly feels very “Jackie Doing Jackie.”

And somewhere in the middle of all of this, I keep catching myself smiling because I never imagined my life would unfold this way.

There were years where life felt small. Heavy. Predictable.

Now I’m sitting in northern BC one week helping communities prepare for emergencies… and the next week I’m flying across the world on a solo adventure.

Life is strange like that.

Traveling alone is interesting too.

There’s freedom in it. Nobody else’s schedule. Nobody telling you where to eat, what to do, or when to move on. You can completely reinvent your day at any moment.

But there are lonely moments too.

• Quiet dinners.

• Airport waits.

• Walking into places where nobody knows your name.

And maybe that’s part of the adventure.

Figuring out who you are when it’s just… you.

“Not bad for a girl whose life changed completely… and who decided to say yes to the adventure anyway.”

What I do know is this:

• I’m excited again.

• Excited about life.

• Excited about what’s next.

• Excited to see where this crazy season takes me.

So if you want to follow along, I’ll be sharing daily Facebook and Instagram updates as the adventure unfolds.

From Vanderhoof… to Edmonton… to Copenhagen… to Iceland… to London.

Jackie Doing Jackie continues.

About Jackie
For more than 30 years, Jackie Kloosterboer has helped communities prepare for disasters and support people through some of the hardest moments of their lives. Now, through “Jackie Doing Jackie,” she’s sharing a different kind of journey — one filled with travel, reinvention, meaningful work, theatre shows, coffee shops, solo adventures, and learning how to fully live again. Because preparedness matters… but so does saying yes to your own life.