A change is as good as a rest

2010-02-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

How has it been a full week since my last post? We'll I guess I did get a new job in the last week...just in time as the College gig finished up the Thursday before. The new job is great, I'm working for the Deline First Nation in the band office. I'm reviewing all of the gov't sponsored programs and making sure everything is in order. I can work as many or as little hours as I want and work in the office or from home. I should be there until the end of March and then we'll see what happens. I worked full days last week but decided to work only mornings this week as I have some work to do for a course I am taking and I know next week will be a crazy one as Deline is hosting the 1st Annual Men's Handgames Tournament. Its going to be 4 days of chaos...looking forward to it as I miss all of my event management stuff. But back to the running.

Runs last week were good. Getting better at watching the pace on the watch, though I find everytime I look at it my pace drops...just like they used to say in DB....don't look to see where you are, you will always ease up. I'm doing a better job of keeping my pace consistent but I'm still running a off pace. Time will help with that I am sure.

It appears that I am becoming rather well known around town for my running now. People keep stopping me and asking if I am the person running in the mornings/evenings. Trent even gets updates from people that they saw his wife out running...its quite amusing. I had one elder today who saw me approaching him who started to jog a bit laughing as he approached me saying 'its good exercise eh?'. Loved it.

Saturday we had a 9k run to do. Trent had to organize the recycling depot and I was volunteering at Minor Hockey bingo so we headed out at about 8:30 am. It was a great morning to be out. Crisp and quiet and only a little head wind on our final stretch back into town. The legs felt really heavy, I suspect from my being out of alignment from hockey on Thursday night.

Since I was off this afternoon I decided to head out for my run after lunch. It was just 5K so I decided to head out on the ice road for a couple of km. I figured if anything happened to me I would still be close enough for someone in town to notice me or drive by. The sun was shining and the temperature a nice -16C with no wind. It was really lovely. Passed an elder out checking his nets on the way out but other than that it was pretty quiet. The road was great, nice and smooth and for the most part I could find a snow packed line to follow. I even took my mitts off for a few km and unzipped my jacket. Can't complain about winter running on a day like today.

2010-02-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to go play badminton. I don't really like the game, though I am not sure if its because I am no good at it or because it bores me. Either way, I am going to go. Its good to mix things up and its social. I don't do a lot of sports/exercises that involve lateral movement so I'll chalk it up to some good cross training or just cross training...I doubt it will be good.

2010-02-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Back to running outside today. At -20C with no windchill it actually felt balmy...I'm not kidding. The roads here are gravel and come winter they are hard packed snow/ice which can make for some slippery conditions. Thankfully my Yaktrax, bought last Christmas when Vancouver got dumped with snow, have kept me on my feet. I'm also loving our new Garmin Forerunner 310XT....a little surprise gift I got Trent for Christmas. Its actually coming in really handy for me as I can track my distance and pace and then upload it to my computer.

Legs are a little sore. I tried a new yoga tape yesterday afternoon and all I can say is Patricia Moreno really kicked my butt...actually my legs. I swear it was 30 minutes of legs and only legs. That said, I am looking forward to doing it again, but maybe tomorrow. I'll stick with my Rodney for today.

2010-01-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

I'm six runs into training. I've manged 5 of them outside but yesterday I just couldn't do it. The Environment Canada website said it was -36C with the windchill but I swear it was colder. I've done -36C and yes its cold but yesterday I too much. Within minutes...maybe even seconds, I had ice cream headaches in my eyeballs. Yes I said eyeballs. Now I know I will normally start to warm up a few minutes in but I couldn't do it...not 9km with that wind. Thankfully the Jacobs were kind enough to let me use their treadmill so slogged away on that for 74 minutes. Not sure what the distance was as I had a few technical difficulties but I know I'm not going very fast these days (cold/multiple layers of clothing/out of shape) so I figured I would just run for about 70 minutes. I'm feeling a little muscle stiffness today but nothing too bad. Unfortunately my pelvis issue is starting to rear its ugly little head so there will be lots of stretching to try and get things aligned again. No chiro of physio up here so I am on my own.

The husband has just risen from the dead so that's all for now.

Stay warm.

Hello Blog

2010-01-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it has been a while. But I am back. At least I think I am.

For now, you are going to serve as my training dairy for my preparation for the half marathon I am running in May. I'm sure once we get reacquainted that I will share more but that's what I am committing to at 9:30 am on Sunday January 31st, 2010.

So where was I?

2009-08-25T10:36:00.000-06:00

Oh yes...I left off in Edmonton.

Saturday morning we rose early and were at the airport just after 6:00 am. We wanted to be there when the check in opened as we had a total of 7 bags to check between us. I garnered a few laughs when I declared I had a lot of cheese at the security check in for the cooler. I think cheese might be able to solve all of the world's problems, it, like bacon, can unite people who on the surface look like they might not have anything in common. Two hours later we are in the air. A short stop over in Yellowknife and we are on route to Norman Wells.

We arrive in Norman Wells (the Wells going forward) around 11:30 am. We don't see anyone from the school board there and it doesn't look like there are many other new teachers hanging around either. Minutes later our friend Curtis walks in. Surprised to see us he says I thought you were coming in tomorrow with all of the other teachers. Hmmm. Trent sees one of the board guys outside and goes to talk to him...yup, we weren't expected until Sunday. Not sure why they booked our tickets for Saturday then but there we are. We get a lift, with our 7 bags plus carry on to the hotel where we discover they too weren't expecting us until the next day. Even better...they weren't expecting me at all.

At this point, all of my excitement for the new adventure has been replaced with an overwhelming feeling of "what the heck have I got myself into?" Jim, the manager of the hotel, says to leave things in his hands and he'll sort them out while we go grab some lunch. I'm feeling a little better and really, its not like I would be without a roof over my head. It would just mean sharing a room with someone else or crashing on Curtis' couch if all else failed. We head out for lunch and I order some comfort food, grilled cheese, fries and a DC. They don't have DC, only diet pepsi (that's right, I won't even capitalize it). Trent looks worried and Curtis is sure that I am planning to head back to the airport for the 3 pm flight to Edmonton. I order an orange crush and try and put on a brave face.

Over lunch Curtis updates us on all that's been happened while Trent was gone this past year. He also gives me the lowdown on a few job opportunties I had heard about. Sounds like I should have no problem finding something, at least part-time or contract, he just suggests that I really consider them all before commiting to anything. Good advise...I'll keep that in mind.

We return to the hotel and Jim has worked his magic. Trent and I now have a room to ourselves. I am so happy I tell Jim I could hug him. He says he would prefer I didn't and I say that its ok, I don't really like to hug strangers, I just wanted him to know how grateful I was. We check in, have a nap and a DC which Trent has picked up for me from the store. I feel much better when we go to meet Curtis for dinner. AFter dinner we headed over to Curtis' place where he shows us his paper mache project. He's making a paper mache image of his boss who is on vacation. Plan is to fill it with condoms/lube etc (he works in social/health services) and turn it into a pinata for when his boss gets back. I fill a few hours while the boys play video games meticulously gluing on strips of paper (we're using shredded paper).

That's all for today...need to clean myself up for lunch then an afternoon of paper macheing.

2009-08-25T09:14:00.001-06:00

Just took this test which I found on Dan's blog. So knew I wasn't a capitalist.

You are a
Social Liberal
(63% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(18% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Socialist

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

2009-08-24T13:45:00.002-06:00

The journey thus far.

I'm a little late starting the blog back up but the journey so far hasn't allowed for a lot of computer time.

We left Vancouver the afternoon of Friday August 14th. I worked right up until 1pm that day, headed home for my move out inspection, returned our hardware to Shaw, hit MEC then we were on the road. It was busy. Crossing the Lions Gate Bridge I allowed myself a few tears as I thought about all the good times I had had in Vancouver and how much I would miss my great friends and the beautiful mountains and ocean.

We arrived in Kelowna at our friend Sharon's place around 10 pm to be greeted by Jennifer and Sharon and hot from the oven peach and blueberry crumble. Just what I needed. Saturday we wandered around the local farmers market resisting the tempation to buy fresh produce but managed to come home with a beautiful wood block cutting board and some great spice rubs. That afternoon/evening we hung out a the pool at Sharon's condo, bbq'd and hot tubbed with the boys. Sunday morning we had a fabulous brunch made by Sharon then strolled along the waterfront of Lake Okanagan...what a beautiful spot. Everyone was trying to put off the inevitable but eventually, after ice cream that is, we returned and packed up our stuff as it was about time we hit the road. After tearful goodbyes we were back on the road headed to Revelstoke. Again I cried, but this time it was more of a sob as we drove off and left my friends for the time being.

The drive to Revelstoke was beautiful. It doesn't take long for the dry landscape of Kelowna to be replace by the beautiful Rocky Mountains. We arrived in Revelstoke at about 7pm, grabbed some dinner and went to check into the local campsite. Unfortunately there were no sites available. As it was getting dark we decided to try our local at the best hotel in town but unfortunately again, there was no room at the inn. After driving by hotel after motel after motel with their no vacancy sign flashing we finally found a room at the Gateway Inn..the place we had laughed at coming in and said thank god we weren't staying there. All said...it wasn't that bad, then it again it wasn't that great.

Monday morning we hit the road with Lake Louise as our destination. We decided to push straight for there and not make many stops so that we could arrive at the camp ground as early as possible in order to improve our chances of getting a camp site. The drive was absolutely beautiful. Every Canadian should have to make this journey at least once in their life so that they can truly appreciate what a beautiful country we live in. We arrived at the camp ground in Lake Louise just before 3 pm and scored ourselves a great site, G2. We set up camp then went out to explore. We drove up to the actual lake and decided we would return early in the morning to make the hike up to one of the tea huts when it was less busy. We picked up some supplies from town then returned to cook our dinner of weiners as Trent likes to call them and cup of soup. Yum! After dinner we headed over to the camp ground theatre to attend a presentation on Grizzley Bears. It was both informative and entertaining with a little something for everyone. After a cup of tea and marshmallows by the fire we climbed into our tent and relaxed into our new super delux sleeping pads! It felt like sleeping on a waterbed compared to our old basic foam pads. Luxury!

We woke early the next morning, had a breakfast of toast and instant oatmeal, packed up the campsite then headed back up to Lake Louise. The 3.8 km climb up to the tea house seemed to take forever but I think much of that had to do with our recent lack of exercise and our repeated stops to ohh and ahh over the views. We arrived at the tea house to find a packed patio covered with both people and chipmunks running amouk. Trent and I found a spot on the patio and shared a pot of mint green tea and a couple of scones with jam. We even had a few little furry visitors come and try and steal our food. It was a perfect morning. Our goal Tuesday was to make it to Calgary to visit with my brother David and then if it worked out stop in to visit Trent's cousins Chris and Amy. We had a great dinner with David at a local ribs place then stopped in to see Chris and Amy before hitting the road to get us close to Calgary. We stopped for the night just outside of Red Deer. PLEASE NOTE...if you are ever tired at night driving and looking for a place to stop, DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT stop at any place called Gasoline Alley. We thought we would be safe with a Howard Johnsons and I guess I am alive to tell the tail so we were safe but it just wasn't the type of place I would recommend to anyone else. I don't even like thinking about it. It was clean (at least topically) but just creepy and noisy and horrormoviey.

We pulled into Edmonton around noon on Wednesday. Hit a few stores and picked up a few outstanding items before heading up to Fort Saskatchewan to stay with Trent's Uncle Mike and Dwyane. As usual they treated us like royalty and wouldn't let us lift a finger. I was so happy to fall into bed Wed night..I actually slept past 9 am Thursday morning, a record for me. Made up for the lack of sleep the night before.

Thursday we did more errands then painstakenly tried to do the right thing in terms of getting my car prepared for being stored over the winter in Edmonton. Let me say this...insurance companies do not make it easy for you to do the right thing.

Friday morning Trent and cleaned the car to a shining finish and took a load of our luggage and dropped it at the hotel before hitting the West Edmonton Mall. Our destination...the waterpark. We had a ball, acting like a couple of 12 year olds running from slide to slide. I'm not sure when I lost all my courage but I was more than a little terrified of a few of the slides and couldn't convince myself to go down the biggest one...the one that went straight down. Trent will have to update you on some of the other slides...lets just say I didn't put on a brave face for a few of them.

And that gets us to Friday evening. After an amazing steak dinner and filling our cooler and bags with all kinds if goodies from Michael and Dwayne (seasonings, rice, italian bread crumbs, toothbrushes and paste) Michael drove us to the hotel at the airport where we would spend the night before our departure Sunday morning.

I'll leave it there for now. I've got some paper machiering to do.

2009-06-01T16:21:00.003-06:00

So it's official. Trent and I are moving back up to Deline in the NWT at the end of August.

I gave my official notice of resignation on Friday so it all seems very real now. We've got lots of planning, purging and packing to do over the next few months. I am sure its going to fly by what with the wedding and all.

2009-05-12T16:46:00.002-06:00

Am very excited by the bridesmaid dresses chosen for Tat's wedding. I love them...how often can you say that about a bridesmaid dress?

Did I mention its less than two months now until our wedding? Tonight we are off to register at the Bay...for the third time. I'm not leaving until we have at least one thing on the registry...its harder than I imagined. Things we are interested in include; an espresso maker, bamboo sheets, and some cookware. In all truth we don't need or want for much but everyone keeps telling us that we are going to get gifts whether we like it or not so we better select some things. Its a struggle though. There are some higher priced items like a good camera (SLR) we'd love but we don't want to put too many big items, just a few for group gifts.

I'm also trying to figure out charities as another alternative. That is hard too because there are just so many good causes that important to us. In the running right now are:

Canadian Cancer Foundation (breast/brain/mouth/pancreatic)
Autism Society
David Suzuki Foundation
The KidSafe Project Society
Right to Play

2009-05-11T21:20:00.002-06:00

Two months today is our big day!

2009-05-09T15:44:00.002-06:00

Today is one of those days when I couldn't imagine living any where else than Vancouver. The sun is shining, we just ran 15k in the mountains/valley and there is a buzz in the city over tonight's Canuck game.

Ohh yes, and tonight we are off to the Joel Plaskett and friends concert with a bunch of friends.

2008-11-03T09:39:00.001-07:00

Trent and I are now officially registered to run the First Half Marathon on February 15th.

The race sold out in 3 hours and 27 minutes.

2008-10-21T23:54:00.004-06:00

I think I have found my dress. It was the second dress I tried on and I feel pretty confident it is the one. I'm still going to keep the dress shopping date I have set with JM and the appointment I have in Michigan when I go to visit my sister but I'm pretty confident that this will be the one I go back for.

I'm not allowed to discuss further as Trent doesn't want to know anything about it.

2008-10-21T12:56:00.005-06:00

Wow...its been a busy & very lucky few weeks of concerts for Trent and I here in Van. Last week we saw Loudon Wainwright III (father of Rufus and Martha) play at the Kay Meek Centre. Last night we were treated to Celine Dion (we were invited by my SVP) who put on a spectacular show at GM Place and now we have been invited to go see Neil Young play tomorrow night. Trent and I had talked about buying tickets as Neil is the one performer I really wanted to see before it was too late but we decided against it as it just wasn't the fiscally responsible thing to do at this time. To finish the week out we are going to see Matt Mays play Saturday night at the Commodore where we saw Iron and Wine play on my birthday.

Woo hoo! Sorry, can't contain my excitement yet.

2008-10-06T09:59:00.001-06:00

Damn you Peter Griffin...the bird is not the word.

2008-10-01T22:47:00.009-06:00

Trent says I have given up on blogging so here I am to prove its not true. I was just taking a break.

It's been a busy three months since Trent moved back.

We've done a lot of work on the apartment to find a way to fit in two people and lots of gear. Luckily Trent has a way with shelving.

Last Saturday we completed our marriage preparation course. As much as we joked about it, there really were some good topics. On the wedding front...we got a lot accomplished in NS on our trip there in August. The reception venue and church are all set, we met with the florist and even found our location for the photos..the Dingle. The next big thing on the list is the dress for which I'm heading to MI in November to do some shopping with my sister.

Last Sunday Trent and I headed up to Squamish and climbed The Chief. It was a beautiful day and the 1.5 hour climb to the top was worth every pained step I take now...the downward trek is a little rough on the legs.

Ok..that's all for now.

2008-08-04T17:49:00.003-06:00

Happy 150th BC.

Trent and I finally had a quiet lazy day today after 10 days of entertaining my father and two weekends on the Island.

Thank you to everyone who supported my swim at Thetis Lake. Thanks to you I raised over $200 for MS with the event raising over $40,000 in total. I was quite nervous before the swim as I haven't put in a whole lot of distance over 2000 later but I am happy to report that my swim went well. Still not finishing as strong as I would like but that will come. The 3K consisted of 2 loops of 1.5k each around two island. My first lap had to have been quite a bit longer than 1.5K as I over swam the furthest bouy and had to back track a good 100m. I also kept finding myself quite a way off from the bouys despite swimming what I thought was a good line between them. As I crossed the finish line Trent was just getting ready for his race. He had swam a strong 1.5K against a very competitive field of local triathletes.

This past weekend we were back on the Island for the start of the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Duncan. I had to be there for work Fri/Sat so Trent and my dad tagged along and we did a little sight seeing in the Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo areas before heading back to Vancouver Saturday evening.

Trent is off to Halifax Thursday and I am heading back to the Island Friday morning. I'll be a few days in Duncan at the NAIG and then I am heading to Tofino for a few days with surfboards in tow.

2008-07-22T13:19:00.007-06:00

Like a good captain I went down with the ship...more on that to come.

On Friday night we camped at Sasquatch Provincial Park which is just outside of Harrison Hot Springs. No sasquatch were sighted but we did see a deer. It was fun to do the whole car camping thing, even if just for one evening. We arrived in Harrison mid afternoon and after setting up our tent we headed out to the local golf course for some twilight golf. At $15 for 9 holes it was a whole lot of fun. I still maintain the 6 holes is where its at. I am sure more people would play if they made a few 6 hole courses.

I can no longer say I have never tipped/sunk in a dragonboat as our boat went down at the Harrison Dragonboat Festival on Saturday. After crossing the line and cheering our victory in the Division C Championship our boat was hit by backwash and combined with our cox having sharply just turned us into shore saw us go over before any one had a chance to react. And boy was it cold. Harrison Lake is glacial fed. Little did we know earlier in the day when we were loading the boat from the beach and commenting on ice cream headaches in our feet that later we would be swimming in it. After a brief scare we were all accounted for and we got our smaller ladies out of the water quickly while the rest of waited for what seemed forever for the rescue boat to come get us. The crew took home not only hardware but a good story to boot. Most impressive was that our missing flip flops were returned to us well after we were out of the water.

Sunday Trent and I both competed in the Kits Challenge. We were up at 5:00 am as we had volunteered to help out at the race. Didn't seem like a big deal when we agreed to it but after being at the dragonboat festival all day Saturday in the scorching heat and driving the two hours home we were whipped in the morning (see photo below taken at 5:45 AM. I switched from the 3K to the 1.5k and even with the shorter distance really struggled. With no energy to really push it I relied on my ability to swim can to can and not get off course. Between the second last to the last bouy I am not sure what happened because all of a sudden I was about 200m out from the bouy and had to swim directly back in. I'm blaming the currents/tide but perhaps there was some swimmer error in there too. Trent was waiting for me on the beach when I crossed the line having finished a few minutes before me. He too wasn't particularly happy as his shoulder was really hurting but all in all we still had a great day down at the beach. After stopping for brunch on the way home we both took well deserved naps for most of Sunday afternoon.

Another busy week. Tomorrow night it is fireworks after swim and then Thursday we are off to do the Grind with some friends. Friday morning my father arrives and then we are heading to Victoria for the weekend. We are going whale watching Saturday afternoon then going to annual lantern festival that evening. Sunday its back to the water with with Thetis Lake Challenge. No excuses this week...I'm hoping to come out of the water happy with how I swam.

Thank you to all who have sponsored me for the swim. Your generosity is much appreciated.

2008-07-18T00:20:00.001-06:00

Trent is putting a more detailed account of our canoe trip on his blog should you be interested in reading more.

2008-07-17T23:44:00.007-06:00

It seems like it has been go go go since Trent and I got back from our canoe trip in the NWT. Here's a quick summary of the trip and what we've been up to since.

Canoe Trip
The canoe trip was awesome. We covered some 200 km in two and a half days. Not exactly how we wanted to do it but we tried to wait out the ice and when we could wait no longer we set out by 4X4 to the river. And what an adventure that was. 400m's in we were stuck and our machine died requiring a rescue. Not a great start but things got better. The ice on the Great Bear River was spectacular. I have a whole new appreciation for icebergs and fast moving water. No bears were seen on the trip but we got a good howling at by a wolf pack our second night and on the third evening a lone wolf considered joining us for dinner. I'm going to try and get some pictures on flicker when I get some time.

The Dickinsons
We got back to Van on Sunday of the long weekend and after a quick swim we headed out to meet D&D for dinner before they headed back to TO. It was great to catch up and exchange stories from our respective adventures.

Canada Day
On Canada Day I swam my 2k race. I hoped that I was recovered from the trip but 600m in I really started to feel tired and my right shoulder started to scream (200 km in 2.5 days with no training = angry shoulders and traps). I finished the race but didn't have anything in me to follow my race plan which would have seen me build my speed through out the race and come in strong. I was lucky to make it in at all. I ended up being about 20 seconds slower than last year but considering how I was feeling I was ok with that.

Kid Rock & Matt Mays
Matt was opening for Kid Rock at his Vancouver show so he hooked us up with tickets. I'm not sure what I enjoyed most, Matt Mays and El Torpedo, Kid Rock or the people watching. Trent headed up to Whistler to catch MM & ET play a solo gig on the Tuesday while I stayed in Van as I had a previous commitment. It sounds like he had a lot of fun living the life of a roadie for an evening.

Misc
In between all of this we have been trying to retrofit the apartment to accommodate two people with a lot of gear. Thankfully Trent is very handy and has a passion for shelves. We've also been doing a lot of swimming.

Last Thursday at open water practice I didn't expect the lifeguards to let us go out as the water was super wavy. After the lifeguard ran us through the heightened safety rules and all swimmers were buddyed up we were allowed to go out and swim (if you would call it that) a shortened course. It was so FUN. The swells were massive and with everyone watching out for one another it made for a very social swim filled with lots of laughter and hollers.

Tuesday night we went to see Jesus Christ Superstar at Theatre Under the Stars. It was a beautiful evening and the show was a lot of fun. Sound system could use a little work though.

This weekend we are off to Harrison Hot Springs for a dragonboat festival. Two of the BMO teams will be racing there so Trent and I are going to coach. We are camping tomorrow night at Sasquatch Provincial Park. I can't wait. Sunday its the Kitsilano Challlenge. I'm planning to swim the 3K and Trent is doing the 1.5K.

I know there is more but this is all I can come up with for now.

2008-06-22T22:58:00.006-06:00

Trent is laughing at me as I keep madly swatting at a mosquito as I write this post. Its tough to get indoors with out a few making it in with you.

The ice came back in Friday evening and it doesn't look like its going anywhere soon as the winds haven't been blowing in our favour.

As a result we've had to revise our plan and we are now planning on leaving Tuesday morning. We spent a lot of time talking with some of the locals yesterday at the Aboriginal Day celebrations who are familiar with our planned route from their hunting and trapping. As we can't cross the Great Bear Lake we are going to have to cut across to the mouth of the Great Bear River via Little Lake and the use of some quads that the guys have over on that side of the lake. Without the use of the quads we'd have about a 6K portage.

I'm so glad we got the opportunity to attend the festivities yesterday. Trent and I both competed in the archery competition (to the amusement of all the on look

ers), and the couples egg toss which saw us knocked out in the second round when I put my finger through our egg.

In addition to the games we ate and ate. One of the elders took a shine to me and helped me gut my fish (ok..he gut it) and then instructed me on how long to cook it on the fire. Not long after that was done he brought me over some delicious pan fried lake trout which wasn't part of the normal offerings. I also got to have bannock straight off of the fire. Again..delicious.

Tomorrow is Sahtu Day which will involve more community events and some tradition games in the evening. Trent are I are trying to get all of our organizing and packing done tonight so that we can take part.

2008-06-21T13:29:00.002-06:00

Just a quick post before we head out to join the Aboriginal Day activities (it was a slow morning).

Bingo was a lot of fun last night. I was left in the care of three lovely ladies who watched over me and made sure I didn't miss any of my numbers. Our table wasn't getting very lucky until I won with a small X on the bonanza. You'd have thought I won the lottery with my scream of excitement which drew laughs from the entire room. I took home a big win of $125 which more than paid for my entry fee, cards and nevada tickets.

After bingo we headed to Barb and Seymour's where we joined up with the other teachers for a final celebration. Most left this morning, with headaches I am sure. It definitely has taken me a while to get myself ready to tackle the day.

2008-06-20T14:12:00.003-06:00

I arrived in Deline yesterday afternoon to warm temps (15C) and lots of sunshine & bugs...Trent wasn't kidding about the bugs.

While waiting in Yellowknife for my final flight, Trent's friend Shawn swung by to visit. I had about an hour to kill so he took me for a quick tour of Yellowknife and showed me all of the places that have become so familiar to me through Trent's stories. Back at the North Wright hanger, I was then treated to another visit by Trent's cousin Kelly who came by and spent the last half hour with me. It was great to see both of them and catch up on what's going on.

I've been here only 22 hours or so and its felt like a whirlwind. I've met so many of the people that I've come to know through Trent over the past two years. I'm not sure if there are many more female students left for me to meet as it seems each time we leave the house we run into another group of them. Coincidence...I think maybe not.

When we got to the school this morning I was excited to see that his class had left messages for me on the chalkboard. There were also notes on the wipeboard in the staff room joking about Trent's leaving. I joked with them that I was starting to feel really bad for stealing him back but my huge grin gave the truth away. The principal also offered me a teaching job...apparently my lack of experience or teacher training isn't a problem at all. (Trent humoured me allowed me to take his photo with the note in the staff room.)

Tonight we are off to a BBQ and then Trent is calling Bingo. I am going to play with some of the ladies from school, it should be fun. Tomorrow is Aboriginal Day and there are all kinds of cultural games and activities going on which we plan to participate in.

Plans are to start the canoe trip Monday. There have been many jokes about people joining us but hopefully we'll just have the pilots do a few fly bys over the river to check on us as they go between Deline, Tulita and Norman Wells.

Time to run, we are almost cleaned up here and want to get a quick paddle in before we head to the BBQ.

2008-06-19T06:02:00.002-06:00

I'm up, the kettle is on and I am about to pop some bread into the toaster.

That's right, zero days left! 1 hour and 56 minutes until I start my journey North. Woo hoo.

See you soon.

2008-06-18T00:17:00.005-06:00

We've got a busy summer of swimming lined up once Trent and I return from our canoe trip. In addition to my Friday morning masters swim, Monday open water swims and Wed nights at Kits Pool with the swim girls, Trent and I have signed up to do a number of races.

July 1st - Canada Day Classic 2K Port Moody
July 20th - Kitsilano Classic 3K Vancouver
July 27th - Thetis Lake 3K Victoria

The Thetis Lake swim is in Victoria and is a fundraiser for the MS Society. If interested you can pledge me right here.

Trent might be able to get a race in back in Halifax in August but our plans to head to the Okanagan for a race will have to wait for next summer. We'll just have to do the wine tours and for go the swimming when we head out to Kelowna to visit Sharon.

My dad is coming out in July and is going to accompany us to Victoria for our race there. It will be just like when I was a kid and he and my mum would come to regattas to cheer me on, though its a little harder to hear the cheers when I am actually in the water.

2008-06-17T00:05:00.004-06:00

The countdown really is on now...just 3 more sleeps until I head up to meet Trent and we head out on our great northern adventure.

The bear spray is bought, the paddles wrapped and my hiking pack filled to the brim. I spent the weekend picking up the last of the essentials; some chocolate chips and marshmallows for fireside treats, a tetrapac of wine and some firecracker pepperettes. These should round out our freeze dried selection of foods quite nicely.

We are giving ourselves 5 days to make the approximate 200 km trek. If all goes well we should be able to get from Deline on Great Bear Lake(our starting point) to about half way up the Great Bear River. Plans are to stop the first night just above the rapids. This will give us a chance to scout them out and see what we have to deal with the following day. From that p.oint on Trent with the help of some locals has mapped out a few other good spots to stop as we make our way past Tulita and to Norman Wells on the Mackenzie River

Peonies at the market on Saturday. Aren't they beautiful!

On top of shopping and packing, I also managed to get a good swim in on Sunday. After doing the grouse grind in the morning I had a light breakfast and then took a short nap before heading out to the pool to put in 3000 m. My goal, which I accomplished, was to swim the entire distance without any significant breaks. I took 4 short stops to clear my goggles and have a swig of water totaling no more than 20-30 seconds each. I'm feeling prepared for my first race on Canada Day. The distance will be no challenge, I just need to focus on setting an aggressive pace and not settling too much as I have a tendency to be a little lazy and not push myself. Basically what I need to do is find someone to set a good pace for me to follow and then to build for my finish as I know I have the power to pick it up and go when I need to. Hopefully the 10 days away from the pool won't hurt me too much...at least with the paddling I will still be using a lot of the same muscles.

2008-06-11T22:07:00.002-06:00

Went for a swim tonight with a some girls I know from masters swim. We met a Kits pool despite the cold temps and grey skies. It was a great workout as they are definitely a little faster and used to pushing each other in workouts. I swam much harder than I normally do when I swim on my own but it felt really good.

I'm getting excited for my Canada Day swim where my goal is to swim faster than last year. I haven't figured out a time goal yet but I'm hoping to take a few minutes off of my time and break 35 minutes at a minimum.

2008-06-09T20:53:00.002-06:00

Sun and warmth please...I'm done with this cold, grey weather.

2008-06-02T21:00:00.004-06:00

I survived.

First open water swim of the season was tonight. As the day progressed today I began to experience more and more anxiety over the swim as it was cloudy and cold outside and the water temperature was a chilly 14C.

After some words of encouragement from Trent (and a bit of an a@$ kicking) I pulled on my new wet suit and waddled down to the beach. Just as we were about to hit the water the sun peaked out from behind the clouds long enough to provide a little warmth. The warmth was not long to last for the cold water quickly took my breath away and froze my feet. Drawing on what I learned from last season I took my time getting my body used to the cold before starting to swim too hard.

It was tough spotting the first bouy and more than a few of us found ourselves a good couple of 100m's off and needing to swim back. The main stretch didn't seem as far as I remember but the final leg into the beach was a challenge as the tide was definitely pulling us all off of our lines. I swear each time I looked up I was facing a different direction.

I felt great coming out of the water. A little dizzy, some cold feet but all things considered great.

All that and home in time to watch the game. And I thought the swim was stressful!

2008-06-01T08:45:00.014-06:00

June 1st, can you believe it? 18 days 'til Deline!

Summer really has arrived in Kits.

I started yesterday morning off at the local nursery picking up a few final plants for the balcony. I added some radish and beets yesterday (started by seed), dill, thai basil and parsley in addition to two peppers. The first pepper is a sweet chocolate pepper and the second is a chili pepper. My tomato plants are growing so much, I am so excited.

After a light lunch I wandered over to the pool for a short swim. Found out that if you buy a month pass anytime in June you will get a second month for free. Woo hoo..I'm so glad I waited to finish off my 10 pass.

Last night I went to see the The Visitor. Its the story of how two illegal immigrants change the life of an widower who is stuck in his lonely life of being a professor who pretends to be busy just to avoid social interaction. I loved it. While it was a slow movie I enjoyed just sitting back and watching and feeling the movie develop. The lead character reminded me a lot of my father.

Today the Kits Farmers Market opens. I love biking over and seeing what fresh from the field fruits and veggies they have to offer. I've avoided grocery shopping all week because I wanted to let what I pick up today set the tone for my meals this week.

I am also going to go to a skin cancer screening clinic down at the beach today, its National Sun Awareness week. I figure you can't be too safe.

2008-05-29T23:01:00.007-06:00

Not so much Viva Las Vegas.

As Caron and I arrived the sun and warm weather decided to take a vacation. Plans to laze by the pool were quickly replaced with some good shopping, serious napping and an evening of roulette.

We didn't end up going bridal gown shopping as most of the places I tracked down didn't carry the designers I was looking for. I did try on one dress at White House Black Market but it was more of a formal dress than a gown but it was fun to put a white gown on.

On Sunday before I left I walked over to the Mandalay Bay to visit the Shark Reef Aquarium. It was great and I would totally recommend it to anyone planning to visit Las Vegas. The fish and sharks were absolutely beautiful and the aquariums were unbelievable.

Sunday afternoon, after Caron had left and just hours before I took off the sun made its return. Unbelieveable!

2008-05-21T21:38:00.004-06:00

2008-05-17T23:55:00.004-06:00

After updating Trent on the tomato plant purchases he asked a good question. How are we going to eat all of those tomatoes? I don't have an answer yet but I am up for the challenge.

I am sun burnt from my swim today. Silly me didn't think to apply sunscreen anywhere except for my face this morning. My arms are a bright red and my back even more so . Must apply lots of sunscreen tomorrow. On a positive note, at least I will have a little base for Las Vegas next week.

2008-05-17T16:42:00.002-06:00

Happy first day of summer.

Alright, its not officially summer but everyone knows that May 24 is the start of the summer season and with that the Kits Pool opened today. I was there just after 12:00 PM (gates opened at 12:00) and the line up was a couple of hundred people long. Lucky for me I had my swim pass and was able to walk up to the gate and right in. It felt great to be back in the saltwater pool with the ocean and mountains in the background. I thought I would just do a couple of lengths (each length measuring 137.5 m's) but I felt so good I kept going for a total of 16 lengths or 8 laps (2200m's). All that swimming this winter really has payed off.

Earlier today I visited the local nursery and picked up a few things for the balcony. After last season's discovery of the heirloom tomato at the Farmers Market I wanted to try my hand at growing some. I came upon one heirloom the Eva Purple Ball (at right) and picked up two others, a beautiful yellow tomato and some husky reds (cherry tomatoes). The balcony gets great sun in the afternoon so they should do well...as long as I can find someone to water them while I am away. I also picked up a variety of herbs which are happily tucked into the resident rosemary and thyme.

2008-05-11T20:20:00.004-06:00

I was in Victoria on the weekend for a swimathon on Saturday.

Friday night I met up with a friend for dinner at Rebar Modern Food. I had heard about Rebar from my sister years ago and remember leafing through the cookbook at her house. I was glad when a colleague from the Island suggested it for dinner. Rebar is famous for their seasonal, local and mainly vegetarian fare and it didn't disappoint. The hummous and tomato chutney we got to start was to die for and I had the three sisters burrito which was sooo good.

Saturday morning I met up with another friend who teaches at UVIC for brunch at Mo:Le. Again...it was primarily vegetarian and delicious. I had a bacon and cheese risotto with poached eggs and broccoli (yes, I know bacon is not vegetarian and that is the reason I am not vegetarian).

At noon I headed over the Saanich Commonwealth Pool for the swimathon. I was part of the BMO Belugas team and had set a goal of swimming 4000m's. It quickly became evident that there were 4 of us who were a more serious swimmers than the rest. I proposed that after every 1000m we go down the slide. To my surprise the two local guys and RR all thought we should do it every 500m. So off we went taking turns leading each set, clamoring out of the pool every 500 m and run walking over to the slide to join the line of kids snaking up the staircase to the top of the slide. Ohh how I wish I had photos as we must have looked so funny. At 3000m's I lost my swim partners and finished my last 1000m's doing an assortment of different strokes to give my tired shoulders a break. The complex is awesome...it has an Olympic sized pool, dive pool, wave pool and the 3-4 story high slide.

Saturday night it was off to dinner in the Rosemeade Dining Room at the English Inn. The food was fabulous and the evening was only topped by the tour of the show kitchen at the end of our meal. Apparently the kitchen has just undergone a $1 million reno, now only if they could afford heat.

I've added a weekend in Victoria to the list of places Trent and I must visit this summer.

Less than 40 days not until I am off to Deline! Yeah.

2008-05-09T00:13:00.003-06:00

The date is set and the venues are booked. All this happened last week while Trent was in Yellowknife with a bunch of 9-12 year olds and I was neck deep in marathon. Thank god for Trent's mom...she's been the one getting things moving.

So here it is...

Date: July 11, 2009

Wedding ceremony: St. Agnes Church

Reception: Pier 21

I'm really happy that we got Pier 21 for the reception. Both of my parents immigrated through Pier 21 when they came to Canada from England in the 1950's. I'm really happy that we are finding ways to link my family in to the event as there are so few of us compared to Trent's family and until Trent we had no ties to Halifax. I am also wearing my mother's engagement ring as well as receiving Trent's mom's (yes...I know I am a very lucky girl). It was really important to me to involve my mum somehow and I know she would be so happy to know I was wearing her ring.

I am off to Vegas in 2 weeks with my sister for a little R&R. We are planning to do a little wedding dress shopping while down there. I wanted my first time trying on a dress to be with her though I suspect I will end up buying in Vancouver. I know the style I want but now we just have to see if how it looks when I actually get to try one on.

I think we are going to get Trent's suit through Maxwell's Clothiers. Anyone who has been to Hong Kong on a canoe trip will know Maxwell's. They come to TO/Vancouver a couple of times a year and when I thought of it, it just seemed right.

2008-04-22T23:40:00.004-06:00

I wasn't sure whether I was going to post about Trent and I getting engaged but I think I can't keep it off of the blog as I am sure there will be many future postings about the whole planning process. I try not to put anything too personal on the site but its big news and really, anyone who reads this blog probably already knows.

So there you have it. We got engaged when we were at the Rock Water Secret Cove Resort. His asking did not come as a surprise as we've talked about it extensively but he certainly caught me off guard. I was convinced the proposal was coming on our canoe trip in June so when he pulled out a ring box (another surprise) I was stunned.

We think we've nailed down a wedding date, July 11th, 2009. The church is reserved and now we are looking for reception venues. Not easy when you live in Vancouver/Deline and are planning a wedding on the opposite coast (Halifax). Thankfully we have the support of Trent's mum and sister and many friends/family who have been married out there in the past few years.

Last night I had dinner with some friends and one commented on how much has changed for us in the past two years. Two years ago I was just settling in BC. They were trying to have a baby and I had basically given up on the idea that I would ever get married. Now they have a beautiful 6 month old and we are planning my wedding. Who would ever have imagined!

And my final thoughts for the evening..integrated ribbon baby. That's where its at. Let the games begin!

2008-04-02T23:34:00.004-06:00

Trent left last night for Deline. Its exciting to think that he's into the final stretch now and I'll be up there helping him pack up in no time before we head out on our canoe trip home (more to come on that in future posts).

We closed out his visit with seeing the Boss play here in town on Monday Night. Man can he rock. The guy didn't take a single break or pause in the two and a half hours he played. And the man can work a microphone stand.

2008-04-02T23:18:00.005-06:00

I've just got home from a beautiful evening snowshoe on Mt. Seymour. We started up around 7:30 and climbed steadily for about 40 minutes to reach Suicide Bluffs. From there we had the most spectacular view of the city and Vancouver Island in the distance. To the east we could see Mt. Baker poking out about the clouds. We reached the summit just in time to see the sun set and then began our descent. We had a seasoned snowshoer with us who introduced us to what I will call free running down the mountain. Find a clear patch of deep snow at some of the downhills and then let yourself go. The first one was pretty scary as he looked back at us and asked 'you're not afraid of steep downhills are you?" At that point I couldn't even see over the edge. But one step in and we were all squealing in excitement as we ran, slid and rolled our way down.

Some of you might recognize this shack. Its the one made famous in several Kokanee commercials. Normally we look up at it as we pass by on our way up Dog Mountain so it was cool to actually get to check it out up close as most people don't venture up this peak as its pretty steep (going up and down as we discovered).

2008-03-29T20:23:00.002-06:00

For those of you on the East Coast and in TO you've already had your Earth Hour. We're about 36 minutes away from it here on the West Coast. Trent and I are planning to turn off the lights, tv & laptops and eat left over thai over a candle lit game of scrabble.

I appreciated the Globe's list of 60 things to do during the hour..in particular #22 as I just finished watching the Leafs beat the Habs (sorry Dan).

2008-03-29T19:37:00.010-06:00

Trent and I have just returned from 3 days on the Sunshine Coast. We had rain, we had sun and we even had some good hail but that was okay as the plans were to do a lot of nothing. We stopped at Molly's Reach, made famous on the Beachcombers, for lunch upon arriving on the sunshine coast. After some fish and chips we were on our way up the coast.

We stayed at the Rockwater Secret Cove Resort in one of their Tent House Suites. It was sweet! Each tent is equiped with a king size bed, heated tile floors, propane fireplaces, stone shower, jacuzzi tubs and views of the beautiful cove below. It truly was a magical escape. Trent made a little video of the suite which will do a far better job at showing your our tent house suite.

2008-03-22T17:41:00.002-06:00

Found a picture of Trent. He's #106..the guy who looks like he is wearing red shorts. I'm guessing this was in his first leg...the 10K.

2008-03-22T08:14:00.002-06:00

The Rock and Ice Ultra starts in a short 35 minutes. I spoke to the boys earlier and they sounded excited and ready to finally get going after months of training. Temperatures are in the -20 to -30 C range which is perfect for them. Any warmer and they would have to start taking off the layers they have grown used to training in and any colder frost bite becomes a bigger concern.

Shaun will be running the first leg (~10km) and Trent will take the second leg (~6km) . Shaun will follow with his long leg of about ~24km and Trent will finish it up with with the final 30km. I'm off somewhere in my calculations but its something like that. They are thinking its going to take them somewhere around 8-9 hours...all depends on the conditions and what kind of pace they can maintain.

You can check for live up dates on Sleep Monsters. They already have some pre-race coverage posted from the last few days.

2008-03-18T13:03:00.003-06:00

Three updates for you from the world of bacon.

Kitsilano's thickest bacon ...just up the street from us
Bacon ice cream yes, you read it right
Bacon Comedy

Trent and I have planned out our meals for Sunday. It all starts with a Kits Coffee cinnamon bun when I pick him up at the airport. From there we are heading to Go Fish for fish & chips and dc. Dinner will be our traditional first dinner of a Tropical Pig pizza from the Flying Wedge, though we may change it up and go out for pizza at the Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co.

Yes..I know its sad that I have planned our meals already but its been a long time since Trent has had the chance to eat out and its been a long time since I have had french fries or dc.

2008-03-16T17:59:00.005-06:00

Ohh and I am ready for lent to be over.

What I'd do for a plate of french fries and a dc right now. On the bright side I have definitely lost some of the winter weight.

Did I mention Trent arrives Easter Sunday? I'm really looking forward to that too (ok..maybe even more than the fries and dc).

Trent's big race is next Saturday. You can look for updates on Team Delfaxouverville on the Rock and Ice Ultra site. They are racing in the Cold Foot Classic, a 75km, one day event.

2008-03-16T17:40:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I ran in the local St. Paddy's Day 5K. It was a lot of fun..well other than the run part. I had set some loft goals for myself time wise. I wanted to run under 26 minutes and was aiming to break 25, which I knew was rather ambitious considering I have only been back running for the past 6 weeks or so and I've had trouble getting out more than twice a week with my current schedule. I also had two side bets going; one that I would beat a friend's husband (I didn't) and the second that I would be slower than a guy I know who leads a marathon training group with the Running Room (I wasn't).

I came in at a reasonable 25:41. Slower than I had hoped and behind GV but still with in my goal time range. My first KM and mile were right on track but when we left the seawall and started up the long low incline I was faced with the reality that I really haven't been putting in the time/distance to race. I was knackered. My legs felt great but the cardio just wasn't there to push any harder.

We've been doing track work out for the past three weeks and I've been running pretty quick in my 1000m repeats for me. Each week lowering my time considerably from the week before. The problem has been its been taking me quite some time to recover from these runs. I've been doing some reading and I think I have been running too fast. I need to slow down (who ever thought that I would need to do that) in order to improve.

Tomorrow I start my masters swim class, two mornings a week. I'm looking forward to it as I really need the structure of a swim club to push me to swim fast. I've been swimming about 3 times a week for a good six weeks now so I should at least have the base needed to start pushing myself in the water.

Trent arrives a week today! Yeah!

2008-03-05T15:25:00.002-07:00

I was a little early for a meeting this afternoon so I decided to wander around Indigo for a bit. I shouldn't do that. I can never leave without buying a new book.

Today's purchase was a good one and I think some of you will really like it; the ATHLETE'S GUIDE TO YOGA It clearly, with photos and descriptions, explains all of the poses and what you should be feeling. That's the most important part to me...sometimes I'm not sure if I am doing a pose correctly and to be able to pinpoint where I should be feeling it will be so beneficial.

My yoga session ends at the end of March so I am hoping that I can use this book to fill the gap and start taking my practice out onto the rooftop on sunny days.

2008-03-05T09:50:00.001-07:00

The average home price in the Lower Mainland is $912,000.00

I don't think we will be buying anytime soon.

2008-03-04T10:21:00.002-07:00

Oh the joys of swimming before work.

When I got to work and went to change out of the old t-shirt I wore walking in I discovered that my wet towel caused the ink on some on some papers to run and stain the white sweater I had planned to wear today. The one day I didn't pack my work clothes in a plastic bag this happens.

I am now sporting my very old and worn blue long sleeved t-shirt with slacks and cute little flats. Its quite a look.

2008-03-02T22:39:00.002-07:00

Last week when we were in Whistler we went to the tube park. I seemed to be the only one who thought it was a little dangerous. I kept thinking what happens if you fall off and hit your head...they didn't give you any safety equipment and the runs were really icy and fast. Well...I spoke to my sister today and they've just returned from a family vacation from hell. I will skip all the minor events that led up to the trip finisher but let me just say I didn't think things could get worse. So, remember I mentioned how I thought the tube park was dangerous. Point proven...read on.

While on vacation skiing in Northern Michigan Ben took the kids to the tube park and decided to take a run down himself. Somehow his tube left the track, jumped over the next one right out of the park and landed him down on a patch of ice. He managed to get the kids and get back to their hotel on a broken foot and with severe cuts to his face. While in the bathroom cleaning up he starting screaming for Caron to go get their friend Alan (Ben and Alan are both Doctors). I will leave the gory details out but let's just say he broke a bone around his eye cavity which lead to a rather frightening displacement of his eye when he blew his nose.

No more tube parks for me.

2008-03-02T09:34:00.002-07:00

I've finally got myself back on track exercising.

Tuesday night we began track work outs for running. I definitely have a love hate relationship with them. Each lap of the track I just kept envisioning the pounds falling away and that gave me the motivation to keep going. I think the workouts are going to be fun, we have a good group of all different levels and a beautiful track to run on. JS/LA...do you remember those killer hill/speed work outs we used to do with Konrad...in the blazing August sun. I don't miss them!

I've also got myself back in the pool...now if I could just read the workouts and stop swimming extra distance. Yesterday I doubled one element off the workout and ended up doing 400 m of kick. I barely made it up the stairs from the pool after my workout. I'm registering this week for the masters swim program at the local YWCA. It will be two mornings a week and should quickly whip me back into swimming shape.

Floor hockey ends in two weeks. We are heading into the playoffs tied for first place. It's been an interesting season with fun plastic stick floor hockey turning into a very competitive and sometimes volatile game. I joke about rumbles after the games but sometimes I'm not sure how far off that is from the truth. Apparently the crazy confrontational girl's husband had to step in between her and a guy she picked a fight with last week (the week before she took a swing at a guy on our team). Can't wait to face them in the finals!

2008-03-02T09:18:00.002-07:00

Friday night I went to opening night of How it Works the latest production from Touchstone Theatre. The play is about Al, a divorced father, his teenage daughter who is battling a drug addiction and how the women he begins dating changes all of their lives. I loved the play and how each of the 4 characters came to life through out the duration of the performance. The best part was that the play was set in Halifax and featured lots of contemporary Canadian music. Recommend it to everyone if it comes to your town.

2008-03-02T08:42:00.008-07:00

Last weekend I was up in Whistler for 4 days. We lucked out with the weather as it was sunny and warm the entire time. I wasn't in the mood to snowboard so I got myself two good snowshoes in.

Saturday I did a nice 3 hour tour through Lost Lake Park out to the Green Lake lookout. It was beautiful and really quiet. That's me enjoying a cup of tea when I stopped for a little break to enjoy the view.

Sunday we went to the Spa and spent much of the afternoon enjoying the outdoor hot tubs at the Fairmont Whistler. Sunday night we rounded up the whole gang and went to the Tube Park. OMG...it was so much fun. I seemed to have the perfect build for speed as each time I overshot the end of the run and hot the back wall..not even the guys managed to do that every time!

On Monday I headed home but stopped at the new Olympic Nordic Centre in the Callaghan Valley. I arrived just in time to watch the Canadian National Team training at the ski jumping. What a sight! I got to see about 10 jumps which included one good wipe out. How does one decide they want to get into a sport like that? Right now they only have one snowshoe trail marked at Callaghan. It wasn't very long but it was beautiful. They have a second longer trail cut but it hasn't been marked yet so I didn't want to venture out there alone.

2008-02-19T21:26:00.002-07:00

Quick somebody rub me...my luck continues.

On Saturday I was in North Van at a sports store picking up some snowshoeing stuff with friends when I saw a contest to win one of those fancy new water bottles that are all the rage right now. I entered joking around that who knows...perhaps my luck would continue. Well didn't I come home from work today to find a very entertaining message telling me to sit down because there was exciting news..I was the winner of a water bottle.

Too funny.

2008-02-17T20:15:00.002-07:00

Finally...Sunshine. After weeks and weeks of rain today we finally had a full day of sunshine and blue skies.

Saturday morning we went snow shoeing at Seymour and did the Dog Mountain trail (7 km). It was a beautiful morning out on the trail with fresh powder. We were teased with the possibility of sunshine at the peak but our summit rewarded us with fog so thick you couldn't see a thing below. Upon our descent we made our way to Deep Cove for a delicious brunch at the Arms Reach Bistro.

At the same time that my snow shoeing adventure was waking place Trent was out on Great Bear Lake training for his race. To say conditions were a little different would be an understatement. While we had 10 people, a dog and brunch he was out alone with only walkie talkie contact to town in -30 temperatures. He's definitely going to deserve a little R&R when he comes for Easter after his race. Hopefully once he's recovered he'll be up for shoe shoeing in the mountains.

I'm off to Whistler on Friday morning for 4 days. It will be great to have a few days off after how busy its been at work the past few months. I'm bringing my snowshoes and hope to explore some new trails while the rest of the gang are tearing it up on the hills.

2008-02-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

I finally finished Captain Corelli's Mandolin. It took a while for me to get into it but once I did I couldn't put it down. Next on my list was Not Wanted On The Voyage by Timothy Findley. This is one of the books Trent got me for Christmas. I think I am going to really like it as it is described as a historical romance that mixes fact and fiction, but I'm going to put it on hold for now and read As It Is In Heaven next. NB loaned it to me tonight and said I should read it now, over Valentines Day. I think I will save Trent's book for closer to when he comes comes to visit in March. By the way, he really enjoyed The Princess Bride, which was the book I searched high and low for. I can't wait to read it as it sounds even better than the movie...can that be?

I've started work on my second knitting project, a scarf for my father. My goal is to make a good go of it this weekend so I can get it in the mail to him before the end of the month. What I really want to be able to knit is mitts. I can't ever imagine that I will have my mother or grandmother's skills at knitting but I'll be happy if I can make a good pair of mitts and a toque.

2008-02-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

There was a lot in that last posting so I just wanted to add that while the Year of the Rat is supposed to bring me good fortune and good times I think I am already pretty lucky in both those things. I don't need to be told that.

45 days!

2008-02-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

GUNG HEY FAT CHOI - Happy Year of the Rat!

As a rat I am told that good fortune and good times will surround me this year.

It's not even 12:00 PM and good fortune has already found me...twice in fact

I received an email that I had won tickets to a preview showing of Definitely, Maybe coming out on Valentines Day
I received a second email from GetOutThere magazine that I had won a wetsuit in a contest I entered online with them last month

Yes...I'm thinking it too. You should rub me (head out of the gutter please) for good luck.

Rats are water signs and it is said that they make a very good match for monkeys and dragons, but do not get along well with rabbits, horses and roosters. The brown earth influences of this year also make oxen a favored friend of the persevering rat but add conflict to the year as the elements of earth and water seek a balance - especially during the early part of the year.

The rat's stone, the deep red garnet, is the color of joyful celebration. It signifies the loyalty and passion of the most honorable traits of the sign that will rule the year ahead.

In China, it is said that there are few poor rats. It is considered very auspicious to be born in the year of the earth rat. Babies born under this sign are intelligent and hard working. They are intelligent, curious, sociable born leaders who do well in any group, but value ties with family and close friends more than social contacts. The earth influences balance the rat's water nature for those born in this year making them able to control the flights of intellect that often draw the rat away from a good course. The selfish and calculating aspects of the rat are toned by the nurturing earth force. These are leaders to be followed with trust and good partners for a life filled with good fortune. The rat is clever, sometimes too clever. When mixed with the passion and charm of this sign, the rat can be manipulative as a life partner (don't believe this Trent) or business associate. The ability to initiate new ideas and work hard to reach a goal led the rat to the first place of honor at the side of Buddha. These are traits that bring success in both business and personal affairs.

Since the rat year begins a new cycle, remember that decisions made during this year will carry long term consequences. Do not make changes without careful planning especially during the beginning of the year.

Rat : 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 The clever rat has made many ambitious plans that will be put into action this year. Good fortune and good times will surround the rat in this year of glory. Easy social grace is a gift of those born in this sign, but trusted close friends and family are the center that the rat needs to secure prosperity. Beware of the battle of earth and water that may confuse the scurrying rat. This beginning of the year will see the rat tempted by many flirtatious relationships. Faithfulness and loyalty are difficult with so many admiring glances. Understand the fear of those you care for as you seem to be drawn to many new relationships. Take steps to avoid damage to your true partners. As the year passes the successful rat will see more serious relationships bear fruit. Although the rat is a water sign, boat cruises are not a good vacation plan. Travel to exotic lands to explore,meet new people and experience adventure may be the perfect honeymoon. With the influence of the earth aspects of this year, promises of commitments become real and those born in this sign may experience the blessings of marriage and of children added to their family. The rat who cannot focus on success will be misled and find much conflict and many uncomfortable scenes caused by straying from a match that will bring good fortune. When prosperity and love come easily they may not be treated with respect. The rat who will succeed is the one who remembers that greed and manipulation may bring quick victories but ultimately strengthen enemies. The cat is ever watchful of the rat who stole its place. Listen to the guidance of ancestors, loved ones and trusted friends. Beware of the flattery of casual admiration to completely fulfill the promise of extreme good fortune that this year holds.

2008-02-05T20:46:00.001-07:00

It's Shrove Tuesday or what is better known today as Pancake Day. It also happens to be Vancouver Island Day. Happy Day Vancouver Island.

The Lenten Fasting begins tomorrow. To clarify for those of you knew to my life...the fasting has more to do with a post Christmas cleanse than religious purification..but hey, who can't use a little purification.

I've decided to up the ante this year as the usual sweets and DC was starting to get too easy. So, for 2008 I will be giving up the follow:

The usual sweets (baked goods, chocolate and candy)
Diet Coke (and all pop..not that I drink other pop)
French Fries and potato chips
All meat products (pork, chicken and beef)
The elevator in my building (except for when I have heavy loads like luggage)

I tried to persuade T-Bone to join me in abstaining from the meats but despite my asking her WWJD she still refused.

The best part about Lent 2008 is that not only does the fasting end Easter Sunday but Trent also arrives that day! Yeah

2008-02-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

While most people are glued to the tv this afternoon watching the SuperBowl I've just returned from seeing a production of Small Metal Objects as part of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. The performance took place in the Central Promenade of the Vancouver Public Library which was busy with Sunday afternoon traffic in and out of the library and the surrounding cafes. The audience were seated at one end of the space with headphones on listening to the mic'd actors who interacted with the general public in the space. The transformation of the public space into a stage (stole that from the program) was the best part. Some people were oblivious to what was going on while others tried to avoid or were confused while others like the homeless guy just played right into the scene.

Today I also saw the eagles...equally as exciting. When I went for my run this morning I sighted two eagles in the tree....there has only been one all winter! As I got closer I could see that one had something in its claws. Turns out he had a seagull and was carefully plucking it clean...it looked like it was snowing white feathers. Just so you know..I'm not the only eagle mad person out here, there was quite an audience gathered watching the dinner preparation.

Trent has just returned from a training run..apparently his finger tips feel like they are bleeding. Not good! If you haven't checked out his blog recently, you should. It's cold there!

2008-01-31T20:37:00.000-07:00

Two years to the day that I moved into my apartment my name has finally been added to the buzzer list. So...I wonder how long will it take for Trent's name be added.

2008-01-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

It's beautiful and sunny out so this will be short as I want to get out and run some errands before the rain/snow mix they have been calling for the last 48 hours arrives.

Yesterday morning I went snowshoeing up on Cypress Mountain. It was a clear morning and the views of the city below were stunning...so much so we all forgot to take out our cameras. After zig zagging through the forest up to the Upper Warming Hut we made our way back down to the Hollyburn Lodge for hot chocolate. Inspired by Trent, I went to the Yeti website yesterday to check out some of the local snowshoe races...definitely intrigued but I think it might have to wait until next winter as I haven't had much time to train and races are starting right away.

Speaking of training, I have new motivation to get back into the pool. I've signed up for a swimathon on May 10th in Victoria. This will be a great way to kick start my open water swimming season. I don't know all the details about the swimathon yet but I think I am going to aim for swimming an hour rather than a certain number of laps. Its hard to keep track of all of those laps when training and I think at the swimathon they have someone do that for you.

Okay...I can not ignore the sunny skies any longer...its been dreary for so long that I have to get out there and take advantage of it.

2008-01-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dan for pointing me to this site with what could be a new break through in deliciousness...bacon chocolate chip cookies with maple cinnamon glaze. Ohh I can't wait until the weekend to give the recipe a try.

I wonder how they mail?

2008-01-21T23:18:00.001-07:00

Wow, what a week. I watched more figure skating in the last 7 days then I have in all 35 years of my life. I laughed, I cried and I cried some more. I think I can say that I finally get figure skating. It took a long time and and it took meeting some extraordinary people for me to come to this understanding and to appreciate the artistic element of the sport. To do what they do all with grace and style truly is impressive.

I worked a lot of hours and had to put on my game face day after day regardless of how tired and cranky I was but it was all worth it. This opportunity I had to experience some of the best skating we have seen in years and to meet some of the greatest skaters of the past, present and future would have been something my mother would have just loved. She would have been thrilled to hear all about my meeting Brian Orser and Victor & Shae Lynn. So while I enjoyed the week of skating for all of the fun and excitement of the competition I will treasure the experience for my mother and all the joy it would have brought her.

This is a colleague and I with Patrick Chan at the Skaters After Party the night of (or should I say morning after) his big win. He was a total sweet heart and just so excited by his success that day.

2008-01-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

Wow...has it really been a week since my last posting? I'm finally home with an a few hours off before heading out to my final Figure Skating event. Going to take this chance to nap as it was a late night last night (2:00 AM) and early morning today.

Dare I say it? I have become a fan of figure skating. It's true and I will explain but right now my couch beacons me for nap.

2008-01-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

Ummm...I think I might be a tom boy. I just had a look around the apartment and from my bedroom door I can see our paddle bag, my skates and hockey stick, my floor hockey shin pads and my snow shoes. This also suggests to me that we need more storage space in this apartment as most corners are filled with sports equipment and books.

This morning I ventured up to Mt Seymour to do a little snowshoeing. It was pouring rain as I left Van and I worried that it was going to be ugly at the top; but as I made my way slowly up the mountain the rain turned to snow. While it wasn't sunny at the top it was still a beautiful warm day with fresh snow making the trails spectacular. When I was deep in the woods I kept hearing these loud bangs which at first I thought were avalanches being set off (we've had a record season out here for avalanches). I quickly realized that it was actually snow falling off of the trees. The warm temperatures coupled with the wind was causing huge packs of snow to fall. It was quite spectacular to watch and hear, though I must admit, from that point on I saved my rest stops for clearings in the trees.

2008-01-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

I was very sad to just read in the Globe that Sir Edmund Hillary has died at 88.

If you haven't had the opportunity to do so; I would recommend you read his autobiography, View from the Summit. It's a great read and reveals how there was so much more to him than simply being the first man to conquer Everest.

2008-01-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

Jenn & Trent + MEC (or other outdoor store) = trouble.

We both love gear...its not good.

2008-01-05T01:12:00.002-07:00

Trent and I went to see Juno tonight. I really liked it and can understand why Ellen Page is generating so much hype these days. It was a cute movie with some great lines in it. Definitely going to check out the soundtrack as anything with CatPower is good in my books.

Juno - Can't we just like kick this old school. You know, like I stick the baby in a basket, send it your way, like Moses and the reeds?
Mark Loring - Technically that would be Old Testament.

I read the following horoscope for Trent and I Wednesday as we relaxed in our comfy first class seats on our way back to Van. Strange that it was relevant but thankfully nothing went drastically wrong as predicted. Things actually went very smoothly for us...even better than smooth considering we got to ride first class.

Libra - Keep things simple over the next 24 hours, especially if you are on the move or meeting people away from your home base. With Mars and Pluto opposing one another across the travel axis of your chart the more complicated your arrangements the more likely it is something will go drastically wrong.

2008-01-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

We are finally back in Vancouver. Despite snow storms following us across the country we managed to make it to and from all of our destinations with out too many delays. We even managed to fly Executive Class home on the Montreal to Vancouver leg. To top it all off we went to the Canucks game last night and got to watch them trounce the Rangers from some sweet seats (thank you GV).

Highlights of the trip

Meeting Trent in TO after almost 4 months since we last saw one another
Meeting Sydney - she is even cuter in person.
Spending 5 hours on the train sitting in front of drunk, loud guy who was on repeat
Learning of Trent's visa issues at the US border and walking the yellow line
Meeting Snickers the guinea pig
Making Christmas cookies
Seeing Alex and Hannah eyes wide running for the presents Christmas morning
Guitar Hero
Getting some quick visits in with friends in TO
Getting picked up by Sinead and Liam (and Mike) in Halifax
Turkey dinner! Yum
Getting locked out of the house for 5+ hours and then getting kicked out of the mall when it closed
New Year's Eve with Trent's friends
Learning that Christian reads my blog regularly (Hi Christian..will try and update a little more frequently for you)
Jumping in Lake Banook New Years morning
Open House New Years Day at Trent's mum's and finally getting to taste one her infamous cinnamon rolls (delicious)
Getting back to Vancouver in one day when many others weren't so fortunate
Sleeping in my own bed again

2007-12-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

And it begins. Trent is currently on route from Yellowknife to Edmonton and I leave for the airport in an hour. I'm looking forward to settling into my seat and waking up in TO to meet up with Trent, find my father and head to the Rouge for breakfast.

Happy holidays one and all. I never got Christmas cards out this year and just didn't have the time to send out anything electronically.

Only thing left to worry about is whether my bags will weigh in under the limit. I think its going to be close. Too many books and preserves. Not sure what I was thinking.

2007-12-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

Lost and Found

I've been searching for weeks for my favourite hat, a wool knit one that Scooper brought me back from Peru last year. Its bright, its pink and it has cute little flaps that cover my ears and it is time I accept that it is gone. I've gone through our two storage lockers, my snowboard bag, all my coats, the clothes boxes under my bed...everywhere.

This morning, after weeks of searching without success I finally found the book I have been looking to get Trent for Christmas. It was in a used book store at the top of my street which I have visited several times in my quest. I checked all the usual sections for it and just happened to pause on my way out and look at a shelf and there it was; in the wrong section, unshelved and staring out at me. I actually let out a gasp when I saw it. This search has taken me to over 15 used book stores all across the city, 4 Salvation Army's, a Senior's home book sale and all over the the internet. Who knew it would be so hard to find a simple book.

Christmas shopping complete. Now to just figure out how I get it all in my suitcase.

2007-12-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

I apologize to anyone expecting a Christmas card from me. I've been a little slow in getting myself organized this year and as such have decided to forgo the sending of cards, which saddens me a bit as I do love the tradition of mailing and receiving cards.

I've been searching for a widget or something that will allow me to post a personalized Christmas card on here but so far haven't found anything. Stay tuned for a Christmas greeting here at some point. Also stay tuned for updates from Trent and my cross country Christmas expedition. Saturday December 22nd is shaping up to be a crazy day (arrive on the red eye, breakfast in the Rouge with my Dad and brother, lunch with the HOF, jumping on a train to Windsor then driving to MI and out for dinner at our favourite Veitnamese restaurant there) but nothing really compares to Trent's 4 flights just to get to Calgary to meet me on the red eye the 21st.

2007-12-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

Wow..what timing. I just got home from the gym and turned on the CBC to hear that a verdict is due any minute on the Robert Picton case.

2007-12-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

I imagine these guys thinking to themselves that something just isn't right today at the duck pond.

I forgot how much I miss the snow. It's snowing like mad out there but I've been out wandering doing errands enjoying the quiet that seems to descend on the city when its unexpected blanketed in snow. Its a great day to get some Christmas shopping in at all of my favourite spots within walking distance. Next stop...South Granville to browse for books and pick up holiday pj's.

2007-12-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Sarah, I've got a feeling weren't not in Vancouver anymore.

2007-12-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

I went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra play at GM Place last night. Wow...what a show. Its not so much a concert as it is a light and sound show, not to suggest that the music wasn't spectacular because it was. It was a great way to kick off the holiday season and I would jump at the opportunity to see them perform again. It was amazing to hear Christmas Canon Rock and Wizards in Winter live and see the light show accompanying.

My photos do not do justice! I was kicking myself that I had put my camera away for the second half when they introduced fire to the show. At some points we could feel the heat from the flames up in the box.

2007-11-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's getting hot in here!

A building right across the alley caught fire today...a little too close for comfort. The pictures below look like they could have been taken from our balcony.

2007-11-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

Meet our Vancouver 2010 Mascots

I love them! I can't decide who I like best out of Miga, Quatchi and Sumi...they are all so cute and unique...maybe no favourites.

2007-11-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

I have hit a new low this evening. I cried when Jenny Garth was voted off of Dancing with the Stars. Its a cruel, cruel world this dancing business.

2007-11-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

You'll notice that I have added a banner at the bottom of my blog for Save the Net. With Christmas coming I am planning to replace a few of my stocking stuffers with certificates for nets purchased in family and friends names.

Please don't let Belinda's stiff promotion discourage you from getting involved :)

2007-11-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful crisp fall day today in Vancouver. The sun was shining, and the view of the snow capped mountains on the North Shore was clear as could be. After stocking up with fruits and veggies at the market I decided to take the long way home along the water, hoping to find the eagles back at their tree in Vanier Park. I stopped at Go Fish on the way and picked up a couple of fish tacos then made my way over to the park. I found a great picnic table in the park with a view of the eagle tree, English Bay and the mountains. I'm not sure there is a better way to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon then munching on killer fish tacos and taking in the beauty of Van. It sure makes you forget about all the rain...and the fact that someone stole my umbrella yesterday when it was absolutely pouring outside.

When will I learn to always pack my camera when I go out for walks? Everything seemed so bright and vibrant this afternoon. I was particularly taken with all of the fishing boats tied up in fisherman's wharf. It seemed to me today that they all had a story to tell me.

2007-11-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

As I write this, Sarah is swimming around her tank doing this weird swim forward, stop, back up and then swimming forward again. She's also being doing some dolphin diving.

On Monday I found two parasites on her which I had to scrape off with a knife (disgusting). I now think that Speckles may have brought the parasites into the tank and they may have been what killed her, not Sarah. I've been watching Sarah closely to see if she has anymore and so far, so good other than the crazy swimming and her obsession with the hot tub.

On top of all this the tank seems to have developed a slow leak.

Goldfish challenged is a bit of an understatement at the moment

2007-11-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

I bought $100 US today for $93.50. Sweet

The version of skype I am using is not compatible with my new webcam. Not so sweet

2007-10-30T23:43:00.000-06:00

Thank you to Dan for the code to correct the colour on my countdown timer. It's nice to know you're still looking out for me.

I also need to give Dan credit for introducing me to the Great Lake Swimmers and Final Fantasy. I can always trust Dan's musical recommendations. It would have been fun to have him at the concert with us because he could have given Brooklyn some nasty scowls that might have quieted the jack ass down. Scooper said he read in a review that it was a shame that there were so many people talking during the GLW set. Agreed!

2007-10-30T08:15:00.000-06:00

I'm so confused. I've been worried about Sarah for the past few days. She has been rather lethargic and just lying on the bottom of the tank most of the time and then swimming around the tank at mock ten for about 10 seconds before resuming the lying on the bottom again. This morning I found Sarah swimming around happily and Speckles was floating on the surface. Murder?

Poor little Speckles, she was so sweet with her happy little tail darting around the tank.

2007-10-28T23:42:00.000-06:00

After my class on Saturday a friend and I went to Spa-Utopia for the most incredible aroma scrub/massage treatments. At $240 its not something I would normally treat myself to but we both had gift certificates for a good portion of it. I could get used to the spa lifestyle though I don't think my bank account would agree.

Saturday night headed out to Commercial Ave for the Parade of Lost Souls. Our costume of three David Suzuki's with giant green R's on our back ( we were reduce, re-use and recycle) were a great hit. I couldn't believe the number of people who got excited by our DS masks and high fived us. It was awesome. The photos below are of us with two other characters that were a great hit.

After the parade we headed over to the Main for dinner and drinks. We were treated to an impromtu fireworks show as we returned to my car by three guys who had obviously been into the stuff in photo to the left. Excited to have an audience they ran back to the store for more only to frighten us half to death with a shooting firework that fell over and started rotating towards us shooting off fireballs.

Lost track of time today in Capers speaking to the naturopath about herbal supplements. She fully endorsed the Deep Immune that Trent got me hooked on and that I've got all the girls and Scooper using on my claims that I have not had a cold since I began using it about a year ago. Picked up some Holy Basil that Ive heard a lot about lately. It's supposed to uplift, calm and balance with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

2007-10-21T17:45:00.001-06:00

Introducing Speckles

Speckles is a libra. She is small in size with a pretty white fan tale and has black and orange specks over her mid-section She likes pirates as can be seen by the black eye patch she wears over her left eye. She's excited to get to know her new sister Sarah and expects that they will be great friends. She's also looking forward to meeting Trent when he comes home for a few days in January

2007-10-21T10:52:00.001-06:00

Went to the Final Fantasy show with Scooper last night and as I said to Trent when I got home, I would have been annoyed at how late it ran if it weren't for the fact that all three acts were awesome.

Basia Bulat opened. I wasn't familiar with her but on Scooper's recommendation that we should get there in time to see her we are arrived at 7:30 pm. They pushed back the show by an hour and a quarter but it was well worth it when she finally hit the stage. She has a beautiful voice with a great folksy vibe to her music. That girl can also rock a guitar!

Next up were the Great Lake Swimmers. To see these guys (and girl) live in such an intimate setting (Richards) was great. Despite what t-bone says, their music does not make me want to slit my wrists. I just make sure not to listen to it on long drives as it tends to make me sleepy. That said, I think I would list GLS among my all time favourites. Picked up a t-shirt after their set and got to chat for a second with Tony Dekkar :)

Finally at 11:45 pm it was time for Final Fantasy (I had planned to be home and tucked safely in bed by that time). How to describe the Final Fantasy show? (Owen Pallett and his projectionist Stephanie Comilang). I think I've heard him described as an Orchestral genius and I'm not sure that does him justice. His violin looping was something I had never seen in person and it blew me away. And finally, the accompanying projections were beautiful and engaging. You should check out the link to see an example. It really is an art.

At one point in the show I turned to Scooper and said, "You know, I really like Canadian music." He agreed and went on to list all of the great bands who are doing so well on both the Canadian and International music scene. Its a good time to be a Canadian music fan.

Ok..time for some breakfast.

2007-10-18T13:00:00.000-06:00

How exciting, I just heard one of the cruise ships sound its horn. You don't often hear that sitting at your desk in an office tower. The wind must be blowing the right way today. Not sure that I would be wanting to head out on a cruise from Van today; its pouring rain and windy...Happy Autumn!

Went to a reading at the Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival last night. It was on the Weight of History and very interesting. The 4 authors each read a passage from their respective novels then they spoke about how historical events/times played a role in their work. Learned some very interesting devices how to incorporate history into ones writing.

2007-10-16T22:10:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Trent!

The pool finally reopened yesterday! I got myself over there for a light swim tonight, a nice 1000m+ float. Did it ever feel good.

Massage therapist gave me the okay to give a light run a try this weekend. Hip/lower back has definitely been improving since I started treatment with him. I really hope it goes well as the lack of swimming and running hasn't done much for my waist line.

2007-10-14T22:39:00.000-06:00

We are being treated to some beautiful autumn weather here in Van. Gorgeous sunshine all weekend with temperatures in the mid-teens. You couldn't ask for anything better.

Some exciting developments in town.

The Vancouver Aquatic Centre re-opens tomorrow!
Sadly today was the last day of the Kitsilano Farmers Market but I heard good news that the Winter Market is going to be biweekly starting in November rather than the usual once monthly
The Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival starts on Tuesday (Trent's bday by the way). I've got tickets to two sessions, there were a handful of others I would quite have like to attend but tickets sold out quick
I put together my new fish tank - a smaller tank that I think Sarah will quite like

Speaking of Sarah, it's time I start thinking about whether or not to get her a new companion. I've posted a new poll to the right. Would appreciate your feedback on this decision

2007-10-12T00:13:00.000-06:00

I received some fabulous cards for my birthday this past week. I'm not sure why but there definitely seems to be an animal theme this year.

These two in particular were really good. Love love love the mouse card, which reads Older... but wiser inside and I can't look at the cat one without howling...it kills me each time I see it.

2007-10-09T21:09:00.000-06:00

Took the day off today to get a little R&R after working the weekend at the Okanagan International Marathon. It was fun to watch the morning shows and have a leisurely breakfast before heading out to do a few errands. I even took in a matinee, nothing like catching a flick on a rainy afternoon.

It was a great weekend in Kelowna, all be it a very busy one. Sunday after the race a bunch of us from Van met for brunch and the ladies surprised with me with a home baked coconut cake. It was delicious. Almost made having to work all weekend worthwhile.

On returning from Van I got the best birthday present..news that Jackie and Blake had a little girl on my birthday. Yeah...I can't wait to meet her when I am home at Christmas.

Vancouver Inside Workers voted today to end the strike. Hopefully this means I will be able to get back to the pool soon.

2007-10-05T08:31:00.000-06:00

It's a wonder that I am waking up here in Kelowna this morning as yesterday was anything but smooth.

It all started just after 7:00 am yesterday when I managed to lock myself out of my apartment. I was going up and down the elevator loading the car when having dropped off the second last load, my purse and book bag with laptop were all that was left..so I thought. I went for my keys to get back to the elevator and discovered that they weren't in my pocket. I was locked in the parking garage. Luckily I did have my car keys and was able to walk out of the parking garage and go around the front of the building to buzz my building manager. This was around 7:s0 am. I buzzed him but to no surprise there was no answer. Next step...my spare keys. Niki and John have them, but they've just had their first baby the day before. Who wants to go knocking on the door at 7:30 am. I decided to drive by on the off chance that I see some movement in the house. I pull up, see John's mother in the living room so I go up and knock on the door. The poor woman is in her nightgown. We search for my keys but they aren't in the drawer where they are normally kept. We give John a quick call on his cell and he has no idea where they are. It's about 7:45 am now I decide that since I'm not getting in my apartment any time soon that I will keep my 8:00 am massage appointment. Luckily I had my wallet as I had planned to run and grab a muffin after loading the car. After entertaining Chris with stories of my morning I headed back to my apartment and tried the buzzer again. Still no answer. So I decide to get myself that tea and muffin and give it one more try before giving up and leaving for Kelowna. I'm walking back from the cafe when I see the resident manager's girlfriend outside. Apparently we just kept missing each other. I guess he screens his calls so I would leave after each time I buzzed him and then by the time he checked his message and came out I would have moved on.

So I am finally on my way, only half an hour late...not bad, I'm back on track. Traffic is good and the roads are clear. At the toll booth for the Coquilhalla I go to use my Corporate credit card to pay for the $10 toll. Declined! I'm baffled by this as I have just submitted an expense claim but figure I will sort it out once I am there. (It is later discovered that an expense claim submitted some months back has not been processed and for some reason I was not made aware of it).

At the summit there is snow on the side of the road but its smooth sailing. About an hour outside of Kelowna and just on to the Connector I get a call from a colleague in Kelowna. She's checking on me as she heard there is snow on the Connector. I report that its clear and there don't seem to be any problems. Well...don't I hang up the phone and less than 5 minutes later find myself in blizzard conditions. The road it completely snow covered, the wind and snow are blowing and there is a car off the road on its roof. Talk about crazy. In a four and half hour drive, I drove through beautiful sunshine, pouring rain, snow, sleet, and hail...I felt like the US Postal Service.

I arrive safely in Kelowna and check into my hotel, that my colleague has now arranged to be charge to our account with them due to my credit card problems. I decide to freshen up a bit before I head down to the race site. Well...don't I discover that my toiletries are still sitting in my bathroom at home as in my rush to leave after being locked out of my apartment I didn't do my final sweep to make sure I had everything.

Ohh what a day it was. Hoping today will be a little smoother; though the mold in the yogurt I bought from the coffee shop down stairs this morning suggests differently.

All said, I think its going to be a great weekend. I have two great volunteer coordinators helping me out and all of the race staff are great. The Vancouver gang arrive tonight and we've a few social activities planned around the race that hopefully I will have time to participate in.

Time to get going. Must find something to eat now that the yogurt is out of the question.

2007-10-01T12:39:00.000-06:00

It's October 1st and there is much talk about the office over snow in the mountains.

I'm driving to Kelowna on Thursday and I have to admit, tackling the Coquilhalla alone if there is snow on the pass has me a little nervous. Ever since I was hit a few years back by a sliding car, I've been terrified of driving in the snow. Nan (my SUV) handles well in the snow (she did drive across Canada in the middle of winter after all) and will have a heavy load so I am sure she will do fine; but I still think there were will be many a church hymn sung Thursday morning.

2007-09-27T18:12:00.001-06:00

I've been watching Sarah closely to make sure that she's coping ok with Sparkle's death. Up until today she seemed to be doing fine but now I am starting to worry. She has tucked herself into the corner with all the plants where Sparkle hung out her last few days. She's just kind of sitting there not doing much, just an occasional flutter of her fins. Ughh...I hope its just a bit of depression and nothing more serious (not to suggest that depression is not serious).

So I guess that leads to the question; should I start looking for a friend for her and if so, how long should I wait before introducing another fishy to our family?

2007-09-24T18:25:00.000-06:00

It is with much sadness that I must post news of Sparkle's death. Just shy of three years, she led a remarkable life for a little goldfish who came home with me from Jackie and Blake's wedding three years ago November. With her best friend Sarah she embarked on a cross country adventure with Ciara and Jenn as they drove from Toronto to Vancouver via Salt Lake City, Utah; Mt. Shasta, California and Ashland, Oregon.

Sparkle will be laid to rest this evening at dog park beach, tucked gently into the sand near the long grass to remind her of the plants in her tank.

Here are some photos from the adventures we shared.

Sarah & Sparkle being introduced to their travel tank and then getting used to their new home before heading out on their cross Canada adventure

<- The girls visiting their Aunty Caron's family in Grosse Ile, MI and with their cousin Hannah ->

<- Sarah & Sparkle with Ciara in a small town in the mid West on route to Salt Lake City.

The girls with friends they met at Mt. Shasta. Sarah & Sparkle hung out with Keith for the morning while we boarded. ->

The girls with their friend Milo in Oregan

And finally Trent with the girls at Christmas time

2007-09-23T23:04:00.001-06:00

You'll notice on the right that I have recently added a Christmas counter. It's the number of days until Trent and I meet in Toronto to begin our Cross Canada Christmas Tour (C3 Tour). From Toronto we plan to head right to Grosse Ile, MI to spend Christmas with my sister. We'll head back to TO Boxing day to see my Dad and brothers (and hopefully a few friends)for a day or two before continuing East to Halifax to spend New Year's with Trent's family. From there we head back across the country to Vancouver (I wasn't kidding when I said it was cross Canada). We'll get a few days together in Van before Trent has to head back up North.