Canoe Trip in Killarney

I finally got the collection of pictures taken on our 6-day canoe trip in Killarney. I think they turned out pretty fab. There were soooo many great pictures that it's hard to choose which ones to post here. I will see if I can consolidate below...

After dropping mom and dad off at the church at 5:15am where they would ride the yellow school bus to Pearson airport where they would begin their trip to Nicaragua, I was on the road and headed towards Barrie.


Since it was such an early morning, I got the pleasure of witnessing glowingly beautiful early morning sunrise.


After meeting up with Amanda, Brandon, Andrew, and Tasha who had come from Toronto, we carpooled up to Killarney Provincial Park just in time for the rain to pour down while we unloaded and set off.


Despite the fog that surrounded us, I was very quickly mesmerized by my surroundings - a new part of Ontario that I had not yet seen.


Spotting the first loon of the trip - the first of many


Arriving at our site after navigating our way through an unmarked portage onto Sandy Lake


Hanging the food


After an awesome dinner of steak, garlic bread, green beans, and mashed potatoes, Brandon surprised us with some creme brule, complete with melted sugar thanks to his handy butane torch.


Waking up the next morning to a beautiful sunset burning away the fog hanging over the lake, I sat and enjoyed the moment before starting the fire.


Oleg also enjoyed the serene setting


A few shots from around the campsite...










A beautiful morning for a paddle...


Gliding through the trail of lilly pads...


Taking a break and enjoying the afternoon sun...


Andrew shows us the secret to his power on the portages


Yet another loon (one of my favourite parts about Northern Ontario!)


A "small" beaver dam that we had to maneuver around


Arriving at our second campsite on Little Bell Lake


After a leisurely morning around camp (and some yummy yummy pancakes to start our day) we set off for an easy day of paddling


We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on a sweet campsite where we enjoyed cheddar smokies and baked beans over the fire, and an afternoon of sun on the rocks


After stashing our canoes in the bush, we hiked up to the top of Silver Peak where we (illegally) planned to spend the night since there were no available campsites on that lake at the time of booking our trip


The hike up was a refreshing change to paddling as it was a pretty good incline and really got the legs working. I was oh so pleasantly surprised to discover that the hike also offered some pretty spectacular views - something I was definitely missing after getting spoiled by all of the alpine hiking that I had spent the past year and a half of my life taking for granted...





Following the cairns along the way




To the very top where we quickly found ourselves in the middle of an oncoming storm with thick fog blowing up and over the mountain-top and completely blocking out our view


I think that this picture from the next morning completely summarizes how gloomy things were (ah well, so much for a better view - will have to come back next year and check it out!)


After hiking back down to the bottom, the sun came out and we hopped in our canoes and stopped off at this wonderful campsite to enjoy a morning swim and a delicious oatmeal breakfast


Later that day we stumbled upon some pretty fantastic cliffs


The daredevils in the group opted to check them out a bit more than the ladies did




I took the opportunity to soak up the experience in a slightly more relaxing manner


After the next portage, we found ourselves having to drag the canoes for a while


And after catching site of a snapping turtle in the mirky waters, we opted to change up our strategic approach




I was LOVING it!


After some really yum KD for dinner...


We enjoyed a very chillin' evening around the campfire


I was thrilled to get up early the next morning to enjoy a gorgeous sunrise over the lake


I also discovered that it is only certain times of the day when you get to witness beautiful reflective moments like this one on the water


Paddling back down the shallow stream


And returning to the magnificent cliffs once again


This time Tasha decided to give it a "go" too


After finishing up at the cliffs we portaged onto another lake to be mesmerized by some even more magnificent cliffs


Another short portage took us onto this spectacular blue lake


And yet another portage brought us onto this narrow stream that was not a stranger to beaver dams


This section of the paddle turned ominous as we paddled by this ginormous boulders amongst the several mini portages that were interspersed throughout




It was a slow paddle and we found ourselves finally back onto the open water as the day was coming to an end


After paddling the length of Three Narrows Lake, we found ourselves back at the very first campsite that we saw since it was the only one unoccupied


We had just enough time to set up camp and start dinner before having to finish eating it in the dark. I think this picture of my feet summarizes how tough the day had been.


Our last morning was definitely a wet one and we set off in some gloomy skies




After a few more wet portages...


We found ourselves back where we started and sad to say goodbye to Killarney


What a fantastic trip. It`s hard to describe the total disconnect from the real world that you get to experience on a multi-day canoe trip like this. We really lucked out with good weather for the most part, and I am grateful for that. Already looking forward to our proposed 2-week adventure in the interior next year!

More Updates from Nicaragua

Mom and dad are now home from their mission trip to Nicaragua and they are filled with memories and emotions that they are finding hard to contain. It sounds like it was a totally awesome experience for them, and despite a few tummy troubles upon returning home, they are so happy to have done this. I can't wait to see all of their pictures and learn about all of the stories that go with them.

Below is a compilation of the emails that I received from them during the second half of their trip...

Hi Heather, Laura and Mike,
Glad to hear you got home safely, Heather. Also glad to hear some news about the tornado, Laura. Thanks for giving me an update on Dona Smith and for getting copies of the blog for people who can´t access it.
Today was very hot again. We were supposed to deliver medi packs to the two clinics, but didn´t get to do it. Hopefully tomorrow. So I ended up working on the build. I tied rebar and did mortar on the cement blocks. The second coat of paint went on in the reception area of the clinic and it was decided to paint another whole in the clinic. The colour is orange on the top and brown on the bottom. Yuk! But that was the director´s choice. Yesterday I painted 6 doorways and trim in chocolate brown. So I was glad to work in the hot sun today. Tomorrow we are working a half day. Then we are going to the other hotel for hamburgers and a swim, if they clean out the pool. Then we are going to shop in downtown Chinandega. Then pizza for supper.
Guess that is all for now. We are going to play 6 hand euchre for awhile. Have a good time at Adam´s birthday party and say hi from us.
Love, Mom and Dad


Hi Heather
Glad to hear that you made it back safely. We were shocked to hear of the tornado and the death caused by it. It is sooooo hot down here. It was mid 40's humidex (with no clouds) yesterday and was the hottest day by far in terms of work. We drank tons of water and Gatorade. This country is so poor and the people are so grateful for all that we have done. Yesterday, the staff from the clinic brought each person a bowl of local fruit. It was so refreshing. The build is going well and we are learning lots about cement block construction - from mixing mortar (by hand - from scratch) to laying blocks and pouring the spacer joints. We are only working half a day today (I think because of the heat and because we are perhaps a bit ahead of schedule and we are running out of blocks) We are going to the other hotel for burgers at lunch - WOW no rice and beans. That hotel has a pool (not the cleanest, we are told), so we might get some swimming in. Then off to the local market after lunch for a bit of shopping - a real experience and then pizza for supper. Every meal so far has had beans and rice (except for last night) so we are glad for the change.
We are at the Pacifico Hotel and ´they are on the web www.hdelpacifico.com
Hope that you are enjoying your time at Sauble with Laura and Mike and of course Matthew (give him a big hug from us).
Love,
Dad and Mom


Hi Laura,
We had a meeting last night and decided what to do with some of our contingency money. We are buying a washing machine for the clinic. Right now they do it all by hand. we are also having the roof fixed so the lights won´t short out. Also buying 20 lights to replace the ruined ones. We are also buying a mop and bucket with a
wringer, bulletin boards so they won't tape things on our freshly painted walls. We are also giving a family money to get to the children´s hospital in Managua. The son has terminal brain cancer and the father has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
We have two wings of the clinic painted and have started on the outside of the clinic. The inside is orange on the top and brown on the bottom. The director's choice. The outside is a light yellow with green trim.
Today we are having our "store". We have 9 hockey bags of clothing and will put it out for people to buy for about 5 or 10 Cordoba's. The money will go to the clinic. We will still build, paint and do crafts at the school.
Have to run. There is a lineup for the computer.
Love, Mom and Dad.


Hi Everyone,
We have only a half day at the clinic work site today. Then we are having a barbecue for the clinic staff and will begin the 3 hour drive back to Managua.
Yesterday we had our "Store" or rummage sale Nicaraguan style. We had 10 hockey bags of clothing and by the time it was over, we had part of one left. We made about $340 Us dollars for the clinic. The director had tears in her eyes when it was presented.
Last night we were invited to the El Viejo city sguare for an out door concert of native dancing. Then we were all given certificates signed by the governor, mayor, etc. Tonight we will be back at Angel's Inn with Jenny. Tomorrow we go to the beach for the day at Montelimar (spelling?).
Friday we fly out of Managua at 7am to San Salvador. Then we have a 7 hour layover for our flight to Toronto. The good thing is that there are lots of stores in the airport. We haven´t had much time to shop here and when we did it was about an hour or less.
Have to go. there is a line up for the computer.
Love, Mom and Dad.


Hi Rob and all (Please forward)
We are back in Managua and it is a bit cooler - thank goodness. We had a real party as a send off in El Viejo at the clinic today. We hosted a BBQ for the clinic staff. They thanked us by presenting us with a little souvenir from Nicaragua. After the presentation, a (brass) band came in and played as everyone got up and danced. It was so amazing. They were so thankful for all we did. We also donated an automatic washing machine to the clinic because they were washing everything
by hand. There were tears of appreciation and happiness. in the eyes of the cleaning staff as we ran the first load. There was a USA sticker on the top of the washer and they promptly removed it saying that the "Gringos" did not care for them and they wanted to put a Canadian sticker on it. You cannot imagine the poverty
in this country. We are off to a resort tomorrow and on the plane bright and early the next day.
Must run now. Love to all,
Dad and Mom

Book Review: Legs On Everest

I just finished the book I picked up in Hanmer Springs, “Legs On Everest,” by Mark Inglis.


It was a pretty good read. Not the best and most inspiring book I’ve read in this sort of genre, but still a really good read. What totally boggles my mind is the fact that this man did the unthinkable – climbed Everest – but at the same time doing so as a double amputee. I can’t, for the life of me, imagine how harsh the conditions of summiting Everest might be, but combining that with the challenge of doing it on very unforgiving and unstable legs, seems unimaginable.

You can tell by Inglis’ writing that he is one “tough bugger”. He’s an interesting character with more determination than one can imagine. He’s definitely left me feeling appreciative for my mobility and thinking about how barriers can always be pushed further.

One thing is certain, however. And that is that even after reading this book (and others on this subject), I still have zero desire to climb to the highest peak in the world. I’ll leave that one up to other (slightly more insane) people.

Summertime Happenings

Summer is flying by and I'm aware that my blogging has slowed to a crawl. I've been keeping myself relatively busy despite being on my summer holidays and still unemployed for the fall.

I got word last week about the interview that I had with a school in Guelph that I did not get the position. What made me happy was the fact that I got some really really positive feedback from the VP that called to give me the news. He said my interview went really well and the interview team was super impressed with the way I presented myself. He said that the only thing getting in my way was a lack of experience in comparison to a couple of the other candidates. Rightfully so. I've only got 3 years of teaching experience so far and half of that was spent outside of Ontario. So... I didn't win the Assistant Department head position, but I now have some positive feedback to boost my confidence for the next interview that rolls around.

I just got back from a 6-day canoe trip in Killarney Provincial Park. It was fantastic! A great time out in the wilderness and paddling around the lakes of Northern Ontario. I will post more about this when I get the pictures to go with my story.

On the way home from Killarney, we passed through some pretty heavy rain that was a bit scary to drive in. After picking up my car in Barrie (thanks to Kyle and Ryan to letting me store it in their garage for the week) I passed through a few more thunderstorms and heard some crazy things on the radio about tornadoes hitting the region. There were tornado warnings for Owen Sound, Collingwood, and Barrie. Turns out they did manage to touch down. I got stuck in traffic on hwy 26 in Craigleigth at the bottom of Blue Mountain. When I was finally able to pass by, I saw a power line down with the pole snapped in half. I also saw a bunch of trees blown over along with the roofs of some condominiums at the base of the mountain torn off with some insulation strewn along the side of the road. I'm certainly glad I wasn't driving past while that happened! You can read more about the tornadoes and the damage here and here.

Since getting home I have been getting caught up on all of the latest news from mom and dad who are currently on a mission trip in Nicaragua with their church. The group leader has been really good about posting updates to the blog. You can read more about the trip here.

Dad has also been good about staying in touch with the family via email (how he's managed to find an internet connection so readily is beyond me). He's been emailing Laura each day and she's been forwarding the messages to us. You can follow along with his emails below.

Hi Laura (and all)
We made it! Good flight(s) and it poured rain when we arrived in Nicaragua. All is well. Let everyone know that we are safe. We are off to a zip line ride and a volcano after church tomorrow.
Love,
Dad and Mom

Hi to all
It was a very busy day today. We toured a semi-active (Masaya) volcano - still smoking. We hiked to the top of a viewing point there. Then we were off to the zip line. It was 2 km with 17 platforms and 11 zip lines. It was a blast - even Mom enjoyed it. (I think that she has her underwear in the wash tonight (HAHA) and we
survived! Then we were off to the Lagoon and the market. We good view of Lake Nicaragua and Grenada from a very high vista point.
Love to all.
Dad and Mom

Here's the picture of mom from the PAN website.


Hi Laura and all
Today was sunny and HOT!! as well. It was a heart-wrenching day. First we went to a cancer hospital for little kids. It was so touching to interact with kids that are the same age as our grandchildren. WOW. We gave out clothing and stuffed animals and Mom did a painting with one of the young ones. I folded up a paper crane for another little one who was amazed when I made the wings flap. We then hit a market and an orphanage and again it was time to have your heart strings tugged. They were so cute as they held out their hands to us.
Must run for supper and then we are off to a girls' orphanage tonight.
Miss you guys,
Love,
Dad and Mom


Hi to all
I forgot to mention that we went out to the country before the market and visited a feeding station. It was a very poor area - tin and cardboard shacks. When we pulled in, the kids swooped in like you wouldn´t believe. They were so cute and appreciative of the food that we gave them. It was so touching to see their
little smiles and to get hugs from them.
Today we toured Managua before setting out. There was a big earthquake in Managua in 1972 and the only buildings remaining were an American hotel which survived in tact and a very old cathedral which was barely standing even today. Lots of armed guards around carrying shotguns and Uzzi´s. It makes you appreciate Canada for sure. Then we went to the PAN property and newly built storage facility. It was way out in the middle of nowhere. Back for lunch and off to Chinandega, a 3 hour trip. We are now at the Hotel Pacifica and it is pretty good - at least it is air conditioned. (and it works!!!). We are off to work tomorrow. Are you following the St. Andrews blog. You will see mom on the zip line. Must run others are waiting.
Love you.
Dad and Mom


Rob sent dad the following email:

Hi Dad and Mom,
The boys wanted me to share this picture of them with a mouse that they found in one of our window wells. We managed to rescue him and let him go in the green space. :)
Dad, we've enjoyed getting your emails from Laura about your trip. Sounds like you're having quite the adventure!
Love,
Rob


To which dad responded:

Hi Rob
What a great catch, Andrew and Nathan. This morning a lady found a scorpion in her bed, pretty scary. We went to the work sight today and it was soo hot. We were relaying cement blocks to the construction sight via a human chain in the blazing sun. This afternoon Mom visited a school, toured the hospital, and bought paint for the clinic and I laid cement blocks - I am dead! When we got back to the hotel, it was pouring rain and I stood in it to get washed off - it felt so good. Must go, supper has arrived.
Love to all,
Dad and Mom


And finally this update from mom today...

Hi Laura,
Another hot day. It is 6:30am and we are 2 hours behind you. We are going back to the work site for another day of building for some, painting for others and the youth will go back to the school for a soccer game and crafts. I visited the school on Wednesday and saw all the classrooms. The kids wear uniforms. There are two shifts at the school - 7am to 12 noon and noon to 5pm. The kids are very respectful. Found one teacher teaching English to the grade 12's. We listened to a band that was just amazing.
The build is progressing well. They are up to about 5 feet with the blocks on 3 walls. It will be 10 feet at the back and 8 feet at the front with a sloping roof. It will be used for the pharmacy when completed. You should see the little room they are using now.
The kids are so cute. We went to 2 orphanages and the feeding station for the really poor children. That was a real eye opener. Someone is waiting to use the computer so i should go. Send us news about the tornado.
Love you all.
Mom

I've decided that I'm going to consolidate all of these emails and the blog entries and print off a copy for Ev Sprung, Aggie, and Grandma T. I think they'll enjoy keeping up with mom and dad's adventures too.

Wine Selection at the LCBO

I think this blog posting might be of particular interest to my friend, Jacinda, who has recently ventured into the business of making and selling wine under the label of "Fiasco Wines".

In Ontario our liquor sales are controlled by an organization called the LCBO. The only place you can buy any sort of wine or spirits is at the LCBO with the exception of beer which can be bought at, get this, the Beer Store. Oh wait... I suppose there have been a few wine stores appearing as separate units inside of grocery stores these days, but I am fairly certain that they are still affiliated with the LCBO in some way.

This is a complete contrast to the way that alcohol is sold and managed in NZ where I become accustomed to being able to pick up a bottle of wine (often times at a really great sale price!) when I stopped off at the supermarket for a jug of milk and a loaf of bread.

I visited the LCBO the other day for the first time since arriving back home and was very curious to check out the wine selection since it is a topic that I have come to learn lots about during my time spent in Marlborough.

Here's what I discovered:
- Ontario has very little NZ wine selection (although this might be slightly impacted by the fact that I was shopping at the Owen Sound LCBO - probably not the biggest and best store in terms of variety and selection)
- The three brands I could find included: Stoneleigh, Monkey Bay, and Matua Valley
- There was a fourth brand that I remember hearing about before I left called "Cat's Pee on a Gooseberry Bush" that I didn't realize until now is NZ-made, but oddly enough, I don't ever remember seeing that on the shelves while living there
- Despite it being "NZ wine", I actually found it in the "Australia" section
- The pricing is actually quite similar (dollar value with no exchange rate considerations) but with the awesome sale prices you could get in NZ, I think it's more expensive to buy the wine here
- We are still stuck with most of our wine bottles being corked, despite the research showing that it stays fresher when bottled with a sealed cap (something NZ has overcome)
- I also re-discovered the fact that you can buy wine in "tetra paks" here (something I never saw overseas although I could have just been blind to them)


Stoneleigh - $16.95

Monkey Bay - $14.95

Matua Valley - $15.95

Cat's Pee on a Gooseberry Bush (can't remember how much this was)

More Advertising for Lenguajero

I am actually learning more about how search engines work through this project of my friend, Nat. It really is a fascinatingly strategic project!

I just to the following email from Nat thanking me for the post and with the following additional request:

Is there anyway you could update the blog post so that one of the links to lenguajero says "Practice English Spanish"? It would help us actually appear in stuff people search for. :)

Thanks y Gracias,
Natalie

Ok... done :)

Best of luck, Nat & August, with your extremely exciting new venture!

Friends are cool but Amigos are cooler!


Pre-post warning: this blog entry has been stolen from my friend, Jenn. My other friend Natalie had asked me to write a blog entry that links to her new site in order to promote it and "up" it in the Google search results. After reading Jenn's "promotion" I loved her catchy title (which I stole) and her write-up (which I also stole).

I have a lot of friends. According to facebook, the number stands at 430 (slightly lower than Jenn's 1158!!) which means very little.. but that’s a story for another time.

Many of my friends do super cool things. What kind of cool things? Well, how about quitting a good full-time job to move to Latin-America and become fluent in Spanish?

Yeah, that’s my super cool friend Nat.


And what makes her even cooler is that while she was living in Columbia with her boyfriend August, they decided to start up a website called lenguajero to help folks find and hold conversation exchanges in Spanish. Makes sense to me — after all, not everyone can pick up and move to Latin America like they did!

Now Natalie and August are in Oaxaca (I think I should go visit - summer here sucks) and the website has launched! So go and make some new amigos, and study some Spanish, over at lenguajero!

Mobile Phone Options

I thought I would be all responsible when I got home and hold off on getting myself a cell phone until I was officially employed, with a paying job. However, the longer I'm here, the more I realize that I'm probably going to have to cave.

Now, the big question is... who to go with?

According to my knowledge as of nearly two years ago (I realize I'm going to be a wee bit outdated now), there are two major competitors for me to choose from:

1. Rogers
2. Bell

So I'm looking for advice. Who should I go with?

I was leaning towards Rogers, for the following reasons:

a) I can use my old phone from NZ and just get the SIM-card unlocked
b) I like the idea of the SIM-card (handy, can share phones, roams to lots of countries)
c) I figure I will probably get my cable-tv and/or internet through them, so I'd likely get a package deal

However... I'm starting to get the idea that this might not be my best option. Several people I've talked to are with Bell, and I just read a friend's blog that totally trashed Rogers.

If anyone has a strong opinion on this one (or even a slightly moderate opinion), please let me know. I'd appreciate any feedback in making this next decision as educated as possible.

Thanks in advance!

Social Week

The past week has been quite busy on the social scale.

On Tuesday, Kristy arrived at the cottage and we spent a good few days together, catching up on all of the latest in one another's lives. We had some pretty relaxing days with some decent weather that allowed for some sunbathing on the beach, the occassional run on the beach, and a few sunsets on the beach too. Intermixed were some quiet times hanging out inside reading and staying ontop of my course, and some not-so-quiet (but still fun) times playing with Matt.




On Thursday night Laura and Mike arrived with my other two nephews Andrew and Nathan (since mom and dad will be switching their babysitting duties to them for the next week). Laura told me a funny story about what Andrew had said on the drive up. Apparently they got talking about who they were going to see at the cottage and when they mentioned my name Andrew stated "I think Auntie Heather is weak", and when Laura asked why, he said "because she cried when she saw us." LOL... too funny! Upon hearing that one I quickly tracked Andrew down and introduced him to a new game that allowed us to test "weakness": The Arm Wrestle. After a good long rally, auntie Heather showed her nephew that she wasn't so weak after all! :)

We all headed down to the beach for another sunset, and after Andrew decided it would be fun to run into the water (clothes and all) Kristy and I high-tailed it out of the insanity to have a quiet night in Owen Sound before driving to Oakville the next day.

On Friday I got to hang out with a few friends at a wee reunion party that Laura and Kristy organized. It was a small gathering, but it was really great to catch up with Anna, Derek, and Nelson (from Orangeville), Mikey (Laura's husband) and Amanda (who, in the last few months, bought a house that is literally 5kms around the corner from Laura and Mike's place). Forgot to take pictures, but had my first sample of Ontario wine since my return. Had a Sauvignon from Woodbridge of all places. Not bad, but not like Marlborough's Savs.

On Saturday I headed for down-town Toronto to attend Andrea Bulionis' wedding. Andrea married a guy named Shawn, who (believe it or not) I had not yet met since they started dating shortly before I left for NZ. But, from what I learned about Shawn at the wedding, he sounds like an extremely awesome guy that is a perfect match for Andrea. Andrea looked beautiful and the wedding was beautiful too. It was also great to catch up with Andrea, Trina, Sam, and Lindsay after so long.






After saying goodbye to the Bride and Groom I helped Trina and Ben and Andrea's sister, Christine, take some gifts back to Andrea's place at Keele and Bloor. From there we headed a few blocks over to Trina and Ben's place where I crashed on their couch.

I awoke the next morning to (as Ben put it) "retina-burning" sun coming in the window. It was glorious! Trina and Ben were up early to start their week-long vacation with a bike ride to Trina's cottage in Coburg (just like Trina and I had done a few years ago). Since I was in Toronto, I took the opportunity to check out Trina's church, called The Meeting House. What a really fascinating experience. The church is part of a collection of churches that meet at various movie theaters across the province and show a live feed of a broadcasted service that is actually filmed in a huge warehouse in Oakville. The topic was pretty interesting. The lesson was on Ruth and was part of a series called "Soul Sisters" - very catchy!! I sat with a few of Trina's friends that I had met the night before. The whole group seemed awesome. It was inspiring to see such a young, hip crowd of people.

After church I met up with John (a friend of Andrea's and mine from university who was also at the wedding) and we went for a run along the lakeshore. It felt great to get out and see some more of the city. We ran past the Skydome (I refuse to call it the Rogers Centre!) where the crowd was gathering for the Jay's game, and all the way out to Ontario Place and then back. After breakfast at Tim Horton's I was off and headed back home. I stopped just north of Shelbourne to take some pictures of the wind turbines that I drove past a few days prior. I'm in awe at how many there are now. They have certainly expanded since the last time I drove past!

Earthquake Hits South Island

I can't believe it, but one week after I left the country, NZ had an earthquake strike at 7.8 on the Richter scale! Although it wasn't big enough news to hit the headlines here in Canada, I learned about it through a number of Facebook updates this morning.

According to the news story found here, the quake hit at the very bottom of the South Island in the Fjordland region.

And, from personal experiences, I can testify to the fact that this is a VERY uninhabited area, so there isn't too much need to worry about any structural damages or human injuries.

However, according to a news story found here, there have been a number of damage claims from Invercargill, Dunedin and around Otago, but some came from as far away as Christchurch and Greymouth.

Big news indeed! I'm sorry I missed the excitement. I wonder if any of my Blenheim friends felt this one?

Emails From My Sister

I'm very pleased to see that my sister continues to send me regular emails, even now that I'm home.

Yesterday I got the following email from her which made me laugh. I laughed because it was to true!

I like your blog posting. You would think that Matthew does not have any toys – in a few pics he has his shoes in his hand, another it is a coaster.

And today I got the following email which made me laugh even more!

There was an article on CBC yesterday about Commuting to work and fitness, and people have the opportunity to comment at the end of the article. This is one that I found particularly humourous...

I biked to work for many years, but stopped when the city brought in a bike helmet law. If something is so dangerous that you have to wear a helmet to do it, then it is too dangerous for ordinary citizens to do on a regular basis.

I also tended to arrive all sweaty, but the up side was that I didn't have to iron my shirts, since being steamed inside my jacket got rid of most of the wrinkles en route.

To which Laura also added...

I figure by that logic, he must not drive a car either, as it was not so long ago that they decided it was law to wear a seat belt.

In The News

My iGoogle news feed application somehow automatically switched to "Canada" news when I hooked up with an internet connection on this side of the world. As a result, I've been catching up on the latest headlines from home. One in particular caught my attention today.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/665650

Apparently a 15 year old girl named Stefanie was murdered on New Years Day in a cold-blooded jealousy act in Toronto. The above article is a vitim impact statement by Stefanie's mother...

...Heart-wrenching is a good word to describe it.... So utterly heart-wrenching.

As I was reading it, I couldn't help but think about how much pain and suffering this woman is carrying with her. And I also can't help but think about how much she is going to HAVE to learn to forgive in order to get any semblance of her own life back.

The only problem is, it's much easier said than done.

My thoughts and prayers are with this woman's family...

Busy Busy Busy... Getting Caught Up On Things...

I can't believe I've been home nearly a week now. It's crazy how fast time is flying. Since I've arrived home, I have been totally swamped with family commitments and my online course. I suppose it's maybe not a bad thing since it's keeping me extremely occupied and barely giving me time to reflect on how much I miss NZ. Surprisingly, I'm not experiencing the massive "culture shock" that I was expecting - meaning, I'm not moping around thinking "man, I am so bummed to be home". I suppose this is a good thing. Makes me realize that as much as I LOVED New Zealand, there is something to be said about being "home" and near family and friends. However, I am not holding my breath, because I realize that it has only been less than one week, and I've got lots of time ahead of me to start missing my dear "home away from home". Time will tell. We shall see how it goes.

So yes... as depressing as it sounds, I've seriously been spending most of my days lying in bed, with my laptop, desperately trying to get caught up on the week or more that I fell behind in my online course during my last week overseas. This is a doozy of a course. Lots of work, but with that, lots of learning taking place. It's been extra hard to stay focussed and to do the necessary catching up since I'm dealing with a massive jet-lag recovery, and the distractions of my adorable little nephew that mom and dad are babysitting for the first two weeks that I'm home. It is certainly a test of willpower to lock myself in my room away from this adorable little boy.

To summarize the past week's events, I will include some pictures that tell most of the story.

Arriving at Pearson Airport after 33+ hours of travel. Not only do I look like shit, but I'm fighting the inevitable tears before a group hug with mom and dad. One of those sappy and somewhat pathetic airport scenes.

Can you tell I'm happy to be home? Waiting for the elevator in the parking garage.

Arriving at Laura and Mike's place in Waterloo where I somehow managed to stay awake long enough to eat dinner and catch up with most of the family. It's kind of eery how "normal" it felt just hanging with the family. Parts of me were like "woah... this is weird... haven't done this in a while" and yet another part was like "yep... just like it always is..."

Hanging out with my adorable little nephew who I met for the very first time that night...

And his shirt says it all (too bad *I* didn't think to give it to him!)...

The next day was spent lying on the couch, attempting to do some work. Too bad I was distracted about every 2 mins when this adorable little cutie pie showed up and flashed his adorable little smile at me...

That night we had dinner with the WHOLE family (Rob and Anita came this time with the boys). Still in a slight zombie-like state, I managed to find myself a great spot stuck in the corner of the dining room where I couldn't get out, and the only thing I could do was help to feed Matt and hold him in my arms when he was done.

Funny how I didn't get any pictures with the whole family - I was more focussed on getting some snaps with my nephews instead. Oops! Will have to make a point of getting some picture with my siblings the next time I see them! (Don't worry guys, I still love you, and definitely missed you dearly!)

The next morning I capitalized on my free Ontario health care that I have so dearly missed and attended a doctors appointment with a skin specialist (yes, I'm still struggling with acne and thanks mom for booking it for me). Afterwards I headed home to Owen Sound with dad to do some unpacking and sort through some of my stuff. Since it was such a nice day, I opted to do it on our front porch. Since I had a big bike box to dispose of, I took it as an opportunity to take my car our for a drive to the recycling centre. What a rush! I forgot how nicely my car drove, and it was WAY fun getting used to everything being backwards. I kept reaching for my gear shift with my left hand, and for some odd reason my windshield wipers kept turning on every time I went around a corner! Oh yeah... and on this day I also got to say hi to Mr. and Mrs. Elliott - my long-term nextdoor neighbours. What a warm welcome and great big hug I received from both of them.

The next day dad and I were back in the car and off to Ingersoll to help grandma get her house packed up and ready to move into a retirement home. Grandma put her house up for sale a few weeks ago, and although we were all expecting it to take several months or more for the house to sell, a deal was closed within one week of it going on the market. So needless to say, it's been a rush job getting her packed up and moved out, but thanks to a collective effort from the entire family, we managed to get most of it done. I felt for grandma that day - I can only imagine the emotions she was experiencing as we packed up a house that she had lived in for over 60 years of her life. However, it was really reassuring to see her all settled into her new place at Oxford Manor that evening. It is a really great place, and she seemed quite at home there. I look forward to hearing all about her upcoming social events, and possibly participating in some of them the next time I go to visit!

Exhausted, mom, dad and I drove back to our cottage at Sauble Beach and spent the next couple of days recovering. Matt continued to work his charm, and continued to distract me from my studies. His favourite activity is scurrying around the cottage poking his head in my room to check in, flash me a smile, curiously examine a few things, before heading back out.

Matt is a very curious boy, and loves to touch everything in sight - including dad's pink flamingo lamp (yes... my dad has a collection of really tacky things).

What a pleasure heading down to the beach for my first sunset of the summer. Matt loved the ride uptop of grandpa's shoulders!

Me & Matt having fun on the beach.

The sunset, overlooking Lake Huron.

On the way back from the sunset Matt encountered a doggie that he was excited to get to know better...

The next morning I was on baby duty while mom and dad headed into town to run some errands. Mom returned a few hours later with a new t-shirt - today was the day that she reached her 1000th visit to Curves (her gym). She is one of four people at her gym to reach this milestone. Pretty impressive, indeed! On this same day mom received her "old age" card in the mail. I don't even know what an old-age card is for, but after asking mom what her feelings were about it, she doesn't phased by it at all: "I'm healthy and I still feel young, which is all that really matters!"

Another visit from Matt, this time nearly naked, while he poked his head into my room to flash me another smile before running out.

So I'm nearly caught up on my course now. Phew! Just in time for one of my best-friends, Kristy, to arrive tomorrow. I can't wait!!!!

Home Sweet Home

I'm home. It feels weird, but good. I'm totally and completely exhausted from the events of the past week, but also suffering from some crazy weird jet-lag that won't actually let me sleep right now (it's 2:12am and I'm wide awake!).

I arrived at the Toronto airport on Tuesday after 33 hours of travel. It was an incredibly long journey that I began on next to no sleep (to be explained in a follow-up blog post) and resulted in further sleep deprivation along the way. I was so excited to see mom and dad eagerly awaiting for me on the other side of the doors as I walked through after collecting my luggage. After a few exhausted and embarassing tears in the middle of the airport, we were on our way.

As always, my flight had a few complications. After a delay in Sydney, my flight fell behind schedule and I ended up missing my transfer connection in Vancouver. I was put on standby for the next flight to Toronto and after a few hassles with long queues, getting my bike box over to the oversized luggage place, and making it back through the security gates (where I lost my $60CDN Swiss Army knife due to me juggling some of my luggage around and forgetting that it was in the pocket of one of my bags) I was relieved to find that I was one of 3 (out of 9) standby passengers that actually made it onto the plane.

In this slightly panicked rush, I realized that mom and dad would not know about my change in flight plans so I made a desperate plea to one of the flight attendants about needing to call home (my Vodafone cell phone was not working - not sure if it it doesn't roam in Canada or if it had reached the cancellation day). Unfortunately we were about to take off, and there was no phone in the cabin for me to use, so the flight attendant suggested asking around on the plane. Fortunately some nice man (I think he was a pilot who was also travelling standby) took pitty on me and lent me his blackberry (lucky for me since I did not feel up to pleading with those around me). Good thing too cause mom and dad had been following my flight online and saw that it was cancelled but didn't know when to expect me.

The whole experience of driving home felt quite surreal. It felt really really great to be "home"... to be driving along a highway that I knew like the back of my hand... to pass by all the familiar turn-offs along the way (this way to Amanda and Laura's places, that way to Guelph, this way into KW, etc). Everything looked so green. Greener than I've ever seen it before. I even noticed part of the Niagara escarpment that I had never noticed before. And the air... it felt so fresh. For all that I was driving along the 401 with a zillion cars whizzing by, it felt so fresh. Almost like it was different air or something. Strange.

Oh yeah... and the car thing... so trippy! I loved the mind game that riding on the other side of the road was playing on me. It felt strange to see dad driving on the left side of their minivan, and for me to be on the right-hand side of the divided highway.

I recall my senses being heightened, and everything became an observation to me... the cars are so big, the trucks are so plentiful, the traffic drives so fast, the drivers are so erratic, the roads are so straight!

Arriving at Laura & Mike's place in Waterloo was also very exciting. It felt great to hug my sister. It was even more exciting to get to see my sweet little nephew, Matt, in the flesh. Somehow I managed to say hello to them without crying, but when my older brother, Mark, showed up a while later, the tears made a reappearance. The rest of the evening was a blur since I was totally and completely exhausted.

After nearly 12 hours of sleep that night, I awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. I started my day with a walk to Tim Horton's to enjoy an everyting bagel with herb and garlic cream cheese, a chocolate chip muffin, and a cup of steeped tea. Mmmmmmmmmm... Tim Horton's, oh did I miss thee!

The rest of the day was spent trying to get motivated to get caught up on this course that I started online the week before I left NZ. I'm taking my Honour's Specialist (something that all teachers in Ontario are supposed to do at some point in their career) and it is a crapload of work. This is definitely not the ideal time for me to be taking it, but now that I'm committed, I have to stick it through.

That evening we had the WHOLE family over and I got to see Rob and Anita and their two boys Andrew and Nathan. Once again, the tears poured out again - this time at the sight of my nephews. Surprisingly, Andrew wasn't afraid of me and came up and gave me a great big hug. I felt the need to explain to him that I was crying because I was so excited to see him. He said he remembered me which was good to hear. Natey, on the other hand, played a bit shy, but also showed off for me by demonstrating all of the words he can string together in a sentence. So cool!

The rest of the evening was just like a typical family gathering - chaos. Lots of people, lots of noises and screaming kids, and lots of food and conversation. So familiar. So great.

I feel that this post is starting to ramble, so I will close for now. Maybe now I'll be able to fall asleep. We shall see.