Author: Vesta Giles

50 Crazy Things in my 50th Year #25 – Make a Snow Angel

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20160103_134905 1Sometimes my crazy things are just reminders that it’s important to be young and remember the joy that can be found in doing things that children do – swinging on swings, hopscotch… the list is endless. If we only did adult things then we get stuck in an adult world and that can be boring, limiting, and it likely means closing the door on joy.

Early in the ski season I saw a snow angel on the side of a ski trail. Just out in the middle of nowhere particularly special. It made me smile, and I tried to remember when the last time I made one was. I couldn’t remember actually ever making one. I must have made them when I was a kid, bundled up in a snowsuit, but I had lost it. That door to childhood was closing. I knew then that a snow angel had to be a crazy thing.

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Jody Lenarcic and I went for a challenging but awesome snowshoe up to the bluffs at Stake Lake on January 3rd. While were out enjoying the sunshine and sparkly white snow (my favourite days) I mentioned it. She looked at me… she has a look… it says “let’s make this happen!”… kinda scary sometimes! As we progressed up toward the bluffs the snow was deep, powdery, and bright white. It was perfect. The bluffs rose above us, basking in the sunshine. The snow was at least two feet deep and it was pristine – completely untouched. We both knew this was the spot!

the snow was amazing
our shadows like the fresh air too

Setting this up to get good pictures was actually trickier than we first thought it would be. We wanted to get video and photos. The first problem was having me pass her on snowshoes on the deep narrow trail – not a lot of room and it was almost a game of twister but we managed to survive. Next, I had to figure out how to fall backward on snowshoes. They are long in the back so it’s actually kind of difficult to fall backwards. I have no problem falling sideways – I’m a pro at that.

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Basalt Bluffs

Once we got that organized I fell backward into the deep, fluffy snow and flapped my arms and legs. It’s hard to flap in deep, pristine snow, and I learned that snowshoes don’t really flap very well – this had a high degree of difficulty. Once I’d done enough flapping to make a decent angel we realized Jody would need to pull me up so we didn’t disturb the pattern. We spent a lot of time thinking about how we would manage this feat and all the while my butt, back, and legs were freezing and starting to get pretty wet – should have thought of that sooner! Where was the snowsuit of my childhood???

2016-01-03 21.50.14 from Vesta Giles on Vimeo.

When Jody finally got me vertical, and we could breathe again after laughing so hard, we looked down and saw the most perfect snow angel ever. It was awesome! The deep snow really did the trick.

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We made our way back to the parking lot – it was a long snowshoe and we were pretty tired at the end of it, but I noticed I felt just a little bit lighter – not in body, but in spirit. Every once in awhile I picture that angel and I wonder how many people went by on the trail and smiled at the angel beaming up at them. It makes me smile more.

Why was this crazy?

I propped open the door to that childhood energy that dictates we do things purely because they are fun, make us laugh, and just feel good.

Would I do it again?

Any chance I get!

 

50 Crazy Things in my 50th Year #24 – Polar Bear Swim

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My whole 50 Crazy Thing Adventure started when I told a library patron of mine, Dawn Nelson, that I was going to do the Disney Princess Half Marathon in Florida two days before my 49th birthday. Dawn is an artist who loves living life, bright colours, and big ideas. I love her! She is in her 70’s and when I told her I was doing this because it was the craziest thing I could think of and I was dreading turning 50 the next year, she looked me right in the eye and said, “You need to do 50 Crazy Things in your 50th Year… you need to hit that birthday head on. Don’t cower from it, hit it with all you’ve got!” That’s what started it all… you can blame her!

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Dawn and I at the Polar Bear Swim – it’s all her fault!

 

Every year Dawn drags her husband to Nicola Lake on January 1st to do her own Polar Bear Swim. When I mentioned it was on my list, she said she would do it with me and come into Riverside Park for the Kamloops event. It was locked in stone – we were doing it!

When New Year’s day came, the air temperature was -11C with the wind chill. the water temperature was 0.5C. There was deep snow on the beach and ice along the shore. Go big or go home! This wasn’t one of those sissy Polar Bear Swims that my cousin and uncle did in Vancouver, this was hard core!

I read up on tips for the polar bear swim ahead of time:

  • wear shoes in the water – your feet will be frozen and won’t feel anything sharp so you could cut yourself and not know it
  • take a towel to put on the sand (what sand?) so you can easily step out of your frozen water shoes and into dry ones
  • have your clothes ready – it’s not the water that will kill you it’s the hypothermia from the air temperatures and exposure after

Admission to this informal event was by food bank donation. There were a limited amount of commemorative t-shirts so Dawn and I each scooped one up.

Now we were ready and people, lots of people, started to stream onto the beach. I would say there were at least 200 people there, and maybe 100 went in the water. My mom came, and so did Dawn’s husband, Dale, and my friends Jody and Gerry – mainly to take pictures and make sure it actually happened.

As the people were arriving I saw herons across the river, some pretty startled ducks, geese, and swans near the shore where we would be jumping in. And when I looked up, I saw an eagle fly above us. Seeing eagles is always special to me. It’s like a reminder to pay attention, when eagles are around something special is happening. This wasn’t just a party for people with hangovers who wanted to do something stupid on New Year’s Day. This was special. I was about to find out just how special.

Ruby

The beach began to get really crowded. An elderly lady with a peaceful expression on her face, relaxed and curious, stood next to us. I asked her if she was here to watch someone. She said no, but she had always wanted to do it and thought this would be as good a year as any. Dawn and I nearly fell over. Ruby, it turns out, is 90 – soon to be 91. She lives alone and decided she would just show up this year and do it. I had three support people with me. Dawn had her husband. Ruby came alone. We quickly adopted Ruby.

Me, Ruby, and Dawn (plus Dawn’s husband, Dale, before we started
Picking our way across the ice on the way out
Who me? I’m not cold!

 

3…2…1…!

I wore running shorts, a bright orange long sleeved running shirt (so rescuers could find me), a pink Disney running shirt over top  – I got it at the Princess Half – it seemed fitting – this was so nobody would recognize me since we all know I have some issues about pink. I also wore gingerbread deelybobbers on my head to celebrate the season. Dawn was wearing shorts too, as well as a Santa hat. Ruby stripped down to just a simple bathing suit.

When the time came Dawn and I held Ruby’s hands because there was at least two feet of ice between the shore and the water and we didn’t want her to slip. The current was strong and the water gets deep quickly on the Eastern side of the beach so I kept holding on to her. I didn’t want her to float away!

I ran in, tried to inhale, and discovered I couldn’t breathe! I went down to my shoulders and we paddled around for a bit before dragged Ruby out. She wanted to stay in. Apparently she has an ice cold bath every day and that’s the secret to her youthful appearance and longevity.

When we got out we all helped each other get warm clothes on. Ruby’s canvas water shoes, her other shoes were in her car, were frozen solid and squished from her stepping on the backs of them. We couldn’t get her feet in them. When she was walking back to the car she stepped out of one into the snow and didn’t even know because her feet were so cold!

Home after the swim – I look most refreshed
the shoes I wore in the water filled with snow before I got in and froze solid when I got out
Got the shirt!

 

When we got back to our cars we made sure Ruby would be OK. I gave her my business card and told her to give it to her family if they wanted any pictures. A few days later her daughter in law contacted me. They were happy we were there with her and were very grateful for the pictures. I even sent her the link of us making (barely) the CFJC TV News!

So, the eagles were right. Something special did happen. We met and were inspired by Ruby.

Why was this crazy?

Seriously?

Would I do it again?

Dawn and I are already making plans for next near! Anybody want to join us?

 

 

50 Crazy Things in my 50th Year #23 – Go Out for New Year’s

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Again, this might not seem crazy to most people, but to me it’s big.

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The day lodge at Stake Lake – so pretty at night.

New Year’s Eve is pretty much a holiday I ignore. I’m an introvert. I’m not big on parties, and I’m really not big on getting dressed up. I have also been described as being ‘possessive about my sleep’ so late nights aren’t really part of my bag of tricks. When I was little I shocked more than one set of parents when I kicked visiting kids out of my bedroom and put myself to bed. I also fell asleep at my own 16th birthday party. New Year’s Eve? Apparently things happen at midnight that I see on the news the next day.

So, to slightly expand my options I decided to accept the open invitation to go to the Overlander Ski Club’s New Year’s Eve potluck and ski. I’ve avoided these events before because I don’t know anybody but when doing crazy things – point yourself toward what you avoid. Now, this potluck only went to about 9pm, but still … the point is I went.

It was ridiculously cold that night. Even with extra layers my legs and arms were burning. I skied for a bit on my own, and then went in and discovered that despite all my crazy activities this year, I was still an introvert. Sigh. Like a true introvert I hovered on the outside of a packed room filled with skiers who have all known each other for decades. I had fun though, I met a few people there who were new and didn’t know anyone else either, and I hung out in the corner with Jordan (a young guy who works at the ticket booth) and his girlfriend. Club President, Alan, who is not an introvert, merrily worked the room and sat with for awhile chatting the corner before moving on.

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Nothing says New Year’s like a disco ball hanging above a wood stove at New Year’s

I had fun, the food was great, the skiing was cold, I didn’t have to dress up. I still, however, didn’t make it to midnight…. maybe next year!

Why was this crazy?

Introvert? Know almost nobody? Go out on New Year’s – take your pick!

Would I do it again?

Sure, I can hold down the corner of a room like nobody’s business! More seriously, though. I do need to do this more often so it gets a bit easier each time. I actively avoid parties and that has to stop. Life rarely happens at home and even if I’m happily nestled in the corner, at least I got off the couch and out the door. From my corner I always admire people who mingle easily. Maybe someday, with practice, it will come.

 

50 Crazy Things in my 50th Year #22 – Follow intuition and rediscover magic

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Hello gorgeous! One goal accomplished but it was so much more than just taking pictures of a moose.

At the beginning of each ski season I set some goals – how many km I want to ski, how many times I want to ski, and what wildlife I wanted to see and photograph. I usually reach the km and visit goals, but never the wildlife ones. This year my goals are to ski 700 Km, go skiing 55 times, and photograph the front end of a moose, a lynx, and an owl.

Christmas Eve, 2015 – Like many of my other crazy things, this just started as a normal day.

First, some background. After I graduated from university I moved to Dublin for six months of doing nothing. I had already spent two months backpacking around Britain and Ireland.  It seemed like a stupid and frivolous thing to do, go back with no plan, but it was easily one of the most important things I’ve ever done.

I was exhausted from school. After graduating with a science degree all I wanted to do was be a writer. I felt, at times, like I had wasted four years of my life. I hadn’t it turns out. That science degree is always valuable when I least expect it. More importantly I felt like I had lost my way. The strong, intuitive part of me had been ignored and devalued. Moving to Dublin gave me an opportunity to reclaim that part of myself. I didn’t know how I was going to do it but I knew I would. It took me a few months to figure it out, but eventually I was able to let go of lists of things to do, obligations to others, and expectations of others. It’s probably the only time I’ve lived completely for myself.

I was alone, intentionally, and it was an incredibly important time in my life. I learned that when I followed my instincts I could create magic. Amazing things happened. Coming home, and in the years since, the challenge has always been to find a way to live that honestly with myself, and at the same time live in a world where I had lists of things to do, obligations outside of myself, and people I loved who had expectations of me.

This year on Christmas Eve I had to work a half day in Logan Lake at the Library. It was a good day – fun and festive. Two friends brought me pizza for lunch because I had complained that staff who worked Christmas Eve at the bigger branches in town were given pizza. In the smaller branches we got nothing. My homemade pizza and a can of coke arrived and it was delivered by two people I adore. It was yummy! Pretty awesome day so far. In the past few years I have surrounded myself with amazing people and they even bring snacks!

I planned to go for a long ski at Stake Lake after work and then get into the festive spirit when I got home. When I got to Stake it was almost 2 pm and I realized I didn’t have as much time as I thought and a long ski was out of the question. I’m a creature of habit so I thought I’d just do one of my other regular routes, a shorter one that would only take me an hour or so. As I was setting out, I realized that for some reason I wasn’t going to take that route and I really didn’t know where I was going. I felt that instinct sensation, a homing device in my spine, and I knew I just had to follow along and go wherever I felt like I should. I ended up in an area I don’t usually gravitate to because it’s full of steep trails that are often icy.

I believe that wildlife, or any kind of wonder in the world, allows you to find it, and you can only find it when you’re ready to receive it. You can’t go chasing it. You have to be open to it and it will let you in. It’s like riding a wave – if you catch the wave it’s amazing and you have that mythical feeling of being one with it. Sounds corny, but I think it’s true. If you try and force it – well that’s just painful and rarely gets you the results you’re looking for. I usually know when I follow my instincts and ride that wave, something special will happen. This time I wasn’t disappointed. I came around the corner and found myself face to face with a moose calf – one of the moose that regularly hang out around the ski trails. This wasn’t the first time I’ve seen a moose, or her in particular, but it was the first time I’ve been this close (and not in a car), and the first time I’ve had the time and the space to get some really good pictures.

As I came around the corner she looked up at me from where she was standing and eating. She acknowledged me, and then continued looking for food. We had at least 20 minutes where I slowly moved closer and took more pictures. I didn’t see one skier, and it was a busy day at the trails, the whole time I was with her. I was about 20 ft from her and I’m pretty sure I took over 100 pictures. Finally I knew I was done. I skied past her, maybe 10 ft away. She looked up at me, and then walked off into the bush. It was like she was waiting for me. It was the best Christmas present ever.

Why was this a crazy thing?

I had to slow down, and remember to follow a feeling that used to be so familiar to me. It used to be second nature. Now I have to remember it and relearn how to access and sustain it. Instinct is powerful and it’s like a muscle – it has to be worked and trained.

Would I do it again?

Absolutely. I have to keep working that instinct muscle and I’m committed to stopping and taking the time to appreciate beauty when I see it. I have to be prepared to catch the wave and enjoy the bounty at the end. I still have the owl and lynx to go this winter and I may or may not get lucky, but that’s OK. I had the moment and that is better than anything. I’ve seen this lady a couple of times since, never in good enough conditions to get good pictures. I always smile at her, nod in acknowledgement. Maybe she’s smiling too.

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My moose selfie! I wasn’t brave enough to turn my back on her when I was really close so I waited till was further away.

50 Crazy Things in my 50th Year #21 – do a virtual run

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Maybe this isn’t crazy by some standards but it was to me. I have heard about ‘virtual runs’ in the past year but hadn’t actually participated in one until December 15th, which was also National Cupcake Day in the United States. Virtual runs are when you register for a particular event but you don’t have to travel – everyone who registers does it a home and then posts their results online. Beat the Blerch had a virtual option for people who couldn’t travel to one of the races and the Hogwarts Running Club, an online virtual running club, hosts a number of Harry Potter themed virtual runs through the year. The first one of 2016 is the Molly Weasley Ugly Jumper Run on February 6th, which is Arthur Weasley’s birthday.

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Each time I wanted to do a virtual run this year it either sold out, I was low on funds, or I couldn’t make the timing work. You still have to finish the run within a certain date range so it’s not like you can just do it whenever. The cool thing is you still get awesome medals (it’s all about the bling!) that they mail to you and you still have a sense of participating with a group. The thing is, however, you really need to do something to make the run special. When you run in a big event you have the crowd, fellow runners, the starting and finish lines, on route entertainment, and a racing element that even inspires turtles such as me to experience a boost of adrenaline. With a virtual run you either create that for yourself, or it could be a bit boring.

When we were at the Rock n’ Roll 10K Krista, Monica, Trisha, Jody and I were playing with the idea of doing one and the Cupcake Day 5K was an early contender. The medal was awesome (we’d seen it online). The charity was great – Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Plus, the race organizers wanted you to do it on or as close to December 15 as you could. December 15 is National Cupcake Day and if possible celebrate with cupcakes – how can you go wrong with cupcakes?

We decided to do it as a group and Tracy joined us as well. Trisha couldn’t do it on actual National Cupcake Day with us so she did it on another day. We planned our 5K so our starting and finishing line was at Sweet Spot Cupcakes in Aberdeen. I think the owner, Natalie, thought we were nuts but funny at the same time.

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Natalie from Sweet Spot Cupcakes

So December 15th came and because I’m just that kind of person I cross country skied 12 hard km of hills in the morning and then ran on icy and snowy streets that night. My legs were dead at the end. But we ran, slipped a lot, one of us fell on ice (oddly enough it wasn’t me!), and looked at Christmas lights while we made our way along our 5ish Km route. We got to the end and according to Run Keeper, the app we use to track our activities, we weren’t quite at 5K yet so we did laps around the Canadian Tire parking lot to make up the distance. After that it was all sugar… I had a candy cane cupcake and it was awesome!

Why was this crazy?

We had to make it crazy, and fun, and different, and way out of the ordinary. We all run all the time and 5K isn’t really that big of a deal, but we made it an event and celebrated the journey. And we all have the medal to prove it. The thing is, why don’t we make every day special and celebrate more? It’s not really that hard.

Would I do it again?

Of course! I’m already looking for more virtual runs. They’re fun and easy on the travel budget as well. Plus, I have the best running buddies in the world and we can make anything fun!

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50 Crazy Things in my 50th Year #20 – Night skiing away from civilization

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The date was December 10, 2015. This did not start out as a crazy thing.

I stopped at Stake Lake on the way home to go for a night ski. It was my first night ski of the season and it was snowing pretty heavily but the skiing was still pretty good.

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At the beginning of my ski… I was still smiling!

Normally when I ski at night I stick to some green, or easier trails, that are close to the ticket booth and the lodge. I’m usually alone and it just always felt like the thing to do. It might be that I just wasn’t thinking, or it might be that I had lost my mind, but on one of the darkest nights of the year I chose a 9km route that took me far away from the ticket booth on a two hour ski in pitch black darkness. Half way through I knew I was sinking seriously deep into crazy territory.

I realized, all of a sudden, that I had never done that before. Even when I skied with someone else at night we stuck to the trails that were closer to the parking lot and staff at the ticket booth. That night I didn’t see one other skier until I got back to the lit trail at the lake.

It was dark, snowing hard, and there were no stars or moon visible. All I could see was the dim circle around me created by my headlamp. I saw fresh animal tracks all around me and I kept picturing the mythical Gruffalo, from one of my favourite children’s books by Julia Donaldson, walking behind me. My overactive imagination didn’t help. I know there is a cougar out there, and some lynx, some wolves, and bunnies that are probably pretty vicious too. I was imagining all of them, watching me, in the woods, just out of the light where I couldn’t see them. Sure, laugh now, but if a fluffle of bunnies ganged up you when you had skis stuck to your feet you might not fare so well either. And yes, a group of rabbits or bunnies is called a ‘fluffle’ – there, now you’ve learned something new today. Sometimes they are referred to as traveling in a herd or colony as well. Either way they’re quick and they’ve got big teeth, and those feet…!

The whole time I was out there my imagination pretty much ran as wild as the wildlife all around me. “If you go out in the woods tonight…” at first I had this stuck in my head, over and over and over.

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For some reason my shadow didn’t seem scared.

Then I moved on to rewriting the Gruffalo, one of my favourite kids books ever, to feature a librarian instead of a mouse. I did it all in my head… over and over and over!

A mouse (librarian) went for a ski in the deep dark woods,

a (cougar/ lynx / moose / fox / wolf / chainsaw wielding serial killer) saw the mouse (librarian) and the mouse (librarian) looked good!

Where are you going to, little brown mouse (librarian)? come and have lunch in my underground house.

It’s terribly kind of you, (Fox/ cougar/ lynx/ moose / wolf / serial killer…), but no—– I’m going to have lunch with a gruffalo.

“A  gruffalo?  What’s a gruffalo?”

“A gruffalo!  Why, didn’t you know?

He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws,

And terrible teeth in his terrible jaws.”

“Where are you meeting him?”

“Here, by these rocks,

And his favourite food is roasted fox.”

“Roasted fox!  I’m off!” Fox said.

“Goodbye, little mouse,” and away he sped.

“Silly old Fox!  Doesn’t he know,”

“There’s no such thing as a gruffalo!”

At about the halfway point, with my heart pounding wildly from skiing and the side effects of my wicked imagination. I stopped to catch my breath and I actually considered turning off my headlamp to see just how dark it really was. This year I have faced many of my fears and I’m not one who is usually afraid of the dark, but there was no way I was turning off that headlamp! I practically gave my own head a shake. I was pretty sure that chainsaw wielding serial killer would be standing right in front of me when I turned the light on again. And at the point where I would turn the headlamp on again he would crank up the chain saw and I would absolutely jump out of my skin.

At the end of the 9km loop I reached the lit trail that circles the lake and leads back to the parking lot. I have never been so happy to see the lights of the trail system, civilization! I practically hugged the first skier I saw. That might have been awkward!

Why was this crazy?

Seriously? It was crazy because I managed to scare the crap out of myself without even planning to.

Would I do it again?

Maybe….

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This was actually taken the next night, on those lovely green trails closer to the parking lot and civilization. Me thinks they might be lynx!

 

50 Crazy Things in my 50th Year #19 – Drive home in my pajamas

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OK, this didn’t start out as one of my crazy things. It was, however, pretty out there for me and definitely qualified!

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This is how I started my day – reasonably well dressed library branch head!

Nicole Hampton-Montgomery and I have co-lead the Parent Child Mother Goose program in Logan Lake for five or so years. We love it and we love singing and rhyming with all the little ones (age 0-5) and their parents. Each Mother Goose session runs once a week for eight weeks. On the last night of each session, and sometimes on random nights, we will have pajama night and everyone, parents, kids, and Nicole and I all wear our pajamas. It’s a lot of fun and they like seeing us dressed funny.

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Pajama night at Mother Goose – not showing faces for privacy reasons and also we just like feet pictures for some reason. Those are my Santa socks up near the top.

Now, Nicole and I have matching pajamas because she was lucky enough to find them at the Walmart in Merritt. She texted to see if I wanted a pair and I said, Hell ya! Who wouldn’t want a pair of blue flannels with Olaf from Frozen on them??? Duh!

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Later, Nicole and I in our matching Olaf pajamas. She hadn’t yet thrown down her evil dare.

I always come directly in my dress clothes from work and change when I get to the high school where we hold the program. Usually, I change back in to my dress clothes to do the 45 minute drive home….. usually!

On December 2nd, Nicole, one of my best friends, threw down a serious dare. I went to go change after everyone had left and she, in a most horrible and evil way, said “I dare you to drive home in that!” It was just like that, she threw down a serious dare and there was no way I could get out of it. “Come on, Crazy girl, show us what you’ve got.” She just stood there grinning, taunting me.

In reality she wanted to leave and didn’t want to wait for me to change, but when a dare is thrown down it’s a big deal. I had to do it.

The dress boots – the only shoes I had besides the Santa Claus socks I wore that night to complete my ensemble, made the outfit.

I reluctantly agreed. I don’t wear my pajamas out in the real world. I’ll wear a lot of other embarrassing things but I cringe if I have to run out to the car because I forgot something and I’m in my pajamas. Apparently, though, according to a visual survey at Walmart – for most people it’s not that big of a deal!

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How I drove home that night, pretty much convinced for the entire 45 minutes that I was about to be arrested for multiple fashion violations.

So, dreading it, I got in the car and started the drive home. I was a bit paranoid… what if I had a tail light out? I renewed my insurance… didn’t I? What if I’m in an accident?

I’m pretty sure I was the most cautious driver on the road that night, particularly given the fact that I know some of the Logan Lake RCMP officers and getting pulled over by one of them would only make the situation worse… much worse!

On that note, my drove home at about 7:30 on Wednesday nights is usually pretty quiet. I see some traffic going to the mine, and some skiers once I hit Stake Lake. On that night, however, I saw a record number of emergency vehicles with their lights on. It was unbelievable! Police, ambulances, all over the place!

When I finally got home (slower than usual) and my mom greeted me at the door she was visibly surprised. “It was a dare,” I told her, without waiting for her to comment. “I blame Nicole!”

Why was this crazy?
Not sure but for some reason, my pajamas are meant for lounging at home or singing The Wheels on the Bus at Mother Goose! This was just wrong!

Would I do it again?
Not if I can help it!

50 Crazy Things in my 50th Year #18 – The Moustache Miler – Spontaneous Mingling

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I really hadn’t planned to go to Vancouver late in November. It’s not usually a time I drive down unless I have to because the roads can be very hit or miss. After meeting Gord Kurenoff from the Vancouver Sun at the Rock n Roll 10K, though, I suddenly realized I needed to do something a little spontaneous. He invited me down for the Moustache Miler – a fundraiser for prostate cancer and part of the activities planned for Movember. The idea is you run, you wear a moustache, and you have fun… all for a good cause. I realized I could get some business done as well when I came down so I threw caution to the wind and registered. I didn’t plan a lot, I felt very disorganized, and yet I just went for it. I planned two business meetings for the same trip to maximize my time and then I enjoyed two solo nights in a hotel with no schedule other than running the race on Saturday.

Gord and I had became friends on social media and he nudged me into coming and wearing a costume for the event. He was running as a moose with a moustache – a moostache (Gord is bursting with puns!).

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Gord Kurenoff – Moostache Miler

Deciding on a costume that Gord suggested, I promptly got busy doing other things and didn’t get my costume together much before the event. In fact, the important elements in the costume didn’t come together until the night before.

The Costume

My costume? The Swedish Chef from the Muppets! Gord had listed off a pile of famous moustaches for potential costumes and when he said the Swedish Chef a lightbulb went off in my brain! I love the muppets, I love the Swedish Chef… and hey… I’m Swedish!

Aside from a chef’s hat I got at Value Village in the Halloween area, a white apron from Krista Dick, and a plaid shirt I already owned, I had no idea how I was going to pull it off. How would I make my moustache and eyebrows? They were the key element in the costume. It wouldn’t be a Movember costume without a moustache!

It wasn’t until the day before the race that I was walking around downtown Vancouver looking for an idea when I finally came up with it in a cheap Vancouver souvenir store. I felt bad, for like a minute, but the colour was perfect, the price was right, and I had brought a sewing kit just for this purpose. That night in the hotel room I got to work.

RIP Squatchi

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Yup, I did it 😦

I skinned the little guy, one of the Vancouver Olympic mascots, and made eyebrow shaped pieces that I sewed right to the chef’s hat (stroke of brilliance)… I had started out thinking I would tape them to my eyebrows or my glasses but this worked way better. After a few attempts that didn’t look right I finally got a pair that worked. I had to wonder if Vanoc (the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee) or the IOC (International Olympic Committee) was going to come after me for desecrating a sacred mascot from an event that happened five years earlier… they have spies everywhere! And who knew my hair is the exact same colour as Squatchi?

Next, the moustache. I carefully studied pictures of my hero and finally came up with an appropriate mustache shape. There was so much mascot hair all over my room I’m sure the cleaning staff were going to be seriously confused… or maybe they were just too smart to ask questions.

The Swedish Chef
A reasonable facsimile

I used double sided tape for my moustache, which worked in the beginning but by the end of the run had no stick left. Gord told me later that the moustaches always fall off due to the sweat factor and the best results came from using the glue that people stick false eyelashes on with. Obviously, I’ve never used false eyelashes… that seems pretty obvious.

Gord the Moose and I had fun. I met his awesome (and very tolerant) wife, and his mom and step dad who were doing their first 5K walk that day.

The Moose and the Swedish Chef!
Gord the Moose with former Canuck Dave Babych

As a run it sucked – don’t wear flannel when running… I also can’t believe how poorly I run whenever I’m in Vancouver, it’s like I can’t breathe because of the humidity. But, I finished, got lots of high fives, lots of laughs, and had a really good time.

I still know nobody there except Gord and his family but I had a lot of fun.

Why was this crazy?

I don’t usually go to small events like this alone when I don’t know anybody. My introvert self kicks in and wants to hide in the corner and wish it would all go away. Not saying I didn’t do that, but at least I showed up! I didn’t say no just because I knew exactly how I would react. I forced myself to interact with strangers, have fun, and be lighthearted. Leaving the after party in the early afternoon I was exhausted… mingling is very hard work for an introvert!

Would I do it again?

Ugh. Yes. I will probably never like being in that position but every time I put myself out there it will likely be a lot easier. The run itself was great fun – I’d love to see one in Kamloops, and I’d definitely go do it again… but maybe not wear flannel next time!

Oh, and did you see Gord’s blog? I made two of his blogs this year and even his year end review… gotta up my game next year to three or more!

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Got the moutache medal!

50 Crazy Things in my 50th Year # 17 – Wear a wedding dress

/ Vesta Giles / 2 Comments

white weddingSo, obviously, I’ve never been married and I’ve never even really entertained the whole big wedding dream idea. It’s safe to say that even if I was going to get married, the whole wedding industry would collapse if they were relying on my business. The spectacle, the attention, the formality – I usually don’t even like going to weddings.

When my 50 Crazy Things list came up it was a bit of a joke that I should wear a wedding dress before my 50th birthday, even though at the time I hadn’t even gone on a date in years. I planned to wear a white running outfit with a white tutu and veil at a Colour Me Rad race but I couldn’t get the dates to work so I let the idea go until Jody Lenarcic, Krista Dick, Monica Williams, Trisha Cooper and I started planning our girls weekend at the Rock N’ Roll 10K in Vancouver in October. We were thinking of costumes and suddenly I got the idea that I could go as a Rock n’ Roll bride and that would satisfy the crazy thing. Well, apparently you can’t have a bride without bridesmaids! When I asked them if they would be willing to participate in my special day they all shouted “Yes!” and started pestering me about colour schemes – I was instantly overwhelmed.

The plan progressed and since I didn’t want them to go to a lot of expense for this, I said they should wear black and then they could put coloured tutus and accessories over top. I had transfers made for their shirts and I wore a white shirt and white tutu with some black accessories. Easy!

They each picked a colour and had hair things (name… kind of like a garland?), arm warmers, and skirts in their chosen colour. I made the transfers for their black t-shirts and at the last minute I had a stroke of brilliance (not even bragging!) – I looked for the font I knew must really exist and I was rewarded with much joy… the Iron Maiden font did exist… we were going to be the Bride and the Brides Maidens! It was brilliant! The front of their shirts said “Brides Maiden” and the backs said “We knew the bride when she used to rock and roll.” The front of my white shirt just said “Bride” and the back said, “Nice day for a white wedding.” I had a black veil, grey lace sewn to my waterbelt, a huge spider engagement ring, black lace arm things (name…I have no vocabulary for fashion), and we were all covered in tattoos… some were real… some, including all of mine, were fake. We also had plastic bouquets – all spray painted black. I have to say, we looked freaking awesome!

Conveniently the run is right before Halloween so we got great costume accessories at the Halloween Spirit Store and Value Village. Being frugal, we also realized that with a bit of tweaking we could use most of our accessories in our Sugar Plum Fairy costumes for the Santa Shuffle in December. Bonus!

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5 women, 2 nights, 1 SUV stuffed to the rafters

The trip was a riot, as always. We had five women in a quint hotel room at the Y Hotel Residence in Vancouver. It was like a pajama party for the over 40 set and all five of us had our own beds. Monica expertly handled all the ironing duties for getting the shirts done and we all spent the night before the race eating rockets (Halloween candy… prerace carb loading), drinking a little bit, and having a blast. Huge shout out here to my neighbours Patty and Stacy who let me print all the shirt transfers on their inkjet printer since my laser printer wouldn’t cut it.

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Hotel room selfie the morning of my big day

The morning of the race our costumes came together. Rock N’ Roll races are known for their costumes but this was pretty new to Vancouver so we didn’t know how many others would get into the spirit of the race – a lot did – including my future groom!

Trisha
Jody
Krista
Monica
me.. going Bridal!

Wait for it….

We made our way through downtown Vancouver to the shuttle that would take us to the starting line. Already we were starting to turn some heads and get some laughs. The starting area in English Bay was a lot of fun. There were lots of costumes! We were getting our picture taken in front of the Inukshuk down by the water when we saw another group of costumed runners and in them was my future groom… Alice Cooper! A guy dressed as Alice was there and we had our picture taken with him. It turns out he belongs to a huge Running Race Costume group that I also belong to on Facebook and we both posted pictures later.

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Hey mom… I met a guy!

We also met Vancouver Sun sports blogger Gord Kurenoff, a former Kamloopsian, who included us in his blog. He’s an awesome guy and very inspirational.

As we ran the race Trisha went ahead as it was her first 10K and we didn’t want to slow her down. Monica and Krista run together so they took off too. Jody and I hung back and enjoyed running alongside women dressed as the Absolutely Fabulous duo and others. I have never had so much attention in a race – but a lot of people actually thought it was a staggette and I was really getting married. People were congratulating me all over the place. I tried explaining and finally Jody said to me, “Give up. Just say thank you!”

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We finished the race and had a blast and that night, over dinner in Chinatown, we were already thinking of what we would do for next year – it will be hard to top Bride and the Brides Maidens!

Why was this crazy?

Oh please! Have you met me? I am seriously not the wedding dress type. So many people were excited that I was going to wear a wedding dress, though, until they saw what it looked like. Then their dreams of Vesta in a poofy wedding dress exploded in a burst of gothic-looking confetti.

Would I do it again?

Hell ya! Would I do it for real? Not bloody likely! Hue thanks to Jody, Krista, Monica, and Trisha for being the best bridesmaids EVER!

50 Crazy Things in my 50th Year #16 – Ride on a motorcycle

/ Vesta Giles / Leave a comment

Let’s just make this clear – Born to Be Wild is NOT my theme song!

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Yes, I rode a motorcycle. Yes, Tracy Odber survived!

To say I’m not into motorcycles would be an understatement. Not only do they not appeal to me, they scare me. I hear the horror stories and I know friends of friends who have (fill in the blank with any selection of motorcycle horror stories). So, because I actually fear them, I know I had to add it to my list of 50 Crazy Things. Luckily, I have a large contingent of friends who were more than happy to help me get out of my comfort zone on two wheels. A number of my friends are Harley Davidson enthusiasts, a few like other brands of bikes, but they are all touring enthusiasts and they all get very animated when talking about sitting for his many hours in the hot sun wearing leather and nearly getting hit by other vehicles. My… that sounds like fun! (not!)

So, early on when I was planning my list I had plenty of volunteers. Around the time I decided to do it, some were away on motorcycle trips (go figure), but the two I fully expected to do this with, Tracy and Yvonne Odber, were at home and Tracy was more than willing to let me sit behind him and squeeze the stuffing out of him while he steered. What a guy!

Yvonne and I made plans to get together on September 29th because our lives had gotten way too busy. I didn’t realize I would also be riding the motorcycle that day. When I got to her place I had to turn around and go home to get changed. I wasn’t riding a motorcycle in shorts and flip flops! Jeans and runners it was.

Meet Autumn
Note the holographic paint
Oh yeah, I’m a fender goddess (not)

Tracy and Yvonne ride a bike they have named Autumn. She is a 2015 Harley Davidson Road Glide CVO (whatever that means). Before I got there Tracy polished her up so she was sparkling in the sunshine. I’m pretty sure he would have been polishing her whether I was coming or not. I don’t think that bike ever gets very dirty!

Yvonne lent me her leather jacket and a helmet. Tracy lovingly showed me all of Autumn’s special details – the chrome, the holographic paint job… I’m sure there were other things. From an aesthetic point of view, Autumn is very pretty .. even I admit that.

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Me  – smiling on the outside, screaming on the inside. Tracy – smiling all the time.

After all of that Tracy got on the bike and I got on behind. It was surprisingly comfortable. Autumn is meant for touring, long rides, and the comfort of the person riding in the back. I’ve seen many others (many on my online dating matches) that don’t look nearly as comfortable. Yvonne says there are times she could fall asleep on the back of the bike. I’m pretty sure I would never get to that state of relaxation on a motorcycle but good on her.

My thing against motorcycles is the feeling of being exposed and vulnerable. If anything happens there is no big car frame to offer at least a first level of protection. There’s a leather jacket – not very comforting! Plus, there’s that speed thing (a recurring theme in these crazy things) and the leaning into the corners… just typing that makes my stomach lurch! My 2007 Honda Fit doesn’t lean… ever! Tracy, to his extreme credit, barely leaned into any corner we drove on… bless his heart! I think he may have actually done this for his own safety and the continued structure integrity of his rib cage. Too much leaning and my panic may have limited his ability to breathe!

The ride itself was surprisingly peaceful and nearly pleasant. We went out to the airport and back along Ord Rd. Tracy didn’t lean much, we could actually talk, and there were hardly any cars. I consider this a win. Tracy’s ribs arrived back at the house in relatively the same shape they left in. My thighs, however, were exhausted from squeezing tightly the entire time – good workout!

Why was this crazy?

Oh, the usual – not big on being out of control, being exposed, being vulnerable, etc.

Would I do it again?

I still felt vulnerable, but being alive makes you vulnerable so it’s a risk that can be taken. I wouldn’t say I was dying to jump on a bike again, but if the opportunity arose I wouldn’t necessarily run away screaming. I wouldn’t be jumping up and down in excitement either. I would say it wasn’t as bad as I expected it would be and I’m really glad I did it.

Thanks so much to Tracy and Yvonne for making this happen for me!

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Tracy, Yvonne, and Autumn… motorcycle freaks but I love them anyway!