Viva Las Vegas!

We had a fab girls' weekend in Las Vegas, my first trip to Sin City as an adult. It was so refreshing to wander around in the sunny, 60-something weather for two days, especially since Calgary had dropped back down to -6 Fahrenheit by the time we left early Saturday morning!

The trip reminded me of some of my favorite things about the US - namely, the people. I love the openness and warmth of Americans. We may talk too much sometimes, or act overly boisterous or inappropriate, but there is something to be said for a smile that comes easily and the feeling that nobody is really a stranger.

I am about to make some sweeping generalizations, so this certainly does not apply to everybody, but my feeling for the most part is that Canadians, while unfailingly polite, are quite reserved compared to their counterparts to the South. This is not a flaw in my mind, just a different attitude that takes some getting used to. Calgarians have been nothing but kind and polite for the most part, and I think that they are simply more cautious about revealing their emotions, which I fully respect even if it is not my own personal style.

In short, it felt great to be back in the US for two days - it was a temporary return to my comfort zone - but it also feels wonderful to be back in Calgary, pursuing something different and letting the cold, crisp air once again fill my lungs and refresh my spirit.

Alicia, Almu and I had a blast exploring, enjoyed an amazing dinner and Sake at TAO, did some quality shopping, a bit of gambling, danced the night away at Pure, and overall just had a great time being girls and taking advantage of our upgrade to a fabulous room at the MGM Signature (what an amazing room and hotel!):)

Few Words

Today's inauguration was inspiring and overwhelming, and I am still absorbing the emotions of the day. I am proud to announce to Canadians today that I'm from the US, and I cannot wait to get to Las Vegas this weekend and step back onto American soil for the first time in this new era for our country. All that's left to say is a phrase I'm not sure I have ever uttered, but it seems totally fitting right now:

God bless America!!

Relationship Status: It's Complicated

My relationship with skiing, that is. Our relationship is emotionally charged, and still a bit rocky as we navigate through the early stages of our affair. Oh, young love, full of highs and lows and uncertainty. (Below is a pic from the top of one of the hills at Fernie, where we spent the weekend.)

On a given day on the ski hills, I go through such a wide range of feelings: excitement to be enjoying a gorgeous day in the mountains with friends; happiness to make it down a hill unscathed; pride when I improve my turning skills; an adrenaline rush when I'm suddenly careening downward faster than I'd anticipated; panic when I get lost on a mountain or the only way to the bottom is down a very steep decline; exhausted at the end of a day fighting the mountains; pain when my legs are tired of being pushed to their limit ...

This weekend in Fernie, an amazing ski resort in British Columbia, I attempted my first blue runs (the next step up from green), and got high enough in the mountains and deep enough into a mental ski zone to understand what all the fuss is about. The views and sense of peace up high in the Rockies are incredible. It would be difficult to reach such a height and such serene quiet by any other means than a high-speed ski lift - and even if you viewed the mountains from below, or gazed at a photo, or even flew overhead, you could never experience the same sense of wonderment that comes from standing on the side of a mountain with nothing but yourself to get you to the bottom.

I understand now that zigzagging through snowcapped pines on a quiet hill can be a zen-like enjoyment once you become comfortable on skis or a snowboard, and I'm looking forward to reaching that stage of my love affair with skiing!

Here's a quick video that Ben shot while we were going down the "Shooting Star," one of the longest ski runs around at 5km, and one of my first blue runs! Our friend Almudena is in the white - she has a bit more experience and is starting to look like a real pro. I'm in the red, going just a *bit* slower and very cautiously. This mountain was steeper than it looks!!

Too Good to Be True

As I sit watching the gray, misty, snowiness outside our window, I can't help but think that life is just too good to be true right now.

There was a period of time, when Ben was traveling for months on end, when I couldn't imagine ever getting here. It seemed impossible, improbable, that we would ever have a normal day-to-day life together. And yet, here we are, cooking dinners at home on weeknights, watching cheesy TV, enjoying a bottle of wine over a board game, enjoying all of the mundane but wonderful pieces of daily life that many take for granted. Perhaps the fact that virtually the first five years of our relationship were spent long distance was actually a blessing in disguise. I feel that now, in our three months on this adventure, our marriage has strengthened and matured more than it did during our first two years combined. I suspect (and hope) that as a result we will never take for granted all the seemingly minute moments we're able to spend together.

I hope that every young couple has the chance to experience this joy. There is something so unique about embarking on an adventure that is foreign to each individual, thus making it something shared only between the two of us. It is a bonding thing, a time that we will have to fall back on for the rest of our lives.

Of course, our dramatic move has not come without its challenges, whether in the form of the monumental climate change (ie, "I refuse to wear my hiking boots out on the town just so that we can walk in -26 weather!"), conquering fears (without Ben's gentle but persistent encouragement, I probably would have had several breakdowns/panic attacks on the ski hills), or just those intense pangs of homesickness that hit at the most inopportune moments (like New Year's Eve). The beautiful part is the way we have dealt with all of these small traumas together.

In spite of fears and challenges and uncertainty, I have more faith in our relationship than ever. I feel so happy and content with being at this stage in our lives together, that it makes me nervous. It makes me wonder how we got lucky enough to deserve all we have, but as Ben says - we should just enjoy it. And we will! We will keep laughing until our cheeks hurt, challenging ourselves until we cry, traveling the world until we're broke and enjoying each other all along the way!

A Breath of Fresh Air

First off, Happy New Year! Ben and I enjoyed a cozy dinner at home (I tried my hand at cooking black eyed peas) and then headed to one of our favorite neighborhood bars, The Ship & Anchor, to celebrate.

The year's off to a good start so far: thanks to a little help from my new best friend, the Chinook winds, the abysmal -20s Celsius weather Calgary has endured over the past month has moved north, at least for a while! Being the sun-loving, heat-seeking girl I am, I never thought I would say this, but at -6 and sunny, Sunday was a beautiful day. We were slated to go skiing with friends, but we woke to a dead car battery so instead spent the day wandering the neighborhood and taking Bosco for a nice long walk and enjoying the relative warmth.

By all standards, the weather is still really cold, but after weeks of feeling trapped indoors (there are no clothes warm enough to make it OK to walk around in -20!), this warming up of sorts is totally refreshing. Bosco is a happier dog, too - for a while, the only exercise he got was when we forced him to run up eight flights of stairs with us to our apartment.

Luckily, we have lots of entertainment to keep us distracted from any more cold that comes our way; this weekend we are heading to Fernie, a ski resort in British Columbia, with a group from Ben's work, and at the end of the month, I get to head to Vegas with the girls!

The reality of the winter here recently hit me like a ton of bricks (we will be bundling up well into April), so as an antedote, Ben and I are planning a trip to Hawaii for the spring. I am already dreaming of sandy beaches and sun rays warming my body.

When we moved into our apartment, our landlord made a comment that stuck with me - he said that if we didn't find a winter activity to enjoy, this time of year would become our nemesis, which is not a good thing considering how long winter lasts in these parts. So we are doing our best to stay busy until the deep freeze is over!