Nickie's Life

Moving my blog

2010-09-09T00:09:00.000-07:00

I've moved! Although blogger is great, they don't have a good iphone interface, so I've hopped over to wordpress. Come stop by! http://missnickie.wordpress.com/

Crowded backseat

2010-09-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

We drove bro back to OR to pick up his car and head back home to LA. I offered multiple times to sit in the backseat with the two dogs, but he said he didn't mind. At one point I looked back and this is what I saw....

Note how my puppy is not only nuzzled against him, but also has her leg fully wrapped around him. Yeah, she's a snuggler!

Whistler camping

2010-09-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

Phil's family is spread out over the west coast - his bro is in LA, parents in OR and we are in NW WA (how do you like all those initials?). We were so excited when bro announced he was coming for a visit in August during his time off to do some mountain biking. Parents heard about it and thought they would tag along as well. And thus began the gong show that is family vacation!

Now let me expand on that last statement - by gong show I mean the usual hilarity that ensues when you bring grown children back together with their parents, toss in an in-law (that would be me), 2 dogs and a camping trip. We had a great time! The boys did a bunch of biking, the parents did the zip trek course, and I curled up with a book beside the river - HEAVEN!!!

This was my view for my morning coffee...

On top of the peak at Whistler

Riding the Peak to Peak

We had a great few days together and really got to enjoy whistler!

iPhone 4

2010-08-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

One thing that I did forget to mention yesterday was that I got a new iPhone!!! We've been wanting to get me one since November.... me for the convenience of it, and Phil so that I won't be stealing his all the time! I had planned on pre-ordering one, then getting it when it came out in late June.

And that is where the shenanigans started. AT&T stopped taking pre-orders, so i ordered one through Best Buy. I checked in at 2 weeks - still nothing. I called at 4 weeks and asked "oh yeah, it's sitting right here". Yeah thanks, you couldn't have bothered to call me? Seriously annoyed.

Then we got the good news that I would be able to go onto the corporate plan at Phil's work which will save us a lot of money. The problem was that Best Buy couldn't do corporate plans. So, we ordered on from AT&T... and just in time because I smashed my other phone by accident at Whistler.

So finally, last friday night I got my iPhone. And I'm LOVING it!!!!

If you know of any good apps I should download, please leave a comment!

Nothing to write about

2010-08-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted here in over a month... I would love to say that I have tons of exciting stories to catch you all up on, but alas, I don't. So what have I been doing for the past month? WORK, then work, then some more work!

I'm working my usual shifts, but I've also taken on some new projects. There is a series of workshops that new graduate nurses attend in their first 6 months of working. I have spoken about my experiences as a new grad at a few of them, and have also started being small group facilitator at another one. The facilitator role involves leading the group through a case scenario and it's actually a lot of fun!

That's about it though. I've been biking a couple of days at Whistler, and actually feel like I'm improving a lot this year.

I'll try to post more soon... as soon as I have anything interesting :)

Triathlon

2010-06-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

For several years I have eyed the Lake Padden Triathlon, but always had a legitimate excuse for not having time for it, namely school. This year, I ran out of excuses. So, in March I signed up for my first triathlon and began training.

Saturday came and I was quite nervous! It was a cool day, and I'm not going to lie - the lake was cold! It took me about two minutes to clear the mouthful of water that I accidentally swallowed at the beginning, catch my breath and warm up. Then, I was good to go and finished my swim faster than I thought I would!

Here we are getting ready to swim. I'm one of the few without a wetsuit!

At my transition switching from biking to running.

Sprinting the final yards to the finish line

Feeling tough because I finished my first triathlon!

Family photo! Phil and Maxine both came out to support me!

My goal for the race was to finish in an hour and thirty minutes - I finished in 1 hour, 29 min and 20 seconds! So proud of myself for finishing! And now I can check that off the bucket list! Hmm... what to move on to next....

For those interested, here are the race stats: 400 yard swim, 10 mile bike, 2.6 mile run

Looking tough

2010-06-23T00:53:00.000-07:00

I got my first riding day of the year in at Whistler on Saturday. The weather was perfect, the trails were beautiful, and I had great company! I rode with Phil and my good friend Erin. Erin's been a crosscountry rider for a few years so she's quite a bit better than me, but we still have fun riding together.

Mountain biking is a very male dominated sport, so you tend to notice other girls that are riding. Erin and I would both look at other girls and think, "Wow, they must be so good! Look at their bike and all their gear! They are hard core!" But then we got to thinking, what if people think that about us?

Here we are in all our gear.

I guess it's possible that people look at us and think that WE are hard core riders!

iPhone 4

2010-06-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

Last November, after stealing Phil's iPhone to check something online/check facebook/update twitter/play a game one too many times, we decided that we should just get me an iPhone. Phil looked into it as a Christmas gift, but discovered that my contract didn't expire until the summer and the earliest I could get one would be March.

By the time March came around, rumors of the next iPhone were swirling all over the internet and we decided to just wait until the next one came out. So, in total tech-geek fashion, I read the articles speculating on when it would be announced and on the first day of the Apple conference I watched the headlines for the long awaited announcement - the iPhone 4 was coming! June 24 to be specific. Even better - the AT&T store would take pre-orders!

I didn't see any reason to rush out on the first day of pre-orders since it would be open for a week. No problem! Except that it was a problem. Due to lack of foresight/"overwhelming demand" they have already run out of inventory. Even the apple website can't ship any until July 14 and when I tried that, something went wrong.

So basically, I'm left waiting even longer. This wouldn't be that big of a deal except that my phone is painfully crappy and I just can't wait to get rid of it. Alas, I must be patient.... not one of my strong points.

Loosing a day

2010-06-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

As a full time nurse, I have an amazing schedule - 4 on, 5 off. And let me tell you, I LOVE my 5 off! Except that it's sort of only 4 off because I have resigned myself to the fact that one day will always be ost to recovering from night shift.

My usual routine after night shift is to go for coffee with a friend, or do something in the morning, power nap in the afternoon, evening with hubby, then bed at a normal time. However, my last few blocks I have come home from night shift and spent the day napping, watching a movie, napping some more, staring into space, then napping again. Relaxing? Yes. Productive? Not so much.

So this week I tried to fill my day again. Went straight from night shift to my friends place for coffee, got pedicures, ran a couple of errands, did some baking, caught up on some TV, then headed over to a friend's place for dinner. In total, I was up for over 30 hours. I was quite proud of all I had done and thought I would sleep well and be refreshed the next day.

I did sleep well, like a rock in fact, for 10 hours. And then proceeded to spend the rest of my day watching a movie, napping, walking the dog, napping.... and basically it was a lost day.

So, whether it's my first day off or the next, I have resigned myself to the fact that I will lose one of my days off to sleep. And really, that's ok because I LOVE sleep!

Goofy times

2010-06-11T07:24:00.000-07:00

Had some good friends over for dinner the other night and to meet our new puppy. We got some great pics with the kids, then decided to do some goofy poses. This one turned out to be a total classic - check out how Phil looks!

5 years

2010-06-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's been 5 years already! I remember many details of the day - the partly cloudly sky, the color of my flowers, taking a moment during the day to realize that when I'm 80 years old - I will look back to this day, and of course, walking down the aisle to my husband.

Here are a few pics from the day.

Honey - I love you more and more each day! Thank you for 5 years full of adventure and here's to the next 50! Love you!

Wet Dirt

2010-06-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of rain. While the area we live in is wonderful in many respects, my biggest problem with it is the RAIN, and the mediocrity of temperatures (but that's a whole other post). I just do not like rain, particularly the drizzly type that lasts for days on end.

That being said, there are some smells that rain produces that I quite enjoy. Like on a hot summer day when it has not rained in a bit and suddenly big fat drops begin to fall from the sky.... the initial smell that results is a delight.

The other is the smell of wet dirt. As a kid I grew up camping in Birch Bay where our days would be spent galavanting around the woods, building forts, climbing, running and generally just getting dirty. There is a particular smell that the dirt in those woods has when it's wet.

You can't always smell it - there are certain conditions that bring it out. Today, I had the joy of smelling wet dirt. I was jogging at my favorite trail at Lake Padden. Parts of the trail are shaded by a canopy of trees so that very little sunlight can seep through. It was these parts that were still damp from yesterdays rain... and that sweet aroma of wet dirt wafted up, and propelled me with joy through my run.

Puppy Pics

2010-06-04T01:40:00.001-07:00

I've had a couple of requests for more pics of our sweet new puppy, Maxine. Truth is, I've been working TONS of nights and I just haven't taken any.

However, my darling hubby has a wonderful camera on his iPhone, and a blog that he posts a picture a day on. So, if you check out Shutter Chimp you will find some pics of our pup - just scroll down.

Enjoy, and I'll post some here soon.

The final get-away

2010-05-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

An hour after I got back from my marathon trek home, Phil left for Whistler. I decided to get a good night's sleep in my own bed. The next day I got up, ran some errands, then packed for one more get-away in my incredible month off.

I met the boys at our favorite campsite in Whistler. They were excessively sore from a hard day of riding! We ate dinner around the campfire and spent the evening relaxing.

Unfortunately when we got up the next morning, it was raining. Since I don't have rain gear, I sent the boys off to the mountain and I went to Starbucks and curled up in the corner with an Americano and my laptop. Not a bad way to finish my month of vacation!

The trek home

2010-05-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

After two wonderful weeks in California, it was time to head home. I decided to just suck it up and make the trip in one day. So I got up at 3:45AM, hopped in car and off I went. The drive was great all through northern California.

As soon as I crossed the state line in Oregon the clouds increased and before i knew it, rain was pouring down. But I was still making good time.

I stopped at Phil's parents house in Oregon to drop some stuff off and pick other stuff up. I quickly repacked the car, grabbed a quick bite, then hit the road again, determined to beat traffic.

Too bad it didn't work. In Portland there was an accident that backed up the highway. I finally cleared that, then 70 miles north there was another accident near Centralia. From there to north of Seattle, it was a game. 15 miles of cruising at 60 mph, then back to stop and go. Then cruise for a bit. Then back to stop and go. All. The. Way! I was so frustrated by this point and I just wanted to go home.

Finally when I got north of Seattle the highway started cruising a bit.

The final laugh of the day though came at my exit. I decided to take the 2nd exit to Ferndale to see how construction was coming along on a road project. The joke was on me - construction was going so well that the road was completely shut down. And to make it worse, I couldn't even get back on the highway to go back to the other exit. So, within minutes of home, i had to take another detour.

When I finally pulled into the garage, I got out, and collapsed onto our freshly mowed lawn and just layed there for a few minutes. 4am to 7:30PM..... I was glad to be home!

Livermore Wineries

2010-05-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

I love wine! So naturally, I love going wine tasting as well. I thought Napa Valley was the only wine country in the Bay Area, but I was so wrong! My dear cuz introduced me to the Livermore Valley wineries. Located in the south east Bay Area, this area features the oldest wineries in California. Added bonus - they are totally laid back, casual, affordable and not hoity-toity like Napa!

We enjoyed tasting at Wente, Tamas and Murrieta's well. They even had a sweet deal that if you tasted at 3 wineries, you got a $25 coupon off any purchase over $50!!!! Of course I had to taste at all three and use my coupon. Brought some great wines home!

Unpacking

2010-05-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

After our fun weekend, I dropped Phil's parents off at Ontario airport, then drove across town to drop Phil off at LAX, then hit the road north back to the Bay Area. I spent the next few days hanging out with the L family. They had just moved the weekend before so M and I unpacked, sorted, cleaned and moved furniture for most of the week. Of course we did slip in some fun - more on that tomorrow.

I also got to hang out with the little L ladies! I read bedtime stories, walked them to school, had dates with them at the Yogurt Shack, watched cheerleading practice and had Wii tournaments! So much fun!!!!

Here's Superstar and I on our yogurt date

Snuggling with all my little ladies the night before I left

My good friend and cousin Mel and I. Thanks for the great week!

Meet the family

2010-05-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

My dear bro-in-law started dating a wonderful girl last year. Unfortunately, I was stuck working when she came up to Oregon last summer, so I had yet to meet her. One of the main reasons for this trip was for us to get to know her more and to meet her family. Although I had met her on Skype, it was nice to finally meet face to face. Gotta say, my bro did well on this one! She is nice, fun, smart, sweet and perfect for Peter! And, she is in nursing school right now! These Snyder men sure know how to pick 'em! :)

We had a great time hanging out for the weekend and getting to meet her family, who are also a blast!

Thanks for the fun weekend!

Maxine

2010-05-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

We got home early from Whistler today so we decided to pick up Maxine.

She's so cute and sweet!

I'm in love with her already!

Knotts Berry Farm

2010-05-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

We decided to take advantage of being in southern California and hit up one of the many amusement parks. After MUCH debate, we finally decided on Knotts Berry Farm! I think that the major coupon we found might have helped - $32 per person is much better than the $70 that Universal Studios was going to be.

Of course by the time we had decided on Knotts, had breakfast and got the clan out the door, we had already missed the first few hours of the park. But we still had a great time. I had never been there before, so it was all new for me. They had some incredible roller coasters there!!! So much fun! My favorite, the Xcellerator, went from 0 to 82 mph in 2.3 seconds then sent you straight up - SO FUN!!!!

Here we are on a little mining ride

Waiting to go on the water log ride

We somehow convinced Roxie to go on the Perilous Plunge. Not only that, we managed to get the front row! Needless to say, we got quite wet! But it was fun. And it kept us cool for the afternoon.

The feet sticking out on the bottom are Phil's. We had fun twisting all around on this one.

After riding in the park all day we went out for the famous chicken dinner. So tasty!

Oasis in the desert

2010-05-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

The I-5 between San Francisco and LA is.... well it's boring. It's flat and straight. The only good thing about it is that you can usually go FAST! However, it's still very boring.

As Phil and I made this perilously boring trek, we reached the mid-point and decided it was time to switch off driving and get some lunch. We began to search the Around Me app on the iPhone (best road trip accessory EVER) for somewhere to eat. I was expecting that we would have to eat at some random little place, or maybe McDonalds... Subway if we were lucky.

However, fate and the iPhone smiled upon us. Two exits away was an IN-N-OUT burger! To think that we had nearly stopped else for some plain fast food, when IN-N-OUT was so close! We pulled off, got our YUMMY burgers, ate, were content, then hit the road again.

As we looked at the map after, on our IN-N-OUT app on the iPhone (yes there is an app, and yes do have it), we saw that it was the ONLY one in central California! And then we felt even luckier.

Thank you IN-N-OUT! Thank you iPhone!

PS - yes, I'm obsessed with the iPhone and I don't even have one yet!

Tacky tourist

2010-05-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

I hate looking like a tourist. When we were in Europe we ran into the quintessential tacky tourists - they were fat, loud north americans, with awful patterned sweat pants, fanny packs, and cameras hanging around their necks, who spent most of their time complaining about how things were different! Since the moment I saw them, I swore that I would NEVER look or sound like that.

So when I'm traveling, I try to always look stylish, still wear cute shoes, and use a normal purse rather than a traveling backpack. Such was the case as we took the BART into San Francisco last week. I kept my camera nicely tucked away and walked with an air of confidence that declared I was a local. Of course I'm not, but whatever.

As we got to Pier 39, I realized the ridiculousness of my little charade. I was at Pier 39.... it doesn't get much more touristy than that! So I embraced the moment, got out my camera, and just kept it around my wrist. I ate over priced fish and chips, and a yummy bowl of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I bought cheesy magnets that say Fisherman's Wharf and even posed by the sign for a pic... and I loved every moment of it!

Posing with Alcatraz in the background

Phil on Pier 39

Watching all the fat sea lions

L ladies

2010-05-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

Our next stop after Oregon was the Bay Area. We stayed with Phil's uncle in Berkeley and used it as our home base for a few days of sightseeing and seeing friends.

My dear cousin, who abandoned me by moving away from Bellingham several years ago, picked me up in the morning for a day of fun. We did some window shopping, hit IKEA, and just hung out with the girls after school. Our hubbies then joined us and we headed for a nice dinner out.

Here I am posing with my favorite little L ladies

Phil played outside with the girls - meaning he got a turn on the little car!

A was the bravest - whipping around the corner at wicked speeds

All together!

Driving

2010-05-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that we are a week into our road trip already. We left last friday and drove from our place to Phil's parents house in Oregon. We spent Saturday with Phil's fam then hit the road again on Sunday. The drive was actually less boring than I had expected and we enjoyed some beautiful scenery along the way.

The highlight of the drive was our stop at In-N-Out in Redding, CA. Usually a stop at In-N-Out is enough in of itself to be exciting, but this stop also included a visit with my dear friend Jen! We were buddies back at TWU and have kept in touch over the years. We had planned on getting one of our "we're so cute" pictures together, but alas we forgot. I guess I'll just have to go and visit her in Washington DC to get the pic!

10 years

2010-05-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

Phil and I met 10 years ago. I was sorting through some stuff and came across this picture of us on the Oregon coast during the first summer that we hung out together. Ahh, memories!

Expanding

2010-05-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

After 5 years of marriage, Phil and i have decided to expand our family. So... we're getting a puppy! And you all thought I was going to say we were pregnant! HA!

We've been talking about getting a dog for years and finally the time seems right, mostly because school is finally finished! It's a big jump in responsibility for us. We're used to the cats which you can easily leave for the weekend by loading up their food dishes. It's going to be weird having so many daily tasks and responsibilities associated with a dog, but we're excited for it.

We are getting the dog through friends of family. We've seen the litter twice now - they are half black lab, half german pointer. We went this week and decided on the one to take home! There were 4 puppies in the litter - 3 black and 1 yellow. One of the black dogs is a boy, the rest are girls.

We are getting the yellow puppy because she has the most personality by far! When we got there she immediately came up to me to start playing! She's so cute and I can't wait to bring her home!

Tucson

2010-05-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

After some fun in Phoenix, we headed south to Tucson to see some old friends. Reid was roommates with Phil, and in the same major as me at TWU. Crazy to think we've been friends for over 10 years!

We started our visit with our now traditional lunch at Vinny's for the BEST HOT WINGS ever. Seriously! Absolutely amazing!!! It's a hole in the wall with plastic folding tables, but the wings are oh-so-good!!!!

Then we spent our afternoon wine tasting. I had no idea that Arizona had a wine country! It's centered around Sonoita and the elevation and soil there make it perfect for grapes. I've been through Napa Valley and the Okanagan wine tasting and these wines were just as good. An added bonus - so much cheaper! Most places we went tasting it was $2-$4 and you got at least 4 wines for that. You buy a glass at the first place you visit (we got ours for only $2) and then you just take it around with you tasting.

At another vineyard...

...with beautiful scenery!

... and a very cool interior

Phil posing with the barrels

The last place we went was Sonoita Vineyards and it was by far the best! $3 to try 9 wines!!!! (and yes, I am a sucker for a good deal). The wines were SOOO good!! Definitely need to go back there sometime.

By the end we had visited 4 vineyards and tried over 20 wines!

Our last day there we went to the Pima Air and Space Museum. I'm a total nerd because I thought it was so cool and absolutely loved it! They had over 300 planes displayed. Of course Laura and I found the displays that you can climb on :)

In the simulator

I think this plane is a stealth bomber. Whatever it is, it looks so freaking cool! It was first built in the 1960s and I'm always so impressed with the technology they had back then, even without an abundance of computers! Maybe they were smarter then.... or just worked harder.

In addition to the 5 hangers, they had tons of planes outside to see as well. Here we are posing under a cool helicopter designed for picking up large loads.

And that sums up our trip. The weather was great, the company fantastic, the food incredible, and the shopping unbelievable! All the makings for a wonderful vacation!

Phoenix

2010-05-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

Last week I enjoyed a wonderful vacation in Arizona with friends. The week started with some girlfriends in Phoenix for some shopping, pool side cocktails and relaxing! One of my friend's parents own a house in Scottsdale and it was the perfect get-away!

We spent time by the pool reading, tanning and swimming.

And of course we went shopping. Three women managed to buy this many shoes in only 3 days! I only lay claim to two pairs.

Here is the pool that we got to lounge by.

Hanging out with new friends.

Yummy pina coladas!

On Friday we were joined by our husbands and some other friends as well. We decided to go out for happy hour and got a stylish ride!

Here's the girls crammed into the back seat.

It's hard to read, but the sign says "Fashionable attire required" We thought it was pretty funny.

Hubby and I enjoying vacation!

My friend Elise and I

The girls again!

Saturday morning Phil and I left for Tucson to see other friends. Pictures and stories to come tomorrow!

Up Early

2010-04-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

There is a MAJOR difference between HAVING to be up early and just waking up early. On work or school days, I usually want to smash my little alarm clock to pieces when it starts singing its oh-so-annoying song! I press snooze as many times as I can and recently, I've even started setting my cell phone as a back up alarm because I'm sleeping through my regular one too much.

When I do finally drag my butt out of bed, I mumble, I walk into things, I have a funny look on my face, and generally speaking, just don't really make much sense. Hubby finds this hilarious and has frequently mocked my sleepy antics.

Based upon all this information you may think that I am not a morning person and craze the late hours of the night. Not so! The truth is, I actually LOVE being up early. I love the stillness and the quiet of the house before anyone else wakes up. I love that the world is so seems so peaceful. When I am up early on my own I feel like I have a special secret, one that I don't really want to share with anyone.

The difference between getting up for work and getting up for me really comes down to one thing - choice. When I get up early on my days off, it's because I'm choosing to do so.

On my first morning of vacation here in Phoenix I woke up at 5:10AM! I tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but it was no use. I contemplated simply laying in bed until I fell asleep again. But I knew what would happen - by 7am I would be completely sleepy again and I would stay in bed until 9, before getting up to go running and by then it would be HOT! So instead I got up at 5:30, took a few minutes to check email etc and wake up, then hit the road at 6:15am for a run.

When I got back the house was still quiet. I sat with my feet in the pool for a while, then got out the laptop to relax. In peace and quiet. In my secret time.

A month

2010-04-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

On the good advice of my co-workers, I schedule vacation time for right after my course was finished. I'm SO GLAD THAT I DID!!!!! Between my BCIT courses, clinical and the olympics, I'm pretty beat! The past four months have been wonderful, but truly exhausting.

My month off is going to be filled with traveling, relaxing, reading (I have a whole stack of books!) and fun! First Arizona, then a road trip to Oregon and California, then a few days biking at Whistler before heading back to work. I'm so excited!

I'll try to keep this updated with pictures and stories!

Finally finished!

2010-04-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

For the first time in 4 years, I am no longer a student. Yesterday I finished my final clinical shift and officially became a certified critical care nurse!

My long journey began 5.5 years ago when my mother-in-law planted the idea in me becoming a nurse. I researched, thought and prayed a lot. Then I started the journey. One year of pre-requisites (while working full time), 2 years of nursing school, then one more year for specialty. And now it's all done. I have a job that I love and a career with so much potential it's sometimes overwhelming.

Of course school is not completely over. I do plan on going to grad school, but that will come one day. Probably in a least a few years.

Until then, I will enjoy my life of freedom from studying!

Feet

2010-04-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

Feet are icky! I realize that sounds like a 4 year olds comment, but alas, it is 29 year old me saying it.

Feet are gross. Plain and simple. They get callouses on them, sometimes they smell funny, and they get that annoying sock lint stuck between the toes.

All that said, I LOVE to pamper my feet with a nice pedicure! At least with some nice nail polish on they don't look quite as ugly.

After a winter of hibernation, I summerized my feet this morning with a nice relaxing pedicure. Welcome to summer!

Runner

2010-04-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

I do not consider myself to be a runner.... or an athlete... I'm merely an exercise addict. Even though I've been running for several years, I don't consider myself to be one for several reasons. First, I'm SLOW! No really, I'm REALLY slow. I average a 11-12 minute mile. I'm steady at that pace, but that is always my pace. Second, (it's a little superficial) but I just don't look like a runner. When I think of a runner I think of those people that are uber skinny.... while I fall more into the curvy category.

Last friday night I went out for an evening run and only planned to go for about half an hour. But then I took a few turns to extend the run. When I got to what was supposed to be my turn back point, I was 28 min into my run (which I think is pretty good), but it still wasn't enough. So with barely a though, I turned left and continued up another hill. I saw a point in the distance and thought I would run until there. But when I reached that point, I STILL wasn't done, so onward and upward (literally - I was still on a hill) I went. Finally, I reached the top and decided to turn back.

I ducked through one more neighborhood on the way home. By the end, it was an 80 minute run and I'd covered 7 miles. I felt SO good!!!

And for the first time, I felt like a runner!

Polyclinic

2010-04-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

The Polyclinic was an amazing inter-disciplinary health center! It was primarily for the athletes and coaches, but we also treated olympic staff and volunteers. For a more detailed explanation of what we did, see my post here.

Here is the front reception desk where everyone would check in.

Our front waiting area had a TV showing olympic coverage 24/7. Here we are during the opening ceremonies - clinic was pretty quiet that night!

The crew on that night - nurses, physicians, paramedics, dental assistants, admin assistants.

One of our exam rooms

We had a huge mural of the olympic mascots that people could sign. I didn't sign, but I did high 5 with Quatchi!

Our dental room. They had 2 chairs and they were busy from 8am to 10pm! CRAZY!!! So many athletes just don't have access, or can't afford, dental care.

Here is our back supply room. Each of these carts is a little taller than me (I'm 5'4"). I took this shot mostly just to show how tall and big our tent was!!!

Our MMU - our pride and joy! (Again, see the last post for a full explanation of how cool this thing was!)

The main area - 6 bed ICU with every capability you could imagine!!

The OR - thankfully we didn't have to use it!

That about sums up my olympic adventures! It was such an amazing experience and will probably be a once in a lifetime event for me. Guess I'll just have to search out some new adventures now :)

Inside Athlete's Village

2010-04-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

A while ago I promised pictures of inside athletes village...finally getting to that.

But first, a little bit about athletes village. Contrary to popular belief, it was not right in Whislter Village. It was a little south, across the street from Function Junction. The site is actually Whistler's old garbage dump. As part of VANOC's "green" bid, they managed to use this site, while incorporating recycled materials to create green buildings. All of the housing they built is designated as affordable housing and has all been purchased and people will get possession this summer. Due to various regulations, the kitchens were not installed for the olympics and some of the garages were turned into extra rooms.

Ok, now for the tour!

Here was our view from the front desk of the clinic. The white tent was a big office.

As you looked right, you walked up the street to the food tent and workers entrance and exit.

Flags lined this entire street - so cool!

Behind us is a coffee house for the athletes to unwind in during their off time.

This was the food tent. It could seat 1200 people at a time for a meal!!!! Plus it had the kitchen.

This was the workers side of the food tent. Our choices were limited and definitely less gourmet than the athletes side. However, considering they were cooking for large numbers of people on a budget, I'd say they did a pretty good job!

More flags lining the street.

State of the art gym with EVERYTHING the athletes could possibly need.

Some of the townhouses

More olympic flags

Security for athletes village was insane! In January they had 300 police officers and dogs come through and sweep THE ENTIRE VILLAGE! It took them several days. Once the sweep was completed they set up a perimeter fence... and then buried another perimeter beyond that. If you tried to get in you would have police on you within seconds. That is, if the military hiding up in the mountains hadn't pounced on you yet!

This is the main entrance. Buses would drop us off here and we would clear our first checkpoint. The large building to the right is where vehicles would clear their inspections.

At this point we had to show our IDs and then clear airport style security complete with metal detects and x-ray machines. From there we would get on a bus up to the village. There we would go to workforce check-in where our IDs were scanned again, then sent on to our jobs.

A morning meeting - police were EVERYWHERE! Made you feel really safe though.

Pictures of inside the clinic to come tomorrow!

Triathlon

2010-04-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

For several years, I've had my eye on the Lake Padden triathlon. I've thought about doing it, but always had an excuse, namely school.

This year, I'm out of excuses. Therefore, on June 26, I will be doing my first triathlon! It's just a sprint triathlon so it's very short. But I'm excited none the less. 1/4 mile swim, 10 mile bike, 2.6 mile run - should be fun!

Dough hook virgin

2010-04-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I LOVE to bake! When I come home from an uber stressful day, I either want to go for a run, or bake something... or both. It just completely de-stresses me.

Generally I stay away from baking bread products. I'll admit it - I'm not that good at it. I suck at kneading dough. Furthermore, my counter is tile and the flour gets stuck in the grouting and it's hard to get off... I know, lame excuse.

This evening I decided to go on an Easter baking binge! I'm making hot cross buns, and Cinnabon style cinnamon buns! I made the hot cross buns dough the traditional way - wooden spoon and lots of kneading. I'm never completely satisfied with the consistency though. For the cinnamon buns I decided to try the dough hook on my kitchenaid mixer. WOW!!!! I was amazed! Dump in all the ingredients, set it to go, and within 10 minutes beautiful, perfect consistency dough! I'm so impressed.

I may have to start experimenting with more bread baking!

Cold?

2010-03-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

I'm virtually ALWAYS cold. Seriously, it can be summer, and I'll be cold. I've learned to adapt by wearing warm clothes, investing in good slippers, and always having blankets around.

My dear brother in law knows this and got me a wonderful snuggie type blanket for Christmas.

Ironically, our friend who keeps his house at 60 F was cold at our place the other night.

So we bundled him up!

Future photogs

2010-03-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

I'm always amazed at how tech-savy kids are! I spent Friday with my good friend Julia and her 4 year old son. He tapped his fingers on the iTouch much the way my hubby would, like a total confident pro. Later we asked him to snap some pictures of us - and I was quite impressed with the results!

He cut our heads off a bit here, but overall, pretty good for a 4 year old.

He then experimented with some self portraits :)

But isn't he just so cute?

This shot was taken by Julia, hence the slightly steadier hand. We had a wonderful afternoon soaking up the sun on the deck! Love spring!

Spring is in the air

2010-03-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

It's still raining. When I look out my window all I see is gray. It's nasty out there. Looks just like winter.

But when I went out to pick up the newspaper I noticed something - the chill in the air was gone. I wouldn't say that the day was warm, but more that the bite of cold was gone.

Hello spring - I love you!

Changing styles

2010-03-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

I started yesterday at the hair dresser. Got my locks touched up and trimmed. My delightful stylist Jenny decided that she wanted to curl my hair instead of the usual straight. So I left the salon in my heels, cute pink blazer, and Miss-Texas-style-go-big-or-go-home-hair (Shawna - you know what I'm talking about!) and went to meet a friend for lunch.

Later in the afternoon I changed into biker mode. I try to still look a bit feminine when I'm riding, hence the purple. Although by the end, the purple is splattered in mud.

We rushed home after the ride and within 15 minutes I had showered and changed my style again - into the cute yoga pants and hoodie look.

Wow - pretty versatile for one day! Just wish that I had photos for the whole day!

Birthday Fun

2010-03-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

I had a WONDERFUL birthday last week! It started with my lovely flowers, and ended with a romantic dinner out! We went to Anthony's on the water in Bellingham and feasted on yummy seafood and $3 martinis... yes, you read that right $3! I had a cosmo and a lemon drop - YUMMY!!! They have an incredible happy hour menu that we gladly enjoyed!

The next morning we went to my mum's for brunch. She made cinabon style cinnamon buns and her famous potato pancakes! Shredded potatoes, bacon and onion, all held together with a light batter - incredible. They were always a part of our camping trips when we were kids and I haven't had them in years!

Although Emmalea was shy, Sienna was happy to pose with us!

This was Emmalea's preferred pose! :)

Wonderful morning with family and good food!

Bobsled!

2010-03-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

When I found out that I would be in Whistler for 10 days I looked online for event tickets. Unfortunately, nothing was available.

Or so I thought. I discovered that although tickets were all sold out online, there were still many available at the ticket office, and surprisingly affordable. The women's biathalon relay tickets were only $25, but I was working that day. So I found something even better - women's bobsled finals for only $40! I quickly called Phil to see if he could make it for the event, and bought our tickets!

Here are the massive lines to clear security.

Waiting for the race to start! We were all bundled up and thankfully it didn't rain too much.

One of my friends showing some patriotism.

Check out how close to the track we are!

For the last heat we went down even closer to the track. I screamed my face off, rang my cowbell like my life depended on it and jumped with glee! Oh yeah - definitely one of those moments that makes your mama proud! haha!

The tickets for the grandstand costs twice as much - I think we had better spots though!

This is the hill at the end of the track to slow them down after the finish line.

One of the sleds ripping by on the final turn!

As crazy as the crowd went for all the sleds, particularly the Canadians, the same crowd became eerily quiet whenever there was a crash. There was a big screen to watch the sled coming down the track before we got to actually see them in the final turn. When a sled would tip, there was a collective gasp and then everyone held their breath. We all cringed together as the sled came ripping by upside down making such horrible noises. And then we would wait and continue holding our breath.... until the athletes stood got out of the sled, stood up and waved.

And then the crowd went CRAZY!!!!! People would cheer so loud! The loudest cheers of the night definitely went to the German bobsledder who crashed, THEN FELL OUT THE BACK OF THE SLED! She went flying down the track and finally stopped in the final turn where paramedics raced to her. She sat there for a moment before getting up and waving to the crowd. WOW! What an incredible woman!

My countries owned the podium that night! Gold and silver for Canada, bronze for the US! What a night! One of the smurfs (see my previous post for the smurf explanation) came running by with a huge Canadian flag!

Could not have asked for a better event to attend! It was incredible, once in a lifetime olympic experience that I will never forget!

Olympic pics

2010-03-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

Better late than never! Finally, here are some olympic pics! For security reasons, I'm not supposed to post any pictures from inside athletes village (which is where the clinic was) until after the paraolympics are over. So watch for clinic pics then!

Phil came up to spend the day with me and explore Whistler during the olympics.

We posed by the rings! Funny story about these - everyone of course wanted to get their picture by these rings. So, people began to form their own queue to take turns. There was no sign, no one directing them, people just did it themselves. So Canadian!

We dropped by Jamaica house and looked at the Jamaica Bobsled t-shirts.

They had a HUGE screen set up at skiers plaza that showed olympic events all day. This picture does not do it justice, but at least you get the gist of it. There was often a huge crowd huddled around this area.

Posing by the nice scenery.

Everyone kept asking me about my uniform - here it is! They did a great job in designing them.

The ongoing joke was that we looked like smurfs! That even became our nickname. Whenever we were referring to volunteers, we generally just called them smurfs. Here i am completely "smurfed up" with my toque (that would be a stocking cap for my American friends) and the jacket.

With my friend Jen before heading out for our last shift! Bittersweet.

Mounties! They were leading a parade through the village.

Our gold-winning bobsled team!

On the bus ride home the girl in front of me had worked at medals plaza. They had extra bouquets so they gave her one! They are pretty nice.

That's it for now!

P.O.D.S.

2010-03-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

PODS - Post Olympic Depression Syndrome.

We all talked about it at the clinic. We all knew it was coming. Some were in denial, but most were just delaying thinking about it. They would simply deal with it when they got home. PODS became a source of jokes, and is regularly mentioned on our facebook page.

After the high of working at the olympics, going home to reality simply seems like a low. For several weeks we were all living, working, eating, celebrating and partying together.... and all at the Olympics! It was so amazing, and such a high!

But then I came home. Back to school, back to reality.

PODS did not set in initially - I was just so happy to be home and see my hubby again!

But then PODS hit - and it hit hard! For me, it manifested itself as a cold - a nasty, brutal, long lasting cold! For nearly two weeks I sneezed, sniffled, coughed and generally felt like I had been hit by a truck. I took 2 sick days in one week! I NEVER take sick days - seriously, I think that i've taken 3 sick days in the last 5 years combined!

Thankfully, I'm feeling better. News of the paraolympics has me itching to get back to the clinic in Whistler. However, I have decided to just stay home, for many different reasons. I think that I'll just sit back and watch this one from TV.

Good morning

2010-03-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

Woke up to this today!

My hubby sure knows how to start my birthday right! Included in this lovely package was an incredibly sweet card, a new camera case, and some charms for my bracelet.

In the card he said that he didn't take me on a trip, or get me a puppy (we've been talking a lot about that lately), but that he got me the next best thing. I was a bit confused until I saw the charms: a piece of luggage, a puppy, and a pretty pink glass bead. So he did get me travel, a dog, and a bright shinny object! My favorite things!

I am CANADIAN

2010-02-25T18:29:00.001-08:00

Had a VERY canadian afternoon - I sat in a bar at my hotel, drank 3 beers (1 per period) and watched our women take gold in hockey! I chatted and celebrated with strangers. It doesn't get much more Canadian than that!

GO CANADA GO!

Stunning

2010-02-19T15:05:00.000-08:00

Rode up to Whistler this morning, a trip I have taken many times in the past few years. The weather was perfect with clear blue skies creating the most amazing views EVER! Best of all - I got to enjoy it from the comfort of my seat high up in the coach bus!

Whistler village is again alive with excitement. The sun has brought even more people out to the sidewalks to wander, shop, and watch the games at the large outdoor screens.

I'm up here for 10 days now - until the end of the games. I'm so excited! My biggest challenge is going to be getting all my homework done while I'm here.

Get your red on

2010-02-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

I have this picture posted on my Facebook, but figure that I should probably post it on here too.

I'm showing my true colors!

GO CANADA GO!

Olympic torch in Whistler

2010-02-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

I'm a few weeks late with this post - sorry.

When I went up to Whistler for my first shift, I arrived on Friday afternoon, checked into my hotel, then set out in the village searching for lunch. As I ate as the new soup shop (so yummy by the way) I overheard some people talking and realized that the Olympic torch was coming through the village - THAT NIGHT! I was so freaking excited!!!!

I met up with my roommate and we set out for skiers plaza where there was the BIGGEST party happening. Thousands of people all packed in, cheering and having fun. The announcer asked who was there from another country and a huge part of the crowd cheered. Then we got our cheer going GO CANADA GO - being chanted by thousands of people. Incredible!!

Here's my roommate and I.

The beach balls flying around the crowd

The torch being passed at the top of the hill - some famous skier then skied it down (sorry don't know who it was)

Close up of the lighting

Torch passing about 10 feet in front of me!!!!!

After that party, we wandered through the village looking for dinner. We managed to get one of the last tables inside at Le Brasserie and had a wonderful dinner. The village was PACKED with people celebrating and it was so exciting.

And this was all one week before the games actually started!

Here I am in the village that night.

Live from Whistler!

2010-02-14T06:09:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I am blogging this LIVE from the clinic in Whistler's Athletes Village! Been meaning to update the blog with olympic info, but my schedule has been a bit nuts!

So first, a bit about my role here. My official title is Nurse Athlete Care. I'm working in the polyclinic inside the athletes village at Whistler. What's a polyclinic you may ask? It's a medical clinic that offers emergency services, plus optometry, dental, massage, chiropractic, and physio. We have x-ray, CT scanner, MRI plus a lab. On top of all that, we have basically every specialty on call.

That is all in the main clinic. Attached behind our clinic is our MMU - Mobile Medical Unit. This is the pride and joy of our clinic and one of the reasons that we got the bid for the olympics. Part of our bid proposal was that we would have a medical unit up here capable of handling major trauma. Since the Whistler clinic is so small, and will inevitably be inundated with spectators, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) wanted up to have the capability of treating athletes and workforce members.

We are very proud of our MMU because of it's capabilities - it has the capacity to be a 6 bed ICU, is a complete trauma bay, plus has a fully functioning OR (operating room). Ideally no surgeries will actually be done here. Our role is to stabilize the trauma cases and then fly them out. However, if the need presents itself, we can do life or limb surgery here. We have some phenomenal trauma surgeons on our team, but we are really hoping to not use their skills.

So who comes in here? We are treating any workforce members that come in, mostly for first aid type of things. We are also working in conjuction with the team doctors to provide care for their athletes.

Some of you may be wondering, if we are the ones that treat athletes, did the luger who crashed come in here? Yes, he did. Thankfully, I was not on shift! However, I did come in on the night shift after it happened and the nurses were pretty shook up. We are praying that is the last trauma we have to deal with.

There's my role in a nutshell! I'm back and forth between home and Whistler several times during the games, while also working hard on my coursework. It's crazy busy (what else is new for me), but so worth it because I'm having the time of my life!

Due to security precautions, I can't post any pictures until after the games. But don't worry - I'm taking tons and will post them as soon as I can.

In the meantime, GO CANADA GO!!!!

Allegiance

2010-02-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

I'm a Canadian girl, who lives in the US. And I love the US and I love living here. I feel very lucky to call two of the greatest nations on earth home. Some people find it a betrayal that I show love for the US as well. However, it has always bugged me when people live in a country, but don't love that country and always talk about their home country. If you love your home country that much, go back.

That being said, I truly love both of my countries.

But then comes the Olympics....

Sorry America, I gotta cheer for Canada. BECAUSE CANADA IS GOING TO WIN THE MOST MEDALS! Basically, Canada is going to kick all kinds of ass at these olympics!

I'm up in Whistler village right now and the torch is coming through in an hour. There is an energy and excitement in the village that I have never witnessed before. As much as some people may have their objections to these games, I am proud that we are hosting the games and proud for the patriotism that it has brought out in Canadians. It's so great to be in Vancouver and Whistler and see a sea of red and white. It does my heart good.

So for the next several weeks, my allegiance lies completely with Canada.

GO CANADA GO!!!!

Here is the torch relay flag that I got in the village today.

I'm off to enjoy the festivities!

My nursing girls

2010-01-31T07:28:00.000-08:00

Nursing school was great, but brutal all at the same time. I was very blessed to have made some very good friends who helped me through the good times and the bad. We survived it all together - studying, exams, clinicals, and crazy instructors. They were always there for me to listen, vent, help, laugh - whatever.

At the beginning of the month we got together for dinner. Unfortunately, one of the girls couldn't make it. But considering that we have scattered all about since school plus do shift work, I figure 5 out of 6 is pretty good.

Here we are out for dinner!

This is us at graduation.

Sidenote - I hang out with over achievers. Three of us are currently in specialty school, one is starting specialty school next semester and one is in Med school. Yeah, we're nerds... but the cool kind of nerds!

Olympic update

2010-01-30T08:23:00.000-08:00

Last year I was selected to be an Anti-doping chaperone for the Olympics. I was so excited and attended several training sessions. Then in the fall I got an email stating that due to budget cuts, I was no longer needed. My name remained in their database for other positions, but I didn't think anything would come of it.

A week before Christmas I received an email asking for medical volunteers for Whistler. SIGN ME UP!!! After several weeks of emails back and forth, I was selected to be a nurse at the athletes clinic in Whistler! Words cannot express how excited I am!!!!

I picked up my uniform this past week - it's so nice! I'll try to get pictures up here soon.

The next few weeks are nuts with school, clinicals, and going back and forth to Whistler, but it's going to be worth it.

To me, being a part of the Olympics is a once in a lifetime opportunity - and I intend to enjoy every moment of it!

Christmas photos

2010-01-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

Another uber late post. Better late than never?

Christmas was wonderful, but a little crazy for me. I worked a night shift on the 24th, then came home and slept for an hour, then did all of Christmas day with the fam. Finally crashed at 11pm, slept in the next morning, then went for another night shift. Slightly crazy, but I survived and enjoyed Christmas.

This year Phil's family came up to spend Christmas with us, plus my mum was with us too. It was so great having them all here!

Our moms on Christmas morning.

Later in the week we got together with my sisters family. I got Emmalea a dress-up trunk - so fun! Here she is in one of the outfits.

And here is Sienna in one of the other outfits. Aren't they cute????

I rarely get good pics of Phil and I, so I tried to grab one that night. At first glance this seemed like a great one - then I realized that Phil was on his phone!!!

New Years

2010-01-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

It's late - I realize that. But here it is anyways.

Pictures of my new years! I'm really not a big new years person so I ended up working that night.

I brought a bottle of sparkling apple cider in and we toasted to a new year at the nurses station. Fun times.

Heartbreak for Haiti

2010-01-16T07:36:00.000-08:00

My heart is breaking for Haiti. Every morning I watch the CNN while I'm at the gym (there is NOTHING else on at 5am!!!). The past few days as I've been close to tears as I watch the scenes of devastation and despair. These people are literally struggling to survive.

This morning they had a medical correspondent on CNN - he said they need BASIC things such as fluid, bandages, pain medications and antibiotics. Many of these things are mere cents. And yet, they don't have them, and many people with die without them.

As I watch, I wish that I could go there. I wish that I could be on the ground helping. If I weren't in school right now, I would probably be looking at relief agency websites. But since I can't go, I will have to continue with what I'm doing: pray, donate, and make sure the Haitians are not forgotten.

My love of flying

2010-01-15T17:36:00.000-08:00

I love flying. Love love LOVE it! Some people are afraid of it, I LOVE it. OK, I think you get the point.

There are a couple of reasons why I love it. First, flying means that I either have the excitement of going somewhere, or I'm coming home. Both are wonderful feelings.

Second, I get to read. I am a total nerdy bookworm, who unfortunately rarely gets time to read for pleasure. My time is usually spent reading textbooks instead. Whenever I fly, I go to they library and pick out a few good mindless novels. As soon as we have cleared security and are sitting at our gate, I bust out my book. And I read. Then I board the plane.... and read some more. Then we have a layover, and I read some more. It's wonderful!

At home there are always so many distractions and so many other things that I could be doing. But at the airport, there is nothing else for me to do, but read.

Looking forward to 2010

2010-01-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Ok, so I'm a little late, but whatever. I'm excited about 2010, and not even too sure why. It just feels like it's going to be an exciting year.

I'm not usually that big on new years resolutions/goals. The past two years I have set one goal which I did accomplish both years - work out a minimum of 3 days of week. For two years straight I have not missed a single week!

Accountability has been the reason that I've kept that goal for so long. My accountability partner is great - it's me! I have a calendar up in my kitchen and I mark each day that I work out. That way, if I miss a week, it sits there mocking me for the rest of the year! Also, at this point, I just don't want to break my streak.

This year, I've decided to set 10 goals for 2010.

We'll start out with the usuals.

1. Lose weight.
2. Eat healthier.
3. Work out a minimum of 3 days per week.

Now, moving on to some new ones.
4. 500 miles - whether jogging, on the eliptical or walking, I want to get 500 miles in this year.
5. Race - not sure if I'll do a 10K, half marathon or mini triathlon, just want to do a race this year.
6. Complete my critical care certification.
7. Go on a big trip
8. Read my bible more
9. Blog at least 10 times a month
10. Talk on the phone more.

I realize that last one may seem a bit odd. The truth is I don't really like talking on the phone. However, I have many dear friends that are far away, and I want to stay in better contact with them.

So there it is - my plan for 2010. I'll try to update throughout the year on how I'm doing on all these goals. As I said before, accountability and tracking are essential if I'm going to accomplish these.

That being said, I'm off to they gym!

2009 in review

2010-01-02T22:38:00.000-08:00

What a year! 2009 was a truly great year full of adventures and fun. Looking back on my blog from the past few years I see three big trends: school, travel, and outdoor adventures. 2009 was packed with all of those!

Of course the big highlight was graduating! In May I walked the stage in my cap and gown and celebrated surviving 20 months of hell - also known as nursing school! I passed both my Canadian and American nursing exams and also started on my critical care certification.

We managed to fit quite a bit of travel in this year too! We started the year with a weekend trip to Leavenworth to celebrate Phil's 30th birthday. Next, we went to Oklahoma (and surrounding states) and Arizona in February to visit friends. A few weeks later we found ourselves in Colorado for a long weekend of boarding - and I soon found myself wishing that we lived in Colorado. Loved it there! Summer started with a trip back to Leavenworth, then many trips to Whistler! November started with a trip to Portland and ended with an amazing tour of New England!

In terms of outdoor adventures, boarding and mountain biking dominated the year! I tried several new resorts and actually improved quite a bit at boarding. Phil and I both started mountain biking this summer. Of course Phil took on the new sport with an obsessive passion going countless times (although the truth is he could tell you exactly how many times he went). I took the sport more in moderation, but thoroughly enjoyed it. After my epic crash at Whistler in September, I had to take a few weeks off, but managed to make it back up one more time before the season ended. Six weeks after biking at Whistler, we were there boarding for the first time of the season.

I couldn't have asked for more in 2009! I accomplished several big goals, traveled a lot and had tons of fun! Looking forward to 2010!

A day of rest

2009-12-30T08:59:00.001-08:00

I took Monday off. Completely off!!! I slept in late, watched a movie, stayed in my pajamas all day, and just, relaxed! The only productive thing that I did all day was 8 loads of laundry.

Normally I feel guilty if I do nothing, even it's my day off. However, after a busy Christmas including 2 night shifts which meant 2 stretches of being up for 36 hours, I decided that it was ok to rest.

The best part about the day - I didn't guilty at all about doing nothing!

ADOBSO

2009-12-28T08:08:00.000-08:00

ADOBSO - Attention Defic... ohh! Bright shiny object!

I have the attention span of a two year old.

Seriously, the longest that I've had a job since graduating university is 2 years.... and that was just one job. Most of the rest were a year.

Phil typically gives me six months in a job before I get bored. Thankfully in my new career, there are many things that I can do, and places I can go, so hopefully I won't get bored.

That being said, notions of grad school are already dancing in my head. And I'm not even finished my specialty certification. I'm sick in the head.

A perfect example of my lack of attention span is us getting home the other night.

I walk into the office. "Ooh, it's dark."

Walk to the hall closet where Phil turns on the light. "Ooh, its bright."

I walk two steps into the kitchen. "Ooh, we have to put our sheets back on the bed." (I saw the door to the laundry room which reminded me that our sheets were in the dryer.)

Half the time I can't keep up with how my mind got off on some new topic, so I really don't expect others to get it.

At least I'm able to entertain my hubby!

Groupon

2009-12-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

I LOVE getting a good deal. Phil has teased me that I'm more excited about the deal than the actual item. Recently, I heard about Groupon.

Groupon uses the power of bulk buying, by joining consumers together online. Here's how it works: Groupon will post a deal each day that they have negotiated with a local vendor. Usually the deal is pretty sweet ranging from 50-75% off products or services.

If you like what you see, you click to join. If enough people join by the end of the day, your card is automatically charged and you get the sweet deal. If not enough people participate, then nothing is charged.

I haven't tried anything yet, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on it. Unfortunately, the closest city is Seattle, and I'm just not down there very often. Sorry to my Canuck readers - it's not in Canada.

Celebrating

2009-12-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas is only a few days away and our month has been busy celebrating! We got back from Boston on December first, and a few days later attended my work Christmas party. I got to wear my fantastic red shoes, but unfortunately it was a sit down dinner, so no one really saw them. :( But I still loved wearing them!

This year I experimented with making a few gift baskets. I learned the key to these is the cellophane wrap - it completes the look.

Normally we go up to Mt. Baker and chop down our tree. However this year due to travel, work schedules and snow, we were not able to. So instead we supported our local boy scout troop and grabbed a tree here in town.

I'm not doing much holiday baking this year for two reasons. First, I'll end up eating a bunch, which I shouldn't. Second, haven't had much time! I did find some time for gingerbread cookies though!

By the time I finished wrapping on Friday evening, I had been up for 32 hours, with only two short attempts at naps, in which I didn't really sleep! I worked night shift Thursday, had a full day Friday, then hit wrapping in the evening.

I had several strategies in tackling this.

First - just get it all done in one sitting!

Second - have some good Christmas movies. I enjoyed White Christmas and Love Actually (my favorite Christmas movies!)

Third - sustenance is key. Keep the rum and eggnog flowing all evening.

This is the pile I wrapped - including several stockings worth of little things in the bags I'm holding. And yes, I know I look tired.

Souvenirs

2009-12-19T07:42:00.000-08:00

What would a trip be without a few souvenirs? We typically go for two things in the souvenir department: Starbucks mugs and magnets.

Each city/state we go to we try to get a starbucks mug. I think we are up to about 25 of them. Unfortunately, we only found 2 Starbucks mugs, Boston and New York. But we did find cool mugs for MIT, and a cool coffee shop in Vermont.

Plus we got our cool Cheers souvenir glasses!

We started collecting magnets last year in our travels. Often there is no Starbucks mug, but we still want a little memento, and a magnet is perfect. They are cheap (usually less than $5) and you can always find them! This is our collection from this trip. The retro "We can do it" magnet is from the naval museum that employed 50,000 people during WWII, many of whom were women serving at home fulfilling men's positions in order to free up men to go and fight overseas.

However the best souvenir of all will be the memories of our fun times! Thanks for the wonderful trip Jenn and Tyler!

Lobster!

2009-12-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

Two things that I love: traveling, and good food! Combine them together and I am one happy lady!

We took a day trip up to Maine, with the express intent of going for lobster! Before lunch we walked around the beach in Portland for a bit. Truly breathtaking!

Then it was on the main event - lobster lunch! We found a deal online so decided to give the Lobster House a try. We were not disappointed! I polished off every last bite! Phil didn't order lobster but thought that I wouldn't be able to finish mine (as is often the case when we go out). Sorry honey, this time I was going for it all!

We finished the day by taking the coastal highway along the edge of New Hampshire! It was gorgeous and just made me want to go back and see it all again in the summer!

Freedom Trail

2009-12-17T07:14:00.000-08:00

Boston is an amazing city FULL of history! To help visitors experience as much of that history as possible, there is the Boston Freedom Trail. This 2.5 mile trail winds through downtown showing tourists important landmarks from Boston's history. A handy yellow line on the sidewalk even leads you along the whole way!

We took a day with our friends to head downtown. Thankfully the Seattle weather that we had brought with us decided to let up for a day and it was beautifully sunny, although quite windy!

There is an AMAZING amount of brick in this city! And cobblestone streets!

I named this spot Brick Ally! Brick road, brick walls, brick buildings, everything brick!

A map of the freedom trail

Downtown!

We climbed to the top of this monument - 291 stairs! Honestly, coming down was almost harder because I was getting so dizzy!

We kept seeing all these short little doors! Maybe people were a lot shorter 300 years ago?

After a wonderful day of walking through the city, we set off for Plymouth Rock to see where the Pilgrims landed. We were told by our friend's family that we should perpetuate the myth that this is an incredible landmark! Sorry, just couldn't keep up the ruse.

This is it.

Apparently someone decided sometime in the 1800s, that this was the rock the pilgrims saw and landed by. Not sure how they decided this.

We capped the day off with a wonderful seafood meal, then headed home for a good night's rest!

Seeing the states

2009-12-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

As you may have guessed, Phil and I love to travel! On our recent trip to Boston, we decided to see as many states as possible while we were there. Now, understand that when I say "see" a state, it often means just driving through. I just want to say that I have been to that state, even if it means driving to the state line, getting my picture by the sign, and driving back.

On this trip, we did manage to drive through a lot of states. We borrowed Tyler's car and set off on a 14 hour, 500 mile, 5 state adventure! Of course the weather was crappy that day, but I can still say that I've been to all those places!

We started with Rhode Island. We drove down to Newport and it was gorgeous! They had these HUGE mansions that I thought only existed in movies and novels.

Next we drove through Connecticut. This picture is supposed to be of the state line sign, but it didn't turn out that great. Oh well. In Connecticut we drove through the Yale campus, but Phil was on a mission, so we didn't stop to smell the roses. Had to move on and see more states!

After quickly dropping back into Massachusetts, we moved on to New York! No, we didn't get to see the cool city. We drove past Albany (literally, we passed it and kept moving for Vermont) and that's about it.

By the time we hit Vermont it was dark and a snow storm started. Our iPhone map lost signal and even the GPS wasn't cooperating. So we just hoped that we would make it through the storm. We did.

After Vermont, it was back to Massachusetts, and back to our friends house.

A few days later we set out to hit 2 more states. First, New Hampshire - which has the most amazing and beautiful coastline! And don't they have an awesome state motto? Live free or die! Goes back to the war of independence.

And finally Maine for a yummy lobster lunch!

Not bad for a one week trip! My goal is to one day visit all the states! I think I'm up to about 18.... just a few more to go!

E brake?

2009-12-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

We decided to drive to work together today since the roads were so crappy and the truck fares much better than my little car. I dropped Phil off at work, then headed to the hospital. At the end of the day I came back to pick him up, with a nice bag of take-out sushi I might add!

I pulled into the parking lot, put it in neutral, and called Phil to let him know I was there. A few minutes later he came down, and told me he would drive. Great! I started climbing out of the car, but he was giving me a weird look.

"Um, honey? Did you know that the truck is rolling backwards?"

I looked behind me. "No, actually I didn't!"

Hopped back in, pressed on the brake.

Phil just shook his head.

Thank you Whistler

2009-12-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

Last week I posted about Whistler not honoring our valid coupon. After I wrote that blog post, I emailed Whistler and posted on my twitter about it. Within several hours I had a twitter response saying that they were looking into it.

Two days later I got a call from the guest services manager apologizing for the situation. She offered to refund us one of the tickets, or to give us a complimentary ticket to use on another day. We took the complimentary ticket.

Thank you very much to Whistler for sorting this all out! Your customer service department gets two thumbs up!

Not working out today

2009-12-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

Today is my "switch" day and I planned on getting in a quick workout. (by switch day I mean that i'm switching from day's to nights at work). I will admit, I REALLY didn't want to, but I felt that I should. Also, looking at my busy week, I probably should in order to get my 3 days in this week.

First I tried the treadmill. After 30 seconds, she slowed down and I realized that it's happened again - our garage is too cold and the treadmill just doesn't want to work. Fine. I'll go to the gym. Got dressed, out the door and down the driveway. Garage door won't close. I figured one of the cats ran under the door so I tried again. No luck. Again, no luck. Finally drove back to the top of the driveway. Checked to see if anything was in front of the sensors. Nope. No cats about. Tried several more times. No luck.

Finally I gave up and pulled my car in the garage. Tried again - it closed.

I'm going to interpret this as God/the universe/karma telling me that I'm just not supposed to workout today.

Instead I should stay in my cozy home.

On the plane

2009-12-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

On our plane ride home from Boston, I was that person. That person that parents dread? loathe? fear? Maybe all three? I was the person that glared at the family with the screaming children.

Before you label me a horrid non-understanding person, let me explain the particulars. The family was seated directly in front of us. They had a toddler and a littler girl, probably around 4 years old. Surprisingly, the toddler was not a big problem. It was the 4 year old.

She screamed. She cried. She talked loudly. And she did not stop!

I understand during take off and landing that it can be scary, and their ears can pop and they don't know what's going on. I understand that it's a 5 hour flight, it's evening and the kids are getting tired. I sure was!

But here is what I don't understand - the parents did nothing! When she was crying and carrying on non-stop, they did not ask her to stop. They did not tell her to use her indoor voice. They did not try to see what was wrong. They just let her scream!

I didn't mean to glare at them. Mostly I was muttering under my breath to Phil that I wish they would just shut up! One time when my annoyance level was high, I looked in their direction with a glare. And of course, that is when the mom happened to look back.

So I felt kind of bad about that.

Here is what I don't get - what has happened to discipline? When I was four, there is NO WAY I would have gotten away with that. My mum would have told me to be quiet, and I would have listened!

I realize that I don't have children, and many of you are thinking "just wait!" Maybe in the years to come I will change my tune, and if so, I will be the first to admit I was wrong.

But for now, I am childless, and I want to sleep on the plane!

Whistler would not honor their coupon

2009-12-02T20:16:00.000-08:00

On Sunday November 22, Phil and I went to Whistler eager to enjoy all the fresh powder. Whistler had opened early (as announced on their website), before it's planned November 26th opening. It was my first time going to Whistler and I was quite excited. We got up early, drove the lovely new Sea to Sky highway, and arrived at the ticket desk with our coupon from the Portland Ski and Snow Show.

The coupon is clearly a 2 for 1, as pictured below. It states that it's valid from Opening - Dec 18 then goes on to list the dates it's valid.

Whistler refused to honor the coupon! They stated that they were not officially open so they could not honor it.

Hmm... are people going up the lifts? Yes. Are they skiing and boarding down? Yes. Are you selling tickets to people? Yes. So, how are you not open?

We were told that they had not "officially" opened. "Official" opening would be as scheduled on Nov 26, when the whole mountain would open.

The service agent was very nice, but she explained that they did not have this promotion code in their system yet. We asked to speak with her supervisor. She told us the same thing. "I'm sorry. We don't have a code for this and we are not officially open yet."

Two problems with this.

First, the coupon does not state "official" opening day, or any specific date. It says opening. Had they meant Nov 26, they should have stated so!

Second, what happened to customer service???? I realize that your system may not be prepared for this specific promo code yet. However, as a supervisor, you have no ability to override or comp a ticket? Really? Sounds a bit ridiculous to me.

I plan to email Whistler. Will let you know if I hear anything back, but I'm not holding my breath.

Boston so far

2009-11-26T06:50:00.001-08:00

We arrived in Boston two days ago and have been having so much fun!!! We took the metro from the airport to downtown where we wandered Quincy Market and found a starbucks to settle into while we waited for Jenn.

She brought us back to their place which she refers to as being "on a pond". Umm... it's a lake. Pond is a stagnant little body of water. This is a lake. We are staying in the apartment above the garage and this is the view from the window right in front of our bed!

We get to cozy up on the most comfy bed, with gorgeous skylights and a huge window overlooking the lake. Yeah, it's really rough here :)

This is the little kitchen in the apartment.

Once we had settled in we set out to get some food, then start sightseeing! Since we wanted a low key day after flying all night, we decided to wander parts of the city. First stop - Harvard! This campus was AMAZING!! So many beautiful brick buildings with large pillars and wonderful walkways.

This is the beautiful library!

Which we weren't allowed into! :(

One of the many beautiful bridges

We searched everywhere for a large Harvard sign to get our picture by, but couldn't find one! So I settled for this picture to prove I was there.

Phil and Jenn playing on their iPhones... feeling quite left out that I don't have one.

Next we went to MIT. It's hard to see, but it actually says Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the top of the building.

We capped the evening off with dinner at Cheers..... where everyone knows your name.

A great start to a great vacation!

Overstock

2009-11-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

I plan on doing a bunch of my Christmas shopping on this site - Overstock!! It's like a Winners/Ross/TJ Maxx, but online (therefore MUCH easier to find what you want) and with cheap shipping. I've bought from them before and have always been happy... but then again, I'm usually happy if I get a good deal! :)

Butternut Squash Soup

2009-11-19T07:04:00.000-08:00

There is something so comforting about a nice hot bowl of soup on a cold and windy fall day. This fall, my favorite recipe is one of the simplest - Butternut squash soup.

Here is my most recent batch, all ready to go into the freezer.

Recipe:

Dice an onion and saute it in 1 Tbs of butter. In the meantime, peel (I find a paring knife works best) and chop the squash into 1 inch cubes.

Once the onions are translucent, add 6 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the squash and cook for approximately 20 minutes until cooked (should be about the consistency of cooked potatoes).

The next step has two options. The easiest is to use a hand mixer and blend the squash into the broth. If you don't have one, use a slotted spoon to scoop out the squash and blend it in a blender, then add it back to the broth.

Add salt and pepper and nutmeg. Don't got stingy with the nutmeg - it' the key part!!!

I usually divide it up into small ziplock containers and toss it in the freezer for easy lunches to bring to work.

Salt

2009-11-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

I think that I might be losing it. Slowly, but surely, losing it.

I ran out of salt. Me, the girl who has been mocked for how stocked my pantry is. Me, who actually likes grocery shopping. I ran out of salt.

It all started when I didn't get a chance to grocery shop for 6 weeks! Embarrassing, I know. I sent Phil to costco one time in those six weeks (the poor boy went at noon on a Saturday and learnt to NEVER do that again), and I slipped in one time for a few essentials. But other than that, not grocery shopping. Needless to say, we were short of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Thankfully, I'm a stock-piler and our pantry and freezer were loaded. My friend Heidi once said that if there was ever a natural disaster or nuclear attack, she planned to hop the border and get to my place because I have enough food to feed people for six months. She's exaggerating of course... I could probably only stretch it out for 3 months.

Anyways, in the midst of my long dry spell with no shopping, I ran out of salt. Seriously, who runs out of salt???? When I finally made it to the store last week, I bought some sea salt from Trader Joes. It's not what I normally buy, but hey - it saved me from having to go into another store. Of course I got home and it's coarser than what I'm used to.

So when I ran into Haggen to get two things (which inevitably turned into a whole basket) I bought some more regular Mortons salt.

And when I got home, I went to put it away in my now dwindling pantry... right next to.... the box of Mortons salt.

Somehow I had missed it.

So I'm loosing it on two fronts: first, i'm running out of an essential, salt (except not really). Second, I'm not seeing things that are right in front of my face!

Christmas music and assignments

2009-11-17T07:08:00.000-08:00

Everyone has their own thoughts on when it's acceptable to start listening to Christmas music. For many Americans, it's at Thanksgiving, for some it's December 1, others it's as soon as Halloween is over. My sister starts after her birthday - September 17!

Since graduating high school, all but 4 years I have been in school for fall semester. Usually in November I start getting swamped with term papers and assignments, and that is when I start playing Christmas music. It gives me hope that soon the craziness of school will be over and I will be able to start really enjoying the Christmas season.

This year is no different. I've been working on an assignment this week and busted open the Christmas play list on iTunes. Sounds so good!

Easycropper

2009-11-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

Found a very hand website Easycropper. It's a super simple way to downsize your photos. For example, when blogger says that your profile pic can only be a certain size, you go to this site, upload your photo, pick what you want in the photo, enter the new dimensions, and it's done!

Salmon Chowder

2009-11-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

On Friday night we had a delightful BBQ at a friends house where we enjoyed the yummy salmon that Phil caught a few weeks ago on a boys fishing trip. The fillet was so ridiculously big that we actually had some leftover salmon!

So I decided to try and make salmon chowder. I did my usual routine of looking up some recipes, not particularly liking any one of them, so I combined several recipes, along with my own ideas, and came up with my own recipe. Turned out pretty good!

Here's what I did:

2 cups cut potatoes (I used baby red potatoes and kept the skin on for extra color)

3 Tbs butter

1 onion, diced

1 small zucchini, sliced

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup chopped carrots

3 Tbs flour

4 cups milk

1 cup chicken broth

Leftover salmon

Dill, tarragon, salt and pepper

Boil potatoes.

In a separate pot, melt 1 Tbs butter and saute onions, and celery. When they are about half done, add zucchini and carrots. When cooked, place them aside.

Melt 2 Tbs butter, and sprinkle 3 Tbs flour over. Mix with a whisk. Add two cups milk and whisk. When it starts to thicken, add 2 more cups of milk. Then add 1 cup chicken broth. Season to taste.

Add cooked potatoes. I used a hand mixer to blend them into the soup. Add cooked vegetables and salmon. Serve.

Fun Fall Idea

2009-11-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Although I am not good at coming up with my own crafty and decorating ideas, I am very good at spotting ideas that I like. These bouquets of peppers were being sold at the Portland Farmers Market - very fun idea!

Tourist in my own city

2009-11-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I met some friends downtown Vancouver for coffee. When I got off the new Canada line at Granville and Georgia, I was greeted by the biggest Canadian flag I've ever seen! It was wonderful! So I ended up looking like a tourist in my own city as I sat there taking pictures.

Sidenote: LOVE the Canada line! So fast and so convenient!

Remembering

2009-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

To all those who have served and are serving, THANK YOU!

Thank you for your sacrifice, for your courage, your dedication and your willingness.

Most of all, thank you for our freedom!

Which way?

2009-11-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

While wandering through Portland, we came across a fun sign showing the direction and distance to places all over the world.

And at the top, one of my favorite places - my city in Taiwan!
I'm 6300 miles and over 5 years removed from it, yet I still think of Taiwan every day and the wonderful time I had there.

Lessons from Transit

2009-11-08T09:11:00.001-08:00

I love a city with a good public transportation system! If I can ditch the car and easily get around on buses, and preferably subway/trains, I'm all in.

In my two years of commuting to UBC on public transportation, I learned a few things.

Comfortable shoes, that keep your feet warm and DRY are a must! Especially in the Pacific NW.
ALWAYS carry an umbrella with you, even if it's sunny when you leave home.
Keep gloves in your bag/pocket/purse - you never know when it's going to get really cold and you are going to have to wait for a bus.
It's amazing how much warmer you are with a scarf.
Know where the Starbucks are along the route - they will save you when you really have to pee.
Know a possible alternate route - you never know whats going to happen.
Having a seat is divine.
Listen to other people's conversations around you - they can be hilarious!
Have a book to read. That way when creepy guy next to you wants to talk, you can just bury your face in a book.
Snooze, but don't sleep. Especially if you are getting close to your stop.

I learned most of these things through trial and error. But knowing all of this paid off yesterday when Phil and I left the hotel and it was sunny, and by the end of the walk we were running to our stop in the DUMPING rain. I was happy and dry under my umbrella though.

Overheard

2009-11-08T09:08:00.000-08:00

I subscribe to this really funny blog called Overheard in PDX. It posts random, and often weird, conversations that people overhear when they are out in Portland.

Yesterday, I overheard one that I could add too!

Two teenage guys were on the MAX (metro) and they were sitting near the center of the bus which can bend to get around corners.

Guy #1: This one time, I was like sitting on this middle thing, and then we like went around a corner, and the accordian part of the bus here, pinched my butt!

Guy #2: Dude, that sucks!

Centralia Outlet

2009-11-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

Usually when we say "the outlet mall" in our area, it is generally understood that we mean Tullalilip - that heavenly place that is good shopping! Centralia, half way between Seattle and Portland on the I-5, also has some outlet shops, but I have never stopped at them. I've driven the I-5 corridor to Oregon more times than I care to count and have noticed them building up the mall.

Thursday on our way down here we stopped because Kevin wanted to grab a few things, and of course I couldn't turn down shopping. So we left Phil sleeping in the car and hit a few stores. I got this uber cute sweater in Billabong, then scored some sweet deals in Quiksilver. Men's button up shirts for $7.50??? Umm.... yes please!

So, if you are heading south to Oregon, check out the outlet malls in Centralia!

Portland #4

2009-11-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

I was going to call this post Portland, but when I looked back on my blog to find links to my previous posts about this annual trip, I realized that several of them were simply called Portland. So I got creative - Portland #4! Umm.... yeah, not so good in the creativity department.

Anyhoo, as I said, we have been on this trip several times before in 2006, 2007 and 2008. It's become an annual tradition and we love it! We join our friend Kevin who is the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Icicle Village Resort in Leavenworth and help him out at the Portland Ski and Snow Show. He gets company for the trip and someone to help him watch the booth, we get free entrance to the show and essentially a free weekend away. Pretty sweet deal!

This year we are staying at the Hotel Modera which is GORGEOUS! It's a 4 star boutique hotel in downtown Portland with wonderful modern decor. We had drinks in the lounge last night - the bartender made a mean raspberry lemon drop which automatically gives them two thumbs up from me!

Then this morning we had breakfast downstairs with the delightful director of marketing for Modera and got to have yummy breakfast. The restaurant is so nice because it has these HUGE windows that make you feel like you are sitting outside.

I'll be heading out to the show this afternoon, but for now I have to finish my assignment for BCIT and get it emailed off.

So... how's the job?

2009-11-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

One of the most frequent questions that I get lately is "how is the job going?". To answer it for everyone - I love it! I love being a nurse, I love my job, and I love the opportunities that lay ahead. Although some shifts are crazier than others, most days I leave work loving my job. After years of frustration and less than stimulating jobs, it is a joy to have one that I love.

Are there crap moments? Yes, of course (quite often those moments literally involve crap). But there are also the great moments. The funny thing a patient says, my awesome co-workers, the constant learning and challenge - these things and many more are what make me love my job.

I gotta admit, after two years of commuting 2 hours each way to UBC, the 25 minute commute to work is also quite nice!

Some people are also confused by my references on my twitter/facebook status updates to homework. Although I finished my degree, I am now doing a critical care specialty certification at BCIT. The best part - work is paying for it! For now I'm just in an online course, but in January I will be going to school full time for 4 months!

After that, I will finally be done with school!!! Well, at least until grad school, and that will have to wait for a few years. I need a break!

Amazing Race

2009-11-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

I love this show!!! I've only watched one other season, but I found it on CBS right as it was starting this season and have been diligently watching. Love that we can get full episodes online down here in the good old US of A! I'm thinking that Meghan and Cheyne are going to win, but the brothers and the Globetrotters are going to give them a run for their money.

This is one reality show that I would actually consider going on. I think that Phil and I could do REALLY well on it. Although I'm sure that many couples say that and we end up laughing at them as they bicker and natter at one another.

While most reality shows I find abhorent and ridiculous, there are a few that I have enjoyed. I watched one season of the Bachelorette, but only because our local girl Jill was on it. I do watch Dancing with the Stars.... there is no excuse for that one, it's just my guilty pleasure.

Anyone else have reality shows that they just love?

Putting thoughts to screen

2009-11-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

The expression used to be "putting pen to paper" but in our techno-crazed-internet-everyone-can-publish world, I think that it's becoming more "thoughts to screen". Believe it or not, I actually write a lot of blog posts. Tons in fact. They just never make it to the screen.

This is somewhat embarrassing to admit, but I write them in my head. Whenever I get some down time, or I'm doing something mindless, I think of fun things that I could write about on here. When I'm running, or in the shower (again, weird, I know) are the two times that I most often think of posts.

But somehow those posts never make it to the screen. I get busy. Life moves fast. Sometimes the post gets outdated before I can type them. Often I just forget them or run out of time.

For the few people who actually still read this blog, I'm going to make an effort to put thoughts to screen and post my random thoughts about life.

Double Whammy

2009-11-03T04:10:00.000-08:00

I worked this past Saturday night. Nothing really new and exciting about that, except that it was Halloween which equals crazy at hospitals, PLUS it was Daylight Saving Time, meaning that the shift was an hour longer!

I went into the shift preparing myself for the worst. Thankfully, I was delightfully surprised and the night was pretty good! The emergency department got slammed, but we had a full house in the ICU and all was well.

No banana peel

2009-10-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I was heading out of the grocery store after grabbing a few things when I had a little mishap. My ankle rolled and I couldn't catch my balance so I completely fell in front of EVERYONE (this was all right in front of the check out stands) and my groceries went flying and I was flat on my face.

A couple of the staff helped pick up my groceries, but to my utter humiliation all I could do was sit there because my ankle hurt so bad that I couldn't get up. I glanced up only to see many faces STARING at me. I looked back down. I was finally able to get myself up. The staff were all making a fuss that I should sit and rest, but all I wanted to do was leave.

Now, if my defence, the floors were a bit slipery, and I do have a weak ankle from a previous sprain, and I was in heels.

In spite of all that, here the conversation I had with Phil that night.

Phil: So you fell in front of everyone.
Me: Yeah.
Phil: Was there a curb?
Me: No.
Phil: Was it wet?
Me: No.
Phil: Did you trip on something.
Me: No.
Phil: So basically you were walking in a straight line on flat ground and just fell.
Me: Well, I guess, but... (insert list of excuses written above).

I guess I'm just a clutz.

Head Update

2009-10-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

After several weeks of headaches, I thought that it might be a good idea to get my head checked out by the doc.

Verdict - I have a concussion (could have told you that). I'm allowed to ride again after no headaches for a week (so far I'm at 4 days) and he STRONGLY RECOMENDS that I take it VERY EASY and NOT HIT MY HEAD again. Um yeah - I'll work on that.

So the plan is to head to Whistler on Thursday. I will only be riding the lower mountain and I will be taking it very easy.

And the bruising is all cleared up and I look normal again.

Crash

2009-09-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

I've been off biking for a couple of weeks since my bike is getting fixed and I need a new fork. So I was SO excited when to head up to Whister this past weekend with some great friends to do some riding!

Friday started out great and I even went all the way to the top of the mountain! I was doing great, starting to do jumps, getting my speed up and generally just loving it!

We were nearly to the bottom of the hill and Phil told me to pull over to let some riders pass. I did. I just got going again when he yelled out to pull over again. Worried that I may be holding someone up, I pulled over to the side. Unfortunately, I pulled over into loose rock. My front wheel turned and I went flying into the side of the trail, hurling head first towards a rock!

Now this wasn't just any rock. This was a very specific rock that was a very specific size. Small enough to fit through the front of my full face helmet, and big enough to cause a bunch of damage to my face. The rock smashed me right between my eyes and on my forehead. Thankfully I was wearing sunglasses or my eyes might have gotten REALLY messed up! My head was spinning and it took me a few minutes to get up, but thankfully I didn't loose consciousness.

Everyone on the trail was super helpful in getting me up and off the trail. And my darling husband was the sweetest and took such good care of me.

We walked back to the condo, with my face all red and bloody. I got quite a few stares from the patio dwelling diners as I passed through the village. When we got back our friend, who is an ER nurse answered the door. I knew it was bad when he was worried.

Erin greeted me with a "Oh sweetie!" and gave me a hug. Then I finally looked in the mirror. Here's about what I saw:

Granted, the flash kinda washes some of it out, but you get the jist. Here is a side profile of the goose egg that grew at an alarming pace on my forehead.

By the evening the swelling and bruising were continuing at a steady pace. My iburpofen and tylenol taking was also going at a steady pace.

The next day I decided to get back in the saddle and ride again. I was cautious my first run, then slowly my confidence built. I decided to go back up to the top to do a harder trail. I was doing great and ripping down it. As I came up to a jump I saw that the landing had a lip and decided to roll it. Turns out I was going too fast to roll it, got airborne, came down front tire first and went flying over my handlebars. And guess what took the brunt of the fall? My head and my shoulder.

Had I not hit my head the day before, it probably wouldn't have been too bad. However, when adding insult to injury (literally) my head was SPINNING and it was all I could do to get down the mountain. I slept it off for the rest of the afternoon.

The next morning the swelling was so bad and my eyes so puffy that I could feel pressure on my eyes. I decided that I could not risk hitting my head again and sat the day out.

Here is my face on Sunday morning with two nice black eyes developping.

To try and cover them up, I went rock star style and wore my sunglasses ALL DAY! and only took them off when I absolutely had to.

Here I am at home on Sunday night, holding my helmet that didn't do it's job. Bruises looking pretty good at this point.

This shows about how big the rock was. Had I hit an inch to any other side, the helmet would have taken most of it. However, my rock managed to make it through the tunnel of visor and chin guard and land squarely on the bridge of my nose.

Finally, here I am on monday night. Healing quite nicely and hoping that makeup can do it's magic tomorrow morning when I head back to work.
In light of my most recent falls, Phil and I decided that a bit more protection may be in order. Here is the protective body suit I got. Should help save me from a few scratches.

Crab Feast

2009-09-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we got to enjoy a crab feast! Phil went out on the bay with his cousin and pulled up 19 crabs!

Even with 8 people, we barely made a dent in the pile, but it was so good! And the best part of the meal was the overwhelming amount of garlic! Garlic with a bit of butter for the crab, garlic bread, and ceaser salad complete with homemade dressing that was loaded with - you guessed it - garlic!

Change of Plans

2009-08-09T11:13:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday Phil and I left the scorching heat of the lower mainland and headed up to Whistler for a few days of camping and biking. I nearly neglected to put in a sweatshirt because it had been so hot that I forgot there was ever a need for such a thing. But at the last minute, I tossed it in. We were camping after all.

The drive up was lovely. We went to our campsite and set up the tent, but didn't bother putting the rain fly on. Again, it was scorching hot and sunny. We drove on the village so Phil could get a few runs in and claim another day that he used his seasons pass. As we approached the village we saw what appeared to be dust? smoke? coming from the mountain. Our suspisions of a forest fire were confirmed when we saw the plane dumping out that red stuff.

We got to the parking lot and rejoiced at how many people had gone home early - lots of parking available. Phil got all geared up for downhill, and I prepped for a nice cross country ride. We rode over to the base of the lift where it was eerily empty and the lifts were not running. "Umm.... I don't think that you are riding this evening honey." A quick trip into customer service informed us that they had closed the lift at 1pm due to lighting and the fire had started on Blackcomb shortly thereafter.

Chang of plans. We went back to the truck to ditch some of Phil's gear before going for a cross country ride together. As we were doing so, Phil realized that he had a flat tire to change. As he was taking care of that, I felt a drop of rain. But not a regular drop. One of those big-fat-could-practically-have-a-shower-with-it drops. Within a few minutes, many of these drops were falling and I was getting a shower.

Change of plans. Not wanting our tent to get wet, we decided to head back to camp and put the rain fly on. We left the village in a torrent of rain, thunder and lighting. By the time we reached the campsite, 10 km south of the village, the rain had stopped. We put the rain fly on anyways, and decided to check out a trial on the other side of the river on recoomendation of the camp ranger. We didn't make it too far though because the roots were so big on the path it made riding nearly impossible.

Change of plans. We decided to check out a different trail instead. As we were riding towards that trail on the road, the rain began to pour. My shorts were soaked within 30 seconds. We hoped that the rain would get better once we were under the trees. It didn't. Then then lighting flashed and was followed immediately by the loudest thunder I have ever heard that rumbled around the valley for several seconds. "Maybe this isn't such a good idead..."

Change of plans. Back to the campsite where we did our best to change in the truck, the only dry place. Back to the village, where the rain had stopped, and so had the intense heat. I was very grateful for that last minute sweatshirt.

Our attempts to ride had been foiled at every turn. We wound up at Merlins for beer and burgers. Not necesarily a bad althernative :)

The next morning the lifts reopened, the rain had ceased, and we were able to ride!

Combination

2009-08-09T11:10:00.001-07:00

What do you get when you combine three good buddies from nursing school (one of which is just coming off night shift), intense heat (it was 36 degrees Celcius that day), Milestones patio, a bottle of wine, and shopping to follow? Apparently this. Many laughs were enjoyed together!

Countertop Compost

2009-08-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

We are very lucky to have composting as part of our waste collection. We have a huge 60 gallon bin that we can fill with grass, yard trimmings and any food waste/product. You would be amazed at how much you can reduce your garbage by doing this. Added bonus - the garbage never smells because there is never food waste in it.

For the past few years we have been using and old milk gallon jug to collect the compost in the kitchen, before taking it outside to the bin. However, due to the attack of fruit flies, again, I decided to look into something better.

Enter the bamboo composting croc from Greenfeet. It looks way better on my counter, and no fruit flies!

First Day

2009-08-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to catch up on posts, so this is a few weeks old. But here I am playing around on my new bike before taking it up Whistler for the first time. Had an awesome day!!!! Once I get a better camera case I will try to get some pics of us riding on the trails.

And yes, I realize that my legs are glaringly white and need to get some sun on them!