Visitors

These awesome people came to visit me this week:

It was very special to me to be able to share my Barkerville life with my Aunt Dianne, Aunt Marg, sister Esther and my Dad. My life is so different up here and I love that people can come visit me and see what I do and why I love it up here so much.

Feasting like civilized people

I've been in Kamloops for a few days now, a mini-vacation from my working-vacation in Barkerville. I came back for one reason: to see my granny who is visiting from Ontario. I love this lady. She has been a big part of my life from the moment I was born and despite the fact that I now live in BC, we remain in contact via snail mail and phone calls. She makes me laugh and I enjoy just sitting with her and reading Womans World Magazine (where she gets all her medical knowledge such as: Nikki is going to get brain cancer from talking on her cell phone and Nikki is going to get cancer from drinking ice water after supper), watching Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune or just sitting and having a wee little tiny coffee.

Today was Granny day. I took her for a wee little tiny coffee and two timbits at Tim Hortons and then we went to COSTCO. Where we pushed around a cart and collected free samples from every single sample station in the store. Now, most people would get a sample and eat it. That's not how Nikki and Granny roll. These samples are going to be our lunch and boy oh boy are we going to have a feast! And we are going to sit down and eat it proper, like two free loading, cheap dutch ladies. We go around with our cart and collect our free samples. They line the bottom of the cart and the seat and when we have made our way around the entire store, we find ourselves a table, unload our mish-mash of random bites of fruit snacks, granola, nuts, wieners, salad, yogurt and crackers. We sit down like civilized people, and we feast on our samples.

(yup, that's us loaded up on free samples)

Content and Happy

Sometimes, during weeks like the one I am having right now, I really can't believe that this is my life. That amazing things happen, that I get to see what I get to see, and do what I get to do. I'm in awe and baffled that I am so blessed to have this amazing life that God has give me.

The thing that brought on my awe and wonderment this week was a brief overnight trip that I took on the Bowron Chain of Lakes. This chain of lakes is world famous and is spectacularly beautiful. It takes about a week to complete the entire circuit. I was happy with my two days on the circuit, and my arms were happy that we were only on the circuit for two days. 

 Isn't the view unreal? There are four mountain ranges that the lakes surround and as you go through the circuit you travel through four different climates and ecological zones.

 (this is me looking 12)

 Vacation. Seriously. It was AMAZING. They have campsites all around the circuit, and you just pull over, set up your site and enjoy the view. And the bugs. The bugs were CRAZY! At night there was actually a steady hum of bugs like nothing I have ever heard before. It was ridiculous and disgusting at the same time. And in the morning the outside of the tent was plastered with mosquitoes. What could I do but laugh? I laughed a lot at the ridonculous of how many bugs there were. There also was a wicked-gnarly thunder/lightning storm for about an hour that was freakishly unbelievable. How does thunder work? I don't get it!

 I was really looking forward to the journey back because on the way to our campsite we had to paddle against the current, so going home was going to be  a cinch! And it was really nice going through the river, saw a moose and a beaver and just laughed and enjoyed our meandering journey through the slough. And then we hit the lake. And the wind. And a windstorm. Imagine a mixture of White Squall and the Perfect Storm. And me in a canoe. It was scary. We had to turn around and head for the safety of the slough. Eventually we did make it out to the lake, paddled close to shore and after a while of fighting with the wind pulled over on this beach:

Where I swam. And napped. And talked. And napped. And tanned. And just sat for a good hour and a half. Sitting there looking at this view I felt many things.
a. That I finally was getting a summer vacation.
b. That Canada really is the most beautiful place.
c. That the weather and activities and events of my canoe trip could not possibly have been more perfect.
d. That I love having friends, and laughing, and talking, and debating, and joking.
e. That I was perfectly content and happy.

62

QUIZ

a. This is me in Barkerville.

b. This is me after loosing 62lbs.

c. This is me in a super cute dress from VV

d. All of the above

The correct answer is d. All of the Above.

Major Pain in the Butt

What a week! I'm feeling so good and happy and healthy! Last Monday, exactly 10 minutes after discussing with a friend that our other friend was going to come visit on Thursday, the friend arrived at the door and was around for an extra couple of days. Very exciting.

Then on Saturday night, I was discussing with a different friend how I wanted to hike up to Groundhog Lake, but was skeptical about doing it myself because it is far, and there are bears, and I don't know where it is etc. Then, 10 minutes later two other friends mentioned that they were planning on hiking up to the lake - on my days off! Awesome.

So, Sunday afternoon, Conner, Sheena and I packed our bags and started the walk through Barkerville and Richfield, down the old Cariboo Waggon Road, past Summit Rock, hung a left at the creek and continued 12km uphill toward Groundhog Lake. 

 I'm sad that despite the beauty of our hike, you can't see the incredibly steep terrain that we traversed. Over the course of our 12km hike we climbed over 500m in elevation.

 Snow, ice, mountains, sunshine, warmth, all great things.

 We spent the night at a cabin that is located beside the lake. It was a beautiful ending to an intense hike.



The thing that I was most excited about doing this hike - other than checking it off my 'list of things to do' was that for the first time in years I felt incredibly fit and healthy. I was not slowing anyone down, Conner, Sheena and I took turns setting the pace, we packed everything in that we needed on our backs and took it back out again, and the minimum 3.5 hour hike - we did it in less than 2. Which means we were booking it! SO awesome. I got to the top - exhausted, with burning muscles, but feeling like I was on top of the world.

The next morning we walked down the mountain and back into town feeling energized and yet exhausted, and proud of our accomplishment.

The next morning after that, I couldn't walk. Did you know that the sides of your bum have muscles? That can hurt? A LOT? Cus I sure did learn about them this week.

Sneak Peak

Sneak Peak:
Once my final costume is done, I'll share pictures of me in all my victorian finery.