Olympic MADNESS

Wow... it's been some time since i was actually able to get in here for an update... lets do a quick catch-up, before I head off to work today!

TUES 17/FEB

Currently off to work in the next few min.. I work again the same shift 240pm - 1110pm. perhaps will load some pictures tonight! =)


MONDAY 16/FEB

Today, was a day of work. that's the quickest summary of the day. It involved missing buses, and narrowly making it to work on time for 240. I closed with Martin the frenchman, and had another fantastic shift with Christen (the Assistant Manager at Pacific Center) We all swapped out and took breaks checking what the Team Canada Hockey game score was (8-0 over Norway) .. FANTASTIC! Edmonton friends and co-workers came to visit. My hair-dresser HUI and his mate Rodney.. as well as Catherine from West Ed with her crew. I showed her a quick tour of the store.. it's so well laid out, and ORGANIZED!! haha

Martin and I finished up quickly just in time to get out the doors by Robson Street to catch the nightly fireworks / fire blast show. The music was loud, and the street was PACKED. A few THOUSAND people were there again.. I loved it. Granville Street was also full of people, but that's normal now. I got hungry, and saw a 24-HR IGA Supermarket that was open! AWESUM! so i was there until well after 1am shopping for some groceries.. it was REALLY BUSY in there... who knew people late night shopped for Tomatoes and Milk? Haha. Headed Home on my bus, was almost the only one on it.. and then 15 other people, very intoxicated, got on, and well.. off we went. #10 Night Bus to Granville... =)


SUNDAY 15 / FEB

Shortform. Attended the Victory Medal Ceremony (CANADA'S FIRST GOLD MEDAL TO ALEX BILODEAU!!) with Britney Chipiuk from HighSchool who lives in Surrey with her bf now. Went out with them for CHINESE food at this place called FOO HO HO

it rained... ALOT


Wait for the updated version of these other days!


SATURDAY 14 / FEB



FRIDAY 13 / FEB


THURSDAY 12 / FEB

Yaletown Torch Lighting!!

11. February

the 2nd last torch lighting overall, and the VERY FIRST TIME the Olympic Flame had ever been in Vancouver!! I putzed a little bit during the day, and then headed downtown to meet Christina, so we could go pick up Curtis from work, and head over to Yaletown for the Arrival of the Torch.. This city is BUZZING... People are EVERYWHERE in their Olympic Gear.. whether it be from CANADA, or RUSSIA.. or even the NETHERLANDS!! (Yay Dutchies!!). Everyone seems pumped and excited! So we braved the crowds, and headed on over.. after the SkyTrain was a lineup was appearing to be at LEAST 15 min, just to get ON it, we decided to just walk the extra 15 blocks or whatever. My 7D in tow, and Christina's $2000 massive 70-200 f/2.8 lens in her backpack, we arrived, and stood patiently in the growing by the minute line.

2 lines were formed. 1 for people with bags, 1 for people without. Christina and I each had a camera bag, so we just brought Curtis in our line. I saw Artee Thompson handing out RBC gear, a Katimavik mate of mine from AGES ago, and got a quick pic with him before continuing in the lineup

There was METAL DETECTOR SCANNERS to get into the event, which was MADNESS, but made sense for an event of that kind of magnitude.

Passed the Coca Cola HAPPINESS HOUSE, and saw the wicked displays by PANASONIC and their 3D technology. Samsung had a huge display too. Oh, and everyone was given an RBC TAMBOURINE.. haha

it was fantastic to say then least. the dancers and the songs. the mayor of Vancouver came to speak.. After 106 days on the road, all the Torch Relay work had been completed.

gotta run.. will post the rest of this story later.. womens Preliminary hockey tickets await me at UBC stadium!

One word....OLYMPIC *SUPERSTORE*

And that is all you need to know about Day 2 in Van-City.
honestly.
I'm gunna be posting up some more pictures of the day, but I'm off to Granville Island, to meet Christina after work, and then THE OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY finally arrives in Vancouver!!!!

more to come later!

Goodbye YEG, Hello YVR

For those of you that are unaware of Airport Codes, YEG=Edmonton, and YVR= Vancouver
Newly Hired Flight Attendant at Emirate Airlines "Krysta Larson" meanwhile is laughing! =)
WHAT I'M DOING:
Staying in Vancouver just over 3 weeks during the XXI WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES, attending events, and working at the Black's Photography store Downtown Van-City.

WHEN: 09-February --> first week of March (return ticket not booked yet!)

HOW I'M DOING IT:
So.. where to start... About 2 weeks ago, I got the Green Light from my job to come on down to Vancouver and help out during The Games at our Pacific Centre location, as the mall hours increased from 10-7pm most nights to 930am-1100pm Monday-Saturday, which is a HUGE increase in the amount of staffing needed, plus the increased traffic from all of the WorldWide Travellers coming to watch the Winter Games.

I scoured who I knew in Van-City, and low and behold, remembered and offer made by a former co-worker of mine from this past Xmas that anyone coming down to Vancouver was more than welcome to stay with her and her bf Curtis. =) YEAAAER... Step 1: CHECK
I then needed a TICKET.... well... Good Ol' ScotiaGold VISA card points paid for that one! =D ... Step 2: CHECK
I hooked myself up with a few tickets via Posting on my Facebook Status that I was looking for tickets, and had a few friends, Anthony and Casey, come through with offers. =) Step 3: CHECK
I arranged a schedule with Lianne at Pacific Center, and booked the time off work. Step 4: CHECK
PACKED my bags, and said my "see ya laters", and hopped on the airplane...Step 5: CHECK

THE FLIGHT DOWN:
Well... my WestJet flight was supposed to leave at 2pm, but we were a tad delayed due to our plane that we would be taking ..err... not being there. It showed up about 35 min behind schedule... Not a big deal... i got to relax, and harass TELUS about my BlackBerry Storm 2 not letting me Activate it. *Sigh* .. Anyways, my seat selection on the left side of the plane which I had so hoped for a view of Downtown Vancouver as we landed.. saldy... let me down. Actually, the Pilot let me down when we came in to the left, and curved right to land... =( no view for me! (perhaps on the flight out... whenever that is... it's gunna be a daytime one, cuz I want pics of Downtown from the Air!)

ARRIVAL in YVR:
The Airport was SUPER busy (as expected 3 days before The Games hit town), and made to seem even MORE like sardines in a can when I went to retrieve my Luggage. They had put a Toronto flight on the same Baggage Carousel as our Edmonton one (picture about 150+ people all gathering around 1 carousel waiting impatiently... yeaaa) This was quickly rectified for me when I found Christina, already there waiting, Big Red "Nicole Ritchie" type Sunnies on, and a LARGE TIM HORTONS ICE CAPP w/ Chocolate Milk (FOR ME) in her hands!! Big Hug & a Thank You for that one!! Best Start to a trip ever! So then... as this whole thing took about half an hour, one of the funniest, yet BoneHead moves I've ever pulled happens about 10 min after I've already grabbed my first suitcase. If any of you have ever seen me travel, I always bring this LIME GREEN suitcase with me, and have NEVER seen another one... well.... out of the Carousel ...pops a bag looking suspiciously like mine.. hmmmmm..time to investigate.... *jaw drops*.... it IS mine... ACK!! i already took the other one and gave it to Christina to hold!!!! looks like i grabbed someone else's LIME GREEN SUITCASE... i sheepishly went and brought Christina my bag, explained, and with a red face.. returned the other one to the Carousel.. at which point not 20 seconds later a blonde haired Danish lady picks it up and looks straight at me... i mouth "SORRY".. and quickly avert my eyes... YIKES!

We then went outside where Christina could have some much needed nicotine! HAHA.


POST AIRPORT:
We head thru the VERY OLYMPIC decked out Airport, and head up to the SkyTrain.... The FARE was an unbelievable 8.75 to get to Christina's place which ISNT EVEN DOWNTOWN!! wow, OUCH!

CHRISTINA / CURTIS' PLACE:
after a 20 min SkyTrain, and 15 min Bus Ride... we arrive on King Edward Street, and Granville St. not too shabby of a commute. Hop off the bus, and find the house. If any of you have ever seen THE HOLIDAY and CAMERON DIAZ hauling her overpacked suitcase down that gravel road... well.. that's what Christina looked like pulling my suitcase (she offered to take the lime green one, because my other bag didnt have wheels.. so i carried it) It was pretty funny going down that back alley.
We get to the house, and Christina goes to open the door, up a couple steps.. and tells me they live upstairs... no big deal.. just a couple steps... I tell her "no worries, I can take it all up"... BIG MISTAKE.. haha.. at the top of the three stairs.. i look up expecting to walk right in.. and NOPE... there's FIFTEEN MORE STEEP STEPS waiting for me before i actually get into the kitchen.. hahaha.. what an adventure. So we drop my stuff off, after Christina nearly pees her pants watching me... and hurry back out with just a camera bag in tow... Time to Explore Vancouver... while my bus pass is still current! Yeaaa Saving Money already!.. we got on the bus with only 10 min of validity left on it! Downtown we went.

DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER
Granville street has nearly EVERY SHOP decorated along it.. (with Olympic Medals.. or GO CANADA .. etc.) it was great! I'm not sure what street we got off on, but here's the first thing i snapped a picture of Downtown..
THE HUDSONS BAY COMPANY... it was HUUUGE

We were on a hunt to kill some time until her bf Curtis was off work, so we walked by the Hudsons Bay Company, and laughed at the RIDICULOUS LINE-UP to get into the OLYMPIC SUPERSTORE


from there, into Pacific Mall, where we took some more tourist pics.
(that will get it's own blog at some point here in the next 3 weeks.

Headed over to Curtis' work building and waited before we decided on SUSHI for dinner! YUM. SO... i ordered instead of a sushi ROLL... a sushi CONE... it was wrapped in seaweed and ... well.. kiiiinda looked like an Ice-Cream Cone.. haha



POST DINNER:
took the bus back home, played some X-Box Fusion multiplayer battle games, (after Christina was done chopping zombies up with her sword on... errr.. i dont remember the name of that game...) and then played some WII FIT... to which a SNOWBALL FIGHT EXPERT battle ensued. it was a great time.. we all got really competitive! HAHA

The last pictures I'll leave you with for my first day is the one of "my room", and why I feel right at home here in this cozy house. Waiting for me on the bedside table was a WELCOME KIT, towels and a facecloth all ready for me, and a SKYLIGHT above my bed!! =D



The BEST Welcome Gift of All.

"WHO DAT" ... wins SUPER BOWL!!

Who Dat won the Super Bowl? The New Orleans Saints, that's who.



Ain't kidding.

Put away those paper bags forever: Drew Brees and the Saints are National Football League champions, rallying to upset Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 Sunday night in one of pro football's most thrilling title games.

Brees tied a Super Bowl record with 32 completions, the last a two-yard slant to Jeremy Shockey for the winning points with 5:42 remaining. The Pro Bowl quarterback was chosen Super Bowl MVP.


For the first time in as long as I can remember, the 'David' slayed the 'Goliath', and emerged victorious. The best part about this ENORMOUS win, means that MARDI GRAS which starts in 9 days, will probably be the BIGGEST PARTY Bourbon Street has ever seen this year!! =)


A Summary via the New Orleans Tribune:

"We just believed in ourselves and we knew that we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us," Brees said. "What can I say? I tried to imagine what this moment would be like for a long time and it's better than expected."

A surprise onside kick sparked the Saints' second-half comeback.

At 8:15 p.m, when Jeremy Shockey’s touchdown put the New Orleans Saints ahead late in the game, the crowds at Pat O’Brien’s exploded. Fifteen minutes later, when Tracy Porter’s interception sealed the deal, strangers were hopping up and down, high-fiving and hugging. And when the gun went off about 8:45 p.m., all of New Orleans -- and all lovers of New Orleans in faraway places – leaped, or wept or punched the air for joy.
Brett Duke/The Times-Picayune
New Orleans Saints fans celebrate on Bourbon Street after the team's Super Bowl XLIV victory Sunday in Miami.
Dear Lord, Hallelujah! Who Dat Nation had reached the Promised Land.

After 43 seasons of marital loyalty, of occasional fan abuse and frequent heartbreak, the Saints and their battered, deliriously joyous city stood atop the world Sunday as the Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami.

It meant so much more than football.

It meant victory for a recovering city that in some places still bears the dirty water lines of Hurricane Katrina. Victory for people who lived two years in trailers. Victory for new post-Katrina friends who fell in love with New Orleans rebuilding it. Victory for New Orleanians cheering in exile from Alaska to Miami. Victory on Facebook and on Twitter. Victory on Bourbon Street, on Caffin Avenue, in Chalmette, in Lakeview and St. Tammany.

And it meant victory for countless New Orleanians like Desana Williams, who left Holly Grove in 1998 for a new life in Stafford, Va. But this weekend, Williams and his wife, Malaika, fought their way off the snowbound Atlantic seaboard to get back home for this.

They could be nowhere else, he said.

In the middle of the French Quarter, five minutes after the victory, he was nearly overcome. “This is so heartfelt,” he said. “Now this city has something to be ecstatic about.”

As quarterback Drew Brees killed the clock, Kristine Mina, frantically clutched her daughter, Jessica, buried in a crowd of hundreds on the patio before an outdoor TV screen at Pat O’Brien’s.

“We wonnnn!” she screamed. “I’ve waited for this all my life.” Strangers pounded on her back.

“I told myself I wouldn’t care whether we win or lose!” she screamed at the top of her voice. “But we’re winning! I wish Buddy D was here!”

“This is a team of destiny!” shouted Tulane second year law student Jeff Sundran.
Suddenly, VE Day celebrations erupted in the French Quarter, Metairie and the River Parishes.

People poured into the streets in the French Quarter, which for days had collected Mardi Gras-like crowds.

A machine spewed bubbles over Chartres Street. Crowds across the region screamed “Who Dat!” hour after hour. “Who Dats!” floated up from the deck of the Canal Street ferry in the middle of the Mississippi River.

People mugged with strangers. On Bourbon Street, a couple in their underwear hugged amid the crowd.

Sydnee White, 19, an adoptive Saints fan, drove four hours with a friend and her parents to be in New Orleans for the game. She bore a sign through the French Quarter carrying the team’s biography: "Conceived in 1967. Delivered today.”

As the game ended, simultaneous celebrations burst forth in Metairie, in Treme and elsewhere.

Seconds after the final gun, patrons poured outside Jiggers Sports Bar onto Veterans Memorial Boulevard, dancing and second-lining.

There was no problem with traffic – in Metairie, home of the auto, there was no traffic.

"Words can't express what this means to me," Paul Kirkparick screamed. "The Saints have been my father's life, my life, my son's life. We are world champions, baby!"
Kirkpatrick, 33, lives in Biloxi, but made sure he was in New Orleans to watch his beloved New Orleans Saints win the Super Bowl.
As did Christian Guild, who drove from Memphis on Saturday night to see the game. "This is just amazing for the city," Guild said. "Because this is for everyone! Everyone! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else for this.”

In central Metairie, residents poured from their homes into the street in joyous celebration. Fireworks lit up the sky, sirens wailed and “Who Dats” filled the air.

In Treme, trumpeter Kermit Ruffins presided over a celebration at his club, Sidney’s Saloon, smiling and looking natty in an outsize black newsboy cap, a black suit and a fleur-de-lis tie.
The New Orleans trumpeter, who has owned the bar at St. Bernard and St. Claude avenues for two years, started preparing early for the onslaught, fixing barbecued meat, five meatloaves and 15 pounds of red beans and rice.
Within an hour of victory, rivers of headlights from Metairie and the West Bank began to converge on downtown New Orleans.

There was no place to fit them, but no matter; people seemed driven by a need to celebrate with each other.

--------------------------------------


The Indianapolis Colts have been to "the Show" before, the New Orleans Saints were making their first trip to a Super Bowl Game in Franchise History. It was not the scoring haven that many predicted, but it had plenty of entertainment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dVGy20akQI
(highlights of the game, it's only 5 minutes, but it sums it up nicely)

For a city that had been RAVAGED a short 5 years ago by Hurricane Katrina (the damage so extensive to their stadium that it took over a year to repair/reopen, forcing them to play an Entire Season on the road),.... the Saints needed this game for them. For every single person who was affected by that Disaster. NEW ORLEANS IS BACK!

This was a storybook ending for not only the city, and the state of Louisiana, but especially the quarterback that the San Diego Chargers wrote off just 4 years ago. Drew Brees was named SuperBowl 44 MVP, and was well deserving in his moment to shine. When you can OUTPLAY one of the best quarterbacks in League History (Peyton Manning of the Colts), that shows you've got a future in this game.






For any of you that don't follow football on a regular basis... here's the WIKIPEDIA 2009 SuperBowl Breakdown. (Krysta.. this IS aimed at you.. HAHA)

The game was broadcast live on CBS, and the halftime show featured the English rock band The Who.

Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts against the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2009 season. The New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 31–17, earning their first Super Bowl win. The game was played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and the game's kickoff took place at 4:28 p.m. MST on February 7, 2010, the latest calendar date for a Super Bowl yet. The game was the Saints' first Super Bowl appearance and the fourth for the Colts franchise. Coincidentally, all four of the Colts' Super Bowl games have been played in Miami, with their first two games in the former Miami Orange Bowl and the last two in the current Miami stadium (which has changed names several times since its opening, most recently in January 2010).
The Saints entered the game with a 13–3 record for the 2009 regular season, compared to the Colts' 14–2 record. In the playoff games, both teams had a 1st round bye. The Colts entered the Super Bowl off of 20–3 and 30–17 victories, while the Saints advanced with scores of 45–14 and 31–28 (in overtime), defeating last year's runners up the Arizona Cardinals in their first game. The Pittsburgh Steelers, as defending champions, failed to make the playoffs based on tiebreakers. It was the first time since Super Bowl XXVIII (16 years previously) that both number one seeds have reached the Super Bowl. The Saints' head coach was Sean Payton, having joined from the Dallas Cowboys in 2006, while his opposing head coach Jim Caldwell was appointed the Colts head coach in 2009 having joined them in 2002 as assistant head coach.
It was the tenth time the Super Bowl has been held in Miami at the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins: the now-Sun Life Stadium had hosted four previous Super Bowls (XXIII, XXIX, XXXIII, and XLI) and five were played in the Dolphins' now demolished former home, the Miami Orange Bowl (II, III, V, X, XIII). Per convention as an even numbered Super Bowl, the Colts as the AFC representatives had the home team designation, wearing blue jerseys with white pants, while the Saints (who wore their white jerseys in several home games this year) wore white jerseys with gold pants.

Survivor 20: Heroes vs. Villains

Most of you know that I'm a HUGE Survivor fan. Huge is even putting it pretty mildly. I've been known to get real angry if I missed the show. And known to "put the hurt on" anyone who told me about the show before I got to see it for myself. In all reality, there are only three shows that I feel that way about: Survivor, Biggest Loser, and Gossip Girl. It messes me up to miss them. =)

Because of my Survivor love, I was extremely happy to see the story on E! Online this morning about the newest Survivor, Heroes vs. Villains. First I'll let Jeff tell you about it...




Isn't that great?!?! Maybe you have to be as big a fan as I am to get it...

Here are the cast members. The bold-faced names are my favorites and the original Survivor show(s) they appeared on is/are listed after them.

The Heroes:

Amanda Kimmel (China and Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites)
Candice Woodcock (Cook Islands)
Cirie Fields (Exile Island and Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites)
Colby Donaldson (Australian Outback and All-Stars)
J.T. Thomas (Tocantins)
James Clement (China and Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites)
Rupert Boneham (Pearl Islands and All-Stars)
Stephenie LaGrossa (Palau and Guatemala)
Jessica "Sugar" Kiper (Gabon)
Tom Westman (Palau)

The Villains:

"Coach" Ben Wade (Tocantins)
"Boston Rob" Mariano (Marquesas and All-Stars)
Courtney Yates (China)
Danielle DiLorenzo (Exile Island)
Jerri Manthey (Australian Outback and All-Stars)
Parvati Shallow (Cook Islands and Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites)
Randy Bailey (Gabon)
Russell Hantz (Samoa)
Sandra Diaz-Twine (Pearl Islands)
Tyson Apostol (Tocantins)

Here's the 20 Seasons Logo's, and where they've been so far, and in what year:

Borneo (2000) · The Australian Outback (2001) · Africa (2001) · Marquesas (2002) · Thailand (2002) · The Amazon (2003) · Pearl Islands (2003) · All-Stars (2004) · Vanuatu (2004) · Palau (2005) · Guatemala (2005) · Panama (2006) · Cook Islands (2006) · Fiji (2007) · China (2007) · Micronesia (2008) · Gabon (2008) · Tocantins (2009) · Samoa (2009) · Heroes vs. Villains (2010)


This is a list of contestants who have appeared on the American television show Survivor. Contestants are called Castaways in the show, and they compete against each other to become the Sole Survivor and win one million US dollars. The series first aired in 2000. There have been nineteen seasons, which have been filmed on five different continents. The twentieth season, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains will premiere on February 11, 2010.

A total of 301 participants have competed, and 41 of them have competed in multiple seasons: In 2004, an All-Stars edition aired, with the cast being eighteen past competitors; in 2005 as part of a surprise twist, two past contestants from Survivor: Palau competed again in Survivor: Guatemala; and in 2008, Survivor: Micronesia featured a tribe of ten returning contestants against a tribe of ten new contestants. In 2010, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains featured 20 returning contestants, including nine that were competing for the third time.

(the list is too long to post on here, so If you wanna check it out, copy/paste the link below)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Survivor_contestants

You Gotta Start Somewhere....

This first entry seemed daunting... uninviting, and lengthy. I think the same thing can be said for anything in life; the first time you try it, it's scary, and intimidating, and seems like you can't do it. But that's why you have great friends to lead you down the path that ends with you ultimately jumping head-first into the unknown, so you can figure it out, and grow as a person. Either that.. or they say "Count to 3" and push you out at "2".

I've got one such person who I'm going to tell you a little bit about. I've known this girl for 4.5 years now, which at merely 23 years of age is still a pretty significant time considering I don't ever seem to stay many places over a year these days. Her name is Krysta Larson. I met her while we were both living in the MacEwan Residence Building while attending College during our first years. She was taking the Travel Program (already had stuff figured out), and I was enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts Degree (another convo.. for another day). Quickly I realized, not only does she have this unbelievable network of Friends and Family from Red Deer, but she's been nothing short of an inspiration for me that you should never settle for anything less than your dream. I've been reading her blog recently (http://krystaslittleworld.blogspot.com/) and the last entry is from today, and talks about the realization of that dream. As her 3rd flight of this new career dipped through the rare clouds over Dubai, and started it's descent just as the sun was rising, with Bryan Adams "On a Day Like Today" playing in the background of the intro "welcome to Dubai Video" the passengers are shown on the plane, I got a few tears of excitement in my eyes, feeling her joy vicariously through the text and characters on the screen in front of me.

She's the first, second AND THIRD reason for many of Adventures these past few years. I would never have even fathomed how AMAZING Australia could have been. It was through her inisistance, and my crazy New Years Resolution on January 1st 2008 "to do something Wild & Unexpected"... In less than 4 weeks.. (the most unorganized person you will EVER meet...had booked his QANTAS Plane Ticket, found an Aussie Travel shop in Edmonton (http://www.downundertravelexperts.com/), applied to get his Working Holiday VISA(with 3 days to spare before my flight), bought a BackPack..., Hostel Membership, and Packed... for a "3 Month trip"... that turned into almost a year.

I don't have enough words to thank her for the Trip of a Lifetime. I could never have even CONSIDERED the thought of NOT sleeping in the luxury of a hotel... (spoiled brat.. i know)...But here's some of the BEST STUFF:
She taught me STARBUCKS.. and how to love it...on every block in Brisbane while we wrote postcards for HOURS back home to CANADA! It was a little taste of "home"



How to pet a KANGAROO.. and NOT get scratched ;)

and the art of HOLDING A KOALA! (1 of the Best Days EVER!)



She's the ONLY reason i even CONISDERED singing KARAOKE in CAIRNS, Queensland, in this fantastic little place she was working called APRES BEACH BAR... I've tossed in a picture below as to how this event happened. the song of choice "grease MEGA MIX" = HILARIOUS. (somehow we thought we would know the lyrics to this combo effort... FAIL!!!)




Once my 'stage-fright' was cured...she even gave me the courage to JUMP 14,000 FEET .. OUT OF A PERFECTLY GOOD AIRPLANE February 23rd, for our good new friend from some hick town in ALberta, Bradford Post's 21st bday
- here's a link to this album! Insanity.. i know!
(http://www.facebook.com/album.phpaid=27943&id=503919464&l=90e6f9a550)


I had always loved seeing new places, but had never really been on a trip that allowed me to Discover the Burning Desire to TRAVEL THE WORLD... I now have some of the BEST FRIENDS a guy could ever ask for, in countries as far reaching as Australia/New Zealand, as random as Sweden & Finland, simply across the pond in England, and as fun as Amsterdam/the Netherlands (you know who you are!) None of these things would have been possible without that "push out of the plane" from Krysta.

Even though you are on the other side of the world, in Dubai flying for Emirates Airlines, it still feels like no matter where you are, or where you're going, I'm never far behind.



Here's to someone who's offered me nothing but Support, Inspiration, and Courage. Krysta Larson... at 326am, after chatting to you on Facebook in the wee hours of MY morning again, I raise this.. the proverbial Pint of Toohey's New...(in my head of course cuz that's too expensive to get imported to Canada!).... and say "CHEERS MATE!" =) ..... I owe it all to you.


Thank you for always being there, answering my ENDLESS questions, and for ultimately leading the way!

Some Day it'll be my turn to Realize my Dream, and Live it too... The Endless Sunsets, The Beach, The Palms, The Surf.... await....But for now, I'll survive living vicariously through your Blog of Adventures, and with this being my VERY FIRST BLOG..... I dedicate it to you. One of the Best Friends anyone could ever want. I love you like a sister Krysta! <3



-Jakey