i've been listening to hayden's album "us alone" a lot this week. i don't know if a hayden album has resonated with me so much since 1997.

i'm pmsing, and this day has been difficult (both related and unrelated to fall i had first thing this morning on an icy patch of sidewalk). now i sit in the dark, self-soothing and being soothed by this lovely album.

i went to my first banff centre film festival world tour at duncan mcarthur in about 2005. i'm pretty sure it was the catalyst for getting my nose pierced. i'm sure there's a blog entry about that somewhere.

since then, i have gone ALMOST every year, except for about 3 years in a row when we couldn't get tickets because we left it to late and it was sold out. i've learned to buy my tickets early, but still depend on reminders from bren to pick them up before it's too late.

we took both our boys when they were babies, and look forward to them being old enough to come along with us. i can't wait to blow their minds :p

the bcff always has an impact on me, and stirs a desire for adventure and nature. to take risks and be rewarded for that. my whole life, i've had an affinity for the olympics. i always get chocked up, and touched by the perseverance of the athletes. i've been known to refer to it as a "triumph of the human spirit". i think the bcff embodies all that i love about the olympics, only better. i love getting to know the people, hearing their stories, celebrating their achievements with them.

this year was different though. in a good way. this time, instead of wishing i could quit my job and go do this or that, or feeling stirred to get out there and push myself, i felt a great sense of satisfaction. in the last year, i've made decision that move me closer to my outdoor adventure fantasy life. i've shifted my priorities to make time for hiking. in training for the grand canyon, i fell in love with being more active (or maybe it's more accurate to say that i fell in love with how it makes me feel to be more active. perhaps a bit of both). AND rach and i trekked the grand canyon (there was an hour long doc about the grand canyon, which really hit home with me).

i'm excited about my 40s. about becoming an outdoorsy person, about making my boys into outdoorsy people, about spending quality time in the outdoors with friends, family or alone. 

the other day, i came across an article about a group called "unlikely hikers" who are fat/people of size (they use both terms), people of colour, people with disabilities, etc etc. generally, people don't fit the typical stereotype for hikers. i found this very reassuring and encouraging. it's good to be reminded that hiking and outdoor activities are not exclusively for any demographic. they're for everyone :)