Play by Play of our Adventure Race

Well, the odds were against us, but we did it- we completed our first Adventure Race together and it was SOOOOO much FUN! Read on and you'll see why the odds were against us. On Friday night, we went to pick up Maude's bike from our local bike shop as we had to take the ferry over to Vancouver that night to pick up our racer package. Maude has been renting a bike for the last 2 months every time we did a long ride to get used to it for the race. When we went to pick it up, it wasn't there and Maude had to bring a different bike that she had never ridden before. We decided to not take this as a sign!
The races started off with a 5 km kayak paddle. This was not our strong point, but is not surprising seeing that we only got out to practice once. Our friend who has done 8 MOMARS told us not to worry about the paddle as people go so hard and are really not that far ahead. So, we weren't too worried. When we brought the kayak up onto shore, the guys from the shop (most of us rented boats) said "oh my gosh. The back hatch was open- you guys were carrying an extra 40 pounds of water!" No wonder Maude said at the very beginning "it feels like we're not going anywhere."
With the transition between the paddle and the biking, Maude and I made up time and started to pass some teams. We had a big climb through a residential neighborhood when Maude's chain broke. We had the manditory "chain tool" in case this happened, but had no idea how to use it. Luckily 2 guys from the race stopped and fixed it for us, putting us back 25 minutes!!!! That's how long it took for them to fix it- we were so grateful as they put themselves back that much as well (as a side- these guys also fixed another team's chain before the end of the race). As they were doing this, we were watching the other women's teams pass us. We actually had the lead at this point. We got back on the saddle and continued to ride Up, Up, Up on some gravel trails to Simon Fraser University.
At this point, we put our bikes down and were given a different map where we had to find 8 checkpoints using our orienteering skills and running along the way. We didn't have to use our compass at all, as Maude was an awesome map reader.
Then we got back on our bikes for some amazing single track. This was my favourite part of the race as there were some awesome trails. We kept saying "this is amazing riding!" We had a really good ride and picked up time here as we started passing teams.
The last portion was the running/orienteering again where we had to find another 6 checkpoints to the finish line. We came in 3rd place in our category, but were only 3 minutes behind the first and second place team, so if we didn't have a broken chain, we're thinking we would have walked away with First Place. Oh well! Maybe next time. It was so much fun though and the perfect distance (30 km). It took us 4 hours and 19 minutes. I will definitely do another race like this. Thanks Maude for being the PERFECT partner!!! (Unfortunately we didn't have any photos of us together during the race, but my Mom too this of me at the hotel afterwards).

Evening Paddle

Maude and I have our MOMAR adventure race on Sunday. One of the components is kayaking, so we thought we better get out on the water (4 days before the race!) at least once. Thanks to Lydia for taking us out and letting us use your boats! I'm excited for the race and will let you know how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed for us on Saturday. It's a 30 km race and includes mountain biking, kayaking, trail running and orienteering. Do the sun dance for us too while you're at it... PLEASE!

Morning Hike

We took Nana for a hike this morning to Greenway Falls. This was Aja's longest hike ever and she didn't ask to be carried once, which is amazing for her! Yeah- onto another stage!

Haircuts and Artwork

The girls have been going to art class every Saturday morning. This is one of their finished products. These pictures are based on the works of artist Gustov Klimt. Sedona did hers entirely alone and Aja had just a tiny bit of help. Take note of Aja's hair. The girls got their haircut today and the stylist straightened Aja's hair. What a difference!

Fresh Rhubarb from the Garden!

And did we ever make a yummy crisp with it the other day! It's only in it's second year, so we can only harvest a bit. There's rules with rhubarb. Last year, we couldn't harvest any. This year we could only harvest a bit in it's first couple of weeks. Next year, it should be golden!

Wowsers- Aja on her new Pedal Bike!!!

We bought Aja a pedal bike YESTERDAY and this is her today at 4 years old- I'm pretty impressed! The coolest part is it's pink and called the "Norco Lil Mermaid."

Ode to a Great Man!

It is with great sadness that I write this post. I wanted to write it earlier but was waiting to get a digital picture. My stepfather, Brian, passed away suddenly on March 29th. Brian has been in my life for 21 years. He was an incredibally kind and caring person who always sincerely listened to what you had to say. It didn't take much for Brian to be happy; family was his priority and he was a real man of principle. What I will remember the most about Brian is his being a grandfather to our girls. "Grandpa Bri" as he was fondly called, would get down and roll in the grass with the kids and get right down to their level. He loved them to bits! The girls used to SKYPE my Mom and him regularly, and if it was just my Mom, they would always ask "where's Grandpa Bri?" He would come on and they would joke around with him for a long time. He always asked them the right questions and left them laughing. I am sad the girls won't have more memories of Grandpa Bri, but they are memories I will forever hold and be able to share. I love you Bri!

Whistler Getaway

Living it up at one of the restaurants we visited.

We took full advantage of the heated outdoor pool and hottub.

This was the perfect time to go to Whistler- look this is a Saturday morning in the village and there's no one there!

A Luxurious Weekend

We just got back from a couple of nights in Whsitler. We stayed at the Hilton, and check this out, they even had kids' sized bathrobes! I happened to talk to the right person when we checked in and she gave us one of the biggest rooms in the hotel- where the ownder stays when he comes. Chris and I had a teaching conference to go to. We got a nanny for the morning from a Babysitting service. I know other people who have done this, but I've always been a little unsure of it all. Well, it was fantastic. The girls had this amazing 2o something gal from Australia who took them into the village to play at the park, get some steamed milk, read to them at the library and did some crafts with them. The girls had a ball!