Well it certainly hasn't been what I expected. I thought that this final week visiting back home would be a bit slower paced than the first two weeks. How wrong could I have been!
After arriving home from the cottage, then heading down to the Toronto Centre Island for my friend Deb's 5km walk/run in memory of her dad, dodging massive down pours of rain and finally getting back to mom and dad's place I thought the rest of the week would be very slow.
On Monday I was able to get back down into the gym and do an ergo. Considering that I have a 5km time trial 10 days after I get back I thought it would be a good idea to get on the erg! Did 10km but I think it just about killed me! After that it was time to head out to a local shopping mall with my mom. I am being smart this year, buying all the Christmas presents that I usually have to post, wrapping them and leaving them here. After getting most of them mom and I headed out to my sisters to scoff down some dinner and head to the soccer pitch to watch my neice Lea play. Unfortunately their game was against the best team in Ontario. But they can hold their heads high, they were only scored against once and even got a goal back (which was unfortunately not allowed), so went down 1-0. I think the referree has to learn the rules better.
Tuesday I was supposed to go with my dad to a brunch with a bunch of retired senior officers from the Toronto police. But when I got up I was so tired, I think that two weeks of going non stop had finally hit me. So needless to say I didn't go with him and proceeded to go back to bed. Not that I was there long as the gardener came by with his ride on lawn mower!
That afternoon I headed to downtown Toronto with my sister. Cindy has her own production company and is a brilliant filmmaker! She was going to view the final showing of her next documentary called "The Skies the Limit", so she invited me to go with her. This was exciting because I never really get to see the films that she has made. What a brillant piece of work, although many would say that I am biased. But it was a wonderful look at the airline industry and where it is growing.
We then headed over to my aunt's place for dinner and I was staying the night with her and my uncle. We had a nice evening and it was great to just sit and chat with Rheta (my aunt). Growing up Rheta was always our "cool" auntie! She bucked the trend back then which said that women should get married and have a family. Rheta had a fabulous career, was proposed to 3 times, travelled the world and when she was finished with that decided to get married. She was always someone who did her own thing and she was a great role model for Cindy and I as we were growing up. So her and I had a great catch up.
The next day my cousin Marg-Rheta (yes you can guess she was named after our aunt) picked me up, we went to her place and then to the local pool where Marg teaches an older crowd to swim, or should I say she does stroke correction. I think the oldest woman is 86! We then headed to the west end of the city to a Japanese restaurant and the most wonderful lunch. It was then time to head back to mom and dad's, so Marg came with me and had dinner with my dad. It was a really nice catch up.
Yesterday I ended up meeting up with mom and dad down the street for coffee. Both of them head off with their respective friends for their walks. Dad doesn't do too much, but mom and her ladies walk for about an hour. I just met them for the coffee part! Mom and I headed to another shopping mall to try and get one last present...not to be! I was unable to find what I wanted but was able to get Russ (my husband) a couple of gifts to take home. We then hurried home as we had to get ready for a "Pub Night". I was going to see all my police friends that I hadn't see in about 3 years!
What a great night. There were people there that I had not seen in almost 20 years, if not longer. People I had never even thought would be there. My friend Deb did an amazing job of getting in touch with people. So it was a wonderful evening to have a couple of drinks, some great food and some fabulous conversation.
I am off tonight to catch up with two couples who mean more to me than just friends. I worked with Kim and Bill just before I left the police force 14 years ago. So I am meeting them for dinner with their wives and mom & dad as well. So it will be a great ending to the week.
My trip does not end there as I have a few more days left and when I will write about those later. I will certainly need to have a rest when I get back home!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Back to my roots
I have been home for 2 weeks now and this is the first chance I have had to write something! My 'Social Secretary' my sister has had me extremely busy! In fact although I haven't had time to scratch myself, she has done a remarkable job of setting things up so that I have been able to see quite a few people in a short time.
I arrived on the 10th of August and my journey took me 27 1/2 hours from my door to the airport in Toronto. Although I had organised before I left to have wheelchair assistance it was a bit lacking with Air Canada. After waiting in a wheelchair, with two other ladies who needed assistance, for more than 10 minutes I decided to kick up a bit of a stink. Needless to say that got them going. Then the attendant had the audacity to tell me that if I wanted to use a wheelchair then I was going to always have to wait. Boy he picked the wrong person to say that to. After stating a few facts I then asked him if it meant that I was a second class citizen! He didn't say another word, but took me right to the luggage retrival. Once there I thanked him for his assistance (no reply) and told him I didn't need him anymore.
After gathering my one bag I headed out the door to my excited family waiting for me. But when I walked out I stood there looking for them! It took me a couple of minutes to find my parents sitting away from the entrance, mom yawning and dad (although blind) starring into space! After finding them, I advised them I was glad they were excited to see me (tongue in check). They thought I would be coming out in a wheelchair...so much for Air Canada service!
On the way to their home I realised why I love Melbourne so much. I felt like I had landed in a concrete jungle and to top it off there had been a huge propane gas explosion that morning. This propane depot was located in a residential area, there was one dead and hundreds evacuated from their homes with damage to homes like a bomb had gone off. The major highway that cuts across Toronto from east to west was closed so getting from the airport (located in the west) to my parents home (in the east) was in itself a chore! But we did eventually arrive and was very happy to see my sister, nephew and niece waiting for us.
We had a bit of a birthday party celebrating my sister's, neices and mine all in one. It was great to be able to actually give them their presents. I think the worst part about living half way around the world is not seeing them and being able to celebrate things like birthdays.
The first week seems like it was a whirlwind. With spending a night with my ex partner from the police force and his wife, to my nephews soccer game (which they won 7-3!), to spending a night at my sisters house, then taking a train to my best friends home almost 3 hours out of Toronto, then returning home via train to my parents.
If I thought the second week was going to get any better then I had better think again.
My sister Cindy had organised a lunch east of Toronto with two very good friends from my police force days, Bonnie and Deb. We went to Bonnie's home (I must admit my dream home!) and had a great afternoon with not only her and Deb, but also Bonnie's husband Mark and son Chad. It was a great catch up but again probably too short.
The next day I had put my foot down and told Cindy that it was a day for the girls. Unfortunatley my mom couldn't make it, she had a previous appointment with a surgeon for cataract surgery. So Cindy , my neice Lea and I had our own spa day, pampering ourselves with facials, foot baths and pedicure's. This was a good break in an otherwise busy week. Although I must admit that the next 3 days were great, spent in Northern Ontario on a lake. The weather reaching 28 degrees for most of the 3 days. My neice and nephew now being older (13 and almost 15) were great to be around and wanted to show me the skills they had now acquired behind a ski boat! Absolutely amazing, but then again they are my neice and nephew!
We also had another couple and their children join us, friends from high school days. What a blast to catch up with them and talk about other people from those days. Funny enough it turns out one guy I went to school with is now living in Melbourne! Talk about a small world.
It was then time to hit the road again and head back to Toronto for my last week in town. Today we attended the Toronto Island for a 5km walk/run in memory of my friend Deb's dad, who died of Prostate Cancer. Deb has run this for the last 8-10 years and although the weather man had called for thunderstorms today, the rain held off, the event had double the people from the last year and it was a huge success. I met up with other people I had worked with on the Toronto force, had a great catch up, my dad walked with my sister, while I babysat the bags and chatted. The rain waited until all the awards were given out and we were waiting for the ferry to take us back to the mainland. I told Deb that her dad must have been watching over her to hold the rain back!
So here I am now after having had a light dinner with mom and dad and catching up on my emails, facebook and blog. It has been a whirlwind 2 weeks but I have enjoyed every minute of it. I have even been able to fit in a 2 ergos a week so that I am not completely out of breath when I pick up my training in just over a weeks time. Athough I will be on the strictest diet when I get home! To much visiting, eating, drinking, eating and drinking!
I am now bracing myself for my last week in Toronto and I am certainly looking forward to catching up with more friends and family!
I arrived on the 10th of August and my journey took me 27 1/2 hours from my door to the airport in Toronto. Although I had organised before I left to have wheelchair assistance it was a bit lacking with Air Canada. After waiting in a wheelchair, with two other ladies who needed assistance, for more than 10 minutes I decided to kick up a bit of a stink. Needless to say that got them going. Then the attendant had the audacity to tell me that if I wanted to use a wheelchair then I was going to always have to wait. Boy he picked the wrong person to say that to. After stating a few facts I then asked him if it meant that I was a second class citizen! He didn't say another word, but took me right to the luggage retrival. Once there I thanked him for his assistance (no reply) and told him I didn't need him anymore.
After gathering my one bag I headed out the door to my excited family waiting for me. But when I walked out I stood there looking for them! It took me a couple of minutes to find my parents sitting away from the entrance, mom yawning and dad (although blind) starring into space! After finding them, I advised them I was glad they were excited to see me (tongue in check). They thought I would be coming out in a wheelchair...so much for Air Canada service!
On the way to their home I realised why I love Melbourne so much. I felt like I had landed in a concrete jungle and to top it off there had been a huge propane gas explosion that morning. This propane depot was located in a residential area, there was one dead and hundreds evacuated from their homes with damage to homes like a bomb had gone off. The major highway that cuts across Toronto from east to west was closed so getting from the airport (located in the west) to my parents home (in the east) was in itself a chore! But we did eventually arrive and was very happy to see my sister, nephew and niece waiting for us.
We had a bit of a birthday party celebrating my sister's, neices and mine all in one. It was great to be able to actually give them their presents. I think the worst part about living half way around the world is not seeing them and being able to celebrate things like birthdays.
The first week seems like it was a whirlwind. With spending a night with my ex partner from the police force and his wife, to my nephews soccer game (which they won 7-3!), to spending a night at my sisters house, then taking a train to my best friends home almost 3 hours out of Toronto, then returning home via train to my parents.
If I thought the second week was going to get any better then I had better think again.
My sister Cindy had organised a lunch east of Toronto with two very good friends from my police force days, Bonnie and Deb. We went to Bonnie's home (I must admit my dream home!) and had a great afternoon with not only her and Deb, but also Bonnie's husband Mark and son Chad. It was a great catch up but again probably too short.
The next day I had put my foot down and told Cindy that it was a day for the girls. Unfortunatley my mom couldn't make it, she had a previous appointment with a surgeon for cataract surgery. So Cindy , my neice Lea and I had our own spa day, pampering ourselves with facials, foot baths and pedicure's. This was a good break in an otherwise busy week. Although I must admit that the next 3 days were great, spent in Northern Ontario on a lake. The weather reaching 28 degrees for most of the 3 days. My neice and nephew now being older (13 and almost 15) were great to be around and wanted to show me the skills they had now acquired behind a ski boat! Absolutely amazing, but then again they are my neice and nephew!
We also had another couple and their children join us, friends from high school days. What a blast to catch up with them and talk about other people from those days. Funny enough it turns out one guy I went to school with is now living in Melbourne! Talk about a small world.
It was then time to hit the road again and head back to Toronto for my last week in town. Today we attended the Toronto Island for a 5km walk/run in memory of my friend Deb's dad, who died of Prostate Cancer. Deb has run this for the last 8-10 years and although the weather man had called for thunderstorms today, the rain held off, the event had double the people from the last year and it was a huge success. I met up with other people I had worked with on the Toronto force, had a great catch up, my dad walked with my sister, while I babysat the bags and chatted. The rain waited until all the awards were given out and we were waiting for the ferry to take us back to the mainland. I told Deb that her dad must have been watching over her to hold the rain back!
So here I am now after having had a light dinner with mom and dad and catching up on my emails, facebook and blog. It has been a whirlwind 2 weeks but I have enjoyed every minute of it. I have even been able to fit in a 2 ergos a week so that I am not completely out of breath when I pick up my training in just over a weeks time. Athough I will be on the strictest diet when I get home! To much visiting, eating, drinking, eating and drinking!
I am now bracing myself for my last week in Toronto and I am certainly looking forward to catching up with more friends and family!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Heading home to Canada
I haven't said much since the end of May most likely because there hasn't been much to say. After finally coming to terms with our defeat in Munich, it was back to training and setting new goals. But that wasn't the only thing I had to think about in my life.
The charity event that I have set up was happening in Sydney for the first time in June, so had to do alot of planning for that and decided that it was best that I drive up there picking Margo (my aussie mom) up along the way.
The swim was held at the Sydney Olympic Pool and what an amazing place it is! We only had 7 teams entered but they raised a whopping $70,000! So Sydney will definitely be a good place for years to come for this event. Everyone enjoyed the event and I am sure that it will grow bigger and better next year. I also met some amazing people who were taking part and they have come to be pretty good friends, even if we don't know each other very well.
During June I also had to organise the lunch for the "Go For Gold Scholarships". This is what my events raise the money for. I am happy to say that we were able to present 4 scholarships in the amount of $1000, 19 scholarships in the amount of $3000 and 2 scholarships in the amount of $5000! So it was a very good lunch and gives me such satisfaction to be able to do this. It makes all the hard work during the year worthwhile to see the smiles and tears on the winners faces.
During all this I tried to keep training at a high rate and needless to say that lovely disease that I have decided to rear it's ugly head. Yes in almost two years I have not had a relapse but at the end of June my body rebelled. This landed me in hospital for 3 weeks, first for some Methyl-Prednesolone and then rehab. I think it was the gods way of kicking me in the butt to remind me that I still do have MS, so I just have to manage my life a bit better. I also think that because I was so fit I was able to overcome the relapse a lot quicker than ever. So I am back to training (however not as much) and slowly trying to regain my fitness.
In June I also decided that because I wasn't going to Beijing, maybe it was time to head back to Canada to visit family and friends. It has been over 3 years since I was there last, so it will be great to catch up with family and friends. I am only going for 3 weeks so I am sure that it will be a fun filled, action packed 3 weeks! Even better is the fact that my mom and dad have paid for the flight. My husband Russ was invited to come along, but he declined, something about looking after the dog (but we really know he hates flying)! So I am off on my own and the long flights begin again!
I will try to keep this blog updated over the next three weeks to keep track of the great reunions I am hoping to have.
The charity event that I have set up was happening in Sydney for the first time in June, so had to do alot of planning for that and decided that it was best that I drive up there picking Margo (my aussie mom) up along the way.
The swim was held at the Sydney Olympic Pool and what an amazing place it is! We only had 7 teams entered but they raised a whopping $70,000! So Sydney will definitely be a good place for years to come for this event. Everyone enjoyed the event and I am sure that it will grow bigger and better next year. I also met some amazing people who were taking part and they have come to be pretty good friends, even if we don't know each other very well.
During June I also had to organise the lunch for the "Go For Gold Scholarships". This is what my events raise the money for. I am happy to say that we were able to present 4 scholarships in the amount of $1000, 19 scholarships in the amount of $3000 and 2 scholarships in the amount of $5000! So it was a very good lunch and gives me such satisfaction to be able to do this. It makes all the hard work during the year worthwhile to see the smiles and tears on the winners faces.
During all this I tried to keep training at a high rate and needless to say that lovely disease that I have decided to rear it's ugly head. Yes in almost two years I have not had a relapse but at the end of June my body rebelled. This landed me in hospital for 3 weeks, first for some Methyl-Prednesolone and then rehab. I think it was the gods way of kicking me in the butt to remind me that I still do have MS, so I just have to manage my life a bit better. I also think that because I was so fit I was able to overcome the relapse a lot quicker than ever. So I am back to training (however not as much) and slowly trying to regain my fitness.
In June I also decided that because I wasn't going to Beijing, maybe it was time to head back to Canada to visit family and friends. It has been over 3 years since I was there last, so it will be great to catch up with family and friends. I am only going for 3 weeks so I am sure that it will be a fun filled, action packed 3 weeks! Even better is the fact that my mom and dad have paid for the flight. My husband Russ was invited to come along, but he declined, something about looking after the dog (but we really know he hates flying)! So I am off on my own and the long flights begin again!
I will try to keep this blog updated over the next three weeks to keep track of the great reunions I am hoping to have.
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