Here I Am

Scampering up a wall with nothing but your own muscles and a harness stopping you from plummeting to the ground isn’t something that appeals to everyone.

I was one of those people. I was sceptical because I am not a big fan of  free falling and having my stomach go up my esophagus. But the enthusiasm and determination of my friend got me into those odd little shoes and slapping chalk on my hands.

The feeling you get when you make it up to the top is amazing. Your determination to not stop pays off with cheers from your belay and also the break you get when you are lowered to the ground ahhaha.

The one thing I have to say about rock climbing is that it is AWESOME!

Not to be cheesy, but Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year!! It is one of those events that happen every year, which will always be in my heart. Family and friends are near and many memories are made.

The excitement started when I first made my request with work to have some time off and it was accepted. Next came the buying presents part. There is nothing better than seeing the looks on people’s faces when they open your gift.

Finally, the arrival. The look on my mother and Stan’s faces as I come running up to the door are priceless. I can never get enough of it.

Christmas foods, decorations, snow, presents and laughter are never ending.

So far some games of Wii Sports wakeboarding and some good old pond hockey have been video taped. I am sure there will be more antics to come.

I love my family and I don’t want the holidays to end

Oh dear. It’s that time of year again when summer gives way to more stressful and less care-free times. The fall semester at TRU beings on September 8th. 

Another year of lectures, essays, tests and deadlines. Sounds depressing but I am excited. This is my fourth and final year in my post secondary education (well maybe). I have all my classes picked out, I have finally gotten a place to live (Marlee can come!), now the not so fun part of paying for everything is all that is left. Oh and passing my courses haha. 

That is what every summer is. The money making season. I hoard like a hermit and also work on my tan, but the end result is a bank account that can provide me with an education. Yes I still have to work during the school year to pay for rent and food, but all in all everything is semi-secure. As secure as a full-time student’s funds could be hahaha. 

So I guess this is just a reminder that there are only a few pay cheques left for the summer, classes should be organized and paid for and finally, spend some time with the family cause the next time you see them might not be until Christmas.

Here are some of my favorite photos I have taken over the summer with my Canon

July 10 is nearly upon team Outrageous Ovaries! The Underwear Affair is one weekend away. Yesterday two of us got together and made our costumes. We are wearing tie-dyed tank-tops and men’s briefs! I am hoping we don’t look like complete goofs, but I guess that is what we are supposed to do. 

I also hope to beat my best time in a 10 km race, but I would be just happy with finishing and feeling good.

I am getting pumped! The rush of being at a race can never be mimicked. I feel so powerful and calm. When the race starts I feel like my heart is about to jump out of my chest.

I love the feeling of my feet contacting the ground, feeling the wind brush my face, feeling my body working as one to get me through the 10 km and the post-race feeling of achievement and exhausted bliss. 

Running is good for the soul

I AM GOING TO BRYAN ADAMS!!! I so freaking excited! Bryan Adams is playing at the PNE in Vancouver on August 21. After that concert, I will be able to die a happy woman hahaha.

Even since I was young I have always loved Mr. Adams’ music. My Dad played his tapes on our camping trips and I always managed to get a hold of his CDs.

This is the first time I will be able to see this amazing artist. I know, a little odd that a 21-year-old is in love with this Canadian rock n’ roll star, but I am definitely not embarrassed to say I love Bryan! 

His music has always touched me whether it be a love song, a song about rebellion or just about playing music. Some of his stuff is conventional but I don’t care. I have a blind love. 

Bryan here I come!!

Well my summer is being spent in Quesnel, B.C. I started my summer internship at the Cariboo Observer on May 1. So I guess it is time for the one month check-up. 

Things are going great. I am getting a lot published, getting a lot of different stories, learning the trick of layout and loving all the time I get to take pictures. 

My days are generally 8-5 p.m. with an hour lunch break. But the beauty of it is that if I need to cover an event on the weekend, I get to leave early on Friday, or any day I chose. It is 40 hours a week, to my choosing. We publish twice a week so that keeps things a little busy. 

I finally bought my own camera!!! I am now the proud owner of a 2007 Cannon EOS Rebel XTi and of 55 mm, 300 mm and 50 mm lenses. I bought this all for a smoking deal from a fellow coworker. I couldn’t have gotten luckier.

Yes, it isn’t the best out there, but that is what you get when you are a student. So this little sucker should last me until I graduate and well into my first years in the industry. 

It is nice to be doing an internship. I am starting to get a grasp on what I want and don’t want in my future jobs. Everything is a learning curve.

Ahah yes the title of this post is a little odd, but it will make sense soon enough. A couple of my friends and I have decided to participate in the Underwear Affair. This is an event that raises funds to gain research and hopefully a cure to below the belt cancers. 

This event in held in Vancouver on July 10th and is a 5K walk or a 10K run. My team, Outrageous Ovaries, will be running for pledges. I am pretty excited about this, because it isn’t the usual fundraiser. Teams get to dress any way they chose to support this cause. 

I have done two races in Vancouver and I have loved running along the ocean. I hope this race will have a route that gets me near it. 

If anyone would like more information or would like to pledge visit the website : www.uncoverthecure.org

Recently my mother and I have signed up for a weekly yoga class at the local recreation centre. We decided we never seem to make enough time for each other but always make time for exercise. Thus it didn’t take long to just starting working out together. 

Any ways, last night was our first class. The instructor was great and always showed modified ways to do the moves depending on skill and strength. 

This was my mother’s first time, so there was a lot of giggles swapping back and forth. I think the best part of the class was that a lady accidentally let a fart rip in the middle of class. My mother and I looked at each other and were crying from the effort to not laugh. Yes, it wasn’t really a magical moment by any circumstances, but I love to be able to share laughter with my mother

All-in-all the night was a wonderful time for my mother and I to bond and support each other. I am pumped for next week and I hope I am not the next one to let a “air-biscuit” rip hahahah.

I have begun to keep a “little black book” of workouts. Ahahah I know tacky name but it’s the best I could think of.

Basically I have been documenting various exercises that I want to try. I have been looking online, through books and magazines. I am tired of my old workout routine and that is no better time than the present.

It’s working out well, except I look like a goof at the gym with this little book. Reading it, then trying the moves step-by-step ahaah. But soon I will have them memorized. 

This little trick has helped me break out of my routine and start enjoying the gym again