A perfect re"treat"

I was fortunate to spend Saturday south of Edmonton at a cottage on Pigeon Lake with six other amazing women.

The sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the big blue sky so we walked, and we talked. We ate and we drank. We played games and we laughed. We built a snowman and at the end of the day I went home feeling completely at ease.

Thank you Lory for opening your home to us yet again. It was exactly what I needed.

Sociable! 2012 Brier

It may have come up in conversation a few times on this blog over the last three years but I happen to love curling. I am a terrible curler when on the ice, but station me in front of the T.V. or at an actual game and I can see the strategy behind the shots being made.

The Brier (Canadian men's curling championships) were in Saskatoon this past week and it had been a while since I'd seen my family, so I drove home to catch some of the semi-final action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

My mother and I scored some rock star seating for all three games we attended. Friday and Saturday morning we were behind the Sociables (I want to join this band of merry women and men ~ they sure made curling a lot more fun for the fans during the games).

We watched great games between Manitoba and Ontario, Alberta and the Yukon/Northwest Territories and Manitoba and Alberta. We even got to catch up with the fifth for the Y/NWT team, Greg (we grew up together).

Even better was catching up with high school friends, family and friends from Calgary in The Patch after the games. There is one thing that curling culture knows....how to relax and unwind after the game! I had a fabulous weekend and I'm excited for next year ~ the Brier will be in Edmonton. I'll be getting my tickets!

Puerto Vallarta daydreamin'

A week ago I was lounging by the poolside of our amazing time-share resort in gorgeous Puerto Vallarta. An entire week spent with the company of good friends, family and without any connection to email, text message, Twitter or school work. It had to be the most fun I've had in a long, long time

There are so many pictures and so many things I'd love to write about but instead I'm going to share the highlights with you ~ a collection of my favourite moments, things and people that made this past week absolutely amazing.

• The company of great friends! This wasn't the first vacation for Denise, Paisley and I but this is the first time we'd flown somewhere exotic and spent an entire week together. It wasn't just us ladies as Denise's dad and stepmom, their friends and their friends family members were all at the resort as the same time as us. It was like vacationing with one big family unit and the laughter never stopped.

• Lindo Mar Resort. This gem was introduced to me by Denise whose dad Bob is an owner. Amazing building, location, views, courteous staff, and overall good times. I only hope to be back again next year.

• Sunsets. The weather may not have been the best but we were given stunning sunsets night after night. Just couldn't beat it.

• The food. Oh my goodness! I forgot how much I loved and missed authentic guacamole, salsa picante and fresh mahi mahi tacos. I readily admit I went waaaayyyy over my allowed caloric intake each day.

• The drinks. Oh la! Tequila sunrise, pina colada, margarita, beer, tequila shots, daiquiris, wine and on and on and on!

• Puerto Vallarta. From the malacon to the flea market, Nuevo to Centro to Zona Romantica and finally Conchas Chinas (where we were located) Puerto Vallarta offered up cobbled streets, amazing shopping, hilarious characters, sand sculptures and amazing views.

• The ocean and beach. Some love the pristine beaches of the east coast of Mexico. I would have to say that I actually preferred our rocky beach. We hunted for shells, chased crabs the size of our hands and watched the whales come to cavort in the cove. The surf was always fierce sounding but strange enough it lulled me to sleep. It's too quiet back home in Edmonton now at night. 

• Things that remind me of home. You can't quite make it out but there hangs a Saskatchewan Roughrider flag from the balcony above. Apparently the Mexicans love to market to sports lovers who vacation in their city (smart move methinks). And finally a photo with a former professor from my Mount Royal University days (I had arranged a brunch with Jim when we arrived but this photo was taken one day when we 'bumped' into one another on the street. Just. Like. Home).

If I close my eyes I can hear the surf crashing on the rocks outside our room and the happy hour bell dinging back in PV. I'm already looking forward to going back next year!

Preparing for the next adventure....

Ha, it's true! I am finally going on an adventure (I usually go on one a year which at least lends some credibility to the title of my blog).

Next Friday I jet off to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for seven glorious days of sunshine, surf, laughter and no schoolwork. So. Can't. Wait!

Curling for kicks

This Saturday I shook off school work for a few hours and got my butt out for my third Curlapalooza. This is an annual curling bonspiel that my work organizes to get people out mixing, mingling, having fun and engaging in one of the most fun winter sports (in my opinion) - curling!

 We had a sell-out again this year, 64+ people out slipping, sliding and strategizing against their opponents. It was so much fun and I always love to see the faculty, students and staff having fun outside of the traditional Monday-Friday silos.