Friday, February 22, 2013
It's been reading week this week for Kyle and it has gone by so fast, and been filled with fun busy things. The highlight of our week has been getting our puppy Arlo. I thought I was going to get a girl, but when it came down to it, he was my favourite, so after much deliberation and people losing patience with my indecisiveness, Andrea gave me the push I needed to pick him over the girl that Kyle was leaning towards. I haven't had a lot of dog training experience. I've had dog loving experience, and this dog is already loved so much!!
I was wary about getting a dog in the first place. I know they are a lot of work and a major commitment. I know they change everything, and being rather comfortable in my situation, I wasn't sure I wanted that. However, I'm not sure if its just the honeymoon stage, but I'm loving it so far. The responsibility is good for me I think. It seems to be one of the changes that I needed in my life. Not to mention the kids just love him so much. Sloan can't leave him alone and gets disappointed when he sleeps, which is often. Kyle has been quite helpful also, and it's been nice having him here all week. We'll see how it goes when he's gone for the day.
Today we got sushi for lunch and watched American Idol. The dog joined us on the bed. He's so cute, he puts his paws on the bed and pops his head up, and how can you resist??? I am such a sucker for him! Also, Andrea wasn't exaggerating when she said he would chew EVERYTHING. From boots to shoes, to my sweater, slippers, socks, puppets, our rug, pillows, blankets, pieces of paper etc. I need eyes on the back of my head! He loves to snuggle up when he goes to sleep. So cute. We are enjoying him!!
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Sarahstottle posted @ 2:05 PM
Saturday, February 02, 2013
Tiny Dancer
There's a girl on my indoor team, whose name is also Sarah. She's much younger than I. She has the softest, most controlled foot contact with the ball on our team. Sometimes she hangs on to it a little long dribbling around people in circles trying to find the perfect pass (although sometimes the perfect pass was missed because she hangs onto it for so long). We have nicknamed her tiny dancer. That's how they tell us apart, she's tiny dancer, I'm ginja (short for ginja ninja) She has a friend, Becky who plays on our team too. They are both students from Calgary, going to UBCO in the same program, who grew up playing soccer together, and they both have long brown hair. At first when they joined the team, people could never tell them apart. Becky and I share the position known as centre. In indoor, there are five players on the field and a goalie. We have two forwards, one on each wing, two defense, and a centre, who plays up to support the forwards, and back to support the defense. It's a very demanding position. It requires a LOT of running. Indoor soccer is so fast paced, much more so than out door, and it's fun, but so hard too. Basically I train to be able to do it properly. So, we share the most challenging and physically demanding position. I'm ok with it though. It's fun.
This week, Andrea had and Auntie day with Adriel and Sloan, and Kyle and I went snowboarding at silverstar as Rhiannon's "chaperones." It was so much fun. The mountain wasn't busy, and we discovered this long run together where it was pretty much him and I and some fresh snow, and we did our stuff. We're getting the hang of it, and the more that we do, the more fun and addicting it is to me.
This reminds me, I have wanted to blog about this for a while, to share my experience of what happened over Christmas break when we went to big white.
It was our first time out for the season. It was our first time on that mountain. Last year, I had been more times than Kyle, and I was getting the hang of it a little more than him. It was freezing, and the snow was a little hard packed and icy. We did a few runs and Kyle wanted to take a break (just as I was finally warming up) so we went inside a little cafe place and I got the chills. We went back out and went down a hill or two and Kyle wanted to go in for lunch. I wanted to keep going because I was having fun. He had had a few hard biff-its. So he went to get our lunch, and I kept going. I met him inside and we had a long lunch. I had had a few hard biff-its myself, but my spirits were not dampened like his were. I wasn't even that hungry for my lunch, it seemed the falls had made me feel a little upset to my stomach, and I find when I take a break from snowboarding, I get cold fast.
We eventually ventured out. Kyle had hurt his tailbone badly. I have done this. It really sucks, and suddenly your snowboarding is controlled by the fear of falling on it again. We made our way up the mountain, and mapped out a route we wanted to take. It was different from the stuff we had been doing. It kind of went down the other side of the mountain. It was a really busy day, it was crowded with snowboarders and skiers zooming past us all the time. It was distracting and scary and made it hard to focus. We made our way down to the bottom of the mountain, on a different side. Kyle was done. There was a little cafeteria warming chalet thing at the bottom. He said "I'll wait in there, you can pick me up when you're ready to go- take your time" (it was right by the road) I was disappointed that he wasn't having the fun that I was, and I wasn't ready to stop, especially for the amount of money that we spent on our tickets. So I continued on our route. I went up the mountain and looked at the map there. According to the map, I needed to go down part way, and then up again, and from that chair I could make my way back to the village. (the chair lifts were so cold, and I was all alone and the wind was blowing all icy at me, I sang myself primary songs to distract myself) So I went part way down and came to a lift. Without even checking I got on it. It was an abandoned lift, and very old, the kind that only seat two people on it (the major ones seat as many as 6) I was alone, and when I got off at the top, there was no one there, and no map either (there's always a map at the top of a lift) Also, the only green trail was blocked off. It was starting just barely to get a little darker, and that makes depth perception harder to see with my mask on. So I started making my way down this really steep section. There were narrow path ways with trees, and really steep drops (made more for skiers I think) It involved schooching around on my bum for a while. I don't know if you've ever tried that, but with a snowboard attached to your feet, and all your gear on, it requires a lot of effort. I got to the top of a wider but very steep part. I just zig zagged down, plowing with my board. I could see a wider flatter opening at the bottom, with more trails running off of it, and I planned to figure something out from there. I made it down there, and just as I was about to start boarding properly again, something weird happened. My foot slipped with my board. It was no longer attached properly. I sat down, and had a look and realized that my binding was hanging onto my board with one screw. I tried to see what happened if I boarded like that. Nope- not doable. I looked around. It was getting darker still. Not a person in sight. I took off my board and started hiking down the mountain, hoping someone would catch up with me and be able to help me in some way. I had no idea where I was. I hadn't gotten that far from the chair lift (far enough that I didn't want to try going back) and I knew the bottom was far far away to walk while carrying a snowboard. Also, snowboard boots are not the easiest to walk in at all. The snow was mostly untouched and each step I took had me sinking in knee deep snow. Finally, I came to a cross road, that had sort of been packed down. I looked to where it went, and it went up this really steep part. I decided against it and and kept going down. After I started sinking in the knee deep snow again, I rethought taking the packed road. All the while I was saying silent prayers, pleading for help. It was scary. I was all alone, in the freezing snow, and Kyle told me to take my time so he wouldn't be worried about me, and I didn't have my phone, I had left it with Ann. So I sucked it up and took the road. My feet were relieved until it started going up. I struggled and took breaks. Actually looking back and all the hard physical falls I had already been through, it 's a wonder that I even had the strength to keep going. It's a lot of work to walk through snow carrying your board with those darn boots. I know I said that already, but I need you to appreciate that. Up over the hill I could see a chair lift in the distance, and very very lucky for me (I know I was prompted to take that road) it was the top of the lift, so I knew there would be people who could help me. There was a guy telling people it was time to make their way back down to the village at the chairlift. He saw me. I showed him my board and told him what happened. He called for help. I had to wait a while, but eventually a guy on a snowmobile came and got me. I was lucky because I know they don't give help lightly. Like, if my board was fixable, they would have fixed it, and I would have to go down on my own, and I was so not physically and mentally up for doing it. I had been beaten. My spirits were no longer up. The man came after a long wait. He took me down all the way to my car. Even that was a little scary for me. Normally it probably would have been thrilling and fun, but we went fast down some steep parts. I took off all my gear and drove off to find Kyle. He was a ways down the road, and I was beginning to think that I might have passed it. When I got there he was standing outside waiting for me. "That wasn't very long" he said to me. Ha, he had no idea... Turns out that little chalet thing had closed for the night, and it was a good thing I came back when I did, or he would have been stuck all alone outside in the freezing cold.
We went home so exhausted and hurt. It was new years eve and we had to fight really really hard to make it to midnight before we collapsed in our beds and woke up so sore for the rest of the week.
I didn't feel the desire to go again for a few weeks.
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Sarahstottle posted @ 1:46 PM