Partied like a rock star! August 7
This will be wierd, writing a post about non-athletic adventures, but I had such a great time I had to tell someone! At least it proves I’m just a normal person who doesn’t spend every waking moment working out or training!
Tuesday afternoon I got a phone call from Rosheen asking me if I wanted to go to Vancouver with her the next day, (Wednesday), as she had to go over for a meeting. I really wanted to go, but wasn’t sure how the logistics would work seeing as I had promised my Mom that I would have a “girl’s night” with her and Danielle later that evening. Kitt suggested that we look into Harbour Air or Helijet if we were worried about time. Rosheen called back a few minutes later to say that with our work discount, we could fly standby return for $150 each taxes included. Considering that the ferry is now $120+ roundtrip for just one person and thier vehicle, and that we wouldn’t have to deal with rush hour OR finding parking, we were set! With only 10 more days to go till the wedding, a stress relieving mini break would be perfect! The only thing that I was worried about was that I worked from 7pm Tuesday evening till 3am Wednesday morning and I knew I would be really tired. I am definately NOT a morning person!!
So I got off work and crawled into bed at 0330hrs and was rudely awakened by a persistant noise from somewhere on the night stand a very short while later. Then, in classic Devon fashion, it became a game of “Hit snooze and sleep more.” I am a master of this game, but I knew that when Kitt got up (he was driving us downtown on his way to work) the game was up. No matter how tired I am though, it’s always uplifting to see a happy dog wagging it’s tail while waiting for you at the door! Poor Panda was going to be alone for nearly 12 hours so we went for a 10 minute brisk walk around the block, and although it was great for her, it left me with about 5 minutes to get changed before we headed out the door.
We picked up Rosheen and Kitt dropped us as close to the terminal as he could before he had to turn around to head back to the firehall. Once we got to the terminal it was so exciting! I’d never been on a seaplane before, and the thought of it only taking 30 minutes to get to Stanley Park in Vancouver was crazy talk! Before we knew it we were on the plane with 10 other people and awaiting take off. I’ve been in the Inner Harbour paddling when these planes have taken off so it was awesome to be on the other side of the coin. Take off was very quick, but noisy. The ride was surprisingly smooth and worry free, except for the fan blowing air directly into my eyes! I tried to solve the problem by closing them, only to jerk awake 15 minutes later as we started to descend into the Vancouver harbour. I have never actually slept on a plane before so I was pretty surprised, and had a good idea of how exhausted I would be by the end of the day.
The terminal is 1 block from West Pender and Thurlow, right where Rosheen was going to have her meeting at 1100. Only problem was that it was 0830. What are 2 girls to do in Vancouver? Get tea to drink and talk about how we should have brought our running stuff and gone around Stanley Park! Or the trail from Ambleside Beach up to Cleveland Dam in the North Shore. We both agreed next time we would be all over it. We started to wander up to Robson and look at the stores just opening. Right away we got into a few stores and knocked half of the things on our list off. It was great fun to try on shoes that cost $500 but you wouldn’t be able to do anything but sit at a desk with. The time for Rosheen’s meeting came and I walked back to the building with her, then set off to amuse myself for a few hours. I had heard about a Nike store near Stanley Park where runners could go in and test drive different shoes and pieces of clothing, but instead of trying to find it, the girly girl in me that I usually try and supress reared her head and I went back up to Robson.
I had forgotten how much fun it can be to just walk and drift for the sheer enjoyment of walking and people watching. I explored a few stores, mostly looking for clothing deals (my fashionista sis Danielle took a look thru my closet, sighed and told me that dry-fit technical clothing in all colors did NOT constitute a wardrobe!) and gifts for the wedding party. Just as my stomach gave a long, loud growl, Rosheen called to say she was done and please, let’s do lunch. Perfect timing. On one of the corners near Robson and Thurlow there is a great little sushi joint called Tsunami Sushi where, if you sit at the bar, assorted plates of sushi float by in little boats and you are charged according to what plate you choose. 10 plates and 30 minutes later we were done. Full and tired. Not a good combination though as we both just wanted to find a place to nap!
We persevered though, for the good of our wardrobes and went into one of Rosheen’s favorite stores, Banana Republic. I must admit that this was my first time in this store and it made a sizeable dent in my wallet! All thier summer office apparel was on sale, so we grabbed a little of this and that, spent some time in the changeroom and then onto the till! It was fun to try on pants that were the same price as a new pair of Asic Kinseis, and mine desparately need replacing so I couldn’t justify it! Once we got outside into the beautiful sun we decided that it was maybe time to head home. Purchases in hand, we strolled back down to the terminal and waited to board. It was awesome, even though we were standby we always got on the first available flight. I tried to stay awake but it was no use. Once again I woke up as the plane started to descend for the water.
After picking up the truck from Kitt at the firehall and dropping Rosheen off at home I really craved a nap. Panda’s happy expectant face at the door told me maybe I’d sleep after I threw the ball for her at the park for a while. Aside from the fact that she had been home alone for 10 hours, she’s just too cute to pass up! 30 minutes later, all played out, we came home again and I tried to nap. It didn’t work at all. The only thing I could see was how messy my kitchen was and how much dog hair had collected in the corners in just 2 days. Kitt came home and I knew I was too tired to sleep. Best to do something, so I went to Thrifty’s and bought groceries for the next week. I hopped in the shower when I finished putting everything away and got the “where are you?” phone call from Mom and ran up to her place.
It was a surprise bridal shower!! My amazing Mom had thrown me a beautiful tea party style bridal shower with wonderful nibblies, tea and some hilarious games! My favorite was dressing Kitt, my brother Richard, and Danielle’s boyfriend Shaun up in toilet paper wedding gowns for a judged fashion show! I have not laughed that hard in a long time. Hopefully pictures will soon follow this post… I received so many fantastic gifts and feel thoroughly spoiled. Thank you everyone! I promise to start churning out the cookies and other recipes from the cook books as soon as the wedding is over! Around 10 we had cheesecake and tea and everyone started to head for home. Kitt and I went back downstairs and literally collapsed into bed. Thank you Mom for the wonderful shower!!