"Third times a charm" as the saying goes, so here it is… Welcome to blogpost number three. We feel it's time to explain where the name "Toba's" originates from. Starting off with a little background, I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba and I sought out for adventure at 17 years old. From this point forward I knew I wanted to explore our beautiful country and so I figured the best way to do this was through the process of getting an education where I could also continue to play the sport I love… hockey.
My parents and I took a road trip out West to go check out a school and as beautiful as it was, it just wasn't for me. I then hopped on a plane by myself and flew out East for a night to determine if that's where I wanted to be. Picked up by the head coach of the hockey team, who at this point was a complete stranger, I was greeted with a smile and off we went to Mount Allison. As the next 24 hours unfolded, I was toured around the small quaint town of Sackville several times and was able to get a sense of what University life at Mount Allison would be like. By the time I was heading back onto the airplane to fly home, I just knew that the East coast was where I was meant to be. The hospitality that I was shown and the true kindness of the Maritimer's is what convinced my 17 year old self that the East coast was where I wanted to start my next chapter. So a couple months later I packed up my basic survival needs, filled my hockey bag with gear and clothing, and off I went.. I knew it was time to create a home on the East coast.
Now here comes the nickname…. It wasn't even one week in New Brunswick until my name "Kelly" disappeared and I became "Toba." This moment happened when I was trying out for the hockey team and was wearing some Manitoba clothing and my coach came up to me and said … "Toba… that's your new name"… From there it just stayed. Anyone who met me through the hockey team would be introduced to me as Toba. This meant that my new family of 25 teammates spread the name 'Toba' like rapid fire. And for those who are unfamiliar with university sports, nicknames become real names extremely quick. To be honest, some of my fellow teammates never even knew my real name was Kelly but instead Toba was the only way they would ever recognize me.
Now you may ask well why name your B&B after a nickname that you've been given? Well this name meant more to me then just a regular old nickname because to me this was personalized. This nickname reminds me of both my birthplace as well as connects me to the amazing time that I had when I was away at University. The 'nickname' is not just that, but instead it is a way to embrace the spectacular journey that I have experienced by intertwining many beautiful memories and amazing people that I have met from both Manitoba and Eastern Canada. It allows for stories to be shared and memories to be made.
I truly believe that connecting with people is one of the most important things to consider with B&B's. Being unified with complete strangers who share the common interest of travelling is what excites me. It is the relationships that are gained and the love that is shared among guests that makes B&B's stand out from regular hotels or other accommodations. And so when thinking about different names for our B&B such as "The Sailwind B&B" or "Sleeping by the Sea B&B", I realized that Toba's was a great fit because to me this name is not just a name, it is something so personalized that allows for immediate story telling. Whether people are traveling from Manitoba or whether people are curious where the name "Toba" comes from, there is a story behind it and because of this I felt that "Toba's" was just right for our home sweet home.
So there we have it, a little insight shared from us to you. The name of our B&B is much more then just a name. We envision that anyone who comes into our home "enters as a guest and leaves as a friend." We are so excited to build longstanding relationships with you, learn about your experience's and make sure you are as comfortable as can be while staying in our home. We truly mean it when we say that Your East Coast Getaway Awaits you at Toba's… Thank you so very much for checking out our blog and catch yea next time for our fourth post :)!
