April 29, 2007

Ten

Today I ran the TC 10k in Victoria, BC. My time was 57:44. Here are 10 reasons I run:
10. As a Travel Girl I can take my running shoes anywhere in the world 9. For health and fitness... blah, blah, blah 8. As an excuse to buy cute, expensive clothes from Lululemon, etc. 7. The commradery of complete strangers - all ages, shapes and sizes - sharing the same goal 6. My pace group leader, Nav... how could The Navigator lead me astray? 5. My friend Georgi... she truly inspires me 4. Running is something my fly guy and I do together 3. The rush of flowing along in an artery of 10,000 race participants 2. The accomplishment of running 10k in less than an hour 1. Chocolate milk and cookies at the finish line... is there really any other reason?!

April 20, 2007

Oprah, Ellen and... Julie?

I am building a resume of daytime TV appearances. It started with a trip to Chicago to see Oprah Winfrey in celebration of my mom’s 60th birthday. Then I shook my booty with Ellen DeGeneres in LA. So, when given the opportunity to attend the CBS Early Show while on business in NYC, I jumped at the chance. I’ve never watched the show and have no idea who the host is (apparently it is Julie Chen among others), but I was in. Unfortunately, I didn’t know the experience would involve standing outside in the pouring rain… a.k.a rent-a-crowd for an outdoor weather segment. It was raining so hard the hosts didn't even come out. Just a handful of colleagues from Canada and I gathered around in our issued yellow rain ponchos as the cameras panned us… cheering, waving and pretending we were happy to be there. That was it… over in a New York minute. We then were expected to wait another hour outside before going in studio. I was willing to give up my whole day to get into Oprah and Ellen, but sorry Julie… forget it. We were out of there. Later the rain let up yet I forgot I was still wearing my $1 Store rain poncho while strolling the streets of NYC amongst all these stylish women wearing their hip, patterned rubber boots. Now that would have made for more interesting TV... or at least an episode of What Not to Wear.

Big soggy apple

I have been to NYC five times now and every trip whether spring or fall has boasted warm temperatures and lovely sunshine. So, I guess I was due for some inclement weather on my latest venture to the Big Apple. I was warned it was going to rain, but I was in denial since it was so nice on the west coast. We arrived late at night and sure enough we awoke the next morning not just to rain, but to pouring rain… rivers of rain… soak you to the bone despite your umbrella rain. In fact, over 5 inches of rain fell in one day due to a little weather phenomenon called a Nor'Easter. It was apparently the second worst storm in NY’s history breaking a 124-year-old record. But, with extensively researched recommendations in hand, our “google-icious” cheerleader Georgi refused to let the flooding dampen our spirits. Despite the fact we were staying at the historic Waldorf Astoria, we were going out to have fun whether we liked it or not. We ate and drank our way around the Big Apple… brunch on Clinton Street, beers at the Half King Pub in Chelsea (voted best place to drink on a Sunday afternoon) and banana cake at Billy’s Bakery (think sister location to The Magnolia Bakery). We had a great day and did have fun, but not because we were in NYC but because we were with old friends. And, because when you are so wet Red declares his “gonch” are soaked… what else can you do but laugh?

April 8, 2007

To hell and back

I have returned from death’s door. I had just finished 10 days of antibiotics when… WHAM! I was hit by another cold and flu. The worst flu I have had in years… or at least in two weeks. We had planned to spend the easter long weekend at the lake, but instead the only place I have been travelling is between my bed and the couch. So much for chocolate easter eggs instead I’ve been eating Tylenol like candy. The closest I’ve come to hot cross buns is having the sweats and I’ve heralded the arrival of spring with chicken noodle soup rather than baby chicks. I did celebrate religion this easter, however, as I prayed to God to make it stop. Finally, my prayers were answered and my flu broke. Thankfully I had somebunny special to take care of me these past five days and who spoiled me rotten with an easter hunt that was more like Christmas morning! I know, easter is about counting your blessings not your eggs and I have a wonderful family, friends and, in theory, my health… or what’s left of it anyway. I wonder if the easter bunny could bring me a new immune system? Happy Easter!

April 2, 2007

Ski bunnies

Spring is here and our local ski hill, Mount Washington Alpine Resort, will soon be closing so we hit the slopes for one last family ski trip of the season. As previously posted, my last ski weekend in Whistler didn’t work out quite as planned so I was really looking forward to another chance to ski. If at first you don’t succeed, ski ski again! This time we were blessed with blue sky, sunshine and warm temperatures, well, at least until it clouded over and started snowing. But, we didn’t let that dampen our enthusiasm and we shredded the slopes… or at least the bunny hills. After a successful week in ski school over Spring Break, the fly girl was hooked and a certified ski bunny. When your father is a former ski racer and an experienced backcountry skier, it is completely natural to take to skiing even at five-years-old. When you are the girlfriend of a former ski racer and experienced backcountry skier you take to skiing whether you like it or not. Truthfully, I love it and we had so much fun to end the season that it left us wanting more. Oh well, there is always next winter. Plus, the bunnies will be busy this Easter weekend anyway.

Luke, I am your hair stylist

This weekend we went to outer space… the planet of Tatooine. The fly girl was invited to a Stars Wars-themed birthday party and costumes were required. Who does a five-year-old little girl choose to go as? Princess Leia, of course. Her mom took care of the outfit and did a fantastic job, but I was responsible for putting the finishing touches on the costume… the hair. Yikes! As everyone knows, Leia’s exorbitant braided buns are her signature. Thankfully the fly girl's hair is brown and fairly long so I had the natural tools to work with. I did consider adding some hair extensions to the equation, but at $200 a pop… I passed. I also considered picking up a couple of cinnamon buns from my local bakery as back-up, but I didn’t want to take away from the birthday cake. In the end, her hair was easy to do and looked great. Little Princess Leia looked every bit the part and arguably had the best costume at the party. The only thing that was missing as she kept pointing out was Leia’s gun. Hmm… who is the target audience for Star Wars anyway?

Fly girl

I am blessed to have a little girl in my life who is the daughter of my fly guy and a budding travel girl. At the age of five, she has already been to Australia and New Zealand, Hawaii and Mexico, and several destinations in the U.S. and Canada. I travelled a lot when I was a child and have many fond memories of planes, trains and, yes, even automobiles. Although my mother claims that following a 5-week road trip to Atlantic Canada when I was 11-years-old that I stepped out of the vehicle upon our return to declare, “I am never doing that again!” I think travel is a wonderful gift and mandatory luxury. It teaches us so many life lessons and so much about ourselves. As an adult I can look back and acknowledge that travel is a gift my parents gave me… one I didn’t know I was receiving at the time, but am so grateful for now. And, I am grateful that this is a gift my favourite five-year-old continues to receive. Lucky girl… lucky fly girl.