dreaming over the ocean

Giving kindergarten students immunizations Speaking French at work Kayaking at cape Maclear Eating baobab fruit Sorting bottle caps with Malawian kids Being inspired by teammates at Calgary 70.3 Jamjar food sponsorship Dave watt's magic fingers Boardgames in tofino Selling my rowing shell Chambar anniversary dinner Pic's of Nicole's baby girl The water hose while climbing up the hill in penticton GranFondo Watching my dog trying to lift her feet off of the hot concrete in penticton The generosity of stu and Marianne Salmon buying in Richmond Floor neighbours Community coming together to help an injured dog Meeting nurses in Malawi "Marmalade! Marmalade" I forgot marmalade! Sasamat canada day swim followed by berry picking with Celine Watching Sean rock the triple crown on a hybrid Tash and Antony's tree trimming 2nd line parade in NOLA Whole food discounts with Donna Dancing with Ed at...

The last hour of work on a Friday afternoon is generally the toughest, right?  That’s what they say? I certainly am finding that true today. I also guess that the summer hold that much more anticipation! This weekend, Sean and I are off for a short two day trip to Penticton .  We would leave tonight, but, the heat is going to be sweltering, and we have to make accommodations for the dog. We are heading up there to Participate in the GranFondo: 180Km of cycling in 37 Degree heat.  YIKES!!!  I’m very excited though, and it seems like it is going to be a great event.  I just hope we can finish. Three weekends ago, I had just gotten back from Malawi .  I saw super sick.  That was not fun.  Two weekends ago, I spent it up in Whistler, with 5 other triathlon girls, doing a training weekend.  IT was amazing, and it really reminded me about how much joy it is to have “nothing but training” to do for a few days in a row.  Especially ...

if this post works, I will be *thrilled.*  my internet is SO touch and go these days.  skype cuts in and out.  webpages just don't load. even at the college the other day, it took about 3 hours for one episode of "bones" to download.  i can't read any facebook notifications or messages, they just don't load (gasp.   what in the world am I going to do!??!   ha!)  emails may or may not load.  siiiiigh.  and, yet... I try.  I try to connect to the internet, even when the internet gods are telling me to cease and desist.   oh well. I am over my tizzy from last week.  And, I am SO glad about that.  The calm, the joy, the wonders of being here in Malawi have returned from lacking last week.  my grouchiness has past, and most days I am walking around with a little jump in my step again. except... I am sick.  I feel a little silly, because I am such a typical "muzungu" and, I automatically expect malaria.  "its ...

I love mountains.  there is just something about them that makes my heart happy, serene, and peaceful.  I love them anywhere... From the mighty Denali , to the rolling hills of West Virginia  and Vermont , to the mountains in Petra, Jordan , to the close to home Rockies.   There is just something about them that makes my heart happy.  oh right.  I already said that. so, when I found out that Malawi has the highest peak in central Africa, south of those famous ones up in tanzania and kenya, and North of the Drakensberg's, I was thrilled.   Mount Mulanje   hits a maximum peak of 3002m (9850ft), which, for those of you who need reference points:  Blackcomb mountain is 1609m, Mt Edith Cavell  3363 m  & Mt Robson is 3959m.   this " monadnock " is situated about 2hrs away (ish) (on minibus time) from Blantyre.  Long story short, I arranged with a new Australian friend of mine, that we would be able to hit up th...

It is 9:33 pm.  And, I am exhausted.  This weekend, I made it almost up to 3000m in altitude.  My effort was trumped by rain and hail, but it did include lots of moments like the two photos that follow.  More will be updated as I get less tired, but there are a few shots of the weekend adventure (with some description) on Flickr .  So, hopefully that will keep you content for now.  Until then, dream of the beauty that comes with being in the wilderness.  Dream about being on an "island in the sky," because I certainly will.

so, i have been back from my holiday for about a month.  and, I have not yet written about the rest of my holiday. Not because I haven't wanted too (it has been waiting in my "edit" box).  But, this summer has been busy (HA!  as if my life is never not busy).  So, in memory, here is my Hawaii post, holiday edition.  remember, it was written quite a while ago. in arriving back to Canada, i think that edmonton weather has had me in the ultimate state of revenge.  Since getting back (last monday morning, 10 days ago) there has not been one nice day of weather until yesterday.  10 days of sunshine in hawaii.  10 dreaded days of rain in edmonton.  I even had to do my long saturday ride on the trainer!  UGH!  it is JUNE!  but, at least I am not in Saskatchewan (or north dakota, for that matter), where the rain and flooding is causing people to evacuate. so, in order to remember the sunshine, here is my post about the rest of the ho...

So, after a 1/2 ironman, and two olympic distance Events in less than a month, all I can say is..... PHEW!  my body hurts!     Honestly, I always say that I love racing so much more than training.  I mean, if there is not a goal at the end of the tunnel, why would we bother?  but honestly, at the end of the day, your body just says WHOA.  slow down there. and, it is that time.  I have a rest week this week.  I might even skip my ever-loved outdoor pool master's class.  I  will only race another two races this season.  A 10km trail run in mid-July, and a 1/2 iron on the 21st of August.  Then, it will be off to my love.  Then, it will be off to Africa. There is so much to do between now and then.  Like the getting my eyeglasses.  And the dentist appointments.  and the doctor appointment (all this week). and the waiting for my new passport. and the applying for a Malawi Student Visa.  and buying a plane ...

This morning, I handed in my methods section of my research proposal. with that handed in, i only have 9 things left between me and the end of the semester (HA!). sighhhhh but, i love getting things done, and handing them in . After this post, back to work, since all weekend long i will be in a "pre departure workshop" with all the other students going to overseas locations in the fall. during my off times, i will be doing my long ride, and long run. and since, i am pretty much posting on a weekly basis, here are some MANY not-so-random thoughts... today, reading the paper about Japan, I almost started crying. The earth is shifting, and moving, and reminding us of it's power, and how we are but small things in a HUGE picture. but, i do wish that when the earth reminds us of this (like the volcano in iceland, or earthquake in new zealand, or the volcano currently in indonesia, or haiti, or floods in pakistan) it wouldn't have to be with such devestation. so, i...

today, i have had a lovely day. After yesterday, where I didn't really leave the house at all, it was time to wander outside. Despite the fact that I do enjoy "work at home" days, I also find that I can feel quite isolated. Especially this semester, where it now seems like we are finally in a graduate program... everyone in my class is spread out between supervisors, and locations, and different placements, and different practice times, etc. We don't get so see each other much, especially compared to this first year and a half. But, I suppose, if I am going to be spending 4 months in Malawi next fall , I need to get used to it! So, knowing that I had strength and a run on tap for today, I thought that I would use the morning to do some work in a cafe, eat breakfast, then yoga and run it up. But, I woke up with a bit of a headache (and was really worried it was going to end up being a full fledged migrane), so I went back to sleep. 1.5 hrs later, I woke up, an...

to those of you who are visiting because I just sent my NewYear's Newsletter, please leave a comment! I would LOVE to hear from you! On the 27th-29th of december (Snowboarding the 28th), I went to Whistler with Sean, to meet up with some of my favourite people in the world: Zach and Ben Mauss. The 28th was Zach's 27th B-day. Here are 4 photos! "birthday cake in a cup" Irish Car Bombs with two USARMY Officers! yup, the translation of this sign is: SICK RIDING TODAY! As always, a little sushi is needed in life. Me and those two Mauss boys. Love 'em.

You can tell by the wind By fresh cut wood All stacked to dry That autumn's here... I love the autumn. I love the crispyness of it. The cold air at night, and the warm air during the day. I love that in the East, the colours of the trees are unmatchable. I love winter vegetables like squash and beets. I love that death means that new life will come. I love thanksgiving (HURRAY for the upcoming long weekend !!!) and the memories that go with it. The only thing that I don't love is that it normally doesn't last that long. This past weekend, along with doing my photo session with Will, we also went apple picking. Apple picking, or, en Francais: "Cueillir Les Pommes," in Quebec is somewhat of a cult following. Almost as good as la cabane a sucre. I found us a Vergers biologiques. A organic Apple orchard. Despite the fact that it was at least an hour away, and .70$ more than the regular apples, I still insisted. I mean, comon... if you are going to spend ...

1) getting wet. i am getting increasingly annoyed with being caught in spontaneous downpours while on my bike. I have had 2 in as many weeks. Luckily, this one was on the way home, and I could get dry, last time, I was not so lucky, and had to go to class soaking wet. this is me, post bixi ride. 2) babies. in the last month, 3 of my close friends have had babies. apparently, people were getting busy at the beginning of the winter last year. so, let me introduce them!!! Coming into the world on August 19th, to Mike and Cara Roemmich, was Sebastian Patrick at 8 pounds, 19 inches Coming into the world on August 21st, to Christina and Dave Swartz, was Baby Luke Jonathan at 6lbs, 15 oz and 20 Inches long. Finally, we welcome the newest arrival, on September 25th (about 10 days late..), to Ryan and Sydney Lemphers, Elyse Finch came in at 8.9lbs and 21 inches. 3) post-season thoughts so, i have started going to the Y, for my first major movement sessions since the
race last sunday~ get...

so, today is labour day. ahhhh, labour day. For a student, it normally means that business is about to get started. And, i am a lucky girl today, for I have had an amazing day. the last couple weeks have been incredibly filled with stuff, but also incredibly relaxing. it has kinda gotten the fall rolling in a slow, controlled manner, that makes me feel ready for the craziness that is going to happen. today, I woke up at 5am to get down to the olympic bassin for rowing practice. As you may, or may not know, I am a coach for "the first francophone rowing team in north america." Funny, cause I am an anglophone. but, I love it. The rowers at Universite de Montreal are fun, and are happy to be there. And I am happy to coach. Here is a photo of some of the girls, holding up their coach, from last fall. went from there, to toi, moi et cafe for a little breakfast with a friend of mine who was in my nursing program. breakfast is, by far, my favourite meal of the day. and...

so, this week comes with a pretty surprise. As you may know, I love my bike . i love the colour scheme, I love the fact that it can be a three in one bike. it is my commuter, my racer and my very long ride bike. it is a reminder of breaking my arms 3 years ago in a bike crash, and the recovery from that, and getting back onto a bike. it was a new bike, one with disc brakes, pink cable housing, and a baby blue body. that bike taught me to love triathlon, and was a great deal, since I got it on a pro-deal. 999$ for a 1850$ bike. It reminds me of vancouver and commercial drive, and everywhere I bring it, people have a nice little look-see. in fact, *you* can have a look-see in the photo below, on the ride from Montreal to Ottawa, that I did in May. it has had a great 3 years. And, it is not going anywhere. in fact, it is not being replaced, despite the large amounts of money that I have spent this spring to have repairs and fixes done to it (all to find out that I had crappy mech...

Over the past couple weeks, I have been able to think a little bit more about things that I love. and, here are a few more. i love tunnels/ canopies that are made my trees . (in fact, i love trees, in general) i love shooting a roll of film , not having enough money to develop it, and then d evelop it months and months later , only to find out what was on the roll, long after you have forgotten. i love stalking my competitors on athlinks.com I love the crest of a hill . No matter what. If it is cycling up one, and at the very top, rolling over the top, and feeling your heart stop pounding; or climbing a mountain, and seeing the view from the top; the top of a roller coaster, and the drop that follows. there has been a lot of happenings in the past 2 weeks. mostly all happening during the time away in alaska (and, sorta in chicago). My past two races have kinda haunted me for the last little while. I didn't have a great time in Alaska (despite it being a small part of a b...

so, apparently, this is post #250. do i really have that much to say!?!? ;) so, today, I had a fantastic day... started off with a little brick w/o, then a little church going (where we watched a video for an hour! yesss!), and then a little coffee drinking, some swimming, going home, and then downloading my most recent sinister obsession: Dexter episodes. (and, to tell you the truth. it does give me a bit of the creepers. but... so interesting that it is so addicting as well.) when I was a kid, my first big sport was swimming. I swam from the time I was about 5. I failed my "colours" repeatedly, until I joined the Royal Glenora Gators Summer swim team, at about age 7. I swam with them until grade 9, and I then was in winter club for a year. swimming was my first love. I was dedicated to get up in the early morn and make it to our outdoor pool, even as a small child. I loved being fast at it. And, i was decent. Not amazing , but decent. I would win regionals, and...

So. What an incredible weekend. actually... two incredible weekends in a row. and, next weekend will be incredible as well. This past weekend, on saturday, I rode my bike from Montreal to ottawa. and, it was beautiful. It was really fricken long. I went with a friend, Ben, and props to him, because he rode the whole thing on a 10 speed, steel frame oldschool bike with an awful saddle, and a milk crate strapped to the back. and, it is not like he trains for things like this. I know it was challenging for him. FOr me, I felt amazing. i got to have a few more breaks than ben did, due to the fact that I would ride, and then turn around and not be able to see him. so, I would stop and wait. but, here are the highlights and lowlights: cows. deer. horses. open fields, and long rivers. stopping for french fries. finally crossing the ottawa river. our final 50km into ottawa, the rolling hills, the sunset. stopping for pizza dinner. stories of lost love. picture taking and video shooting...

Back from an amazing weekend on the West Coast. Congrats to the newly weds: Jay and Erika Sangerloo!!!

there is this song, on a recent mix CD that I got, which is called Ain't no reason by Brett Dennen. and, the chorus says this: love will come set me free, i do believe. love will come set me free, i know it will..." and, I love this song. SOooooOOOo great. But, I have had this song in my head all day long, and I have thought about the fact that this weekend is EASTER! and, really. that is what easter is all about. love set me free. and, that is pretty dang sweet. Today was a great day. It was not only good friday , it was a great friday. I slept in until about 8 or 8:30, and then made a little smoothie, and did a litte yoga (thanks to a podcast from mary), some homework, and tidyed up the house a bit... My roommates are out of town, so I have the apartment all to myself. It is quiet, which is nice. But, sometimes I remember how I am not 100% sure if I could do this all the time. I like having people around. So, because I like having people around, i invited ove...