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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 :)

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.

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

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

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

1. The Vancouver Aquatic Centre re-opens tomorrow!
2. 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
   
3. 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
   
4. 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

I'm back from my first creative writing class. I'm not sure what I expected our instructor to be like but it wasn't the funny old bat with a walker I encountered when I entered the class room.

There are 12 women in the class plus our teacher. I think it should make for a safe, creative environment, all be it one lacking in male perspective. It was interesting to learn about each of the students and see what experiences we have that are unique and what are shared. One thing that quickly became apparent is the number of women who are struggling to deal with the loss of their mothers. I don't think any of us expected it to be such an emotional journey.

We were given an exercise where we had to use all of the senses to describe something. I choose to describe cool hands and used the memory of my mother's. While my piece missed a few of the senses (taste and smell) and was rough in style, I succeeded in conveying the deep sense of loss I feel over her death.

I'm looking forward to next week's class. I have a good idea what I am going to write about for my homework assignment and I can't wait to see what some of the others come up with.

If ever there was an incentive to get healthy and walking to/from work this morning was it. It was rainy and warm outside and the bus was so stuffy I thought I was going to pass out. I really don't think I can handle a winter of that..and I'm a lover of the public transportation!

Tonight I decided to tackle that beef stew I mentioned on Sunday. Not sure what I was thinking making beef stew for myself. While I enjoyed the bowl I had for dinner I have enough leftovers for a good weeks worth of meals. Which one might think is good but after having been immersed in the scent for the past 3 hours just the thought of it makes me to eschew meat for a long long time.

We'll its time to go. Trent and I usually talk or get on Skype at about this time each night. I have to say its nice his having internet at home now. It certainly makes the distance seem not so far.

Autumn has certainly arrived here in Van. The berries at the market are starting to be replaced by apples and squash and with that I'm starting to think about winter stews and comfort food. I picked up some organic stewing beef along with pearl onions, baby potatoes and some beautiful carrots to start cooking later this week. Mmm I can't wait.

And with Autumn comes figure skating season. Yes, I did say figure skating. Over the next few months I will be learning as much as I can about the sport as it will figure (KMS) prominently in my work. Last night I was at a dinner with the national team and was asked by one the top skaters in the country whether I liked skating. For those of you who don't know, I'm a hockey player, not a figure skater. I've never even owned a pair of figure skates. I thank my mother for all of the Sunday afternoons we spent watching figure skating so I can say that I know a bit about it. However, I'd never taken it seriously until I got to view a video put together by Skate Canada last year. Watching the skaters in this video gave me a whole new appreciation for how hard they work and what athletes they really are. So I was glad that I could honestly tell Lesley that yes, I am a fan of figure skating. Who knew?

With the polls now closed, it looks like I squeaked out a victory with a total of 12 votes for Look Out to Trent's 11 votes for Look Off. I attribute the 3 votes on my site to the abnormal number of Coasters that I seem to know, 2 of whom I am sure read my blog. The third I think was Trent voting for himself. :)

It's been an interesting experiment in regional differences. Look for another poll soon as we explore other differences between Coasters and Upper Canadians (not sure why that moniker erks me but it does).

As Trent would say...that is all.

And one last thing before I head to bed...Trent's got a blog now. You'll see the link to the right. It should give you a better idea of what life is like up in Deline. It's not all fishing and swimming. Ok...we'll not for long at least!

As you well know by now...I am obsessed with the farmers market. Sunday morning I headed up to the market, a little sad I was going it alone but excited at the prospect of the heirloom tomatoes. My intention was to buy a bunch of tomatoes to make homemade oven dried tomatoes and to pick up some sweet peppers to make red pepper jelly.

By time left I had over 2.5 lbs of beautiful assorted heirloom
tomatoes, some for the drying and some just for eating, and 4 large and 4 miniature sweet peppers not to mention the zuc's, cucumbers, apples, peaches and pears. I love this time of year. All of the farmers were giving samples of their new produce and it everything was so good.


I didn't have time to start working on the dried tomatoes before heading off to the Whitecaps game but decided to start the process when I got home at 7:00 PM. Mistake..the dehydrating process can take anywhere from 6-12 hours. At 2:00 AM finally turned the oven off after waking up every 2 hours to check on them. The result of 24 tomato halves baked in the over for 6 hours and 54 minutes can be seen in the jar to the right. Tuesday night I plan to tackle the red pepper jelly and the second batch of dried tomatoes. I'm hoping I can find a way to preserve the tomatoes through the winter as I refuse to eat tasteless mealy tomatoes any longer. I say no, no.

I'm testing out the new video clip feature.

This is a short clip, actually the last clip, from Trent and my tidal bore rafting adventure when we were in NS. Watch closely...then watch it again. You'll notice that Trent and I (the only two wearing the yellow rain pants) weren't originally sitting beside one another. Ohh it makes me laugh every time I watch it. It's even better in slow motion.

Please have a look at this photo and then respond to the poll at the right. Trent and I have differing opinions on what it is called.

I'm sitting here watching Trent pack for his return to the North. I won't lie, it sucks. It's been so nice having him here all summer. We've had so much fun between our trips to the Island and back East, open water swims and trips to the farmers market. It will be nice to know that in June he'll be back for good!

We decided to spend our last full day over on Bowen Island. We went for a great hike around Killarney Lake and then had lunch at a great little restaurant on the Island.

I have to tell you...we have some crazy radio station on that plays love songs from 9-11 PM and people can call in and request songs. Right now we are listing to Miss you like crazy by the Moffats. Who am I?

Last weekend RR, DK and I participated in the Jericho Oceanman race. It's a local triathlon that can be done single, relay or team and involves swimming, paddling and running plus a few secret challenges thrown in to keep everyone on their toes.

Before I start I should mention that I jokingly called our team, Team No Training as we entered at the last minute and none of us had really trained for the event. DK, the strongest swimmer of our group did the swim, a 1K ocean swim. I got the paddle as I have the most paddling experience while RR did the run. What a laugh. While we might not have done well, we had a ton of fun. DK's secret event involved paddling out around a bouy about 50m out on an air mattress. I got to do some stand up paddle boarding while RR did a little orienteering in his 8K run with one check point having a croquet challenge.

Next year I might give it a try solo or do it with Trent. Will definitely also choose the surf ski over the outrigger for the paddle portion.

Yes...its been a long time since a posting...been waiting for a rainy afternoon and this is the first in a while.

It's Trent's last weekend here in Van so we are busy running errands and trying to do all of the things we had talked about doing but hadn't gotten around to. The list includes:

• Take a water taxi done
  
• Do the Grouse Grind done
  
• Dinner at Bistrot Bistro Friday night with RR, DL, DE, SB, NB & JB
  
• Hiking on Bowen scheduled for tomorrow morning
  
• Richmond Night Market went last night
  
• Aquarium not likely
  
• Vancouver Art Gallery - Monet to Dali Exhibit not likely
  
• Grab a movie at the Fifth - tonight
  

Trent and I did participated in the Kits Challenge open water swim race on July 28th. We both swam the 1.5 KM distance with Trent coming in 3rd over all (woo hoo) and I coming in 11th overall (out of 30 in that distance). I almost had 10th but some guy out ran me on the final run leg (the tide was really far out so there was a good 300 m run through shallow water).

Our next race is in NS on August 16th. It's a lake swim without wetsuits. Hopefully the water will be as warm as Sasamat out here. We are both planning on doing the 2K.

After that I am entered in the Oceanman race back here in Van. As I can't run right now I am doing the paddling leg while Diane is doing the swim and Richard the run. This one should be a lot of fun!

Happy Anniversary to us.

After a week + of entertaining my sister et al, Trent and I finally got a day to ourselves today which was nice as it was our one year anniversary. We celebrated with a little brunch at the Reef (local Caribbean joint) and then an afternoon of stand-up paddle boarding. It was Trent's second time trying it (he tried it at Johnny's when we were home a few weeks ago) and my first time. OMG...it is so fun. We got some nice little rollers to surf in on and had so much fun paddling around Jericho Beach in and out of the water. A paddle board is now at the top of my wish list...ahead of the surfski/outrigger.







Oh yes..and we also rented a Smartcar for the weekend as my sister had my truck. FUN!

We even managed to park it in my parking spot...sideways with room on either side!

While back in TO I got the opportunity to see all of my family (which rarely happens) and meet my new nephew Issac. Totally smitten with him as were my two nieces Hannah and Brooke.





















My two favourite guys also got to hang out while we went to visit Issac, David and May Anne.

Dancing with the Stars was great fun.

We were pretty far from the floor being up in the box but that didn't stop me from seeing Nick Lachey and Vanessa Milli... walk in.

I kept thinking that Trent and I could totally take lessons and dance like that until I saw the local contest winners who got to dance before the Vancouver audience. It was a good reality cheque...normal people don't dance like that (Del excluded).

My favourite part of the show was definitely when Apollo and Julianna did their hip hop routine!

I can barely contain my excitement. We are off to see Dancing with the Stars in just a few minutes. Vancouver is the final stop on the tour and Apollo Anton Ohno is making a special appearance as he's in town training for the Olympics (2010..yeah, they are a way off).

More later when we get home!

Open water swim practice tonight. Decided it was time I give two loops a try; which depending on the tide is +/- 2ooom. Today I am sure it was closer to 3ooom as the tide was in and I swear I was against current for most of the swim and almost going backwards on the final push into shore.

Definitely had a little 'swimmers high' afterwards, followed shortly by quiet a low which required me to leave the dinner table and lie on the floor for a while.

This week saw Trent do his first open water ocean swim on Monday. Wednesday we caught the Spain vs. Brazil FIFA match and Thursday we raced OC2 together in the Big Chop race series out here (we came 3rd overall and first in OC2).

Friday night we went to the Vancouver Folk Festival and caught Hawksley Workman's performance. Will definitely make the effort to see him in a club setting next time we comes to town. Next year we will buy passes for the entire weekend as one evening just wasn't enough to take everything in.

Saturday we started the day out with a swim out at Sasamat Lake then cleaned up the apt after our busy weekend before heading the Whitecaps vs. Miami Football Club match. Whitecaps lost but it was a good game and lots of fun to watch from the stands while drinking beer and eating tiny fresh made donuts.

This morning we got a good paddle in before heading to the Kitsilano Farmers Market to pick up some fresh produce. God I have a weakness for farmers markets. Who can say no to fresh raspberries, blueberries and organic bread? Not I.

This afternoon was spent cleaning and organizing the balcony. Between us we have a lot of sports equipment and we needed to find some ways to better manage the wet suits/towels and paddles.

We have just returned from a nice BBQ dinner at Jennifer & Greg's. The little big man is getting so big and such a happy guy. I got enough smiles to last me until we are back from TO.

Continuing the updates

Last weekend Trent planned a weekend away for us. He wouldn't tell me where we were going or what we were doing, only that I had to take Friday afternoon off. I was allowed to ask questions (about one per week) and through pure chanced threw out the idea that we were going to a tree house one day only to have him incredulously respond that yes, that was what we were doing. So I didn't know where (other than on the Island) and I didn't know what we were doing there but it involved a tree house of sorts.

Imagine my surprise when we were lead through a long wild piece of property to our Spirit Sphere floating in a grove of trees. Words can't describe the Spirit Spheres, you need to check out the links to see the photos and watch the videos about them. Dan tells me there was a piece on the CBC just last night about them. Tom, the creator of the spheres was a most wonderful host and so willing to share his knowledge and ideas with us.

http://www.freespiritspheres.com/





After spending our first night nestled in our floating tree house we were off to Horne Lake to do some caving. It was so much fun and only scary when 300+ meters deep into the caves I realized how high we were off the ground (+30 m's is my est) and that one misplaced step on our climb back down and it would be a long hard fall.


We survived the caving, also know as spelunking and made our way to beach for a picnic lunch. There we learned of the Swimmers/Duck itch affecting the local lakes. We decided to take our chances and carried on to Spider Lake to do a little open water swim.

Tired from our day of spelunking and swimming we made our way back to the floating tree house, showered and headed out for some dinner at a pub up the coast. After dinner we carried on to Courtney to try and catch a few bands at the Island Music Festival. At $85 bucks a piece we decided it was a wee pricey for just 3 hours (Bedouin Sound Clash were playing the following night) so we headed back.

There was a bit of breeze that evening that gently rocked the sphere and made for the best sleep I have had in a long time. It was sad to leave in the morning but before leaving we got a tour of Tom's workshop and got to check out the latest sphere which he plans to turn into a massage studio.

We stopped for a quick swim at Qualicum Beach before heading to the ferry for our journey home.

I had planned to lay this baby to rest but its been a busy few weeks what with Trent's arrival to Van and summer finally arriving (June 28th!) I actually have some updates to post that might interest some of you back home.

Let's begin with Canada Day. Its long so grab yourself a drink and settle in.

We kicked the day off with my competing in the Canada Day Classic Open Water Swim. I've been doing a lot of swimming over the last few months and had ventured out to the open water swim practices when they started in early June. They didn't go well. I was experiencing a lot of nausea and dizziness from the rolling/crashing waves and drinking a lot of sea water. It wasn't and certainly wasn't pretty. Worried that I was in over my head having registered for the 2K, I decided to head to a local lake where many triathletes here in Van train and where the Canada Day Classic would be held. After one swim in Sasamat Lake I felt like a superstar and had my confidence restored. I could do this. I managed to get a few more open water swim practices in before race day and felt that I could at least complete the race. Looking at the past results I set myself a goal of finishing in the 40 minute time range.

Come Canada Day we arrive at the race and I quickly lose all confidence. I am surrounded by triathletes. They're buff, looking confident and all seem to know one another. My manager, Trent Waterhouse, reassured me that I would do fine as long as I just stuck to my race plan. For me it wasn't so much a race but accomplishing the challenge of competing in my first open water swim event.


The call goes out for my event (Women's 2K) and I lien myself up with the most direct line to the first bouy about 600m out. The gun goes off and according to plan I start out swimming steady and focusing on getting my breathing regulated. At the first buoy I am feeling pretty good and and make the turn with only a few arms and legs in my way. The next stretch was the longest at about 750 m. I'm focusing on what I think is the next buoy but start to worry when I see swimmers stretched out a good 200m to my left. Am I head to the right buoy, am I way off course. I continue on and reach the buoy. At this point I realize that while I may not be the fastest swimmer I do swim the straightest/shortest race of anyone in the field. After another short 200m I round the final buoy and head for the finish line. I am passed at this point by three guys racing the 4K who fly by me like I am standing still. It was unbelievable the power these guys had and it gave me a boost to swim in strong. I see the finish line buoy and focus on swimming hard past the beach with all of the spectators. As I make the turn into the finish gantry I see a pair of legs run out in front of me. I pop my head up only to find out that I have over shot the finish line and am on the far side of it. I quickly duck under the finish line rope swim the last few meters and run out of the water to see Trent with camera/video in hand cheering me on.










When the results were posted I was thrilled to see that I had finished in a respectable 36:25, several minutes ahead of my goal. To celebrate we headed to the Port Moody Firefighters Canada Day Pancake Breakfast. Yummm, deep fried sausages.