14 Things I learned in 2014

- My family is amazing – If you need them they will come running. It doesn’t matter the time or the place, they’ll be there.

- We are all stronger than we think – Especially when it comes to devastatingly impossible situations, we can make it through. This is mainly in reference to my sister; she is so brave and strong. I admire her.

- Hard work never goes unnoticed – You may think no one is noticing, but if you keep your head down and don’t complain, you will be rewarded. People are noticing, I promise.

- Travel light – There is nothing better than walking straight off the plane past the baggage claim, not paying luggage fees, not standing in line to check your luggage, and not worrying about lost luggage. It requires some planning, but it is worth it.

- Travel as much as you can afford to – It opens your eyes beyond your little bubble.

- The flu shot is not worth it – If's efficacy is typically 50%, sometimes it's less. But if you decide to get one ALWAYS go to your doctor, never from a pharmacist. I got an annoying shoulder injury from not following such advice. Wash your hands and don't touch your face.

- Communication is the most important thing in a relationship – If something bothers you speak up, otherwise it will fester in to resentment, which is toxic. But when you do speak up, make sure you speak politely and at an appropriate time (ie not right before dinner when everyone is tired and grumpy). Also, if you’re on the receiving end, listen. You may feel defensive but you can’t dismiss how the other person feels.

- It’s never too late to connect with long lost friends – If they’re your true friends you’ll pick up right where you left off.

- You can only count on yourself to be happy.

- Everything works out the way it’s supposed to – Cliché I know, but there is a story behind this lesson. Earlier in the year I had applied for an oil and gas job. I wasn’t called back and was pretty bummed, then not 2 weeks later oil prices plummeted and I was offered a promotion at my current work place. If I had gotten the job I would have been the first person in line to be laid off.

- The price tag of your wedding doesn’t matter – Focus more on the marriage rather than the wedding. At the end of the day you are getting married, it is going to be perfect I promise.

- Going on vacation while on crutches isn’t the end of the world – People were surprised in Mexico that I was smiling and happy even though I was stuck on crutches, my response “well I’d be on crutches at home in the snow and having to work, so this is a million times better.” Don’t let the little things ruin your time.

- Don’t compare your life to the lives that people post online – Facebook is not an accurate reflection of other people's lives. You will forever be unhappy if you’re constantly comparing yourself to others on Facebook.

- Be grateful– There is always something to be grateful for.

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times... You only have to remember to turn on the light."

Once again this blog post starts off mentioning how I've been MIA. Unfortunately I haven't had much inspiration to write lately. The last little while has been incredibly difficult for the champs and a lot of people close to us. We have certainly been tested but we continue to carry on, stronger then ever. Despite the difficulties this past last year we have also had some amazing times, and that is what this post is about. I have chosen to look back and celebrate those wonderful times, instead of focusing on the dark and difficult times. This post could easily have been a poor me rant about life, but no one wants to read that! So, without further adieu, and in no particular order:

The top 10 high points of the last year!

1) Puerto Vallarta: We started the year with a trip back to Dreams Puerto Vallarta with my mom and step dad. This was our favorite resort, and it was going to be demolished so we went for one last hurrah! We had a great time with my mom and step dad. There was plenty of lounging, exploring and overindulging. Even being on crutches didn't slow us down!



2) Emerald Lake Lodge For Ben's big 35th birthday, I surprised him with a trip to Emerald Lakd Lodge in the mountains. It was -40 degrees, creating the perfect winter wonderland. It was a perfect weekend away from cell phones and tv, celebrating together.


3) Las Vegas As a way to celebrate my birthday, and writing the CFA level 2 exam, Ben and I decided to take a last minute trip to vegas. It was hot, we shopped, gambled, lounged by the pool, and even saw 3 doors down in concert (much to my delight). I was a little apprehensive that we wouldn't like vegas, but turns out WE LOVED IT!


4) Passing CFA level 2..... July 29th I found out I passed! What a relief!

5) Ironman Mt Tremblant In August we ventured to Mont Tremblant for Ben to to the Ironman. He did A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! and I am so proud of him. We ventured to Montreal for the day, and spent the day in Ottawa. Both places I've never been, and they were beautiful! The icing on the cake for this trip was getting to hang out with my mom and sister who flew across the country to cheer Ben on and hang out with me! Aren't they awesome!?!


6) Ontario Not 2 weeks later we were back on the plane headed east, again! It was a great, sleepless weekend seeing our Ontario Families, whom we sadly don't get to see nearly enough. It was a whirlwind trip, with a fantastic wedding, beach time, and family time.


7) 3rd anniversary We celebrated our 7th year together and our 3rd wedding anniversary!

8) Summer! Summer is so short in Calgary, and we seemed to pack in as much awesomeness as we could. We went camping with family to pigeon lake and kokanousa, partied at the stampede, celebrated my best friend's wedding. It seems like we really enjoyed summer to the fullest; we were only home a handful of weekends this summer and even when we were home they were packed enjoying the sunshine!


9) Back Yard We finally planted some trees and put a firepit in our backyard. It's so beautiful, I love it! I can't wait to watch those trees grow as we grow older.

10) Hope ... that I will be able to do a race next year! I've found a great doctor, hopefully he can put humpty dumpty back together!




Lastly, I just wanted to end on some things that I am grateful for. I've been so caught up lately on the bad things that I lost sight for a little while of how blessed I am.

I am incredibly grateful for my husband, and my family. They are my rock and my strength.
I am grateful for mine and my husband's jobs, even though it's not always easy and is often thankless, we are lucky to have the jobs we do.
I am grateful for my beautiful home, in my wonderful community, in my amazing town of Cochrane.
I am grateful for the ability to travel every year.
I am grateful that I get to watch the sun set behind the rockies every evening on my drive home from work.
I am grateful for my health, and my loved ones health.

Blessing in Disguise?

Sunday, October 6th, nearly 5 months ago, I went for a nice easy trail run to burn off some of the amazing food that I had eaten during the early thanksgiving weekend at my mom's cabin. It was a beautiful fall day, leaves were crunching under my feet, and I was feeling fantastic, running strong. In fact, my running had progressed significantly over the summer, and I had big goals for my Ironman and Marathon that I was signed up for next season.

As I was running, I thought to myself “now be careful Jen, the leaves could be covering rocks,” and the next thing I knew I was tumbling down the trail. I never actually felt my ankle roll, and I wasn’t entirely positive what I stepped on, but I felt a snapping (which I thought was my bone breaking) and the pain was unbearable. I was alone with Rudy and I screamed for help to no avail, so I had to make my way nearly a kilometer to a nearby parking lot where I was hoping people would be to help me. By the time I could see the parking lot in the distance, the adrenaline dissipated and I collapsed screaming for someone to come help me. A lovely couple rushed over, got Rudy on a leash, called Ben, and held my leg up in the air until Ben arrived.

We went to the Cochrane Urgent Care; my mom was on her way home from the cabin by then and met us there. I got x-rays and the doctor’s response was “good News, nothing is broken. It must be a bad sprain.” He put me in a back slab and crutches instructing me to start walking in a week. Little did we know I would have been better off to have broken my ankle, even shattered my ankle… because if I had I would have healed up long ago and not spent my vacation in Mexico in January on crutches. I knew something was wrong; I’ve sprained both my ankles many times, this was different.

This started an endless parade of medical practitioners, tests, and treatment plans; 3 x-rays, a bone scan, an MRI, the MRI re-read, crutches, an air cast, a lot of pain medicine, my family doctor, 2 podiatrists, a podiatrist online in the US, 2 physio therapists, 1 sports medicine doctor, 1 ortho consult, 1 podiatric surgeon... and now they at least think they know what’s going on, but no one has ever seen it before or knows what to do about it. I messed up my spring ligament complex... a very small but very important ligament that attaches your foot to your ankle... along with a couple other ligament issues in my ankle. This has made my ankle/midfoot so unstable that my arch has collapsed. A very uncommon injury which was missed on the first MRI read, and most medical practitioners have never dealt with one before. I am headed for an ultrasound on Monday to re-evaluate the ligament and see what the next steps are, or who I get passed to next. I honestly feel like I’m just playing musical chairs with doctors.

It’s nearly been 5 months, I am still in a lot of pain, and not able to train at all, let alone walk very much. I have accepted the fact that I am not going to be able to do the Ironman in Mont Tremblant nor the Calgary Marathon, which was definitely a tough pill to swallow. However, this has allowed me to focus more on studying for my CFA level II, which has needed my extra time and concentration. Perhaps God was just trying to help me realize that I shouldn’t train for the Ironman while I do my CFA… So i'm seizing the extra time and using it to study, and spend time with my amazing Husband. Let’s hope I pass this Level II in June! In the mean time... this will be me: