(See previous entry, The MOMAR Journey for all the events leading up to race day!)
Here we are, on September 26th 2009. My first Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race, in Cumberland!
The alarm went off at 6 something and it was time to get ready! Indigo had the bikerack on her car so she picked me up and we headed out to find Bike Drop. Luckily, it was another BEAUTIFUL day! It had been dry for a while, so that meant the trails would be dry. Thank goodness, I needed all the help I could get! We dropped the bike at the No 6 Mine Site and then headed out to Comox Lake. The Enduro course started at 9 am so all those racers were getting their kayaks ready before the 8:30 am Captains Meeting at the Start/Finish line. They got their maps at 8 am but we had to wait until 9:05 to get ours. There were 280 racers in the Enduro course and the Start line was quite the sight! All those kayaks lined up, luckily the water was calm for them!
We registered and got our map. We were pleased to see a few things! First, the kayak was only 5 kms. We expected that to be our slowest leg compared to the other racers, so we were happy it wasn't 7 or 10 kms. Second, we were familiar with some of the mountain bike trails on the 3rd leg of the race. It was flagged and we had to collect all of these checkpoints in order. There were 16 checkpoints on our Racers Passport that needed to be checked. Not all of them were on our first map. At this point, we were confident that we could complete the race!
After checking out the map, we headed back to the car to get ready. We had to eat breakfast, stretch, decide on outfits (based on temperature), and attach our race bibs to said shirts. That all went quite well, so we headed down to the start line to find our kayak! The rules with adventure racing don't allow you to leave any items behind (except kayaking gear), so we had to take our backpacks and shoes into our boat with us.
I decided to wear flipflops, Indigo went in barefeet. We paddled out onto the lake only to find that the wind had picked up considerably. It was super choppy and we weren't wearing skirts on the boat! The seats were already soaked from the Enduro racers who used the boat before us. We had to accept that we were starting the day soaked, which wasn't my favourite thing, but at least it was sunny!
We got off to an Okay start with the paddling! Our race started about 5 minutes late. Indigo was having rutter problems, but other than that and the amount of wind, things were good. We were at the back of the pack, but we weren't last and we weren't really getting too far behind! Considering my paddle experience, that was pretty much what I expected. We ended up passing the yellow boat in front of us near the end. My calves were a bit tight getting out of the boat, from pushing on the pedals...but everything else was good. We dried our feet, put our shoes on, and ran up to checkpoint one!
By the time we were all set and running on Trek #1, it was 11:25. Not bad! It was only a little ways on the road before we ran into the woods and started on the trails. There was certainly some hiking, but we were hitting the checkpoints and thankfully, Indigo is good with maps and direction ;)
We got up to one of the checkpoints only to find that we were coming down the same trail we had come down the Saturday before while out wandering! We were running to the bike site when I saw my moms vehicle and my niece inside cheering us on! That was awesome to have support during the race! It put a smile on my face and kept me going through the tough parts! I didn't have a watch but we knew we were about an hour on the trek.
The bike transition was a bit of rest time for us before a long uphill climb! I don't mind the uphills, especially when they are gradual. It was fun. We had to do the whole climb before we hit the checkpoint at the top, and then the way down started :O
The first part of the trail down was okay, I only had to walk at a few points. The trail was quite crowded because the sport course and Enduro racers were on it. The 2nd part of the trail was quite technical. I was slow on it, but remained riding cautiously most of the time, lol. We were on Steam Donkey extension, then the more technical trail itself called Steam Donkey. It was very technical and I was slow as usual!
The last part of that leg was where we cut onto another trail which was loose, steep downhill. I walked the whole way and regularly got out of the way for some of the people riding their way down. I was starting to tire at this point and get frustrated.
Once we got out of the downhill stuff, we were back on the road to another checkpoint. Luckily, we were sent into a trail called Buggered Pig, and then into Mama Bears! These were the exact trails my brother had taken me on earlier in the week, and I did reasonably well on them. I was soooo happy to know what obstacles were coming up!
After we got back to the No 6 mine site, we got a new map for our urban checkpoints. We had to run around Cumberland. Again, my partner was very good with maps and I just ran along with her. My chest was starting to tighten up and restrict my breathing. My left hip was sore, going from kayaking to running, to biking and back to running. I shuffled through the urban part and then we got back on the bikes.
There was an unflagged checkpoint, so we could choose our route. We rode up next to a bunch of other people and Indigo said we should make a left when everyone else went right. I followed. We made a right only 50 m's down the road and it ended up being the shortest route. Good job teammate! That was our 2nd last checkpoint on the passport so we biked back towards the finish line.
We dropped our bikes at the bike drop there and I ran up to get our last checkpoint and grab the map for our orienteering section. Indigo was changing out of her bike shoes back to her runners, and I set down the 2 pieces of paper next to her. We studied the map together then took off. Just down the road she asked me where our passport was...and I told her I gave it to her. We both checked our bags and neither of us had it....... so we turn around and ran back to where we dropped our bikes. I saw a folded piece of paper waving in the wind on someones bikespoke! Woo, that was it. Close call!
Indigo was great with the orienteering map so we snagged those pretty quick! I had lost all track of time at this point and couldn't think straight. We ended up running back along the beach to the finish line!!! I had lots of fans there which was awesome.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
The MOMAR Journey
So while I was in Spain, I chatted with my friend Indigo Eve. She asked if I'd like to participate in an event happening on Sept 26th called Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race. There are 2 courses, the 50 km Enduro and the 30 km Sport Course. The race is made up of Kayaking, Trekking, Trail Running, Mountain Biking & Orienteering. We decided on doing the Sport Course and I started some running and biking right away, while I was still in Spain.
I had very little experience on a mountain bike and in a kayak. I didn't know how to use a compass or read a proper Orienteering map. I had only done a couple hikes up steep hills, which leaves only trail running that I have a bit of experience in.
Luckily I had a very patient, fit, bright teammate! We paddled together 3 times in preparation for the race, only to find that I am incredibly inefficient at paddling. Indigo has experience in a Dragon Boat more than a Kayak, but remains a much better paddler. She sat in the back and took care of the steering and power, hehe.
After fighting four days of jet lag, I went for my first trail run in Victoria. I went RIGHT over on my left ankle 8 minutes into the run. A bad start to my training! This happened September 5th, only a few weeks to go until Race Day!
Now on the subject of Mountain Biking... I am scared of downhills! I don't know why I can ride a sportbike but panic on a mountain bike. My first experience in Cumberland (where the race was taking place) was a wet wednesday night with the Uroc girls. They go out every week in 5 different groups based on skill level. I joined the Beginner Group and told the leader that I was scared of hills lol. When they found out I had never ridden in the trails, they all raised their eyes. I was about to find out why! We went into a VERY rooty trail called Two & a Juice. My bike was sliding everywhere, I kept having to put my foot down and then try to keep going. There were drops, rocks, roots, stumps, trees, and a wood bridge that I had to navigate over. All this, before the big downhills! Once we got to the hills, we all jumped off our bikes (4 of us) to find out the best way to go down. It was steep and rocky at first, and then there were 2 drops at the bottom. One off a rock and the other off a root. Since it was wet, there was a big mud puddle right at the bottom.
The leader went down, then the other 2 made it down without problems. I tried to go but kept stopping at the top. I was about to give up and then I somehow convinced myself that I "have to learn sometime" (this is 3 weeks before the race), so I ran my bike back up and started again. As I am coming down a bit too slow, my leader is yelling "Commit! Commit!" because of the rocks at the top. If you go too slow, those rocks will turn out handlebars. Anyway, when I heard commit, I pretty much let go of my brakes. I picked up speed, flew off the first drop, flew off the second drop, and then my tires hit the soft mud at the bottom and turned my bike sideways. I flew off onto my left ankle, hip and shoulder. My racepack was full of clothes so I think they softened the blow on my back. It was not a successful day. At least I got an idea about what kind of obstacles I would be facing for the race!
After that, I think training got better. My brother took me out on the bikes to help me, and tell me how to go over drops, roots, logs etc. That was really helpful and I am grateful for all of his help! We discovered that I had problems with my chain, my back tire had no traction, and I needed new front and back brakes. While in the bike shop, we also got a Bash Guard put on instead of the biggest ring on my gearing. This helped BIG TIME so that I could slide over obstacles instead of the teeth grabbing the wood and throwing me into my handlebars.
Kayaking never really got any better. I should have gone out to Royston to get help from Mr. Craig. I was taking my training seriously, but also really enjoying being back at home.
Here is a digression to tell you everything else going on in September, while also training for the race!
I made it home just in time for my niece Hannah's 8th Birthday! Judi and I got some decorations and made a surprise birthday party for her. It was so great! She was very thankful and appreciative of everything. We stopped by Bradens first hockey school experience as well. It was great to see him and see how much he has improved!
I insured my motorcycle and had an AMAZING day at the track and a great weekend on the mainland with Teresa. We hungout on Friday, did the trackday on Saturday, then I did the Grouse Grind with my cousin Crystl and friend John on the Sunday. The weather this September has been awesome!!!
My parents fixed up a room for me at their new house, which is spectacular. The view and location were great, my room was awesome! It was SO quiet everyday, I was able to get as much sleep as I wanted. I got to go on a few bike rides with my niece and nephew, and spend days with my family around the Valley.
Okay! Back to the MOMAR!
The Saturday before the race, Indigo and I went out with her friend Brian and the MOMAR maps from last year! We took the compass but ended up just wandering around Cumberland, climbing up for 2 hours, then taking different trails back to the cars. It was good to get familiar with the trails. Later we did an hour bikeride in the NorthEast woods. I was frustrated but it ended up being pretty fun.
By the time the race week rolled around, we had kayaked a few times and I had biked in the trails about 6 times. I was acquiring some skills and becoming less scared of what might be around the next corner! Indigo was much more faithful with her running and had far better endurance than myself. I hoped she wouldn't be disappointed in my endurance during the race!
We registered on the Friday night and it was all getting exciting at that point. The atmosphere was great, and despite our conversations "what have we gotten ourselves into", we were looking forward to it. I went home on Friday night and prepped. I made the mistake of never using any powergels or electrolyte replacing drinks during my training. The rule is "don't try anything new on race day" but I scrapped that. I bought some Chomps at the running store, filled my 2L camelpak with Accelerade, and hoped for the best!
Leading up to the race had lots of ups and downs. We had a few goals for the race, and they were:
1. Complete the race in one piece.
2. Meet all of the time cutoffs.
3. Not finish last in our category!
See "Race Day" to see how it all went! All in all, what a fantastic September. I am soooo happy that I came home a month early from Europe. I have always wanted to enjoy the Coast and I really feel like I took advantage of a lot of things the Valley has to offer.
I had very little experience on a mountain bike and in a kayak. I didn't know how to use a compass or read a proper Orienteering map. I had only done a couple hikes up steep hills, which leaves only trail running that I have a bit of experience in.
Luckily I had a very patient, fit, bright teammate! We paddled together 3 times in preparation for the race, only to find that I am incredibly inefficient at paddling. Indigo has experience in a Dragon Boat more than a Kayak, but remains a much better paddler. She sat in the back and took care of the steering and power, hehe.
After fighting four days of jet lag, I went for my first trail run in Victoria. I went RIGHT over on my left ankle 8 minutes into the run. A bad start to my training! This happened September 5th, only a few weeks to go until Race Day!
Now on the subject of Mountain Biking... I am scared of downhills! I don't know why I can ride a sportbike but panic on a mountain bike. My first experience in Cumberland (where the race was taking place) was a wet wednesday night with the Uroc girls. They go out every week in 5 different groups based on skill level. I joined the Beginner Group and told the leader that I was scared of hills lol. When they found out I had never ridden in the trails, they all raised their eyes. I was about to find out why! We went into a VERY rooty trail called Two & a Juice. My bike was sliding everywhere, I kept having to put my foot down and then try to keep going. There were drops, rocks, roots, stumps, trees, and a wood bridge that I had to navigate over. All this, before the big downhills! Once we got to the hills, we all jumped off our bikes (4 of us) to find out the best way to go down. It was steep and rocky at first, and then there were 2 drops at the bottom. One off a rock and the other off a root. Since it was wet, there was a big mud puddle right at the bottom.
The leader went down, then the other 2 made it down without problems. I tried to go but kept stopping at the top. I was about to give up and then I somehow convinced myself that I "have to learn sometime" (this is 3 weeks before the race), so I ran my bike back up and started again. As I am coming down a bit too slow, my leader is yelling "Commit! Commit!" because of the rocks at the top. If you go too slow, those rocks will turn out handlebars. Anyway, when I heard commit, I pretty much let go of my brakes. I picked up speed, flew off the first drop, flew off the second drop, and then my tires hit the soft mud at the bottom and turned my bike sideways. I flew off onto my left ankle, hip and shoulder. My racepack was full of clothes so I think they softened the blow on my back. It was not a successful day. At least I got an idea about what kind of obstacles I would be facing for the race!
After that, I think training got better. My brother took me out on the bikes to help me, and tell me how to go over drops, roots, logs etc. That was really helpful and I am grateful for all of his help! We discovered that I had problems with my chain, my back tire had no traction, and I needed new front and back brakes. While in the bike shop, we also got a Bash Guard put on instead of the biggest ring on my gearing. This helped BIG TIME so that I could slide over obstacles instead of the teeth grabbing the wood and throwing me into my handlebars.
Kayaking never really got any better. I should have gone out to Royston to get help from Mr. Craig. I was taking my training seriously, but also really enjoying being back at home.
Here is a digression to tell you everything else going on in September, while also training for the race!
I made it home just in time for my niece Hannah's 8th Birthday! Judi and I got some decorations and made a surprise birthday party for her. It was so great! She was very thankful and appreciative of everything. We stopped by Bradens first hockey school experience as well. It was great to see him and see how much he has improved!
I insured my motorcycle and had an AMAZING day at the track and a great weekend on the mainland with Teresa. We hungout on Friday, did the trackday on Saturday, then I did the Grouse Grind with my cousin Crystl and friend John on the Sunday. The weather this September has been awesome!!!
My parents fixed up a room for me at their new house, which is spectacular. The view and location were great, my room was awesome! It was SO quiet everyday, I was able to get as much sleep as I wanted. I got to go on a few bike rides with my niece and nephew, and spend days with my family around the Valley.
Okay! Back to the MOMAR!
The Saturday before the race, Indigo and I went out with her friend Brian and the MOMAR maps from last year! We took the compass but ended up just wandering around Cumberland, climbing up for 2 hours, then taking different trails back to the cars. It was good to get familiar with the trails. Later we did an hour bikeride in the NorthEast woods. I was frustrated but it ended up being pretty fun.
By the time the race week rolled around, we had kayaked a few times and I had biked in the trails about 6 times. I was acquiring some skills and becoming less scared of what might be around the next corner! Indigo was much more faithful with her running and had far better endurance than myself. I hoped she wouldn't be disappointed in my endurance during the race!
We registered on the Friday night and it was all getting exciting at that point. The atmosphere was great, and despite our conversations "what have we gotten ourselves into", we were looking forward to it. I went home on Friday night and prepped. I made the mistake of never using any powergels or electrolyte replacing drinks during my training. The rule is "don't try anything new on race day" but I scrapped that. I bought some Chomps at the running store, filled my 2L camelpak with Accelerade, and hoped for the best!
Leading up to the race had lots of ups and downs. We had a few goals for the race, and they were:
1. Complete the race in one piece.
2. Meet all of the time cutoffs.
3. Not finish last in our category!
See "Race Day" to see how it all went! All in all, what a fantastic September. I am soooo happy that I came home a month early from Europe. I have always wanted to enjoy the Coast and I really feel like I took advantage of a lot of things the Valley has to offer.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Reflection through Canadian Glasses
Well it has been quite a journey over the 4 months of my travels. It is funny how I can learn and change, but since I see myself everyday, I don`t notice. I was chatting with a friend last night when I realized how different my life has been in the last 4 months, compared with the first 4 months of 2009.
Let`s start with a change for the better in my health:
I haven`t had ANY problems with my glands since leaving Canada. I have struggled with my neck swelling up since I got mono when I was 15, but here, no problems.
I`ve had way more day to day energy! Instead of wanting to sleep all the time, I actually feel like getting out and doing fun things! All of my training is much easier to complete when I am not napping, or wanting to nap. In fact I never got into a nap habit here and I would like to think that I am better for it!
My skin has been almost completely clear, except for a week or two where my stress levels where higher than normal. Also, I quit picking at any imperfections. A habit that goes hand in hand with stress, and something I was able to eliminate :) Combine that with a tan & lots of exercise, and I am much healthier looking!
Since I arrived in the north of Spain, I have been religious about my stretching. On average I stretch for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. What a great improvement in the way my body feels! I have known for years that I need to stretch more but I was never able to implement a routine into my life consistently. Now, it is part of my day and something that I will absolutely keep up upon my return home!
Next, I have a new appreciation for:
The West Coast! Traveling around Europe has taught me how beautiful Canada is, and what a great all around Country it is. The vibe, the general population, the scenary!!! We are sooo lucky to live in such a great place. I knew this before, but not to the extent that I know it now. I can`t wait to take full advantage of living on the Island!
Learning a new sport and being in the ocean! I have been in the ocean more times on this trip than I have in my entire life living on the coast in Canada. It is warmer, so that helps, but it is also part of the culture here. Everyone on this coast goes to the beach multiple times a week and it is quite neat.
Hiking Mountains! I think that if you tried to convince me to climb a mountain in the summer, for 9 hours, I would tell you to jump in the lake! But since it is what everyone else was doing, I joined in, and had a GREAT time! I have a new appreciation for hiking, and the accomplishment of reaching the top of a mountain. Very rewarding, and what a great way for me to explore the beautiful coast that I live on :)
Fantastic polite people! What can I say? Previous to this trip, I had only spent a lot of time with Canadians, and some Americans. We have so many great people in our Country. Family, friends, and even people I am not close to are much more my style than the typical person from another Country. I know that people will tell me "That`s because you are used to them". Maybe, but it is also because of the things I value. Sincere, nice temperment, polite, sense of humour, considerate, caring, compassionate, reasonably happy, active, healthy!!! We have a lot going for us, that`s for sure. While I have met some great people here, they are few. I am somewhat limited in that I don`t speak Spanish, but I still observe the way people act and treat each other. I have only seen certain countries of course, but I would choose Canada & Portugal over the others.
Children. Specifically happy children with social skills, which covers most of the children I know. Now that I have seen (and lived with) the behaviour of children who lack basic social skills, I can appreciate good natured kid sooooo much more! I understand that kids get hungry, tired, crabby after they eat sugar... that is normal. What I have seen is a major lack in communication skills, and it is a shame. Having to spend time with such poor mannered children has given me a new appreciation for spending time with other children. I love to watch them have fun, to see their expression when they are successful at something, the way they learn new things, and the way they interact (without being on my cell phone, laptop, or in a rush to get somewhere). I also like to be a part of all those things. Watching Andres` face when he caught a frisbee for the first time was one of my favourite moments here!
My opportunities. If you have been reading my blog, you know that I met a wonderful girl in Madrid named Patricia, who is from Uruguay. We have had many conversations about life, what we have done in the past, and what our future plans are. She told me how lucky I am to live in Canada and have all the opportunities I have. I can go to school, get a good paying job that allows me to pay my rent or mortgage (even without school), play all my sports. I didn`t realize, until I spoke to her, that it isn`t like that in every country. Where she lives, even with her degree, she would have to work full time and share a tiny apartment with 3 other people just to pay the bills, with no money left over! I know people, specifically my Dad, has told me how lucky I am to have all the opportunities. It didn`t sink in until I met another girl (close to my age) who has nothing to go home to at the end of this trip, except her family and friends of course (which are great).
Things I have learned:
A new sport!!! I have had a blast learning how to surf! I didn`t get on the water (or improve) as much as I`d like, but I got a taste of the sport. It has been fun to try something new. I was lucky enough to get some surf lessons when I first arrived, and then have the use of Jesus` equipment for the rest of the summer. I have thoroughly enjoyed this, even though I am not great at it!
I learn the most about myself when I am challenged! This goes for all types of challenges and negative environments. When I am pushed, I get the opportunity to observe how I react, or to practice my ability to handle myself. I am happy to say that I have more patience, tolerance, and self-control than I knew existed inside me! This trip has put the "bar" one notch higher for me, what more can I ask for??? Knowing new limits. Conquering situations that have gotten the best of me in the past. It`s a great process!
How NOT to raise my children! How many people can say they have had a crash course in how not to raise their future children??? I suppose people who weren`t happy with their childhood would have an idea about how they would parent; for those of us who grew up in a fairly tale, as fortunate as we are, we don`t get to form the same ideas about how we will raise our kids. I think it`s important to think about the way you will do things, and not just give the same answer "Because that`s how it was when I was a kid". That is not a reason, but an adopted habit. Anyways, I got the crash course. I have been able to observe the parents and watch what the children take from them, and how it shows in their behaviour. How the children have "learned behaviours" based on their parents lack of ability to follow through. "The apple doesn`t fall from the tree" is a statement I already believed, but wow, it has been taken to a whole new level! This is another area where I couldn`t have asked for more.
Things I already knew that have been reinforced time and time again:
Men are more friendly and more pleasant for me to be around. I am so appreciative of their simplicity! The adults who have made my experience a good one in the North of Spain have been men. They are consistent in the way that they treat me, and treat each other. I felt included and am very appreciative of their easy going nature and sense of humour!!! Thank you guys for showing me the positive side of your village and social lives! I will be missing our laughs. You are welcome to Canada if you want to do any hiking, mountain biking, water sports :) I will gladly show you my country and life as you have shown me yours!
I remain the same happy, strong individual regardless of whether the exterior envinronment is positive or negative. I once had it explained to me this way: view yourself as a lake. You are the stillness of the deep water, while the surface will change according to the weather. You remain the same inside, while the weather can be calm or rough, or anything inbetween. Being out of my comfort zone has enforced the fact that my confidence and happiness originates inside myself, not from an exterior environment. All the years of work that I have done on myself (and continue to do) and the lessons I have been taught, are paying huge dividends by making my life pleasant and happy! Thank you to all the people and forces in this world who have given me the ability to take sole responsibility for myself :)
Sorry for the delay in publishing this entry! I wrote it a long time ago, but I wanted to take time to reflect and see if anything else came to mind. Stay tuned for my recap of September! It has been an amazing month back at home and has included some challenges and a lot of success :)
Let`s start with a change for the better in my health:
I haven`t had ANY problems with my glands since leaving Canada. I have struggled with my neck swelling up since I got mono when I was 15, but here, no problems.
I`ve had way more day to day energy! Instead of wanting to sleep all the time, I actually feel like getting out and doing fun things! All of my training is much easier to complete when I am not napping, or wanting to nap. In fact I never got into a nap habit here and I would like to think that I am better for it!
My skin has been almost completely clear, except for a week or two where my stress levels where higher than normal. Also, I quit picking at any imperfections. A habit that goes hand in hand with stress, and something I was able to eliminate :) Combine that with a tan & lots of exercise, and I am much healthier looking!
Since I arrived in the north of Spain, I have been religious about my stretching. On average I stretch for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. What a great improvement in the way my body feels! I have known for years that I need to stretch more but I was never able to implement a routine into my life consistently. Now, it is part of my day and something that I will absolutely keep up upon my return home!
Next, I have a new appreciation for:
The West Coast! Traveling around Europe has taught me how beautiful Canada is, and what a great all around Country it is. The vibe, the general population, the scenary!!! We are sooo lucky to live in such a great place. I knew this before, but not to the extent that I know it now. I can`t wait to take full advantage of living on the Island!
Learning a new sport and being in the ocean! I have been in the ocean more times on this trip than I have in my entire life living on the coast in Canada. It is warmer, so that helps, but it is also part of the culture here. Everyone on this coast goes to the beach multiple times a week and it is quite neat.
Hiking Mountains! I think that if you tried to convince me to climb a mountain in the summer, for 9 hours, I would tell you to jump in the lake! But since it is what everyone else was doing, I joined in, and had a GREAT time! I have a new appreciation for hiking, and the accomplishment of reaching the top of a mountain. Very rewarding, and what a great way for me to explore the beautiful coast that I live on :)
Fantastic polite people! What can I say? Previous to this trip, I had only spent a lot of time with Canadians, and some Americans. We have so many great people in our Country. Family, friends, and even people I am not close to are much more my style than the typical person from another Country. I know that people will tell me "That`s because you are used to them". Maybe, but it is also because of the things I value. Sincere, nice temperment, polite, sense of humour, considerate, caring, compassionate, reasonably happy, active, healthy!!! We have a lot going for us, that`s for sure. While I have met some great people here, they are few. I am somewhat limited in that I don`t speak Spanish, but I still observe the way people act and treat each other. I have only seen certain countries of course, but I would choose Canada & Portugal over the others.
Children. Specifically happy children with social skills, which covers most of the children I know. Now that I have seen (and lived with) the behaviour of children who lack basic social skills, I can appreciate good natured kid sooooo much more! I understand that kids get hungry, tired, crabby after they eat sugar... that is normal. What I have seen is a major lack in communication skills, and it is a shame. Having to spend time with such poor mannered children has given me a new appreciation for spending time with other children. I love to watch them have fun, to see their expression when they are successful at something, the way they learn new things, and the way they interact (without being on my cell phone, laptop, or in a rush to get somewhere). I also like to be a part of all those things. Watching Andres` face when he caught a frisbee for the first time was one of my favourite moments here!
My opportunities. If you have been reading my blog, you know that I met a wonderful girl in Madrid named Patricia, who is from Uruguay. We have had many conversations about life, what we have done in the past, and what our future plans are. She told me how lucky I am to live in Canada and have all the opportunities I have. I can go to school, get a good paying job that allows me to pay my rent or mortgage (even without school), play all my sports. I didn`t realize, until I spoke to her, that it isn`t like that in every country. Where she lives, even with her degree, she would have to work full time and share a tiny apartment with 3 other people just to pay the bills, with no money left over! I know people, specifically my Dad, has told me how lucky I am to have all the opportunities. It didn`t sink in until I met another girl (close to my age) who has nothing to go home to at the end of this trip, except her family and friends of course (which are great).
Things I have learned:
A new sport!!! I have had a blast learning how to surf! I didn`t get on the water (or improve) as much as I`d like, but I got a taste of the sport. It has been fun to try something new. I was lucky enough to get some surf lessons when I first arrived, and then have the use of Jesus` equipment for the rest of the summer. I have thoroughly enjoyed this, even though I am not great at it!
I learn the most about myself when I am challenged! This goes for all types of challenges and negative environments. When I am pushed, I get the opportunity to observe how I react, or to practice my ability to handle myself. I am happy to say that I have more patience, tolerance, and self-control than I knew existed inside me! This trip has put the "bar" one notch higher for me, what more can I ask for??? Knowing new limits. Conquering situations that have gotten the best of me in the past. It`s a great process!
How NOT to raise my children! How many people can say they have had a crash course in how not to raise their future children??? I suppose people who weren`t happy with their childhood would have an idea about how they would parent; for those of us who grew up in a fairly tale, as fortunate as we are, we don`t get to form the same ideas about how we will raise our kids. I think it`s important to think about the way you will do things, and not just give the same answer "Because that`s how it was when I was a kid". That is not a reason, but an adopted habit. Anyways, I got the crash course. I have been able to observe the parents and watch what the children take from them, and how it shows in their behaviour. How the children have "learned behaviours" based on their parents lack of ability to follow through. "The apple doesn`t fall from the tree" is a statement I already believed, but wow, it has been taken to a whole new level! This is another area where I couldn`t have asked for more.
Things I already knew that have been reinforced time and time again:
Men are more friendly and more pleasant for me to be around. I am so appreciative of their simplicity! The adults who have made my experience a good one in the North of Spain have been men. They are consistent in the way that they treat me, and treat each other. I felt included and am very appreciative of their easy going nature and sense of humour!!! Thank you guys for showing me the positive side of your village and social lives! I will be missing our laughs. You are welcome to Canada if you want to do any hiking, mountain biking, water sports :) I will gladly show you my country and life as you have shown me yours!
I remain the same happy, strong individual regardless of whether the exterior envinronment is positive or negative. I once had it explained to me this way: view yourself as a lake. You are the stillness of the deep water, while the surface will change according to the weather. You remain the same inside, while the weather can be calm or rough, or anything inbetween. Being out of my comfort zone has enforced the fact that my confidence and happiness originates inside myself, not from an exterior environment. All the years of work that I have done on myself (and continue to do) and the lessons I have been taught, are paying huge dividends by making my life pleasant and happy! Thank you to all the people and forces in this world who have given me the ability to take sole responsibility for myself :)
Sorry for the delay in publishing this entry! I wrote it a long time ago, but I wanted to take time to reflect and see if anything else came to mind. Stay tuned for my recap of September! It has been an amazing month back at home and has included some challenges and a lot of success :)
Rookie Duck Whisperer
There is a duck farm about 100 m from my house, on the other side of the traffic circle. I just love all the farms around here! So last night, as I am running home in the rain, I hear this stressed out quaking - then I see one of the ducks wandering on the road!!! I have no idea how he got out, since the farm is 6 feet below the height of the road, and then on top of the retaining wall is another fence that goes up 4 feet! 
So I try to shoo the duck off the road but he is freaking out, trying to run away from me through the brush on the side and keeps falling down because he is too tired. Then he starts trying to fly over the 4 foot fence, but instead only gets 1.5 feet in the air and smashes into it. Poor guy. I was just making it worse, so I went home and asked Jesus if he wanted to help me catch the duck. Lol. He didn`t. Or perhaps he didn`t know exactly what I was talking about? Not likely a conversation he has had in english before!
I sat down on the computer and then thought about the duck and decided I had to try harder. I grabbed a towel and headed back out there. He continued to run away from me for about 15 minutes. Eventually he got too tired, fell down (in the worst spot, next to the fence on a steep down hill so he was wedged in), and stopped moving. I came over to him and touched him, he had no energy to move. I put the towel around him and awkwardly got him out, then held him on my hip. He didnt quack or anything. He was cold, so I think he appreciated the towel.
Then came the part of trying to get him back in, which I am afraid was an unsuccessful mission :( I walked with him over to the main gates of the farm, but they were padlocked, and the rest of the ducks were inside the locked building... so I walked back up with him to where I found him, and the only way to get him back in the main pen was to drop him the 10 feet. If he was too tired to walk, and the fact that he had clipped wings, I was afraid I would kill him. So I stood there for a while holding him, he was so cute. White with blue eyes, he just looked at me. After he got his energy back, lol, on the 2nd time walking back to the main gates, he started to try to flap his wings, but I had my hands around his body holding them down.
I ended up just having to put him under the main gates, but not with all the other ducks. At least he was off the road and in common territory, instead of smashing himself repeatedly into the fence. I hope the owners (who live across the street) came home and put him back with his friends!
The week has gone quite well for me here! I had a slow start to training this week but a strong finish, so that is good. My diet is nowhere near where I would like it but it is very tough to go against the grain regarding sleep patterns and eating habits when you are on the schedule and living the life of a family. It won`t be long before I can tune things up, though!
This weekend was fantastic weather (hottest day of the year on Sunday), and I enjoyed lots of time outside. Yesterday there were horse races on the beach in Loredo!!! It was awesome! I got to watch the young jockies race. There is video in my "Santander" album but unfortunately it is poor quality. You can get the idea, though! There are some still shots of the horses as well. I was wishing I had Hannah with me, I think she would have enjoyed it!
I had two failed attempts at surfing on Friday and Saturday. On Friday the current was really strong and I kept getting swept away, so I decided it was too hard to surf and waited for the current to lessen...but it didn`t. Saturday I went with Jesus and his brother Alberto. I was using the small board which I still can`t get up on consistently. I accidently caught a MASSIVE wave which took me soooo fast towards the shore and when I looked up, I was going to hit the shore! I was laying on the board so I forced myself to fall off and the wave must have slammed me into the ground or something - my knee on one side is sore and bruised. After that, I decided the waves were too big and got out! Haha. There were some other problems with that night - I had decided to surf in a bikini without a wetsuit. I was slipping all over the place on the board, and the ocean was so strong it kept removing my bathing suit!!! I might as well have worn nothing! Won`t be doing that again, lol, way too hard to surf under those conditions! Perhaps that would only be appropriate with my naked colony in Mataro, hmmm? Hahaha. I miss them!!!
I am starting an entry with reflection on my trip - although it will take me a while to gather and organize my thoughts into words. Anyway keep an eye out on the blog for that one, it will be a biggy. I have learned a lot so far, that is for sure!
Hope everyone is well at home - enjoy the rest of the summer!!!
So I try to shoo the duck off the road but he is freaking out, trying to run away from me through the brush on the side and keeps falling down because he is too tired. Then he starts trying to fly over the 4 foot fence, but instead only gets 1.5 feet in the air and smashes into it. Poor guy. I was just making it worse, so I went home and asked Jesus if he wanted to help me catch the duck. Lol. He didn`t. Or perhaps he didn`t know exactly what I was talking about? Not likely a conversation he has had in english before!
I sat down on the computer and then thought about the duck and decided I had to try harder. I grabbed a towel and headed back out there. He continued to run away from me for about 15 minutes. Eventually he got too tired, fell down (in the worst spot, next to the fence on a steep down hill so he was wedged in), and stopped moving. I came over to him and touched him, he had no energy to move. I put the towel around him and awkwardly got him out, then held him on my hip. He didnt quack or anything. He was cold, so I think he appreciated the towel.
Then came the part of trying to get him back in, which I am afraid was an unsuccessful mission :( I walked with him over to the main gates of the farm, but they were padlocked, and the rest of the ducks were inside the locked building... so I walked back up with him to where I found him, and the only way to get him back in the main pen was to drop him the 10 feet. If he was too tired to walk, and the fact that he had clipped wings, I was afraid I would kill him. So I stood there for a while holding him, he was so cute. White with blue eyes, he just looked at me. After he got his energy back, lol, on the 2nd time walking back to the main gates, he started to try to flap his wings, but I had my hands around his body holding them down.
I ended up just having to put him under the main gates, but not with all the other ducks. At least he was off the road and in common territory, instead of smashing himself repeatedly into the fence. I hope the owners (who live across the street) came home and put him back with his friends!
The week has gone quite well for me here! I had a slow start to training this week but a strong finish, so that is good. My diet is nowhere near where I would like it but it is very tough to go against the grain regarding sleep patterns and eating habits when you are on the schedule and living the life of a family. It won`t be long before I can tune things up, though!
This weekend was fantastic weather (hottest day of the year on Sunday), and I enjoyed lots of time outside. Yesterday there were horse races on the beach in Loredo!!! It was awesome! I got to watch the young jockies race. There is video in my "Santander" album but unfortunately it is poor quality. You can get the idea, though! There are some still shots of the horses as well. I was wishing I had Hannah with me, I think she would have enjoyed it!
I had two failed attempts at surfing on Friday and Saturday. On Friday the current was really strong and I kept getting swept away, so I decided it was too hard to surf and waited for the current to lessen...but it didn`t. Saturday I went with Jesus and his brother Alberto. I was using the small board which I still can`t get up on consistently. I accidently caught a MASSIVE wave which took me soooo fast towards the shore and when I looked up, I was going to hit the shore! I was laying on the board so I forced myself to fall off and the wave must have slammed me into the ground or something - my knee on one side is sore and bruised. After that, I decided the waves were too big and got out! Haha. There were some other problems with that night - I had decided to surf in a bikini without a wetsuit. I was slipping all over the place on the board, and the ocean was so strong it kept removing my bathing suit!!! I might as well have worn nothing! Won`t be doing that again, lol, way too hard to surf under those conditions! Perhaps that would only be appropriate with my naked colony in Mataro, hmmm? Hahaha. I miss them!!!
I am starting an entry with reflection on my trip - although it will take me a while to gather and organize my thoughts into words. Anyway keep an eye out on the blog for that one, it will be a biggy. I have learned a lot so far, that is for sure!
Hope everyone is well at home - enjoy the rest of the summer!!!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Mataro!!!
Hey!
I have just returned from a visit to yet another coast of Spain! I flew to Tarragona to be received by my dear friend Patricia, and the guy she is staying with, Alejandro. It was so great of them to pick me up - 1.5 hours away from where they live!
Since Patricia and I left Madrid, she has been living with Alej in Mataro. He is a very warm hearted, generous, funny guy. I was treated like gold and welcomed into their home. We became instant friends and enjoyed an awesome 5 days!
Some background information: Alej is a nudist, but because Patricia is living with him (or when he has to talk to the neighbours), he owns these pieces of fabric that act as wraps or skirts. You can imagine that men are not careful enough to wear skirts, and you`d be right, hahaha. Anyways, they wrap like a towel and he has been looking for the ones that tie up. Ok, onto the stories!
I got a bad virus that lasted a solid 72 hours starting on the 31st of July. It was like the Norwalk virus, but the after affects of being malnourished and severely dehydrated lasted longer than 72 hours. I was just getting my appetite back during my first couple days visiting in Mataro. I spoke with Patricia on Saturday the 1st of aug, telling her about my sickness. Turns out she had the same virus 2 weeks prior and went to the hospital. They hooked her up to an IV due to the dehydration, and told her to get 2 medications which were both over the counter. One of the medications was in the house, and the other I had to buy. I was in a severe amount of pain, so Jesus offered to take me to the pharmacy. It was closed, so he left the birthday party he was at to pick up the medication for me when the pharmacy opened again. Thank goodness he was here to help! I was in a severe amount of pain and couldn`t eat or drink water. The pills helped but the sickness held on for another 40 hours after I started the meds. When I woke up on Monday the 3rd, I was weak and dehydrated, but finally able to keep some food down. Jesus drove me to the airport, and I flew out that afternoon.
On the 4th, we were invited by Alej`s parents to have lunch. His mom is a fantastic cook. She prepared a Greek dish, similar to lasange but instead of noodles, there is egg plant. His parents are very special people - kind, generous, and warm. I didn`t eat much but enjoyed the interaction even though they didn`t speak English. His mom Ana is very sweet and his dad Juan is caring and funny. After the great lunch, Alej drove us out to a beach about an hour East of where they live. I was still not healthy so I didn`t get to enjoy the snorkeling, but I had a great time and got to swim in the Mediterranean sea! The water was beautifully clear and warm.
The next day was a lazy one, and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Patricia! We talked and talked. It is hard to speak to people who are not completely fluent in English, because I can`t fully express myself. Patricia though, is very smart and we share similar thoughts and sense of humour. Her english is fantastic and she is able to express humour in her speech! I had so much fun hearing stories and telling stories! Unfortunately there were some family problems with Alej, so he had to be away for the whole day.
Thursday, Patricia and I made a trip into Barcelona. While we were getting ready, I saw that Patricia had her purse inside the backpack. I had no pockets, so I started adding my wallet, a t shirt, a bottle of water etc to the backpack. Lol, she saw me putting stuff in and said "OH, Im the Donkey again! Im ALWAYS the donkey!!!". Hahaha. I affectionately refer to her as Donk from now on!
The trip takes a little while to get into Barca, first a ride from Alej to his parents town, where we caught an above ground train and then a trip on the metro system. It is worth it though! What a beautiful city with a great vibe! So far, it is my favourite large city in Europe. It is very cultural, with an active street life. First we saw some gymnasts from Morocco putting on an outdoor show, jumping over people, doing flips and jumps. They were fantastic but rather hostile when people didn`t put enough money in their toques when they went around collecting. Lol. We carried on down La Rumbla, checking out everything. There were SO many stands that were selling animals - hamsters, bunnies, ferrets, ducks, birds. It was strange. I don`t know what kind of tourists would be buying live animals, since we can`t transport them back home.
Anyway, we carried onto find the main Cathedral. The security guard wouldn`t let me in at first because my shoulders weren`t covered, so I sent Patricia in without me. She insisted I go inside to look at the achitecture, so we took a t shirt out of the backpack and just placed it over my shoulders. The Cathedral was quite stunning, full of Gothic arches and beautiful stained glass. There were these hokey little lights inside plastic covers. It was all in Spanish (or should I say Castillian) but Patricia asked me to take a picture of the "insert coins" part. LOL. I guess, instead of lighting real candles to remember loved ones, you insert coins and one of the little christmas lights inside lights up. Too funny.
We saw a group of people dancing on the street with a boom box. It is quite an entertaining place, very cultural with lots going on everywhere. I enjoyed watching the boys dance! We carried onto the main Market on La Rumbla which had the most beautiful produce and presentation. I really enjoyed it! The colours were so vibrant, it was a great place. I got a little bit of candy and Patricia got some dried pineapple (my bunnies would have loved it!) and some fudge.
On our leisurely walk back to the train station, Patricia wanted to look for a wrap that tied up for Alej. We stopped in one of these really cheap stores (they are all over Europe), always owned by foreigners who have to start businesses to immigrate into the country. Anyway this little guy behind the counter was helpful, and he said he had wraps but he would be right back, he had to go get them. He left us in his store alone, and it was pretty entertaining. Here is a picture to give you an idea of what these stores are like!
Anyway, since he was gone, we were joking around inside with the clothes. Patricia was modeling an orange skirt, then the little salesman suddenly appeared with another one from a different store! The wraps were good but they all had patterns, so donkey asked if they had any plain ones. The 2nd salesman went to find plain ones, and then our little guy behind the counter started taking his dress down from the top line of clothes that was on one of those plastic torso figures. It was quite nice, and I thought he was trying to sell it to us. Patricia said "Oh, thats a nice dress, very pretty" then he laid it down and started pulling the dress up. Lmao, Patricia said "oh, Panties too?" with a very excited tone. It was SO funny. Turns out that around the mannequin was a plain black wrap, which we decided would work, and she bought for Alej.
By the time we got off the train to go home in Premia De Mar (where Alejs parents live, he was waiting for us) it was almost 11 pm... and 26 degrees! It was a clear night and the moon was bouncing off the water. We were too hot, covered in sweat, and had sore feet. Donk suggested we go swimming and I agreed. We walked to Ana & Juans, where they were waiting for us to have dinner. We had already eaten, so we borrowed towels and took off towards the beach! Since we were in the city, we had no bathing suits, but it was dark so we figured it wasn`t a big deal. We got to the beach, where Patricia works at a restaurant right on the beach about 50 meters to our left. In front of us was a pile of huge rocks put there by an excavator, and to the right was darkness. We headed for the darkest spot, only to find that its also the place everyone else goes to enjoy the evening at the beach! We saw a huge rat running in the rocks and decided we should head away from there, since we don`t like rats and can`t see rocks in the water at night. Finally, we ended up in a very lit area, between the rocks and the restaurant. There were people on park benches to our right, and up by the street we could see people on their balconies having dinner. I said, let`s just hurry up and get in the water, then it won`t matter how light it is. So quickly we ditched our clothes and went into the water. It was so warm!!! I just can`t get over the concept of the ocean being warm, but I am starting to like it. Anyways, after the day, the swimming was perfect. 20 minutes later, I see Alej coming down the beach towards us! So we told him it was great, come on in. He said he was too full from dinner.
Meanwhile, while we were chatting with Alej (but not really hearing him well because of the waves), these 2 guys were coming towards us with a big water bottle. Alej heard them coming from the street and stood staring at them. They walked about 25 feet away from him, more towards where we were. Eventually, they had to acknowledge that he was standing there staring... then we saw them chatting (but couldn`t hear), then Alej walked into the water with the bottle and filled it for them. They left. Alej came in for a swim and all was well.
We were laughing so hard after the fact. Obviously the guys had been on a park bench somewhere when donkey and I arrived at the beach... and in the time it took them to find the water bottle (an excuse to come down), Alej had arrived and foiled their plans! Hahahaha. It was perfect timing! Then we thought, hm, that could have been awkward... but there was lots of civilization around so I wasn`t worried about stranger. Too funny.
My last day there, we just relaxed and spent time chatting. Alej and I went to the grocery store together. They helped me with my Spanish, I am starting to get an ear for it, but it is tough. We went to bed late. I just love staying there - no stress, no conflict, no schedules. It was so fun!
Luckily, Alej and Donk drove me to the airport for my flight on Saturday. Due to the fact that I wasn`t staying in Barcelona, I wouldn`t have been able to make the shuttle in time to catch my flight! Thanks guys, you are sweethearts!
See the corresponding pictures to these stories in the album Mataro! Those who don`t have the address, I will email you to gain access!
I am healthy now, and back in the North. Yesterday I spoke to Indigo Eve, who invited me to join her in a MOMAR - stands for Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race! It is taking place on September 26th in Cumberland. I am terribly excited, but need to do some serious work to get in shape! We are participating in the "Sport Course" which is 30 kms, as opposed to the 50 km Enduro course. It consists of Kayaking, Orienteering, Trekking, Mountain Biking, and Bushwacking! It should take us between 5 and 7 hours. It will be our first time doing it, although the leader of the group we run with (ELM Fitness) wins all these races as a Solo female on the Enduro course. She is a machine! Her name is Sarah Seads, and she is always encouraging more people to participate in the races. I am sure she will give us some tips regarding the race, hydration, and food requirements. You are welcome to come and cheer us on!
I best get to some training now, 42 days to go I think! :)
PS With regards to the rather off colour photo of the bull and donkey in the album, I can explain lol! Catalunya was conquered by the Castillians, and refer to "Spanish" as "Castillian". Anyway, like the basque country, they would prefer to be their own country, not part of Spain. The symbol for Catalunya is the Donkey, and for Spain the symbol is the Bull. I much prefer the Catalan way, so the sticker is political! Haha.
I have just returned from a visit to yet another coast of Spain! I flew to Tarragona to be received by my dear friend Patricia, and the guy she is staying with, Alejandro. It was so great of them to pick me up - 1.5 hours away from where they live!
Since Patricia and I left Madrid, she has been living with Alej in Mataro. He is a very warm hearted, generous, funny guy. I was treated like gold and welcomed into their home. We became instant friends and enjoyed an awesome 5 days!
Some background information: Alej is a nudist, but because Patricia is living with him (or when he has to talk to the neighbours), he owns these pieces of fabric that act as wraps or skirts. You can imagine that men are not careful enough to wear skirts, and you`d be right, hahaha. Anyways, they wrap like a towel and he has been looking for the ones that tie up. Ok, onto the stories!
I got a bad virus that lasted a solid 72 hours starting on the 31st of July. It was like the Norwalk virus, but the after affects of being malnourished and severely dehydrated lasted longer than 72 hours. I was just getting my appetite back during my first couple days visiting in Mataro. I spoke with Patricia on Saturday the 1st of aug, telling her about my sickness. Turns out she had the same virus 2 weeks prior and went to the hospital. They hooked her up to an IV due to the dehydration, and told her to get 2 medications which were both over the counter. One of the medications was in the house, and the other I had to buy. I was in a severe amount of pain, so Jesus offered to take me to the pharmacy. It was closed, so he left the birthday party he was at to pick up the medication for me when the pharmacy opened again. Thank goodness he was here to help! I was in a severe amount of pain and couldn`t eat or drink water. The pills helped but the sickness held on for another 40 hours after I started the meds. When I woke up on Monday the 3rd, I was weak and dehydrated, but finally able to keep some food down. Jesus drove me to the airport, and I flew out that afternoon.
On the 4th, we were invited by Alej`s parents to have lunch. His mom is a fantastic cook. She prepared a Greek dish, similar to lasange but instead of noodles, there is egg plant. His parents are very special people - kind, generous, and warm. I didn`t eat much but enjoyed the interaction even though they didn`t speak English. His mom Ana is very sweet and his dad Juan is caring and funny. After the great lunch, Alej drove us out to a beach about an hour East of where they live. I was still not healthy so I didn`t get to enjoy the snorkeling, but I had a great time and got to swim in the Mediterranean sea! The water was beautifully clear and warm.
The next day was a lazy one, and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Patricia! We talked and talked. It is hard to speak to people who are not completely fluent in English, because I can`t fully express myself. Patricia though, is very smart and we share similar thoughts and sense of humour. Her english is fantastic and she is able to express humour in her speech! I had so much fun hearing stories and telling stories! Unfortunately there were some family problems with Alej, so he had to be away for the whole day.
Thursday, Patricia and I made a trip into Barcelona. While we were getting ready, I saw that Patricia had her purse inside the backpack. I had no pockets, so I started adding my wallet, a t shirt, a bottle of water etc to the backpack. Lol, she saw me putting stuff in and said "OH, Im the Donkey again! Im ALWAYS the donkey!!!". Hahaha. I affectionately refer to her as Donk from now on!
The trip takes a little while to get into Barca, first a ride from Alej to his parents town, where we caught an above ground train and then a trip on the metro system. It is worth it though! What a beautiful city with a great vibe! So far, it is my favourite large city in Europe. It is very cultural, with an active street life. First we saw some gymnasts from Morocco putting on an outdoor show, jumping over people, doing flips and jumps. They were fantastic but rather hostile when people didn`t put enough money in their toques when they went around collecting. Lol. We carried on down La Rumbla, checking out everything. There were SO many stands that were selling animals - hamsters, bunnies, ferrets, ducks, birds. It was strange. I don`t know what kind of tourists would be buying live animals, since we can`t transport them back home.
Anyway, we carried onto find the main Cathedral. The security guard wouldn`t let me in at first because my shoulders weren`t covered, so I sent Patricia in without me. She insisted I go inside to look at the achitecture, so we took a t shirt out of the backpack and just placed it over my shoulders. The Cathedral was quite stunning, full of Gothic arches and beautiful stained glass. There were these hokey little lights inside plastic covers. It was all in Spanish (or should I say Castillian) but Patricia asked me to take a picture of the "insert coins" part. LOL. I guess, instead of lighting real candles to remember loved ones, you insert coins and one of the little christmas lights inside lights up. Too funny.
We saw a group of people dancing on the street with a boom box. It is quite an entertaining place, very cultural with lots going on everywhere. I enjoyed watching the boys dance! We carried onto the main Market on La Rumbla which had the most beautiful produce and presentation. I really enjoyed it! The colours were so vibrant, it was a great place. I got a little bit of candy and Patricia got some dried pineapple (my bunnies would have loved it!) and some fudge.
On our leisurely walk back to the train station, Patricia wanted to look for a wrap that tied up for Alej. We stopped in one of these really cheap stores (they are all over Europe), always owned by foreigners who have to start businesses to immigrate into the country. Anyway this little guy behind the counter was helpful, and he said he had wraps but he would be right back, he had to go get them. He left us in his store alone, and it was pretty entertaining. Here is a picture to give you an idea of what these stores are like!
Anyway, since he was gone, we were joking around inside with the clothes. Patricia was modeling an orange skirt, then the little salesman suddenly appeared with another one from a different store! The wraps were good but they all had patterns, so donkey asked if they had any plain ones. The 2nd salesman went to find plain ones, and then our little guy behind the counter started taking his dress down from the top line of clothes that was on one of those plastic torso figures. It was quite nice, and I thought he was trying to sell it to us. Patricia said "Oh, thats a nice dress, very pretty" then he laid it down and started pulling the dress up. Lmao, Patricia said "oh, Panties too?" with a very excited tone. It was SO funny. Turns out that around the mannequin was a plain black wrap, which we decided would work, and she bought for Alej.
By the time we got off the train to go home in Premia De Mar (where Alejs parents live, he was waiting for us) it was almost 11 pm... and 26 degrees! It was a clear night and the moon was bouncing off the water. We were too hot, covered in sweat, and had sore feet. Donk suggested we go swimming and I agreed. We walked to Ana & Juans, where they were waiting for us to have dinner. We had already eaten, so we borrowed towels and took off towards the beach! Since we were in the city, we had no bathing suits, but it was dark so we figured it wasn`t a big deal. We got to the beach, where Patricia works at a restaurant right on the beach about 50 meters to our left. In front of us was a pile of huge rocks put there by an excavator, and to the right was darkness. We headed for the darkest spot, only to find that its also the place everyone else goes to enjoy the evening at the beach! We saw a huge rat running in the rocks and decided we should head away from there, since we don`t like rats and can`t see rocks in the water at night. Finally, we ended up in a very lit area, between the rocks and the restaurant. There were people on park benches to our right, and up by the street we could see people on their balconies having dinner. I said, let`s just hurry up and get in the water, then it won`t matter how light it is. So quickly we ditched our clothes and went into the water. It was so warm!!! I just can`t get over the concept of the ocean being warm, but I am starting to like it. Anyways, after the day, the swimming was perfect. 20 minutes later, I see Alej coming down the beach towards us! So we told him it was great, come on in. He said he was too full from dinner.
Meanwhile, while we were chatting with Alej (but not really hearing him well because of the waves), these 2 guys were coming towards us with a big water bottle. Alej heard them coming from the street and stood staring at them. They walked about 25 feet away from him, more towards where we were. Eventually, they had to acknowledge that he was standing there staring... then we saw them chatting (but couldn`t hear), then Alej walked into the water with the bottle and filled it for them. They left. Alej came in for a swim and all was well.
We were laughing so hard after the fact. Obviously the guys had been on a park bench somewhere when donkey and I arrived at the beach... and in the time it took them to find the water bottle (an excuse to come down), Alej had arrived and foiled their plans! Hahahaha. It was perfect timing! Then we thought, hm, that could have been awkward... but there was lots of civilization around so I wasn`t worried about stranger. Too funny.
My last day there, we just relaxed and spent time chatting. Alej and I went to the grocery store together. They helped me with my Spanish, I am starting to get an ear for it, but it is tough. We went to bed late. I just love staying there - no stress, no conflict, no schedules. It was so fun!
Luckily, Alej and Donk drove me to the airport for my flight on Saturday. Due to the fact that I wasn`t staying in Barcelona, I wouldn`t have been able to make the shuttle in time to catch my flight! Thanks guys, you are sweethearts!
See the corresponding pictures to these stories in the album Mataro! Those who don`t have the address, I will email you to gain access!
I am healthy now, and back in the North. Yesterday I spoke to Indigo Eve, who invited me to join her in a MOMAR - stands for Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race! It is taking place on September 26th in Cumberland. I am terribly excited, but need to do some serious work to get in shape! We are participating in the "Sport Course" which is 30 kms, as opposed to the 50 km Enduro course. It consists of Kayaking, Orienteering, Trekking, Mountain Biking, and Bushwacking! It should take us between 5 and 7 hours. It will be our first time doing it, although the leader of the group we run with (ELM Fitness) wins all these races as a Solo female on the Enduro course. She is a machine! Her name is Sarah Seads, and she is always encouraging more people to participate in the races. I am sure she will give us some tips regarding the race, hydration, and food requirements. You are welcome to come and cheer us on!
I best get to some training now, 42 days to go I think! :)
PS With regards to the rather off colour photo of the bull and donkey in the album, I can explain lol! Catalunya was conquered by the Castillians, and refer to "Spanish" as "Castillian". Anyway, like the basque country, they would prefer to be their own country, not part of Spain. The symbol for Catalunya is the Donkey, and for Spain the symbol is the Bull. I much prefer the Catalan way, so the sticker is political! Haha.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Trip to the Mountains!
Hello everyone!
I have just returned from a 48 hour trip to the Mountains in the neighbouring Province, Asturias. My family here is part of a group called "Club Alpino" which is 5 families that spend the Bank Holidays together in the mountains. Each year they pick a different village in the same area and do some hiking.
This year there were 6 families and me which made 24 people and 1 dog (Paris, the mini Yorky). Surprisingly they found 1 house to fit us all! Christina (the oldest girl) and I stayed in the living room. She had a cot but thankfully I fit on the couch which was more comfortable. She is a very polite, nice natured girl. She helped me with my Spanish and we sang on rockband together! haha! There was a pool in the yard so it was the main hangout spot.
We arrived on Friday night and had dinner together. All the kids were excited and I am a very light sleeper... so I woke up everytime someone got up to go to the bathroom, rolled over, snored, etc! Anyways Saturday morning everyone was up and at em, getting ready for the hike! I think all but 2 people (injuries) did at least a portion of the hike on day 1.
About 2 hours in we lost the small children and some adults who went back with them. We made it another hour into the hills where we lost the rest of the group except 5 of us. Jose and Jesus (the avid hikers with amazing endurance) me, Yayo and Olga. It took another hour and 15 mins to climb to the summit. We had to go around to the North Face of the mountain to get up to the peak.
The last portion was tough! My legs were tired, there was no shade, Jose and Jesus are very fast! Yayo and I hiked up together, stopping for 30 seconds quite often and then going again.
The top was definitely my favourite, because we got to climb with our hands in the rocks!!! I find that far more interesting that walking up a grassy portion of a steep mountain! Unforunately we didn`t have the proper equipment to climb the last 20 meters to the very top, but we made it pretty high. It is 2052m and we went about 2030m. I noticed that it was a bit harder to breathe! Here I am at the summit.
On the way down, Jose was leading the way and ran into a dead end. I was the last one of the 5, so I ran down the hill at my part of the trail to check if there was another way to get down. Apparently he thought I went to "find my own way" so him and Jesus found the proper way and took off. I made it about 20 m down the hill only to find the trail also came to a dead end. We climbed back up and the other 2 were nowhere to be found.
Olga, Yayo and I started to find another way by backtracking and going around the thick brush... when we heard a stampede of animals with bells on their necks coming our way! The Animals are left in the mountains all summer to eat the grass. They wear the bells so that the owners can find them before winter and bring them back to the barns in the villages.
Anyways I heard these things and they were coming our way, running down the mountain side. They were about 30 meters to the left when a few of them saw us starting running straight at us! A HERD OF BULLS WITH MASSIVE HORNS! I high tailed it into another path and hid on top of a rock with my camera. Yayo was wearing a maroon shirt and they went straight for him! I was able to snap two pictures, but Yayo and Olga had both back into the bushes underneath where I was so I couldn`t get a pic of them. Anyway I hear Pablo start yelling, waving his hands etc and eventually the bulls slowed down, veered a few meters from Yayo and continued on the path. I can`t remember what I was yelling, but obviously something in fear because Yayo eventually said "Don`t worry Marianne, they are just cows" - COWS? Cows with massive horns, that travel in packs of 20+ on the mountainside, that charge you? That description certainly doesn`t equal a cow in my mind!
I stayed put, while they were telling me to follow them down the path...but I wasn`t sure I had seen the last of the cows yet. Eventually I followed them and went to take a picture of Olga, when she raised her arm to tell me there was another one coming! I turned with my camera and snapped the shot below before that friggen cow ran straight for me. I yelled, waved my arms, jumped up and down. I scared it, LOL, it almost fell over when it hit the breaks! After that I felt a little better, until I started going down the path and could hear 3 big ones gaining on me! I was yelling "YAYO!!! THERE ARE MORE! HELP!" lol and he kept saying "don`t worry Marianne". As long as there is something with sharp horns chasing me down a path, I am going to worry. We ended up scaring off the 3 and they took another path to catch up with the herd. Once again I was a little hesitant so I ended up 20 meters behind Olga and Yayo who kept making their way down the mountain. Some of the herd decided to turn around and come back my way, seperating me from the other 2. Frig! Not again. The problem was that we were on the only path there was, the rest was steep mountain side which was hard for the cows to run on. I figured out that making a big scene keeps them at least 5 meters away which I was okay with. COWS!
The rest of the descent was uneventful. Yayo and I walked together but we were tired and we ran out of water! LOL, one of my favourite parts was when we caught up to Jose and Olga who were waiting for us...we asked where Jesus was and Jose said he went down to see if he could get water from a river we could hear. We continued on and 20 minutes later Jesus came running behind us. Yayo was standing in the shade while I turned to ask him if he got water and he said "No", so I turned and kept walking slowly on. 3 seconds later Yayo says to Jesus, did you get water??? and Jesus told him No and he pauses...then says "Oh shit.." Lmao. Listening to Spanish people swear in English is certainly one of the funniest things about being here.
It ended up taking us close to 9 hours to get back to the village. To the summit was just over 4...but we stopped to have lunch afterwards, and going down takes me longer than going up! Maybe because it was my first time going down a mountainside, I was more cautious than the rest - I haven`t figured it out yet.
Saturday night, everyone settled earlier and slept, thank Goodness. I got some sleep and decided that I wasn`t going to hike on Sunday. I was learning 2 days earlier than the rest of the crew, because Victor had to take the ferry to England for Sailing Camp and Jesus had to chaperone the kids. Sunday mornings rolled around and I relaxed while the adults got ready for hiking. I didn`t eat breakfast. Fari came by to get something and asked why I wasn`t going. I told him I was tired and sore, 9 hours the day before was enough for me! He said "Lazy girl" lol. Then he came back out of his room and told me that they were taking cars to another village, climbing 2 hours up then coming right back down. Due to the crew that I would be with (Yayo, Rafa, Fari, Marga and Olga) I decided to go. I knew there would be a lot of laughs shared!
I was malnourished due to not having breakfast and really sore and tired from the previous day, so I was complaining quite early on this hike lol! Anyway there were lots of good conversations and laughs, but it was sure hot. The climb itself wasn`t as interesting and we didn`t reach a summit so it wasn`t as rewarding. It was exercise anyway and I did get to see a bit of different scenary.
Later that day I just relaxed. I have some flashcards for learning Spanish, and I had lots of people willing to help me with explanations and pronunciation. The Spanish Alphabet uses the same letters, but none of them sound the same as english letters!!! I have been able to roll my R`s only twice, lol, so I need to keep practicing!
There are lots of pictures posted on Facebook and even more on my picasa albums. It was fun to spend time with other families and socialize. Jose and his family had traveled to our coast about 11 years ago. They rented a motorhome and went across BC visiting all the National Parks. They loved it there and want to go back to do the Juan De Fuca trail. I am looking forward to becoming a better hiker so that I can do that soon!
One more funny story. I was sitting outside on the first night reading a book, because we were the first to arrive. Everyone else started coming in and getting organized. Olga was up on the 3rd floor unpacking when Rafa`s phone started ringing. She came to the window that faced the pool to tell Rafa. He told her to throw it down, and she said no. He put his T shirt out (but didn`t make it a pocket, he stretched it so it acted like a trampoline. Anyway she kept saying no but he insisted that she throw it. So she did and of course it hit his t shirt then bounced and smashed on the bricks below. LOL. My favourite part was that next, he started blaming her for not throwing it properly!!!!!!! It was such a male thing to do, too funny. The top window is where she dropped it from!
Anyways I had a fantastic time, and really thankful my family took me along! The guys are very funny and 2 of the 3 amigos speak in English. A lot of the people speak in basic English to me so that is nice, but the guys are funny because they are able to transfer their sense of humour. It is tough to do that outside of your native tongue! Here is a shot of some of the people from L to R. Yayo, Kristie, Helena, Jacobo, Marina, Yaya, Alberto.
I am heading to Barcelona next Monday, so I hope to get lots of surfing in this week and then write an update about my time there! I am very excited to see my friend Patricia (who is from South America, but we met in Madrid)! We will have a wonderful 5 days.
Cheers until the next time!
I have just returned from a 48 hour trip to the Mountains in the neighbouring Province, Asturias. My family here is part of a group called "Club Alpino" which is 5 families that spend the Bank Holidays together in the mountains. Each year they pick a different village in the same area and do some hiking.
This year there were 6 families and me which made 24 people and 1 dog (Paris, the mini Yorky). Surprisingly they found 1 house to fit us all! Christina (the oldest girl) and I stayed in the living room. She had a cot but thankfully I fit on the couch which was more comfortable. She is a very polite, nice natured girl. She helped me with my Spanish and we sang on rockband together! haha! There was a pool in the yard so it was the main hangout spot.
We arrived on Friday night and had dinner together. All the kids were excited and I am a very light sleeper... so I woke up everytime someone got up to go to the bathroom, rolled over, snored, etc! Anyways Saturday morning everyone was up and at em, getting ready for the hike! I think all but 2 people (injuries) did at least a portion of the hike on day 1.
About 2 hours in we lost the small children and some adults who went back with them. We made it another hour into the hills where we lost the rest of the group except 5 of us. Jose and Jesus (the avid hikers with amazing endurance) me, Yayo and Olga. It took another hour and 15 mins to climb to the summit. We had to go around to the North Face of the mountain to get up to the peak.
The last portion was tough! My legs were tired, there was no shade, Jose and Jesus are very fast! Yayo and I hiked up together, stopping for 30 seconds quite often and then going again.
The top was definitely my favourite, because we got to climb with our hands in the rocks!!! I find that far more interesting that walking up a grassy portion of a steep mountain! Unforunately we didn`t have the proper equipment to climb the last 20 meters to the very top, but we made it pretty high. It is 2052m and we went about 2030m. I noticed that it was a bit harder to breathe! Here I am at the summit.
On the way down, Jose was leading the way and ran into a dead end. I was the last one of the 5, so I ran down the hill at my part of the trail to check if there was another way to get down. Apparently he thought I went to "find my own way" so him and Jesus found the proper way and took off. I made it about 20 m down the hill only to find the trail also came to a dead end. We climbed back up and the other 2 were nowhere to be found.
Olga, Yayo and I started to find another way by backtracking and going around the thick brush... when we heard a stampede of animals with bells on their necks coming our way! The Animals are left in the mountains all summer to eat the grass. They wear the bells so that the owners can find them before winter and bring them back to the barns in the villages.
Anyways I heard these things and they were coming our way, running down the mountain side. They were about 30 meters to the left when a few of them saw us starting running straight at us! A HERD OF BULLS WITH MASSIVE HORNS! I high tailed it into another path and hid on top of a rock with my camera. Yayo was wearing a maroon shirt and they went straight for him! I was able to snap two pictures, but Yayo and Olga had both back into the bushes underneath where I was so I couldn`t get a pic of them. Anyway I hear Pablo start yelling, waving his hands etc and eventually the bulls slowed down, veered a few meters from Yayo and continued on the path. I can`t remember what I was yelling, but obviously something in fear because Yayo eventually said "Don`t worry Marianne, they are just cows" - COWS? Cows with massive horns, that travel in packs of 20+ on the mountainside, that charge you? That description certainly doesn`t equal a cow in my mind!
I stayed put, while they were telling me to follow them down the path...but I wasn`t sure I had seen the last of the cows yet. Eventually I followed them and went to take a picture of Olga, when she raised her arm to tell me there was another one coming! I turned with my camera and snapped the shot below before that friggen cow ran straight for me. I yelled, waved my arms, jumped up and down. I scared it, LOL, it almost fell over when it hit the breaks! After that I felt a little better, until I started going down the path and could hear 3 big ones gaining on me! I was yelling "YAYO!!! THERE ARE MORE! HELP!" lol and he kept saying "don`t worry Marianne". As long as there is something with sharp horns chasing me down a path, I am going to worry. We ended up scaring off the 3 and they took another path to catch up with the herd. Once again I was a little hesitant so I ended up 20 meters behind Olga and Yayo who kept making their way down the mountain. Some of the herd decided to turn around and come back my way, seperating me from the other 2. Frig! Not again. The problem was that we were on the only path there was, the rest was steep mountain side which was hard for the cows to run on. I figured out that making a big scene keeps them at least 5 meters away which I was okay with. COWS!
The rest of the descent was uneventful. Yayo and I walked together but we were tired and we ran out of water! LOL, one of my favourite parts was when we caught up to Jose and Olga who were waiting for us...we asked where Jesus was and Jose said he went down to see if he could get water from a river we could hear. We continued on and 20 minutes later Jesus came running behind us. Yayo was standing in the shade while I turned to ask him if he got water and he said "No", so I turned and kept walking slowly on. 3 seconds later Yayo says to Jesus, did you get water??? and Jesus told him No and he pauses...then says "Oh shit.." Lmao. Listening to Spanish people swear in English is certainly one of the funniest things about being here.
It ended up taking us close to 9 hours to get back to the village. To the summit was just over 4...but we stopped to have lunch afterwards, and going down takes me longer than going up! Maybe because it was my first time going down a mountainside, I was more cautious than the rest - I haven`t figured it out yet.
Saturday night, everyone settled earlier and slept, thank Goodness. I got some sleep and decided that I wasn`t going to hike on Sunday. I was learning 2 days earlier than the rest of the crew, because Victor had to take the ferry to England for Sailing Camp and Jesus had to chaperone the kids. Sunday mornings rolled around and I relaxed while the adults got ready for hiking. I didn`t eat breakfast. Fari came by to get something and asked why I wasn`t going. I told him I was tired and sore, 9 hours the day before was enough for me! He said "Lazy girl" lol. Then he came back out of his room and told me that they were taking cars to another village, climbing 2 hours up then coming right back down. Due to the crew that I would be with (Yayo, Rafa, Fari, Marga and Olga) I decided to go. I knew there would be a lot of laughs shared!
I was malnourished due to not having breakfast and really sore and tired from the previous day, so I was complaining quite early on this hike lol! Anyway there were lots of good conversations and laughs, but it was sure hot. The climb itself wasn`t as interesting and we didn`t reach a summit so it wasn`t as rewarding. It was exercise anyway and I did get to see a bit of different scenary.
Later that day I just relaxed. I have some flashcards for learning Spanish, and I had lots of people willing to help me with explanations and pronunciation. The Spanish Alphabet uses the same letters, but none of them sound the same as english letters!!! I have been able to roll my R`s only twice, lol, so I need to keep practicing!
There are lots of pictures posted on Facebook and even more on my picasa albums. It was fun to spend time with other families and socialize. Jose and his family had traveled to our coast about 11 years ago. They rented a motorhome and went across BC visiting all the National Parks. They loved it there and want to go back to do the Juan De Fuca trail. I am looking forward to becoming a better hiker so that I can do that soon!
One more funny story. I was sitting outside on the first night reading a book, because we were the first to arrive. Everyone else started coming in and getting organized. Olga was up on the 3rd floor unpacking when Rafa`s phone started ringing. She came to the window that faced the pool to tell Rafa. He told her to throw it down, and she said no. He put his T shirt out (but didn`t make it a pocket, he stretched it so it acted like a trampoline. Anyway she kept saying no but he insisted that she throw it. So she did and of course it hit his t shirt then bounced and smashed on the bricks below. LOL. My favourite part was that next, he started blaming her for not throwing it properly!!!!!!! It was such a male thing to do, too funny. The top window is where she dropped it from!
Anyways I had a fantastic time, and really thankful my family took me along! The guys are very funny and 2 of the 3 amigos speak in English. A lot of the people speak in basic English to me so that is nice, but the guys are funny because they are able to transfer their sense of humour. It is tough to do that outside of your native tongue! Here is a shot of some of the people from L to R. Yayo, Kristie, Helena, Jacobo, Marina, Yaya, Alberto.
I am heading to Barcelona next Monday, so I hope to get lots of surfing in this week and then write an update about my time there! I am very excited to see my friend Patricia (who is from South America, but we met in Madrid)! We will have a wonderful 5 days.
Cheers until the next time!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Update from Somo
The waves have returned! I had today off so I headed to lookout to see that the waves were crashing in! Down to the surf school I went for an awesome, exhausting two hours! The waves further from the shore were ideal for surfing, but because I am with the school and the current is so strong, we have to stay together. We surfed the less powerful waves but they were still fast enough that we could get up on the board to practice!
The past few weeks have been great! I am into a good routine now. In the mornings I stretch and do some exercises, and often go for a short run. This way I get my exercise in incase the day gets too busy, and my body always feels better when I have stretched first thing. It is a great set up to have the freedom to for an hour in the morning, I am thankful for this! During the afternoons, Maria and I usually play board games, read some books etc. and communicate in english. I am hoping we can do some more activities soon, like go to the park to play games and get into another atmosphere. It will increase her vocabulary to converse in a different setting.
I have been out Snorkelling twice which has been great! I am too scared to take my underwater camera out there, just incase something malfunctions. I won`t have a camera for the rest of the trip in that case! I have swam through schools of fish, and been to check out Octopus caves! One time when Jesus was trying to catch one, it left its cave so I chased it, and it inked at me! Haha! They are amazing swimmers. He has caught 3 of them to show me up close. One got stuck to my arm with the suction cups on his arms! One of them changed colour three times in less than 3 seconds, the last time it adapted to the colour of Arancha`s skin because she was holding him. So kewl!
In the evenings I always get out for a rollerblade or a bike ride on the bike path. The evenings are always a perfect temperature here! The bike path goes passed all the farms, so I get to see cows, sheep, goats etc. frolicking about and I get a real kick out of it! I think this one farm has a ton of pregnant dairy cows, because they all have very strange bodies, their knees give out when they walk. At least I hope they are pregnant and not malformed or handicapped! Can any of my auntes shed some light on what pregnant cows look like please?!?
The family goes to a beach here quite often, in Loredo. All their friends go to the same place, so I often go there to read, snorkel, or socialize. It is fun to get to know everyone and very relaxing. I often bike there so that I can head home, I tend to get hungry more often than everyone else! The sun here has a lot of heat in it, and the ocean here is much warmer than at home!
I have tomorrow off as well, so I am very excited to get out on the waves. They will be smaller, 1.5 metres instead of 2.6m like today! Hopefully they are still powerful and the current isn`t too strong. Today I had a new instructor, he doesn`t speak too much english but he is very nice and fun!
In the last 10 days I have gotten more serious about learning Spanish. They speak so quickly that it is still difficult to distinguish the words. I am catching onto the general idea of the conversation, and spending lots of time with the english/spanish dictionary to increase my vocabulary. Hopefully this week I am meeting with a Spanish doctor who is studying English. He is in the 5th course which is "conversation" so he wants to meet with me to work on his skills. Half of the time we will speak in English and the other half he will help me with my Spanish! This will be a big help. I know that the only reason I caught onto Portuguese was because Gabriel helped me with it everyday that I spent with him!
That is about all that is going on here! The benefit to having no gym here is that I spend more time exercising outdoors. My allergies aren`t acting up anymore, so it is nice. Plus I am getting quite the tan! Hehe!
I will update this more often, I have been slacking lately. Bye for now!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
I LOVE my life!
So now that everything is settled with things here, I have time to ponder life - past, present, future. I have come to the obvious conclusion that I had, have, and will have a fantastic life! Right from the get go I had a head start, with great parents and a great family around me. I am so fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and to have grown up there! When I look at my life now, and my memories... almost every single one of them makes me smile for some reason! And many make me giggle or laugh right out loud. I will share some of my favourite moments (in no particular order) that cross my mind and make me stop, and realize how great it is to be alive! 
Surely these tales (some short, some long, some already shared) won´t be as funny for you as they are for me, but I like to share :)
(July 2007) A couple years ago, I briefly dated this guy we will call Joe. Actually his name really was Joe! Anyways, he had some great qualities but I wasn`t sure that I wanted to introduce him to everyone in my life. My friends are FOREVER - my boyfriends aren`t, so I have to be sure of them before I will bring them into my social circle. Besides that, Joe had jealous tendencies so that was even more reason to wait before introducing him to my friends, of which many are male. He particularly had a problem with my friend Oulton, who I ride motorcycles with. Anyways one day after spending a night in Joe`s city, I had to ride my motorcycle back to my town for work. Oulton had texted me and asked if I was going on any rides so I said yeah, nothing interesting... just to work, but you are welcome to join me. So we agreed to meet at this gas station on the way out of town. I was super late leaving Joe`s after we went out for breakfast with his friends. He was heading to his moms house afterwards but wasn`t in a rush like me. When I arrived at the gas station Oulton was drinking a coffee on the patio. I rode up, leaving all my gear on and staying on the bike, apologizing for being late and saying we had to jet. When he stood up and put his helmet and gloves on, I looked in my right side mirror and could not believe my eyes - Joe left shortly after me and arrived at the same gas station! He obviously recognized me and must have gathered that it was Oultons bike that I was parked beside. Anyway - without turning around, my eyes almost popped out of my head and I started to laugh while deciding how to handle this. Oulton saw my face and asked what was up, so I said "... that blue ford at the pump over there is Joe"... he started to laugh and said, what now? I said, I am going to fuel up (my already completely full tank), how about you go introduce yourself! (In hindsight that was kind of mean of me lol!) haha So Oulton looks at me and says "..Should I leave my gloves on!!!" lmao. I will never forget how priceless his expression was combined with that comment. I dont even remember what transpired, but Joe and I were history soon after this! Oulton and I remain the best of friends, just the way it should be. Thank God I have my priorities straight! Haha...I wouldn´t trade our times for the world. I can`t thank you enough for looking after my motorcycle either. How about the time when you were fixing the squeek on my back brake... you removed the pads to scrub them a little. I got bored while you were working, walked over to the bike and repeatedly pushed the back brake pedal down! Hahahah...when you went to put everything back together, you were stumped for a brief while until asking me "Hmm, things aren`t fitting. Did you touch anything?" HAHA, you are so patient with my lack of knowledge! Rockband,best spitball fight ever at Swiss Chalet, hanging out with the kids watching Hockey, spending the weekends with a house full of people AND DOGS, all of our rides especially 2 up, telling a guy hitting on Kim that people call her the "black widow"! HAHAHA! My dad saying "What about that new guy? I like him" lmao! YOU ARE THE BEST! Yup, thats right, I win!). Miss you buddy :)
(February 2009, I am sure I blogged about this one in the past, but I have to tell the story again) This one took place when my mom, dad and brother Goob took a trip to Vegas and LA. We got a hotel right near Disneyland when we arrived late one night, so that we could go in the morning to enjoy the park. Once we checked in, we were all starving. Goob brought along his inredibly helpful (which I now consider a road trip essential) new GPS. We discussed food and decided on Italian. Goob punched Italian into the GPS and it came up with various restaurants. We picked one that I liked the name of (Demicelli`s) and was within about 4 kms of the hotel. Goob drove and followed the directions from the female voice, and it landed us in this large parking lot with a blockbuster in the middle, and various 1 level stores in classic strip mall format. It was kind of dumpy and we were searching through all the signs to finally see the Italian restaurant. It was 9 pm so pretty much everything was closed except this restaurant, which had a couple cars out front. Goob drove up and trolled slowly by... you know when you are looking for a place to eat, and you start assessing whether or not you want to park and get out of the car? I think we were all doing that. I first looked to see that it was open, and that there were a few cars out front... always good. Then I looked in the door and saw the booths, which had lattice fencing above them with fake ivy intertwined. My mom breaks the silence with "I`m not sure, looks expensive!" l m f a o. (I am laughing so hard right now I can barely see what I am typing). Looks expensive? I immediately laughed out loud thinking it was joke... I dont remember what else was said but then I realized she was dead serious! I laughed so hard, I think I fell out of the car and stumbled into the restaurant. I still don`t know how the word "expensive" came to mind when looking at this place, was it the lattice work above the booths? It was empty except for a few people sitting in the booth right next to the kitchen. I laughed all the way through the meal, which was very well priced and excellent - the best Italian food I have ever had. Anyway when we left, the people sitting in the booth near the kitchen were talking to my Dad when he was paying. It was obvious we were tourists, and they ACTUALLY asked him "Why did you choose this restaurant?" so he told them about the GPS lol. Once back in the car, Goob punched in the name of our hotel (Holiday Inn), only to find out that there were 4 hotels with the same name all within 4 kms! We had no idea where we were, the exact name of our hotel, or the phone number. I said we should just drive to each one, since its only four kms it cant take that long. Turned out that we went to 3 with no luck, and it was the very last one we picked lol! The route from the 3rd Holiday Inn to the 4th (ours) was very strange because we had to go all the way around this massive area where Disneyland was... it was more like 7 kms instead of 4. We are driving down the final stretch, all very tired and happy to finally be close to the hotel when my dad says "There had to be a quicker way than this". lmao. My mom broke out laughing and that started the giggles again! Of course he was referring to the fact that we had to drive an extra few kms from the 3rd hotel to the 4th... but it sounded like he meant from Demicelli`s back to the hotel, which should have taken 5 minutes, not 45 minutes! We tried to sleep that night but all I could think of was my mom saying "looks expensive" and start giggling. I couldnt stop, so I tried to just giggle silently incase someone was already asleep. My brother heard me and asked what I was laughing at but I was laughing too hard to speak, all I could say was "looks expensive"...then he got the giggles. My mom heard us talking and got the giggles as well, which woke up Dad! It was infectious. It was compounded by Dads comment about how long it was taking to get back to the hotel. Sometimes I will be walking down the street, or laying in bed just about asleep when this memory pops into my mind... and I giggle just like I did when it happened! Aw man, hahaahaha. The grizzwalds... I love you guys! She stood there bright as the sun on that California Coast...they drove for miles and miles on those twisting, turning roads. And those Hollywood Nights, in those Hollywood hills!
(March 2009) At provincials in Cranbrook. Teresa, Jacqui and I went out for lunch one afternoon. We were talking to the waitress, telling her that the night before we had finished working late (reffing a game) and had trouble finding a place that was still serving food! Her reply: Oh, are you guys dancers? LMAO! I have been asked a lot of things in my life... but that is the one (and hopefully only) time that someone asked if I am a stripper! In the waitress` defense, the other two girls are tall, thin and pretty so the chances are better for them! Haha. All the humour shared, especially the road trip up there in the truck with Jamie and my favourite Jim! Who is patient now??? hahaha. Dancing to warm up, honking repeatedly (JAX) drawing the attention of the cops...who proceeded to let us follow him into town to show us where we could get food. Can´t wait for more good times James, Jax and Teresa!
(November 2008) With Kim on one of our regular restaurant visits. Somehow this waitress thought it would be okay to touch Kim - hahaha, but she did it with such confidence that Kim didn´t even get a chance to ask her what the Ef she thought she was doing! I kept a tally of how many times the waitress touched her and it was in the double digits. Priceless LOL. You would have to know Kim to really embrace how unreal that experience was! Dog walks at Dumont, ripping around with the stereo jacked, Starbucks, meeting at Liquidation World in the big rig, talking about dysfunctional relationships. Celebrating birthday #22 with some good old dancing with the Indian hahaha. How about when we met? You showing up at Oultons with a suitcase, a tupperware container full of dog food and 3 dogs! You had to share the pull out couch with me everytime I came to visit! haha I miss you! Keep an eye on things while I`m gone, keep a lid on things ;)
(Summer 05-08) Ball Hockey Provincials and Nationals! Always SUCH fun because there was no pressure. Every summer, hanging out at the rinks in Van and staying at Lolly´s in New West (countless nights spent in rink parking lots!), Judes or Auntie Kare`s on the west side. Making all my Vancouver adventures with Carter, Mica, Lolls, Judes, Duncan, Scott, Geoff, Marcus, Kes, Carla, JD, John, Keith! So many unforgettable days and nights! Especially the sad steaks, hahaha.
(March 2009) An amazing night out with Steven in Vegas!!! My friend from Alberta who has lived in Vegas for 12 years took me out for a night on the town when I made a trip to vegas in the Spring. It was definitely one of my favourite nights ever, roaming from club to club, each very kewl in its own way. Meeting all the fellow hockey players, hitting Fremont Street, watching the waitress spill the entire glass of water on him at Breakfast (4am)!!! Hahahaha. Truly a night I will never forget.
(Winter 2008) Spending every second week with Kevin & Jenn in Victoria! Their welcoming spirit and awesome senses of humour never fail to make my time in Vic memorable! Cannot wait to get back there for Winter of 09! Kev and I have lots of hockey to play, Jenn and I have lots of running to do! So stoked for this future! ... And she`s calling a cab, while he`s having a smoke, and she`s taking a drag!
(April 2009) Walking through Victoria with Leah H - we ran into this talkative bum who started the conversation with "I am willing to bet that neither of you girls have a cigarette for me"... we continued talking with him as we slowly strolled by and eventually he asked us our names... we answered, asked for his, and he replied "Jack Smack"! Lmao! For some reason, we found it hilarious... and it is now a term of endearment between us. Excited for the good times upon my return, lots of friendship to grow :) (and of course, pictures to take!)
(December 2005) My 19th birthday celebrations at Gabbys in Langley. LEAH, Jess, John, Kat, Geoff, Kevin and possibly some other people came to celebrate my birthday with me. This was a wednesday, so the bar was fairly empty. It was jam night so Geoff sang me a song and it was awesome. Anyhow on the dance floor there was this, and I am not kidding, 75-80 year old woman in a dress. She was tearing it up! Mostly doing stretch type exercises, but she could lift her leg over the height of her head and grab onto her foot with her hand! Impressive flexibility. She must attend many chair classes and participate in the "stand up" exercises as well. We were all having such a good time watching this unlikely entertainment when the lady (who we referred to as Dragon) turned towards us. We watched anxiously to see her next move. She walked with purpose right up to the bar in front of where we were sitting, and it became obvious that she was staring directly at my boyfriend Kevin! She grabbed his hand and literally pulled him around all of us and onto the dance floor. He looked back at us with such desperation... hahahahaha.. I will never forget the expression! Something like "Aren`t you going to get me out of this!!?!?!?!?" as we laughed. None of us would dare interrupt something so amazing! He is such a nice guy that he also did some fancy stretching moves that she taught him while the music played along. Lmao. Unbelievable. Keep your hands to yourself ;)
(August 2005) When Leah drove me to meet Geoff at Agrifair. LMAO! Classic! There`s a light that always finds a way to Shine On Me. It`s in your heart, it`s in your soul, and in my memory :)
(July 2005) Jess and I`s trip to the theme park near Seattle. On the way home we were having a good old time driving in my truck past the farms on the way to the border. Unfortunately a tiny piece of hay (that I am allergic to) flew into my left eye! I started to rub my eye and it got swollen really fast. It was red and watering, and almost completely shut. I was looking out my right eye to drive. We reached the border with no line up! Normally getting back into Canada is a cakewalk compared to getting into the states... but not when you look like I did! The border gaurd shined the light on me and inside the truck, and then asked a few of the regular questions. Then he asked if we had been drinking? Nope. Got in a fight? Nope. Taking any illegal drugs? Nope. What happened to your eye? LOL! Trying to convince a border gaurd that a piece of hay flew into your eye just before you arrived is pretty much impossible! Jess was trying to convince them, but they weren`t having any of it! hahahaha. Eventually we got through... that was just one of many run ins with the border gaurds that year eh mica! Jess and I had Math or French 10 together at Highland and our teacher was Mr Roach. He was completely bald. Everyone knows Dr Evil from Austin Powers...well one of us brought up the fact that he reminded us of Dr Evil. The light was bouncing off his head just like in the movie! Anyway then we started thinking about Mr. Bigglesworth (the cat) being bald and nicknamed Mr Roach "Mr. Bigglesworth". We were laughing so hard my abs were aching. I tried to contain myself but everytime I looked up at the teacher, it started again. Everyone else was working away and Jess and I were in stitches. Naturally it was me who got removed from the class room, which I was thankful for because it hurts your abs even more when you try to stop laughing!!! We had an unreal summer all around in 2008. Parties in North Van, Playland, Seattle, the Island! The shower... hahaha. Late night drive thru`s, hockey tournies, 8 rinks. The memories are seriously countless. It`s 3 am, not Sunday afternoon; would you meet by the water tonight?
(Summer 2008) Heather accompanying me to spectate at the Ball Hockey Nationals in Vancouver! She brought her friend Chelsea on the first night, who is very pretty but gets ugly fast when she shows her attitude towards life. Anyway I introduced her to my favourite buddies from Ontario... we were hanging out, when my (black) friend Bobby says to Chelsea "Are you part Indian?" LMAO!!! You should have seen the look on her face. It was truly a kodak moment. She was stunned and didn`t really answer, I broke out in laughter. Bobby says "What??? She has beautiful eyes, in Ontario the natives are known for having the most beautiful eyes" hahahaah.. I told him that I didn´t think that was a compliment for the average BC girl, and just to stick with "You have pretty eyes". We have had so many good times growing up Heath! Hanging out just to have naps, watching Friends over and over again, living together in an expensive bachelor pad! Make up exams, hockey tournaments, Merritt, chick flicks, you dying my hair blue, getting ultra dressed up for a new years party in my own house lol! Aw man, looking forward to us in the future! (L) Tim Mcgraw, Shania, Merritt roadtrip!
(February 2009) At the RE/MAX tourny, on the last night when we got back to the hotel. All the guys crashed my room, where I was staying with my kewl roomie Mary! We ended up telling jokes and laughing until we cried ... it carried on until 6:15 am...we fell asleep for an hour or so, before we had to pack up and check out. One of the funniest nights of my life hands down! Next door was a guy from the hockey tourney and his wife. His wife walked by me the next morning and glared at me like I was the devil... then the husband came to my car window with a smile on his face and I apologized for all of us keeping them awake. He laughed and said he so badly wanted to come and join in the laughter (obviously his wife didn´t like that idea), but instead he just listened through the walls. Too funny! Yay for Feb 2010 in Edmonton! Marmaleeze!!!
(All my life) At Point Holmes with the Websters! Motorcycles since we were 5 on the property, and now the rides together on the big bikes! Ben and I trying to spy on our older siblings, while also trying to collect baby ducks and chickens in ice cream buckets! All the homemade movies! Getting the giggles when Auntie Mare would try to put us to sleep... and she couldn`t get mad because she got the giggles too! LOL! Dancing with Jord! Grandma Pat asking me before I left "Is matrimony in your future deary?" LOL! All the card games with Grandma, Doris and Benny... and now Alana! Myrons Naked! *Shudder* hahaha. Goob and Jeff hiding and filming while Ben and I took the tabs of pop cans, shook them, and threw them at Larry who was chopping firewood with an axe, wearing a cast on his broken leg.... that part is just cruel.... but looking back on how fast he chased us up the stairs with a cast, while swinging the axe AND swearing, is priceless! I miss Larry! He is one of my favourite childhood people for SURE! LOL One time Ben and I made "mucky duck" (put a hose into an area with really nice dirt, made a nice consistency of mud that we could make great mud balls with), and had the genius idea of throwing it at cars on lazo road. We must have run out of good dirt, because this particular batch had small rocks in it. We smoked a brand new red SUV while standing on the pickle (the name we gave one of the hills at the front of the property). It hit the brakes, and we took off! Apparently the owner of the car got out, saw that his vehicle was scatched, and came onto the property to find our parents. We got spanked. lmao! Or the time when Ben and I had set up a lemonade stand at the top of my driveway. No one was stopping so Ben decided on a new strategy; stand in the middle of the road with your arm up signalling Stop! Lmao. One car stopped then told him to get out of the way... and as they drove by he gave them the bird!!! Hahahah. I didn´t even think he knew what that meant! I think we were 7, it was amazing. All the summers camping at the lakes were stellar..zee Microfilm! Drink, Swear, Steal and Lie ;) Chasing the mysterious Zorro, the root cellar, the creepy bear head, candle making! I am so thankful to have grown up with you guys so close! Here is a picture of Ben, Jeff and I on a ride before I left. I like it, I love it, I want some more of it!
(1997 or close to it) When Goob and 2 of his friends tied fishing line to one of my moms old purses, then put it on the main road by our house that goes to the ferry terminal. One or two of them would hide in the forest, while one was up in a tree on the other side with the video camera and a walkie talkie. People would stop to pick up the purse and just as they got close, the filmer would walkie talkie the boys to pull the purse away! Lmao. They had it all on film and I watched it over and over and over. I havent seen it for years, but sometimes I still replay the reactions in my mind and it gets me everytime!
(2000) Golfing with Auntie Rhonda at Longlands. Learning to golf also taught me how to swear. I think I hit everything except the ball! Lol. I failed to excel at golfing, but I always had so much fun with my aunte!
(Childhood Summers) In Vancouver with the Cooke`s! I always looked forward to Playland and Splashdown every year, and it never got old! Playing cops and robbers with cap guns was one of my favourite past times! I miss those adrenalin rushes! One time we were on the way to a wedding (I think cousin Jer in Lilloet 1994?), and we traveled with the cookes. In one van was the older siblings and our dads, and in the other was me, Dave, Jules and our Moms. We were telling jokes on a scary part of the highway somewhere passed Whistler. Dave couldn`t have been anymore than 8 years old when he busts out with a joke about 3 couples at breakfast... One says to his wife "Pass the sugar, sugar", the other says "Pass the honey, honey!" and the last says "Pass the bacon, Pig!" Hahahahaha. Auntie Karen laughed so hard she was crying, and the tears blocked her vision. We nearly drove right off the side of an enbankment into the river! It was classic! Really raw raps, rising up rapidly, riding the Russian radioactivity!
(Summer 07) My first trip (and only to date) to Jordan River. Zsolt took me out riding in Vic and we had an amazing day. JR is magical, so are the twisties... and him forgetting to tell me about the decreasing radius corner that I almost hit the gravel on! It`s okay... he went through the corner first then realized I hadn`t been warned... he almost crashed because he was watching in his right side mirror to see if I made it through! Haha. Just one of many great rides and times we have shared! Keep the shiny side up this season please so we can share lots more! :)
(December 1997) My birthday party in Grade 6. Actually all my birthday parties were awesome but this particular one was pricless. It was a sleepover, and my dad had completed the renovation of the green room so we were all playing upstairs. My mom said it was cake time (DQ Ice cream cake, yeah baby! I miss DQ) so Jess got up and ran to the stairs. Laura ran after her, but when Jess stopped to go down the stairs, Laura kicked jess in the back of the heel and broke her toe! LMAO! Laura is in the middle, Jess on the right.
(May 1998) Every year my friends Garth White and Garth O`Neill entered into the Tri-K for our age category. Garth O swam, Garth W biked and I ran. We always did quite well. Sometimes we would hangout after school, so one time the boys came over to my house and we were building a tree fort. We were nailing down the floor so we had loose 2 by 4`s with hangover on each side. Garth W and I knew only to walk in the centre when we were working, so we told Garth O to stay away from the edges. I guess he forgot and he stepped on the overhang... down he went! It wasnt that far of a fall, but he broke his arm! lmao. He got up and we kept working. Eventually he said his arm was sore and it wasnt until later in the night that he figured out it was broken. His mom never let him come to my house again! I guess she thought we must have pushed him off or something! Too funny.
(Summer of 1992) Goob had hockey school in Port McNeil so me and my parents went up there for the week. I quickly made friends with a cute little guy named TinTin. He was a year or two older than me, and had a brother in the same hockey school. We were pretty much inseperable. After a couple of days, we wanted to go swimming at the pool beside the rink. He went to see his parents to get his swim trunks and I did the same. My mom got me into my bathing suit and we walked back over to TinTin`s camper. He walked out and saw me, and with a horrified look on his face he turned to his mom and quietly said "Is this a joke??????" Hahahaha. One of the many times I was mistaken for a boy in my younger years! Mud on your face, big disgrace, kickin your can all over the place singin we will, we will ROCK YOU!
(March 2001) My mom rented the hockey rink for my friends and I to play on during school time, it was awesome! My mom is the best! Anyways she also invited David from Vancouver. I wasnt expecting to see him so I couldnt figure out who this random guy was on our ice! My friends and I were wearing full gear, but he only had skates, gloves and stick. Eventually we were introduced and we all had fun scrimmaging. I took a shot on net and he was backchecking, then I turned to curl up the boards and he was hooking me with a lot of strength. I spun around and released the weight causing him to loose his balance and his head bounced off the aluminum part that holds the plexiglass in place! We were skating pretty fast so I didnt really see it happen. Eventually we went to pick up the pucks and he leaned forward and Jess says "uhh.. you`re bleeding a lot" LOL! He hit his head hard enough that it concussed him... anyway we all left the ice and it turned out that one of the girls` dad was a doctor. He had a look and said David definitely needed stitches (and he hated needles!). The next day the whole side of his face was swollen and he had a black eye that was shut from swelling. The injury wasn`t funny... except when people would say to him "I would hate to see the other guy!" and he had to respond with "Actually, she`s fine!" lmao! How is that for making a good first impression? I left a mark, literally!
Is it disturbing that I get such a kick out of people getting injured? I am a sucker for slapstick humour! I will have you know that I also think its funny when I get hurt, after the fact of course.
(June 1992) We welcomed a new member into the family in 1991 - Bruiser! Our beautiful black lab. He was about a year old when my mom and I took him for a walk down to the mailboxes. I decided it would be fun to go for a ride on his back. It was pretty fun until we were trotting along and all of a sudden he looks up at this large stump and SPRINTS away! I flew off, landing on the dirt road. I wasn`t that hurt, but my mom started laughing and couldn`t stop! I was 6 years old and wanting my mom to see if I was okay, but she was laughing too hard so I got angry at her lol! I remember crying and being angry at her for hurting my feelings, but the whole event was priceless. I wish we had it on film!
(January 1998) I had got a NERF gun just recently as a birthday present. It had soft foam darts with rubber suction cups on the end to stick to windows and such. Darryl came over (friend of my brother Mike) and was checking out the nerf gun. He shot one of the darts at me and hit me right in the eye - I was stunned so I paused, and then it started to sting so I started crying. To this day, Darryl imitates me getting hit, pausing, and then beginning to cry. Lmao. Heeeyyyyyy Marianne, what`s your game now, can anybody play!
(1997) Speaking of eyes... during the latter half of the 90´s, our house was over run by big flying ants every year! They were freaky and super annoying... but Goob found a way to make it fun! We used to get elastic bands out of the junk drawer and shoot them at the ants. We developed pretty good aim after a while! Our ceilings downstairs were textured with gyproc... so sometimes part of the ant would remain hanging off the roof. Surely that sounds disgusting, but it was kind of like a trophy for us. We were proud of them, we even named one "Ant Horker", I am not sure why lol. Anyways one time we shot an ant above us on the roof and the guts flew into my eye! I think it is pure acid inside those little devils! LOL. Anyway thats another one that wasnt funny at the time but makes me laugh now.
(May 2005) Leah and I went to the liquor store on a Tuesday night in abby and as we were leaving, these two guys pulled up. The one guy was trying to get Leahs attention and we were laughing... somehow Leah started talking to the guy and he told us they were getting alcohol and having a party. We had no bad vibes about it so we went to the quiet guys house...sure enough, we were the only ones there! LOL! We had fun though. The more talkative of the guys was named Cam, and the quiet one was Glen. Cam told Leah he was "so amazed with my eyes that he just HAD to see them again". He was hitting on her in one breath and then in the next, he was telling her he was on a sabatical due to the messy breakup with his ex! HAHAHA. Anyway, Glen was super kewl, I was apparently his Tiny Dancer. He had multiple autographed hockey sticks from NHL players! I think he was going to give me one but I didn´t take it, he was drunk lol. We had so many good times in Abbotsford! One other time, we were at a Country Music Awards show because Geoff sat on the board and got us tickets. We were dressed up in our cowgirl stuff, and somehow this lady in the line up took offense to Leah. We weren´t doing anything but standing there so I would have to conclude she just didn´t like Leah being young and so pretty! Anyhow, the lady ended up telling Leah to "Go back to work on her corner" lmao!!! Leah looks as much like a hooker as I look like a stripper! I often think of our times together... from camping at the lakes every summer, to our Campbell River roadtrips in your white car and singing to the Dixie Chicks at the top of our lungs, to getting back in touch after years and living together...Keith Urban roadtrip to Seattle! Sneaking me in (underage) to the Voodoo for your birthday in CR, Toothless Joe at mill lake (lmao), 302! Lmao, Leah reminded me of this so I have to tell you one more side story. For some reason, Leah had her cat "kitten" in her car. The cat somehow managed to climb INTO the dashboard of the vehicle and we couldn`t get her out! Leah was severely panicked and I wasn`t quite sure what to do, so we decided to call this guy named Scott who originally was hitting on me and then switched to Leah. Hahaha. He showed up with tools and took the dash apart to get the cat out. It was priceless. I don`t think either of us spoke to Scott again! haha! CANADA DAY celebrations with Jess, 2 massive bottles of wine, Canadian flag tatoos on our foreheads, a stolen sign, fireworks, and pictures of camero Dave in the waistband of my pants. HAHA Unreal. Our alberta trips, being your one and only Piffer Peach, your wedding, and now our Calgary randomness. Haha. You are the bestest friend I could ask for! So if anyone asks, not that they would...we`ll be down in Mississippi, and up to no good! MY PHONES ON VIBRATE FOR YOU!
(June 2008) Training with some special people for our Canada Day Belly Dance Performance!!! We had a couple practices weekly in my living room when I moved into the beach house. It had nice hardwood floors and no furniture, so it made the perfect studio! Anyhow, we were partially in our costumes as we got closer to the performance to make sure everything was fitting properly, and wouldn´t move while we danced. We wore decorative bra´s with jingles attached. One night, my landlords from Edmonton were in town and came to the house to introduce me to their daughters, but we didn´t hear the knocks because of the music. They went to the front yard to look into the living room, but they were shocked by our lack of shirts so they weren´t sure how to get our attention. LOL, eventually one of the dancers said "Uhm, there are people waving on the lawn". When we went to the window to look out, Don was waving but keeping his arm over his eyes because he wasn´t sure if he was supposed to be seeing what was going on! Hahaha. We ended up inviting them in and explained what was happening. That preparation was worth it, as we had a great performance on Canada Day at the Sid! My parents, Mike & Judi and my cousin Jord all came to the show! After everything I have done in my life, I smile when I think that it took a belly dance performance to make my Dad proud of me! Oh well, its a good feeling even if it was an unlikely event! It was great fun performing dance on a stage, in front of a GREAT audience! I am sad about missing this year, but glad to hear it went well! And thank you to the girls for making my costume, you are great!
(2009) Living at the beach house with Goob, Danika, Mike, Judi, Hannah and Braden! Hahahaha, 3 fun parties (I said ooh girl, shock me like an electric eel!)... some funny events I won´t mention. Fitting 20 plus people on the awesome, massive bed that Goob made! Emptying a 40 pounder into the blender with Judi Juice! Eating wonderful food prepared by Judi & Danika! Hannah & Bradens little voices at the bottom of the stairs, "Can we come up?" haha, Bradens crush on Danika! Goob and I chipping away the ridiculous amount of ice that created a 3 inch sheet over the driveway. Always shovel your driveway before the snow turns to ice and you have to use ice picks, crow bars and torches to make the driveway useable! Haha. Mike trying shut off the burner where he had been warming up soup for Mom, but instead putting the burner on High and then going out... and in turn boiling it dry, then lighting all the wooden/silicon utensils on fire! Again, not funny at the time. My first experience putting out a fire lol! I am so thankful for the memories!
(Forever) Visits with auntes, uncles, cousins, and my grandma`s! Pondering life with my auntes and uncles is always fun, and I try to get regular visits in if I can. Visiting with uncle Ray and Auntie Glady, laughing til I cried about the time they went to watch this band play. The musicians were so old that one of them actually FELL ASLEEP during the performance, and the other ones were in such deep concentration that they didn`t even notice! LMAO! Catching up with Uncle Brad Webster by fluke in Victoria and enjoying some catch up time! Grandma Kitty seems to get funnier all the time, especially when she isn´t mad at me for taking the front seat of the car, or for some other form of disrespect I showed lol. All the Turkey Dinners at home and in Port Alberni, Christmas` through the years with the Cooke`s, Family reunions are ALWAYS something I look forward to - and 5 years is just too long! Yay for 2010! Just take those old records off the shelf, sitt and listen to `em by myself... todays music ain`t got the same soul, I like that old time Rock n Roll!
(1991-1993) Having Mrs. Sutcliffe as a teacher THREE YEARS IN A ROW and our mutual dislike growing with each year! I am pretty sure I got booted into the hall way at least three times a week. Looking back, I am not sure what I could have done so frequently to deserve to be removed from the class room. Perhaps it just became a habit - rather than dealing with me, just ship me off to the hallway for a while. I didn`t mind, school wasn`t my strongpoint lol!
(Summer 06, 07, 08) All the weddings that Geoff and I went to together! Hahaha... At the first one, his Mom tried to get information out of him about the nature of our relationship NINE TIMES before the ceremony had even started! He successfully changed the subject each and every time! It was priceless to watch the reactions. We thought that wedding 2 would be a good time to put a pillow under my dress, hahaha, until Geoffs brilliance brought up the fact that I wouldn`t be able to drink if we went through with that prank! Amazing times - sorry I can`t join you this year, hope you find a good replacement ;). Camping & Boating with Jeremy and Tyson! Great times up at Golden Ears, and out on Pitt Lake getting sun burnt, getting to know your amazing family... enjoying the serenity with you guys! I will truly miss it this year! I don`t think you know the value of your smile, how that one small gift can make the worst day seem worthwhile ;)
(1999) My dad decided that I had to do 2 years of Piano Lessons with Mrs. Purvis *shudder* to give it a fair chance. I have always been sure about what I like and don`t like, but I respected him teaching me that sometimes it`s not enjoyable to become more well rounded all the time. Let me tell you though - the only thing that got me through the last few months was the fact that my mom let me drive the green caravan on the back roads to and from the lessons! Hahaha! Mostly it was on the dirt roads out by the Huband gravel pit, but it really doesn´t matter whether its dirt or pavement when you are ripping around on the roads at 12 years old! HAhahah Mom you are the best! This brings me back to the time that Ben and I (11 years old) had the Ford Escort up the back along with grandmas old Datsun and played "Hide & Seek" in vehicles instead of on foot.... until one time we were near the houses and our parents came in the driveway! Lmao, game over.
(December 06) Teaching Don Nicholas how to play wickets while reffing a really boring midget girls game in Burnaby. Hahaha - here is some brief history: Don is definitely over 60 and wears glasses with coke bottle lenses, he is affectionally nicknamed Mr. Magoo. Wickets is a game we play as refs, with the object being to get the puck to go between your legs and points are awarded. You lose points if you miss a call because you were trying to get a wicket lol. Anyways, I was surprised that he was catching on so quickly! He got more into the game of wickets than the actual game we were reffing. At one point, he actually turned his back (a big reffing no no) to the play AND missed an offside call just to get a point! LMAO, I was laughing so hard that I couldn´t blow my whistle to call the offside for him! One of many fond reffing and wicket memories for sure!
(December 2007) Heading up to Fort St John while Snowflake had his spleen removed! They actually cut his abdomen open from 1 inch to the right of his sternum in an arc to his left hip!!! As soon as the surgery was done, I was able to visit. He was pretty messed up on morphene. The nurses told him that the body heals better when your brain isn`t aware of the pain, so he had to take the morphene. If he didn`t push the button himself, then they would put him on an automatic drip lol! Anyways he would try to talk but fade in and out of conversation, it was kind of funny! Eventually when reality struck, he showed me the cut. They literally STAPLED the massive cut closed! Normal, metal staples. I could not believe my eyes! I have never seen someone recover so quickly from surgery. Snowflake you are a MACHINE! Shooting a handgun for the first time at the range in Edmonton... laughing uncontrollably at the comedians, watching hockey games, hanging out in Vic, bodybuilding show in Van! I admire your dedication to the sport and your discipline, it`s inspiring! Such good memories! Can`t wait until we train together! The scar shrunk considerably :)
(April 2004) Waking up from a nap in Coquitlam... walking into the kitchen and seeing the sweetest little Black & White baby rabbit hopping under my kitchen table! My sweet little Neko boy!!! David and I lived in an apartment so we couldn´t get a pup. I am so glad I got my Neko instead! I spent hours and hours with him everyday. Eventually he followed me everywhere I went, and was annoyed if I ever shut the bathroom door without letting him in. Haha. When I went back to school, my mom and I picked out a friend for him in Campbell River for company. Another little gray rex named Pebbles! When they first met, Pebbles kicked him in the face... but 10 minutes later they became best friends and remain that way! What is it with relationships starting with such violence and then turning out to be so good? hahaha. I love and miss my little bundles of love! I need some distraction, oh beautiful release! Thanks for looking after them Mom!
(September 2003) Playing for the Steelers in Vancouver and meeting one of my very best friends Katie! Attending Nationals together in Calgary in 04 and losing at the end of Double OT to miss our chance at the bronze medal game. That tournament was SUCH a blast! My Mom and Auntie Rhonda came to cheer me on. Our weekends at the Whistler Tournie, meeting up on the island for a night on the town in Vic... and deciding that since it was 4 am there was no point in paying for a hotel. We started to drive back to Nanaimo but I got tired and we slept in the car for a couple hours haha! Meeting up in Van, picking up Leah on the side of the highway and trying to get her attention while she waited in "the" Camaro! Hahaha. Our crazy weekend on Galiano when the storm knocked the powerpoles and transformer into the roof of our cabin. Aw, I miss you, come back from the US! We need to race around on the rockets. Maybe some snowboarding in Colorado is on the agenda for the winter ;) You`re on my heart just like a tattoo
(March 2009) Mike & Judi re-introducing me to the the beautiful west coast after more than 15 years since my one and only visit! Great roadtrip, lots of interesting stops, amazing beaches, a trip to the look-out (courtesy of Goob & friends), seeing the Innchanter, getting great pictures! Lots of time to be spent here with you two in the future... Hot Springs cove, Cougar Annie´s garden! Or maybe the Streets of Philadelphia!
(December 2008) The night Jer made me dinner at his new house. We ate, had more than a few drinks, then went snowshoeing around the neighbourhood!!! That was my first experience with snowshoeing, and it was hilarious. Maybe because my coordination wasn´t at its best, and I kept sinking into the snow and falling instead of gracefully walking on the surface! When we first left the house, Jer slipped off one of those 3 foot mounds that the snowplow made! I was walking slightly ahead of him, so he thought I didn´t notice. I purposely delayed my laughter until he was on two feet again! LMAO! All the fun times helping me train for ball hockey! Countless games of frisbee and aerobie at Louis Park, bike rides, the nightmare of purchasing your house! I am very sad you are posted but I have faith you will be back so we can make some more memories!
(July 1997) My brother Mike taking me tubing on an air mattress down the Puntledge river from the fish hatchery! I got introduced to going through rapids which are referred to as "washing machines" lol. Mike loves thrills so I had no choice but to join in the fun! Looking forward to going to a six flags with you in the future bud! Perhaps you are the only one who would enjoy the rollercoasters as much as me as an adult. Although at California Adventure Park, Goob and I had a blast sitting at the front of the biggest coaster there! Zero to 60 faster than I thought was possible lol!
(June 1999) Goob took me on my first ever ride on a sportbike (black & yellow Honda CBR 600) being his first passenger ever! Looking back through the chapters of your life, searching for the story line... I decided then and there that I would own a sportbike at some point and sure enough, I made good on that promise to myself. So much fun! Especially when the helmet was too big, wind got in the sides and pulled it backwards off my head! Good thing I had the chin-strap done up so it could choke me while the wind filled the place my head should have been! Lol!!! I am still sad about the time we tried to go camping together on one of the islands... but me, mom and dad crossed the rough waters on the sea doo and it was too rough to go back and get you :( I hung out on Russ Nelsons boat (I think???) but it definitely wasn´t as fun as our camping mission would have been. Good thing we did lots of camping up at the lakes! Haha speaking of camping - that time we went as a family along the Sunshine Coast and took Bruiser dog with us. He got out of Goobs tent in the middle of the night, went down to the water and was persistently barking at the Otters!!! Somehow Goob managed to get him back and in the tent(soaking wet) before the guy in charge of the campsites came by to find out if it was our dog causing all the trouble! LOL! Goob insisted it wasn´t - "Nope, our dog is right here in my tent. He has been sleeping here all night"! Hahaha. And on the same trip, we went golfing... Mike hit a ball on a hole where the green was through some trees. We thought it was safe but Mike hit further than he expected, so he yelled "Fore" and all we heard was "MOTHER F&/(&·ER" etc! Lmao! My favourite golf moment! Glory days!
(October 2007) Taking Hannah & Braden through the woods where I spent so much childhood time building forts, hacking trails, playing cops & robbers. The kids were awesome and fearless, treading through the trails and climbing up the steep hill that we needed to use rope for assistance! I felt like I was 8 years old again, in the same woods where Dustin, Kyle and I built tree forts... building trails with Ben with saws and other dangerous sharp items... when we somehow disturbed a bees nest! We ran like stink to get home but the bees were persistent. I think we ended up with 3 or 4 stings each! Thank goodness (but surprisingly) that was the only bees nest we angered! Spill the wine
(Summer of 1989) We had a good family friend named Grant Wilson. Apparently I had a crush on him. One time he came over to the house to go fishing with my Dad and probably my brother Mike. I thought I was going, and when told otherwise, I think I threw a fit! He made it up to me by taking me to DQ and getting me a chocolate dipped cone. I ate it in my highchair with a massive grin on my face. Could this be when I fell in love with DQ, down on the boomdocks!!! haha :)
(August 1995) On our way to a family reunion, we had borrowed my Grandma´s van because it had air conditioning. Coming down the big hill by Trail, something started to really stink! We thought it was the city itself... but when we got to the gas station, we realized that it was the smoke from the brakes in our van! hahaha. It must have been around this same time that we went to Keremeos and couldn´t get the hide-a-bed out to sleep on. We went to buy produce at those markets. At one, I got a chocolate milk. We went to the other market for some better corn, and the cashier made us pay for the chocolate milk, even though it was almost gone and I bought it at the other store! Hahaha. A classic moment on one of our road trips!
(August 2005) Dad taking us out on his boat to visit Ford Cove & Tribune Bay. We took Grandma Pat & cousin Diane from Saskatoon. Another awesome trip to the same place when we had Auntie Rhonda with us as well! Countless fun times out on the boat. One time we all got stuck on Denman because it got too rough to go home. We dug clams and cooked them over a fire on the beach... everyone promised that I would like the clams dipped in butter so I tried one - nope, sure didn`t like it! Haha. I will always remember the trips here with the Harbottle`s. They really loved Henry Bay! We may lose and we may win, though we will never be here again...so take it Easy!
(Summer 1996) When Ben and I went to Victoria to stay with Uncle Al & Auntie Joyce! Auntie Joyce buying us lottery tickets, renting "Hear no Evil, See no Evil" (because I promised that my parents rented it for me even though it was rated R)for us so we could watch it over and over again, eating junkfood! The best part was riding the train home on our own, but with "supervision" from Wendy Langdale, who was sitting away from us looking after her own two kids. Auntie Joyce bought us these sling shots that shot koosh balls, attached to stretchy rubber so that hooked onto the slingshot. This guy in the section of seats across the isle from us was asleep with his mouth open snoring. We were trying to shoot the koosh balls and land them in his mouth! Hahahaha. Best time ever on a train!
(October 2006) My first opportunity to do photowork with Jules! He wrote a couple stories about Real Estate and took some pictures for the newspaper. Lots of fun, adventurous times between us and some great art produced! While we were at the beach walking along with my mom, this doberman came towards us barking. Mom & Jules high-tailed it lol! I waited until the dog got within 15 feet and then she stopped and looked at me. I called her, she came over so I bent down to say hello. Jules is always in focus and managed to snap one of my favourite pictures ever! You rock Jules, truly talented! You are in my thoughts along with little Tassja, the only JRT I have ever liked!
(October 2007) "Dressing up" as the HULK for Halloween and going out with Carter! hahaha. She deemed it the best Social Experiment she has ever participated in... and what an experiment it was! Best Halloween Ever!
(October 2008) The start of my life on Couchsurfing! It is such a wicked project. I have hosted, surfed, met wonderful people from all around the world! My awesome parents have even hosted for me since I left for Europe. Here is a picture with the nice French boy from when my parents took him on a boat trip with Hannah & Braden!
(March 2006) Getting back in touch with one of my favourite boys ever! I am so happy for where your life is right now! It makes me smile to know that you see enough in me to forgive me, when you could have easily dismissed me for my mistake. Thanks for that, and teaching me that sometimes second chances come along! You are frrrrrresh Aar in my life! And I can`t make it on my own, because my heart is in Ohio ;)
(November 2008) Reffing an old timers game at SC2 one night, this crazy charming guy kept goofing around on the ice. I knew everyone on both teams except for him! During the handshake I put my hand out, he skated up slowly and went to shake my hand but instead yelled "AHHHHHHHHHHH" and picked me up! Hahaha, it scared the crap out of me. That was my introduction to the one and only REV! Building a friendship has been awesome and so was the training all winter at your gym! You are very special and have an incredible power to influence people in an inspiring way. I am excited for you this year, it is going to be big. Here I go again on my own, going down the only road I`ve ever known! Miss you tons! xoxo
(Summer 2000) My parents took me and the boat camping at Deep Bay. My brothers didnt join us so I was allowed to bring a friend. I took Becky Crawford who I had been in the swim club with years earlier. We were out on the Sea-doo in the open waters, and my parents were in the boat. I had the safety for the key clipped onto my lifejacket, so that if we fell off, the key would come with us. I was doing donuts with the craft and then going into the middle of all the waves... one big wave ended up tipping us off! Unfortunately, the safety clip came off the zipper of my lifejacket and the key remained in the machine! The Sea-doo was idling around in the water by itself, hahaha. Luckily, Becky is a quick thinker. She ditched her life jacket, swam to the Sea-doo (which was doing large circles, when I fell off I turned the handlebars to the left) and hit the kill switch. Many good memories! When we first got the Sea-doo, my dad rigged it so that I could only make it go up to a certain speed. I remember when he took off the restrictor... the throttle was controlled by my right thumb. I hit a wave which caused me to grab tighter on the handlebars and my thumb gave the thing gas! I quickly realized why it had been restricted when I was younger haha. Remember the good times? And least you forget; we have no, no regrets!
(December 2004) Realizing that there are people in my life who will drop EVERYTHING to be there for me when I need them. The time doesn`t matter; day, night, giving me your undivided attention for as long as I need. Letting me use your shining light when mine went out. Knowing that I need you even when I haven´t said anything. You are an Angel and the only person who has faithfully been there for me everytime I have needed you. He was always there to help her, she always belonged to someone else... and she will be loved. Thank you!!!
(January 2007) Kelly and I were at a RE/MAX function in Kelowna, but we both had our own hotel rooms. We went for dinner in the hotel (which was awesome), and we kept noticing this group of big guys loitering at the entrance. There was a couple guys behind me, a few tables away that Kelly kept looking at. Eventually she says "I am pretty sure that big guy on the left is an actor in a movie". I had my back to them, so I turned to look and both the guys looked right back at me, I turned back around. "I don`t recognize them.." so a few minutes go by and she says "Yea, he is in that movie with a whole bunch of little kids, and Steve Martin". I hadn`t seen it so I still didn`t get the reference. Each time I tried to catch a peek, they both looked over in sync! We found out afterwards that there was a Snoop Dogg concert playing next door that night, and he was staying at this hotel. Apparently he had taken over the entire 4th floor, but both Kelly and I were on the sixth. Later that night (1 am)Kelly was wandering around the hotel in her PJs (that had cowboy boots on them, HAHA!) because she couldn´t sleep. She ended up meeting the guys we saw at dinner, who started talking to her and said they saw us keep looking at them. Kelly told them she thought that the one guy was an actor but her friend (being me) didn`t recognize either of them. Turns out it was Ice Cube! Oops, guess I should watch TV more often! She ended up hanging out with them for the night, drinking Gray Goose Vodka straight lol. She said he had a wicked hotel room and the guy with him was his friend/body gaurd. Since there was two of them, Ice Cube was telling Kelly to go get her "daughter" (hahaha, that would be me) with the blonde pony tail. Kel knew I was sleeping so she didn`t call me. I just about slapped her the next morning lol! After a few minutes, she says to me "I really should have called you last night, I would have been more comfortable if there was two of us!"... THANKS GENIUS! Hahaha. We had such great times at all the conventions, and working together!
This is me standing on the Cliffs of Moher, proceeding to trek passed this sign to the side where there is no partition to seperate you from the 300 m drop! It was amazing!
This trip has taught me some new things and also reminded me of how blessed I am! There are many memories that fill my head but of course I cannot share them all. I hope you all know (including people/memories that weren`t mentioned here) that you have had an impact on who I am, and I am thankful for that.
I would love for you to comment here with any of your favourite memories! Hope you enjoyed the long read :)
Surely these tales (some short, some long, some already shared) won´t be as funny for you as they are for me, but I like to share :)
(July 2007) A couple years ago, I briefly dated this guy we will call Joe. Actually his name really was Joe! Anyways, he had some great qualities but I wasn`t sure that I wanted to introduce him to everyone in my life. My friends are FOREVER - my boyfriends aren`t, so I have to be sure of them before I will bring them into my social circle. Besides that, Joe had jealous tendencies so that was even more reason to wait before introducing him to my friends, of which many are male. He particularly had a problem with my friend Oulton, who I ride motorcycles with. Anyways one day after spending a night in Joe`s city, I had to ride my motorcycle back to my town for work. Oulton had texted me and asked if I was going on any rides so I said yeah, nothing interesting... just to work, but you are welcome to join me. So we agreed to meet at this gas station on the way out of town. I was super late leaving Joe`s after we went out for breakfast with his friends. He was heading to his moms house afterwards but wasn`t in a rush like me. When I arrived at the gas station Oulton was drinking a coffee on the patio. I rode up, leaving all my gear on and staying on the bike, apologizing for being late and saying we had to jet. When he stood up and put his helmet and gloves on, I looked in my right side mirror and could not believe my eyes - Joe left shortly after me and arrived at the same gas station! He obviously recognized me and must have gathered that it was Oultons bike that I was parked beside. Anyway - without turning around, my eyes almost popped out of my head and I started to laugh while deciding how to handle this. Oulton saw my face and asked what was up, so I said "... that blue ford at the pump over there is Joe"... he started to laugh and said, what now? I said, I am going to fuel up (my already completely full tank), how about you go introduce yourself! (In hindsight that was kind of mean of me lol!) haha So Oulton looks at me and says "..Should I leave my gloves on!!!" lmao. I will never forget how priceless his expression was combined with that comment. I dont even remember what transpired, but Joe and I were history soon after this! Oulton and I remain the best of friends, just the way it should be. Thank God I have my priorities straight! Haha...I wouldn´t trade our times for the world. I can`t thank you enough for looking after my motorcycle either. How about the time when you were fixing the squeek on my back brake... you removed the pads to scrub them a little. I got bored while you were working, walked over to the bike and repeatedly pushed the back brake pedal down! Hahahah...when you went to put everything back together, you were stumped for a brief while until asking me "Hmm, things aren`t fitting. Did you touch anything?" HAHA, you are so patient with my lack of knowledge! Rockband,best spitball fight ever at Swiss Chalet, hanging out with the kids watching Hockey, spending the weekends with a house full of people AND DOGS, all of our rides especially 2 up, telling a guy hitting on Kim that people call her the "black widow"! HAHAHA! My dad saying "What about that new guy? I like him" lmao! YOU ARE THE BEST! Yup, thats right, I win!). Miss you buddy :)
(February 2009, I am sure I blogged about this one in the past, but I have to tell the story again) This one took place when my mom, dad and brother Goob took a trip to Vegas and LA. We got a hotel right near Disneyland when we arrived late one night, so that we could go in the morning to enjoy the park. Once we checked in, we were all starving. Goob brought along his inredibly helpful (which I now consider a road trip essential) new GPS. We discussed food and decided on Italian. Goob punched Italian into the GPS and it came up with various restaurants. We picked one that I liked the name of (Demicelli`s) and was within about 4 kms of the hotel. Goob drove and followed the directions from the female voice, and it landed us in this large parking lot with a blockbuster in the middle, and various 1 level stores in classic strip mall format. It was kind of dumpy and we were searching through all the signs to finally see the Italian restaurant. It was 9 pm so pretty much everything was closed except this restaurant, which had a couple cars out front. Goob drove up and trolled slowly by... you know when you are looking for a place to eat, and you start assessing whether or not you want to park and get out of the car? I think we were all doing that. I first looked to see that it was open, and that there were a few cars out front... always good. Then I looked in the door and saw the booths, which had lattice fencing above them with fake ivy intertwined. My mom breaks the silence with "I`m not sure, looks expensive!" l m f a o. (I am laughing so hard right now I can barely see what I am typing). Looks expensive? I immediately laughed out loud thinking it was joke... I dont remember what else was said but then I realized she was dead serious! I laughed so hard, I think I fell out of the car and stumbled into the restaurant. I still don`t know how the word "expensive" came to mind when looking at this place, was it the lattice work above the booths? It was empty except for a few people sitting in the booth right next to the kitchen. I laughed all the way through the meal, which was very well priced and excellent - the best Italian food I have ever had. Anyway when we left, the people sitting in the booth near the kitchen were talking to my Dad when he was paying. It was obvious we were tourists, and they ACTUALLY asked him "Why did you choose this restaurant?" so he told them about the GPS lol. Once back in the car, Goob punched in the name of our hotel (Holiday Inn), only to find out that there were 4 hotels with the same name all within 4 kms! We had no idea where we were, the exact name of our hotel, or the phone number. I said we should just drive to each one, since its only four kms it cant take that long. Turned out that we went to 3 with no luck, and it was the very last one we picked lol! The route from the 3rd Holiday Inn to the 4th (ours) was very strange because we had to go all the way around this massive area where Disneyland was... it was more like 7 kms instead of 4. We are driving down the final stretch, all very tired and happy to finally be close to the hotel when my dad says "There had to be a quicker way than this". lmao. My mom broke out laughing and that started the giggles again! Of course he was referring to the fact that we had to drive an extra few kms from the 3rd hotel to the 4th... but it sounded like he meant from Demicelli`s back to the hotel, which should have taken 5 minutes, not 45 minutes! We tried to sleep that night but all I could think of was my mom saying "looks expensive" and start giggling. I couldnt stop, so I tried to just giggle silently incase someone was already asleep. My brother heard me and asked what I was laughing at but I was laughing too hard to speak, all I could say was "looks expensive"...then he got the giggles. My mom heard us talking and got the giggles as well, which woke up Dad! It was infectious. It was compounded by Dads comment about how long it was taking to get back to the hotel. Sometimes I will be walking down the street, or laying in bed just about asleep when this memory pops into my mind... and I giggle just like I did when it happened! Aw man, hahaahaha. The grizzwalds... I love you guys! She stood there bright as the sun on that California Coast...they drove for miles and miles on those twisting, turning roads. And those Hollywood Nights, in those Hollywood hills!
(March 2009) At provincials in Cranbrook. Teresa, Jacqui and I went out for lunch one afternoon. We were talking to the waitress, telling her that the night before we had finished working late (reffing a game) and had trouble finding a place that was still serving food! Her reply: Oh, are you guys dancers? LMAO! I have been asked a lot of things in my life... but that is the one (and hopefully only) time that someone asked if I am a stripper! In the waitress` defense, the other two girls are tall, thin and pretty so the chances are better for them! Haha. All the humour shared, especially the road trip up there in the truck with Jamie and my favourite Jim! Who is patient now??? hahaha. Dancing to warm up, honking repeatedly (JAX) drawing the attention of the cops...who proceeded to let us follow him into town to show us where we could get food. Can´t wait for more good times James, Jax and Teresa!
(November 2008) With Kim on one of our regular restaurant visits. Somehow this waitress thought it would be okay to touch Kim - hahaha, but she did it with such confidence that Kim didn´t even get a chance to ask her what the Ef she thought she was doing! I kept a tally of how many times the waitress touched her and it was in the double digits. Priceless LOL. You would have to know Kim to really embrace how unreal that experience was! Dog walks at Dumont, ripping around with the stereo jacked, Starbucks, meeting at Liquidation World in the big rig, talking about dysfunctional relationships. Celebrating birthday #22 with some good old dancing with the Indian hahaha. How about when we met? You showing up at Oultons with a suitcase, a tupperware container full of dog food and 3 dogs! You had to share the pull out couch with me everytime I came to visit! haha I miss you! Keep an eye on things while I`m gone, keep a lid on things ;)
(Summer 05-08) Ball Hockey Provincials and Nationals! Always SUCH fun because there was no pressure. Every summer, hanging out at the rinks in Van and staying at Lolly´s in New West (countless nights spent in rink parking lots!), Judes or Auntie Kare`s on the west side. Making all my Vancouver adventures with Carter, Mica, Lolls, Judes, Duncan, Scott, Geoff, Marcus, Kes, Carla, JD, John, Keith! So many unforgettable days and nights! Especially the sad steaks, hahaha.
(March 2009) An amazing night out with Steven in Vegas!!! My friend from Alberta who has lived in Vegas for 12 years took me out for a night on the town when I made a trip to vegas in the Spring. It was definitely one of my favourite nights ever, roaming from club to club, each very kewl in its own way. Meeting all the fellow hockey players, hitting Fremont Street, watching the waitress spill the entire glass of water on him at Breakfast (4am)!!! Hahahaha. Truly a night I will never forget.
(Winter 2008) Spending every second week with Kevin & Jenn in Victoria! Their welcoming spirit and awesome senses of humour never fail to make my time in Vic memorable! Cannot wait to get back there for Winter of 09! Kev and I have lots of hockey to play, Jenn and I have lots of running to do! So stoked for this future! ... And she`s calling a cab, while he`s having a smoke, and she`s taking a drag!
(April 2009) Walking through Victoria with Leah H - we ran into this talkative bum who started the conversation with "I am willing to bet that neither of you girls have a cigarette for me"... we continued talking with him as we slowly strolled by and eventually he asked us our names... we answered, asked for his, and he replied "Jack Smack"! Lmao! For some reason, we found it hilarious... and it is now a term of endearment between us. Excited for the good times upon my return, lots of friendship to grow :) (and of course, pictures to take!)
(December 2005) My 19th birthday celebrations at Gabbys in Langley. LEAH, Jess, John, Kat, Geoff, Kevin and possibly some other people came to celebrate my birthday with me. This was a wednesday, so the bar was fairly empty. It was jam night so Geoff sang me a song and it was awesome. Anyhow on the dance floor there was this, and I am not kidding, 75-80 year old woman in a dress. She was tearing it up! Mostly doing stretch type exercises, but she could lift her leg over the height of her head and grab onto her foot with her hand! Impressive flexibility. She must attend many chair classes and participate in the "stand up" exercises as well. We were all having such a good time watching this unlikely entertainment when the lady (who we referred to as Dragon) turned towards us. We watched anxiously to see her next move. She walked with purpose right up to the bar in front of where we were sitting, and it became obvious that she was staring directly at my boyfriend Kevin! She grabbed his hand and literally pulled him around all of us and onto the dance floor. He looked back at us with such desperation... hahahahaha.. I will never forget the expression! Something like "Aren`t you going to get me out of this!!?!?!?!?" as we laughed. None of us would dare interrupt something so amazing! He is such a nice guy that he also did some fancy stretching moves that she taught him while the music played along. Lmao. Unbelievable. Keep your hands to yourself ;)
(August 2005) When Leah drove me to meet Geoff at Agrifair. LMAO! Classic! There`s a light that always finds a way to Shine On Me. It`s in your heart, it`s in your soul, and in my memory :)
(July 2005) Jess and I`s trip to the theme park near Seattle. On the way home we were having a good old time driving in my truck past the farms on the way to the border. Unfortunately a tiny piece of hay (that I am allergic to) flew into my left eye! I started to rub my eye and it got swollen really fast. It was red and watering, and almost completely shut. I was looking out my right eye to drive. We reached the border with no line up! Normally getting back into Canada is a cakewalk compared to getting into the states... but not when you look like I did! The border gaurd shined the light on me and inside the truck, and then asked a few of the regular questions. Then he asked if we had been drinking? Nope. Got in a fight? Nope. Taking any illegal drugs? Nope. What happened to your eye? LOL! Trying to convince a border gaurd that a piece of hay flew into your eye just before you arrived is pretty much impossible! Jess was trying to convince them, but they weren`t having any of it! hahahaha. Eventually we got through... that was just one of many run ins with the border gaurds that year eh mica! Jess and I had Math or French 10 together at Highland and our teacher was Mr Roach. He was completely bald. Everyone knows Dr Evil from Austin Powers...well one of us brought up the fact that he reminded us of Dr Evil. The light was bouncing off his head just like in the movie! Anyway then we started thinking about Mr. Bigglesworth (the cat) being bald and nicknamed Mr Roach "Mr. Bigglesworth". We were laughing so hard my abs were aching. I tried to contain myself but everytime I looked up at the teacher, it started again. Everyone else was working away and Jess and I were in stitches. Naturally it was me who got removed from the class room, which I was thankful for because it hurts your abs even more when you try to stop laughing!!! We had an unreal summer all around in 2008. Parties in North Van, Playland, Seattle, the Island! The shower... hahaha. Late night drive thru`s, hockey tournies, 8 rinks. The memories are seriously countless. It`s 3 am, not Sunday afternoon; would you meet by the water tonight?
(Summer 2008) Heather accompanying me to spectate at the Ball Hockey Nationals in Vancouver! She brought her friend Chelsea on the first night, who is very pretty but gets ugly fast when she shows her attitude towards life. Anyway I introduced her to my favourite buddies from Ontario... we were hanging out, when my (black) friend Bobby says to Chelsea "Are you part Indian?" LMAO!!! You should have seen the look on her face. It was truly a kodak moment. She was stunned and didn`t really answer, I broke out in laughter. Bobby says "What??? She has beautiful eyes, in Ontario the natives are known for having the most beautiful eyes" hahahaah.. I told him that I didn´t think that was a compliment for the average BC girl, and just to stick with "You have pretty eyes". We have had so many good times growing up Heath! Hanging out just to have naps, watching Friends over and over again, living together in an expensive bachelor pad! Make up exams, hockey tournaments, Merritt, chick flicks, you dying my hair blue, getting ultra dressed up for a new years party in my own house lol! Aw man, looking forward to us in the future! (L) Tim Mcgraw, Shania, Merritt roadtrip!
(February 2009) At the RE/MAX tourny, on the last night when we got back to the hotel. All the guys crashed my room, where I was staying with my kewl roomie Mary! We ended up telling jokes and laughing until we cried ... it carried on until 6:15 am...we fell asleep for an hour or so, before we had to pack up and check out. One of the funniest nights of my life hands down! Next door was a guy from the hockey tourney and his wife. His wife walked by me the next morning and glared at me like I was the devil... then the husband came to my car window with a smile on his face and I apologized for all of us keeping them awake. He laughed and said he so badly wanted to come and join in the laughter (obviously his wife didn´t like that idea), but instead he just listened through the walls. Too funny! Yay for Feb 2010 in Edmonton! Marmaleeze!!!
(All my life) At Point Holmes with the Websters! Motorcycles since we were 5 on the property, and now the rides together on the big bikes! Ben and I trying to spy on our older siblings, while also trying to collect baby ducks and chickens in ice cream buckets! All the homemade movies! Getting the giggles when Auntie Mare would try to put us to sleep... and she couldn`t get mad because she got the giggles too! LOL! Dancing with Jord! Grandma Pat asking me before I left "Is matrimony in your future deary?" LOL! All the card games with Grandma, Doris and Benny... and now Alana! Myrons Naked! *Shudder* hahaha. Goob and Jeff hiding and filming while Ben and I took the tabs of pop cans, shook them, and threw them at Larry who was chopping firewood with an axe, wearing a cast on his broken leg.... that part is just cruel.... but looking back on how fast he chased us up the stairs with a cast, while swinging the axe AND swearing, is priceless! I miss Larry! He is one of my favourite childhood people for SURE! LOL One time Ben and I made "mucky duck" (put a hose into an area with really nice dirt, made a nice consistency of mud that we could make great mud balls with), and had the genius idea of throwing it at cars on lazo road. We must have run out of good dirt, because this particular batch had small rocks in it. We smoked a brand new red SUV while standing on the pickle (the name we gave one of the hills at the front of the property). It hit the brakes, and we took off! Apparently the owner of the car got out, saw that his vehicle was scatched, and came onto the property to find our parents. We got spanked. lmao! Or the time when Ben and I had set up a lemonade stand at the top of my driveway. No one was stopping so Ben decided on a new strategy; stand in the middle of the road with your arm up signalling Stop! Lmao. One car stopped then told him to get out of the way... and as they drove by he gave them the bird!!! Hahahah. I didn´t even think he knew what that meant! I think we were 7, it was amazing. All the summers camping at the lakes were stellar..zee Microfilm! Drink, Swear, Steal and Lie ;) Chasing the mysterious Zorro, the root cellar, the creepy bear head, candle making! I am so thankful to have grown up with you guys so close! Here is a picture of Ben, Jeff and I on a ride before I left. I like it, I love it, I want some more of it!
(1997 or close to it) When Goob and 2 of his friends tied fishing line to one of my moms old purses, then put it on the main road by our house that goes to the ferry terminal. One or two of them would hide in the forest, while one was up in a tree on the other side with the video camera and a walkie talkie. People would stop to pick up the purse and just as they got close, the filmer would walkie talkie the boys to pull the purse away! Lmao. They had it all on film and I watched it over and over and over. I havent seen it for years, but sometimes I still replay the reactions in my mind and it gets me everytime!
(2000) Golfing with Auntie Rhonda at Longlands. Learning to golf also taught me how to swear. I think I hit everything except the ball! Lol. I failed to excel at golfing, but I always had so much fun with my aunte!
(Childhood Summers) In Vancouver with the Cooke`s! I always looked forward to Playland and Splashdown every year, and it never got old! Playing cops and robbers with cap guns was one of my favourite past times! I miss those adrenalin rushes! One time we were on the way to a wedding (I think cousin Jer in Lilloet 1994?), and we traveled with the cookes. In one van was the older siblings and our dads, and in the other was me, Dave, Jules and our Moms. We were telling jokes on a scary part of the highway somewhere passed Whistler. Dave couldn`t have been anymore than 8 years old when he busts out with a joke about 3 couples at breakfast... One says to his wife "Pass the sugar, sugar", the other says "Pass the honey, honey!" and the last says "Pass the bacon, Pig!" Hahahahaha. Auntie Karen laughed so hard she was crying, and the tears blocked her vision. We nearly drove right off the side of an enbankment into the river! It was classic! Really raw raps, rising up rapidly, riding the Russian radioactivity!
(Summer 07) My first trip (and only to date) to Jordan River. Zsolt took me out riding in Vic and we had an amazing day. JR is magical, so are the twisties... and him forgetting to tell me about the decreasing radius corner that I almost hit the gravel on! It`s okay... he went through the corner first then realized I hadn`t been warned... he almost crashed because he was watching in his right side mirror to see if I made it through! Haha. Just one of many great rides and times we have shared! Keep the shiny side up this season please so we can share lots more! :)
(December 1997) My birthday party in Grade 6. Actually all my birthday parties were awesome but this particular one was pricless. It was a sleepover, and my dad had completed the renovation of the green room so we were all playing upstairs. My mom said it was cake time (DQ Ice cream cake, yeah baby! I miss DQ) so Jess got up and ran to the stairs. Laura ran after her, but when Jess stopped to go down the stairs, Laura kicked jess in the back of the heel and broke her toe! LMAO! Laura is in the middle, Jess on the right.
(May 1998) Every year my friends Garth White and Garth O`Neill entered into the Tri-K for our age category. Garth O swam, Garth W biked and I ran. We always did quite well. Sometimes we would hangout after school, so one time the boys came over to my house and we were building a tree fort. We were nailing down the floor so we had loose 2 by 4`s with hangover on each side. Garth W and I knew only to walk in the centre when we were working, so we told Garth O to stay away from the edges. I guess he forgot and he stepped on the overhang... down he went! It wasnt that far of a fall, but he broke his arm! lmao. He got up and we kept working. Eventually he said his arm was sore and it wasnt until later in the night that he figured out it was broken. His mom never let him come to my house again! I guess she thought we must have pushed him off or something! Too funny.
(Summer of 1992) Goob had hockey school in Port McNeil so me and my parents went up there for the week. I quickly made friends with a cute little guy named TinTin. He was a year or two older than me, and had a brother in the same hockey school. We were pretty much inseperable. After a couple of days, we wanted to go swimming at the pool beside the rink. He went to see his parents to get his swim trunks and I did the same. My mom got me into my bathing suit and we walked back over to TinTin`s camper. He walked out and saw me, and with a horrified look on his face he turned to his mom and quietly said "Is this a joke??????" Hahahaha. One of the many times I was mistaken for a boy in my younger years! Mud on your face, big disgrace, kickin your can all over the place singin we will, we will ROCK YOU!
(March 2001) My mom rented the hockey rink for my friends and I to play on during school time, it was awesome! My mom is the best! Anyways she also invited David from Vancouver. I wasnt expecting to see him so I couldnt figure out who this random guy was on our ice! My friends and I were wearing full gear, but he only had skates, gloves and stick. Eventually we were introduced and we all had fun scrimmaging. I took a shot on net and he was backchecking, then I turned to curl up the boards and he was hooking me with a lot of strength. I spun around and released the weight causing him to loose his balance and his head bounced off the aluminum part that holds the plexiglass in place! We were skating pretty fast so I didnt really see it happen. Eventually we went to pick up the pucks and he leaned forward and Jess says "uhh.. you`re bleeding a lot" LOL! He hit his head hard enough that it concussed him... anyway we all left the ice and it turned out that one of the girls` dad was a doctor. He had a look and said David definitely needed stitches (and he hated needles!). The next day the whole side of his face was swollen and he had a black eye that was shut from swelling. The injury wasn`t funny... except when people would say to him "I would hate to see the other guy!" and he had to respond with "Actually, she`s fine!" lmao! How is that for making a good first impression? I left a mark, literally!
Is it disturbing that I get such a kick out of people getting injured? I am a sucker for slapstick humour! I will have you know that I also think its funny when I get hurt, after the fact of course.
(June 1992) We welcomed a new member into the family in 1991 - Bruiser! Our beautiful black lab. He was about a year old when my mom and I took him for a walk down to the mailboxes. I decided it would be fun to go for a ride on his back. It was pretty fun until we were trotting along and all of a sudden he looks up at this large stump and SPRINTS away! I flew off, landing on the dirt road. I wasn`t that hurt, but my mom started laughing and couldn`t stop! I was 6 years old and wanting my mom to see if I was okay, but she was laughing too hard so I got angry at her lol! I remember crying and being angry at her for hurting my feelings, but the whole event was priceless. I wish we had it on film!
(January 1998) I had got a NERF gun just recently as a birthday present. It had soft foam darts with rubber suction cups on the end to stick to windows and such. Darryl came over (friend of my brother Mike) and was checking out the nerf gun. He shot one of the darts at me and hit me right in the eye - I was stunned so I paused, and then it started to sting so I started crying. To this day, Darryl imitates me getting hit, pausing, and then beginning to cry. Lmao. Heeeyyyyyy Marianne, what`s your game now, can anybody play!
(1997) Speaking of eyes... during the latter half of the 90´s, our house was over run by big flying ants every year! They were freaky and super annoying... but Goob found a way to make it fun! We used to get elastic bands out of the junk drawer and shoot them at the ants. We developed pretty good aim after a while! Our ceilings downstairs were textured with gyproc... so sometimes part of the ant would remain hanging off the roof. Surely that sounds disgusting, but it was kind of like a trophy for us. We were proud of them, we even named one "Ant Horker", I am not sure why lol. Anyways one time we shot an ant above us on the roof and the guts flew into my eye! I think it is pure acid inside those little devils! LOL. Anyway thats another one that wasnt funny at the time but makes me laugh now.
(May 2005) Leah and I went to the liquor store on a Tuesday night in abby and as we were leaving, these two guys pulled up. The one guy was trying to get Leahs attention and we were laughing... somehow Leah started talking to the guy and he told us they were getting alcohol and having a party. We had no bad vibes about it so we went to the quiet guys house...sure enough, we were the only ones there! LOL! We had fun though. The more talkative of the guys was named Cam, and the quiet one was Glen. Cam told Leah he was "so amazed with my eyes that he just HAD to see them again". He was hitting on her in one breath and then in the next, he was telling her he was on a sabatical due to the messy breakup with his ex! HAHAHA. Anyway, Glen was super kewl, I was apparently his Tiny Dancer. He had multiple autographed hockey sticks from NHL players! I think he was going to give me one but I didn´t take it, he was drunk lol. We had so many good times in Abbotsford! One other time, we were at a Country Music Awards show because Geoff sat on the board and got us tickets. We were dressed up in our cowgirl stuff, and somehow this lady in the line up took offense to Leah. We weren´t doing anything but standing there so I would have to conclude she just didn´t like Leah being young and so pretty! Anyhow, the lady ended up telling Leah to "Go back to work on her corner" lmao!!! Leah looks as much like a hooker as I look like a stripper! I often think of our times together... from camping at the lakes every summer, to our Campbell River roadtrips in your white car and singing to the Dixie Chicks at the top of our lungs, to getting back in touch after years and living together...Keith Urban roadtrip to Seattle! Sneaking me in (underage) to the Voodoo for your birthday in CR, Toothless Joe at mill lake (lmao), 302! Lmao, Leah reminded me of this so I have to tell you one more side story. For some reason, Leah had her cat "kitten" in her car. The cat somehow managed to climb INTO the dashboard of the vehicle and we couldn`t get her out! Leah was severely panicked and I wasn`t quite sure what to do, so we decided to call this guy named Scott who originally was hitting on me and then switched to Leah. Hahaha. He showed up with tools and took the dash apart to get the cat out. It was priceless. I don`t think either of us spoke to Scott again! haha! CANADA DAY celebrations with Jess, 2 massive bottles of wine, Canadian flag tatoos on our foreheads, a stolen sign, fireworks, and pictures of camero Dave in the waistband of my pants. HAHA Unreal. Our alberta trips, being your one and only Piffer Peach, your wedding, and now our Calgary randomness. Haha. You are the bestest friend I could ask for! So if anyone asks, not that they would...we`ll be down in Mississippi, and up to no good! MY PHONES ON VIBRATE FOR YOU!
(June 2008) Training with some special people for our Canada Day Belly Dance Performance!!! We had a couple practices weekly in my living room when I moved into the beach house. It had nice hardwood floors and no furniture, so it made the perfect studio! Anyhow, we were partially in our costumes as we got closer to the performance to make sure everything was fitting properly, and wouldn´t move while we danced. We wore decorative bra´s with jingles attached. One night, my landlords from Edmonton were in town and came to the house to introduce me to their daughters, but we didn´t hear the knocks because of the music. They went to the front yard to look into the living room, but they were shocked by our lack of shirts so they weren´t sure how to get our attention. LOL, eventually one of the dancers said "Uhm, there are people waving on the lawn". When we went to the window to look out, Don was waving but keeping his arm over his eyes because he wasn´t sure if he was supposed to be seeing what was going on! Hahaha. We ended up inviting them in and explained what was happening. That preparation was worth it, as we had a great performance on Canada Day at the Sid! My parents, Mike & Judi and my cousin Jord all came to the show! After everything I have done in my life, I smile when I think that it took a belly dance performance to make my Dad proud of me! Oh well, its a good feeling even if it was an unlikely event! It was great fun performing dance on a stage, in front of a GREAT audience! I am sad about missing this year, but glad to hear it went well! And thank you to the girls for making my costume, you are great!
(2009) Living at the beach house with Goob, Danika, Mike, Judi, Hannah and Braden! Hahahaha, 3 fun parties (I said ooh girl, shock me like an electric eel!)... some funny events I won´t mention. Fitting 20 plus people on the awesome, massive bed that Goob made! Emptying a 40 pounder into the blender with Judi Juice! Eating wonderful food prepared by Judi & Danika! Hannah & Bradens little voices at the bottom of the stairs, "Can we come up?" haha, Bradens crush on Danika! Goob and I chipping away the ridiculous amount of ice that created a 3 inch sheet over the driveway. Always shovel your driveway before the snow turns to ice and you have to use ice picks, crow bars and torches to make the driveway useable! Haha. Mike trying shut off the burner where he had been warming up soup for Mom, but instead putting the burner on High and then going out... and in turn boiling it dry, then lighting all the wooden/silicon utensils on fire! Again, not funny at the time. My first experience putting out a fire lol! I am so thankful for the memories!
(Forever) Visits with auntes, uncles, cousins, and my grandma`s! Pondering life with my auntes and uncles is always fun, and I try to get regular visits in if I can. Visiting with uncle Ray and Auntie Glady, laughing til I cried about the time they went to watch this band play. The musicians were so old that one of them actually FELL ASLEEP during the performance, and the other ones were in such deep concentration that they didn`t even notice! LMAO! Catching up with Uncle Brad Webster by fluke in Victoria and enjoying some catch up time! Grandma Kitty seems to get funnier all the time, especially when she isn´t mad at me for taking the front seat of the car, or for some other form of disrespect I showed lol. All the Turkey Dinners at home and in Port Alberni, Christmas` through the years with the Cooke`s, Family reunions are ALWAYS something I look forward to - and 5 years is just too long! Yay for 2010! Just take those old records off the shelf, sitt and listen to `em by myself... todays music ain`t got the same soul, I like that old time Rock n Roll!
(1991-1993) Having Mrs. Sutcliffe as a teacher THREE YEARS IN A ROW and our mutual dislike growing with each year! I am pretty sure I got booted into the hall way at least three times a week. Looking back, I am not sure what I could have done so frequently to deserve to be removed from the class room. Perhaps it just became a habit - rather than dealing with me, just ship me off to the hallway for a while. I didn`t mind, school wasn`t my strongpoint lol!
(Summer 06, 07, 08) All the weddings that Geoff and I went to together! Hahaha... At the first one, his Mom tried to get information out of him about the nature of our relationship NINE TIMES before the ceremony had even started! He successfully changed the subject each and every time! It was priceless to watch the reactions. We thought that wedding 2 would be a good time to put a pillow under my dress, hahaha, until Geoffs brilliance brought up the fact that I wouldn`t be able to drink if we went through with that prank! Amazing times - sorry I can`t join you this year, hope you find a good replacement ;). Camping & Boating with Jeremy and Tyson! Great times up at Golden Ears, and out on Pitt Lake getting sun burnt, getting to know your amazing family... enjoying the serenity with you guys! I will truly miss it this year! I don`t think you know the value of your smile, how that one small gift can make the worst day seem worthwhile ;)
(1999) My dad decided that I had to do 2 years of Piano Lessons with Mrs. Purvis *shudder* to give it a fair chance. I have always been sure about what I like and don`t like, but I respected him teaching me that sometimes it`s not enjoyable to become more well rounded all the time. Let me tell you though - the only thing that got me through the last few months was the fact that my mom let me drive the green caravan on the back roads to and from the lessons! Hahaha! Mostly it was on the dirt roads out by the Huband gravel pit, but it really doesn´t matter whether its dirt or pavement when you are ripping around on the roads at 12 years old! HAhahah Mom you are the best! This brings me back to the time that Ben and I (11 years old) had the Ford Escort up the back along with grandmas old Datsun and played "Hide & Seek" in vehicles instead of on foot.... until one time we were near the houses and our parents came in the driveway! Lmao, game over.
(December 06) Teaching Don Nicholas how to play wickets while reffing a really boring midget girls game in Burnaby. Hahaha - here is some brief history: Don is definitely over 60 and wears glasses with coke bottle lenses, he is affectionally nicknamed Mr. Magoo. Wickets is a game we play as refs, with the object being to get the puck to go between your legs and points are awarded. You lose points if you miss a call because you were trying to get a wicket lol. Anyways, I was surprised that he was catching on so quickly! He got more into the game of wickets than the actual game we were reffing. At one point, he actually turned his back (a big reffing no no) to the play AND missed an offside call just to get a point! LMAO, I was laughing so hard that I couldn´t blow my whistle to call the offside for him! One of many fond reffing and wicket memories for sure!
(December 2007) Heading up to Fort St John while Snowflake had his spleen removed! They actually cut his abdomen open from 1 inch to the right of his sternum in an arc to his left hip!!! As soon as the surgery was done, I was able to visit. He was pretty messed up on morphene. The nurses told him that the body heals better when your brain isn`t aware of the pain, so he had to take the morphene. If he didn`t push the button himself, then they would put him on an automatic drip lol! Anyways he would try to talk but fade in and out of conversation, it was kind of funny! Eventually when reality struck, he showed me the cut. They literally STAPLED the massive cut closed! Normal, metal staples. I could not believe my eyes! I have never seen someone recover so quickly from surgery. Snowflake you are a MACHINE! Shooting a handgun for the first time at the range in Edmonton... laughing uncontrollably at the comedians, watching hockey games, hanging out in Vic, bodybuilding show in Van! I admire your dedication to the sport and your discipline, it`s inspiring! Such good memories! Can`t wait until we train together! The scar shrunk considerably :)
(April 2004) Waking up from a nap in Coquitlam... walking into the kitchen and seeing the sweetest little Black & White baby rabbit hopping under my kitchen table! My sweet little Neko boy!!! David and I lived in an apartment so we couldn´t get a pup. I am so glad I got my Neko instead! I spent hours and hours with him everyday. Eventually he followed me everywhere I went, and was annoyed if I ever shut the bathroom door without letting him in. Haha. When I went back to school, my mom and I picked out a friend for him in Campbell River for company. Another little gray rex named Pebbles! When they first met, Pebbles kicked him in the face... but 10 minutes later they became best friends and remain that way! What is it with relationships starting with such violence and then turning out to be so good? hahaha. I love and miss my little bundles of love! I need some distraction, oh beautiful release! Thanks for looking after them Mom!
(September 2003) Playing for the Steelers in Vancouver and meeting one of my very best friends Katie! Attending Nationals together in Calgary in 04 and losing at the end of Double OT to miss our chance at the bronze medal game. That tournament was SUCH a blast! My Mom and Auntie Rhonda came to cheer me on. Our weekends at the Whistler Tournie, meeting up on the island for a night on the town in Vic... and deciding that since it was 4 am there was no point in paying for a hotel. We started to drive back to Nanaimo but I got tired and we slept in the car for a couple hours haha! Meeting up in Van, picking up Leah on the side of the highway and trying to get her attention while she waited in "the" Camaro! Hahaha. Our crazy weekend on Galiano when the storm knocked the powerpoles and transformer into the roof of our cabin. Aw, I miss you, come back from the US! We need to race around on the rockets. Maybe some snowboarding in Colorado is on the agenda for the winter ;) You`re on my heart just like a tattoo
(March 2009) Mike & Judi re-introducing me to the the beautiful west coast after more than 15 years since my one and only visit! Great roadtrip, lots of interesting stops, amazing beaches, a trip to the look-out (courtesy of Goob & friends), seeing the Innchanter, getting great pictures! Lots of time to be spent here with you two in the future... Hot Springs cove, Cougar Annie´s garden! Or maybe the Streets of Philadelphia!
(December 2008) The night Jer made me dinner at his new house. We ate, had more than a few drinks, then went snowshoeing around the neighbourhood!!! That was my first experience with snowshoeing, and it was hilarious. Maybe because my coordination wasn´t at its best, and I kept sinking into the snow and falling instead of gracefully walking on the surface! When we first left the house, Jer slipped off one of those 3 foot mounds that the snowplow made! I was walking slightly ahead of him, so he thought I didn´t notice. I purposely delayed my laughter until he was on two feet again! LMAO! All the fun times helping me train for ball hockey! Countless games of frisbee and aerobie at Louis Park, bike rides, the nightmare of purchasing your house! I am very sad you are posted but I have faith you will be back so we can make some more memories!
(July 1997) My brother Mike taking me tubing on an air mattress down the Puntledge river from the fish hatchery! I got introduced to going through rapids which are referred to as "washing machines" lol. Mike loves thrills so I had no choice but to join in the fun! Looking forward to going to a six flags with you in the future bud! Perhaps you are the only one who would enjoy the rollercoasters as much as me as an adult. Although at California Adventure Park, Goob and I had a blast sitting at the front of the biggest coaster there! Zero to 60 faster than I thought was possible lol!
(June 1999) Goob took me on my first ever ride on a sportbike (black & yellow Honda CBR 600) being his first passenger ever! Looking back through the chapters of your life, searching for the story line... I decided then and there that I would own a sportbike at some point and sure enough, I made good on that promise to myself. So much fun! Especially when the helmet was too big, wind got in the sides and pulled it backwards off my head! Good thing I had the chin-strap done up so it could choke me while the wind filled the place my head should have been! Lol!!! I am still sad about the time we tried to go camping together on one of the islands... but me, mom and dad crossed the rough waters on the sea doo and it was too rough to go back and get you :( I hung out on Russ Nelsons boat (I think???) but it definitely wasn´t as fun as our camping mission would have been. Good thing we did lots of camping up at the lakes! Haha speaking of camping - that time we went as a family along the Sunshine Coast and took Bruiser dog with us. He got out of Goobs tent in the middle of the night, went down to the water and was persistently barking at the Otters!!! Somehow Goob managed to get him back and in the tent(soaking wet) before the guy in charge of the campsites came by to find out if it was our dog causing all the trouble! LOL! Goob insisted it wasn´t - "Nope, our dog is right here in my tent. He has been sleeping here all night"! Hahaha. And on the same trip, we went golfing... Mike hit a ball on a hole where the green was through some trees. We thought it was safe but Mike hit further than he expected, so he yelled "Fore" and all we heard was "MOTHER F&/(&·ER" etc! Lmao! My favourite golf moment! Glory days!
(October 2007) Taking Hannah & Braden through the woods where I spent so much childhood time building forts, hacking trails, playing cops & robbers. The kids were awesome and fearless, treading through the trails and climbing up the steep hill that we needed to use rope for assistance! I felt like I was 8 years old again, in the same woods where Dustin, Kyle and I built tree forts... building trails with Ben with saws and other dangerous sharp items... when we somehow disturbed a bees nest! We ran like stink to get home but the bees were persistent. I think we ended up with 3 or 4 stings each! Thank goodness (but surprisingly) that was the only bees nest we angered! Spill the wine
(Summer of 1989) We had a good family friend named Grant Wilson. Apparently I had a crush on him. One time he came over to the house to go fishing with my Dad and probably my brother Mike. I thought I was going, and when told otherwise, I think I threw a fit! He made it up to me by taking me to DQ and getting me a chocolate dipped cone. I ate it in my highchair with a massive grin on my face. Could this be when I fell in love with DQ, down on the boomdocks!!! haha :)
(August 1995) On our way to a family reunion, we had borrowed my Grandma´s van because it had air conditioning. Coming down the big hill by Trail, something started to really stink! We thought it was the city itself... but when we got to the gas station, we realized that it was the smoke from the brakes in our van! hahaha. It must have been around this same time that we went to Keremeos and couldn´t get the hide-a-bed out to sleep on. We went to buy produce at those markets. At one, I got a chocolate milk. We went to the other market for some better corn, and the cashier made us pay for the chocolate milk, even though it was almost gone and I bought it at the other store! Hahaha. A classic moment on one of our road trips!
(August 2005) Dad taking us out on his boat to visit Ford Cove & Tribune Bay. We took Grandma Pat & cousin Diane from Saskatoon. Another awesome trip to the same place when we had Auntie Rhonda with us as well! Countless fun times out on the boat. One time we all got stuck on Denman because it got too rough to go home. We dug clams and cooked them over a fire on the beach... everyone promised that I would like the clams dipped in butter so I tried one - nope, sure didn`t like it! Haha. I will always remember the trips here with the Harbottle`s. They really loved Henry Bay! We may lose and we may win, though we will never be here again...so take it Easy!
(Summer 1996) When Ben and I went to Victoria to stay with Uncle Al & Auntie Joyce! Auntie Joyce buying us lottery tickets, renting "Hear no Evil, See no Evil" (because I promised that my parents rented it for me even though it was rated R)for us so we could watch it over and over again, eating junkfood! The best part was riding the train home on our own, but with "supervision" from Wendy Langdale, who was sitting away from us looking after her own two kids. Auntie Joyce bought us these sling shots that shot koosh balls, attached to stretchy rubber so that hooked onto the slingshot. This guy in the section of seats across the isle from us was asleep with his mouth open snoring. We were trying to shoot the koosh balls and land them in his mouth! Hahahaha. Best time ever on a train!
(October 2006) My first opportunity to do photowork with Jules! He wrote a couple stories about Real Estate and took some pictures for the newspaper. Lots of fun, adventurous times between us and some great art produced! While we were at the beach walking along with my mom, this doberman came towards us barking. Mom & Jules high-tailed it lol! I waited until the dog got within 15 feet and then she stopped and looked at me. I called her, she came over so I bent down to say hello. Jules is always in focus and managed to snap one of my favourite pictures ever! You rock Jules, truly talented! You are in my thoughts along with little Tassja, the only JRT I have ever liked!
(October 2007) "Dressing up" as the HULK for Halloween and going out with Carter! hahaha. She deemed it the best Social Experiment she has ever participated in... and what an experiment it was! Best Halloween Ever!
(October 2008) The start of my life on Couchsurfing! It is such a wicked project. I have hosted, surfed, met wonderful people from all around the world! My awesome parents have even hosted for me since I left for Europe. Here is a picture with the nice French boy from when my parents took him on a boat trip with Hannah & Braden!
(March 2006) Getting back in touch with one of my favourite boys ever! I am so happy for where your life is right now! It makes me smile to know that you see enough in me to forgive me, when you could have easily dismissed me for my mistake. Thanks for that, and teaching me that sometimes second chances come along! You are frrrrrresh Aar in my life! And I can`t make it on my own, because my heart is in Ohio ;)
(November 2008) Reffing an old timers game at SC2 one night, this crazy charming guy kept goofing around on the ice. I knew everyone on both teams except for him! During the handshake I put my hand out, he skated up slowly and went to shake my hand but instead yelled "AHHHHHHHHHHH" and picked me up! Hahaha, it scared the crap out of me. That was my introduction to the one and only REV! Building a friendship has been awesome and so was the training all winter at your gym! You are very special and have an incredible power to influence people in an inspiring way. I am excited for you this year, it is going to be big. Here I go again on my own, going down the only road I`ve ever known! Miss you tons! xoxo
(Summer 2000) My parents took me and the boat camping at Deep Bay. My brothers didnt join us so I was allowed to bring a friend. I took Becky Crawford who I had been in the swim club with years earlier. We were out on the Sea-doo in the open waters, and my parents were in the boat. I had the safety for the key clipped onto my lifejacket, so that if we fell off, the key would come with us. I was doing donuts with the craft and then going into the middle of all the waves... one big wave ended up tipping us off! Unfortunately, the safety clip came off the zipper of my lifejacket and the key remained in the machine! The Sea-doo was idling around in the water by itself, hahaha. Luckily, Becky is a quick thinker. She ditched her life jacket, swam to the Sea-doo (which was doing large circles, when I fell off I turned the handlebars to the left) and hit the kill switch. Many good memories! When we first got the Sea-doo, my dad rigged it so that I could only make it go up to a certain speed. I remember when he took off the restrictor... the throttle was controlled by my right thumb. I hit a wave which caused me to grab tighter on the handlebars and my thumb gave the thing gas! I quickly realized why it had been restricted when I was younger haha. Remember the good times? And least you forget; we have no, no regrets!
(December 2004) Realizing that there are people in my life who will drop EVERYTHING to be there for me when I need them. The time doesn`t matter; day, night, giving me your undivided attention for as long as I need. Letting me use your shining light when mine went out. Knowing that I need you even when I haven´t said anything. You are an Angel and the only person who has faithfully been there for me everytime I have needed you. He was always there to help her, she always belonged to someone else... and she will be loved. Thank you!!!
(January 2007) Kelly and I were at a RE/MAX function in Kelowna, but we both had our own hotel rooms. We went for dinner in the hotel (which was awesome), and we kept noticing this group of big guys loitering at the entrance. There was a couple guys behind me, a few tables away that Kelly kept looking at. Eventually she says "I am pretty sure that big guy on the left is an actor in a movie". I had my back to them, so I turned to look and both the guys looked right back at me, I turned back around. "I don`t recognize them.." so a few minutes go by and she says "Yea, he is in that movie with a whole bunch of little kids, and Steve Martin". I hadn`t seen it so I still didn`t get the reference. Each time I tried to catch a peek, they both looked over in sync! We found out afterwards that there was a Snoop Dogg concert playing next door that night, and he was staying at this hotel. Apparently he had taken over the entire 4th floor, but both Kelly and I were on the sixth. Later that night (1 am)Kelly was wandering around the hotel in her PJs (that had cowboy boots on them, HAHA!) because she couldn´t sleep. She ended up meeting the guys we saw at dinner, who started talking to her and said they saw us keep looking at them. Kelly told them she thought that the one guy was an actor but her friend (being me) didn`t recognize either of them. Turns out it was Ice Cube! Oops, guess I should watch TV more often! She ended up hanging out with them for the night, drinking Gray Goose Vodka straight lol. She said he had a wicked hotel room and the guy with him was his friend/body gaurd. Since there was two of them, Ice Cube was telling Kelly to go get her "daughter" (hahaha, that would be me) with the blonde pony tail. Kel knew I was sleeping so she didn`t call me. I just about slapped her the next morning lol! After a few minutes, she says to me "I really should have called you last night, I would have been more comfortable if there was two of us!"... THANKS GENIUS! Hahaha. We had such great times at all the conventions, and working together!
This trip has taught me some new things and also reminded me of how blessed I am! There are many memories that fill my head but of course I cannot share them all. I hope you all know (including people/memories that weren`t mentioned here) that you have had an impact on who I am, and I am thankful for that.
I would love for you to comment here with any of your favourite memories! Hope you enjoyed the long read :)
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