Time flying by

Wow this week sure went fast. Going back to Oxford House tomorrow afternoon. I spent two days painting my hallway. It goes so much faster when my mom helps me paint. It looks pretty ok. I also bought hardwood today for the upstairs. That will be a "fun" summer project for dad and I. It is nice to get things done to the house. I enjoy being part time and having more time to spend in my house.
I did do stuff other than house renovations. For instance, I went skating twice on the River Trail. For you Ottawa people, the river trail in Winnipeg is a more ghetto form of the Rideau Canal. The picture on the right is the trail. The other one is the Forks. The trail is quite long (at least 3-4 km) but minus multiple huts selling food and bences every where such as on the Canal. The Forks is beside the trail and there is lots of food in there. Sadly no Beaver Tails anymore. Both times I went it was relatively deserted. My legs hurt several days after, skating is a great workout!!
ONE thing I didn't do is buy any clothes. I am quite proud of that. I don't even think I entered a clothing store. Quite impressive.
I DID see the movie Waltown. It didn't tell me to much I didn't already know. Kind of preaching to the converted. People that go to independent films generally don't shop at Walmart. I have less noble reasons for not shopping at Walmart. I just find it too confusing and crowded. Thus I perfer Zellers (plus its closer). I also find Superstore frustrating, too confusing like Walmart. I keep trying to buy my groceries there because I have over $400 in PC Points. But I only end up spending $20. Then I have to go to Sobeys or Price Chopper for real grocery shopping. I'm pathetic. Well thats my story for tonight. I'm sure I will be more faithful once I get up north and enjoying my restful evenings of TV and internet. Oh and Tricia, if you're reading this, post some pictures and give us details!!! I want to know all about Hanoi!!! Enough empty promises already!!

sorry for the last post

Sorry for the color of the font of the last post. Tricia you can change it, I don't know how. I am in Winnipeg now. Trying to get myself organized to paint. Will make a proper post later.

Snowshoeing

I just went snowshoeing today and it was great. It was the first time I went this year. Mostly because I have been afraid of the ice up to this point. There are trails in the woods but they are farther away. Usually I snowshoe by myself or with one of the other nurses (Jodi or when Donna was here). But quite a few other women met this afternoon to snowshoe on the lake. It was fun. The men meet every Sat and Sun and run with their snowshoes. It's really impressive. I can only run for a short while on snowshoes. I will have to practice. There is a man that makes these really narrow ones that are suppose to be the best for running. I have asked him before to make some but he hasn't yet. Maybe if he sees me trying to run he will. My Atlas ones work really well for walking and ok for running. But they hurt my feet when I wear my mukluks (that a lady made up here) and regular boots are so heavy to run in. Above is a picture of my mukluks and gauntlets. They are really warm. I like posting pictures. Ok that is all for now. Tomorrow I'm suppose to fly back to Winnipeg for a week off. Hoping to paint the hallway and touch up the kitchen. Will see if it happens.

My sister

I miss my sister. Well I don't actually miss seeing her, I miss talking to her on the phone. Every Friday night since she has been in Hong Kong has been "my" phone night. Since Friday night TV generally sucks talking to Tricia was a good time filler. Now that she is in Vietnam and I don't have her phone number. I am excited that I will be going to Vietnam in over a month. It will be cool to see Tricia. I am really excited about exploring Vietnam for 6 1/2. I plan to spend some time (about 2 and 1/2 weeks) in northern Vietnam coming and going from Hanoi and seeing stuff. Than I will take off to the south and hopefully get a week in Cambodia. I have applied for my visa and it should be in Winnipeg when I go home next week. Since this blog is about my sister I thought I would post a hot picture of her.

winter time rambling

I love winter. Last weekend I went snowmobiling in -25 (-35 with the windchill). Even though it was freezing it was great. I had a hundred layers on. It did prove a problem when nature called. But theres nothing better than campfire tea, roasting weiners, and marshmellows on a cold winter day. This weekend I also went to a baby shower. This was the first baby shower I was invited to. It was just like any regular baby shower. It was very nice to be invited. I know the mothers other children very well. They live across the street. And during the summer they are often knocking at the door for popsicles. I also swim with them in the lake (in the summer of course). Not very many adults swim up here. But who said I'm an adult? The kids up here don't seem to think so. An 8 year old once asked me what I was going to "be" when I great up. I told her I was a nurse. And she said "but when you grow up". That made me laugh. Ok well thats enough rambling today. If you do take the time to read this, make a comment!!!

The winter road

Here I am blogging two days in a row. Now that I finally learned how to do it on my own!!! (Last night Tricia taught me by MSN). I find the sign pointing to Oxford House really funny. I haven't had the pleasure yet on driving very far on the winter road. But there's something humorous about a sign posted on a tree. Especially when it's for a swampy path that magically becomes a "road" when it is frozen enough to drive on. It's actually more pathetic than it is humorous. The lifeline of these isolated communities relies on the winter road being open. With global warming the time frame for this opening is shortening. People are so happy when it gets cold. They will drive 12 hours on the winter road (to and from Thompson) in one weekend. But more importantly, it means the years supply of gas, construction supplies, and luxuries like new vehicles/snow-mobiles/ATV's/boats and motors and other such things that are impossible/difficult to fly in. It has finally become cold this week. So hopefully the road will be open for the month of February at least. But it is just one example of the great inequalities these isolated reserves face.

Finally a post

Well after 7 months here is a post not by my crazy sister. She must have felt so bad for this abandoned blog that she decided to help it out (if thats what you can call it). It was hilarious. Everytime I posted a comment on anyones blog the picture of my butt came up. Pretty funny. My sister has done such a great job on her blog that it inspired me to put a post on my own. Originally the purpose of my blog was simply for trips.But most of the time I do live up north away from everybody, so maybe i will try to make updates. We will see. Today I am going to post some of my favourite pictures from up north. They are from the last two years.