Kia Ora

“I honestly didn’t realize how big a deal this trip was until a few hours ago. And after reading the kind words written in my ‘wisdom’ book- it all became much more real. I’m actually living out a dream of mine. This summer leading up to take off taught me so much about determination, and how far it can really get you- especially when you have the right people in your corner. The right people will show themselves when you invest completely in your own life. Your “team” is going to vary, depending on what kind of support you need. Also, there’s always going to be people who are behind you, no matter what, and people who sometimes are and sometimes aren’t. Embrace both. This summer I’ve made new friends, been reintroduced to people who I wasn’t close with before- but now have everything in common with, and I met myself. I look forward to building new connections and learning from new experiences. It’s a big learning experience just stepping away (literally, thousands of miles away) from all my supporters and all the familiarties of home. But at the same time- home is where the heart is, and my heart is in this journey.”

The above is something is an excerpt from something I wrote on the plane.

I MADE IT!!! I’m in no hurry to do that 14 hour flight again any time soon. Although, the flight attendants were awesome. And I was lucky that there was nobody directly beside me (plus I had a window seat) so I could sort of spread out while attempting sleep. Another thing I’m not wanting to do again anytime soon is spending 8 hours in Vancouver Airport. There is a limited amount of things to do.. especially when lugging around three heavy bags. They also do not make washrooms very accessible for people with luggage carts. That was a gong show. I spent a lot of time skyping Leah, taking pictures (of myself-see below)and staring at the ceiling in boredom.

But, finally, my check in gate opened, I got my boarding pass, and went through security. Then, I waited some more. Annnd more. Then it was time to go, I found my seat on the gigantic plane and settled in for take off. I spent a lot of time being amused and in love with the accents. I’m also pretty sure I’m the only one that was on that plane that wasn’t going to the Rugby match tonight. Though, as I hear from my new coworkers, we’re going to be watching said match at the pub tonight. I slept on and off throughout the flight. I also lived up to my expectation of being the crazy person crying while reading letters. Thankfully, I’m pretty sure the lady in my row didn’t notice. I looked out the window at around 4am and could see the moon reflecting on the ocean. That was cool.

We landed in Auckland just before 5am, and I got through security, customs, and everything no problem. The customs officer was very nice and only giggled a few times when I couldn’t pronounce certain names of towns. Kyle (my boss and rider for LC) picked me up, and after loading all my bags up I went to get in the car.. on the drivers side.. FAIL. That’s going to take some getting used to. It took about 20 minutes to get to Clevedon (not ClevUHdon like I was saying previously-thank you customs officer) where LC Horse Farms is located. I met the girls I’ll be working/living with- the headgroom (who worked for McLain Ward before this job) from Ireland, another girl from Ireland and another from France. I think I heard them say another girl is starting on Monday, and she’s also French. They are all super nice, and fun. I already feel pretty comfortable around them, which is good, cause we’re living together. We got to the farm just before 7, and even though they gave me the day off to settle, I worked the morning. Mostly cause I was wide awake and I felt awkward sitting in the house alone. After feeding, mucking, raking, and moving some horses out.. the lack of sleep had caught up to me. So, I ate some toast and started unpacking- which soon led to napping. The farm is gorgeous, btw. I won’t do it justice by trying to describe it cause I’m half asleep right now. So I’ll leave you with the promise of taking pictures asap!

Lake Okanagan Resort and Gerber Daisies

On Friday we moved up to the resort where my cousin Summer’s wedding was taking place. It’s definitely the nicest place I’ve ever stayed. Set right in the valley facing the lake, each chalet had private pools in the back. There was a golf course on site, along with tennis courts and many other activity options. When we got there Friday evening, we quickly hunted down the bigger pool at the central area of the resort and had a quick swim. Then we headed for supper at Vantage Point. Saturday we spent the morning poolside, relaxing and reading in the sun. Our pool apparently got it’s water directly from a mountain stream, as it was very close to freezing. I quite enjoyed the ice water, as it made my back and hip feel much better about life. Then we got all dolled up and headed to where the ceremony was set to take place on “the point”.

The view was incredible, and the perfect setting for the wedding to take place! It was great to see this part of the family. Especially to meet little Sierra, who is two, but very  mature for her age. I say this because of numerous things she did over the weekend. The most memorable being at breakfast Sunday when she was asked what she would like to drink with her meal. Her first reply was “Milk, please!” but, after being told by the unsuspecting waitress that there was no milk today, and asked “Would you like orange juice, or maybe apple juice?” Sierra thought for a minute and then said, quite clearly, “I’ll have a beer, please”. This left our table in hysterics, the waitress in shock, and Sierra in giggles because everybody else was in a fit. This was one of numerous ‘Sierra’ moments.

After the beautiful ceremony by the lake, we headed back to our chalet and snacked on chips and salsa. Passed the time waiting for the reception, and then went and enjoyed delicious food and cupcakes at the reception and spent more time with great family. Summer and her new husband Casey both looked fantastic and I hope I get to see them again soon, which I probably will as my grandparent’s 60th is next summer.

On Friday morning Lyle and I went for another bike ride, this time in the valley around Coldstream. We biked for about an hour up and down hills, and along a busy mountain highway (I only almost died twice). It definitely loosened up my hip. Sunday I got the chance to try out tennis at the resort. IT WAS FANTASTIC. For sure going to do some more of that sport. For me it was like combining badminton and volleyball. I loved serving!! And, much to my surprise, my shoulder doesn’t even hurt after our morning playing. Yay!

We came home from the resort today, Sunday, and settled back in at Daryl’s. After supper and DQ ice cream cake (for my birthday, a couple days early), we squeezed 7 of us Rances into the hot tub. After sitting in there for a little too long, my muscles are now very relaxed. I’m kinda worried about how the good ol’ back/hip combo is going to handle my work in NZ. Only one way to find out! ;s

Mom flies away tomorrow morning- she’s been weepy all day. So I’m sure tomorrow is going to be an emotional gong show. I’ve stayed relatively calm and detached so far. I’m predicting I’ll be the crazy girl sitting in Vancouver airport stifling back tears.. or on the plane crying while reading all the messages written by friends, family, supporters, in my “wisdom” book. That might be interesting. We’ll see how calm I can stay, and for how long.

Anyway, here is a selection of snapshots from the weekend in the Okanagan. I would love to put them all up, but that would be A LOT of pictures. I went a bit snap happy. Enjoy!

Polka to the black eyed peas? Only my grandparents 🙂

Quote

Somewhere

“Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become.
The coaches who pushed you.
The people who believed in you.
The long hours of schooling.
The dirt beneath your nails.
The falls you’ve taken.
The ribbons you didn’t win.
The tears you’ve cried.
The horses you’ve given your heart to,
Is a little girl who fell in love with a horse
And never looked back.”

Don’t know who wrote this, but it describes the sport very well!

Vernon, BC

We haven’t stopped speaking to each other yet.. 3 days in a van with the same people and CBC full blast could potentially do that to some people.. but.. We made it to Uncle Darryl’s place outside of Vernon today, where we’ll stay for the next few days before heading to the resort in Kelowna for the wedding. The past two days have been pretty uneventful, and full of driving. We spent last night at a B&B outside of Cochrane, which had a gorgeous view and great hospitality. Lyle and I went for a bike ride before supper, which first I convinced myself I shouldn’t do, then I decided I might as well, so off we went. I went 10k in the hills surrounding our area, and I haven’t done any sort of hills for at least 3 years, since the last bike trip I did with good ol Lyle Myers, and even then, those hills were only MB hills. However, I handled this short trek really well, beating Uncle Lyle up most of the hills (he trains for triathlons) and still having energy to spare when I got back. Yay for the lower body strengthening I’ve been doing! I wasn’t even sore today.

After convincing the hosts to make us breakfast an hour and a half earlier then they normally do (Rance time), we were off in the morning by about 8:30. Driving through the mountains was gorgeous as usual, and I had a fantastic nap most of the way from Golden, after lunch, to Craigalachie where we stopped to stretch our legs and look around at the “last spike” site of the railroad. We got some ice cream and I had some fun in the photo op, which you’ll see below..

Over our borsht supper in Vernon we discussed the violence displayed in girls basketball, especially at the rural high school level. Brought back many memories of going flying across the key after taking a charge, stitches, bruises the size of small countries, broken noses, the dirty plays the refs never saw…or pretended not to, playing full games with no break but the few time outs, throwing elbows when the refs weren’t looking, letting your nails grow out before a play off game against Morris, beating Morris by 1 point numerous times, the adrenaline. Man I miss it. Especially the bruises. Nothing better then sitting around in the change room comparing bruises after a game. And all those times our little team from Carman beat out or came very close to higher ranked teams (Elton in 2010, and those AAA teams this year come to mind) with nothing but pure hard work and determination are memories never to be forgotten. Definitely going to have to find a rec team to play on sometime in the future. Team sports are nothing something I’m ready to be done with. It was nice talking about those days past around the dinner table.

Sunflower seeds

We’re on our way! The rest of the famjam arrived 15 minutes early, per the usual for any trip with grandpa along. We loaded up all our bags, included my supersized bag. Max the cat already tried to settle down in the van, hidden among the bags, but got bored and jumped out (thankfully) before we left. I scored the back seat in the van beside all the bags. Uncle Lyle’s and my bike are loaded on the back, much to my mother and grandparents worry, and the tales of cougars in the area we want to bike are spinning. After almost forgetting all my paperwork and passport, we were on our way!
It only took about an hour for the CBC radio to be turned on, and grandpa to break out his sunflower seeds. I passed the first few hours by reading “Open”, a autobiography by Andre Agassi. A talented athlete with a confusing and difficult life. I’m fascinated by this book, and have been able to relate to many points he makes about sport and life.
It still hasn’t hit me. That I’m moving so far away in a week. Right now it just feels great to be with my family driving across the country. Couldn’t imagine myself being anywhere else.
When we got to Moosejaw we checked into our hotel and then went to a tunnel tour, about illegal chinese immigrants in the early 1900s. After that we went out for Chinese food. Lyle and I went for a bike ride after supper, which was nice. Then I tried to do some strength stuff when we got back. I couldn’t get my focus enough to do anything.. It was frustration. My back was also more sore than it has been in a while.. Probably from how I was sitting in the van all day.. So I finished off with a bunch of stretches and packed it in.
Tomorrow we’re heading to Cochrane. Should be a fun day, again we’re running on “Rance” time.. So starting at 6am. Gotta love vacations.
More later!

50lbs

It only took me 5 days to get my bags packed and UNDER 50lbs. You don’t realize how much clothing you have until you have to pick what you’re going to take. And then you realize how much it weighs.

I debated for a while whether I should just wear a good majority of my clothes on the plane, to solve my packing issue. It wasn’t a very well thought out plan, but it would have cleared up a lot of frustration!

Now all I have left to pack is my computer stuff and books to read in the airports and plane. I also have a journal full of well wishes and wisdom from those who attended my farewell party. Can’t wait to read those!

Charlene and Mike even came up for awhile. It was great to see them, and see how excited they were for me. Mike was very adamant that I HAD to come back, and Charlene reminded me that I wasn’t allowed to get a boyfriend, or get married, and end up  staying there.

We leave tomorrow on a road trip. Moosejaw is our first stop. Myself, grandma and grandpa, uncle Lyle and mom plan on playing tourist there for a day and then heading to a B&B outside of Cochrane. After that we’ll be on our way to Vernon to Uncle Darryl’s place and then to the resort for Summer’s wedding.

I realize this is a rather dull post, but I thought I’d better start the travel section now or I’ll never get around to it.. I’ve gotta finish up my packing tonight as we’re hitting the road at 7am. I’ll post pictures and updates as we trek across western canada.. and when I land on the other side of the globe!

Strengthening

As the show season here in MB has come to an end, I’ve been putting lots of energy this week into developing my strength training routine again. Yes I know I’m moving to another country in less then a week.. but I plan on keeping up with this while I’m working overseas.

The first exercise I do is called a reverse lunge. This exercise works your glute (butt), calves, quads, and hips. It’s a very good strength exercise for balance as well. I do this with my back leg elevated (about 1.5-2 ft is good, I usually use a picnic table bench or step). The picture shows a regular lunge. You should go down to approx 90 degrees. But, if this is too hard on your knees go as fas as you can. I do 3 sets of 12 on each side. Start with less reps if you are just starting out with this exercise (maybe 8 for the first couple weeks). 

Next I do side plank leg lifts. Side plank is probably the hardest exercise I have to do. Especially on my weak side. I started out doing the “half version”.

This exercise is excellent for your core (as all plank exercises are). It also strengthens your hips and outer legs, OH and balance. All key in riding. And daily life. The pictures show the half version (with “clam shell lifts”) and the other picture is the full version with leg lifts. I try to do about 3 sets of 10 reps on each side. I am now doing the full version, completing 10 lifts on my good side, and usually 6 on my bad side. I am working on strengthening my bad side by holding the side plank position longer on that side. Once again if you’re just starting out with this exercise, either do the half version for the first while until you feel ready to move up OR just to the full side plank with NO leg lifts. Even without the leg lifts the core will be strengthened! It’s important to work up at a pace where you aren’t going to overdo it.

I now move onto squats. I try to alternate muscle groups. I do a set of each exercise and then start over from the beginning. Squats are a pretty basic exercise. They also simulate the posting movement. When doing squats you want to be sure your knee isn’t going past your toe when you’re at the bottom of the squat. Also, 90 degrees is the general guideline for how far you should squat. Remember to keep your back straight and your stomach tight throughout all these exercises. Oh, and shoulders back! I do 3 sets of 20 squats. If you have access to a balance board or bosu ball, doing squats with the added challenge of balance is EXCELLENT for your core, and it definitely benefits your riding ability.

Next I do basic plank with leg lifts. This strengthens my core, glutes, hips, and the muscles surrounding my SI joint.

If you aren’t able to hold a proper plank position for more that 45 seconds without bursting into tears (it happens. Been there) Then focus on building up that strength first before adding leg lifts in. Same as with side planks. I do 3 sets of 10 reps EACH LEG. Proper plank position (as shown in pictures), your back should be even with your butt and you should be keeping your stomach muscles (core) tight. Be careful you aren’t clenching your butt too much. You want to focus on your core muscles supporting your body weight. DO NOT let your back sag towards the ground. If you need to, start out with half plank, with your knees touching the ground. Same thing though, keep your back straight and tummy tight. Work those core muscles!

Next I do bridge exercises. This is again for my back, hips, and core. Also hamstrings.

Keeping my core tight, as always, I also add in leg holds.

Your hips should stay even through this whole process. This builds stability in your hip muscles. I hold each leg straight for 10 seconds, and then switch. I do 3 sets of this 4 times each leg. The basic form of this is just holding the bridge position (first picture), and then moving your hips slightly up and down about 15-20 times. You want to be sure your back is staying immobile and your hip and glute muscles are doing all the work.

Last but certainly not least in this routine is push ups. FYI, push ups are less about arm strength and more about core strength. Certainly they do benefit your arms, but the are much more beneficial to your back and core muscles! They work all the same muscles as the plank exercises, but include the arms (if you can). Push ups are notoriously dreaded. My suggestion: If you can’t do full push ups, don’t immediately drop down to the half push up (or “girl” push up). Instead, focus on holding the starting position, with the same guidelines as a proper plank. As your core gets stronger, bend your arms to 45 degrees and work on holding the position at the lower angle. Then go to 90. Then work on pushing yourself up again. Once you can to one push up, try doing two. Etc etc. Even if you can only do 3 reps of two push ups, that’s a great starting point. In may this year, I couldn’t do one. Now I can do 3 sets of 15 full push ups. With time and determination, anyone and everyone can do push ups.

I always do atleast 20 minutes of cardio to warm up (running, biking, dancing around my house (only if I’m home alone)). Also, I do these exercises every second day. Or, three to four times a week. On the off days I either do a longer cardio work out, or just have a day off. During the busy riding season I kept up with these exercises, but at a lower intensity because of the numerous weaknesses I have in my hip, shoulder and back. You have to be careful not to overdo it. You should “feel the burn” while you’re exercising, and definitely be fatigued afterwards. Maybe even sore the next day or so. But, if you’re so sore you can’t function you’re pushing it too hard. Also don’t expect to see immediate results with any fitness routine. It takes time and dedication to see results. But it’s definitely worth it!

This is just one of my routines. I have lots of other exercises and stretches that I do as well. These, however, are the ones I’m focusing on right now. I have noticed a huge difference in my riding skill since I started some of these strengthening exercises in the spring.

Click

You know that moment where you feel everything you’ve been working on for so long just click into place? That describes this weekend. Perfectly.

Schooling rounds Thursday night were like a dream. We were there in plenty of time, the rings weren’t busy, and Will jumped around to everything on a nice gallop. We even got striding on all the schooling lines, usually we work on adding to slow Will down, but he was on such a good pace we were able to gallop up the 8/9 stride and the 6 stride with no problems.

I went into my first class Friday, picked up a gallop, and we went around the course like it was the easiest thing in the world. It was our 2’9 Jr. Ami class, we placed third in this round. Then we moved into our Sr. Low division. Same thing. Walked into the ring, picked up the beautiful gallop Will has finally figured out how to do, and had the rounds of our life. Placing fourth in the first round, 2nd in the handy, and first in the under saddle. The first round we would of placed higher except I made a tiny mistake coming into the two-stride (yes there was a two stride, and yes it was fantastic). I got him into a tight spot at the first jump and then in between I had a slight lean to the right. He of course just ran out the side, which my lean didn’t help. But, we went right back to it and he got through it beautifully. We were reserve in the Sr. Low Division, out of about 10 good horses and riders! Willard was a very good pony.

Saturday went just as perfect. Our first class was the 2’9 Jr Ami Handy round, which we won! Then the undersaddle, where we placed 2nd for another Reserve Champion title in that division. Then we went into our Open Low division. Where we had AMAZING rounds, especially the handy. I came out grinning just because it went SO nicely. We placed 4th in each class, the low, handy and the u/s for that division. We were up against some pretty good company, and everyone had great rounds.

It was a perfect way to end off our season. We could’ve competed Sunday in the Hunter Challenge, or the Derby (which had added fences such as a big castle jump and the bank, vern, and grog from the jumper ring), but it was decided that we should end on a good note and not push our luck by trying to do the derby challenge with all it’s new jumps which we’ve never done before. As much as I would’ve loved to try it (we were allowed to school over everything in the morning before the show), I know it was just as worth it to come home and be happy with how well we did and wait for next season to move up. I couldn’t be happier with my horse and everything we’ve accomplished so far.