Sochi 2014

Winter Olympics again, finally!!!

For those of you who know me well, you will know that I LOVE the Olympics. Yes, I know they are ever-enshrouded in human rights issues, political turmoil, safety threats, and millions and millions of tax-payer dollars. All of those things are important, and should not be ignored in the midst of the hype. But there are plenty of good parts to the Olympics that shouldn't be discredited, either.


1. 6,000 athletes coming together from 85 countries with the goal of representing their homelands and making us proud. 

I love the patriotism that comes with the Olympics, and I think it's something our great nation tends to lack on a day-to-day basis. Except for, that is, when the Winter Olympics come around every four years. Suddenly, Canada rears its kind, humble, docile head and becomes a fearsome, snow-crushing warrior. Yes, we spend nearly half the year in the cold!! Let us show you what we do to cope with that fate!

This is what happens after four years of being polite all the time.

2. The heroic moments.

Competing through injuries, overcoming obstacles - I'm a sucker for a great Olympic backstory. "I broke my leg halfway down the ski course and I finished the race," or "My grandfather drove me 3,000 miles a day to hockey practice in snowstorms just so I could make the team!" It's like all of my cynicism fades away and I'm left a blubbering baby.

Mark McMorris competed in slopestyle snowboarding today with a broken rib.
It makes me sad when I stub my toe.

3. Brian Williams.

The face of Canadian Olympic broadcasting, it wouldn't be the Olympic Games if Brian Williams weren't on TV every waking minute of the day bringing us the latest medal count and those heartwarming stories mentioned above. Oh, and the occasional jab at the IOC.

The host with the most

4. The musical performances. 

K.D. Lang singing "Hallelujah" at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I rest my case.

The best

5. The hockey.

Whether we like it or not, the medal that truly counts will be decided on February 23rd. And if Canada doesn't get it, well, God help us all.

The Golden Goal - Vancouver 2010

The Pre-Kid Bucket List

Before I start this post, I have to preface it by saying that both Jason and I are looking forward to being parents in the relatively near future. However, we both have things we want to do before taking that leap and devoting our lives to little people.

My Pre-Kid Bucket List looks something like this: 

Blue Rodeo!

One of my great musical loves is the Canadian band, Blue Rodeo, and if they put on a concert every weekend, I would pay to go see them every weekend. In the midst of the tacky mainstream musical mess that is ''popular'' today, it is rare and beautiful to find a band that sounds better live than they do on a record. Blue Rodeo is one of those bands.

Cross-Training

For me, cross-training is an important part of my running training. It could be because I can't focus too much on just one thing. But with two puppies, cross-training usually involves them. Most of the time, it's a walk or a hike.

We are very fortunate to live in a rural area and to have access to miles of trails right out our back door. Today, a freak power outage cancelled school, so I seized the opportunity to head out the door with the puppies for an hour-long hike in the woods.

Winter Running

Winter running can be quite daunting. Ice, snow, freezing temperatures (at least in our part of the world), and for those with breathing issues, that cold air feels like it's burning your insides.

There are plenty of things that make it wonderful, though. First off, that cold, clear air means NO humidity. For me, humidity is the great evil of hot weather. Give me straight up dry heat, and I can hack it. Adding 100% humidity to the equation leaves me sucking wind and just plain sucking. 

Stitchin' and ... the word that rhymes with it

The past couple of years in my life have been big, and while I had grand notions of sharing all of that via another blog, it petered out after half a year. In short, I moved home from university, bought a house with my boyfriend, started a teaching position I knew very little about, made my boyfriend my fiancé, adopted two doggies, had a near meltdown, took a part-time teaching job this year, jumped into the world of substitute teaching, and started planning a wedding. Oh, and I began running seriously - or seriously running - a year ago this month, which has been the hardest and best thing I have ever done for myself.