Adventure!

While I was in BC with my sister and our kids, we also went white water rafting. We went on a trip that takes about 2.5 hours and normally it is too dangerous to take kids on, but due to the level of the river at this time of year, kids are allowed on as the rapids are a bit less dramatic.

A few years ago we took the kids on a raft trip, but it was called the family float, and they weren't kidding. We had one rapid and then it was just a float for a very long time.

This time around we wanted something just a bit more intense. We got it! We chose a group called Apex Raft Co. that operates out of the Regent hotel in Revelstoke. We got geared up in wet suits and socks, "experienced shoes", meaning shoes that had already been soaking wet. We also had fleece jackets and splash jackets. I thought this was all a bit excessive because we didn't even get wet on our last raft trip.

We went out in the bus and drove about 30 minutes, got off the bus and took some pictures. We got on the raft and away we went. About 3 minutes into the trip, I got a taste of what the trip was going to be like. We hit our fist rapid and we all got soaked! Not only were we dripping wet, but we were paddling like mad and the rapid was HUGE! Our guide, Paul, was really great. He encouraged the kids to paddle, he guided us in how to paddle and he also told us all about the river we were rafting. It's called the Illecillewaet River, and he told us all about the rivers coming into the river we were on and the mountain range we were flowing through. He was very well educated and amusing too. The have a thing, the guides, where they tell you about "Kid Island" and when we get there, we see it is just a rock and the guides try to throw one of the kids off the boat onto the "island". It was funny.

We floated along side the other group that was there that day, with their guide Corey. Corey encouraged the people in his raft to douse us with water, so they did. We got into a big water fight and my daughter got Corey right in the mouth with a ton of water when he was trying to talk. I was so proud of her! Corey did strike back and stole my son off our raft and into theirs! The guides know all the slow spots and make the trip more fun there by being a bit crazy. We did get my son back - he thought it was hilarious!

My 8 year old paddled for a little while, but my 12 year old paddled the entire trip. My 14 year old nephew has a habit of being a bit grouchy and he didn't say one bad thing the whole trip, and he paddled the whole trip too. I'm pretty sure he loved it just as much as the rest of us.

This was the best raft trip I have ever been on. It was full of "gnarly" rapids, I mean they were just amazing. I wasn't scared at any point, a bit afraid the kids would fall out, but they didn't, and after the first 20 minutes, I didn't even worry about that anymore. It really was an active trip, I had puddles in my sleeves, but my wet suit held up really well. My hair was wet, but we were lucky enough to have a nice hot day so we were warm for the most part.

I can't even explain how much I love to raft - I might one day just give up my life and become a raft guide. I wish every day could be that interesting. Life without adventure is just plain boring. If you haven't tried rafting yet - you have to at some point. I can't wait to get my husband out

there with us!

My most embarrassing moment realized

I was in BC the other day on the "Sky Trek" just outside Revelstoke, located beside the Enchanted Forest. I love this place, everything about it. The way the air smells so earthy, the lushness of the trees, the coolness of the shade and of course, the blazing sun! There are so many things to do in this area that we just don't seem to have in Calgary.

The first stop on our excursion was the Sky Trek. It is a tree top challenge, ok, not tree top, but up in the trees. It's an obstacle course combined with zip lines. What a blast this place is. My daughter who is 12 and my 8 year old son got to go up with me, along with my sister and nephews. My son just barely met the height requirement, but he did, and he was able to do this challenge for the first time. The rest of us did this last year as well.

We did great, you hook in with your carabiners and go along the challenge in a 4 step course. First was the green course, which is the easiest and the shortest. There are a bunch of different games to go through and at the end, you get a double zip line. This was really fun, a bit challenging, but we did great. Even my son - actually, he shocked me how well he did. It was like he was made for it! Next was the blue course, it got a little harder and that ended with a zip line and a 20 foot rock climb wall to get to the black course. The rock climb should have been easier this year, but the line kept getting stuck, so a few of us had some scary moments. A little bit of crying and some struggles later, you get to zip line again. After the zip line, you have to climb about 30 feet on a ladder to the big zip line. This is where my most embarrassing moment happened.

The zip line is a lot of fun, you get to slide through the air so free. But at the end, that's where the trouble starts. The kids got through this part just great, but I went really fast, and I smacked my butt on the padded ledge at the end. So you see, I was backwards, which is not a great position to be in. I tried to grab the rope to pull myself in, and I got the rope, but I was too far away, so I let go and tried again. Same result, I went in backwards and couldn't get myself close enough to pull myself in. I was just unable to pull my body weight that far. So I had to let go again, and I just stopped in the middle. That's when Johnny had to come to my rescue. How embarrassing. I had to just hang there until someone could get me. I know it doesn't seem like much, but that is one of my worst fears. Fortunately, Johnny was really nice about it, he hauled me back in and I got back up the course. I thanked him for rescuing me, and he reminded me that I was not in fact rescued, I was merely assisted as I was able to get back on the course. So now I no longer have a fear of being rescued! That harness hurt me a bit, but other than that, I came out of the incident unscathed!

We didn't go on to the double black - some of us got freaked out by a skateboard game, that one terrified me. That is the toughest course and we just weren't ready for it. But we didn't make it to black last year, so I consider the trek a success.

Would I do the tree trek again? Without hesitation! It is such a physical challenge, it makes me feel like I can do anything! The kids had a blast, my son did amazing well, but then, so did my daughter. I am so proud of us that we are capable of such activities. The only problem now is finding things that that in Calgary. What a fun way to get a great workout!

I can't believe I am going to say this...

But I am actually looking forward to the kids going back to school. Just 9 days until that happens. I only know that because my daughter is keeping track of the days left until she is in junior high!

I don't want to get rid of the kids, I really don't. I love having them all to myself and getting to do all sorts of fun stuff all the time, going to the beach, road trips, sleeping in! When they go back to school, I will get that sense of normalcy and routine back. And I love routine! Especially when it comes to routine alone time for me! Not only that, but I will have time to clean the house, which we all know I haven't been doing. Not that I care all that much, but I do like a clean house. I want to complete the laundry in a day, not 5. I want time to get actual groceries and not just live on what we have and try to make meals out of that all the time. I want to cook supper again. I know that doesn't sound like me, but I have had a lot of take out recently and I'm feeling a bit gross and bloated.

Routine is so nice, you know what is on the schedule for the next day, you have time to prepare for things. I feel like I am just winging it a lot of the time. That is so not like me. I like plans and schedule. I have a list of all the things I want to do this fall. I love my little projects. My master bedroom needs paint, I have to fix the paint job in my sons room, I can get rid of more crap that litters my house. Not to mention that I can't wait to get back to the gym where I can strap on my ipod and ignore people. I want to have a meal by myself, read a book in a few days instead of a month.

I used to get so upset when the kids went back to school, but now, I know that they have to, and I am ok with it. They are both in full time school, I have no job and I am just thrilled with my life. I enjoy the kids while I have them and I enjoy my freedom when I don't. Life just doesn't get much better than this.

Home Sweet Home

I've been away a lot this summer and I always feel so happy when I am at home. Coming home is just like, well, coming home. I have never felt so comfortable somewhere as I do at home. I love to travel and be away, but coming home is always like being engulfed in the sweetest hug.

I took a shower last night and appreciated all my things being in the shower with me. Having all my favorite products, knowing that everything I needed was right there in front of me. Getting out of the shower I dried my face on my towel and inhaled the smell of my clean towel. What a wonderful smell, clean linens in my own bathroom in my own home. I then moisturized my legs with my favorite lotion beside the bed, I had to rub a bunch of medicated creams into my bruised muscles, I got a bit beat up at my soccer game, and did the heat cream on my feet. But knowing that all my stuff was right there at my fingertips, what a great feeling. Crawling into bed with clean sheets and my sweet warm husband beside me. I almost cried I was so happy to be home.

There is nothing like being away to make you appreciate what you have at home. (Especially my husband)

Just a funny story

I was in Hungary earlier this summer and I was trying to go to the bank to get some cash. I went to the door of the bank, and even though it said that you didn't need your card to open the door, the door still wouldn't open. A nice older man watched as I tried the door and scratched my head. He came over to me and asked if I needed help (in Hungarian) and because I understood what he said, I said yes. He then asked me something else, again in Hungarian. I didn't understand at all what he had said, so I told him, in Hungarian, that I didn't speak Hungarian. He said, in Hungarian, of course you do, you speak Hungarian very well!

It's tough when you speak enough Hungarian to get by, but can't understand everything.

So this sweet man and I proceeded back to the bank door. I tried the door, he tried the door, and it still wouldn't open. Until I got a great idea. I thought maybe instead of pulling on the door, maybe you had to push. Guess what! Yup, the door opened. That sweet old man and I had a very long laugh over that one!

I haven't cleaned my house in 2 months

Now I know that sounds gross, but I did clean it before we went on vacation, and we were gone for 3 weeks, so that 3 week period doesn't even count, but today I finally cleaned the house. I did clean here and there, a bathroom here, a bit a vacuuming there. But I didn't do a big clean, which I usually do every week.

I am all for a clean house, but there are some things that are so much more important. Like tanning, going to the lake, going for a bike ride. Just about anything that is fun, or outdoors in nice weather counts as more important. The house really isn't all that bad anyway. It's a bit dusty, but my house is always dusty. I hate to dust. Why should I dust? It's just going to come right back. If someone can show me how to dust so that it stays not dusty, I'd pay a million dollars! I had to give my husband crap for drawing in the dust on a high shelf. It's a "half" wall, that goes up the length of a full wall, but in an area that has a vaulted ceiling. There's a wood shelf top on the wall and it gets really dusty. But if you don't disturb the dust, no one can tell....unless your fool husband draws in it!

You'd be surprised at how clean the house really was. It's not like the longer you leave it, the house gets exponentially dirtier. Once it's dirty, it just stays kind of dirty. When you finally go to clean the house, it really only takes as long as it usually does. It doesn't take longer. You can only vacuum the same areas, there's not more to vacuum. It's not as if I had to scrub the house for hours to get it clean, I don't have that much build up on anything.

I do have to admit that the house feels so much better now that it's clean. The bathrooms seem larger now that there aren't clothes all over the floor and draped over the tub ledge. It's nice to walk through the house without tripping over things. It's nice to have a table that is not full of clutter and travel stuff. I even put the table cloth back on my dining room table!

Like I said, I usually clean the house very week, but now that I know that it's not so bad to leave it, I might just take a week off every once in a while. I've finally learned that a clean house can wait. My kids, the weather and a good spa day cannot!

Stupid Mice

I swear that the mice in my backyard are taunting me. Well, I will get them and I will kill them!!! I truly hate mice. It's funny, because I put out bread and bird seed for the birds and I love it when the squirrels come to visit, but I hate mice and want them dead. What is the difference you ask? Mice want to come into my house and contaminate it! They want to run around and make me scream, they want to poop all over the place and make me afraid to go in my basement. Birds and squirrels? They don't want in my house. They want to run or fly around my backyard and be cute. They don't want to torment me.

Those stupid mice come up on my deck and shit right in front of my door! They taunt me. My husband saw one in the backyard yesterday so we set out the traps, again. This happens every few months. You think you've killed them all but then they come right back. I guess it doesn't help that we live right beside fish creek, which is a huge provincial park. The benefits outweigh the bad, but those mice haunt my dreams. They haven't made it into the house, knock on wood, but I can't even think about that.

One time last year I thought I'd be efficient and bring the garbage bag in the house and just dump all the household garbage there instead of taking it outside. I forgot to check the bag for creatures and there was a mouse in the bag. It hopped out of the bag, I screamed bloody murder and my husband laughed at me. Let's just say that I have a very distinctive "mouse" scream. It took a bit of doing and more screaming, but my husband caught the stupid thing and got it outside.....where we put out traps and killed it.

I have six traps set outside, I checked them and I caught one mouse, incidentally, that mouse must have fought because I found the trap with it in it about 3 feet away from where it was originally. That or the trap flipped it that far. Either way, the mouse is dead and I am happy for it. I am still going to get more traps and kill any stupid mouse that dares to enter my yard!

In case you are wondering, I just use those cheap traps that kill the mice quite inhumanely, but quickly. They cost $1 for 2 traps at Walmart and I just throw the trap out with the mouse. It is money well spent.

Deal Find

I know this is a bit off topic with my "everything about Europe", but I felt I had to write about this.

I have been using Deal Find for quite a few months, if you don't know what it is, it's like Groupon, but I find I use Deal Find more than Groupon. Not that I don't like Groupon, I love it, but Deal Find seems to have the things I want right now. I have bought massages, eye glasses, mani/pedi's, you know, girly stuff.

I saw something that I thought I could use on Deal Find back in May so I bought it. It was a landscaping company that was going to aerate my lawn for only $29! Wicked deal. Or so I thought. I know that these deals can be very popular, so I bought my deal and sent the company an email and waited patiently for them to call to arrange a time. So I waited, and waited and waited...until August! Then I emailed again, and then I called. Low and behold, my email gets returned to me and my call gets answered by "this number is not currently available". That's where I drew the line, I am not going to wait forever.

I emailed Deal Find - because almost no one works by phone anymore. Within a minute, literally, they had sent an automated reply saying that they had received my email and would contact me shortly. That afternoon I had another email from them asking what the problem was. The very next day I got another email with a list of requirements in order for me to get my money back. I filled out the list and emailed it. THAT afternoon, I had the money back in my account plus 10%. That is how serious Deal Find is about making sure their deals are good and well used.

Obviously I am happy with the way this has turned out. I didn't get my lawn aerated, but at this point in the summer, who cares. I'll deal with my lawn next year. At least it grows so slowly I barely have to mow it.

As far as I'm concerned, Deal Find has outdone my expectations and I will have no problem buying from the again. Like I said, I've bought lots of things and never had a problem with anything else. I highly recommend Deal Find and encourage you to use it if you are so inclined. That's all for today - I've got to get outside and enjoy that weather!

Things I've learned from Europe

Over the course of the last 6 years and 6 trips to various places in Europe, I have learned more things than I ever thought possible.

I've learned how to slow down and relax. I used to do all those little things that "should" be done, and do them right now. Now I know they can wait. A nice day is a great excuse not to clean the house. So is painting with the kids, going to the beach, taking a bike ride and just about anything enjoyable. The house will still be there and it'll be just as dirty. But it sure can wait.

I've learned an amazing appreciation for architecture, and I can find beauty in the strangest places. I found a set of rusty stairs downtown Calgary and they made the nicest picture. Anything wrought iron, almost anything that is half destroyed. A house that was abandoned and had a tree growing through it. I've learned to just take a look around me and enjoy what I see and where I am.

I've learned that walking and riding a bike to do errands is so much more enjoyable. I came home from Europe this year with a desperate need for a bike basket. I finally found one last week and I have used it every day since. We've ridden our bikes to play soccer at the park, we took them to the store and got slurpees, and yesterday, we even took the bikes to Payless and bought shoes. That bike basket is the best purchase I have made in ages!

I've learned that ice cream is not my greatest vice - Gelato is! Same with Hungarian food. I love food, I love dessert. I may be a big girl because of it, but at least I stay away from drugs and I'm not an alcoholic. Besides, one day my weight might save me, you never know. So I'll stick with my Gelato and Hungarian food and keep off the drugs!

I've gone from a girl who hides in the shade in shorts to a woman who can bare most of it in the blazing hot sun, and love every second of. I never thought I was the type of girl to wear a bikini, and now I own and wear several of them. I've even gone topless at many beaches in Europe. They don't care, so I figured, why should I? I am never the heaviest girl on the beach, and certainly not the heaviest in a bikini. I wish Canadians could let go of some of their inhibitions and judgements and just be happy with who they are, and what they look like.

Those are just the things I can remember right now. I was watching a movie with my daughter last night and I heard a line in a movie that I wanted to boo at. The mother in the movie told her daughter that Europe is not magic and it cannot change you. Well I say she is wrong. Six years ago I was a very different person. The changes haven't all been because of Europe, but a lot of them are. And the things I learn over there carry on into my life at home. Europe is magic, and it does change you. It changes the way you look at things and way you look at yourself, but only if you let it. I'm glad I let it change me, I've never been happier than I am right now.