Officially official...

Big news: it's official! Shane and I are engaged...

This is how it all went down. On Valentine's Day, we were going back to work so we went out for dinner for a romantic night on the Friday night before. (Friday the 13th, hehe!) We went to the Rimrock where we started dating just about 3 years ago. But when Shane called earlier in the week, he was told that the same table does not exist anymore. It's apparently a maitre d' station. So we did go back and found a table but the place was really really busy because of it was family day weekend. So we decided not to stay and head over to the sushi train instead. We love the train and eat there just about every time we're home. It's a small restaurant, with at the most about 20 people, where the chef is making sushi from the center of the room and everybody sits around him. He then puts the food on a electric train which runs around the room and you take your food from it.

So after eating dinner, Shane had arranged with the chef to have the ring put on a plate with some candles and put on the train. I didn't notice it until it was almost right up to me. The whole restaurant saw the ring coming along and stopping talking, curious to see who it was for. When finally it arrived next to me, Shane "suggested" I took that plate and put the ring on my finger. The whole restaurant clapped and congratulated us. It was nice and casual, and really us. Plus the ring is beautiful! Shane did a really good job...

So we're back at the lodge for two weeks and working away. Things are good and busy and I'm working on figuring out what to do as soon as the season is over (which is coming rather quickly). Not sure what will be happening yet. I'm hoping to work at the lodge with Shane over the summer, but I won't know if that will be a go or not for another while. I'm also looking at other options for the moment and looking forward to knowing what the next step is. My mom is coming to visit for a week or so in March and it'll be super nice to see her. And spend time with Myriam, who is moving back from Calgary to Quebec.

In the meantime, I'm going back to work for the night. Break time is over... :)

Cheers,

Bitting my tongue

The season has officially started and it has been completely crazy. The schedule is grueling and the workload is heavy but the life is great. The deskrat I have been is no longer as I'm learning to appreciate routine and menial tasks. To my surprise, the transition is not so hard. I find I am getting used to the mindless tasks in front of me and doing them with a positive anticipation. I am also enjoying the increased physical demands of walking, running, pushing, hauling and so on that come with the job. I am happy with the exercise I get through work and with the opportunities to top it off with heli-skiing, cross-country skiing, stationary bike and more. This place has got everything you need to get in shape although the constant provision of protein-rich food makes it hard to improve on your shape...

Shane has also been working hard, particularly on fixing some issues with the hydro project which generates the electricity for the whole building. I don't really understand everything when he tries to explain, but I hear that everything is working well now.

I went heli-skiing with guests yesterday for the first time since our training week. It did not turn out as good as I was hoping at all... I am classed as a 'K2' or intermediate and I was put with a really strong group of guests that have done this for a long time. I only did one run (although from the heli pickup to my return at the lodge, it was about 2 hours) and was drained... and a little embarassed. A nice British gentleman stayed behind with me to help me through the run but it is the toughest I have ever skiied. For one, the snow was powder up to my knee and I'm not used to it, which makes for very difficult skiing especially when recovering from a knee injury, and two, the skis I was on were shorter than before and a little too short for me to float well. All in all, I found it really hard... Anyways, it can only get better from now.

This week is Christmas and it will be Shane and me's first Christmas together. It should be great. There is no environment that would be more idyllic for a white Christmas than the lodge. With all the snow around, the quietness, the remoteness, the family atmosphere (~some guests and staff have their kids here this week) and a big, freshly cut tree in the main living area, it definitely is starting to feel like the Holidays.

Well, I have to go. I have some phone calls to make before getting ready for dinner set-up.

Have a wonderful Christmas. All my love.

The first time

There's quite a bit of nerves associated with anything really new. Usually. This first time was no exception...

This week had a few firsts, most of them rather ordinary, but one of them worth mentioning...! I spent the last week at the lodge going through training with the rest of the staff. I learned a million new things including such crucial items as how to scrub toilets properly, make beds, walk around helicopters, and more... It was a great week, although the definite highlight was the heli-ski. That was the first.

We got into the helicopter and did a few runs in the alpine around the lodge. Although according to heli-ski standards, there wasn't a ton of snow, I was really impressed... To be standing on top of a mountain, on a bluebird day, with nothing around for miles and miles and miles, with only a few friends and a toboggan for each foot (read: really wide skis) is a feeling hard to explain. The actual skiing after the initial emotion was, on the other hand, a lot harder... :) I was glad to come out still walking, since I am still a little shaky due to last year's knee injury. But all in all, I made it through the day with quite a few moments of incredible exhilaration and relieved excitement for having survived (literally) going down some incredibly steep pitches unscathed.

Shane and I are back in Canmore for the week, heading back out to the lodge for two weeks this coming Saturday morning. We are skiing at Sunshine all week and enjoying the time off. Why did I not start doing this job earlier, honestly! Last year, at this time, I was killing myself over a job that was underpaid, underrewarded and overdemanding... What a change a year brings. :)

Cheers,

It’s not easy being… unemployed?

Oh, the hard life of the perpetual vacationer…! Ok, I’m just kidding… I am not complaining. At all. I am really enjoying the time off. Although I am looking forward to being busy again. I will be busier again soon enough, as I’m starting the season in 2 days.

I am sure you’ve heard by now, but in case you haven’t, I’m joining the CMH family for the winter. Canadian Mountain Holidays is a heli-skiing company that has 12 remote luxury lodges in BC where people spend a week or more for as much as $15,000/ wk. The guests are flown in (with staff) by helicopter once a week and access the wonderful remote wilderness of the area daily for skiing by helicopter. I figured that the only way I could ever try heli-skiing was to be paid for it (while working) since I could never afford it myself. All things considered, I think it’s going to be a wonderful winter. Shane has been working there for over 1,5 years and I’m looking forward to joining him for the season. He’s been away several weeks at a time, and although it’s been good for us to be apart, it’s time not to be anymore. They’ve put us on the same schedule, which means that we will be working for two weeks, then home for a week. You can see photos of the lodge at www.canadianmountainholidays.com/heli-skiing/lodges/lodges/galena. For the weeks we are home, we bought our Sunshine Village ski passes and we’ll be using them as often as possible when we’re off.

I have been at the lodge for a days already, keeping Shane company until the managers come tomorrow and then all staff on Tuesday. We are starting a week of training which should have us ready to go by the time the season starts on December 6th.

The first two weeks of the season, the lodge is booked by Australian clients who take over the lodge and have the first go at skiing for the season. They charter in their friends at will and apparently have an amazing time every year. I look forward to meeting them this year. They use to own Quicksilver and Roxy, I hear.

So all this said, things are ramping up and vacation time is over in a few hours. Although I have really enjoyed the time off, I am ready to be useful and needed somewhere. And I am starting to really need the money too, after close to 3 months without revenue coming in…

I’ll be writing from here when I have a few moments. I’ll be posting some photos of life in the nowhere shortly.

Cheers for now,

Back on track

Hi everyone,

It's been almost 2 whole years before I wrote last. A little break, you must say. :) Well, yeah, absolutely... I stopped writing because the whole plan for this blog was to keep my family at home updated on my time out West. However, as I realized that Banff had become my home, it seemed pointless to continue writing. Oh, and plus, my life became ridiculously busy... Anyways, I'm not making excuses, I'm just explaining.

However, with interesting plans coming ahead for the next year or so, I figure I should start writing on this blog again to keep everyone up-to-speed on what's happening with Shane and me.

So, keep your eyes peeled. This page will start moving ahead. :)

Cheers,

Annik

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

It's already the Boxing Day today, and therefore Christmas has already come and gone. But still I want to wish you all a very happy Holiday season...

I got home last Wednesday quite late, and my family was there waiting for me with a big sign, courtesy of my little sister who couldn't make it to the airport that night (- she had a big exam the next day). Two of my brothers were there, with their girlfriends, along with Myriam and Mom and Dad. It had been almost two years since I had seen them (i.e. since I had left home). Too long...

Anyways, it's been really good to see all the people here, including some friends and a lot of family. I have been the center of too much attention, with some interesting "Oh!"s and "Ah!"s and "I'm coming to visit" when seeing pictures of the Rockies. It made me realize how good we have it in the mountains. Life is really good in Banff. Maybe even a little too good. I already miss the mountains and will be excited to go back to it when I'm done my time at home. Yet I am truly enjoying my time in a "familiar land".

We had our LaRoche family party on the 23rd (- I was asked 4 times in 4 minutes by 4 different people as to when I was coming home...). We stayed up quite late on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and with a few days of late nights in a row, I have accumulated some pretty impressive bags under my eyes. So I'm trying to catch up on sleep and fun time, - which I think I am doing quite well so far, I have to say. All this to say, it's been good...

I took my grandma to the restaurant for breakfast this morning, and my aunts, and cousins decided to tag along. It was great to spend time with them, and reconnect. I was asked more questions about the Rockies and my boyfriend, and came out tired and happy. I spent yesterday on the Mount Royal in the middle of Montreal. There was no snow at all, with green grass - not yellow - everywhere. Today, however, we woke up to a good inch of wet, wet snow. The white Christmas came in late for the big day... A first since 1977 - according to Mom.

So, right about now, I am winding down for the evening, although it's only 7 pm. But I am thinking of cuddling into the couch and watching TV for a little bit... How exciting! :)

I am heading to Ottawa in a few days to say Hi to all my friends there. And then, before I know it, it'll be time to get back on the plane and go back home.

I love you all, and wish you a wonderful Christmas again, and a great Happy New Year coming up...

Cheers,

Annik

Home for the Holidays

I have been slacking. I stopped writing here, and stopped journaling too... But I am starting again, and hope to give this blog more attention...

I miss my French, and therefore will post this entry in French. If you really need to know what I'm saying, email me and I'll tell you! :)

La vie ici est toujours très occupée. Les jours sont longs, mais les semaines passent vite. C'est tout de même encourageant! Ma mère et mes soeurs comptent les jours avant mon arrivée à la maison pour les Fêtes. Aujourd'hui, c'est 13 jours... J'ai bien hâte! J'arrive le 20 décembre en soirée.

Je suis à Banff depuis presque 2 ans déjà. Le temps passe très vite! J'essaie de me rappeler le ''bon vieux temps'' quand j'étais dans les Laurentides, mais ça semble tellement loin! La vie est tellement différente maintenant, avec un bon emploi, la vie dans les montagnes, un merveilleux copains, un environnement complètement anglophone, etc. Mais je suis loin de me plaindre; tout va merveilleusement bien présentement. Je me sens régulièrement pas à la hauteur de ce qui m'arrive... On m'offre d'impressionnantes opportunités, je travaille pour une bonne compagnie, je vis dans un paradis, je suis en amour avec l'homme de ma vie, et tout ça à 22 ans... Certaines personnes attendent toute leur vie pour être ou je suis, et parfois n'auront jamais ce que j'ai. Je suis bénie et je suis bien consciente de cela.

Tout ça pour dire que la vie va très bien, et que malgré tout, je m'ennuie beaucoup de la maison. J'aimerais être plus disponible pour ma famille, voir mes frères & soeurs plus régulièrement, être là pour les moments importants ou difficiles, et partager ma vie avec eux en plus amples détails. Qui sait, je retournerai peut-être au Québec dans les prochaines années....

Pour l'instant, je tire ma révérence et retourne au travail qui m'attend...

Je vous aime tous! ;)

Annik

Pictures online

Hey guys,

It's been way too long...

I have posted some pictures at www.anniklaroche.photosite.com...

I will be posting some more shortly. Feel free to stop by there anytime! :)

Annik

Update

Whoaa, I'm behind...

Life has been a whirlwind here and the new job, although going great, is eating up my time!

All in all, everything has been wonderful recently. On my last post, I was mentioning that I had confirmed the new job. I started the position a few weeks ago and things have been great. I am learning lots (especially since I have not had any training whatsoever). So I spend a lot in Jason's office, figuring out reports and procedures. I think I am getting the hang of it. Good thing since the manager of Marketing and Communications is leaving Brewster shortly. That means that all her job is now relayed to the Sales team. Good for me, I hope to take on some of her previous responsibilties since I am the one with the training to do so. We'll see where that goes!

Apart from that, my roommate Natalie and I have joined with Melissa (a colleague of ours) and moved to a house downtown Banff (instead of an apartment). The house is 100 years old this year, and thus has lots of "character", but is still pretty cool! Last night, Melissa brought home a chocolate lab puppy. It is so nice to come home to a puppy! She is soo beautiful... She has yet to be named but I think her name will be Kona.

My brother Marc is moving to Sweden in a week and so, I've been calling home to catch him a few times before he goes. My brother Matthew turns 20 today! J-P has a new job working in Laval. What else... Myriam is still engaged! And Catherine is back from working at the summer camp where she was for several weeks. That's the round-up for the family, I think!

I went for lunch with my former boss, now friend Maureen, today. She is pregnant with twins, almost ready to pop. She found out recently, or rather announced recently, that the boy has a heart defect. They can't tell what exactly until he's born but he might have to stay at the hospital in Edmonton for up to a year. This means they might have to move there for a while until things are alright. She had just started a new job a few months back, and now is on mat leave. Her husband Darren also just started a job a few months ago, and was going to start another new one, but now he has to leave for Edmonton (where the best children's hospital is) for maybe a few months... How trying to go through all this... So please remember to pray for them when you have a chance. They will need all the support they can get.

As for me, well, I am off to a wedding reception tonight. Some friends of our got married in the Dominican Republic recently, and just got back to town. They are having a celebration tonight with all their friends and family around.

So that's the length of it for today. You can always contact me at 403-763-3500 or at work 403-762-6762, or on alaroche@stobec.com. I am also on MSN during the day (anniklaroche@hotmail.com).

Love you all,

Annik

New title, new step

I have great news!!!

I just confirmed a new job this morning. As of July 17th, I will take the position of Sales & Marketing Coordinator for Brewster. I have had to go through almost 2 weeks of interviews, meetings, discussions, etc. But it paid off because I was offered the position on Friday!

I had it in the cards the whole time while transferring to Head Office, to move over to Sales & Marketing probably around September, where I could use my training better. I didn't know if it was going to work or when it would materialize, but I am happy it happy it happened even before that. I am really blessed to see how things are unfolding. I had not intended to stay in Banff more than the summer (like everybody else!) but I got stuck here, loving the mountains and the small town feel, loving my church and friends, working for a company that allows me to grow, and with a great boyfriend. What else can I ask for! Maybe a trip home for a few days?!

I had planned to go home for a few days in September, since it will have been 1,5 years without being home at all. Now, with the new job, I am a bit worried that this won't happen. I might have to wait until Christmas to go home... I hope my brother Marc will be back from Sweden for Christmas at that point (he is moving to Sweden for a year - for school). It would be nice to see him, and my two other brothers which I haven't seen in more than a year... Oh well, enough rambling.

All this to say, I am at work for a few hours this morning, filling in for a colleague who's won a fam trip on the Rocky Mountaineer. Hum, I wish I was there!

Apart from that, Shane & I went camping last weekend. We got friends to join us... It was great! We had a great time at the bonfire, getting to know people that I have seen around a lot but never really got to know. We had plans to go again this weekend, but it didn't pan out. We'll try to go often this summer, to catch a few nights of fresh mountain air instead of being stuck between four walls.

My friend Mike & Mel Fast are expecting a little bundle of joy shortly. I wish them all the best, a healthy baby, an easy delivery. I am sure they will be great parents! Good luck, you guys...

Alright, well, this is it for now. You can always email if you find I don't write enough or often enough! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Love,

Regular business

I received a wedding invitation yesterday from a good friend of mine and his girlfriend. They are so cute... Here's their website address: www.sametleah.com. I wish I could be home for their wedding. That's when I really miss being home. I'll see if I can make it out for it. It'd be great because then I would also see my brother Marc before he moves to Sweden in September...

On top of that, I have another wedding to go to in July, in Vancouver. Can anybody get married around here? It's hard to get time off for these things, people! Very much looking forward to it though... It's my good friend Rachel's brother Andrew, who is also a friend of mine.

Ah, weddings... It's a nice change from the crazy "baby year" we've had this year! I know the year's not done yet, but I think there's already been around 10 babies, and some more to come... What's hit everybody?? Baby fever??

As for my fever, I am doing a lot better. I have been able to do a few full days at work this week. Some of them I have had to cut short a bit. I am trying to balance sleep and work, and the fact that whenever I take time off, I lose money (even though I have a doctor's note)... No sick time available.

Anyways, I haven't heard from a friend of mine who's travelling around the world since April 1st. It's making me a bit nervous now. I hope he's fine. Rob, please send some news, or even an update on your blog. I hope the world's treating you ok... Take care.

That's it for now... Talk to you soon.

Love,

Back on the saddle (or sort of...)

I wrote this entry twice, and somehow lost it both times. Sorry I won't write it a third time...

All I had to say was:

- I am feeling better
- Mom was here until Saturday and I was very happy that she was here
- My sister Myriam is leaving today, and it was so good to spend time with her
- Shane came back from Manitoba. I missed him, I'm happy he's back
- My friend JF Carrey successfully summited Everest on May 17th. For more details, www.jfcarrey.com

I had made it a lot nicer and more detailed than this, but I am getting tired of rewriting this... Sorry!

Love,

Annik

If you don't slow down, your body will do...

Even this is asking a lot of energy... I am at the Banff Centre checking my emails and I am dreaming of my comfy couch... I have been diagnosed with mono last week, and it's hit pretty good since.

I had started to feel really dizzy, bad headaches, fever bouts, with an utter lack of energy a little while ago. I thought I was just being lazy, and I was mad at myself for not being able to kick myself in the butt and draw myself to the gym, or go for a walk, etc. Now I understand... I was starting a mono... I have been told to take 2 weeks off work (which I cannot really afford right now :/... So, all I have been doing since Thursday is sleep, veg, watch TV, do nothing. For those who know me, this is very out of nature for me and therefore even more draining (it's hard to do nothing!). However, there is one upside to all this: Mom and my sister are here for another week. They have both been really good with me, making me dinner, keeping the place clean, buying the groceries and doing the laundry. I am not used to this royal treatment. Thanks girls, I really appreciate!

Shane has gone home to Manitoba for a week, for his mom's 50th b-day party as well as his sister's graduation from university. It sounds like it's been a pretty good week for him so far. Nonetheless, I wish he was around... I will be really happy to welcome him back home on Wednesday (this is the longest we've been apart from each other since even before we started dating...). Crazy how fast you get attached to someone and how much you miss then when they're away for a even a few days.

Anyways, this was the last thing I wanted to do before heading back home to sleep (again). I know it's not a long update but that's going to have to do for now...

Love you a ton, take care!

On the use of time

Oh yoyoy. How great life is! And how fast time flies…!

I have really been amazed at how fast the past few weeks have gone… I woke up this morning to realize that most of the week was already gone, yet I feel like it is still Monday afternoon…! No wonder I’m having a hard time keeping this up-to-date!

Anyhow, here’s an update on the recent days…

My friend Melissa from Ottawa came up for a week. It was so great to see her! I hadn’t seen her in a while and it was good to spend some time catching up. She is a dear friend although we don’t always take the time to keep up with each other. She is one of those friends you just take up the phone, and in an hour, you are up-to-date with… Melissa, I am lucky to have met you and be your friend. I hope you had a good time in the mountains and really hope that you’ll really end up moving here in September.

For some reason, I am not too sure what to write about. Either because it all blends in together or because things have been going good and nothing quite stands out… I am not sure. Either or, I will do my best to quite you entertained with this entry.

Mom is coming to see me in a few days. She is taking her long-time friend from Maine with her for a few days. My sister Myriam is arriving a few days later for a week or two. Then, my friend Karina from home is also coming by for a week, arriving the day after my sister leaves. It’s going to be a busy month, that’s for sure!

OH!!! I forgot to mention something really important… My sister Myriam got engaged a few days ago. Here’s a picture of her ring… She is glowing (I hear - I haven’t seen her yet but she is coming soon). I was expecting the proposal soon because when Patrick asked her when she wanted him to propose, she had said she would have liked to have a ring to show when she came out West to see me… And so he delivered. They are getting married next summer, right after she turns 20 years old. Myriam and Patrick, je suis très contente pour vous. Je suis confiante que vous êtes un couple très équilibré et que vous serez capables de passer au travers des bons et mauvais moments de la vie ensemble, comme une équipe indissociable. Je vous aime fort!

I also recently received my income taxes back and it was enough to pay all of my credit card, which I had boosted up a little for Morocco. It is now back to $0 and it feels great to slowly get rid of debt and financial burdens. Along with that, I have also finished paying my car (after 3 years). It is now completely mine and it makes my financial life easier… I like to see the light at the end of the tunnel, or somewhat the end. I breathe a bit more easily!

Last weekend, 9 other friends and I snowshoed out to Elk Lake, to the ACC backcountry cabin. We had such a great time! It was for my friend Mel’s birthday. We made her a cake while out there and ate like kings & queens. It was better food than what I take time to cook for myself at home! Happy birthday Mel!

You know what, I think that’s it for now. I’ll keep thinking to see if I missed something…

Hope you’re all doing good!

Love all,

Annik

Drums please...

My sister Myriam has been bugging me for a while now to get a picture of my boyfriend Shane. I have been promising her a picture but not delivering. Partly because I only have a few random pictures of Shane from a while back and no great picture of the two of us yet, that would bring justice to the beautiful man he is. So I guess I wanted to wait until I had a wonderful picture of the two of us, but because I am not sure I can get her to wait any more, I am introducing to my corner of the world the new man in my life, Mr. Christopher Shane Bradford…. Drums please…

I am therefore dedicating this entry to him, giving all of you - important people in my life - a brief and so incomplete overview of Shane… This is also a test to see how well I know him…!

Once upon a time, in a land very very flat, was born a man named Christopher Shane Bradford. He was born the son of the milkman (!) and a real-estate agent. This quiet but important event took place 32 years ago, on Nov. 13, in the plain land of Manitoba. He was then small and fragile, with piercing green eyes and blond hair. (He has kept the green eyes but exchanged the blond hair for really dark brown hair.)

Several years later, he went to school to become a steam engineer and worked as such for a little while. Having become bored at work, his dad encouraged him to follow his passion and to become a golf professional. Which he did. He moved to Lethbridge to study golf and business, and became a certified golf pro.

He moved to Banff, and worked at several golf courses such as Silvertip, Kananaskis Guest Ranch and Banff Springs golf courses around Banff & Canmore. Since then, he has taken a break from golf to spend some time in the tourism business. He has been working at the Red Carpet Inn in Banff with some other friends of ours, although last summer was spent in Manitoba with his mom.

He moved back to Banff in early October of last year and this is when I met him. He was a friend from church with whom I would regularly go for coffee or see several times a week. He became a close friend of mine as I became part of his support system here in town, while he was going through some tough times. Little did I know that he was already in love with me… I was at the time infatuated with an Australian boy and oblivious to anybody else. For my defense, I had noticed that he was very nice and gentle and caring but I thought he was like that with everyone, not only towards me. For instance, when my brother and my friend Yves came for Christmas, they hung out with Shane a lot while I was at work. They too had noticed that he was a quality guy with a really gentle spirit. Through time and efforts (and repeated prayers, he says), he made an impression on me and we started dating on March 23, a few days after my birthday.

This is the story so far… I could add lots more details but I won’t go on too long… All this to say: Shane, you rock my world!

A little behind

I am sorry for the lack of recent updates on this blog... Things have been a lot more busy here than they have before and I have not been able to find time to update (or should I say, have not made the time to update). To remember the major things, I have been writing on this Post-It note the things I do not want to forget. So forgive me if it turns out to be a little disconnected, but remember it’s coming off of a Post-It note! Here are therefore the most recent developments in the life of the Frenchie with a red license plate (i.e. Alberta plate)…

- For those of you who don’t know yet, I have finally finished transferring my car over to Alberta and have given up my beautiful dark blue Quebec plate. I also have no more excuse for driving badly! HAHA… I have transferred my health care, my benefits, my unemployment, everything. I am now all red (color of Alberta). I was holding on to my dear Blue, but the time had come…

- On April 1st, Shane took me out to see “Cats, The Musical”. It was my birthday present and we had a great night. We didn’t really understand what was going on the whole time and had to wait until we got home and googled it on the web to get the idea behind the musical. I was told that Andrew Lloyd Weber, who wrote the musical, was dared to write a whole play about cats, took the dare and wrote “Cats”. And so it was born… The production has since been touring the world for 25 years. Not bad results for writing this as a dare! (I bet you he’s made his money on it too!)

- A few weeks ago, I locked my keys in my car for the first time in 3 years… I have been covered by CAA under my mom’s account since I started driving and now that I live in AB, I have to get my own. It expired on March 31st and on the 4th, while in the process of renewing it (thinking I had a few days to spare), I locked my keys inside the car… ARRGG… I called the garage here and it was $120 for non-CAA members. So I went on the web, registered for the year for $85 and now I have another 4 times free…! Good deal, eh? :)

- Last weekend, Easter weekend, I took the day off on Friday for a day on the hills at Sunshine. It was pretty warm, great weather, but really sticky snow. It was a lot of legwork but it was really fun. On Saturday, Shane, Terry & I went up to Lake Louise skiing for the day. THAT was amazing! It was the most powder I had even skied in. Being from the east, you have no idea what powder is until you get out West. Shane and I were so tired by early afternoon that we had to head home early. It was a great day! I am now a better skier for it.

- For Easter, my friend Mel invited several of our friends over for lunch. She cooked turkey and we all brought a little something to complement the meal. It was great! With the help of her friend Laurel, she had also hidden eggs all over the house and backyard! I felt like I was 6 years old for a few minutes. It was great!

- I have been indoor climbing with my friend Shannon, from work, several times recently and it has been really good! We introduced our friend Chris to it, and he says he’s now hooked. Shannon is really great at it, quite graceful too. Chris pulls himself to the top with no foothold, using solely the strength of his arms while I, for my part, only care about getting to the top!

- My friend Melissa Fancey, from Ottawa, is in town for the week. She arrived on Wednesday and is here until next Thursday. It’s been so good to see her, and get to spend time with her. She is such a jewel and I love her a ton! We are going camping tonight with some friends from work and church and it should be so much fun. This is the kick-off to a great summer…
- One more thing to mention: To celebrate our first month together, Shane showed up at work yesterday with a dozen roses and a huge jar of Nutella. I was so happy to see him there, and quite surprised, but I was on the phone. I had to put my client on hold for a while while taking the time to thank him! I made a lot of other girls in the office quite jealous and I was pretty proud of him for that! As for Nutella, he remembered that I usually keep a jar in my desk for the unplanned munchies… And he remembered that I had just finished mine… He is so awesome…! Thanks Shane!

Although there's been lots more happening recently, I think this is enough for now. I will force myself to write more often... (And smaller entries, easier to read too...)

Love you all,

Annik

Dinner for Two

We are now into spring and it has started to smell like it already. I do not have to wear big boots, a jacket, mitts & a scarf anymore (not that we really ever had enough snow this winter to justify that, but still…). I feel lighter, I feel brighter, I feel happier. Oh wait, maybe there’s more to it than just the arrival of spring that makes me feel that way... J

On Wednesday, we took the College & Career group out for a night hike. We took 14 young adults up Grotto Canyon (which turned out to be quite icy) and made a big bonfire at the top of the canyon. We had a great time, topped with hot chocolate & brownies. Sure makes you want to stay in Banff forever. I was thinking about my days in Ottawa with no outdoor activities possible but running downtown (yeah, no thanks) or biking on a flat paved road (hum…). Holds no appeal anymore compared to this life… I wonder if I’ll still be here in several years, telling the story to newcomers on how I came to Banff for a summer, decided to stay longer, fell in love, and have been here since. Still, maybe I’ll be telling the story of how I stayed in Banff for a few years then moved to [fill in the blank]. Anyhow, I’m sure I’ll be happy…

I am settling into the girlfriend mode, staying up late waiting for Shane to come say hi after he’s done work or preparing dinner for two instead of one. (Actually, he’s the one who has been cooking all week and has really impressed me, Jack - who was over for a few days - and my roommate Nat). I did not plan on falling in love but it’s happened and I am very happy…!

This is about it for now. I will try to put some new pictures on this blog soon. In the meantime, you can look up some news from the Derkson family on www.banffparkchurchblog.blogspot.com…

Love you all,

Annik

Whirlwind

It's been exciting here... Several good news in the past few days including several new babies!

Let's start to go down the list...

My Banff/Canmore friends Ian & Tanis had a healthy baby boy a week ago or so... His name: Corbin Michael Ihme.

My Ottawa friends & former roommate Sherry and her husband Rob have had their baby boy on Tuesday morning. His name: Jack Steven Kerr.

My hometown friend Ben, and his girlfriend, have also had a baby boy two weeks ago. His name: don't know yet... I have to call home to learn that info...

As for me, well I have started dating a handsome man by the name of Shane. He has been a good friend of mine for several months now and has recently upgraded to the title of boyfriend! :)

My mom and sister have confirmed their trip to come see me next May. I am quite excited for the next round of family visits. I love having them around to come say hi for a few days.

What else? We have celebrated some of our friends goodbye party last night. They are going to California together and then returning home to their families and next projects. I am sad to have to let them go, but I am glad to have met them and shared several months with them in Banff.

Also, a few weeks ago, I have learned that my former boss and now friend Maureen is expecting her first child with her husband. I am very glad for them and wish them a healthy child in a few months.

Well, as you can see, things have been quite good recently, with lots of changes and good news (it's a baby year - some years are wedding years, some are baby years - this one sure is a bady year!). I think the spring is affecting everybody, myself included...! As long as it stays positive, I don't see any problem with that! I love spring!

Love,

Annik

A comfort zone of my own

As much as I appreciate comfort and stability, I have yet to reconcile with routine. I still have quite a hard time with the idea of a routine because that, to me, screams "settling down" and I am not ready for that. I have made peace with the fact that I will be in Banff for a while and that brings me comfort. But I still struggle with feelings of being tied down and controlled by my wallet. In other words, my earnings and spending dictate what I can and cannot do, and even who I am and what become. I despise the idea that paper with a made-up value is making decisions for me, but, hey, I better get used to it, because things are not going to change anytime soon.

Not only that, but I often feel guilty for all the comfort I have. After having seen living conditions in some other places in the world, and spending my days selling luxury vacations to wealthy seniors, I cannot feel any other way but guilty. I have more than I can ever need. I have a nice apartment, a good car, a paying job (mind you, I refrain from saying a great paying job – cause it’s not!), enough clothes to wear different ones every day, enough shoes to be picky about color and style, more food than I can eat in a day, a great family to support me, and wonderful friends around me. Really, what more can I ask for! I am blessed through and through. Still, I find the way to want more, compare myself to somebody else, and desire material things I don’t need to survive. How spoiled rotten am I to be living in a corner of the world that people spend thousands of dollars to come and see, while I get to enjoy it daily and, most of it, free of charge. I manage to make a living for myself in one of the most expensive places to live in Canada. All of this blabbing to say that I feel really blessed to have great people around me such Shane, Nikole, Jen, Joy, Rachel, Michael, Andre (and many others) who all share different pieces of me, in different environments.

As for day-to-day life here, I am doing very good. Work has been great, I am learning tons, enjoying what I am doing, working with some great coworkers. I went backcountry skiing for the first time last Sunday. I had a good time, although I didn’t think it through and used my downhill boots with the rented skis. I ended up skiing like a duck for several hours, spending way more energy than I should’ve. Still, Nicole & Mel were great to hang in there with me! (I also scored some of the biggest blisters I’ve had in a while (3 to be exact!). I am hoping my feet are doing ok for cross-country skiing tomorrow.

A big thank you to my friend Michael, along with my Canmore friends for the birthday cake they made for me on Monday. It made me happy to have people celebrating my special day. I am turning 22 tomorrow and I am quite ready for it!

Love,

Annik

An old kasbah falling to pieces

Moroccan McDonald's with its unique local flavor

Henna lady in Djeema El-Fma Square, in Marrakech

Jen and I in the streets of Malaga, Spain on our way to Morocco

Triumphal arch at Volubilis (Old Roman Ruins) near Fes

Ait Ben-Haddou Kasbah, in Southern Morocco

The entrance to the Todra Gorge, second highest after the Grand Canyon

Portuguese ramparts in Asilah, with an Atlantic ocean backdrop

Even more pictures

Our Berber guides in the Sahara desert

The blue town of Chechaouen (everything is blue). It was thought to ward off bad spirits and insects.

The tannery in Fes, where they prepare and dye the leather (you have never smelled such a foul smell...)

A door leading outside the Hassan II Mosque

More Morocco Pictures

Moroccan shoes, "babouches" in Marrakech

My shadow on Sahara desert dunes

In Volubilis, old Roman ruins outside of Fes, lounging in a Roman bath

A street in Asilah, on the northern Atlantic coast of Morocco

Morocco pictures (finally!)

In the High Atlas mountains... For half-an-hour, it looked like Banff...

In Southern Morocco, on our way to the Sahara desert

Inside the walls of an old kasbah, east of Marrakech.

Central courtyard of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca

Behind

Hello everyone,

I haven't written for a little while. I apologize for that...

Here I am though and I have updates. Nothing too crazy, just updates.

I am now done training at work, and (almost) fully functional. I am really enjoying my new job and the team of people I work with. Especially my new boss, Andre (who reads this blog, so I have to say nice things about him :) !!)...

Well, apart from that, Dad was here with my sister for the past week. He returned home this morning and I already miss him. He has taken good care of me while he was here (buying groceries, etc.). Catherine is still here until Saturday... She has gone horseback riding for the day with some friends of mine (while I am sitting at a desk all day, booking vacations for people that spend more on a single week than I spend in 2 months!). At least, it's a beautiful day today and I will be seeing friends tonight. So it makes up for being stuck inside...

I have been skiing a few times in the past weeks, and the snow is beautiful. Last Saturday was especially cold, but still I had a great time. As always, skiing for free because of my employer's corporate passes (yeah, free ski in the Rockies all winter long)...

Last week, some friends and I went to White Swan Provincial Park, out in BC, to some natural hot springs (deep in the wilderness). It was so great we stayed there for hours, and finally made it home past 4AM - I was working at 8:30AM... I survived my day and want to do it again soon. It was truly awesome... Let's all go soon again...

Nikole, my Morocco partner, came back a week ago, and we still haven't sat down to exchange pictures but I am reserving her for some time this week, so hopefully I can put actions to words and finally put some pictures up....

Last thing, I am moving apartments from the one I am in, to one down the hall! Why, you ask? Because I would be moving in with a new roommate (my current roommate - Dana - is leaving next week) in a better, nicer apartment with two window walls instead of only one. Plus, I think I should be able to get free wireless from that apartment! :) All together, why not! For those of you who have my home number, it should change again soon, but most of you have my cell number anyways so you're good. I'll let you know when it's all done...

That's about it for today, I think! We're are taking the C&C group tonight to the Pocaterra in Canmore, for a swim at their indoor waterpark... Should be interesting!

Love you all,

Annik

Hello guys,

I apologize for being quite sporadic with my updates recently. The new job is taking me away from my desk, while I am training, and therefore makes it quite difficult to find time for blog news. However, I will do my best to update shortly so to keep you in the loop.

Thanks for your patience!

Annik

Building a routine

I have been back in Canada for a week today, and I apologize for not writing earlier. Between catching up with things, friends, and starting a new position at work, I have been really busy.

I am on my lunch break at work, taking to time to say a quick Hi. I am really enjoying the new position, although I am still in training and not really up and running yet. Three other people have started the same day as me, and we have been training together so it makes it a bit more comfortable to be able to share the learning process with other people. Makes the awkward period shorter!

I had left the previous entry when we were still in Marrakech. From there, we left on the train to Fes for a few days. Fes, we were told, is the best city in Morocco and its medina will get you lost. Still, we made our way to the youth hostel (where we stayed 3 days) and loved the place - even if very cold at night. We met a few people, including an Australian guy, a British guy, a Japanese girl, and two American guys, all of them really nice. Jen, Kyong (our South Korean friend) and I rented a grand taxi on our first day in Fes to take us to Volubilis, an ancient Roman town with plenty of ruins - absolutely stunning! In the evening, we went for dinner with an American girl working outside of Fes with the Peace Corps, who we met while walking around town. She was great! The next day, we joined with Nikole and her missionnary friend Sarah, who lives in Fes, our Polish friend Greg & our friends from the hostel and headed down to the medina. We had a very tiresome, but wonderful day in the labyrinthine medina and managed to not get lost! We were pretty proud...! We visited the tannery - most foul smell you can ever imagine - and bought a few items to bring back home.

The next day, we took the bus with Greg in direction of Chefchaouen, a small laid-back town near Tangier, with medina streets all painted blue. The whole town looks a little cartoonish, because it looks like you step in a child's painting where he's overdone the color blue. The scheduled 3-hour bus ride took us 7-hours, having to stop by the road for hours waiting for the Moroccan king to leave the town, where he had been for the whole week. Traffic was really dense & by the time we made it to Chaouen, found a hotel for Greg for the night (we had to do more than 6 before we found one) & had lunch, we had missed the last bus to Tangier. So we decided to take our time, visit the medina, and buy a taxi to Tangier. Grand taxis are really expensive for tourist for long distances, but we managed to cut down the price by sharing the back seat with another 3 Moroccan men. Nik & Jen were on the front seat and I squished with the guys at the back. What we had dreaded at first turned out to be a really good ride, with a great driver teaching us Arabic & Berber words & a safe trip to Tangier. We booked into the youth hostel there, where we had met Greg on our way in, and settled in for the night.

Anyways, I made it back to Canada safely last Monday night after spending a few days in London before coming back. By the time we left Morocco, I had seen enough. I have thoroughly loved my time there and I am very happy to have had the experience. Nonetheless, as my first big trip, it was very demanding to travel only 3 girls together. We were lucky enough to meet plenty of people to join us on our travels, but Morocco is a demanding environment for female travellers...

In London, I met with my good New Zealand friend Alice, who now lives in London with her husband. Dave, I was very happy to finally meet you. Alice, it was so nice to see you after so many years. Thank you both for the great guided tour of the city, I really appreciated! In two short days, I saw Buckingham Palace, the Changing of the guard, Big Ben, the British Museum, the Tower of London, the London Eye, Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, the Tower Bridge, the London Bridge and more. I got to see the staples of London condensed and I fell in love with the city. I will certainly return there as soon as I can...

Since London, well, I flew home to Calgary. I had a few days to relax and recuperate, and I started a new position at our company's Head Office. I am a Vacation Planner and book Pan-Canadian vacations for several markets around the world. I am still training but it is looking pretty good so far!

My dad and my sister will be here in a few days and I am very excited to get to see them. I haven't seen my sister for almost a year and I really miss her. I miss my Pops a ton too, although I talk to him more often...!

That's about it for now. You are pretty much up-to-date with Banff news... As I am now in a pretty steady routine, I will make sure to email and post pictures regularly.

P.S. If you would like me to send you pictures from our trip to Morocco, please drop a note on this blog and I will send you some... Cool? Cool.

Love,

Annik

A sand dune in my shoe

Hi everyone,

I am sorry it has taken me a few days to update this blog. I have promised to keep this up-to-date, and haven't for the past few days... BUT I have a good excuse! I was unable to write because... (choose between the following options):

a) I was locked away in some castle's highest tower
b) I was abducted by aliens
c) I was riding a camel in the Sahara desert

You guessed right: I was riding a camel in the Sahara desert!

I joined in an organized tour group heading out into the Sahara desert along with my travel partners, Nikole & Jen. There was another 13 people travelling with us (not counting the driver/guide), so for those afraid of safety, there has been enough people around us to be absolutely safe...

We left Marrakech three days ago, really early in the morning, and hit the road for what would be several hours! Our first few stops were bathroom breaks, and we had lunch in Ouarzazate, small but beautiful town east of Marrakech, with several kasbahs. Kasbahs are big big houses, almost literally an entire town, all attached together and made mostly of hay and mud. While visiting these buildings, you literally think you stepped back into time to when there was no such thing as electricity or heating. Apparently, although it gets really cold in Morocco, way colder than we had anticipated, there still is no heating systems in the houses (big blankets will have to do for the nights). Ironically, in houses made of stones (or some sustance similar to concrete), it ends up being colder inside than outside the house! This was the case for our hotel on the first night of our trip...

We crossed the High atlas mountains, going all the way to 3000 meters and witnessed a Banff-looking scenery, full of snow and high peaks. Gorgeous! While crossing the mountains, I dowed off and woke up 1/2 hour later to a completely different scenery, that of a dry desert and striving oases. After visiting kasbahs, including Ait Ben-haddou, we drove to the Dades Valley, where a beautiful oasis lines the bottom of the valley and houses have been erected even in the most remote places along the dry and steep cliffs. This was a real shock for us; we were seeing the real Morocco for the first time. This is a place where kids are taught, from really early on, that any stranger or visitor is a potential source of revenue and therefore they will try to sell solething, anything to a venturing tourist. We have learned to barter hard as this is the rule in this country but we have also found it very tiring and hard to try to lower down prices that are already not too high for us, knowing that this is their livelihood (or part of it). We were seeing the real Morocco... A little harsh for the eyes and the heart, but definitely worth seeing... We stopped at the Dades Gorges for the night, and enjoyed a traditional Moroccan dinner in a big but, oh, how cold hotel. The hallway was garnered with a few gas heathers and we all agreed to share them for the night: 20 minutes here, 20 minutes there. We ended up with it for the night...!

The next morning, we took to the road again and drove to the Toudra Valley, a bright red, very dry valley with complete desert scenery. We had the time to walk around the Toudra Gorges, second biggest in the world after the Grand Canyon. Very impressive! After a lunch there, we were back on the road and reached our destination, Erg El-Chebbi, or the beginning of the Sahara desert. We were directed to the 15 camels waiting for us and comfortably seated on one each. We rode the camels for about an hour when we reached our camp for the night. We all elected residence in one of the big berber tents there, and took the massive sand dune in front of us. I was really surprised at how hard it was to hike the dune, as it was all sand. But I still made it to the top, and on the way, accumulated a whole sand dune in my shoes! We were served dinner by our berber guides and served traditional mint tea. Around the fire, we played tam-tams and heard jokes and stories. We had a beautiful time! Our beds called us pretty early and we dozed off for the night.

The next morning (yesterday), we awoke to a wet Sahara desert. Yeah, it had rained during the night! Being a place where it only rains once or twice a year, we can say we really chose our night... We chose the one night with rain... Still, we were all dry and happy and the camels tooks us back to our bus. FYI, did you know that camels burp, fart and snore? You'd think we got all-male camels! They make the weirdest sounds and smell foul, but are nonetheless very friendly!

We drove for about 10 hours yesterday to get back to Marrakech and checked back into the same hotel where we had stayed the first night. We met a German guy and a South Korean girl that hve spent the day with us today, from breakfast to dinner, and in between while we went shopping in the souqs (where they make all the merchandise to sell, including slippers, jewellery, leather bags and other things). It is now dinner time and I am starving!

I will leave you at this for now, and will email again soon. By then, we should be in Fes, the lasr major city to hit before slosly heading back to Tangier, and then to London for a few days.

I love you a ton, I miss talking to several of you, but it would cost me a fortune to do so... So here's the blog update!

Take care,

Annik

Morocco Update

Hello everyone,

Second upate since our departure a few days ago.... Things are still going great. Here's a recap of the past few days...

Tangier to Asilah

After updating the blog, Nikole, Jen & I met our Australian girlfriends from the youth hostel and made our way to a hammam. What could have been a few minutes' walk if you know where you are going took us a long while. We navigated through very small alleys full of people and stores, armed with our Lonely Planet guide, and still we needed to ask locals several times to find our way. We finally did, and were not diasappointed by what we found. We were warmly welcomed into a tiny house called a hammam, and changed into our bathing suits. Had we know that they would be taken off of our bodies in less time it took us to put them on, we would have not bothered! Anyways, a hammam is a traditional Moroccan bathhouse, and it is how people wash as there is generally not hot water anywhere else. The owner lady took great care of the 6 foreigner ladies in her establishment by giving us a intense but wonderful scrub down from head to toe (I have never seen this much dead-skin roll off my body!).

In the afternoon, we wandered around the streets of Tangier and came to really love this city we were dreading... The train took us to Asilah, a much quieter town along the coast, where we found a wonderful, wonderful hotel to take us or the night. The next morning was interesting, when trying to find breakfast, a restaurant server refused to serve us (we were 3 women & 1 man) and walked out on us! The rest of the day was way better and we strolled down the beaches and visited the medina (the old art of town).

Jen & I left for Casablanca in the afternoon while Nikole & Greg, a Polish guy we met in Tangier, stayed there for an extra night. Once we arrived in Casablanca, we understood why we were told it was not a great city. Our hotel was ok, but in a very shabby part of town. Today, we visited the Hassan II Mosque, apparently the only must-see in Casablanca, walked by the rich stretch of the city (ate McDonald's!), and left for Marrakech.

Marrakech is everything is has been told to be. It is clean, beautiful, busy, laid-back & eclectic. We are here for 3 days approximately and will be able to check emails regularly. We have found a great hotel with an amazing terrace, overlooking the main square and it promises to be great!

I was a bit overwhelmed by Tangier (I think the novelty of the thing), but have really started to settle in and am much more able to appreciate.

Love you,

Annik

London, Malaga, Tangier

Hello everyone,

I am writing from a French keyboard (different location for some letters), and I am finding it quite hard!

I am writing from Morocco. Tangier to be exact! It is beautiful, with palm trees everywhere and the ocean a few meters from here...

We flew to London on the 18th, and did not get any sleep on the way did (Nikole did, I could not). From there we changed airlines and flew to Barcelona and then to Malaga, Spain. We found a taxi driver that did not speak a word of English and somehow I managed to tell him we wanted a hostel. He dropped us at a pretty simple hostel, clean enough, but really nothing impressive. 3 small beds, it's all we needed... Yesterday we awoke to the beautiful city of Malaga, with which I have fallen in love. Unfortunately, we had to make our way to Algeciras, to take the ferry into Morocco, but not before walking around (getting a little lost - not much) and finding a great market for fresh food. We then took a bus (2 hours) to Algeciras, a port town where the ferries leave for Morocco. The ferry ride was an hour only, and by sundown, we were in Morocco.

I am really amazed at the scenery here. It is beautiful! We were told that Tangier was a very dangerous city but we have found it to be very friendly, and we are spending more time here than we were expecting. We have made friends with a couple from Montreal that we met on the ferry, another couple from Germany, a guy from Poland, and a few girls from Perth Australia. We are enjoying having Greg from Poland with us, as it seems to have us a lot of hassle from pushy men compared to our female only Aussie friends.

After emails, we are all going to try out a hammam, public bathhouse (really the only place with hot showers - or hot water period), then head out to Asilah tonight. As for tomorrow, well, we'll see!

So please don't worry for me! Things are great here, and our Canadian money goes really far (it's really cheap here!)... I am having the time of my life!

Take care, I'll email again soon!

Love you all,

Annik

Tomorrow

Today is my last of work at the hotel. I have spent the day wrapping up and closing things down. It is sad yet I am ready for a new challenge. When I come back, I am starting a new position at the head office. It should be good!

I have had the chance goodbye to several of you in the past few days. For those I have not had the chance to see recently, I would like to send a hug and a big "see you later". I am leaving Banff tomorrow (for a few weeks only) and travelling overseas for the first time in my life. I am all packed and ready to go... Very much looking forward to it!

If you need to contact me during my travels, the easiest way is to email anniklaroche@hotmail.com. Although this is not my primary email address, it is the best one to contact me while away.

I will be posting pictures and news from Morocco. Please keep checking this blog and you will not be disappointed...! :)

Love,

Annik

Only 3 days

Here is a last series of pictures that I did not take myself to give you a pre-taste of the pictures I will be posting in this blog in the next few weeks.

Nikole, Jen & I are leaving for Morocco on Wednesday for 3 weeks of travel adventures... I will be back on Feb. 06th... I hope to catch you before I go...






I have been dreaming about this for a while... You want to dream with me?

To good times.

Marc P.

Yves

Stef

And me...

To good times

Rachel

Marc

Melanie

To friends

Did you know my brother is a black belt? You can see some of it here... P.S. The tree was already bent before! :) ...

Up in the clearing on Norquay...

Melanie, Stef & Isabelle on the Bow Valley bridge.

Yves, Stef, Melanie, and I on the couch at home, waking up.

2nd phase

2nd attempt... Here are some pictures for the pleasure of your eyes and absent minds...


My friend Stef in a window of the ice castle at Lake Louise, on New Year's day.

My brother Marc in the Chateau Lake Louise.

Dinner time for Yves & I...! Melting an icicle from a frozen waterfall, up King Creek, in Kanaskaskis Country.

5 days

We are almost there. Only 5 more days before leaving for Morocco...

A thousand words

I just spent a lot of time trying to post as many pictures as possible. It took me forever, so here's a start. I will be posting some more soon...
_________________________________________________________________

A picture is worth a thousand words... Or so they say.

My brother Marc & my friends Yves and Stef have now left. I am back in my apartment by myself. It's sad that they are already gone, yet after almost 2 weeks of people living with you, it's also nice to have your place to yourself again.

This means I also have a ton of new pictures. And as I have been promising recently, I will be posting several here. A break for your imagination as your eyes can now see part of what life in Banff is comprised off. Although, unless you have been here, you cannot fathom the sense of grandeur and openess that attracts so many European travellers. We are truly blessed in this corner of the world.

Having family around was great. I have kept busy acting as their tour guide, but it was nice to do that for them. I had 3 days this weekend to enjoy my time with them before they left. On Saturday, we went to Calgary and walked around town, shopped for a few hours, bought lots of new cds, and more. My friend Shane had some extra tickets for a hockey game at the Saddledome on Saturday night and Marc & Yves recharged on their masculinity while Rachel and I met up with Jason and Chris Gorsky, my friend from Ottawa who just moved to Calgary a few days ago. On Sunday, we spent the evening with friends from church and chatted for a few hours before going to bed quite late. On Monday, it was back to Calgary to bring the boys to the airport for their 11:45 flight. Rachel & I spent the rest of the day shopping (again) and were back in Canmore in the afternoon, from where we went to our 20's/30's group.

My little sister Catherine and my dad are coming up for March Break, last week of February first week of March. I can't wait to see them... I miss them both!

I am also intensely counting down the days left before I leave for Morocco. 7 days today. I am officially ready to go: I have my passport, my money, my vaccines, my travel insurance, and my water purification drops! I am actually starting to pack tonight. Nikole & I met for coffee today in order to finalize all the things we need and make sure that we are not forgetting anything important that would get us into trouble. We will be meeting her best friend Jen in Heathrow, London, where we will take a second flight to Malaga, Spain. From there, we will go down to Algeciras, the most Southern town in Spain where we will catch a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar into Tangiers, Morocco, Africa. We will then spend the next 2 weeks visiting Morocco and taking in the sights. I will make sure to update you on our progress. Then, on Feb. 2, we are back in Spain to visit Al-Hambra and then back to Malaga, for our flight back to London. Nikole will be leaving from there to go to Norway for an extra week, while I will be staying in London for 3 days, and back to Calgary on Feb. 6th. I am starting my new work on the 9th, after enough time to de-"jetlag" and rest a little.

That's about it for the news update. Here come the pictures!

Marc & I shopping in Calgary (great taste, eh!?!)

Marc & Yves skiing, at the top of Sunshine Village

Yves in Kananaskis Country

Dinner on the table

As you, my bachelor friends, might understand, it can quite annoying to cook a big meal for yourself. Time consuming and then you have to eat the same thing for a few days until you're done. I end up eating easy to cook stuff, often not even sitting down at all for my meal, eating on the corner of the counter. However, this week has been a bit different. Having Marc, my brother, and Yves, a friend of ours, here for a few days, I get home and food is almost ready to eat. Nice dinners, new recipes, healthy, hearthy meals. Quite enjoyable... I could get used to this! :)

Since my friend Stef got here last Wednesday, I have been quite busy acting as their tour guide. We have gone to Lake Louise, Kananaskis Country, Ski Lake Louise, Sunshine Village, the Banff Gondola, Lake Minnewanka and more. I am filling in their time in the Rockies as much as possible. I want them to remember their week in the mountains...

Tonight, I am at work filling in for a colleague. I was supposed to have it off but had to come in. This was the compromise I had to make in order to get Saturday off. This means I have Sat-Sun-Mon off to spend with Marc & Yves before they leave on Monday.

It promises to be a fun weekend...

Annik

It's a New Year!

Welcome to 2006! We have officially took off and are already flying high. I hope you make of it as good as can be...

I have not updated this blog in more than a week. I am sorry! My little brother and 2 friends are here and they have kept me busy acting as their tour guide. We have been to Lake Louise and to Kananaskis country, amongst other things. We have been taking a lot of pictures. I will make sure to post some here for your viewing pleasure!

Check this blog again soon!

Love,

Annik (& Marc, Yves, & Stef)

Christmas without snow

Today is Christmas eve! Yeah, Christmas is here... And there is barely no snow left. A Chinook wind rolled in a few days ago, and melted most of the snow around. No worries, ski is still good though, because of high altitude in the mountains.

I am currently in Calgary, with some friends. We came up last night to spend the night in town, after a dinner at Tony Roma's and a movie at the theatre. We saw "Fun with Dick & Jane". It was really funny, we had a good time. We rented "5o First Dates" after coming out from the theatre and headed to my friend's Jason house. His housemate Nathan is home in Saskatchewan for the Holidays, coming back in a few days.

We are going to church tonight for a quick Christmas Carol service and then we should meet up with friends and spend the evening skating and partying at church (a Holy party, that is!)

Anyways, I will be posting some pictures for you all very soon. In the meantime, we need to head back to Canmore and Banff and get ready for the evening.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Annik

Redneck?

I am stretching myself out of my comfort zone, a little bit at a time. I am trying to expand my horizons. I hear it is not usually this enjoyable...!

After my hunting experience a week ago, I decided to continue my redneck training with a day of snowmobiling out at Toby Creek, by Panorama, near Invermere, BC. I was offered a FAM trip (free trip) last Monday to try 'Toby Creek's Adventures' products (so you can sell it to your guests after). It turned out my friends Shane & Dan were on the same trip, and my other friend Jeremy joined us too. We had a blast. I was teamed up with 4 other guys (who had all snowmobiled before) and I had to keep up with them. I have to say, I think I did good. I grew up loving cross-country skiing, and not liking snowmobiles because they wreck your ski trails. But this was different, it was fun and got over my nervousness of being behind such a big machine (it think they're big!).

Recently, I have been contemplating a change of job. I have been hoping for a new challenge, something different. On Tuesday, I went for lunch with the manager of the Brewster Vacations division. I had emailed him a few days before about applying for the open Vacation Planner position. Since I already know him (he's my colleague's boyfriend), it made things easier. We had a good chat and, yesterday, I was officially offered the position. So I am leaving for Morocco on Jan. 18th, which will also be my last day at work at the Mount Royal Hotel, and upon my return, I will be starting at the Brewster Head Office. They are located just down the street from where I am currently working, above the Bus Station.

In other news, my parents and I have finally worked out a way to get my winter tires shipped here for cheap. I have refused so far (mostly because I can't afford it) to buy new winter tires since I already have some at home. Mom will sleep better, knowing I can drive around with the right tires (apparently she has been quite nervous about potential accidents related to bad tires).

Tonight, we are having a Christmas dinner at church for all us kids who don't have family around. We are having turkey & cranberries, the whole nine yards. I am looking forward to my (already) third turkey dinner so far... On Boxing Day, we are going skiing at Sunshine.

I want to also send a little note to Rachel, who I have been spending time with. I want to quickyl say that I think you are a great woman and a wonderful friend, and I really appreciate having you around. You're the best!

I'll write again soon...