Life on the Runn...

Since arriving in Squamish - Squish to the people who really love it here - I've seen nothing but sunshine.  Rain, it once seemed, was little more than a nasty four letter word people threw around as a veiled threat.  You'd better appreciate today, even thought it's 90, because tomorrow it may be raining. Well, last weekend the rain arrived, and it stuck around all weekend long!  Despite the dark clouds and regular showers,  we had a really great weekend thanks to the arrival of our friends, Ryan and Todd. Shortly after R and T arrived, the rain subsided, and Ryan and Brian immediately took advantage of that and spent a few hours in the boulder fields. Todd and I thought of an even better plan, walked ourselves to the local liquor store, and enjoyed wine from a BC vineyard. When the boulderers returned, it was time for another sampling of the local fare, this time for dinner.  We made our way to the not so busy but often discussed Ruddy Duck.  As we were finishing our mea

On Monday, June 29th, a string of messages from family signaled that life was about to change, drastically.  I knew what I was about to hear before my mom picked up the phone, but that did nothing to ease the pain I felt when she told me that we had lost Grandma Unti.  Such a thing is never easy, but attempting to process this unexpected news left me reeling.  I spend many sleepless nights staring at the ceiling replaying a lifetime's worth of precious memories, all with my grandma at the center. She was the rock of the Unti family, one of the most paramount figures in all of our lives.  She could, without effort, command a room, and anyone who knew her has countless memories of the way she made you feel loved, the way she made you laugh, the way she made life good.  As illogical as it is, I truly never imagined my life without Grandma.  Every aspect of who she was allowed me to believe that she would always be here, that we would find ourselves sitting together, cashew dish betw

We have a long list of things we'd like to do while in Canada, and today we checked one more activity off our To-Do list.  We took in BC from an entirely different vantage point, the sky.  We chartered a flight out of Brackendale and spent approximately 40 minutes floating above the mountain ranges, forests, and backcountry lakes and waterfalls that make British Columbia one of the most majestic places I'v ever seen.  This was, by far, one of the coolest things we've done! getting ready to take off glacial ice When do they come around with the drinks?  The Chief (a close up view compared to the one from our patio) I wouldn't mind swimming there 

Our second week in Squamish began with a trip to Whistler.  We stopped at the Farmer's Market, where we sampled locally made bourbon, fresh squeezed lemonade, wood fire pizza, and pocket pies.  Everything was delicious.  It was a really hot day, somewhere around 97 degrees, so we also spent a lot of time seeking out shady spots.  Our next stop, the Olympic Park, offered little in the way of shade, but it turned out to be very worthwhile. Brian likened our visit to the empty park to being at Jurassic Park after the dinosaurs attacked. Regardless, we decided to stick around, and Brian event tried his hand at the biathlon (well, the shooting portion). And then it happened -- the moment I had hoped for, the moment that would make or break my Canadian adventure.   I saw a bear ! I was equal parts ecstatic and scared.  We made eye contact, and my bear encounter training of Glacier National Park failed me.  Was I was supposed to look tough or nonthreatening?  Was I supposed to talk to t

Considering I spent the better part of our first year together informing everyone that we weren't actually  together, and then spent the next several years telling anyone who would listen that I had zero intention of ever getting married, I'm pretty lucky this guy stuck around at all. And then he asked me to marry him!   The past nine years have been packed with lots of love and adventure.  Truly, we became grown ups together, sticking by one another through all the test pieces of adulthood, and I wouldn't change one minute of it! Here's to many, many more years of taking on this world together! Year 9 - a new job for Brian and summer in British Columbia Year 8 - a trip to Spain and another summer in Boulder, CO Year 7 - a new job for Brian, a trip to Turkey, and summer in Boulder, CO Year 6 - a new job for me and lots of time on the party boat  Year 5 - a new job for me and our first European adventure, Italy Year 4 - home owne

We've officially been residents of Squamish, British Columbia for a full week now, and we really did hit the ground running. After meeting at the Seattle - Tacoma International Airport (following three weeks of Brian 'living' back in Boulder - almost forgot what the guy looked like and drove like) crossing the border, and navigating our way though Vancouver, we arrived at what would be our home for the next five weeks, an awesome little condo with view of The Chief.  Apparently, air conditioning is not a thing in BC, and the temps have been in the low to mid 90's since we've arrived, so it does get a bit toasty during the day - though we have an amazing breeze on our amazing porch.  Brian is working while we are here, so while he types away during the daytime hours, I lesson plan, read, and relax in the sun. form our patio, we have a magnificent view of The Chief  into the woods... Monday brought with it some devastating news.  After an evening out boul