I carried the Olympic torch!!!!!

My Olympic torch experience has come and gone but the memory will last a lifetime. It was awesome!!!!!! What an adrenaline rush! And very emotional - I had an overwhelming sense of pride and honour. Words can't even express how I felt as I ran with the Olympic torch or what the whole experience meant to me. I met some great people and all the torch bearers and organizers were so excited and upbeat. Now we have the torch I ran with sitting in our living room. It is in a carrying case I received with my torch as I am waiting for the torch stand I purchased. I still cannot believe I participated in this historic event. Here are a ton of photos, and some video, that were taken by Chris and me. I will be able to download the media photos in approximately 2 weeks and will upload those to the blog as well.

Getting ready at home.

Waiting to receive my torch and after I was dropped off at my starting point.

Chris and me and waiting for the approaching flame.

My torch being lit and high-fiving the previous torch bearer.

Getting ready to start my segment and after my segment was done.

The shuttle bus.

Me beside the shuttle bus and Chris at the Community Celebration.

Performers at the Community Celebration.

The Olympic flame approaching.

The last St. John's torch bearer approaching the stage and lighting the cauldron.

The lit cauldron and torches over the years.

Torches over the years.

Torches over the years.

Me with a Summer Olympian and my Olympic torch in it's carrying case at home.

Videos of me carrying the torch, and passing the flame onto the next torch bearer.

Got my Olympic torchbearer outfit!!!

Now it's beginning to feel real. I received my Olympic torchbearer outfit today; red mittens, white toque, white trackpants, and a white windbreaker. I think it's really cute, and I absolutely love the mittens! I have plenty of room underneath the pants and jacket for heavy clothing to stay warm, which I was concerned about but it's definitely not a problem. So without further ado, here it is!


'Running'


Right arm and leg with reflective wording


Left arm


Back with reflective Olympic rings


The mittens

2010 Olympic torchbearer

I am so excited!!!!!! In 6 weeks, 6 days I will carry the Olympic torch for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games!!!!!! It's only a 300 meters leg but it's still the Olympic torch!!!!!! And as a torchbearer (or torchbarrier as my birthday cake said) I had the opportunity to purchase the torch I will be carrying. It's quite expensive, and of course they offer a torch stand to go with it, but we figure it's a once in a lifetime opportunity so why not! So today I bit the bullet and put the 2 items on my VISA. The stand will be sent to me in 3-8 business days, and the torch I get the day of the relay after I've walked my leg.

The torch takes its inspiration from the cool, crisp and modern lines that are left behind in the snow and ice from winter sports. The maple leaf on the back of the torch has an important functional role as an air intake hole to ensure the Olympic Flame burns brightly. The 2010 Winter Games Motto With Glowing Hearts/Des plus brillants exploits is engraved opposite where the flame will burn.
Height: 94.5 centimetres/37.125 inches
Weight: 1.6 kilograms/3.52 pounds


Inspired by the lines and curves of the Vancouver 2010 graphic identity, the torch stand both complements and showcases the torch. Made of stainless steel, it is a solid and durable pedestal that allows for unobstructed views of the torch.
Dimensions: 7" tall x 10.5" long x 8" wide.

The finished product

Now I await the details on what time and where in St. John's I do my leg of the relay, as well as the arrival of my outfit. I've been working out quite a bit to make sure I look very sleek and slender in my outfit as opposed to a bit marshmellow. as I know I'll have to wear layers of clothing underneath.

Are you sitting down?

March 24, 1940 - August 1, 2009

This is what Danna had always told me she'd start our phone conversation with when my mom passed away. And the morning of Sunday, August 2, 2009 I heard those words. Danna called to let me know that on Saturday, August 1, 2009 my mom passed away in hospital. We immediately flew to Toronto to be with my family. My family had prepared ourselves as best we could because she was very sick for quite some time. However, when faced with the reality of it it was quite difficult. My mother didn't want a funeral nor memorial service and so we honoured that, but it made saying goodbye and having some closure very difficult. So the funeral home that was taking care of the arrangements she herself had made allowed us some time to see her body before she was cremated. It was an emotional and difficult thing to do, but I'm glad I did. It allowed me to say some things that were on my mind that I hadn't been able to tell her while alive, and gave me the chance to see she was gone and say goodbye. As much as my mom and I didn't see eye-to-eye (and it was often) I miss her alot. As hard as it was to get along with her, I loved my mother and always will. Death is so final and yet so abstract. Coming to terms with the fact that I will never talk to her again, that I will never see her again, and that she will miss many events in not only my life but in my siblings' lives, is extremely hard. However, I do have some peace in knowing she is no longer suffering or in pain. R.I.P mom, I love you.

2003

Thar she blows

Today we went on a whale boat tour with O'Brien's Whale and Bird Tours. We were quite excited to see Puffins and humpback whales. The Atlantic Puffin is the official bird of Newfoundland and Labrador. Atlantic Puffins are pigeon sized seabirds with a characteristic orange beak, that nest in colonies on small, rugged islands. It was at one of these small islands, Gull Island, that we saw thousands of these birds. It was quite the sight to see; tons of black and white birds with bright beaks sitting along the edge of the island. They were often in groups. They were also flying around in the sky and it was like when you see bats flying out of a cave on tv, there were that many. There were also seagulls and muirs (sp? could also be merr, murre or mur). Muirs look like minature penguins in colour and posture. They were so cute.

The boat

On the boat

Puffins hanging out on side of island. The holes in the island are their little homes with 2 compartments - 1 where they lay the eggs and 1 where they go to the washrooom.

Close-up of Puffins

Tons and tons of Muirs on the side of the island. The Muir seem to stay on the rocky part and the Puffin stays on the grassy part.

Close-up of Muirs (with 1 taking flight)

Birds flying around the island

After slowly coasting by Gull Island we went out into the water some more to look for humpback whales. Luckily we spotted 2, although we only kept up with 1. For the longest time all I (Bambie) could see was the water being sprayed from the blowhole, and then finally I saw the back and tail. WOW! It was beautiful. A couple times the whale would dive and we'd sit around for what seemed like eternity (probably 6 minutes) waiting for it to resurface. I never saw the head, and it didn't jump, but many times as we'd see the water spray from the blowhole we'd also see the back and top fin and beginnings of the tail. At one point the whale was quite close to our boat and right in front of us, and gave us a beautiful, close look at it's huge tail as it did 1 final dive before we left. Unfortunately I didn't get the full tail in it's glory, but I will post a picture of what it looked like. It was exhilarating to be that close to a whale. While I was hoping we'd see a pod, I would definately go whale watching again. The whole trip was breathtaking.

Back fin of whale. You can see the mist from the blowhole to the right of the picture.

Whale diving and tail just coming out of the water.

This is what the sequence looked like (not a picture I took).

Just as an aside, I brought Gravol incase 1 of us got seasick and it turns out it was a good thing I brought it too. Not for us as we were fine, but a man on the boat was seasick and I gave him a couple tablets. Why didn't more people think to bring Gravol though? *shrug* Oh well!

I got a new job!!!!!

Yep, without looking I got a waaaaay better job than I currently have. Chris was looking at jobs and saw one looking for a Clinical Research Assistant so I applied on a whim. 12 hours later I got a call for an interview. I had the interview that morning and received the offer of employment that afternoon. As a Clinical Research Assistant I will be doing data entry of the findings from drug studies (patients stats, side effects, etc...), filing, and regulatory duties (acting as a liason between our company, the sponsors which I am assuming are the pharmaceutical companies, and the ethics board). I actually am the only one given the regulatory duties as the VP was doing them and no longer wants to as she has other things she needs to concentrate on. Yep, that's right, I'm doing 1 of the jobs of the VP! So I will be making more money (score!), getting full benefits (score!), and this will look awesome on my resume and could lead to some great opportunities (score!). As well, the company is expanding and the VP told me the possibilities are endless for someone with my science background (she's already talking about me completely running Phase 1 trials). Only downside is it's in Newfoundland and we don't plan on being here forever. But at least it's a step in the right direction and closer to my education and what I'd like to do in the future than what I currently am doing.
I will still be working at the doctors' office 1-2 evenings per week - it's only 3 hours per evening clinic and since it's within walking distance of our home I'd be silly not to do it. It's extra money in our pocket.

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

June 10, 2009 marked our 3 year wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been 3 years already. For our celebration we're going to see Cirque de Soleil but they're not in St. John's yet so we can't go until June 28. However, on the day of our anniversary we had a nice (meaning expensive) dinner at The Keg. It was delicious!!!

We've come to the realization that every anniversary has been spent in a different city; year 1 was in Paris, year 2 was in Toronto, and now year 3 in St. John's. We're hoping to spend our 4th anniversary in London, England.

So to commemorate the occassion I thought I'd post our wedding vows, a wedding photo, and a photo from this anniversary. Our vows still say perfectly how I feel about Chris.

I love you! You are my best friend, my love, and my future. I pledge to be true and loyal to you, to support your dreams, and offer you courage through all your endeavors. I promise all my heart's devotion and a hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow. You are my hope, my strength and my inspiration, and I promise to be yours. From this day forward, you shall never walk alone. My heart will be your shelter, and my arms will be your home.