Oh Canada!

The shoulder is still frozen and the tears are not dry yet from saying good bye to Shillaleigh but I am Canadian and celebrate I must!

Canada Day is a holiday that makes me grin. We have such a silly nature, full of laughter and heart. Try as we might to wave our flag and send fireworks into the air it always pales in comparison to the loudly patriot nation next door.

But I love every minute of it.

As a country we are still striving to sing our own praises from the top of the parliament buildings and around the world, we would rather have other country’s speak of how great we are, so we can politely say thank you and determine how we could do it better next time.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel, and it is my travels that reinforced how truly wonderful it is to be Canadian. Other nations would open doors just a bit wider and go that one step further to make sure I felt welcome and comfortable simple because I am Canadian! What a thrill to realize that I came from such a respected land! A place know for peacekeeping, a land that nurtures laughter and who’s beauty is captured by artists around the world and hung at acclaimed galleries!

At one time in my life I had the feeling that we were looked down on as a nation of wimps constantly in a sate of identity crisis.

Not any more.

We are a strong people. We stand up for the underdog and will fight for our friends. We have the strength to question who we are, why we behave as we do and question if our choices are correct. Our Patriotic spirit might be quieter than other nations, but it is strong and like iron when called upon.

Our country is varied from coast to coast. Sometimes we are not very nice to each other, sometimes our provinces feel like foreign countries because of our celebrated differences. But we live in a country strong enough to hold together when cultures collide and struggle to find away to bring ourselves together as one nation, one nation that is made up of so many cultures, attitudes, and customs.

Yesterday I made a comment that one day I would like to be bored with arrogance rather than annoyed by it. I think that comment can be reflected in our country. A country that pushes boundaries of tolerance and understanding, a country that readjusts it’s personal boundaries so we can all thrive together within our geographical one.

It is so very exciting!

A maturing changing people in a land with vast resources and beauty fitting into an ever shrinking global community. What an adventures it is to be Canadian!

Canada is like the young child with an old soul. We might struggle but look a bit deeper and an ancient wisdom resides. A wisdom that knows better, a wisdom of truth and calm, a wisdom with a toothy grin and belly laugh, a wisdom of the ages weather we always recognize it or not.

A wisdom that you are part of if you can proudly call yourself Canadian.

Happy Canada Day, EH!

OK.. I also love our British influenced lives, sex in a canoe, moose, beer, hockey, lacrose, cottage country, The fact that we have the right to bare breasts not arms, and that we DO NOT have the right to free speech because some things should not be said!

I like frozen popisicles much more than a frozen shoulder!

Thank you. So many kind words have made there way to us as news spread of our loss of little "bug." Truth told the tears haven't stopped and I still haven't been able to clean up her kennel, bowl or toys.. I am sure that will happen in time.

Tears over our little monster are not the only ones shed today. Ever heard of "frozen shoulder?" Here is the "official" definition:

Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, is a condition that causes restriction of motion in the shoulder joint. The cause of a frozen shoulder is not well understood, but it often occurs for no known reason. Frozen shoulder causes the capsule surrounding the shoulder joint to contract and form scar tissue.

My definition: OUCH!!!!!

I didn't realize that the start of my training was going to be getting myself ready to start training! I thought I had that all under control! I had no idea the havoc my body has gone thru over the last 8 months. Enough that it is like starting all over again from 3 years ago.. but throw in a possible heart issue and this frozen shoulder business.

Let me clarify I don't have frozen shoulder... yet. But the process has begun, so I have a RMT (Kyla - who I have chatted about before) and a chiropractor (Dr. Liz - she is also at Creative Healing) both of which are working on my shoulder.. I have NEVER felt pain like that. The kind of pain that makes your whole body break into a sweat followed by the urge to "toss my cookies!" I didn't, but it was touch and go for a moment.

I have been told that I should have movement back within the next 2 weeks and we can work on the pain and strengthening after that. Which means I hope to be swimming laps again by the end of July!

Saying Good Bye is so very hard

My tears just won’t stop.

Our little Shillaleigh who we called “Bug” bounded into our lives and she has now left. My heart is broken. Bug was a wonderful friend, she worked hard, she played with great spirit and made it clear she loved you. She was our little princess, she was our little clown and she was in our lives for too short a time.

We had to send Shillaleigh on her way. Our little Bug who brought us so much joy also had a darker side, no matter how hard she tried to deny the urge she just couldn’t do it and for what ever reason she was wired to fight. It always came on fast, it even took trainers by surprise.. no sign, no warning.. just all fight. Very early in her life she picked and won a fight that she should not have.. and never backed down again. As time went on very few 4 legged friends were left unscarred. Our poor Barkley took the worst of it.

This weekend it became clear that even with all our work, hers and ours, this was just getting worse. She couldn’t live 24/7 in a muzzle or in her kennel and we couldn’t safely re-home her any where. Her last fight with Barkley had Steve caught in the middle and he ended up with both hands chewed up enough that a trip to the doctor was in order.

We gave her the best life we could, all be it short.

Bug and I choose each other 3 years ago, and yesterday I had to say Good Bye, from here on every tear I cry no matter what that tear is for a touch of sadness will be there for her. I stayed with her to the end, her last gaze was on me letting her hear and feel the love that I felt for her. I would not and did not leave until it was confirmed that she had gone.

I want her back... but I will wait, and the next time we play it will be with true abandon and joy. She loved me, she trusted me and I had to protect others from her and her from herself. I don’t think I will ever completely forgive myself for not finding another answer.

Shelia at The Spotted Spa has this “poem” on her website and it brings me some comfort.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

*OUCH*

Today my RMT Kyla was determined to get my healing on the way.. It seems my shoulder is tight enough that when I lay on my back my shoulder is still tilted up! This does not make for a great front crawl in the water.. since I can't get my arm over and around it might lead to me swimming around in a circle! Not good if I want to be in the annual Swim Across The Lake, I did ask Kyla if I might be alright to do the breast stroke (she used to be a life guard!) I got the thumbs up as long as I am careful. Now I have to learn how to do the breast stroke again!! I don't think I have done it since I took swimming lessons 30 years ago! Please note that I am coming to terms with the fact that this might be the year that I don't do any triathlons.. I'm still holding out for "Summerland Sprint" at the end of the summer! If you would like to meet my "Mistress of Torture" sorry I mean Kyla CLICK HERE!

On the diet side of things.. I am down a pound and a bit.. I know... baby steps..



I am readjusting with my diet, back to making a point of having breakfast! Every night before bed I toss: 2 cups of frozen berries, 1 cup of OJ, 1 banana, 1 cup plain yogurt. This makes enough for 2 glasses so both Steve and I can grab breakfast and go in the morning! Admittedly I am grabbing and going 3 hours before his eyes even open!

Need a reason to quit?

A friend asked me to share this with you. We were discussing smoking. I was a smoker for years, as was my husband. I have now been smoke free for 4 years and my husband for 2. The question most often asked is how and why. The simple answer - we got over ourselves. Smoking is probably one of the single most selfish acts a person can do aside from suicide.

Smoking does not do any good for anyone besides the smoker. NO one. I am not just talking about the appalling act of smoking if you have any interaction with children, I am talking about smoking at all. Facts are pretty clear, it doesn’t matter if you know someone that lived to 106 and was a smoker, smoking contributes to crappy health and usually death. The death is ugly and painful. Smokers will sometimes say, it’s there choice if they put themselves at risk to a deadly disease. Tru-dat. But what about everyone that it effects? On a broader sense we are talking tax dollars and strain on health care, but closer to home, I am talking about the child that sits in the hospital while the sun is shinning outside, waiting for you to die. Watching someone you love at any age die an ugly death is not something we would wish on anyone, yet every person who smokes doesn’t care enough about the people that love them to make sure that can't happen.

Are you really that selfish? Than you should be ashamed of yourself.

Click here for help

It often takes more than one try to quit.. please don't stop trying.

The plan starts to take shape!

So here is the deal...

Next summer I will do a Half Iron Man.

Swim 2K
Bike 93K
Run 21.1K

I thought I would be in a much different place when I made this choice. I didn't think it would be after putting on weight, screwing up my shoulder and having my heart monitored for an odd beat.

But I have.

I have a little less than a year to get this train on the rails.

Thankfully I have the beginnings of a plan, which is to find someone else that can put together a plan for me!

Enter two very important people.

My RMT Kyla Feddersen (www.creativehealing.ca) who will help get this shoulder back into swimming shape and Chris Willett from Fresh Air Concepts (www.freshair.ca)

Updates to come soon!

Our life in Screw Balls

So life has stopped throwing curve balls... and has moved on to screw balls!

WOW.. what a crazy while it's been!! Ratings at work, a house fire, a pregnancy scare, putting on a ton of weight, getting trapped in the real estate crunch, getting lumps removed from my head and a possible heart issue!

No wonder I had to take 2 weeks off and just stay at home!!

Once again I send out thanks and prayers for my wonderful family and friends! I find that you can get threw just about anything with the right team around you.. and it's so much easier when you have them at the start and don't have to build as you go!

One important thing my friends did for me in this round of excitement was make it clear that I was going threw plenty of stress and I wasn't being a total wimp for feeling the strain! Girlfriends sent cards in the mail, work friends gently inquired if I was going to be ok, and family picked up the phone when I called! Plus having a team of professionals to seek advice from certainly helped! I want to give a BIG thumbs up to Julie Weimer at RBC. Banks often get a bad rap when it comes to mortgages, well Julie and RBC have created a new form of yoga in the flexibility and creative thinking that has gone into getting us out of our jam! That's not without sacrifice on our part.. saying Good Bye to the boat as the temp soared to 30 degrees plus on my holidays had me in tears more than once.. as does the pending sale of my FZ6. More kudos this time to the gang at Rayburns Marine World for helping us sell the boat and Charles at Kelowna Yamaha that is sending people my way for the motorcycle!

So the long and short of the money stuff.. with some sacrifices on our part, and what will be a pretty tight year on the horizon, Steve and I still call Jones Street home and will have a rental available at Waterscpaes.. know anyone looking?? All the deets are in the posting a couple below.. we will be asking 1500, and will be ready for move in September 1.

On to the work stuff .... YEAH TEAM! SUN FM rocked the ratings! With two new stations in the market that is a VERY good feeling.. I get to keep my job for another 6 months!!!! :)

And the health front.. the lump in my head was a bunch of fat (insert fat head joke here) I have had a lump growing behind my ear for couple of years now.. last week I had it removed, after a night full of nightmares that the Doc would find worms in my head!! ewwwwwww.. weird part.. it did strangely look like a caterpillar when he pulled it out!! As for the weight stuff.. living in a hotel during the fire repairs did some nasty things to my body! Eating out was NOT good for me!! So I am refocused on the diet to bring down those calories (especially since some of the other stress is pulled back) and putting together a plan to get more competitive in triathlon.. at least I thought I was.. in the process of getting some testing done to figure out how I can train better some weird results have come back.. and some test are being done to see what's up with my heart.. which appears to have a rhythm all of it's own.. ha ha ha. I'm not in too much of a tizzy about it.. but I am concerned.. I will update you as the tests get done!

As a matter of fact I'm thinking this blog is going to turn into a bit of a diary for me.. Next post I will outline the goals and how i plan to get there. I will be an exciting couple of years ahead!

Hopefully you can gain something from my road to success, professionally, financially and athletically that will help you on your own journey!

SK xx