Las Vegas

Okay, I know I went to Vegas at the end of April but whatever-I'm behind.

So...I went to Vegas with my mom and we had a blast. The weather there was fantastic and no matter where we were (indoor or outdoor), the temperature was perfectly maintained. Of course, I truly believe mom and I are cold-blooded so it could really never be too hot for us.

We stayed at the Monte Carlo, located right on the strip and it was very nice with huge chandeliers and a great view of NYNY's rollar coaster-we could hear them scream! ha ha. We got there late Thursday night and spent the evening exploring Paris. It was very cool and I love how they paint the ceiling to look like the sky...you completely lose track of time. We were starving so we found a place that made the best crepes I have ever had in my life. It was divine!

We spent Friday exploring all the different hotels. Although I have never been to Vegas before, my mom has several times so I was lucky as she knew her way around. My favourite hotel, hands down, was Caesar's. It was gorgeous and it houses the Forum Shops, where I got to enter my beloved Jimmy Choo store. If you dont know who Jimmy Choo is, please dont break my heart by asking, visit http://www.jimmychoo.com/ instead. It's only the best goddamn shoe store in the world! I was drooling and I think I made the security guard nervous because I was handling all the shoes, ha ha! Of course we didnt buy anything...not when they are $500 (min) a pair. I have to wait until after I win the lottery.

Friday night we went to Cirque du Soleil-KA. It was at the MGM and it was fantastic. The peeps come right into the audience and they are flying around on strings above us and the stage is turning, tipping, spinning, moving-it was so entertaining. Right before we went into the show I bought mom and I some margaritas (we were thirsty after walking in the sun all day) and they were HUGE. There was 4 or 5 oz of booze in them and they were delicious. We didnt eat dinner that night, in fact we were a little tipsy by the time we left the show and we ended up hanging out at Mandalay Bay for the remainder of the evening.

On Saturday morning we saw the remainder of the hotels and spent a lot of time shopping, well window-shopping. Its very expensive in Vegas but they have really nice stuff. We spent the afternoon by the pool in our hotel. It was so gorgeous and I got a bit burned on my shoulders but it was so nice to lay in the sun and then dip into a nice, refreshing pool. In the evening we went to...CELINE DION. I know many people do not like her but I absolutely love her. My mom and I have listened to Celine since she first came out. I remember when I was 9, my mom would play her cd over and over again. Anyway, she performed at Caesar's Palace and she was amazing. Mom bought us the most amazing tickets-we had fantastic seats up real close. Celine came out and took my breath away with the power of her voice. I'm serious, as soon as she began to sing I started to cry because I was so moved by the emotion in her voice and I was so damn happy to be there! Her show was not very long (could be longer I think) but it was worth it. She had 50 dancers perform around her and Celine herself actually danced and did a good job. I was amazed that she could dance and still belt out her tunes without missing a beat. That's a professional diva for you. I will never forget that night, it was fantastic and mom and I had the best time.

On Sunday we were not in a rush to do anything or go anywhere. We wandered the strip and took our time enjoying the weather. My other favourite place there was the Bellagio water show. I could sit there all day and watch the water show, it was very soothing and entertaining. I cant say we did much gamblers, mom and I dont really gamble. We were happy enough to attend shows and sight-see, I dont care much for gambling. But the casinos were very nice and its always fun to walk through them and people-watch. I also recommend the buffets....yummy! So much food and its all very good.

I thought Las Vegas was great but I really wouldnt stay there longer than 3 days. I will definately go again, but I would go to see more shows and to shop- not to gamble. I'm very thankful that I got to go with my mom because we get along well and we both love to travel and see new things. In fact, the reason we went to Las Vegas was because I told my mom that this was Celine's last year in Vegas and that if we wanted to see her-this would be our last chance. I also said that we should make it a tradition that we travel together every 5 years because it was 5 years ago that we were in London together. In another 5 years mom wants us to go to Italy. I think that would be a great trip too.

Happy Days

March is turning out to be a really good month, weather wise and...life wise.

So I am on this new kick to get healthy. I eat way too much junk and I need to cut down. So this week I am doing a 'cleanse' of which I have never done before. This particular cleanse allows me to only eat fruit, veggies and some meat. Its my way of giving up bread and sugar cold turkey. Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving it up forever, just trying to reduce the amount I allow into my system. I am only on day two and its hard but it will be worth it.

I went for another walk on Sunday because it was so beautiful out! I could have worn sandals and a tank top and been comfortable. Of course I took more pictures, the first photo being my favourite. I can't have enough pictures of blossoms. Its currently my desktop photo. I am still running but I hurt my leg on my Friday run so I took Saturday off and then only walked yesterday. I plan on running again tonight.

I am counting down the days until school is over...forever! I have loved going to school over the past 5 years, its been a wonderful experience but now I am ready for something new. I really just want a social life again, I miss that the most. I just have 3 summer courses to make it through...and of course my final two essays! They are killing me because I have no motivation to write them. But I've talked to many of my friends and they all feel the same way. Maybe because its the end of the years and we are so close to being donw.

Of course I plan to travel but I won't give any information on that just yet. I am heading to Vegas with my mom at the end of April and that should be a fun girl's weekend! The last time my mom and I travelled somewhere together was 5 years ago when we met up in London. It was a great time and I know this experience will be just as memorable. We have started a tradition of travelling somewhere together every 5 years. My mom loves to travel, just like me, but my dad hates travelling so its best that we go together. We are staying at the Monte Carlo, which is located beside Caesars Palace, which is the perfect location for us. We have tickets in the Orchestra to see Celine Dion (we have always been huge fans) and I'm so excited to see that performance. All in all, I'm really looking forward to this trip.

So I am looking for a new place to live...what a hassle. My roomie is moving back to Vancouver for the summer and will be gone at the end of April. I dont think my landlords will have me sign a lease for the summer so I plan on moving out for July. I would stay the full summer but as I will not be here to move at the end of July (family vacation) and we all know its impossible to find a good place for September (student rush). I will probably get a one bedroom but its very expensive. Might be worth it for awhile though.

Once again all my photos have been taken by me at the Hillside Golf Course (thanks Matt).

Good Times with Good Friends

Wow, I think this is a record for me, two posts in one week! ha ha, I guess I am on a roll.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I went to Vancouver with Pete, Kristi and Greg to attend a Van Morrison concert. This first picture is the view of BC Place from our hotel room, we had a great view. We went over early in the day so that us girls could get some shopping done. Poor Pete, we must have dragged him into every shoe store on Robson Street. The concert was awesome, Van Morrison had a huge band. I dont think anyone enjoyed the show as much as Kristi and I, although I must admit our enjoyment was only heightened by the large amount of wine we consumed! Let me tell you by the end of the night everything was spinning! The picture on the right is of Greg and Kristi chillin in our hotel room after the concert. Of course, we are all drinking Starbucks!

My roomie's boyfriend Peter lives in Vancouver and he came over a couple of weeks ago and took us out for dinner at Earls...where they proceeded to get completely drunk (I was driving). We ate so much food too and afterward we walked through the Bay center in order to sober them up. Well, if you have never walked through a mall with two drunk people before, let me recommend that you dont! They were knocking over mannequins and makin total fools of themselves in the stores. I mean, from my perspective it was hilarious but they were pretty embarrassed. It was all good fun though.

Saturday night my roomie had a bunch of her friends from Law school over for an ethnic potlatch. There was some pretty incredible food, including Chinese, Mexican and Indian. There were about 9 of us and we ate so much! We played taboo, which when you play with anyone else is crazy fun but when you play with a bunch of lawyers it gets all serious and something simple, like picking teams, becomes a huge event. Everyone was great though and we all had a good time. The night didnt end until 3am but we had tons of leftovers the next day (the best part)!

Spring Walk

Yay! Spring is on its way and I couldn't be happier. I went for a walk to celebrate the new warmth and really enjoyed the fresh air. It was so nice to see the paths littered with bright green buds and to my surprise flowers everywhere! I don't remember the blossoms coming this early last year...it's great! Behind our house we happen to have a golf course...I'm not sure what its called but its lovely and they have trails around and in it so that you can run/walk anytime you want.

My first picture is one of my favourites, although I think all of them are good. I love how the crocuses crowded around the decapitated tree.

I love taking pictures of trees, they have so much character in the way that they have grown, their twisted shapes, symmetry, bark, leaves, everything about them. I couldnt resist this shot because its almost a silhouette and its lovely.

The golf course is not very big, it only takes an hour to walk it. I started running again today and it only took me 30 mins to run the entire course (I am a slow runner but a fast walker). The course is always busy with runners and people walking their dogs. But the trail is good to run on because it is always covered with wood chips (I think they are our recycled Christmas trees) to make for a good surface to run on (not hard). Its funny actually because its almost spongey and when my roomie and I go for walks we like to pretend we are bouncing along the trail. Yes, we are weird but weird people always have fun. There is one thing you must know about me...I love taking pictures of roads/trails. I have a huge framed picture on my wall of the raod to my grandparents old house in the country. They sold the house long ago but I still have memories of the place and I love that they gave me the photo when I moved out on my own. I have always been captivated by roads because you never know what is at the end of them. I call these pictures "the road of life." I believe I have already posted a picture of a trail from another walk on this site, but it was in the summer and this is in the spring. I will have to try and remember to re-take this picture once the leaves are out.

One thing there are a lot of at this golf course is ducks. Well, ducks and geese but mostly ducks. Now, I really can't stand birds. All the flapping wings and feathers gross me out. I am not a bird person but I will admit that they are pretty. At one point on the path there are so many that I have to watch that I don't step on them because they don't watch for you and they don't feel they should have to move. Once when Jyo and I went for a walk there were these kids feeding the ducks and so they were clustered all around and then the kids thought it would be funny to chase the birds. Not good. About 400 ducks took flight directly at Jyo and I...well I screamed and bolted out of there. Brrr, the sound of wings flapping near my head freaks me out! Of course, everyone thought I was a freak! I dont care, as long as none of them touched me. This mallard seemed more than happy to pose for me.

Here is a picture of the golf course (I really must find out what it's called). There weren't many golfers that day, although I am not sure because it was so nice out, and it was Sunday. I also have another picture of a tree. I like how it is right in the path and you have to duck your head to get under it. Its a gnarly old tree and I love how the moss is taking over it.

I would love to post more pictures but I have so many and I don't have high speed internet (yeah I know but the roomie refused to pay more). So maybe when I am at school next time I will download some more photos. I hope you enjoyed them!

Canadian Passports

For all of those out there who have not yet renewed or gotten a Canadian passport and need to...do it NOW.

For those of you not aware, as of Jan 23 2007 the United States made it a requirement for all Canadians to have a passport in order to enter their country. This sucks. Since then it has been a mad rush for people who are planning to travel to the States in the next few months to get or renew a passport. This is not a huge deal for those not planning to travel to the United States anytime soon. Being the genius that I am, I decided in January that I should travel to Las Vegas this April. Unfortunately, I live on the island. But what does this matter you ask....it matters.

Victoria is the only city on Vancouver Island with a passport office, meaning that if you live in Parksville or even further up the island you must drive to Victoria in order to get a passport. Of course, you can always send the documents away to get your passport-NOT. It has been said that applications sent in on December 1, 2006 have not even been opened yet. Not to mention that if you happen to make an error (ex: forget a box) they send it back to you and you have to start all over again. Trust me, its best to go in person.

This mad rush to get a passport has resulted in horrendous line ups at the passport office. My friend said she was there at 5am and already 100 people were lined up at the door, she waited 6 hours. I figured the line ups would be better after the Jan 23rd cut off date, so I waited until yesterday to head out. Here is my story.

I woke up at 5am yesterday morning and dressed really warm, as my friend Janice said it was cold and it would be a long day. I was there by 6am and already over 100 people were lined up. The first 5 positions were filled by street people (camped out) offering to sell me their spot for $400...yeah right. I moved on. It was dark and cold and I was tired but it was a clear night and, being 2 blocks away from the ocean, smelled fresh salt water. Victoria does have a problem with street people but these days, what city doesnt? I find most of them are quite harmless and friendly and if you ignore them, they ignore you. They do rule the streets at night though and many were out in full force, taking advantage of the herd of people invading their territory, begging for money from everyone they met.

The longest part of the day was the first 2.5 hours, waiting for the office to open. At 8:30 they finally came around handing out tickets. They only hand out 200 and I was #169, the people behind me got sent home. I felt bad because many of them were from out of town but hey-the early bird gets the worm! Plus, this was the only day that I could use to get this done. Its currently reading break and I had the day off work. I was frozen long before the office opened though, my feet were solid blocks of ice by 7am. I'm glad I had my iPOD with me though, it helped to get me through the first 2.5 hours of waiting.

When the line began to move (4 steps every 20 mins) I got to know the people around me. I will always remember the 5 friends I made that day and our adventure at the passport office. Although I couldn't tell you their names, I can tell you exactly when and where they are travelling!

The lady on my right spent 8 hours in line last Friday and was 4 people from the door when they shut it down for the day. My heart went out to her. She is going to the south of France this summer to spend time in a villa with her family in celebration of her father's 75th birthday. She was really nice and gave me her scarf to wrap up in.

The lady on my left took over the wait from her husbad at 8:30 when he had to go to work. She was tiny but a talker! She wasnt travelling anywhere but her kids are this summer-she was in line for them (as most of the adults there were). She shared her gigantic ginger cookie with the 5 of us (we were all starving).

The couple beside her were elderly (60ish) and soo sweet. They are touring Europe for 5 months this summer. I am proud of how they stood up against the elements of the day because I am a healthy 24 year old and I barely made it through.

The man beside the couple was from Nanaimo and he is taking his kids to Disneyland next month. He had sent in their applications but they were sent back because of one error and he was running out of time (didn't want to chance it again) so came in person.

The 6 of us chatted and were moral support for one another, nicer strangers you will never meet. We huddled for warmth, looked after one another's stuff/position so that they could pee, get coffee or slip into the mall to thaw their feet. When we finally made it into the building, we cheered everytime one of us got called to the counter. The other people smiled at us and told us they liked our team spirit. The entire time we lived for the line to move, we 'willed it' together every 15 minutes. It was very cold and rained but we stayed dry as we were covered for most of the line and when we weren't we put our umbrellas together. Team work baby!

Although I stood in line for 8.5 hours (in the cold rain) it wasn't a bad day. It will always be a good story to tell and it was bearable because I met 5 incredibly friendly and kind people. I couldn't have had nicer people to share such an experience with. I wish them all the best in their future travels and hopefully I will run into them again one day.

Chinese Immigration

Okay friends, time for another lesson in Canadian history.
Many of you are already aware that the Chinese built the railway back in the late 1800's. What you may not know is that the Chinese were recruited from China for the main purpose of cheap labour. Many Chinese died building the CPR and the worst of it was that once it was finished (1885), the Canadian government no longer wanted the Chinese to immigrate to Canada. BC in particular was very racist against the Chinese and did not want them populating their province.
In an act to discourage Chinese immigration, the federal government imposed a $50 Head Tax (1885)on all Chinese entering the country. When this failed to decrease Chinese immigration, they raised it in 1900 to $100. Worse yet, in 1903 they raised it again to $500. Remember that in 1903 $500 was a lot of money (who are we kidding, its still a lot of money ...to a student)!

However, it seemed that the Chinese were not wanted, no matter what price they were willing to pay (and many did pay it). From 1923-1947 the Chinese Exclusion Act restricted the Chinese altogether from coming to Canada. This Act prevented many Chinese families from being reunited as the men generally went ahead to make money to bring the rest of their families to Canada. The following is a picture of a Head Tax certificate.

Since then the Chinese community has been pursuing the government for an apology and compensation. The Conservative government came through with a long overdue apology in January of 2006. However, I am torn on the issue of compensation. While I agree that the Chinese community was treated horribly, I fail to see how giving them millions of dollars will heal their wounds. Instead, I believe the money should be put towards educating today's children of our past mistakes. By making it mandatory in elementary or high school education, children would grow up with a better understanding of the horrors that racism and other forms of discrimination can cause.
Overall, I stronly feel that Canada's reputation of being a 'multicultural' country has not yet been fully earned. We still have a long way to go before I would consider us accepting of every race, ethnicity, culture, etc.

Snow in Victoria?

Okay, so it has snowed in Victoria before...but not in amounts like this!! It started snowing Sat night and hasnt stopped since. We now have over a foot of snow, which is outrageous in a city that doesnt even own a snowplow! I woke up this morning and thank God I have boots (fur ones, they are cute). The snow was almost to my knees and my poor car was buried! I unfortunately trudged almost all the way to the bus stop before my roomie called to tell me that the University was closed and the buses weren't running. Damn, I should have checked first but I grew up with snow and nothing was ever closed on its account-you dealt with it. So I trudged home, took some beautiful pictures on my street and then spent 20 mins cleaning off my car.
I had to laugh at the people of Victoria-they are completely helpless when it comes to snow. I saw one girl cleaning off her car with a flip-flop and my landlord was trying to shovel her driveway with a garden shovel! ha ha ha ha. The lights keep flickering and I hope we don't lose power. I am very grateful for the snow closure as Mondays are my long day at school (8am-6pm) and now I have an extra day to work on my Brtish essay.

So it seems that I really don't have anything to complain about, especially since my mom just e-mailed to tell me that it is -39 in Calgary with the wind chill...brrr. And I know Edmonton is not pleasant right now either. But hey-I put my time in AB and I remember all too well the frozen days. I can't honestly say that I miss them.I have one week of classes left, another week of finals and then...FREEDOM!!
Oh, and 27 more sleeps until CHRISTMAS!

Hitler Couldn't Drive!

I think it is about high time I started writing about history. Seeing as how I plan on making my career about history I thought I should start integrating it into my life wherever I can. While I have chosen Canadian history as my special focus, my blogs will reflect whatever tidbit of history I am currently learning about. This may include American, British, Japanese, etc. Do not take this to mean that from now on I will only write about history-nah-I write what I want, when I want. I can’t promise anything.

This semester I was lucky enough to have chosen “The History of the Automobile in America,” as a class. Besides being a very interesting class….I finally discovered where UVic has been hiding all the men! This class has kept me so interested that I have explored many topics on my own time. One of the most fascinating to me was the advent of the autobahn.

For those of you not aware, autobahn is the German word for highway. Auto-bahn=auto-course. Credit for the first autobahn must be given to the Italians. However, the autobahn in Germany was actually created with great support from Adolf Hitler. He saw the autobahn as a military advantage that would move troops and vehicles across the country in a quick and efficient manner. While the autobahn does not have a speed limit, it does have a recommended speed of 130 km/h. Oh how I wished I lived in Germany after reading this!! The autobahn is 12,000 km long with plans for future expansion.

The autobahn was not the only automobile-related interest and creation of Hitler. He also wanted to produce an affordable car that would beat out Ford’s Model T (the #1 most affordable automobile in the early 1900’s). Apparently Hitler had a picture of Ford on his wall for inspiration but this could be fabricated info. Anyway, Hitler hired Ferdinand Porsche (yes, creator of the hottest cars on earth-Porsches) to create and design an affordable automobile. Enter the Volkswagen.

While all of these facts are extremely interesting, I found the most interesting part to be that Hitler couldn’t drive! A car enthusiast who couldn’t drive! Oh well, you don’t have to be Chinese to enjoy Chinese food.

My information was obtained from “Cars and Culture: The Life Story of Technology,” by Rudi Volti. Additional facts can be found at Wikipedia and I have added their link to my site.

Meet my Friends

So-I have decided that I should introduce my friends and give an explanation of their links. I recently explored a link off another blogger's site and found it quite entertaining. I thought that maybe if I explain who my links are, then some of you might explore their sites and find them interesting as well.

*It should be noted that I have received permission from the following parties to disclose information about them*

We will start with Wayne because he is the one who introduced me to blogging and he is by far the most dedicated blogger I know. I met Wayne in Grade 12 and since then we have always kept in touch despite the obstacle of distance (I love the internet). Wayne's site is always filled with current events about his life and especially his knowledge on mites. He is kind, generous, and intelligent and always makes me laugh. He is an incredible photographer, snapping artistic shots of whatever he happens to encounter while biking home. His blogs are quite humorous and worth checking out.

Lise is my aunt-she lives in Calgary and I really must credit her for expanding my cultural knowledge of city life. It was Lise that took me to the theatre, introduced me to sushi (forever grateful), balsamic vinegar (do I smell something rotting in the fridge?) and taught me about LEAP. Lise is incredibly entertaining and loves to be the centre of attention (being a Leo and all she can’t help it). She is incredibly active with ice climbing (her passion) and her site is filled with her recent mountain escapades. There is never a dull moment when Lise is around!

I have known Bobbie since grade 2 and out of all my friends she is the best at keeping in touch. After years of following each other around BC and AB (PG-Nanaimo-Calgary-Vancouver Island), Bobbie has settled on the beautiful island of Gabriola and is busy opening her Blue Apples Health and Wellness Store (Nov 25th!) and raising her adorable daughter Magdalene. The link for Bobbie will take you to her Blue Apples site where she explains what exactly blue apples are and what it has to offer. Bobbie is generous, dedicated, has a great sense of humour and is always willing to listen. Her site is filled with incredible knowledge on Chakra and Reiki as well as crystal and gemstone healing-check it out!

So that ends the description of my friends, I hope you check out their links. If you have a blog or website, let me know and I would be glad to add you to my list. I visit my friend’s sites on a regular basis and it’s a great way to “stay in the know” about what is going on in their lives.

Hallowe'en

I have to say that I am really just a big kid when it comes to holidays. I love Hallowe'en and when I was a kid Hallowe'en was always a big deal to us. I remember my dad taking us to pick out pumpkins and we would buy 4 or 5 and spend a night carving them up. On Hallowe'en we used to set them up around the backyard and then have a bonfire-it was really cool.
Last Saturday I went to my friend Laura's place to help her decorate. We then headed to Galey's farm where they had a haunted house and a corn maze. The haunted mansion was really well done and I screamed my lungs out (after telling my friends I "wasn't a screamer"). To be honest we all screamed except Clay, cause he's a guy I guess. Afterwards we went in the corn maze which totally freaked me out because its dark and reaches way above you and you can hear it rustling...the momvie signs kept creeping into my mind and I just grabbed onto Courtney and walked with her through the maze. In the middle of the maze was another haunted town and it was so neat how they had it set up, looking like a ghost town.

Laura and I went to her house afterward to get ready for a house party. We were dressing up (in the spirit people, in the spirit) and she was going as Marilyn Monroe and I went as Audrey Hepburn from "Breakfast in Tiffany's." We were old style Hollywood! Clay was a zombie and did his make-up well. The house party sucked so we took off and went to Plan B, a popular club. There were some really great costumes and as usual some really shitty ones. I am so sick of girls taking the opportunity to dress slutty...its really getting old and where is your sense of pride?? I saw way to many nurses and schoolgirls, it was gross. Some of the best costumes I saw was a guy dressed as lego, another as Where's Waldo and the best was a group of people who went as the Kokanee commercial-you know with the mountie and saskwatch and Kokanee girls?? It was really well done. The Saskwatch was even carrying a case of Kokanee, which was a nice touch.
So tomorrow is Halloween and then the countdown to Christmas begins...I am already excited for that! I am taking Jamie trick or treating tomorrow night and then Laura, Jyo and I are going to drive to Sydney because apparently they have a very scary haunted house there-the best on the island. I'm already excited because I love to be scared.
I hope everyone has a Happy Hallowe'en!

Autumn!

Well, we are well into fall and I love it. Thinking back over the years fall really
has always been my favourite season. September always brought the excitment of school starting, for I am one of those annoying people who really love school.
October brings Thanksgiving (turkey and pumpkin pie!) as well as Hallowe'en.
I love the crisp smell fall has, yet the breeze is still warm. The colours are the best part-orange, red, yellow and light green in flashes. I like to kick leaves when I walk and when I was a kid I loved to jump into piles of leaves!
I guess I really love the change that fall brings...usually I hate change but fall eases you into change so that you embrace it. I like to think I change for the better every fall....but I couldnt really tell you if that was true or not. I did dye my hair a dark brown-wash out of course. But this is what my natural colour is...when it eventually grows out.
So I am settled into the grind of school-5 classes that I love (3 History, 1 English literature and one Japanese lit class) and boy do they keep me busy. I have no midterms and only 3 finals but essays every week! I work twice a week and play indoor soccer Wednesday nights and attend Pilates on Thursdays. I have joined the History club and we have a pub crawl coming up soon...I have my own personal reasons for attending, especially since it is on a Wednesday night!
I long ago settled into my new ground floor suite with my roomie, and best friend of 17 years, Jyoti. We get along quite well as it seems we are both freaks (is consumption contagious??) heh heh, and we both love food more than we should admit. Our place is small and cozy and the picture shows just how crazy everything was on moving day-what a mess! I apologize that the pictures are not of good quality-I think I need to tinker with my camera.

I do miss the company of Pete and Kristi and without Jamie's hugs and laughter some days are a bit lonely. But I have Riley and he is very happy and we have a good routine here. I have included a picture of Riley helping me study.

I take Jamie to school Wednesday mornings (the only morning I dont have class or work) and I go to her dance and swim lessons every Saturday morning (which leaves Sunday as my only sleep-in day). I don't complain though because really-the busier I am the happier.
I had a pleasant surprise a few weeks ago when my Uncle Darren and his wife Chrystal showed up for a visit. We had a very nice evening of walking down by the harbour and an enjoyable dinner with a view of the parliament buildings. It was so good to see them again as we get along so well and my uncle and I have a history of good timse. After all, I lived with him for 3 years and the stories we could tell you! It was nice to see how happy he and Chrystal are together and I couldnt be happier for them.
Well, I dont really have much else to say...I really only wrote in here because it has been so long and I keep getting harassed (in a good way) by Wayne. Are you happy now Wayne? I hope so because knowing me I might not write in here again for 3 months!
Anyway, I hope everyone else is enjoying fall as much as I am, I will write again...when I write!

A Weekend in Vancouver!

So I spent last weekend in Van with Jyo and her friends....it was totally wicked. Trying to ignore the fact that I got hardly any sleep Friday night before I left and almost missed the ferry....I did make it you know.

Anyway, Friday night Laura called me out of the blue and we ended up heading down to Centennial Square and listening to "City and Colour" live, we couldnt get tickets so we watched through the fence. We met up with her friends afterwards and headed to "The Mint" for some drinks that kept us there until around 2. It was great fun and Laura and her friends are very cool.

I had to catch the 8 o'clock ferry the next day and after 4 hours sleep....I didnt actually get to the ferry until 8. I was told that I was too late but the nice ferry lady managed to get me on (phewf) and despite the rough ride (oh barf), I made it to Van in good shape. Jyo and I hit the mall first (Sam & Jyo style) before getting some great sushi for lunch. She took me to her place, which is so cute and she has the nicest roomies!! After a huge dinner of two, yes-count 'em two-veggies burgers, we got ready and headed out to meet up with her friends.

I have never met Jyo's friends before, so I wasnt sure what to expect. They were awesome. They were the nicest, funniest, coolest girls ever. I am not kidding. They were so easy going and made me feel like I was part of the "group." We immediatly got along and had a blast. We had trouble getting into a club because we didnt get downtown until well after eleven, but the journey down was hilarious. I was opening drinks on church steps, truck bumpers and whatever else I could find!! Sukdeep was climbing trees and Jyo was all business in getting a cab! I have great pictures posted throughout this blog, will not even try to explain them! Well, 6 girls never had so much fun, it was a pretty wicked night. We did get in a club but it was dead...played good music though.

On Sunday we met up for lunch on Granville Island and then toured around for a bit before I had to head out to the ferry. I got practically no sleep but it was worth it. I hope they come and visit Jyo and I often this year.

A Week in Winfield

Hello, hello!

I am back from holidays and I had a great time. Above is the view we had from our place on Okanagan Lake in Winfield BC.
I arrived in Kelowna Saturday morning and my grandparents came and picked me up. On they way back to their place in Vernon, my parents called to say that they arrived and were waiting for me. We had managed to find a place to stay in Winfield, a basement suite of a house on the lake. However, by the time we got there, launched the boat and unpacked, we were way too tired to do anything. Its kind of pathetic but we were all in bed by 9 because nobody had slept the night before.
On Sunday we were total keeners! We were up at 7 and on the water by 9. Unfortunately the weather was not kind to us at all. It was windy and cold and we had trouble getting on the boat because of the waves. But we were on holidays and determined to get out on the water. We toured the shore for a bit and the houses down there, I mean mansions.....wow. I wish I had money! The featured house is just one of many "chateaus" that we saw. By noon it had warmed up a little although we still had not seen the sun. My dad tied us to a buoy in a small bay and I went swimming. The water was surprisingly warm and eventually everyone went in. We had buoyed in an area surrounded by cliffs of rock. Being the adventurous girl that I am, I swam up to the rocks and attempted to jump off of them...but there were too many rocks under the water for me to actually jump. But the rocks had caves, very cool.
So Sunday was a bit of a bust, we headed home shortly after that and called it a day. It was unfortunate we never got to do any boarding.
Monday was awesome! We were (again) the first people on the lake (9am) and mom and I sunned on the front of the boat while dad putted by the shore and dreamed of a lakehouse of his own. The lake was like glass and it was very hot out. I volunteered to be the first to try our new wakeboard and I have to admit I was a little scared. I needed have been, it was really easy. For those of you who have not wakeboarded but have waterskied....wakeboarding is so much easier. I hate waterskiing but I love wakeboarding. Its amazing how a little board and some speed can make you glide on water. The feeling is so cool. Being the cocky 24 year old I am, I had to try hot doggin on my first go. So I began to carve and then got gusty and crossed the wake...successfully! But then on my way back over the wake I tried to jump and found out that the board did not jump with me! That was when I did my first (yes, first) faceplant of the week. It was very painful and my chest and stomach was so sore and I felt like throwing up. Apparently that is not how you "get air." I was a little bit more cautious after that. The rest of the day went well, bouncing back and forth between wakeboarding, kneeboarding and swimming. Mom did very well on the wakeboard and dad was content to just "drive the boat." (Here is a picture of when I was up, I dont have my eyes closed, I am just checking out the board).

Tuesday was such a bad day that we didnt even get on the water. Instead we went into Kelowna and shopped and went mini-golfing and then out for lunch. It was a really quiet day and we ended it with a swim and a movie.
Wednesday was gorgeous and that was the day my grandparents came out. We actually drove the boat to a marina where we could dock it and get lunch. Grandma and Grandpa met up with us there and then spent the rest of the day boating with us. I showed off my boarding skills (they were improving) and had no major wipeouts. In the evening we got to tour a cherry farm as my grandma's cousin runs it. It was 5 mins down from where we were staying and it was so cool! You wouldnt believe the amount of people it takes to pick and sort cherries! The staff was 90% Mexicans as they cant get the locals to sort cherries for 9 hours a day. They spoke little or no english and translators were present. But the cherries are transported by water so that they dont get bruised or cut and they are sorted by size (largest is best of course). It was very neat to see the process and surprising to find out that they are the biggest market in fruit and that 70% of the cherries are sent overseas to Japan. After the tour we were given a bag of the "exoport (best)" cherries and I have never tasted better cherries. They must package what they pick everyday so only the freshest cherries are sent out. We ended that day with many margaritas garnished with cherries!
Thursday was another beautiful day like Wednesday and we did a lot of boarding and swimming.Here is a picture of dad going out to get the boat in the morning. His boat is very beautiful.

On Friday, our last day of holidays, the weather was shit. It was warm but very windy and so we decided to head into town and visit my Uncle Bill and cousin Brad, who just recently moved to Winfield. They have a very nice brand new house and after getting the tour we headed out for lunch at a place called "Turtle Bay Pub." We got a seat out on the patio by the water and to our surprise there were actually turtles in the water! Of course my dad couldn't resist and continuously fed them fries for the whole meal. The turtles never got any because the ducks and large fish were much faster. I swear Winfield is going to have some ducks with heart disease after that! When we finished lunch, the sun had come out and, even though it was still a little windy, we headed back to our place to enjoy the lake for the last time.
We toured my uncle and cousin up the shores a little to show them the huge homes and then I said I wanted to go boarding. I got up the first time and it was fun and I eventually wiped out. I decided to go again and everything was fine..then I decided to cross the wake. Big mistake. Oh, I had done it all week long with no problems....not this time. With such speed that I had no time to react, I hit the water face first. And I blacked out. Now, for those of you not understanding what water feels like at that speed, let me help you out. It feels like concrete. No other words for it than that. I dont really remember much, not what happen to the board (it was ripped off my feet, that is how hard I hit because I was strapped in good) and the next thing I knew dad was beside me with the boat. When I finally came around, I was scared shitless because I couldnt see anything. I actually put my hands on my face to make sure I still had eyes....oh I know you are laughing but that is how scared I was. I hit the water so hard that the left half of my face was NUMB for almost a quarter of an hour. Its like after you get a cavity filled and they have frozen your lip and you keep poking it and you dont feel nothin...yeah, like that. Oh, but then I tried to breathe...big mistake. I had, apparently, taken in a lot of water in my nose and it tried to go down my throat and I panicked because I was disorientated, hurt and I couldnt breathe. My poor uncle was perched on the swimgrid, posed to dive in for me. Instead, he pulled me out and I just laid on the boat gasping for air and doing my best not to cry in front of my 15 year old cousin. I eventually got air in my lungs and ahold of myself and, standing up, is when I realized how much pain I was in. My right arm was so sore that I could not lift it up. I must have hung onto the rope for a second when I hit the water and as a result I had badly pulled the muscles in my right arm. The face got better, the arm did not. Needless to say I did not do anymore wakeboarding that day. The wipeout must have looked as bad as it felt because there was no way in hell my cousin was going to try wakeboarding after my wipeout. Mom did, she is such a gutsy little thing. Check out her wicked boarding style.Brad did go kneeboarding (he rocks) and he did go tubing. I huddled on the floor of the boat, wrapped in a towel, craddling my arm. As far as I was concerned, holidays was over for me right then and there. The rest of the day was not so bad. It was practically over anyway. We headed back to shore, loaded the boat on the truck and had some dinner with drinks. We went for one last evening swim after dinner but I swam badly as I couldnt use my right arm. I was like a doodle-bug going around in a circle with my one good arm. It was pathetic.
If I thought the next day would be better...I was very wrong. You never really discover how many muscles your body has until you cant move them. My neck was stiff as a board, my right arm (although I could lift it) hurt like hell and all the muscles in my right thigh had been pulled too. I had to pick up my leg to get my shorts on....pathetic! Oh, did I mention the headache??? Oh yeah, the head-splitting, dizzy, make you want to throw up headache that lasted for 3 days!!! I have never been in so much pain in my life! Without a doubt I had a slight concussion and I hope to never get one again.
My dad felt bad but it really wasnt his fault. I liked to go fast, I find it easier to control and I dont really know what happen..one minute I was crossing the wake and the next-SLAM!

So its Tuesday and you are wondering the long term effects? Yesterday was a great day, no headache (I will not tell the number of pills consumed over the weekend)and the pains were not so bad. Today I hurt and I can feel the strain in my neck, not to mention the back pain....oh god its bad. So I am planning on going to massage therapy this week, boy do I need it.
So you are asking me, "Was it worth it?"
Hell yes!