Victoria is winter camping

Victoria, my youngest daughter is in grade 12 and in her final year is taking a co-op, a 4 credit course on survival training orienteering etc. Tonight is the classes first overnight sleep out, but it is only a trial run for the real thing later in the semester out in the wilderness for a 3 niter later in the year. Basicly the teacher wants to see how they make out on this trial run in case there is problems with any of the kids, to see if they can handle ruffing it with the comfort of the school near by just in case. So tonight's over niter is at the high school football fields.


Earlier today at school the kids in the class had to set up shelters using what materials that where available, mostly snow! there are 4 or five groups of 4 or 5 kids and they basically made snow forts/walls, and used some tarps and what ever wood was available in there designated area of the fields and are suppose to sleep out all night. Also they will not have potty privileges, if they have to go, they will have to go in their out door latrine they built earlier in the day.

All the kids are prepared with proper winter gear, sleeping bags, cloths, etc, as set out by the course curriculum, which they all had to buy pryer to the start of the course, so they should be OK. In the morning they are expected to go to there class for the rest of the day.

Tonight of all nights is not a good night to have a outdoor sleep over!?!? The weather is horrible with freezing temps going down to -10C and high winds with a wind chill of -20C and snow squalls calling for 4-6inches of snow over night!!

I'm sure they will survive the night, I'm just glad it's them and not me! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

Mom went in for Breast Cancer surgery today.

My mom's surgery went well.

My sister and I took my mom to the hospital this morning for her scheduled mastectomy surgery. She was booked for 10am surgery and we had to be there for 8am.

We got to the hospital just before 8am and they took her right away, my sister went in with her for the pre-op stuff, ( changing into hosp garb, weighing, checking her cloths etc, which took about an hour before taking my mom down to the pre-op-op? that's when my sister came back to tell me what's going on, then my sister and I went to the cafeteria for coffee and cake while we waited.

2 hours later my mom was out of surgery and in recovery. Everything went well. My sister was going to drive my mom back to her home after recovery, so with my mom out of surgery and at least an 1 1/2hrs in recovery, I left to go to the pool for my swim and would meet them back at my moms house.

After my swim I went to my moms house and the timing couldn't be better. They just got home about 15 min before I arrived. My mom was looking and feeling good and sitting up watching TV. I visited for a few hours to make sure things were good and decided to go home as everything was under control.

My sister and her 13yr old daughter Jessica were going to stay with mom the rest of today. Jessica will be staying over night and the rest of the weekend with my mom to help out, which she doesn't mind because she is getting out of going to school tomorrow to.

Tomorrow I'll visit before going into work, and on the weekend the rest of the family will visit to.

Best Job in the world

I just applied on line for the best job in the world.

What job is it?



The Best Job in the World – Island Caretaker Great Barrier Reef.

Tourism Queensland is seeking applicants for the best job in the world! The role of Island
Caretaker is a six-month contract, based on luxurious Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier
Reef. It’s a live-in position with flexible working hours and key responsibilities include
exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef to discover what the area has to offer.
You’ll be required to report back on your adventures to Tourism Queensland
headquarters in Brisbane (and the rest of the world) via weekly blogs, photo diary, video
updates and ongoing media interviews. On offer is a unique opportunity to help promote
the wondrous Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

About the job package.

Living above the Great Barrier Reef is a pretty unique benefit, but the successful
candidate will also be paid a salary package of AUD $150,000 for the six-month contract.

If picked? You’ll receive return airfares from your nearest capital city (in your home country),
accommodation and transport on Hamilton Island, travel insurance for the contract period,
computer, internet, digital video and stills cameras access, plus travel to a number of the
other Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. The six-month contract commences 1st July
2009.


I sent my application in today and I'm already packed and ready to go! Pick me! Pick me! It's the perfect job for me. : - )

Can't run in the cold

Yesterday I ran my first 10k outside in the cold with temperatures hovering around -1c, it was sunny with a little wind but the wind was bone chilling. I managed to run it just under 1hr which at this stage of my running game is good, my knee was a little sore at the start of the run but worked out a bit as i went on and didn't bother me to much, I had more problems with over all joint pains in my ankles both knees and hips then my one bad knee on my run, because of arthritis.

I just hope the weather heats up some more and spring comes faster so I can do more running outside. I hate running in the cold! I know February is suppose to be cold, it is winter after all, but I need to get my outdoor running going if I'm going to race well in Ottawa at my first stand alone marathon in May, and I'm not going to do it well if its to cold for me to run outside......Call me a wimp! but it's not that I don't want to run outside in the cold, it's that I can't run outside in the cold because of my arthritis in my joints and it hurts to run in the cold..... : < (