Calgary living.

Time is flying in Calgary... we've been so busy training and entertaining ourselves that I haven't really been able to sit down and blog, let alone take any pics.

The only ones I have are from boxing a few random things here and there....

Although I've seen many beautiful things lately, I just have them etched into my memory rather than snapped onto a memory stick.  Like the reflection of a huge snow-capped mountain on a deep blue lake during a bike ride near Nakiska this weekend.  The sun setting over the edge of the velodrome last night as I looped around and around playing with lines and speeds.  Green grass and leaves are everywhere on my jogs thanks to last weeks downpours. Our garden is blooming bit by bit!  And the people watching on 17th Ave during the Lilac Festival with the nonstop gigglers Em and Jenny this weekend was hilarious!!

I've biked at the Calgary Velodrome twice this week and so far I think it's pretty cool!  Gymnastics has been totally new for me, rolling, handstands, and flips are definitely out of my comfort zone, but fun nonetheless. Boxing is always an amazing workout, but I don't think I'd want to face anyone ever.  And I'm pretty much participating in every workout now as my hip gets better and better!

The physio crew is slowly diminishing as everyone gets healthier and healthier!!  My main companion Kelly McB has decided to go to school next year which I'm sure will be yet another AMAZING adventure which I'm excited to follow via her blog!! 

I can no longer tell that Louis-Pierre and Manny are rehabbing.... 

I saw Jenn running on the treadmill!! 

I guess Johnny is in Thailand, and I did a full deep squat for the first time in a year with a bar!!

Things are looking up and getting better everyday.  It's fun living here, and MP and I are becoming like a married couple in our house, sharing who cooks, cleans, MOWS THE LAWN, waters the plants (me) and all that sort of stuff. 

I like it here, especially when it's sunny.  There are few dull moments, and when there are, I embrace the calm on my couch!!

So here are a few pics I salvaged from different cameras and phones and whatnot!

BOXING!

 KA-POW

 SMACK

 Shazaaaaaam. haha. trying to make these interesting!

 Rainy day Crafting...

 made more earrings...

 admired Kelly's staircase in Canmore.

 Lup mowed our lawn!! What a great friend!! haha

 and COOKING!! Marcel-style risotto and shrimp for notre souper ce soir.

Wow. I will work on my picture taking skillz.

They are definitely lacking right now!

But Moab this weekend will definitely be inspiring!! Can't wait to get back on my "original" bike and feel like a pro on the slickrock!

Amazing Long Weekend in Fernie.

Last week was our first official week of training in Calgary!  Everything with my hip is on track and it was a really good start to the summer program!!

Between workouts I've been doing some GARDENING!!! Trying to make our little place look ALIVE!

FOr the long weekend, I headed to Fernie with Jenny to meet up with Em Brydon, Anna Prchal and Anne-Marie Lefrancois!! It was so great to see the girls and the weekend was jam packed full of fun times thanks to these amazing ladies!

Of course, we hit up the bakery!! yummmmmyyyy! 

 We practiced my new mountain biking pose!!! (Em and I)

 ANd then Mountain Biked for real!

 Beautiful backdrops.

 And sipped on iced americano's after a hard bike ride!

 THEN, we got aggressive with some tools and made this game "washers"!!!!

We are true carpenteristas!

 So proud of my carpet cutting!! haha! 

 And then we tested it out and it was awesome!

 And finally, TOday's main activity was arts and crafts.

This was what I came up with....

 All of our art to decorate Em's apartment.

 super artistic pom-pom.

 and we had a four-person canvas at the end....

 and then we made anna's belly into a canvas!! Junior was happy!!

 tres natural. going with the flowwwwww.

 And each handprint! Em's place is gonna be so amazingly decorated now!!

 It was an awesome weekend of mountain biking, jogging along the water, bbqing turkey burgers, arts and crafts, and catching up with amazing friends!!

Back to training tomorrow early!!!! 

First week in Calgary, first golfing, first mtn biking, first jogging!

It's a week of firsts for me!  It's my first week of officially living and training in Calgary for the summer.  I was cleared to take my first (short) jog, I hit golf balls for the first time in a LONG time, and we hit up the trails in Canmore for some mountain biking for my first ride on my brand new OPUS mountain bike!! 

All these firsts have been fun and exciting and a sweet way to start the summer off!

Posing part-way through our mountain bike excursion yesterday....

MP, Britt, Graham, Mitch and me.

 mountain bike pose.

I think yoga should use this one.

 hahahuihihihehaioha we are having so much funnnnnnnnnn

 nice to be back in the mountains

 EXTREME biker gang poses.

 Apres bike-rides and work-outs lounging area in our backyard.

Our sweeeeeet walmart lounge chairs. 

 Our garden is blooming!!!!

 Lup and I went golf pro.

 And of course, chilling on terraces!!

Kelly and Erin relaxing over coffffeeee!!!

It's been a busy and fun week!! A great start to what should be a great summer of training!

just drive

Some other random pics.....crazy road work explosions!!

They blew this rock up right as we were waiting to get through! intense!

 There were so many lakes, rivers, ponds, swamps, and bodies of water all along the way!

 Driving towards Thunder Bay.

 My car, my bikes and a pretty lake!

 JUMPPPPPP

 still ICY!

 But I went in anyway!

 waterrrrrrrrrrrrr

 c'est tout!

Testing has been good so far and MP and I have found a place to live! The summer BEGINS!

if you've never driven across Canada, this may be of interest.

The cross country drive was a success! For the most part it was beautiful scenery, random weather, and many hours spent listening to the audiobook "Dune".

THe beginning. Shadows and fields!  Quebec.

 First night sunset in Sault Sainte Marie!! Thanks to the Actons for their hospitality and sweet apres-dinner beach walk!

 Lake Superior!

 More of Ontario the next day and funky clouds.  We drove from the Soo to Winnipeg!  It was AMAZING! So pretty and so much to look at and marvel at this amazing country.

 A lonely piece of rainbow in Manitoba.

 Flooded fields. 

 tractors!

 LOts of rain storms!

 Crazy clouds and storms ahead.

 The worlds largest Teepee apparently!... Medicine Hat.

 And finally, the final stretch to Calgary with a huge storm cloud sitting above it.  I saw snow. For real.

Anyway, I took some other pics with my "nice camera" but we have yet to settle into an apartment so the camera is in my car with the rest of my LIFE!!

In case this blog wasn't boring enough, I have even more pics to post in the near future!!!haha!!

Testing was today and it went well for 5 weeks post-op!

More testing tomorrow and the sun is out!!