I was also told today that although I can bike this year, I may not be able to downhill. f*ck. That's what I have been waiting all winter for. I am going to talk to my Dr next week when I see her again and see what I will and won't be able to do.

I now understand what other people go through when they are hurt.  This being my first injury, i didn,t quite get it before.  Now I feel super bad for not helping out some of my friends as much as I should have when they were injured. I didn't realize how hard it is to take care of yourself when there is no one around.  It sucks. 

So, hopefully in 2 weeks i'll be able to start walking.  That would make me super happy.

But now I am at home, and it's another 20cm day.  ah well, at least there is NCAA basketball to keep me busy!!

ULLR, please send me tons of white fluffy stuff.  I promise to share.

For one thing, I am finally getting to be more daring on my bike.  I have been trying new runs in the Bike park, and getting faster on my cross-country runs. I am conquering little fears and am feeling a lot more comfortable on my bike.. thanks largely to Owen's amazing teaching skills, Bexx's ability to push me to go faster and further, and Ben being there for me to try to chase down the hill.  Plus living in whistler doesn't hurt... a few times when i'm coming down the slopes and someome faster catched up (which always happens) i usually shout back that I'll move left at the next stretch to tlet them pass.... i usually get a no worries, and a 'bend your knees more' 'softer elbows' etc.   It's amazing how helpful everyone is! yesterday as I was stuck, yet again, on a ladder, i said sorry for being in the way  as i tried to get me and my bike out of some guys way, and he was like, we all learn sometime, keep it up and have fun with it.  Why doesn't every sport have this sort of encouragement and friendship from strangers? Plus the fact that it is super exciting and a huge rush, I am totally hooked. Great, another expensive sport.

I am however looking forward to taking some of my new found courage and taking it to my snowboarding. I cannot wait to hit some pow and try some new things.  It had been a while since I challenged myself, and this is what i needed. Sure some days i come home hurt, bruised and bashed up, but crazy as it sounds, i feel more alive after it.

so, i guess it's time to start the snow dance.  And Mother Nature, if you want to skip fall and head straight to winter, I think i'm okay with that!  just wait until the 13th when the bike park closes ;)

I just found out that I got a full time teaching job.. starting the day after telus ends! how perfect is that!!!  With 2 great days of riding, and 2 fabulous party nights.. I am so stoked!!!!!! i heart whistler!!!

 

i now need to buy a bike.. anyone who wants to help me out with this, check my blog in mountianbike colonies!! woohoooooooooo

So a few weeks ago, I decided to learn how to ride park.  I had done a few little jumps years ago but thought that it would be fun that when I rode with the guys and they went through the park, I could actually hit stuff too. 

 

3 weeks, and many many bruises later, I'm trying to figure out how things work.  I have days like today when I can't even do a 50/50 properly.  Then I have days like last week when I was charging through the park and hitting the rails, boxes, barrel jib and jumps without a second thought.  I'm starting to think that park riding is all psychological. I need to get over my little fears and just do it.

 

Oh, and i need to bend my knees.  I'm such a lazy rider.

I decided to end 2007 and bring in 2008 on my board.  6 straight days of riding... and I was so stoked this morning when I called the snowphone and heard it was a powder day.  YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 

now tomorrow is going to be great too.. but I need a break so that I can get back on my board on monday :)

For some reason, I volunteered to make Chrismtas dinner.  Mainly i guess I didn'T want to be all alone on Christmas.  When I talked to my mom on the phone, she said 'Do your friends know that you can't actually cook?'  Thanks mom.

 

 

But I am happy to say that I didn't give anyone food poisoning, and i think it turned out pretty well for my first christmas..... probably becuase i avoided making turkey! ha!

 

 

THanks to Jesse for the amazing stuffing and Ben for the Nanaimo Bars!! yummmy!!!

Happy Holidays from me and the fat guy!!

 

 

So the past couple days I've been doing the snow dance at school with the kids... mostly with one of my students who's a sponsored Half Pipe skier and the only one at the school as stocked as I am about this weekends opening.

 

Well today, to celebrate the first real snowfall in town, he wore the ugliest one piece ever.  I burst out laughing.  He said it's his 'first day of the season' suit.  f*cken hilarious.  I see this kid everywhere... knowing him got me a discount on my wax the other day! sweet!

 

so yeah, snowbaording this weekend.. i'm so stoked!! yipppeeeeee

My housemate jsut came home with some 'left over wine' from one of the events at her work.

 

We just drank a 100$ bottle of ice wine.  So damn good!!

So, i have been one busy Carrie since gettign here.

 

I live in a great place in Bayshores with a few roomies who are MIA in Europe right now.  The place is nice, mostly clean (the untidy roomate is leaving in 2 weeks!), parking, fireplace, BBQ and lots of storage and room for people to crash! yippee!!

 

Work is busy. I work at Rogers Chocolate, Permanent part time, 25 hours a week.. mainly becuase with those hours, I get benefits startign Dec 1st.  I also have a one day a week teaching job, and I heart that job.  The kids are great and I have fun with them.  I also work on call as a babysitter/nanny/childcare worker. This fills in all my extra time so that I am now working double shifts most days of the week. Once winter starts, i'm going to slow down on the on call shifts, and just board. i'll also be instructing for the mountain so that should be good times!!  People are always calling me for random jobs too.. for the next 2 weeks I will be the secretary at the school.. 20$ an hour... not too shabby!!!!

 

I've also been trying to hit up as many premiers as I can (when i'm not working) and just chilling..... I was happy that there was finally some patio weather today! yippee for Saki Margs at Cittas!!!

 

Also, winter is almost here.. there is snow on the moutnains.. and so I am starting to get all my snowboard gear... got new boots today (wearing htem now!! woohoo!)

 

so that's my carrie update!! hope you are all well :)

I started back up at the gym this week.... i was feeling tired and in a slump, so figured it would get me back on my feet. It's been great... my knee is a little sore today as is my ankle, but i feel great!!

 

I also rediscovered my love of swimming.  I spend at least 20 minutes after my workout doing laps in the pool.... and I'm usually there very early in the morning, so noone to bother me.  So relaxing.. can't wait to head up north and swim in the lakes... i'm not a huge fan of the clorine!

 

Only 12 days until I'm back up north, looking for a job to fund my whistler move :)

I've decided that i'd rather be working a crappy job in whistler, than a good job here.  So, there we go, looks like I have a semi-plan!!!

 

Now, if anyone cares to elaborate on said plan, go for it!!! :)

So it looks like the 3 jobs I applied to in Whistler went internally.... now I have to rethink my plans for the next year. 

This is only the second job I applied for and didn't get. The first was a summer student AutoCAD designer when I was 15.. and I came second in that process.... yeah, I've been spoiled with the jobs I've had.. working in France, England, the Dominican, Whistler, so I guess I had the dissapointment coming.  If only it was for some job I didn't want instead of THE most perfect job ever!!

 

I'm a huge believer in fate.. and now i'm starting to think that maybe this isn't the right choice for me right now.  It's killing me to say it, because I want to be out there so bad... and it was heart breaking to know that the jobs I wanted are gone.  So now my big decision is... just go out there and get some other job while waiting for something else to open up later in the year, or stay here where I can have a full time with benefits make lots of money job. 

Yesterday in class, one of my student came up to me with this little flower pot made out of foam and a few flowers in it.  He hands it to me and says, happy mother's day.  I had to do everything to not laugh.. or cry.  Apparently to a 5 year old, I am so old that I need to be a mom.

 

That being said, it was my birthday yesterday and the kids found out and asked how old I was. I said 12.  and they had no problem believing this.  I wonder how many parents will send me notes on monday saying, my kid thinks you're 12... you better start working on his/her math skills!

 

kids... gotta love them.... as long as they are someone elses.

A week ago today, Best Friend Cathy came back to London! since then, we've turned the house into residence... late night grocery shopping, ice cream for dinner, and tons of procrastination! it's been great!   I missed her, and am so happy that I now have someone who entertains my crazy ideas!!!!

 

I'm also starting to get a pretty decent tan from all the yard work and track coaching... woohoo, bring on summer :)

At one point I turned to talk to a teacher that had stopped by my class to discuss my high jump team, when I heard my name. I turned around only to be surrounded by my 6 girls with their hands full of paint. Here’s the results.

It took me forever to get onto BC time when I got to telus... Now i'm having one hell of a time getting onto ON time.  Wow, I am going to be bitchy tomorrow... my poor little students!

This past weekend was great.  I headed home for easter, and spent a few very drunken days at home with the family and friends. 

 

On Saturday night, we decided to celebrate my sister and a few of her friends birthdays.  The only rule was, everyone celebrating with us had to wear goggles.  Snow/Water/Safety... we weren't fussy.  We pre drank at my house, and after 7 beer and 16 jello shooters, I was ready for the bar.  It was great running into a bunch of aquaintances from high school that I haven't seen for years... and trying to explain to people why I was wearing goggles.  It was also a very good thing that the bouncers knew us, otherwise there is no way my sister would have even been allowed in the bar! fun stuff!

 

Other than that, lots of time spent with the family, and just relaxing.  Now, the count down is on.... 7 days until Whistler. I cannot friggen wait!

So last night, I got a phone call from my mum.  She said that her and my dad were prepared to pay off ALL my OSAP loan, in a lump sum, and all i'd have to do is pay them the monthy payments i had been paying to OSAP. Basically, this saves me 8000$ in intrest and leaves me with only 3-4 years to be dept free!!  Originally they were only giving me the cash If I stayed in Ontario. So when they called last night, I was worried that this was a bribe to keep me in Ontario.

 

But then, my mum said 'and dad and I talked about whistler.... and we decided that if in September and October you're settling in and you can't afford payments those months, don't worry about it. We want you to be happy.'  WHAT???? after all the arguing about me going out there! I naturally asked if it was an April fools joke, but nope!

 

So, i'm heading to whistler, and my parents just saved me 8000$... AND i get to go boarding in 16 days at Telus.. I am one happy Carrie right now! :)

This afternoon I went to visit a teacher friend of mine.  She just had a baby and is going crazy at home alone so I went to hang out with her for a couple hours and chatted a bit about next year.

 

Thing is, last August, I came back to Ontario from Whistler, and although I can't really say I regret it as I have payed off a ton of dept, and have been having a fab year with my class, I can say that I don't think I made the right decision. Thing is, I didn't really have much of a choice.  I have been travelling tons, and have had a pretty great life up to now. But this summer, things went down back home and my parents asked me to come home. And I listened. I know, what kind of 26 year old still lets their parents tell them what to do. But there are so many other factors.  My parents needed me around, they needed the family back together. There were so many deaths and illnesses in the family that my parents just needed me to be here. So, for the first time that I can remember, I was unselfish and came home to Ontario, as much as I knew it wouldn't make me happy.

 

I knew then that I would be moving back to BC as soon as I could. Hopefully back to Whistler. I was hoping to be there all of this summer, but now with all these weddings (would people stop getting married already!!) I'm going to have to stick around for a bit (and head back for a week or 2 at the end of Sept-beginning of October).  But my parents are trying to guilt me into staying here again. I keep trying to explain to them why I need to go, but they don't see it.

 

Anyway, I went to talk to this friend because she was there when I started my career, I get tons of calls for jobs all over ontario because of her, and she really knows me. So we sat down and had a chat about me leaving.  She is a bit biased because as she is on maternity leave, she wants me to take her class from Sept to Dec next year.  However, after a couple hours, she's 100% behind me. All the doubts I had about leaving have been erased.. mainly because I know I can come back here and get a job if things don't work out in BC.

 

Now, I have to go home on Thursday and confront my parents again.  And let them know this is for real.  My new fear isn't leaving for BC, it's them not giving me the 10 000$ loan they were going to give me to help me finishing paying off my OSAP. And seeing as I didn't win the 649 last night, I need that money. If anyone has a plan that has me keeping the $ and making my mum and dad AND me happy, please feel free to let me know!