Winter fun...

This is the view from the top of the "groomed" toboggan run we have been perfecting since we got here. Tonight's excursion was the best yet seeing as there was at least a foot of powder to play in above the snow that had been there previously. Plus it was about -10 today, so the faces were seriously cold going down the hill. Bryce actually lost some feeling in his hand, which was the sacrifice he made from taking these photos. Good work, B!
The last run I took today, almost ran me right into the deck at the top of this photo.

Here is my nephew Asher and myself going up the hill for another run down. He was a pretty good sport about it, except when his face was filled with snow from going down the hill and getting the full face shots of snow. Always good to be the "safe aunt" sitting in the back and using my nephew as a face protector!!




The climb up the hill, and some "fancy" photography of the descent, done by Bryce. He was fiddling with flashes and shutter speeds, and I was just the model/subject who had a sore bum after taking run after run. No complaints though. It will be fun to look back on these photos in a few weeks while I am back in New Zealand, in the "hot sun" wearing jandals....
Just so you know...the forecast (which unlike NZ is usually pretty accurate 3 days ahead of time!) for tomorrow is -20 in the morning, plus the windchill. Brrr...

More Canadian Fun

We have been pretty busy during our trip and trying to get the winter perspective as much as possible. Several toboganning expeditions in the back yard; we have had 2 or 3 snowfalls since we've been here so the conditions have been good. We even caught Bryce go down the hill twice by himself one day, when no one else was outside.
Bryce and I went skiing/boarding at Blue Mountain (aka Blue "Hill") Ski Resort and had a full day of getting some practice in before we hit the Rockies next week.
The annual "girls party" was on Saturday night at Amy's and it was great to see all the ladies again. There was 13 of us all together this year, with 2 babies in tummies, ready to pop out in the next few months. Lots of changes going on, so it was neat to catch up with everyone.

On New Years, we went to Jody and Ian's wedding. We took a limo to and from the wedding, to avoid New Years traffic for cabs, etc; plus it was fun to get all dressed up and arrive in style. Jody's 7 year old son, Jackson walked her down the aisle and gave her away, which was very cute. His fantastic breakdancing later in the night was even cuter though!


Today, the first day of 2008, we woke up to a mini snowstorm and my mom thinks we got about 6 inches of snow. We definitely had enough to get out and have to shovel the driveway and bury each other in the snow. Its funny that what most Canadians would see as a chore, Bryce and I are excited to do. Mostly because we don't ever get to shovel snow. I guess if any Canadians would like the "excitement" of fixing ruts in a limestone sloped driveway after a massive rainfall, please feel free to come and visit and give her a go!

It is amazing how heavy snow can be and how weird it is to be buried underneath it.


So, great trip continues with a few more days chilling at my parents house, a surprise 30th birthday party that has stopped being a surprise (so I could look forward to it instead), and then we fly to Canmore to spend some time with Robyn and Lawrence in Alberta. More entries to come.
Hope you had a fantastic 2007. I know I did. I usually remember each year as my "age year" since I have a January birthday and I have loved being 29! People fret about turning 30, but I am hoping things just get better. If 29 allows to you to have more financial freedom than you have had before, more cardiovascular endurance than ever before and more career opportunities than before, then I can imagine 30 will involve more spending/shopping, more races (I am toying with the idea of running my first marathon this year), and a good year at my school. Sounds good to me!
Plus.....do I look like a 30 year old? Not likely.....

A Winter Christmas Update

Here is a picture from our backyard of me toboganning down the back hill. We had taken some care in "grooming" our trails and used shovels and our backsides to make the runs as good as possible (not necessarily as "smooth" as possible. We have also noticed that each day the tobogan runs get a little icier and therefore more bruise-worthy. The first victim down each trail truly takes a few moments to recover at the bottom before getting back on their feet. Truly great Canadian fun!!


Here is a picture of the whole family. We found out on Christmas morning that Kathy and Rob are expecting another baby in the summer (Canadian summer, that is), so that makes two new babies on the way, 10 adults and 5 toddlers right now. What a great day it was on Boxing Day to have everyone in the same house. Loud, but good to see everyone and to see the cousins all hanging out.


This is a picture from the kitchen window of the backyard, looking at two deer that have been visiting while we have been in Canada. What a nice treat to see "real" wildlife in the back yard. Squirrels, Raccoons, skunks, deers, fat cats and my mom is convinced there is some other type of monster/animal that has a weird musk that we have smelt outside at night; as of yet, we have yet to witness it. It may go down in the story books somewhere with the Abominable Snowman.....

Funny story from the other night. We were all sitting around playing a board game called Catch Phrase (my parents, my two brothers and their wives and Bryce and I). I was sitting with my feet under the coffee table and felt like I had a rough toenail so I was picking at it (read on, I guarantee the story gets better) and ripped a few pieces off my toenail. I looked around and didn't know where to put these things so I found a pop/fizzy drink can that was empty and threw them in there, and didn't think about them again. So, we just finished playing the game and having lots of laughsand then Tim (my oldest brother) decided to take a drink from his pop can. Little did he know that his little sister had tainted the contents.
The next thing I know, I am looking at my brother's face which is filled with disgust, and he is curiously looking at his fingers which are holding the piece of toenail that he has just pulled from his mouth. He couldn't figure out what had scratched his throat after taking a sip of his pop (the can I had assumed was finished and already garbage). Ooops. Very funny though. The room was roaring; a great family memory.
Going skiing tomorrow and just loving being here. More updates to come.

In Canada!!

So, here I sit, at my parents computer in Canada, looking through the computer screen I so often see from the "other side" when I talk to them on Skype. Still can't really believe I am here, I have missed being home so much. I DO love New Zealand, but sometimes its just nice to be at "home". I had a nice "Daddy/Daughter night" tonight, dinner and Christmas shopping with my dad. it wasn't as productive as we have been in the past, but I think we were just enjoying each others company more and not as focused on actual shopping.
There is SO much snow here. I would like to get some photos on here, but it will have to wait until I get back, seeing as our camera is weird that way. But you really should see this: so much snow that most corners are dodgy for drivers because of the snowbanks being in the way of vision, deer climbing around the backyard looking for food to graze on but not finding any because the snow is up to their stomachs, huge snowplows that are easily 1-2 highway lanes wide that were used at the airport to creat even BIGGER snowbanks. And then of course, all the boots and slush that are everywhere. The coolest are on my nephew Asher, who has funky boots that light up when he stomps. He and Abby (my niece) are just so rugged up with fleece and puffy jackets when we go outside, its very cute. And its very cold. And it gets dark at 5pm. A huge change for a girl who has been seeing sunsets at 9pm and who got sunburnt last weekend. So I freeze in this country, but also itch because I am "peeling". What an odd phenomenon.
Bryce arrives late on Friday night, so it will be great when he gets to see the winter Christmas we have been gifted this year. Lots of fun plans ahead. Will keep you posted.

Movember is over.....

So I liked the Mo while it was here, but after Bryce shaved it, I must say, I'm happy the old look is back. He no longer looks like he should be wearing a sombrero, or driving a big old motorbike, so it's good.
The night he shaved it off, he decided to do a Mo-Show and shaved off little bits and then showed off the "new look". Pretty creepy at times, but a good laugh. Thought I should share....

We did it!

So, after all the training, and long hours on the bike, we both achieved our goal at the Taupo race this year. Bryce was training for 2 laps of the lake, 320km in total and I was aiming to beat my time on 1 lap (160km). Bryce started his race at 1:30am with Carl and Denise in the Giant van as his support crew. There were 54 other mad people, like Bryce who were at the start line early in the morning, and all of them keen to get around the lake as fast as possible so that the second lap wasn't taking too long. Bryce completed the race in 10 hours and 55 minutes and was thrilled. He had hoped to do it in less than 12 hours, so needless to say, he was smiling most of the night after the ride. I have done the race by myself (other saner people do it in groups of 2 or 4 to split up the distance) 2 times before this year and each time was over 7 hours (7:05 and 7:10). This year I did it in 6hours 11 minutes. So I was very happy with the outcome of all the hard training I had put in too. Rachel, Mark and Jess all rode around the lake too, each with great results. So all in all, everyone had a fantastic day/weekend and although I was hurting throughout the race and vowing never to do it again....I may be reconsidering and wondering if I have it in me to go under 6 hours. My butt hurts a lot less than it did on Saturday after the ride and I even treated myself to a massage tonight, so I am feeling pretty good post-event.
The question is then......what next?

Wild Wellington 12 Hr Relay

Bryce was part of a team (with Carl-who organised the Colorado trip that Bryce went on in June, Warwick and Josh) in the 12 hr MTB relay on Saturday on Mt Victoria in the heart of Wellington. (Brian-on the left-is from Colorado but was visiting last weekend and rode for another team, still wearing the Colorado shirt and supporting Carl's business).
It was nice to be close to the city and essentially, close to home. We have always had to drive to Rotorua to do these types of races so it was nice to not have 5 hours drive home "the day after" the race. Bryce and his team came 2nd, only 1 lap behind the 1st place team, who were essentially made up of pro-elite riders (but not a full lap, the boys worked hard to make sure they weren't "lapped"). Bryce's team was actually in 1st place about 6 hours into the race (not for the whole of the 1st 6 hours, but for a little bit during 1 or 2 laps)! So all in all, they did quite well, although he was shattered the next day, he is ready and waiting for the big 320km ride this weekend.
I am doing 160km and therefore only 1 lap of Lake Taupo (like most people) but Bryce will be heading around the Lake, riding through Taupo township and then riding out of town for ANOTHER LAP!!
Looking forward to the weekend, and to how we both will do and to the jacuzzi we have at the house we have rented!
On another note, it is less than a month until we travel back to Canada for Christmas and I am so excited! So many people and new babies to catch up with, and new pregnant bellies to view (Kristie, Laurie and Andrea!!)
School is going well, wrapping up for the end of the year so busy getting the new ones for next year tested and organised. Volleyball season is just finishing up and the Senior girls won the finals and the Junior girls won the semi-finals tonight so we shall see how they go next week. I have been coaching both teams this year, but feeling quite proud of the successes we have been having, so it's been worth it. Our Tuesday night Volleyball Club (community) has been going well too. I did get yellow carded two weeks ago, but I swear, I was just kidding. I didn't mean to throw the ball at that girl's head. Truly.

Movember

So, here is my hunk of spunk and his tribute to "Mo"vember. Men in New Zealand (and it seems it is catching on all over now) have brought back the "Mo" as a way to draw attention to the reality of Prostate Cancer and how too many men don't get themselves checked out until it's too late. Bryce is not fundraising (this year) but is still supporting the cause by "looking cool". You be the judge. Its all over in December though.

Carl and Denise's Wedding

Well, they finally did it. After dating for 12 years, Carl and Denise got married on Saturday at a gorgeous winery just outside of Napier. The theme of the night seemed to be "Good things take time" which seemed fitting being at a winery. The weather was great and it didn't start raining until we were inside for dinner. Denise was gorgeous and reminded me of Snow White with her jet-black hair and red lips. Really, she was stunning.
Bryce looked very handsome too, as Best Man and gave a very good speech. It was a great night and it was fun to catch up with everyone. I really like the pic of Bryce and I when the photographer Anita, caught us laughing in between poses.

Tour of Waikanae 2007

So Bryce completed his 100KM mountain bike race in good form last weekend. He was dry retching at the 65km mark but came right after some food and some good distraction from some friends. This weekend he competed in a team relay called the Motu Challenge and completed a 70ish mountain bike ride. So his training is going well.
Today I did the Tour of Waikanae which was a lap race of 25km and you had your choice of doing 1, 2, 3 or 4. I did 4 and completed 100km in 3hr:46:46. I even had a sprint finish with another guy so I definitely had some energy at the end. I think I have sorted out how to eat properly for these long races and that made a huge difference. For Robyn and any other racing geeks out there, I spent 3 hours above 80% of my max heart rate, my average was 27.1 km/hr, (but was 27.6 for the first 50km) and I burnt about 3000 kcal! I am thrilled with my ride and pretty happy with the amount of training I have been doing, so it makes it all worth it. The only problem is that the Taupo race is 60km longer and has many, many, many more hills (considering the race today had only 1 hill). The results showed that I came 8th female overall for the 100km and 6th in my age category. Pretty happy really!
It was a massively windy day so it was nice to have the tailwinds at times to rest in (even though the crosswinds and headwinds were pretty exhausting). Mark and Rachel each did 50km and they enjoyed the challenge as a good prep for the Taupo race. We still have over a month to go before the ride so I better get moving. More training to do!
Next weekend, Carl and Denise's wedding!!

I think he might be missing a few screws.....

Well, we are off this weekend to Rotorua yet again, to "challenge the forest" to Bryce's endurance, or the other way around..... This is a crucial part of Bryce's training for the 2 laps of Lake Taupo at the end of next month (320km on the road). Like I said, a few screws might be missing.....Truthfully, I am very proud of him and think he'll be thrilled at the end of this season with all he has accomplished with his body this season. It will make him ready for a Canadian winter full of lethargy and eating!!
So here is a link to the copy of the map of the race course for Sunday, 100km on mountainbike trails. It won't mean much to many of you, except for the fact that it is obviously very long. Wish him luck!! Not looking for a place....just to finish!

http://www.n-duro.co.nz/series/evcmaps.php

P.S. For those of you who were worried....it's warmer here today!

CK is cold!

I am sometimes reminded that New Zealand is not the tropical set of islands that many Canadians think of when I tell them where I live. And today is one of those days. I am not sure exactly how cold it is outside, and its not nearly as cold as a Canadian winter.....but when you are expecting it to be Spring and you were wearing flip flops and t-shirts the other day, you don;t expect to have frozen fingers while typing at a computer! I think its worse knowing that my friends and family back home are experiencing an unusually long summer with gorgeous highs of 30 most days.... At least summer is around the bend. However, Bryce and I will be back in the full of winter since we are going home to Canada for Christmas! Ah well, the things you do for family!

Pirate Party

One of our friends had a birthday party and said it was a Pirate Party, so here is our attempt at looking like pirates and wenches. Personally, I am still impressed with my tinfoil swords...
From left: John, Kim, me, Bryce and Clare.
Bryce was an "All-Black" pirate since the AllBlacks game was on from the World Cup that night too.

Never run with a fork....

A classic....Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell

An Eruption!!

This picture shows the volcanoes in Tongariro National Park. On the right, the cone shaped volcano is Mt Ngauruhoe, and the bigger one on the right is Mount Ruapehu.

I have been saying since I got to NZ that I wish I had seen Mount Ruapehu erupt. It erupted in style in 1995 and was still steaming in 1996. Since then nothing, but Bryce and others mention how cool it looked back in the day. I say this all with the hope that if another one occurred I would hope it wasn't massive and devastating. I just think seeing evidence at how the earth is alive would be cool. We attempted to see lava in Hawaii, but poor planning (like not a lot of water or sandals with no socks on glass-like rock) and hot hot weather just didn't make it happen.
So anyway, last night Ruapehu came through for me, even if it was just a little burst. It erupted with some steam and ash that was sent straight up. Some debris actually landed on a tramper who got trapped and was in a serious condition. He seems to be the only one that got hurt from anything though. There were two lahars (massive mudslides mixed with rock) down the mountain but nothing that got in anyone's way. A little bit of excitement. At least I can say that I have been here while Ruapehu erupted!

Flight of the Conchordes

We have heard that our favourite folk duo from NZ is making it big in the US but not sure how much my fellow Canadians have heard. Enjoy, and if you like them, check out more of their songs on Youtube.

some more pics...

These are some pics from the half marathon I did in Taupo at the beginning of August. It was a cold, day, right by the lake with some yucky winds at times. I had two massive bursts of energy and adrenalin during the race but they were around halfway and 15km, not so much near the end. The end was miserable and very difficult to finish!! Lucky they were giving out massive Chocolate Fish (marshmallow yummy bars) at the finish line. Thats the only reason I do these things: the edible rewards!

10 Km run, last Sunday

So, I did another running race. Yep, my family keeps telling me (or more like I over hear them telling others) that I am weird to be doing this racing stuff. I like it though. It keeps me fit, or at least it allows me to eat what I want and not feel guilty about it. Plus, I like seeing what else my body "the machine" (he he) is able to accomplish. Don't see myself trying to climb Everest anytime soon, nor do I even think a full marathon appeals to me at this stage, but I do like seeing if I can keep running faster. So I am busy training for the big bike race around Lake Taupo (160km) again, which is in late November but had decided to try a 10km running race in the midst of the training. Did that in Petone on Sunday and did my personal best time for a 10km. Mind you, most of the time when I do 10km its only being in the halfway of a half-marathon, so its not like I am going "full-out" at that point anyway. I really enjoyed the race though, because it was shorter and therefore I DID feel like I could give it heaps and not worry about "lasting" the distance. I aimed for 55 minutes to try to beat Robyn's PB but achieved 57 minutes instead. I was passing lots of ladies and 1 man at the end though, so I felt like a winner on the day. Biggest frustration though was that the prizegiving was at 1:30 and I finished my race at 9:30 and wasn't keen on hanging around for 4 hours to maybe get a prize. Turns out I should have. I heard from 2 friends later that my name was called out for one of the major spot prizes! They were giving away portable DVD players and weekend getaways and all sorts of stuff and this is the ONE prizegiving I didn't go to. Sucks. Ah well. But it would have been cool....

This guy that I live with....

Yep, so Bryce has kicked my butt into gear and says that I need to update this more often, so tonight is a tribute to him. I will aim to get the most recent photos and stories on the blog to catch y'all up with Ckdownunder.
First up, we had a wicked lunar eclipse view a few weeks ago and it was a stellar night here so in between the times we got too cold to stay outside, Bryce and I nestled in our down jackets under the stars and watched the moon turn red. It was very cool. They say that back in the day, the ancient chinese thought that when the moon went red it was the "big dragon" coming to Earth, or something like that. I can imagine though, if you set all your timing, your planting crops, etc..etc, by the moon cycles and then one day the moon goes all red and eery, you might be thinking something random is happening. Not sure why they went the route of "dragon worry".....