HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

Thankful for Prairie Mountain

So on Sunday, a few of us headed out to Bragg Creek to hike Nihahi. As we drove, we noticed that there is so much snow in the mountains! A huge part of me is bummed that summer hiking is over; however, I’m super pumped for getting out just as much this winter. Traditionally, I’ve been low-key during the winter, but this year, I’m hoping for lots of winter walks, snowshoeing, nordic skiing and snowboarding. The 8 months with fly by in no time!

We made the last minute decision to hike Prairie Mountain instead. It’s generally a safe bet, snow or no snow, and it’s always guaranteed to have other hikers powering up the mountain. We made it to the top, enjoyed some lunch on the surprisingly windless summit, and then headed back down. Maybe it was the cold, but we were all exhausted afterwards. On this Thanksgiving weekend, I had so much to be thankful for. Among them, and I’ve said it before: I’m thankful for living so close to the mountains with the ability and capability to hike with people near and dear to me. 🙂

Focus T25: Beta Week 3

It’s not easy getting back into the swing of things after Thanksgiving, but it sure feels great. After eating two huge meals this weekend, I still managed to get Speed 2.0 in yesterday, and I just completed Upper Focus today. I’m really enjoying the program so far- it’s always a challenging 25 minutes. I think starting next week, I’m going to work in some of the gamma workouts. But as well as things are going, it’s a lot of cardio (maybe too much?), and I think I’ll switch focus to more weight training soon. Body Beast is just around the corner… as long as my right elbow holds up. Curse that tendonitis!

“You want a Curry Goat?”

Today is a day to be remembered. A while ago Robbie and I realized that he had never tried Trini/Caribbean food. Well, maybe he had tried something at some point, but he had never had roti like I’d get back home. Then I thought about it and realized I had never had Trini food in Calgary! I’m sure there are a few places to go to in Calgary, but I’m only familiar with Joycee’s Caribbean Foods in Bridgeland. After a few hours of shopping we were starving and so we decided to finally go to Joycee’s and have roti.

It was awesome- Joycee’s was also a small shop, so they sold Jamaican patties, Trinidad style green seasoning, Ovaltine, Milo, Peardrax and plantain chips, among many other things of course. We headed to the back and looked at the menu. There were so many familiar items! Doubles caught my eye, but for $3 each, they seemed a bit pricey. I know the title mentions curry goat, but that’s not what we ordered. We decided on a vegetable curry roti and a chicken curry roti.

After 20 minutes or so (they were cooking it in the back), our meals were brought to us and we wasted no time! Little did we know how hot they were! Temperature hot! We were burning our mouths from the potatoes, chicken and cauliflower. But they were so good. There’s nothing like a West Indian curry roti to remind me of my roots :). And Robbie seemed to enjoy it, which was awesome because now that we’ve finally crossed Joycee’s off the list, I don’t think it’ll be the last time we go there.

Going Home to Milton

So after a super quick trip back home, I’m back in Calgary. On the flight back I was thinking about some of the things I managed to do while I was at home. In addition to spending lots of time with my family and cousins, I had a nice walk through downtown Milton and visited the Mill Pond; headed to Toronto for dinner on the bustling night of Nuit Blanche; and took a fall drive on the escarpment.

I realize that I miss the area. I miss home. Milton has grown so much since I was growing up. The city that I remember to have a population of 30,000 has now exceeded 100,000, and it is the fastest growing city in Canada (apparently!). It’s filled with diversity and strong communities in sports and the arts. There are simple things too: I’m able to walk a few minutes to Target to get a Starbucks. It’s no longer Becker’s and Zellers. There was a time when Milton did not have a movie theatre, or Walmart, or laser tag. Now it’s quite the place to be, with a full bus transit system. And I never took advantage of its close proximity to the escarpment where one can find Rattlesnake Point, Kelso, and the cliffs of Mount Nemo. And I miss the fall. A lot. The yellow, orange and red colours that one can see during the fall months in Ontario are gorgeous, and even though I didn’t have spectacular weather during this visit, the colours were still incredibly vibrant.

But then I think about where I am now. I love how I can go home to Milton and visit family when I can. But I also love my life now. I love the relationships I have with people in Calgary. My work is enjoyable and challenging. And not surprisingly, I love the mountains. It’s difficult to imagine what it would be like to move away from here. The world is so full with opportunity that moving away may very well happen, and I know I’ll approach that transition with a positive attitude. But boy is it difficult to imagine a weekend without Kananaskis being 45 minutes away. All in all, the weekend definitely made me think… about life changes, city changes, and how exciting the future seems. Who knows what’s next! And at the same time, I was reminded to just enjoy the moment. While in Milton, enjoy Milton for what it has to offer. Walk to Starbucks. Visit Toronto. Spend time with family. And take a drive to see the fall colours.

Reflection

Seven years ago today, my grandmother passed away. After her stroke, she fought for several months, but sadly, surrounded by loving family, she moved on. Where to, I guess we never really know until it’s time, but my upbringing and faith make me confident that I will see her again. I’ve thought a lot about her this weekend, not only because it’s been 7 years today, but it’s been a family-centric weekend at home. I don’t see my family nearly enough, as it’s not feasible to fly back and forth that often throughout the year. And although I always feel a family pull back to Toronto, I’m not quite ready to move back. We met with my great aunt this weekend too, and it felt so good to just be present; to acknowledge the fragility of life and that we cannot take these amazing moments spent with family for granted.

My grandmother has had an incredible influence on me, and when I think about the kind of person I am today, I see a lot of her qualities in myself. I remember when we would walk by a bakery or food shop and she would always stop to take a look. Then she would buy something because she ‘just wanted a taste’, and why not if it meant we could enjoy it. She wouldn’t worry too much about money or things because, as she put it, you can’t take them with you when you die. Even well into her 80’s, she had that seize-the-day attitude and would fly to visit her children and grandchildren in Canada when she could. Of course, once she was here, she did not slow down! She would jet-set to London, or Toronto, or Montreal, or New York to visit someone and someone else and someone else. She had an incredible network of connections; people from her past and present for whom she would make time. She was amazingly independent and ridiculously maternal and caring. The stories I’ve heard throughout my life with her always amazed me- how she moved from Trinidad to New York so my mum could get the best care for her hearing, and then moved to London, England to help my aunt… choices that were made for her children because her children and grandchildren were everything to her. And that’s where her happiness was found- with all of her loved ones, both family and friends, and her faith. It’s difficult not to get teary-eyed when I think about her, but my memories are all so positive that it’s never felt like she went very far. Her presence is strong, and rather than be sad today, I can only smile at all of my wonderful memories.

When I was younger and she was visiting, I would wake up, come down the stairs all groggy, and she would look at me, smile and say, “Only a grandmother could love that face”. I would always laugh back. I will never forget those moments.

I love you Granny.