Exploring La Paz

While we only planned to sleep for a hour, it was 9am before we raised our heads from the pillow. Obviously we needed the rest!

Breakfast was served in a cute patio outside our room. A buffet of toast,cereal, tea and juice. Being late to rise we arrived just as the other guests all left. A piece of toast and tea for each of us and we were ready to explore the city.
Normally we would just hit the streets and hope we were going in the right direction. Today we decided to stop and book a city tour before we left the hotel. It was scheduled for 1:30 so we had several hours to explore on our own .
All the streets of La Paz look like a market, with women and men lining the edge of the sidewalk to sell their wares. Fresh fruit, vegetables,spices and nuts all ready for you to buy. The small stores behind the sidewalk were like small kiosks, packed full with everything you could possibly need. We later learned that each street was designated for specific goods. Tools on one street, electronics on another and all types of clothing another. It just feels like a big farmer's market and the prices extremely inexpensive. For the equivalent of $4 Cdn you can purchase a great pair of jeans. If only my backpack wasn't close to full before leaving home...lol. We decided not to purchase anything quite yet as we have a long way to go.

After exploring the streets for a few hours it was time for some lunch. Looking for any sign that indicated restaurant we found one that was filled with Bolivians. Keeping to our belief that if the locals eat here it must be a good place, we went in and took a seat. A few minutes later the waiter brought us each a green salad. The interesting fact was we had yet to see the menu, but the salad arrived and we ate it. Next an interesting very large bowl of vegetable soup arrived. Not sure exactly what it was we ate it. Thinking that was probably it, we thought there is nothing wrong with a nice soup and salad for lunch. Much to our surprise a few minutes later the main entree arrived. Rice and some type of hamburger meat. I was already full so we only accepted one serving. We decided we better ask for the bill before they brought us anymore food. It was all extremely tasty but we honestly couldn't eat another bite. Having no idea how much our meal cost we headed up to the cash register to learn that including tip we had spent a whopping $7.
It was time to head back to the hotel to start our city tour.

The best $30 we ever spent. We had our own personal tour guide and driver who took us through the streets of La Paz. Like every city it has its very poor sections and very rich sections. The difference is that the rich people live in the center of town and the poor live high on the hills surrounding the core of the city. Red brick houses blend into the red rock of the mountain side. Truly a site to see. The center of town is at the lowest elevation in the area and the streets leading away from the core are a steep climb upward.
Did I mention La Paz is the highest capital city in the world at 13,000 ft above sea level? That being said we did find ourselves a bit breathless after a few climbs.

The tour then took us to the Valle de la Luna or in English The Valley of the Moon. I am not sure that words can even describe the view. The most interesting eolic formations caused by erosion. We walked over narrow paths to view the sites and shapes etched into the rocks. A little unnerving as we carefully made our way arouund formations.

From here we saw the highest soccer field in the world and the made our way back to the center of town.

10- 29-6 in 15 hours

Jumping into the cab in Calgary it was +10 out as we headed for the airport. Our journey to Boliva was about to begin. The first leg of the trip would take us to Housten, were we quickly found the temperature to be +29. Even in the airport it was hot. With 1 hour between flights we grapped a quick bite to eat, as we looked out over the flat plains of Housten. This would be a great place to run a marathon with not a hill in sight. It was then on to La Pas. The pilot announced we would arrive at 5:30 in the morning and the temperature was a bombie +6. That didn't seem to bad, but plus six at 13,000 feet above sea level was cold!

Clearing customs went extremely smooth and our packbacks were waiting for us as we approached the baggage carousel. We remarked on how smoothly everything had gone as we hailed a taxi to take us down, down, down, into town. All I could think of "is I hope he had the brakes checked recently". Six in the morning and people were already making thier way to work. Yet not one building appeared to be open as medal garage doors covered every entrance. Not to worry our hotel is open 24/7. As we approached the address on our hotel all I could see was darkeness and locked iron rail gates. Sure enough the taxi driver dropped us outside a completely locked up hotel and there we stood with our packs wondering what to do next?
Having watched a little too much Jersey Shore, Randy figured there had to be a way in and started to knock on the door. Eventually, the night clerk heard the knocking and came to let us in.

We were safe and sound in our hotel, which was beautiful inside the large doors. Randy much too excited to sleep wanted to start exploring, the hotel at least. After a quick tour around the hotel he came back to our room where I was already asleep. Hoping to get a few hours of rest before we started to explore the city.

Treated like a Princess

The last day of work before we head off on three weeks holidays also happened to be my birthday. I am a little funny about my birthday. Part of me doesn't want people to make a fuss but another part wants them to remember. This year was no different as I didn't mention my birthday was coming up to anyone.

Then my friends from work booked the evening for our monthly poker night. Should I go? Would it ruin anyone elses plans, I wondered. Finally I committed it would be a fun evening and knowing my friends they would have a small celebration for me too. So the plan was to spend the evening with my work friends.

About 3:30 I received an email telling me to be ready to leave work at 4:30 sharp, and someone would be there to pick me up. That is when the mystery and the Princess treatment started. I was assured that the hostess of our poker party had been advised I wouldn"t be attending.

At 4:30 my staff informaed my that my chariot was waiting. A luxurious white limo was waiting to wisk me away. Where we were going I do not know, so I sat back and enjoyed the ride. 45 minutes later I was at Jenn's house and Skylar, Chris and Jenn came out to meet me. But of course by then I had to run into their house for a quick pit stop. No problem but when we went to leave only Jenn was coming with me. Now where? She wasn't about to tell me anything. Only that Autumn was supposed to be coming with us but unfortunately she wasn't feeling well.
Finally the limo stopped at Chinook Mall and Jenn handed me a handfull of gift certificates. We had 1 1/2hours to shop until we dropped. What could I possibly spend all that money on?

What I have been saying for a long time is I would like good sunglasses. I mean really I am the only one in the family wearing $50 non-polarized glasses. So to Sunglass Hut we went. With Jenn's help, 15 minutes later I had a brand new pair of sunglasses. Never before had I spent that much money on me for glasses but darn I look cool. There is truly a difference when you wear polarized glasses. Everything is so much clearer!

Then to get a dress. We found the most amazing salesgirl at BCBG. She picked out a variety of dresses, inexpensive, expensive, a variety of colors and styles. In the end her recommendation which I would probably never have looked at on the hanger was a burgundy t-shirt dress, and the least expensive one at that. It looked so good that Jenn ended up getting one too!!

With 20 mintes left, what next? Boots of course! Nine West just happened to be right around the corner. Our only challenge was that there was two pair I really liked, but today was splurge day so we decided on the black suade boots with a gold zipper up the back.

Then it was a quick trip to the washroom to change into my new dress and boots. The limo was waiting. Jenn and I jumped in and the driver opened a bottle of champagne for us. We both felt like royalty as we sipped our drinks and headed back downtown. As the limo pulled up in front of the Calgary Tower, Randy was there to greet me. The limo would take Jenn home and Randy and I would have a romantic dinner for two at the top of the tower.

The food was great, the view fantastic and we enjoyed an amazing evening of conversation and romance. It wasn't until 3 hours later that we were ready to head home. I couldn't even imagine a nicer birthday. Thank you Randy for planning such a special evening and for arranging for Jenn to share it with us. It was perfect!!

When Opportunities Come Your Way

Sometimes an opportunity you would never have even imagined is presented in the most unusual way but makes you stop and think. For several months now I had been thinking about retiring from RBC. After 32 years of breathing and living Royal Bank it was time to explore something new. I had thought that something new would start with 2 or 3 months off to relax and research where our travels would take us. The plan was November 2012, we would travel to Baan Unrak, Thailand for 6 months. From there we would see where the road takes us.

But then opportunity came knocking. Why Angela sent me a job posting for the Interim Executive Director of the Women in Need Society, we will never truly know. Was it because she wanted to determine if we knew a great candidate within our personal network? Was it that she thought I might convince Randy it was a great opportunity for him? Did she think I might be interested? The answer is probably a combination of all three, and definitely I was intrigued. But instead of the interim position, I wanted to explore the permanent role.

The challenge of running four thrift stores that are presently not producing to their potential is exciting. With the leadership and business skills I have developed over the years at RBC, I am confident I can increase profits and help that many more women in Calgary. All I needed to do was convince the recruiter that an individual successful in the corporate world could also be successful in the non-profit world. The recruiter turned out to be the easy challenge. The board however was a different story. It took 3 interviews and a completed 1 year business plan to win them over but I finally did. To be fair I did get lots of coaching and support from Randy who critiqued my application and submissions every step of the way. Honestly a business is a business and regardless of who benefits from the profits the management and leadership skills required are the same. OK the rules may be different and every project appears to be called a Program, but people management and sales skills are transferable from one business to another.

I had full confidence I would be awarded the position. Why? Because when trying to decide whether to apply for the position I had my good friend Candace read my cards. Now anyone who knows me well would think for a normally very practical, analytical, straight laced (?) individual making a decision based on a card reading would be the last thing i would do. However I really believe in the cards. The few times I have had them read they have never led me astray.

So what did I ask the cards? Should I leave RBC and go for the opportunity at WINS. Their response was retirement lays ahead of you, that a younger woman will help you achieve your goal and you will be extremely successful. So without a second thought I went for it! The younger woman, my good friend Angela, who just so happens to be chairman of the board. Although I am not sure she is that much younger..lol.

Now rather than retiring to a life of leisure and travel, I will probably be working harder than I have in years. Going to a world where I have so much to learn! Officially I start November 1st, 2011. The reality I started September 1st, 2011, juggling both roles for a few months.

I am excited, nervous, anxious and can hardly wait to jump in with both feet as I start the next chapter of my journey through life, with my husband by my side every step of the way.

The Coolest Run Ever

The Energizer bunnies run at night. Well maybe we aren't bunnies but we did run. The promise of a headlight and a fluorescent t-shirt and Jenn, Randy and I were keen to sign up to run Calgary's first Energizer Night race. August 13th, 2011, turned out to be a gorgeous, warm night. The perfect temperature for running, Along with 1500 other dedicated runners we met at Glenmore reservoir for a 5k or 10k run in the dark. There was excitement in the air as we waited for the race to begin.

So visualize running along the park path where the road in front of you is lite by the participants headlights and all you see is light after light moving along the path.It is so hard to describe. So so very cool. As you circle the path the route is lite by a thousand headlights and best yet the full moon above.

Some days you have a good run and others days not so good but this night we all had our best run ever. Jenn ran her first 5K run in a record time of 35 minutes. I am so proud of her. Only 2 months earlier running a kilometer was a challenge and today she conquered her first 5k race. All that training paid off.

Randy had challenged me to complete the 10k race in less than a hour and the thought panicked me. My quickest 10k to date was 1 hour 12 minutes. I never professed to be fast just to do my best and enjoy the run. Just before the race we agreed to target 1 hour 10 minutes. No problem I thought I Can do it and when the gun went off I was ready to go. My legs felt strong and heart rate was under control. At one point Randy actually coached me to slow down, afraid I would burn myself out in the first 5 k. He is a really good coach! The first loop felt great, although it is only a mean race director that makes you run past the finish line twice. The second loop I still felt good. As we approached the last kilometer heading towards the finish line we started to run full speed. For a fleeting moment I worried that I may have started the final push to soon. What if I couldn't keep this speed up for a full kilometer? As luck would have it i had the energy to charge the finish line, crossing in 1 hour 6 minutes and 38 seconds. A personal best. There is nothing better than crossing the line with your husband. Sweating and breathless we celebrated with a huge hug!

To add to the excitement of the evening, Nicole an account manager on my team had started running this year as a result of listening to all my stories and tales of my training runs and races. So she and her husband had decided to run in the Energizer run, but we missed each other at the start line. As Randy and I crossed the finish line there was Nicole. She finished 8 seconds ahead of us. Her personal 10k best.. Another person in my life I was proud of that evening.

Filled with excitement Randy and I headed off to find Jenn who had patiently waited for us after her 5k race. We were all energized, excited and full of pride as we all celebrated our success, reliving every moment of the race.

Eleven o'clock at night we headed for home knowing we would be back out in a few hours for our Sunday morning 14k training run..

What a night!!!

Only in Canada

Three years since we made the trek to Jasper, it was definitely time for a girls trip back to one of our favorite spots in this wonderful country. What better time than the July 1st, 2011, Canada Birthday to start our summer adventure.

Now when I say summer, we need to qualify that we when we left Calgary it was 26%, sunny and very warm. So of course we packed shorts, tank tops and just for good measure threw a sweater in the suitcase at the last minute. Thursday afternoon we were on our way. Arriving shortly after 10 pm, Nicole and I woke the other 3 ladies up, who had snuggled into bed to a great nights sleep. Who goes to bed at 10 pm, when it is still light out??

Cottage #1 was to be our home for the next week and the celebration of arriving went on for the next 2 hours, at which time we were already for bed.

Friday morning we are up and ready to start our first hike for the week. Edith Cavell it would be. We hadn't climbed the trail but once, probably 18 years ago and remembered the gorgeous, yet challenging climb up the trail and through the switchback path in the upper meadow. Dressed in shorts, t-shirts and packing lots of water in preparation for a rigorous climb we were ready to leave.

Now back to the conversation of the starting the summer... before we reached the car we were back into the cabin for pants, sweaters, coats and raincoats. It was darn cold outside. Yes we kept the water. Reaching the parking lot at the start of the pass it was snowing, then it rained, then it snowed a bit more, Only in Canada, can you move through all four seasons in one day. Not to be discouraged by the weather we began our hike.

Now an interesting fact if you ever plan to hike Edith Cavell is that due the Woodland Caribou, dogs are not allowed on the upper meadow trails. Apparently an endangered species, threaten by dogs. No problem, poor Lily would spend a few hours in the car resting. This was perfectly safe as it certainly wasn't hot out and she would be fine in the car.

I should have mentioned to get to the beginning of the trail it is a 14km very windy car ride straight up the mountain. Unfortunately the drive had a negative impact on Laurel, who suffered the discomfort of car sickness. A trouper she took a Gravel, but suggested we stick to the lower loop up to the glacier. So we did. Still a great hike as we followed the path towards the glacier. The path quickly changed to a very faint and then non-existent path over rocks and boulders pushed down to the base of the glacier. The only thing is that 20 years ago where we were walking had been covered by the glacier. The impact of global warming is very evident. Looking up we saw the Angel Glacier. Her wings span over the mountains and the vision is very clear. We are so happy we were able to visit the glacier as investigation indicates it is not expected to retain its distinct shape for much longer.

The mountain was named for Edith Cavell in 1916. She was an English nurse executed by the Germans in world war one for helping allied soldiers escape thru Belgium. A brave lady she was!

A round trip back to the car and I can definitely feel my ankles for having climbed over all the rocks. It was time to take Lily for a walk. Somehow we headed back up the loop. Taking a short cut across the valley we limited the extensive challenge of most of rocks we previously crossed and headed back to the car. It had been a great afternoon of climbing, hiking and lots of fresh air. Yes we had earned our reward of Nachos at Jasper Park Lodge. A tradition from our hikes in 90's.

A short drive to the lodge and we are back in heaven. Peaceful, a gorgeous view and the air smells amazing, but darn it is still cold. So forsaking eating outside into the lodge we went. A table by the window and we are warm and happy. Scouring the menu, Nachos are no where to be found. How can this be? Not to be discouraged we asked and they are no longer offered as a menu item, but our waiter would ask the kitchen since they weren't to busy today. 10 minutes later our nachos arrived. We are all very happy campers. The table got very quiet as we devoured the food. Content and full we were ready for another hike. We got Lily from the car and headed around the path of Lake Beauvert. Probably one of my most favourite 3 km hikes around the lake in front of the lodge. Along the way we heard tons of laughter as we approached several young men on the edge of the lake. What possibly could be so funny? AS we got closer they were eager to share as they continued to laugh in hysterics. They had dared one fellow to jump into the freezing cold, glacier feed lake. He took the dare, dropping his pants and jumping into the water. Of course we walked up before he had his pants back on and his friends(?) had captured the event on their cameras and were more than eager to show us. They were more than embarrassed and we are thinking very drunk. I bet they will tell the story for years of how he got caught baring all in front of 5 old ladies. Too funny!!

Finishing our walk, we were all tired and ready to get back to our cottage for a rest and dinner before we head into the town of Jasper for the Canada Day fireworks tonight at 11:30pm. Way past our bedtime but we will force ourselves to stay up.

The beginning of each new year always finds me reflecting on the past year, like where did it go so quickly, did I achieve all I planned to, where did I spend all my money, how could I possibly have spent it all, did I spend enough time with friends and family, and what will this year bring?

Funny how the custom of making New Years resolutions is always about doing better. I think this year I will just congratulate myself for having an extremely eventful year and plan to have another one in 2011.

But I still did that reflection thing. 2010 was a fabulous year. Building on the self confidence I gained in 2009, travelling through Thailand, I continued to strenghten both my physical and mental health. There is nothing better than feeling that you have never been in better shape or had more confidence than you do now. No matter what age you are, you know that you are never going to get younger and always need to work against the challenges of age, but if you are at your best today, maybe tomorrow will only be better. Is it possible? Of course!

The fun of keeping a blog is knowing when we are 80, sitting in a rocker on the porch we can pull up the blog and share the adventures and memories of days gone by with the grandchildren. If our memory fails us we can relive our adventures all over again..lol.

Now the challenge of course is that you keep the blog up to date. Of course I haven't, which probably speaks to why I was never successful keeping a diary as a kid. So maybe I will catch up first of all.

2010 was a year of working on The Plan.

The first step was to sell the house and move to a small condo downtown. When I say small I mean really small. 600 square feet. Moving from a 2500 sq.ft., 4 bedroom house to the condo meant it was necessary to do a significant downsize our material possessions. Garage sales, give aways to the kids, numerous trips to the Thrift store and lots and lots of trips to the dump, saw 3/4s of our possessions find new homes. Tears of joy and sadness rolled down my face as a happy little girl walked away with her new special treasure from my doll collection.. I am still sure that a box of clothing must be missing because how could I possibly have only this limited amount of clothes left? Anything too big, too small, slightly worn out, out of style or just not cool was given away.

What we kept: our bed, the massage chair; dishes, only 4 of each item, golf clubs, skis, camping gear and photo albums. Oh yes, and 1/2 my doll collection and Randy's fish.

For the first time we didn't purchase a freshly renovated or brand new home, so we decided to renovate. Now you would think that renovating a small condo would be fairly simple and only take a few weeks to complete. Well not so. Small or large it takes a lot of coordination of contractors and them to actually show up and do a satisfactory job. So we hired an interior designer to manage the job. Oh it would be so easy and hopefully she would provide great ideas and have the job finished quickly. At least that is what she promised. Then reality set in. Contractors were hired, but the coordination of the work not so much. The quality of the work, not so good. The to make matters worse, the interior designer went on vacation. Now remember we are sleeping on the floor in the middle of the construction. Living out of our suitcase, since we decided to keep our limited possessions including our winter clothing in storage until the renovations were completed. We had originally thought we would be finished construction before winter hit , but it was now November and 30 below. We were freezing, living in a construction zone, and breathing drywall dust. Patience was wearing thin. Someone needed to take control, so, I did.
Forget the designer, we needed to get the job done. So we did, but I now have a whole new appreciation for general contractors and interior designers. Thank goodness I had the flexibility to leave work when necessary to let the trades into the suite and provide guidance and direction.

With Randy's creative insight and vision and my work with the trades we now have a very cool condo. We love the location, we love our condo and we are one step closer to accomplishing The Plan.

Prior to selling the house we had booked a trip to Jamaica with friends. Since we had hired the Interior Designer to take care of our renovations we were extremely excited to head off on vacation. Warm weather,sunshine, beaches, sand,and fun with friends we couldn't have been more excited! Unfortunately our friends backed out but we quickly made new friends as we enjoyed the sights of Negril. Days were spent at the pool, or in hot tub on our private patio, and at the gym. The evenings always entertaining, with dinner performances, followed by entertainment at the piano bar and a late night dip in the hot tub before bed. Every night had a different theme and half the fun was putting together the costumes to wear to dinner. The friends we made, the fun we had and the and the adventures we had made for a very interesting holiday.

One day we hired a taxi driver to take us on a tour of the area. We headed off to a waterfall deep into the island. It was a rainy day and after traveling over a dirt pathway considered a road that was more potholes than not we arrived at the most amazing waterfalls. Being the only tourists to arrive at the falls that day we got our own guided tour up the falls and personal photographer who took our camera and captured the entire adventure for us.. SO much fun. The guide showed us all the great spots to enjoy the benefits of the falls. At one point Randy was positioned under the falls, completed hidden by the water pouring over him, enclosed in walls of water but his upper body out of the water. How cool. What an amazing experience as we climbed up the falls, warm water pounding down all around us.

Rick's cafe is claimed to be the best place in Negril to see the sunset. After a 20 minute taxi ride from the resort we arrived with anticipation of seeing the most beautiful sunset in Jamaica. Just as we arrived the skies opened up and it started to rain. But the evening was not lost. Young Jamaican men were capturing the attention of the tourist as they cliff dived for tips. More daring and possibly difficult than the jumps you see in the Olympics the crowd was entertained. Then there was the question could we jump too. Yes it was possible, but in the pouring rain none of us took advantage of the opportunity. Not to have regrets, but should have we? A quick drive back to the resort and we headed back to the hot tub to enjoy the the evening and conversation with friends.

Creatures of habit, it became a daily routine. Sleep til ten, 1 hour run at the gym, brunch, time at the pool, a nap, dinner, the piano bar and an evening trip to the community hot tub. After 10 days we were ready to come home, but we had 2 more days to enjoy the warmth of the Jamaican sun.

After a very nice but quiet Christmas we headed up to Slave Lake for our annual New Year's Eve party. This years theme- Italian. Lot's of pasta, pizza and tiramasu. There is never a lack of food. At midnight the guys set off the fireworks to welcome the new year in..we are all in ah as the sky lights up with a spectacular color of lights. Each year sees a bigger and brighter show, as we all cheer and celebrate the arrival of the new year.


Recapping 2010: I ran three 1/2 marathons, and am probably in the best shape of my life; Got a tiger tattoo to match The tattoo on Randy's shoulder. I love my tattoo, it is truly a piece of art; learned to Teach English as a Second Language; made some very special new friends and had some amazing adventures.

Most of all 2010 saw my relationship, partnership and love for my husband become stronger than ever. Truely my best friend and soul mate. I am a very very lucky girl!!

The scary thing ....I am posting this recap in June 2011. Can I promise to do better...probably not.