Summer has begun!

It's hard to believe it is April and we are slapping on the sunscreen. Amazing!! The past couple of weekends have been fantastic....summer written all over them!! This past weekend was a special one because my cousin Margot was in town and we were able to spend the day together. I took her out for a Kayak and it was so nice to paddle around and catch up. We put in the twins off of Bear Creek campground...a really nice little spot that is about 10mins from our house. Cam and Ty came with us and took off on a hike from there while Margot and I paddled around. Apparently it was a great hike and they found a really nice waterfall there as well. I can see that we are going to spend some time there this summer!!

I am training to run a half marathon with some friends in my neighborhood. On Sunday we did a 10km run and then ended up having a spontaneous block party!! It started with just the two girlfriends I am running with & Cam ( he fits in like one of the girls!! haha) We were all sitting in Gina's back yard and all feeling a little too lazy to cook dinner so we decided to go in on ordering pizza together. Then one by one our group started to grow until there were about 30 of us!! It was great..I can say I have never lived in a neighborhood quite like this. I love it!! The kids had a blast and we all sat outside until it was almost dark. If it wasn't for the fact it was a Sunday night, and there was school in the morning, I'm sure it would have gone late into the night. Such a great group of people!

Today was back to swimming lessons for the girls and Tylin's first experience with soccer. It is a group of 3 & 4 year olds and they do some little drills and learn the basics of the game...ending with a scrimmage at the end. So invision this....Two set of flags about 20 feet apart from each other....Tylin has the ball and leads the kids on a HUGE FIELD WIDE circle...no where near the flags....all the parents yelling THIS WAY...THIS WAY....as this little herd if kids chase him. Okay so that is the stage....I am in hysterics laughing on the sidelines!! Then one of the other boys catches up to Tylin and kinda bumps his shoulder as he tries to take the ball from him.....My thought immediately is OH NO...WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO. Tylin takes a sideways glance at this kid and shoulder checks him....but the kids still stands and is taking off with the ball....so Tylin two hands this little unsuspecting boy and pushes him to the ground! TYLIN!!!!! NO!!!!! What am I going to do with this kid!! He did stop and turn for a brief moment to look at the boy on the ground...almost a like he felt a little bit bad....but the thought lasted only a second. I started in on Tylin....( so the other parents could see that at least I was sorry if nothing else!) Then the coach yells to me it's okay mom! Tylin hears this and thinks the coach is telling me that it's okay,...he's allowed to push!! Tylin thinks "RIGHT ON" & heads straight for another kid and shoulder checks him too!! TYYYLINNNN!!! This time though he gets tripped up and falls in the middle of the pack...getting trampled slightly and of course starts to cry. So now I am on the field trying to calm him down, and tell him that he can't push....all the while getting "but the teacher says yes"!! I finally convince him that isn't was the coach was saying, and send him back on the field just in time for a little boy to score in front of Tylin. Tylin drops to the ground and begins to whail.....I LOSED!! I LOSED!!! I couldn't help it...I had to laugh!! It was just too funny.....our little Tylin!!! I think next time I'm going to have to bring in reinforcements!!

Well it's raining now....which is great to get some moisture in the ground. It's time to put the munchkins to bed.
talk again
Love
the Adventurers

Time Flies!

WOW.....last post was the end of January....where has 3 months gone!!

Things got a little "hairy" there for awhile....I think someone "upped" the speed on the roller coaster and it kinda took our breath away. Nobody said following your dreams was easy!! On that note...the biggest change amongst our family is that Cam has decided to choose life over Med School. Med school was a dream...but for him...not one he wanted to follow if it meant missing out on life in the meantime. He was in the middle of trying to study for the MCAT when the foundation began to crack and it was all just a little too much. The balance of life....the priorities we have set for ourselves & our family.....work, MCAT and actually being able to breath at the end of the day was taking its tole. So the med school ship set sail and relief was felt by all.

So now the pressure is off a bit, and for the first time really....we finally feel like we are settling in and getting our feet under us. OH HAPPY DAY!! My work is going really well...I love the job....and I love coming home too. I am training to run a half marathon in June and have really been enjoying living on a lake. I have had our "twins" (kayaks) out a couple of times already and I can't even put into words how good that feels. We had our final ski of the season in beautiful spring conditions a couple weeks ago, and now it feels like summer. The kids have been playing outside all day & night...I love that. I can get them in long enough to fill their bellies and off they go. They have created a stand to put in the driveway to sell art, rocks and have included a makeover station! It actually has turned into the neighborhood child gathering place with all the kids pitching in ideas and putting up posters. It's really very funny to see them all working together....and for us it's perfect....we sit in our lawn chairs on the front porch, relax and get a good laugh while we watch.

Tylin had his 4th birthday this month....and I my 35th!! WHAT!!!! We both were spoiled with lots of fun! Tylin's party was just us, a game of "pin the number on lightning MCQueen" ( hillarious how into it the kids got) and a few of those "punching" balloons. It was a HOOT! Tylin thought it was the best day of his life!! One day his standards might change!!

Mine....I went out kayaking. The lake was like glass....oh sooo loved it. We did about 7 kms. Then out for dinner and back to take the babysitter home. A rare night out just us! The next morning Cam was off to work and I was spoiled with breakfast made by my kiddies. Fruit salad....(with about a pound of sugar).....YUMMMMM (crunch, crunch!) It really was cute to see how they decorated the table with name tags and a menu to go with it. So funny. I took the kids to the library to check it out, and the rest of the day was spent lounging around with our new books, and playing outside.

Cam has been nursing his foot back to health. He hasn't been able to run since NZ and is determined to do an Iron Man in a few years. He has been biking back and forth to work, has hit the mountain trails, and gets himself to the pool for a swim at least once a week. He has been really enjoying the weather as well. He is busy building a bike rack now for the garage, has taken down the christmas lights...and is enjoying puttering around the yard. He is busy planning our next adventures....biking the kettle valley railway with the munchkins, and we typically do some sort of explore on a weekend off. We have discovered a town called Peachland which is about 15mins away....so gorgeous....a little Jasper or Banff.

Anyway, the kids are all in bed for the night. I will leave you with some pics I've taken over the last few months.

talk soon
Love The Adventurers

Olympic Spirit

Hello all, time is flying by...hard to believe it's almost February. However February brings the Olympics to BC and we are all pretty excited. This is the first year that the girls have shown any real interest and they are very excited. At school they have both been doing class projects on different participating countries, and they have had guest speakers in ramping up the excitement. The girls have even made up their own Olympic game to play at home. This week we had the torch come through and the kids were so ecstatic!! I was so busy taking pictures of them, and trying to capture their excitement.... I almost missed the torch! By the time we left the kids were exhausted....it was very cute! It was a great night...and great to see so much Canadian spirit!

We have been blessed with our first home cooked meal by Taylor. She came home with a kids cook book determined to make supper for us. So we all piled into the truck to pick up all her ingredients....and then Cam and I were ordered to sit down while she became head chef with two trusty sidekicks. I have to admit...as soon as I saw Taylor hand Tylin a knife to cut mushrooms I could no longer sit and watch....but both him and Dylan did a great job and the salad had the smallest cut pieces of mushrooms EVER. Taylor made us roast pork with apples and salad to go with it. I was preparing to do the whole "MMMMMM....wonderful Taylor"...as I spit into the napkin routine....but she actually did a wonderful job and we all loved it...except for her that is..go figure!!

We have been up skiing to big white again....the kids are AMAZING. .its time for me to take a lesson so I can keep up with them! The mountain air always does wonders for us...a great way to spend the day together.

Well, it's Friday Night Family Night....minus Cam as he is working. So the kids and I are going to spend some time curled up on the couch with popcorn & a movie. A quiet night in.

talk soon
Love
the Adventurers

What to say.....hmmm.

It was an interesting day today....my work is something that has been reaching a side of me that I haven't paid attention to for awhile...or at least I thought. Being a stay at home mom for the last 3 years, has really taught me so much more than I paid attention to. I guess you kinda just believe that you have all these separate parts of yourself, a woman, an athlete, a mom, a wife, a friend....the list goes on & on. It can get very detailed if we start to list off all the different aspects...or categories of ourselves. I always thought....or had this feeling when I was "learning" how to be a stay at home mom, that it was a trade off, a letting go of the career, the smart/intellectual challenge each day. Now I realize after returning back to the work world....that being a stay at home mom, has taught me so much more that I ever realized.

Take today for example. I am the Director of Corporate Health...so part of my role is to make sure employees, executives, CEO's are healthy and will stay healthy....this then benefits the company they work for or run. Substitute the word "employee" for "child" and you've got the definition of a mother. So today I have one of my clients in for his yearly executive medical which is basically a big health assessment in which a team of practitioners go over his physical, nutritional, & mental health. I was waiting there with him for his first appointment....5 mins...10 mins...15 mins...where is the doctor! In comes the other aspect of motherhood....PROBLEM SOLVING...I sprang into action as fast as when Tylin loses his blankie!! I am distracting the client to make sure that he is happy and not getting upset at the time he is waiting....in the meantime I am running around trying to figure out where the doc is. When I get the message he isn't going to make the appointment, I am reorganizing schedules, and figuring out a way to FIX IT. I'm working on getting in another Doc, and pulling together the other practitioners to help fill the holes. At the same time the Minister of health is in the building and I am given the opportunity to meet with her. Multitask much!! Think of all the times you have a screaming toddler...I lost my blankie!!...dinner is boiling over..& the doorbell rings all at the same time. You fly into action because this is what you do....this is what you deal with all the time!! You are a supermom!! It becomes second nature...you throw a few chocolate chips at the toddler to keep them happy...and buy you time....you move the pot to a different element as you shout to the door....I'll be right there!! DONE! That is exactly what I did....as every non parent was looking around awe struck and confused...you were wiping your hands off and getting ready for the next round!! Motherhood...the years with the little ones and all the skills you develop dealing with that....really are amazing. I bet a toddler..or better yet a 6 year old wih attitude out the kazoo could out argue a CEO anyday!! This has been our training ground!! I have learnt...don't ever devalue the amount you learn and skills you gain being a stay at home mom....it is amazing how much you gain!!

Well speaking of which....it's time for me to spring into action again....it's approaching the witching hour....bootcamp 101!

Love ya
The adventurers

Live & Learn

3 years ago today my Dad died. January 17th is a date that I will forever remember. Not in the way of sadness, or grief...not in the way of feeling loss, or powerlessness... but as inspiration!! This is how I chose to remember my father...my inspiration. I was a Daddy's girl in every way, shape and form....and still am. I am taking it upon myself to take the lessons of his life & his death and pay them forward. He was a very hard working man. To the extreme in his dedication to work and the constant striving for success and his providing for his family. At heart he was an athlete...(like me)...had an adventurous soul..(like me)...and was constantly pushing for more..(like me). He pushed his dreams aside...he put them in the "wait pile"...to be looked at later..However he (like us) never imagined that by the time he was in his early 60's his life would be over. All those moments of self sacrifice, family sacrifice, and times of saying to himself that "it will pay off in the end"...just blew away. The greatest lesson..the greatest inspriation....that this day brings to me is time is precious...DON'T WAIT..LIVE NOW!!

My father is the backbone of why we moved to New Zealand...he is the core of why we are making our life....the fact that we only have this moment....this day...a priority. I am a dreamer, an adventurer....I am stubborn, passionate...and I am one of those people who truely believes that if you have dreams....a way of life you wish to have...an experience you want to feel....DO IT...Do it NOW!! This is what I learnt from my father...this is what I am paying forward for him, to my family, to my friends..to myself. LIVE, experience everything with all of your being, smell the roses, feel the cold of the rain..go out and see the stars..hear your children...and feel alive...do it...do it now!!

love you
The Adventurers

family day!!

I slept in till 9am this morning!!! Wow...that hasn't happened for a REALLY long time!! The best part was I opened my eyes to gorgeous blue skies and my girlfriend on the phone asking if I wanted to go for a run along the lake. This is going to be a GOOD day!

The weather has been incredibly warm lately...feels like a manitoba June at times!! The snow in the valley has been replaced with grass...spots of it even green. It really is hard to believe it's January and just weeks ago we were getting dumps of snow. The run along the lake was beautful...Gina, Terry & I could not get over how wonderful it was to feel the sun on our faces and the sights of the snowcapped mountains towering over the lake. So nice!! It felt so good to get out....and we were not the only ones...there were people everywhere enjoying the amazing day.

When we got home, Cam had the skis packed and we were off to Crystal Mountain for an afternoon ski. Dylan opted to hang out at Gina's house...and she missed a good one. The view was incredible and it was soooo warm. I found myself getting mesmerized as we road up the chair lift. The mountain air, spectacular view, the heat from the sun on my face, and the feeling that this is the life....it all just seemed to lull me into complete contentment. I looked over at Taylor to see her peering out from her goggles...half asleep. I knew exactly how she felt and I was so happy that we could give her the experience.

Well Cam should be home soon....he was off to swim with his masters club tonight. The table is set....and dinner is ready. The end of another wonderful day!

talk soon...Happy Belated Birthday Tracey!!!
Love The Adventurers

2010!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 2010!! Doesn't it sound so futuristic!! I think we were supposed to be flying around in hover crafts and wearing silver spandex suits at this point. The rule out in BC is you are no longer allowed to talk on a cell phone in your car unless you have one of those hands free thingy-doos. You know the contraptions that you just put in your ear and make you look half robot. I think that maybe is the next thing....that those things will be permanently imbedded in your ear/head and you really will be half robot!! I feel so left behind with all that stuff....my work just got me a blackberry and I'm just trying to figure out how to answer the thing when it rings!!

Well I know....I am sooo far behind in this blog already......the holidays were NUTS...but fantastic! I think we are finally getting caught up and back to a point that doesn't feel quite so scrambly. We really loved having everyone out here...it was great to not only see some familiar faces we miss...but it made our house feel more like home. Plus the bonus of the dump of snow we got....which made it really great for everyone to head out and enjoy the mountains!!

Our Holidays were filled with skiing/snowboarding, great food, a few good laughs, (thanks Darren!!..you always pull through and take one for the team! haha!), friday night family nights, saturday morning dance parties and more than enough chances for the big kids to play with the little kids. The girls had their first ski lesson at Big White. They did AWESOME!! By the time they went they were mastering the bunny hill with a great snowplow and the ability to turn....(however convincing to actually slow down enough to turn was another issue!) Anyway, Cam and I were waiting for them at the ski school to pick them up. We looked up to see our two little munchkins ( & the instructor) hop off the chair lift and ski ever to casually down to us...NO PROBLEM....(I still get nervous getting off the chair lift!!) Anyway they proceed to tell us that they want us to follow them to the runs that they were doing. SURE!! Cam and I give each other a flabbergasted sort of look....like REALLY...THIS IS SOOO COOL!! So we follow them with strict instructions that we are to stay behind and go where they go. I'm thinking okay...this is going to be like a bunny hill run...but still so enjoying that sense of we have reached another stage of freedom....another activity we can add to the list of family outings! So I am following along, digging my camera out as we go to try and mark this date down in the history books. All of a sudden the girls are heading towards the trees...I"m getting nervous now....what are they doing?!?...closer....closer.. I get a glance back from the girls to make sure I'm following...I yell out "where are we going??"...."in here mom!!" They took us on a downhill trail through the trees...WHAT!!! They just bopped along, all casual like, up and over the little blips and valleys like no big deal....meanwhile my arms are out as WIDE as they get....my snow plow is HUGE...and all I can think of is I am going to crash and take my kids out with me!!! Are you kidding me!! My girls just took me through the trees after their first lesson....I'm so LOVING THIS!!! I think I was more excited then they were!! Lets do that again!!! Cam and I were stunned...and so incredibly happy!! A magical moment that just made our world!

Now it's on to another year....so what's your new years resolution?? You know life is funny that way. We always seem to wait for those moments to start again...clean slate....fresh start. Why is it that we always start something on a Monday morning instead of a Wednesday afternoon?? Does it really matter??? I know it's not the day of the week, Mondays are no easier or different than tuesdays....when we are on holidays we don't even think of the days so we know the name of them really means nothing. So it must mean that really it's all our state of mind....that's it....just us and what is in that wondrous head of ours. We wait for a day, or a time, a moment, some special reason to set ourselves straight...to set our priorities and refocus. So what will refocus you in 3 weeks from now.....another Monday??? What about in 3 months from now....spring is coming.....will that spark your reasons to stand up and take notice of yourself?

My wish for 2010 is that each day...whether it is a Monday or Thursday....I remember why I am alive. Why I am living here in BC....and how it feels to LIVE. Whether I am hiking in the mountains or playing cards with my kids, that I take advantage of the moments and relish in the fact that I am here to experience it.

I wish you all a year full of magical moments!!!
LOve you
The Adventurers