For The Love of the game and an Inspirational Pilgram

Wonderful Christmas Gift - Life

2011-12-27T23:10:00.001-06:00

Mom and Dad in Llandudno Whales October 2011

Written on Christmas Eve, 1513

I salute you. I am your friend, and my love for you goes deep.

There is nothing I can give you which you have not. But there is much,

very much, that, while I cannot give it, you can take. No heaven can

come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take heaven!

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instant.

Take peace! The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within

our reach, is joy. There is radiance and glory in darkness, could we but see.

And to see, we have only to look. I beseech you to look!

Life is so generous a giver. But we, judging its gifts by their covering,

cast them away as ugly or heavy or hard. Remove the covering, and you

will find beneath it a living splendor, woven of love by wisdom, with power.

Welcome it, grasp it, and you touch the angel's hand that brings it to you.

Everything we call a trial, a sorrow or a duty, believe me, that angel's hand is there.

The gift is there and the wonder of an overshadowing presence. Your joys, too,

be not content with them as joys. They, too, conceal diviner gifts.

Life is so full of meaning and purpose, so full of beauty beneath its covering,

that you will find earth but cloaks your heaven. Courage then to claim it; that is all!

But courage you have, and the knowledge that we are pilgrims together,

wending through unknown country home.

And so, at this time, I greet you, not quite as the world sends greetings,
but with profound esteem and with the prayer that for you, now and
forever, the day breaks and shadows flee away.

~ Fra Giovanni

Oct 7/11 SANTIAGO!!!

2011-10-11T07:27:00.002-05:00

Before we left Monte Do Gozo, we wandered down the hill to where there were two status of Pilgrams standing pointing towards Santiago. They were something! They stood over us and pointed towards Santiago in the distance. I think these two figures were one of my very favorites that I'd seen thus far.

Dad continued our walk into Santiago into the Cathedral grounds. Here you'll find an open square that is where you view the front of the Cathedral and where you find all of the trekers/Peregrinos sprawled out on in having completed there this 500 mile journey.
The Cathedral is Huge and also absolutely enveloped with incredible detail. It's hard to take it all in.
At 12 noon everyday they hold a mass for all the Peregrino's. Dad and I sat through the service which was in Spanish, but being familiar with it in general it is easy to follow along.

Morten, Dad, Deklan, me and Els

We then went to collect our Compestellas...which is our certificates that we receive once when we've completed the Camino. We ran into our German friends there, as well as the Norweigens. lol. They beat us somehow. All in good fun of course.
We found ourselves a Pension to stay in for the night and then did a little shopping. We ran into our Irish friend Deklan who invited us out for dinner that night with a group of people he was meeting up with. Dad said that Deklan (who seemed to be friends with EVERYONE) was someone they'd referr to as being full of the 'Blarney'.
Anyway we met him in the square infront of the Cathedral and he, dad and I, as well as Els a woman from Holland and Morten and gentleman from Denmark enjoyed some fantastic food and a lot of wine and a couple rounds of shots. Don't ask me what they were, but when we got back to the Pension it didn't take me long to fall asleep. :D . It was a fitting end to a wonderful adventure.

Oct 7/11 Monte Do Gozo - Santiago

2011-10-11T07:12:00.001-05:00

Dad and I reached Monte DoGozo today. What an interesting scene. There is a monument built here in honor of Pope John Pauls visit in 2004. Oddly enough just a few short years after it was built he passed away. There are dedications and plaques of art all around the base of the monument. Towards the back of the monument that looks out towards Santiago there are stones and other dedications from other Peregrinos left, such as walking staffs, shoes, clothing, etc. I decided to leave the rest of my dedications here. The first one I left was for a wonderful man who I only knew for a short time, but over came many road blocks and fought like the champion we all knew him to be. I placed Pat Spirings LiveStrong band on the monument overlooking the beautiful city of Santiago.

My bestfriend, Leslie Wilson, lost her brother a year ago on September 2nd, 2010. Although his passing was due to other circumstances I still wrote his name on a band and decided to place it on a branch of a tree at the edge of the platform overlooking Santiago and all of it's surroundings. Leslie, now we can say he's seen it all. He's traveled with me, through the vineyards, climbed the mountains, and enjoyed the intoxicating smells of the Eucalyptus trees and forests. All my love to you and the Wilson family.

My last dedication, and certainly not the least, is on the cross formed out of walking sticks leaning against the monument to Pope John Paul. I dedicated this one '4 THOSE STILL FIGHTING'.

Oct 6/11 Azura - Salceda 11km

2011-10-11T06:58:00.001-05:00

Dad and I walked from Azura to Salceda this morning. It was an 11.1km walk. During that walk we found ourselves enjoying the magnificent smells of Eucalyptus. We were walking through forests and forests of the Eucalyptus trees. Honestly one of my favorite places to date. The smell was intoxicating and the trees nothing that I would have imagined looking like. It felt as though we were in the jungle quite honestly. Dad and I reached the 30km milestone and here I decided to leave my next dedication to Stan Wilgosh. His band with his name is sitting ontop of the 30km milestone overlooking these Eucalyptus trees and forest. I couldn't have thought of a better more relaxing place for the memory of a man who endured so much.

Oct 5/11 Palas De Rei - Arzua 28.6 km

2011-10-05T13:48:00.001-05:00

Hola!
Well folks I treked on today solo. Dad woke up from a very restless sleep and was troubled with some pain from all the weight he was carrying in his backpack. We agreed that it was best for him to catch the bus and meet me half way at Melide 15.2km from Palas De Rei. It was best to start out in the morning because it´s seriously that much cooler. Come 2pm it seems to be the hottest and is consistent up until around 5pm. Honestly it has been very very very hot here.
When I left this morning it was completely hazy and cool. I thought it might actually rain, but once I reached the top of the mountain (one of many) it started to clear up. I left this morning around 9:30 am. I walked somewhat behind a group of 4 people as they seemed to be keeping a good pace very similar to mine. I ended up passing them as they needed to relieve themselves as most people do and find a place to do there business. I´ve been pretty lucky in that when I´ve reached a destination where dad and I have stopped to have a break and a drink I just use the facilities there. However yesterday both dad and I couldn´t wait so we did what we had to do. lol. I know you all needed to know that, but lets simply get down to the nitty gritty shall we. ha ha.
I met up with Dad in Melide. We communicated with the walky talkies he had thoughtfully brought with him. I reached Melide at 12:41pm. Not to shabby, but quite honestly I was booking it. I was able to take in the scenery and get some pictures a well as stop to have a drink and get our passports stamped. I met two irishman and a newzealander. The three were travelling together. The two irishman were father and son, John and Owen and I didn´t catch the other gentlemans name unforutnately. Very nice guys and hey, you can´t go wrong with an Irish accent. Love it! I was going to ask them if they were "after me lucky charms" but thought I´d hold off until I got to know them better. I chatted to them briefly, but headed off before them. I know they made it to Melide as I saw them and introduced them to my dad, but didn´t think they were going to be travelling further to Arzua where I was going. They looked pretty fatigued and it was already getting very hot.
Ok, so the running joke right now for me is these Norweigens. Dad and I continue to run into them and did I mention they are rediculously fast walkers? Seriously, it is rediculous! I started my trek from Melide to Arzua and noticed that the large group of them were ahead of me. As I mentioned previously that whenever they see me and Dad they yell out "Hey Canada!" So I casually, going at there road runner pace, snuck up on them and once I was behind them yelled out " OH NO! It´s the Norweigens!!" They laughed and said hello and I walked with one of the girls, Cecilia, who had chatted with us the last couple of times we´d met up with them at our destinations. She is a teacher in a small village of 1300 and has been teaching for 15 years. She has been doing the Camino with her Dad. It was her first time and her Dad had been bugging her to do it with him so she took the opportunity to do so this year. Her school was having it´s fall break so she was able to do it now.
I eventually went ahead as they had stopped for a break and some water. So now I can say I beat the Norweigens YA!!!
During the rest of the walk I thought of Dad, because I hit some bloody steep climbs that would have absolutely killed him. They killed me! No joke 90 degrees. I could chew on my shoelace, and the worst thing was when you thought you were at the top, HELL NO! You´d go around a slight corner and BANG 90 degrees straight up AGAIN! I actually said aloud, "Are you fucken kidding me right now?" I was very glad that Dad didn´t have to endure that.
Well I made it to Arzua. I had pulled out my walky talky and tried to contact Dad about 1km outside of town, but had no luck getting a hold of him. I figured he hadn´t turned it on yet. The plan was for him to get us a Pension to stay in as the last two destinations we got to and the couple of Pensions we went to get a room at were all full. It is honestly very busy this year with people. It´s not an anniversary year as that was last year, and Dad says it is very unusual that it is this busy with people. There are school groups on the trail as well. A lot of the locals start at Sarria to Santiago to get there Compastela. As mentioned earlier you have to complete 100 miles to receive it. So the trails are very much busier with groups and such, that I had noticed today. If I was ever alone on the trail it wasn´t for long.
I wandered through Arzua thinking that if Dad got us a Pension to stay in it would be through the town and close to the trail leading outward. You tend to still put on a number of kilometers going through these towns before actually getting out of them and back onto the trail. I continued to try to get a hold of him on the walky talkies but with no luck. Luckily I saw Deidre another Irish woman I met just a couple of days previous who I stopped to say hello to. I sat with her for about 1/2 hour with an icetea and water and caught up with her. I explained the situation of wondering where my dad was etc. I wasn´t too worried yet.
Anyway long story short, he had found a room for us at a Pension right when you enter the city. So I had to walk back through the city to where I came from to meet him. The funny part about where he was when I met him was"he had made zome friendz widz za Germanz." lol...I thought for sure the German friends we had met along the way had got him drunk. Instead he´d had a Coke. lol All was good. I got cleaned up, and we both just finished dinner.
I´m not sure what our plan is for tomorrow. I´m thinking that I may not have the same enthusiasm as I did today to potentially do the 38.4 km needed to do tomorrow to reach Santiago. There is no rush and what Dad and I might do is break it up into three stops. He feels he can do a max of 15 km in a day and that is fine by me. By the end of the day today my feet were definitely sore, but luckily the terrain was very forgiving. You don´t realize that when you walk these distances in a day that you very much welcome a sandy footing rather than the beautiful cobblestone that is absolutely everywhere.
We´ve been really lucky with our feet thus far. I have got a blister on my baby toe on my left foot, but it hasn´t slowed me down. We saw a woman last night who was using her walking poles as crutches. She could not move. I´ve also seen many people who have there feet completely taped up. It´s really something else.
Oh and before I forget, I walked through the most amasing Eucalyptis farm today. You can´t miss them. I picked a couple of leaves for Dad as he loves them. I would have cut off a branch, but it was harder than I thought to get a hold of them and I wasn´t sure I should have been doing that either way.
That is about it for now. I´m off to bed and tending to my throbbing feet.
Love and miss you all, Beun Camino Amigos! xxoo

Portomarin - Palas de Rei 23.9 km

2011-10-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

dad and I had a great sleep last night. our bodies are pretty beaten and sore so we decided to take a cab to Ligonde about 16km away.
We passed large groups of peregrinos, surprisingly large groups to our destination it was insane!
the walk from Ligonde to Palas De Rei was about 10km. I felt we were still really dragging. Another hot day and not a lot of shelter was no help. The hills and decents really slow us down. We arrived in Palas De Rei around 5pm tonight and will focus on having a good rest to recover the best we can. The next walk is going to be tough 28.6km. We´ll most likely cut that in half or bus it half way. Again the hills are murder and really tough for dad and he hasn´t complained once. I´ve been making him drink tons of water, something of which he doesn´t do this much, but he´s working really hard and we have to keep him hydrated.
We´ve reached the double digits in regards to what we have left to walk. I believe we´re in the 60 kilometer range now. Almost there and making good time.
The food and drink is so good over here. I have lots of pictures, but alas I cannot post them. I will when I do have the opportunity and share them.
Wishing you all well from Spain! xxoo

Oct 3/11 Sarria - Portomarin 21.5km

2011-10-04T11:52:00.000-05:00

It was GRUELING today. most of the trek was uphill and down hill, uphill and down hill. Very steep both ways. Plus it was another 30 + degree day. SO HOT.
The scenery was gorgeous as usual. Off the road into these overgrown trails between farm lands. The trees are something out of a Disney movie. Very detailed in knots and contorted covered with ivy. The abondance of fruit and nut trees is something to see. Walnuts, acorns, hazel nuts and apple trees. you have to watch when you walk by them so that you don´t get smoked in the head by falling fruit. Very true.
Our bodies hated us today. we´re both walking like we have something stuck up our bums. lol. Our calves are so tight. I´m actually almots out of ibruprophin!
it was a long day, but we made huge accomplishments today. So we had a wonderful dinner with wine and at each dinner we have we give a toast and drink our faces off...with water of course.

Triacastela - Sarria 16km

2011-10-04T11:46:00.000-05:00

Well it seems our 9 am morning starts are consisting of climbs. It´s a good thing it´s cool though. We walked through the most beautiful over grown trails with ivy covered trees. I took some video and some pictures however later on accidently deleted the video. Not happy. We were over taken by our friendly group of Norweigens again...damn them for being so nice. I hate getting over taken! lol
The trail was pretty decent today, but still hotter than hell out there an NO breeze what so ever. Still up in the mountains. Dad and as well as everyone else we´ve seen are all walking a little slower today. Everyone´s calves and thighs are very tight from all the climbing and decenting from the day before.
We´ve run into some peregrino´s who are walking with the dogs. yes there little dogs have packs on them as well. It´s great! So dad has to stop and have a little chat with them and give them a friendly hello from Canada.
We continue to stop in towns along the way and have a drink as well as get our passport stamped. I´ve actually been drinking Coke. Ya..pop not a good combo for me, but i can´t explain whether it´s the combination of caffine and sugar that´s helping me get by or not. Either way it gives us a chance to rest our fire ridden feet.

October 2/11 O´Cebreiro - Triacastela (22KM)

2011-10-04T11:37:00.000-05:00

Dad and I had a fantastic dady today. The terrain was very comfortable for the most part. We were up in the mountains for the most part and enjoyed the scenery. We met Susan from London today and travelled with her for a short time. It was nice to have some company and get to know someone knew.
We struggled however with the decent down the mountain. It was nothing I have ever experienced before. Very painful on the feet and knees. We had done so well up until this point. Dad´s poor feet took a beating as did mine and our calves were screaming!!
When we did finally get down that mountain we met a couple of people from Ireland. God you got a love people with an accent like that! Triena and Deklin. They thought it was so great that a father and daughter were doing the Camino together. They were staying at an Allbergue, but we moved on to a Pension which was more private very much like a hotel. After our first time in an allbergue it was like being in a barnyard. I didn´t sleep a wink and was sooo grumpy the next morning. After a nice hot shower and a change of clothes Dad and I went out for some dinner. We had bacon, rice, sausage, and fried eggs with a bottle of red wine. Everything, just so you know, comes with wine you can´t escape it. I had 3 glasses, and no dad didn´t have to carry me home. ha ha.
In finding this Pension dad and I had run into a couple of women who stopped us. It appears that rumours had been running through the grapevine or down the Peregrino lines already. These women noticed the Canada flag on my bag and stopped us to ask me if this man I was with was the, what I understood as the one who was doing his 78th Camino. LOL well what had happened was that Susan from London must have told someone that Dad would be 78 years old next month and was doing the camino with his daughter. we laughed, but were delighted obviously. But just so you know Dad is not the oldest one doing this Trek this year. We have run into a tour group of 30+ from Norway and one of the women is 79 1/2 and another woman is 74. You should see this group move. They are trucking it. We pass them and they pass us..it goes on and on. Everytime they see us though they yell out ´Hey Canada!´ I just laugh and joke to dad to ´WATCH OUT the Norweigens are coming!´

October 1/11 Villafranca Del Bierzo - O´Cebreiro

2011-10-04T11:24:00.000-05:00

It´s been a busy couple of days. Yesterday Dad and I walked from Villafranca Del Bierzo to Pereje to Trabadelo. It was SMOKING hot!! 9.5 kilometers later we get to Portela where we took a bus to Pedrafita and a taxi to O´Cebreiro. The reason for this is that from Portela its is an uphill climb right to O´Cebreiro. We were looking at 15km up a mountain. Normally this would be something I would welcome, however with dad´s bionic hips (hip replacements) he shouldn´t be at a 45 degree angle. All of the mountains we´ve climbed and yes they are mountains, have been incredibly steep. The unfortunately thing is the happiness of meeting that goal and getting to the top ends quite shortly when you see what the angle of decline in which you must follow with. I can´t believe my Dad has done this particular route 31/2 times. I know how I feel, how my feet feel at the end of the day and my calves have never EVER been tighter. The knots..good god! I´m fortunate to have escaped thus far without any serious blisters.

The Beginning - Ponferrada-Cacebelos September 29/11

2011-10-04T11:11:00.001-05:00


Fortaleza Templara Ponferrada

Dad and I took a bus to Ponferrada from Leon. Ponferrada was our original starting point. It´s 200 km from Santiago. In order to qualify for your Compastella you need to walk at least 100km. With the time line I have of 2 weeks we´d thought we´d squeak in another 100k what the heck.
I had always asked dad how he knew where to go, but quite honestly if you know what to look for it is very easy. The scallop shells in the cobble stone roads, the yellow arrows painted on the side of a wall and on the pavement, and upright signs at most intersections with a Peregrino and scallop shell pointing the way. It´s really very interesting.
The weather has been fantastic, but also a scorcher depending on if you have any shelter while your walking. We have walked through the most immaculate paths and country side you could imagine. You can´t imagine this stuff up, and it´s all natural. My jaw has been on the floor on more than one occasion.

We walked through a vineyard today. The smell was unbelievable. Wine itself doesn´t smell this good! it was beautiful and just fascinating. In the middle of this vineyard I decided to leave my first dedication to a wonderful lady who passed away recently of a brain tumor. I wrote her name on a live strong wrist band and placed it on a branch amongst the vines along side this path of this vineyard. I felt it was a perfect place for her to enjoy such beautiful scenery, scents and to enjoy one of the richest things in life. To say it was emotional for me is an understatement. Many mixed emotions, but what better place for my memory of her to be. Enjoying a nice glass of vino over looking the vineyard. Rest in peace Sara.

Leon today and a 12km and maybe an added 14km on to that?!?

2011-09-28T12:51:00.000-05:00

Ola everyone,
Well this is my second attempt at a post. My first one was deleted somehow.
Dad and I are going to be getting into the nitty gritty tomorrow. We did manage about 10km today to catch the bus to Leon in order to make sure that we have enough time to get to our destination Santiago.
We collected our passports today so that when we stop in at the next town we´ll be them stamped at the cathedral. It gets quite colorful and I will gladly show you what it looks like when I get back.
It was pretty neat today to see the country side even though it was on the bus. The cool part of it was seeing all the Pelegrino´s out on the trail. You could see them in the distance as the path these trekers are on sometimes runs close to the highways. It was a hot day today at 28 degrees so they must have been just buggared by the time they reached there days destination.
Dad and I are a little fatigued due to lack of sleep. We had an entire room full of 24 bunk beds to ourselves last night,but that didn´t drown out the noise of the street next to our window. Tonight we´re in another room with about the same amount of bunk beds however they are all full. I´m predicting it to be a night where ear plugs will come in handy.
Leon is HUGE and beautiful! What a gorgeous place to be. The cobble stone roads and designs are immaculate. It really is something to see! The architecture is outstanding, so much to look at.

Wish I could load up some pictures but I haven´t had much luck. I will keep trying.

I hope to be as lucky as I have in the last two places I´ve stayed in now as they´ve had internet access. I hope to give you all some more updates as I can. For now know that this is wonderful, the weather is fantastic, the leaves are still green and for hiking 20 to 26 km a day the temperature is ideal.
We´ll see what tomorrow brings!
Dad and I have enjoyed a beer or two and I can honestly say I was drunk. Yep. Pathetic and it wasn´t even a pint...it was more like a really generous shot. All is good though..water is key.

For now I bit you good night! Adios amigos!
xxoo

Ola! From Bilbao Spain!!

2011-09-27T16:46:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,
This is the first chance I´ve had to update the blog since we left from MB. The flight to Manchester was very long and very exhausting. I forgot how resilient you are when you´re a kid. Dad and I did a lot sleeping when we got to Widnes. Mom struggled but is a trooper nonetheless.
Saturday and Sunday we did a bit of shopping and I managed to get in a run. That was a tough, but glad I got ut there. Ate the standard fish and chips and NO to Sloppy peas. GROSS! But I did force myself to try some other kind of peas that were literally neon green. NO JOKE!
So the journey begins. Dad and I walked about 45 minutes from the bus station to the hostel we´re at right now. You know I thought Montreal was the city that never slept, but you should see all the joggers out at 10pm at night here in Bilbao. Mind you I can´t blame them it´s absolutely beautiful country side even in the dark. They have a bridge that cars, cable cars, bicycles and pathways to accomodate everyone. No one runs into anyone or has to ring a bell to get people out of the way..it´s absolutely amazing! The one thing I´m struggling with is having to muscle my way in lines. If there´s the smallest of gaps between you and the person ahead, people will step in there without worry. I think it´s a Canadian thing that we stand about 5 feet back from someone getting a ticket of some sort out of common courtesy. Well hell no you don´t do that here or in ´jolly´old England. Oh and for the record..they ain´t as jolly as they are assumed. I will sensor my opinion at this point as my 2nd cousin who lives there and has been spending a lot of time with us driving us around and such will be reading this. She´s great though! Love ya SUE!!
I think that is about it at the moment. I´ve got more details to write about and keeping a journal. I hope everyone is well and until the next opportunity comes along to update again with pictures, dad and I should be well on our way on the Camino.
Cheers for now folks!! Miss you all lots!!

Mark your calendars folks!! September 2011 it's happening!

2011-08-24T20:48:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone,
Well I am happy and excited to announce that it's happening. My Dad and I will be doing part of the walk across Spain together (The Camino De Santiago)! We'll be leaving at the end of September to England and then we'll be headed to Spain. We haven't really established how far we'll be walking as of yet, but regardless we'll be doing it together. It's going to be amazing!
I'm in need of something new and exciting as well as some inspiration(my dad), I have no doubt I'll find it on my 4 weeks away.

I'm putting my curling season slightly on hold in order to do this trek. As you maybe aware I save all my holidays for the curling season. It demands a lot of time to curl at this kind of competitive level.
I am happy to say that I will be curling when I get back. I've been picked up as a fifthman for a team in need of help for a few spiels. What a delight! These are great girls and I'm so happy to be helping them out and being able to still get my toes on the ice for the competitive season. Thank you to them!!

I will update more once I know our schedule as well I do plan to keep the blog up to date while Dad and I are on our walk with pictures and better yet video hopefully. I plan to leave a mark on Spain :D Memories to save for a lifetime and to inspire anyone else who needs it.

Life is too short. Family and friends mean the world to me. There's no better time than the present to make new memories and laugh until your sides hurt.

Do something nice for someone.
Take some time for yourself and be selfish.
Remember to laugh as much as possible, to love unconditionally and live like you were dying.

Lesle :)
XXOO

BLESSINGS FROM SPAIN / THE ADENTURES OF JAMES CAFFERTY

2011-07-23T23:26:00.002-05:00

This is an article written about my Dad, James Cafferty, on behalf of the Yanke transport company via Janet Cafferty.

The Yanke family who were following my blog of my father's journey took it upon themselves to collect over $3000.00 for Prostate Cancer research.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The article reads as follows:

At age 77, most people would envision a rather quiet, sedate lifestyle that involved a little gardening, reading and long evenings with a good book.

Not so for James Cafferty. In May, 2010, he embarked on a campaign to raise funds for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. His commitment was such that he vowed to walk 500 miles across Spain to generate aware3ness and donations to his cause. He began this monumental journey in October 2010.

Yanke PTO, Janet Cafferty, was very proud of the effort her father was making and decided to join him and her mother for the final leg of his six-week journey. She and her mother met Mr. Cafferty in November to show there support and to walk the final miles of the Camino with him. Weeks of solitude and hundreds of miles of walking had not diminished his enthusiasm, and he left them behind to cross the finish line on his own.

A cathedral stood at the end of their route. It was traditional for visitors to place the names of those who were known to be suffering or troubled on a special card and light a candle for each of those listed on the cards. The cards and candles constituted a 'prayer' or wish for their lives to become better. Before joining her parents in Spain, Jan called the office to ask for the names of any co-workers who were ill or having difficulties. She wanted to place a card in the cathedral to help those in need. Jan decided, however, that it would be inappropriate to discuss individuals.

Upon arriving at the cathedral, Jan wrote a name on one of the special cards, her father blessed the candle himself and the three members of the Cafferty group placed the card. The name on the card was "The Yanke family."

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

2010-10-27T19:53:00.003-05:00

My apologies for the delay in writing, who would have thought it would take so much time to put it all together! Dad is still whooping it up in Santiago. As of Tuesday my Mom and sister have now joined him. I can only imagine the chaos they are getting into....ahh, the memories. I'm sure they'll have some more fantastic stories and experiences.

I'm going to start with a curling update. We played in the Manitoba Lotteries this past weekend held at the Fort Rouge curling club. I enjoyed myself and was very happy to run into some friends I hadn't seen in awhile. Cory (Bartel)Morris from Team Cheryl Bernard/Canadian Olympic Silver Medalists 2010 was a sight for sore eyes. I had the pleasure of a quick chat with her about all the new and exciting things going on in her life. I have missed her and glad to have reconnected. I hope to see her this weekend in Saskatoon at the Colonial Square, but am not sure if they are participating nor do I know who else is. The website has not been updated with teams or the draw.
Although we only played three games there was more to the games than the score. It was our second bonspiel playing together and regardless of the outcome every game we progressed on all levels. The team chemistry, team dynamics and unity not to mention shot making. It was a good experience and something that I really enjoyed was how the team never gave up.
This weekend we are missing our skip Joelle. Tracey will be skipping and Ainsley our fifthman will be filling in at third. Jen and I will hold down the fort in the front end. I'm looking forward to it. Though Jo won't be there as our Captain she will be there with us in spirit and pushing us on along the way. We'll be maintaining contact with her throughout the weekend with updates via text/email.
Our first game this weekend will be at 10am. Wish us luck!

On to Daddio. Email - October 24, 2010

"Went to the peregrino´s office half an hour ago to pick-up a poster. Stood outside to observe for a moment. A cyclist came out with his Compestela and his passport and stood displaying them while a young lady took his picture. As she finished a group of Chinese came out after a tour of the place. They all gathered around to see what the documents looked like. They started taking pictures of him from every angle, he was grinning from ear to ear it was wonderful to see this attention he was getting.what a wonderful moment to observe, (just loved it) take care Dad, "

Email - October 25, 2010

"Hey Lesle, by the way I never went to get my Compostela until the day after I arrived. The line-up was out into the street, and you know what I am like for line-ups. Anyway I eventually got my Compostela, and bought a tube to protect it. I went to a table to get things together, when I was finished and turned to leave a line had formed. I was making my way past the line(all young people of course) a young man put his hand on my shoulder and said Bravo senor. 'I thank you my friend.' I said.(only a very small thing that meant so much, it was all I could do to stay in control.) Coming through San Sebastian I wanted to see if I could get in to the Cathedral. Most of them seemed to be locked these days. I go to the door it was open, someone forgot to lock-up. I am in as quick as a stray dog looking for shelter. It is a massive building but not as elaborate as I would have thought. I did my usual thing found the holy water blessed myself and went down to the front to light candles for my friends and my family who I had been praying for every step of the Camino. I knelt down in a pew deep in thought. I was thinking I should try to find a priest to stamp my passport. It was then that I saw this lady in the shadows. She was organizing a mop and a broom. I thought oh god no 'The CLEANING LADY !' I was doomed I had heard her shouting in the background for a while. It took me back to work when Terry used to come into the lab to give it the once over. I walked over and asked if I could see the priest. Before I had finished and looking me straight in the eye and pointing her mop at the door she said 'OUT!' (by the way terry was an absolute angel in comparison).. Going outside the sun was bright and welcoming, I looked up at the bell tower I thought were my eyes deceiving me? Did I really see a cleaning lady flying by. screeching 'I´ll get you my pretty !'
It's amazing what go´s through one´s head when one is exposed to far to much sun. Take Care my love all my love Dad"

Well that is all I have from Dad at the moment. I would suspect that my Mom and sister are occupying most of his time. I am also quite certain that he is loving every minute showing them his love of Santiago and partying it up like a rock star...well to the best of his ability ha ha.

Here's a little something that a friend sent to me, I hope you enjoy. Talk with you soon!!
Never save something for a special occasion.
Every day in your life is a special occasion'.
Spend more time with family, and less at work.
Understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through.
Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.
Live for today, for tomorrow is promised to no-one..

MISSION COMPLETE!

2010-10-20T21:06:00.005-05:00

Tuesday October 19th, 2010:

Another very interesting story from my Dad.

"I must tell you my story of when I went to the pilgrims mass. The whole Cathedral is being renovated so there is scaffolding everywhere. I found I just had to sit down. So I moved a bit of barrier tape from around some of the scaffolding to make some room for myself and sat down. A gentleman and his wife sat next to me, and as the mass proceeded another man sat on my other side. He looked at me and smiled. Of course I smiled back. When it came to everyone wishing each other peace he shook my hand vigorously, and said 'I have found you ',and hugged me again.
I was not uncomfortable at all. I went to communion and after mass this man took my had again and kept shaking it, and I noticed he was a priest. He was a dutch priest. He said he had been given this assignment to go SANTIAGO and then onto BENIDORM in Spain. He asked his supervisor why, and his boss had told him he would find the reason in Santiago. He explained when he sat by my side he knew that god had sent him their to meet with me. I was stunned, my mouth was open in amazement because he was shaking and weeping with joy at having found me among the many thousands of people in Santiago with him. He thanked me profusely for completing his mission for him. At that moment he took the scallop shell from around his neck and put it around mine. He was overjoyed and displayed a much lighter step as he bid me goodbye. I was still wiping the tears away after he had gone.
As I keep mentioning to you love, I still feel that I am not here for me alone. There has got to be another reason, remember sweetheart enjoy your skillful endeavors and stay focused. I am really tired now. I love and miss you so much. I will be home shortly all my love take care Dad."

The most recent email from my Dad was on OCTOBER 20, 2010.

"Hey Lesle, I have been reading your blog. Don't you be bragging about your dad! I am so happy that you are so proud. You know that I am really flattered and I love you for it. I went for dinner with my friends after arriving in the city(Santiago in distance on the right). I had to go to the bathroom and when I came back everyone was grinning at me. I looked down and my fly was open. They were still grinning when a lady tapped me on my shoulder and asked in English where I was from in Canada. Quick on my feet I stood-up and asked how she knew I was from Canada? She had seen my provincial flag on my jacket so I asked where she was from. She said Winnipeg, and I replied, 'Pinawa.' It was strange she was shaking with excitement. She immediately through her arms around me saying you are my soul-mate! She was with a Scotsman and they were going to serve a two week spell at an Albergue along the northern route. We talked and talked. I met them for breakfast the following morning and talked and talked some more. She also knew about the pilgrims meeting in Winnipeg so we planned to meet again their. I must go for now my love my back is breaking. forgive me. The communications seem to be working I am so happy about that, all my love sweetheart, take care Dad. "

Now that Dad has arrived at his destination ahead of time, he is going to sit back and enjoy the experience with his new friends. With my Mom and sister Janet in flight to England as I type, he will be able to show them around his beloved Santiago and share his new stories with them.
I wish very much that I could be their with them, but I have other commitments at the moment keeping me home. For now I am living vicariously through my Dad, but mark my words as I blog about him, that one day soon he will be blogging about me and my experience during my 500 mile walk from France to Spain to complete my very own Camino De Santiago.

Good night for now, updates will continue. Safe travels everyone. :) XXOO

45 KM TO GO AND TIME TO SPARE!

2010-10-18T21:17:00.007-05:00

I have some new updates from my daddio. I received an email from him on October 15. He's been having a wonderful trekking and had a wonderful rest in the Alberge in VILALBA. He's turned well inland now from the North route. The nest stop was BAAMONDE(picture on the right) and from there to SOBRANDO. He's got it aced. The weather has been very good no rain at all. ARZUA is well in reach after Sobrando. He's been walking with a lady from Brazil and being the avid footballer that he is reminded me that they have great football team from there. ha ha. Funny guy.

My mom received a phone call from him and informed me that he and his new friend have been doing approximately 22km a day. That being said he's quite ahead of schedule and 45km to go.

My mom and sister leave for England on Wednesday were they will be for 3 weeks. They had planned to meet up with him at the end of the trek however they may end up meeting up with him earlier at this rate.

He has confessed to being 'shattered' and when feeling this way he would hop on a bus to his next destination. Completely understandable, in my opinion. As far as I'm concerned he's moved many mountains already and set a standard that I too hope to complete in my life time.
Following in his footsteps, both the southern route and Northern route. Soon enough tracing every step he has taken.
My Dad.....my inspiration.

CURLING UPDATE #1
Team Brown curled in there first bonspiel at the Charleswood Curling Club at the end of September. We ended the round robin with a 2-3 record. We played Kim Link in our final round robin game. They were the team to beat for us as with a win we would go into a tie breaker to qualify. We took them to an extra end where both skips made fantastic shots with there last rocks. Joelle came through a curling rock sized port to sit back of the button with some hoovering from the sweepers to hold the line. Great shot! Kim had to move the shot stone back in order to win the game. She too made it through the port for the win. Good note to end on regardless of the outcome.
Next on our competitive schedule is the Manitoba Lotteries. Our first game is Friday at 3pm against Heather Nedohin from Albert. We're looking forward to it. Wish us luck!

3/4'S OF THE WAY COMPLETED!!

2010-10-11T21:02:00.004-05:00

Ok, to start I have to give you a little more detail about my previous post regarding the Policea and my dad getting picked up by them.

I received an email from him with more details on what happened. I will copy it word for word for your reading pleasure. :)

"Hey Lesle, hope this gets through to you with no problems. I am having a great time (almost feel guilty). I am in a place called CASTRO URDIALES everywhere you turn is a picture.Wore myself out looking around town. Will be taking a bus to a placed called LOREDO tomorrow 30km is just to much in one day. Leave that to the young ones. Could not find any information in BILBAO when I was there. So I asked a young man where the STATION DE POLICEA was and he showed me. Went inside I explained that I was having trouble getting any information anywhere to get to my next destination they were all talking pigeon English. I asked them if they could stamp my peragrino passport. When I explained that this was the most reliable place to go to get me on my journey (IT WORKED) they brought me a drink of water and asked me to sit down and rest. they did not know they could stamp my passport it was really interesting. I was starting to get embarrassed. They soon realized that my next destination was impossible for them to give me directions for. The came up with another idea. Directed me to the bus stop, but they found that would not work. Another drink of water as they huddled together. They had decided to take me in the police car. I had created such an interest for them in the Camino that they made me tell them more about it. Well as you know sugar, I am the wrong person to ask that question. I had lots of time. I have never seen so many open mouths in my life. I new the next question was coming and it did. 'HOW OLD ARE YOU MR. CAFFERTY?' So I told them, quite embarrassing really. In all, what an obliging bunch of guys they were. Got into the car and they took me to the bus stop. They waited until the bus arrived and talked closely to the driver. After many fond farewells I was on my way. The driver said for me to sit and rest. He would get me to my stop and put me on the trail. He didn't have to. Everyone on the bus had heard what the police had said, of course I could only guess, and when the stop came up everyone on the bus yelled out to me that this was it. They were having a great time waving and calling 'ADIOS PERAGRINO!' Must got to bed sweetheart I am exhausted, all my love miss you lots take care Dad."

Isn't he a great story teller? I love it. I feel like a little girl again sitting on the edge of my seat eager to find out how it ends.
Another short email I received from Dad on October 5.

"Hey Lesle, arrived at a small place called SOMO there was no info office and no policea office to get my passport stamped. I looked around and saw something that looked like it had a security door so I knocked on the door someone pressed a button and the door opened. I asked them could they stamp my passport. They had never seen one before and became all excited when they saw it, I explained if they had a stamp with the company name and the town name that would be perfect. Guess what, they called the manager and relayed the story to him. He brought his stamp and he tried it, (wallah it worked) after lots of handshakes and buen comino peregrino waves I was on my way, must go sweetheart bedtime, all my love. take care Dad."

I emailed my Dad back and explained that he had been telling my friends/colleges about it back home and that now he had a following. I teased him and told him he was becoming a LEGEND!

This was his email to follow.
"Hey Lesle, talking about legends went to the information office in SAN SEBASTIAN and I found this young man kept looking at me after I got served. I was about 100 yards away when he tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'You Peregrino?' I said yes, and he told me about him doing the CAMINO FRANCIES. I said I had done it 3 times. That's when he said 'You have created your own legend.' must go love take care Dad"

Dad has made quite a bit of progress since this last email. My Mom and I hadn't heard from him for quite a number of days until this passed Saturday. He called her and had informed her that he had been sick for the last four days and couldn't call, because he had lost his voice completely. I guess there is a cold/flu going around in Spain like there is here in Canada. It hasn't put a damper on his trip of course. The weather is still very warm and in the 30's. When he called my Mom yesterday he was in Luarca(Above) and today hoping to make it to Navia (Below) a 16km trek. He is staying much closer to the coast line according to the map I have.

That is the latest up date at the moment, and on that note I'd like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my past and my present, the people who I've had the pleasure of meeting and those who have touched my life, I'm thankful for good health, wonderful friends, and the inspiration, strength, and love of my Mom and Dad. XXOO

PASSED BILBAO WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

2010-10-03T21:16:00.006-05:00

Dad is currently past Bilbao and on to his next stop. He has been enjoying the walk thus far even in 30 degree weather. He has been sweating his nickers off and is already making friends, and that is no surprise is it. The message I received from my Mom after receiving a phone call from him on Saturday was that during his 16 km trek a police car pulled up and stopped him. I can imagine what I would have been thinking, but I couldn't imagine what my dad was thinking when he saw them. I'm sure in his own words the story I'm about to relay will be much more interesting and more detailed. He said the police pulled over to invite him over for some water, they thought he looked thirsty. Again he's walking in 30 degree weather. They then offered to drive him to the nearest bus stop in order for him to continue on as they felt it was much to hot for this Pilgrim to be walking. So the police escorted him to the bus and when he got onto the bus everyone hipped and hoorayed. I have yet to get more details of how things were on the bus and will update when I do.
Dad is doing well, but is a little sore. When he reached his destination (unfortunately I do not know which town he stopped in) he went to an Albergue to stay for the night, but it was closed. It apparently had been closed for some time. There was no where else to stay in that town and the good people opened it just for him.
My dad has done this walk 3 times previous, and I continue to be astounded by the generosity and welcoming of complete strangers. They recognize him as a Pilgram walking this Camino and welcome him and others without hesitation. It is comforting to know that there is good in this world and that strangers in another country are taking care of someone incredibly important to me and my family. God bless and thank you.

This past weekend I spared in the One Insurance Curling Classic held in Selkirk Manitoba. I played second for Tina Kozak from Brandon. Kortney Teale played third and Krystal Tille-Stewart at Lead.
I went into this weekend looking at it as practice and that is what I did. The one thing I wasn't expecting was to have as much fun as I did AND curl well. These girls brought a new perspective to the game of curling for me. I admit to be overly serious at times and expect near perfection from myself. It is a fault that I am indeed working on overcoming.
We did pretty well if you ask me. Sure we were two games away from the money, but boy did we have fun out there. What a treat and a delight these girls are. After having never met them before after a couple of minutes of interaction I felt as thought I'd known them for years. I can say that they are and will be very good friends of mine for years to come.
I had seen a picture of Tina 'Nips' Kozak so I had an idea of who I was looking for when I arrived at the club. Little did I know that they had no idea what I looked like. Through the wonders of technology and the never failing internet, they downloaded my picture and profile off of the World curling tour team site. I had to laugh because they seemed to know more about me than I did.
These girls have a wonderful connection and chemistry. They have a refreshing outlook and perspective out on the ice. They are competitive yet know how to keep things light and share a laugh. What a fantastic experience I had playing with them. They are absolute gems and beautiful people all around. What a great way to start out the season. I felt right at home playing along side of them. I really lucked out!
Not only did I get some games in and practice, but I made some great friends and learned a great deal about gas, pooping ones pants, and the magnetic urge to pee on Tina's floor if you were to ever visit. Yes I speak in riddle. If you're lucky enough, such as myself, to know these girls, have them welcome you into there circle or have the pleasure to play a game of curling with them, only then will you appreciate my experience.
To my 'dirty girls', continue to rock out with your '*ock's' out, I will always have your backs cause I'm easy that way. SUPERSTARS!!! XXOO

2010 The Camino De Santiago

2010-09-30T19:42:00.006-05:00

Well here we are September 30, 2010, and as I type this my dad is 'Yames' is sitting on his patio in San Sebastian Spain enjoying the view and 30 degree weather.
Dad flew out to Paris on Monday afternoon. This will be his 4th Camino at the youthful age of 76.
The day before he left, I was uploading some music for him to his Ipod Nano in hopes to help inspire and motivate him while on his walk. He's got his own selection such as Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, and even some Lily Allen. I've added to his collection some acoustics of The Corrs, The Pogues, and even some Proclaimers. He is walking 500 miles after all. :) He had me examine his backpack once he'd had everything packed, and I was shocked at the weight of it. 22 lbs. By the time I helped removed some of the weight for him it was down to 20 lbs. That was still heavy. I had some concerns about him having to carry that amount of weight. Even though he is now the Bionic man and sporting two new hips, it was a lot to ask one person to carry.
I'm glad to report that he has lightened his load after a brief walk today and plans on making a 16 km dent tomorrow from Sans Sebastien on route to Bilbao.
Updates will continue and I will add stories and experiences that he shares with me along the way. God speed and safe journey Dad...my hero and inspiration. I love you.

I'm Back!

2010-06-06T12:32:00.009-05:00

Well hello, it has been quite some time since I have written anything on my blog.
So here we are in 2010..crazy but true. The world hasn't been sucked into a vortex or blown to pieces so I would consider that to be a good thing.
Here is a brief update to date on what has been going on in my life for the past year.
Firstly, curling. I played competitively with a new team this past season. We had some success that took us to the Manitoba Provincials in Morden Manitoba. Great group of girls and although we didn't fare so well during the round robin, it was indeed a wonderful experience and an honour to be a part of. One of the girls who I'd played with from the year before was our fifth-man and joined us. Ainsley Champagne..what a wonderful girl and a joy to play with. She's become one of my very best friends and I'm so pleased to have her in my life.
During the summer of last year I did some golfing with my folks and also some tube floating down the channel. Another curling friend who recently moved to Pinawa joined us on these floats and the yearly events of the town and has also become one of my very best of friends. Leslie Wilson who was also at the same provincial as me went on to win it and represent Manitoba at the Scott Tournament of Hearts. I was so excited for her. Team Manitoba got to the quarter finals of the Scotties and she received top honors as the All star 2nd of the tournament. Very impressive for her first time at the big show.
Leslie and I have been nicknamed in town as 'The Lesle/ie's'. When there is an event or a get together you can hear people talking as we approach, 'Oh, oh..here come the Lesle/ie's'. We're not trouble by any means, but rather we like to have a good time. We have a great time together and I look forward to spending more time together with her this summer.
I didn't do any traveling this past year, but hope to do some in the fall before curling starts. As you know curling occupies my time and any vacation time I have from work.
I've taken up co-ed soccer this year. I'm really excited about it, so far so good. I didn't realize how much I missed it to be honest. Although my brain wanted to start back up where I left off two years ago, my body has been in for the shock of its life. lol. It has been tough but I am getting back up to par in regards to conditioning and agility. Again, slowly but surely. So I travel into the city once a week to attend these games. Yes it's a hick and those 10pm games really suck because I don't get back until 1am, but I live the game and love to play..it is a sacrifice, but it makes me happy.
I currently live in an apartment with my furry friend Ribit...she's my cat and I love her to death. As of November of '09 I now have to furry friends rooming with me. Mouse was a stray cat that had been hanging around the apartment building since I moved here. Cute little thing and it broke my heart to see her outside in another cold Winnipeg winter. I had been befriending her since I moved in and she would frequently come by my window for a visit. Ribit was hostile which I guess was expected, but all Mouse wanted was to befriend her also. I brought her into my apartment one day in November when it was very cold outside. I gave her some food and as per usual had to keep a very close eye on her and Ribit, as Ribit would attack her if she got the opportunity. I was surprised when Ribit seemed content and relaxed with her being there. This particular day Mouse did not want to go back outside. I made up a little bed for her on the window sill as Ribit had established that to be her limit of roaming area..and went to bed. I thought there might be some noise etc and a fight, but nothing. When I checked on them in the morning mouse was still on the window sill and Ribit asleep on the couch.
Long and short of it is now Mouse and Ribit co-exist together with me in my apartment. They get a long sometimes, but they have come to blows a couple of times. Regardless I am fascinated at these little animals. I consider myself to be a dog person, and would never have given it a thought to take in a cat as a pet. I thought they smelled and I couldn't stand the cat litter idea and mess that goes along with it. Boy was I wrong! They are independant and in fact are very clean. Ribit does get some separation anxiety from time to time and will 'demonstrate' this on occasion, but as long as she's got food and gets a cuddle she is fine. Mouse is an absolute delight. She's sooo happy and it is so obvious. She has no desire to be outside.
People I work with are always laughing at me because I always have a story to tell about the girls. They have there own meows and ways of communicating with me, and yes..I can talk to them as well. lol. I'm not crazy and any people who own animals can side with me and understand what I'm talking about.

Mouse hanging out on the window sill and Ribit lounging in the lazy boy....my girls. :)

I probably won't be updating every day, but I will do my best to drop a note here and there with news. Thanks for the visit!
Lesle

My Bionic MAN

2009-04-21T21:08:00.003-05:00

So here I am dedicating this blog to my dad and yet I haven't written all that much about him. Out of respect for him and his privacy I will keep it somewhat limited in detail but will discuss how he's been doing since I've moved back.
Just recently ( few weeks ago now) he under went surgery for his second hip replacement. That's right, he is now the Bionic man. I wasn't there when he had the first one done, but if you have ever been in a situation where you could witness the before and after picture it is something very close to a miracle. My dad had his surgery on a Friday afternoon and was up and moving around/walking two days after. The pain washed away from his face and a new found energy and excitement. Absolutely amazing. He is now motoring around like a bat out of hell, or a brand new Porche!! Absolutely remarkable and it's definitely something to see. I am so proud of him.
His recovery is most definitely slower than his first hip replacement which was over a year ago now, due to his first dose of Chemo before Christmas. He is battling bone cancer and this was the next step in trying to slow the spreading down. Unfortunately as a result/side affect of his first dose of Chemo he was plagued with Shingles. It was a very long and weary recovery. He described it as not knowing how to ever get out of the bottom of the hole. There is no doubt that recovering from the Shingles was the toughest fight mentally and physically for him.
I am very a happy to report that he's getting stronger and maintaining his sense of humour and relentless positive attitude towards his recovery.
My hero!

Melia Cayo Guillermo - Cuba

2009-04-19T21:44:00.006-05:00

Holla Amigos!!
My apologies for the delay in an update. I usually would entertain myself on my breaks at work by updating my blog then, but they've done a lot of site blocking as of recently and I am not longer able to do it there. Makes sense, I probably shouldn't have been doing it there to begin with.
Anyway Cuba was a wonderful experience and exactly what I needed on so many levels. My curling season had gone down the pooper, and I started feeling very trapped in my current location, work, and personal life.

Melissa and James had a wonderful wedding day surrounded by there friends and family. What a spectacular effort that everyone made by being there and a memorable one at that.

I made some wonderful new friends and have plenty of memories to keep with me forever.
Memories such as instigating a moonlight dip in the ocean (clothing optional...lol) at 2 am, helping out Melissa's cousin Rayna when she had a reaction to coral that had scrapped her legs and blessed with a wonderful new friendship with her, Fixing Sarah's hair because she didn't like how it was done by the local hair stylist and then being asked to do Melanie's as well, The Buffet, evening congregations in the Gazebo, Being locked out of my room and having to walk to the front desk in my pajamas, seeing a GINORMOUS puffer fish while snorkeling off the catamaran, white sand, Banana Mamas, Being inspired to buy a guitar and learn to play, 'Ooooh Noooooo', Kat's boyfriend ;) , Badum bum bum, Beach chair domination and a British bloke falling down the stairs..TWICE, Name that tune contest that I didn't win, white wine..POP!, hammocks, 'Heaven', 'Crash', Bryan Adams, LOOOOONG line ups through customs, 'HOT', Bon Jovi, Michael Bolton, Lionell Richie, Gazing at the stars, Vultures, Anchorman.....

Thank you for the memories everyone and breathing life back into me.

Who's going to put Sunscreen on my back?!?

2009-01-27T10:25:00.012-06:00

Well I was hoping for more laughs than there was this past weekend and also hoped for some very entertaining curling. It was entertaining no doubt, but WHOLY F-Bombs Alice!! The final of the BDO consisted of Glen Howard and Kevin Martin. Both teams known for there high percentage curling as well as being arch rivals. It was a good final, but I watched it on the tube at my friend Karen's house. I had the opportunity to see all the games this past weekend thanks to some friends getting event tickets. Thanks DEAN!

But after a long couple of nights and what I thought to be some poor curling to say the least, I opted to hang with my buddy Karen and watch the game together.

There is no surprise that as a curler you have the occasional bad game. It happens.
To sum it up, Martin followed suit of his third Johnny Mo who was MIA when it came to making shots and Glen Howard taking advantage of the situation and getting lucky on top of it. In my opinion as I'm sure a few others would agree including Glen after the non intentional double take out to sit three to seal the deal.

It was interesting sure, but very strange to see teams with such high profiles miss shots so badly and play so badly. It was shocking, but yes, they are human which is nice to see once in a while. I can't say I had a favorite going into it, but I will admit to cheering for the underdog. That being Team Mike McEwan.

It was nice to see Mike McEwan a young team from Manitoba battle it out with the big guns. I thought he did a great job getting to the Semi's and although the outcome wasn't to what I'm sure he would have liked, he still made the crowd and fellow Manitoba's proud. He also succeeded in accomplishing a few obstacles. He has now successfully beat Glen Howard twice and also achieved his next goal of busting through the Quarters to get to the Semi's. Well done!

He and his team deserved the round of applause they received as they walked off of the ice after the semi final lose to Martin.

It was a good showing for them, and I can't wait to see how the provincials work out for these boys. I personally think McEwan is the team to beat. The very best of luck to you boys!!

DESTINATION CUBA!!!
Destination CUBA!! It's almost February can you believe it? I will be going on vacation into the sun during the winter for the second time in my life! Normally due to my curling schedule and vacation time I put towards my schedule I don't have a chance to go away. I've been trying to get a base tan in preparing for the weather and sun to avoid burning my pasty white flesh, but the availability for tanning at this end of the world is completely booked up. I should be tanning every second day, but it's looking like it's only going to be once a week. Not good. I guess I'll have to do with being abnormally white and scaring off the locals, while trying to invent a way of putting sunscreen on my back by myself. Seriously...this is reason for concern. I'd like to think I could come up with an idea and patten it and maybe present it to the panel on the 'Dragon's Den', but I wouldn't really know where to start. Seriously if you are a single person who got a great deal on a trip to a sunny destination and go by yourself..what do you do? Sure if there is a Cabana boy around they might be able to help you out, but I'm speaking from a woman's perspective. If I was a guy, do you think some Cabana boy would want to help and if he did I'm sure it would be for a hefty fee.

But I digress. I am heading to Cayo Coco Cuba to attend my friend Melissa's wedding. I'm very excited to see her as well as share this very special and exciting day with her. We have a wonderful friendship and so it was with no hesitation that I join her in this very special day. I am excited! However this is a part of me that wishes I had a companion (whether it be a friend or a boyfriend) join me, but I'm sure as in past history I will do just find on my own (minus the sunscreen application..yes it is a concern).

I hope to check out some touristy things and perhaps do a little bit of hiking and such. I will see what is available to me once I get there. I was hoping to swim with dolphins, however that might not be available to me at the location we are going to be at. Again, we will see.

I haven't left for Cuba yet, but I have 18 days left. So if you're looking for me after these 18 days you know where you can find me. :D

BDO Canadian Open of Curling

2009-01-22T10:51:00.004-06:00

I will be checking out the action at the BDO in Winnipeg this weekend being held at the MTS Centre. I have some very good friends of mine from Regina playing in this event and am very much looking forward to seeing them in action. Team Jordison made there debut yesterday in there opening game against Jeff Stoughton. The outcome wasn't as good as hoped and they are currently down 5-1 against Randy Ferbey this morning.

I'll be meeting up with the team and other curling friends this weekend for some laughs and good times. I'll update the post at the end of the weekend and will include pictures from the event.

Good luck to all participants!!

I'm BAAAAACK!

2009-01-22T10:01:00.002-06:00

On my drive to Winnipeg to play in my first competitive bonspiel of the 2009 season, I can only report that I was less than enthusiastic. It's been a rough season thus far and very disappointing to say the least. I didn't know what to expect playing this past weekend with Tracey Lavery, Jennifer, and Kara, and quite frankly was less than confident in myself and my own abilities.
The one thing that I love the most in this world is curling. I have missed it dearly, and going from curling twice a week to sparing occasionally in the local league here in town left me feeling like I'd lost my security blanket. Needless to say the competition in a REC league is far from what I'm used to and extremely difficult as a competitive curler to embrace even for the fun of it.
Here's what the draw looked like. http://www.curlmanitoba.org/eventtree.php?txtEventID=1666
We played our first game at the Granite Curling club right downtown Winnipeg. What a nice club, with a lot of personality and character. We won that game, I don't recall the score, but we won none the less. We played well and quickly got very comfortable with each other on the ice. Kara, Jennifer and I were able to talk and discuss freely about strategy, weight and time. It was very comfortable and they were very welcoming to me.
With this win we played at 8am the next morning at the Pembina Curling club.(I would have taken some pictures but my camera battery was dead. Boo). I stayed with my old friend and previous Jr curling competitor Karen Klein at her home in Tyndall. It's about 45 minutes away. She was also playing in this spiel, but not in the Birth section, the competitive section. She didn't play until 11:15 the next morning.
We won our second game which put us into a qualifier game against Kaileigh Strath and a colleague of mine Leslie Wilson. They played well, and we didn't. It was definitely our worst game played that weekend. With this loss we dropped to the B side qualifier which was basically right after the previous game. This would make our third game of the day. We won the B qua lifer and headed into the championship round. First game was at 9AM on Sunday morning against former Jr. Manitoba Champion Calleen Neufeld. We won. It was most definitely the best game we played thus far and the team was really gelling and coming together. It felt great and we were all in a zone and extremely focused. Our semi-final game we were not so fortunate. The score did not dictate how the game really went and we unfortunately lost 8-0. We were in control the majority of the game, but it seemed to come down to one shot every end. Once we were off the ice apparently the consensus from the spectators was that Tracey's last rock was a dud and ran straight. Oddly enough once we reflected back on this between all of us and remembering the outcome of the shots she did have to make with her last one, it became quite clear that the consensus was right. How unfortunate we didn't pick up on this during the game. It is one thing to be able to identify if there is a problem with the rocks you're throwing, but there is the other extreme as well.
Regardless it was a wonderful weekend and I had a fantastic time with these girls. It made up for a lot of the disappointments that have occurred this season, and restored my confidence and my drive to succeed in this sport. I cannot give enough praise to these girls I played with. I did not know them very well at all, but what a great group they are. They maintained such high and positive attitudes as well as exhibited much grace and etiquette on and off the ice.
I can't go on enough about the three of them. What a pleasure to play with them/for them. It was the best experience to date. Although we lost out I was on such a high from the experience I became a chatter box. I could not shut up. Viewing from afar...embarrassing, but I could not contain my excitement and enthusiasm.
So here's a shout out to Tracey, Jennifer, Kara and Danielle(who I spared for)and Coach Gerry and there family and friends. The pleasure was all mine!

85th Annual MCA Women's Bonspiel - Competitive Division

2009-01-15T10:46:00.000-06:00

I was thinking that my competitive curling season had come to a thudding halt when I get a call over the holidays to spare in, what would be known in Ottawa as the Last Chance Bonspiel. In Winnipeg they have two bonspiels that qualify you a spot to Provincials. This is the last chance / bonspiel for a competitive team that didn't successfully make it out of there zone to compete at the provincials in Neepawa MB in February.
Tracey Lavery, who spared for us in our very first spiel of the season for Joelle has asked me to spare for them this weekend. I enjoyed playing with her then and am very much looking forward to playing with her competitively this weekend.
Competition will be tough, and it will be an adjustment for her team as well as for me playing together this weekend. I suppose the important part of it all is that Tracey has seen me throw already and so it shouldn't be too much of an adjustment for her. I'll be taking my spot at second on her team and will give it my all.
Wish us luck! I'll keep you posted. :)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! (update Wayden Transportation Ladies Grand Slam - Abbotsford BC)

2008-11-25T11:51:00.000-06:00

I probably should have put up an update upon my return, however I have been distracted since getting back.
I will start with this. Abbotsford BC, what a BEAUTIFUL place to be. When I arrived on Thursday afternoon to a very small and intimate airport, the sun was shining, the grass was green, and the weather was simply lovely and refreshing. I was the first of the four of us to arrive and was met at the airport by our driver George. A very pleasant and obliging fellow who drove me around and showed me the town. He even went as far as to stop in at a fruit market so that I could get some apples and oranges to prepare for a lot of curling and a lot of sweeping.
I arrived at the hotel and located a room and made myself comfortable. I was pretty hungry and went to the restaurant attached to the hotel to grab some grub. I didn't realize just how busy it was as there was a waiting list to get a table and an extended wait. So I went back to my room, order some take out and watched some TV. After dinner I decided to have a soak in the hot tub I discovered along the way to the Restaurant. Ahh...it was great! I also discovered the bath and body products of Bath & Body Works. These were the complimentary items of Shampoo/Conditioner/Soaps and body lotion the hotel provided to it's customers. What a wonderful product. I have heard of it before, but never plunged further into it to find out what it was all about. Until now, the Body Shop had been a place I frequented. Not anymore. What a wonderful product and I could go on, but I will digress for now.

My curling experience in Abbotsford with Team Rankin was fantastic regardless of the outcome. We were out after three games, but they were hard fought battles and I continued to learn during and after each game.

I had the opportunity to have a couple of very good friends visit me while I was out there. My very good friend Eunice who I haven't seen in over 10 years since I worked and lived in Montreal, and her fiance Les drove out to see me. My childhood friend Terri also came out from Vancouver and for a visit and took some pictures as well. It was fantastic to see them both!

Unfortunately this was the last curling experience I would have this season. Shortly upon my return from Abbotsford and through many emails and many phone calls, the team I was so excited about playing on came to it's demise. My skip finally came to conclude that she simply could not commit to the rest of the season. It was understandable without a doubt. My concern lied with the two remaining members. I would have hoped that the motivation to continue on and plug away the rest of the season may have been refocused to simply keep on keeping on and get familiar with each other for the meantime focusing on next season.

This was not the case. Finding another player and switching up positions and trying different options was not an option. It was disappointing. I was disappointed. What can I say? I thought that a team as reputable as this would have just kept on moving forward and simply change the focus for the season. Too many underlying issues and I believe the fate had been decided before I came on board.

So, now, my focus has changed again and I still believe things do happen for a reason. My family, my Dad, need me as I need them right now. It's been a rough couple of months without a doubt and I wouldn't change anything at all. I'm enjoying my family, my old friends, and my new friends, there company and am very thankful for the experiences and people have met thus far in my first year of being back in Manitoba. Yes it was 1 year last Monday December 15Th. Hard to believe already, and as I reflect back over this time there has been a lot of sadness. I lost my Uncle Albert, Chayse, Meeka, and Sniff. All of whom impacted my life and my family in many great ways. There has been many, many happy moments as well. Painting the Deck with my Dad and sister Jacquelyn while singing at the top of our lungs to the Beatles, 'GET BACK' and making my Mom and Dad laugh so hard that they were doubled over from the pain. All from the antics of my new roommate Ribit, my cat. Not knowing why she yelled at me all night long and the constant battles and arguments I had with her and apologies to her for shouting at her, only to discover that she was simply hungry. The realization, 'Hey, I'm not dead' after being asked out by three younger guys in a small town like Pinawa. Who would have thought? I'm thankful for my genes that allow me to look younger than my age. Yeah for me!

It's been a trying year without a doubt but the good out weighs the bad and the new memories and experiences I am thankful for. What will 2009 bring? Probably a bit of everything.

Wishing you all a very happy holiday season!!

Summary of the Colonial Spiel Saskatoon and on to Abbottsford Wayden Transportation Women's Grand Slam

2008-11-12T14:10:00.000-06:00

The Wayden Transportation Women's Grand Slam event is the next event I will be attending and sparing for Heather Rankin's team. I leave tomorrow and we play our first game @ 2:30pm on Friday. I'm very much looking forward to it as I had a wonderful time in Saskatoon. What a great experience and what a wonderful group of girls I curled with. They are very humble and very grounded. It was an absolute delight to play for them. Although from my perspective I thought we did very well, on a hard core curling team doing well isn't all that great. We won our first 3 games against P. Roy(SK), T. Ursel(MB) and Kelly Scott (BC) to reach the A side qualifier against World Champion Jennifer Jones from Manitoba. We had a good game against Jones, but needed to be better and lost 3-2. From there we played Michelle Englot (SK) and Leslie Rogers (AB) and lost two straight which ended our run in Saskatoon.

This was by far out of all the events I've participated in, in previous years one of the bigger ones to date. I learned a lot about the competition, the level of competition required to compete at these events and a WHOLE HECK of a lot about myself. Playing with a team that share the same goals, the same fire, and the same passion will get you where you want to go.

I want to firstly thank Team Rankin, Heather, Chrysta, Lisa, Kyla and Mo, for welcoming me whole heartedly to the team for these two events. It takes a lot of trust and faith to bring someone on board that you've never seen play before or ever even heard of before. They did with only the direction of Heather Rankin and Chrysta Lewis - Rankin without question to even my surprise. Even when things continued to go wrong or when things continued to go in different directions we stood together as a team and never gave up. What an experience and what an inspiration to me. Each of these team members has touched me in there own way on so many different levels and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for such a gift. I don't think I can express just how grateful I am for the opportunity to play with these ladies. I know, I know, I'm getting kind of mushy, but for someone who has never played in a Grand Slam event at this level of curling before and someone who has only dreamed of being able to....I am absolutely ecstatic to have the opportunity. This also isn't something you simply sign up for and hand in a cheque for. These girls have worked hard over the past years to accumulate enough points to be invited to participate in events such as this. No average Joe can simply walk off the street to participate in events like this. So for that I am graceous and will do whatever it is they require without question.
Again ladies, thank you so much for the opportunity and here's hoping this weekend is even better than the last!!

Also a shout out to the best shuttle driver in Saskatoon, NEIL!!

COLONIAL SQUARE LADIES CURLING CLASSIC - SASKATOON SK

2008-11-03T21:04:00.000-06:00

So this week begins a potentially very busy 6 weeks of curling for me. I'm very excited. I did play one game at the Casino's of Winnipeg and was happy with how I played considering the mental doubts I'd had and lack of practise etc. The girl that I spared for decided she wanted to play and that was fine..however I wouldn't have taken 1/2 a day off of work with the understanding that I would have played the entire weekend. Nonetheless I played well and am content with that. I threw rocks at the Pinawa club after work today. My observation is simply that I've been spoiled living in the big cities and having ice makers with great reputations to accommodate me and all the other competitive curlers you'd find on the world curling tour. I was about ready to get back into a lift delivery and was quite discouraged quite frankly. I decided to go back to basics and worked on my delivery and balance. 'Look Ma! No broom!' :)

I leave for Saskatoon Thursday evening. I don't know the draw yet and who we play first, but regardless I'm very excited to see my friends again and enjoy some hard core curling. I can't say that I've actually played at this level and although I'm a little nervous I welcome the challenge. I have a great role models to guide me in Heather and her team, so I know I'll be OK.

Although curling has occupied my mind and will be on my mind the majority of this week, I have another project that is challenging my creative side. I'm attempting to illustrate a children's book that my friend has written. It is a challenge and I am rusty, but I know once I get going I'll be fine. It's simply finding my style again. I've been programed to adapt to other people's styles and in the process let my own style disappear. That's why I can draw Franklin and Arthur with my eyes closed. Admittedly I can sing the theme songs too. Eek. Nothing wrong with that I suppose lol.

Once I complete some work of my own not related to the children's book I will start to post them on my blog. It will be difficult with my schedule, but who knows maybe it will inspire me. :D
Until then, follow our progress at the COLONIAL SQUARE LADIES CURLING CLASSIC.
I will be sparing for HEATHER RANKIN'S Calgary team.

CASINOS OF WINNIPEG

2008-10-22T10:49:00.000-05:00

October 24-27 @ Fort Rouge Curling Club.
The Casino's of Winnipeg is the next Grand Slam event on the world curling tour. Our team was informed on Sunday October 19Th that there was a spot available for us if we were so inclined to play. I'd like to think that under different circumstances we would have played, but due to the circumstances we politely declined.
I have been asked to spare in this event just yesterday. I am still awaiting a confirmation and details before I fill you in.
I'd like to point out that on Friday October 17 my Skip's boyfriend underwent surgery. Sunday morning I received the call with results from the surgery. Again, out of respect I can't get into detail, but will say that another complication has occurred and as a result...more waiting.
I don't know where that leaves our team and our season. I have a really good idea, but of coures don't want to assume. I'm saying prayers and wishing for the best for both of my friends.

I have booked my flight for Saskatoon to play in the Colonial Square Spiel with Heather Rankin and crew. I'm excited, but also nervous. I haven't had much opportunity to get out and practise as there is no ice available or made in my area. I booked a sheet yesterday in Beausejour and threw rocks for an hour. I do enjoy practising myself, however I haven't had a chance to really get out there consistently during the week and am still trying to shake off the cobwebs.
The Casinos this weekend will be the same and that I will have to play like it's the end of the season in order to perform at the caliber these elite teams are at. No pressure.

On another note it was my birthday on the weekend. Yep, look at me I'm 35 (would have loved to say 33 as it rhymed). Saturday I went into Winnipeg with my Mom and sister Jacquelyn to have a pedicure. That was Jacquelyn's gift to me and a broom bag for my trips to play with Heather Rankin. :) I've never had a pedicure and what a LOVELY experience that was. I was a little nauseous from seeing the instruments they had to use. I was fortunate not to need the 'Cheese Grater', as I called it, that my sister needed. It shaves the dead skin off your feet. The lovely lady working on my feet was also fortunate that while she was sanding and buffing the soles of my feet, that my leg was extended completely other wise I most definitely would have kicked her. I'm ticklish.
After going to Atkins curling supplies and getting myself a broom bag, gripper, gloves, and broom heads we did some running around and trying on clothes. It was a good time.
We got home at about 8pm and after a moment or two of relaxing heading over to a buddies place to play some board games with friends. Again a good time.
Sunday evening the family had dinner, sang Happy Birthday to me and we feasted on home made cupcakes. YEAH!
I received some really great gifts and a ton of Happy Birthday wishes. Do I feel any different? No...well not in the best of shape as I'd hope to be(others would disagree), but nothing out of the ordinary.
You know, when things go badly in your life or things change to certain extremes they say that's when you know who your true friends are. I adore my friends and would do anything for them. I've got some friends that have really come out of the woodwork recently and I really appreciate them and look forward to keeping communications alive with them. I have friends who I considered to be my best friends who I know that I don't have to talk to for long periods of time to simply pick up where we left off the next time I see or speak with them. But I really do miss them. They know who they are, and if they don't they should. I really missed them this weekend. Cheers to you!

SEMI FINALISTS!! AT THE ATKINS LADIES CURLING CLASSIC - CHARLESWOOD CC

2008-10-14T10:06:00.001-05:00

Well, again I was not to sure what to expect this weekend, but was pleasantly surprised once again. We had our skipper on board and we also had a 'super' spare, Colleen, playing third for us. After finishing first in our pool through the round robin play and also finishing first in our shoot out for our pool that put us straight into the Semi- Final round by passing the quarter finals.

The competition was tough as expected, but reading the ice was even tougher. It was lightening fast. If you clocked the rock from the back line to stop, a draw was easily running at 30-35 seconds! That's QUICK!
Overall I felt I played alright. I did find the transition from throwing a peel with my first rock to having to draw with my second rock a challenge and less consistent than I would have preferred, I'd end up placing them behind the T-line. Boo.

I'm generally pretty hard on myself, but at the same time I never stopped trying to conquer the beast so to speak. I don't give up until the very last rock has come to a complete stop.

I'm really happy how well the team gelled this weekend. I was very impressed with Ainsley as she did come out and play one game, with a completely new delivery. She is normally a toe-tucker, but due to her injury she isn't able to do that any more and has been working on a flat foot delivery now. She did extremely well in my opinion for such a quick and sudden switch.

I was also very excited to play with Joelle. I played two games with her in Selkirk, but this weekend was different. What an incredible person she is. Not only does she call a fantastic game of curling, but she is the true definition of a skip. After the first end of our very first game there was no doubt in my mind that I had the utmost faith and confidence in her. This was, in theory, her first spiel this season and she did a great job! I'm very impressed and I cannot wait to get out there again with her.
We had Colleen who had played with Joelle previously for eight years stepping in at third for Ainsley. Perhaps because these two have had so much experience together it made that transition easy. The chemistry out there between the four of us was remarkable. Colleen has a wonderful personality on the ice and I really enjoyed playing with her. Communication was phenomenal.
Overall it was yet another successful weekend for this team and as well bitter sweet. With all of the positives that came of this weekend such as, spending time with the girls as a team, getting to know Nixon (Joelle's Chocolate Lab who kept me company while I stayed at her house over the weekend), sharing some laughs and some drinks with these girls, and sharing a couple of chuckles with Pat over the phone, it indicated the end of a great weekend and the beginning of the unknown.
So on another note, it's my 35Th birthday this Sunday coming up. Can you believe it? I'm going to be 35. It's funny where you imagine you'll be in your life when you reach a certain age. I imagined I'd be married with kids by now. I know things happen for a reason and although I'm not doing what I believed I'd be doing at this point in my life I am extremely happy and content at what I have accomplished and achieved. I'm happy to be healthy, to be reacquainted with my family and reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. I have been blessed with many wonderful experiences and that I am sincerely thankful for.

OUR NEXT EVENT:

We were supposed to be playing next weekend in Beausejour, but would be without our skipper and have decided as a team to sit this one out. This upcoming Friday will probably be the longest day I will know as I will have my new friends consuming my thoughts and prayers. All my thoughts and prayers I am extending out to two extraordinary people this week. Dig deep, and stay strong.

Atkins Curling Supplies Womens Classic

2008-10-09T14:52:00.000-05:00

Bonspiel #2. Here we go again this weekend at our second spiel of the season. I'm looking forward to it quite honestly. Joelle will be back for her first full spiel and it will be nice to have this time with her. I enjoyed the last two games with her in the previous spiel and appreciated her knowledge of the game and her great attitude out on the ice. I can see why she is as recognized as she is in Manitoba not just on the ice, but off of it as well. She's a lovely lady.
I believe our third will be sitting out Friday and Saturday due to her injury, but will attempt to play Sunday and Monday. So we have a spare for Friday and Saturday. The rest of the long weekend is yet to be determined.
Our First round robin game is a go, Friday @ 9pm. Again I'm looking forward to getting on the ice and focusing on my game. Competition is going to be tough which I expect, therefore I will need to keep focused and get'er done! I'll be posting how we do after the weekend, but you can click on the logo above to follow the games.

Wish us luck!

RESULTS - McMillan Insurance Ladies Curling Classic

2008-10-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday everyone!

Well I didn't know what to expect going into the weekend with a spare at skip and a brand new team to boot. Firstly I'm happy to report that we qualified and reached the semi-finals. Not bad for our first spiel and not bad considering the circumstances. I'd also like to make a point of applauding the efforts of Tracy Lavery who stepped in to skip our team this weekend. She threw extraordinarily well and is an absolute delight to play with. I predict good things to come to her in the future and would gladly play with her again.

The competition here in Manitoba is very different from in Ottawa. I grew up here and curled in Juniors but have been away for awhile. This was an eye opener for me quite honestly. The competition is relentless and fierce. I like it, but you have to be able to keep up or you will go down in flames. The intensity of competition is also one of which will either teach you patience and perseverance, or completely crush you under the weight and pressure. There is no half way here. You play to win or you go home. There is no mercy what so ever.

I certainly wasn't expecting that it would be a cake walk, but seeing these teams and all there gear ,heavily decorated with the sponsors of there choice, are out for blood. I applaud them and I applaud Manitoba in general for being so supportive to the competitors of this sport. I know how difficult it is to get that added support.

Our next spiel is The Atkins Curling Supply Ladies Classic starting this Friday October 10-13. http://www.mts.net/~kenb/atkinsclassic/sched.html

Our skip will be joining us for this spiel this weekend and I do look forward to playing with her. We are however without our third Ainsley and in need of yet another spare. Unfortunately during our qualifying game this weekend she injured herself badly enough that she could not play out the game.

It does seem that this group is really being put to the test on all levels. Myself included. After next weekend I am not certain what will happen with this team. The 17th of October is a crucial date in that it will determine the fate of this team and curling season. I guess for now all we can do as a team is keep plugging away and take one game at a time.

For me, my focus will be on staying focused and staying positive. Making one shot at a time, and stay strong mentally.

One brush at a time.

McMillan Insurance Ladies Curling Classic

2008-10-02T11:52:00.000-05:00

Here is the schedule/draw for our first spiel of the season. We are without our skipper but have a wonderful lady filling in for us.

Our first game is at 6:30 PM Friday October 3. We play a team out of the states. Dependant on what happens, if we win we play Saturday at 11:30 am and if we lose we play Saturday at 9:00 AM.

Here is a link to the draw if you care to keep track of how we're doing. I am assuming that this will continue to be updated as the weekend progresses.

http://www.mancurltour.ca/Draws/McMillan%20Womens.htm
http://www.curlmanitoba.org/events.php?txtCalendarMonth=10&txtCalendarYear=2008

This last link should take you to the site with Live updates and scores per end.

Camping at Tomahawk Resort

2008-10-01T15:28:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I went camping in Ontario to a resort by the name of Tomahawk Resort. http://www.tomahawkresort.com/ It was a beautiful place and had the weather been warmer I'm sure it would have made it even more special. I dabbled with my photography skills and played with the scenery. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

I was playing around with the program on my computer and this picture I turned to a Chalk and Charcoal print.
This picture at the end of the dock with a Watercolour effect.

A slight tilt, no affects.

This was the beach, and no I didn't go swimming as it was WAY to chilly.

Random scenery shots.

And last but not least, random fall shots of the leaves turning colours.

Ladies and Gentleman, THIS is Women's Curling.

2008-09-26T13:29:00.000-05:00

I haven't written anything regarding curling this past little while because I was hoping to have some things sorted out. Without getting into to much detail the situation with my new team is not one that has been controllable. Due to an unforeseen and extremely serious illness we are a man down. Our fearless leader and skip has been called to the aid of her boyfriend and has been MIA for the past two months. Without question that is where she should be right now, and our thoughts and prayers are extended to them both and there families.
It has been difficult and after waiting things out and exhibiting a huge amount of patience, the situation has not been resolved if she will be joining the team or sitting the season out. Again it would not be a surprise if she sat it out, but we also don't want to assume. There's been a lack of communication. We have all made efforts to contact her to discuss things with her, but with not much luck.
The situation is what it is and in trying to move forward to prepare for our season starting next weekend October 3-7 in Selkirk we need to have some sort of idea of what to expect. It's been a long mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting couple of month with being left in what I'd call limbo. Please don't misunderstand me, this situation is extremely serious and without a doubt if it was me, curling would be the last thing I'd be doing. The concern is that there has been no indication as to whether she's in, or out. Not a peep. So in theory the remaining team members look for a plan B. Which is what we did and tried to find a spare who could fill the position at skip. It's absolutely difficult at this time of the season to find the odd player capable of fitting into this position as well as agreeing to rearrange there lives to accommodate our hectic schedule.
There are so many scenarios at this point that I don't foresee this team completing the entire season in tact. I hope I'm wrong and I haven't written the team off at all, but there is just to many underlying issues and not enough compromise. As the newbie on the team I find myself in a situation of tug-o-war. It's unfortunate because potentially the caliber of this team is very strong. It just so happens that because of what has happened it has brought other issues, past issues to the surface with the remaining members of the team. Ladies and Gentleman THIS... is women's curling.
And here begins the first tug on that exposed thread on your favorite sweater, pulled until all you're left with is a pile of wool and the size/washing instruction tag.
I can honestly say that I personally, have had my share of 'drama' playing with women and am steering clear of it from here on out. I have goals I want to achieve as a curler and quite frankly this IS a business. You get on a team that share the same goals and wants to achieve the same things. You practise, you work hard, you dedicate yourself to the team, the sport, and get on with it. That is my opinion and that is what I have to offer.
I do have my own PLAN B so to speak. I have offered up my time to spare for Heather Rankin's team of Calgary Alberta. She has a team member expecting a baby any time now, and requires spares to fill in for 8 of her events this season. I have confirmed with her to play in three and hopefully four events. These are as follows:
Nov 7-10 - Colonial Square Ladies Curling Classic - Saskatoon SK.
*Pending Nov 14-17 - Abbottsford Slam - Abbotsford BC *
Nov 26-Dec 30 - Sobey's Slam - New Glasgow NS
Dec 11-15 - John Shea Insurance Canada Cup Qualifier - Ottawa ON.
This will be an amazing opportunity for me on so many levels. The experience, the exposure and to play with an elite group of women curlers. What an opportunity and something for me to look forward to and enjoy playing with Heather once again.
We'll see what comes of it, and I will continue to update everyone and post pictures.
I do plan to continue to play with the girls here in Winnipeg, however have decided to revise my priorities. All this being said, I'm finally putting myself and what makes me happy first. It's been a long time and I have to thank my sister Jacquelyn (forever my #1 fan) for putting the bug in my ear, and my Dad for his wisdom, Inspiration, Strength and kick in the backside. All my love to you both xxoo

Summer Fun In Manitoba 2008

2008-09-24T09:45:00.000-05:00

Good day everyone. I thought before the snow comes and the leaves have finally fallen off the trees I would give you a quick glimpse into what I did for my summer in my home town and surrounding area.

Little did I know that my home town of Pinawa held such a wonderful and relaxing amusement park like ride without the cost! Imagine! The locals here call it Tube Floating. You borrow or purchase an inner tube or a tube that you pull behind a boat and head down to the Diversion Dam in Pinawa. It is recommended that you get a group of people, two or more, to accompany you when you're doing this. The reason for that is due to the starting location and the finishing location. The distance between the start and finish if you were walking would be about 2km. I think. It doesn't seem that far, but I will explain shortly. One person parks there car at the start (being the Dam) and someone else parks there car at the finish which happens to be by the Pinawa Suspension Bridge also next to the Pinawa Cemetery. Sounds creepy but not in the least.

Once you get yourself organized with your floatation device of choice away you go.

The benefit of having a tube that you pull behind a boat is the fact that it has a bottom in it. That way you can put your flip-flops/car keys and any other snacks/drinks you'd like for the ride. Thank goodness RB wasn't about to turn down an invite to go Tube Floating and was kind enough to carry our load for us. I'm referring to my friend Lyndsey from Ottawa. Lyndsey came out for a visit and attempted her first Tube Floating experience with us. It was my second time, but first time with the Inner-Tubes. They are not very stable and not very comfortable as you'll observe in the following photos I attach. Lyndsey fell in immediately upon the start. It was a good thing she went in first so that I could brace myself for my impending launch. I, however, was successful. You do get a great ab work out with Inner-Tubes though so that is a plus.

Oddly enough it looks like I'm not even on an Inner-Tube in this picture, but I am. The picture ended turning out 'funny' so to speak.

On to golfing! I always thought of myself as the 'Happy Gilmore' of golf. I never had any great experiences with it and could only last about 9 holes at the most. I am delighted to say that I've been out golfing four times (which is HUGE) this summer, twice with my folks, once in the Pinawa closing scramble with a team that was STACKED (again I was unaware of this at the time), and this past weekend in a fundraiser for Terry Fox. We had a great time and I got some great pictures of all involved. My parents, George, Cam, Devon and myself. It was best ball thank god, but regardless a fun time and great weather for it.

So, from three of the four times I went out golfing I ended up with some prizes. Imagine! Golf is much more enjoyable when you win prizes. lol. So I won myself a putter, and a whole heck of a lot of golf balls, as well a towel for my non-existence bag and clubs. I'll be scouting for some clubs this fall and see what I can come up with. Would love a pink bag, however whatever gets my attention will be just fine. My birthday is coming up as my mom reminded me, so who knows I may end up with some golf shoes and clubs. My mom, being a golfing expert with her hole in one last year, believe this is something I should continue to pursue on the off season.

I think I might actually like it!

This is a brief indication of how my first summer back in Manitoba has turned out. I've been spending an enormous amount of time with my Mom and Dad, sister Jacquelyn and nieces as well as my other two sisters. It has been great and I wouldn't change anything at all. We've created many more memories and stories to reminisce about for the future and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Let the games begin....

2008-09-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

And it begins. I never thought I'd start a blog, but thought I'd give it a go. Now for the readers please note that I am not in anyway a grammar teacher or English major. That being said, please be kind.
For those who know me, they know me to be a very active person. I love sports and work hard at taking care of myself and staying in shape. My passion and love is the game of curling. I had some success when I was in Jr's and skipped a team to the Manitoba Pepsi Jr's way back in 1988 I believe. That was an experience to say the least. I'd been a fearless leader up until that point in time. I did however 'SNAP' so to speak in my confidence at skip when with my last rock I was attempting a freeze against four opposition stones. Things were looking good until my sweeper confessed to burning my rock. This is when the wheels fell off for me. I struggled in later years with my confidence at skip and all due to a burnt rock. Strange really, but young minds tend to be affected differently to certain situations.
Curling took a back seat when I moved to Ottawa to go to college, but upon starting my first job in Montreal and with the persistence of my older sister Jacquelyn I got back into curling while I lived there. I played all positions except skip and enjoyed it all, built my confidence up and became the competitor I used to be while finding my passion for it once more.

Since then I have skipped my own team back in Ottawa and really built my confidence up as well as my growth as an individual and team mate.
I made a difficult decision in moving back to Manitoba December 15, 2007. This was something I never thought in a million years I would do, yet hear I am. I am back in my home town now after a brief career in Winnipeg, and have adapted to the ways of small town life once again. Quite easily to be honest. I've reconnected on many different levels with my parents and am loving each and every day I've had the opportunity to spend with them. They have become my best friends and my inspiration. There is not a day that goes by that I do not consult them for input and deliberate on obstacles and challenges that lie ahead of me.
I will be starting my curling season here in MB with a team based in Winnipeg. A competitive team that I have had the pleasure to meet and greet and get to know. I like what I see and I like our potential for greatness. Our season is to start in October and I'm very much looking forward to getting on the ice and going full throttle.
This is basically a very brief description of what has gone on in my life since leaving Manitoba in '93 and my return.
It is going to be a very busy season in any case and I will have much more to post and share. Until then...Live each day to the fullest, Dance like know one is watching, and when life hands you lemons ask for tequila and salt. :)