Blessed!

I have to say that I am lucky to have some pretty amazing people in my life. Many thanks to my parents for helping with everything, and I do mean everything, to do with the move. Especially my mom who spent several evenings packing and will be hauling a trailer full of stuff out here when she comes to visit in August. I honestly couldn't have done it without her! I only hope that someday when I have kids I can help them out as much as my parents have helped me.
A huge shout out to Kathy as well who also spent a few nights running up and down the stairs in my condo with boxes in tow. And let me tell you, with 30+ degree temperatures it's a good workout! Last but not least thanks to Jordan - who without his help and custom-built Thule mount I would have never gotten all my sporting gear here! (and sporting gear is of the utmost importance in the Kootenays!) He helped me out in a dire moment, and I only hope someday I can return the favor. Everything has arrived safely and is looking forward to being put to good use.

That said, I did manage to spend a couple of days in Fernie en route and tried my hand at whitewater kayaking and did a bit of mountain biking. Hung out with Shon of Hardwater Productions for a day, and repeatedly tried to drown myself while attached to a kayak - luckily he helped me out such sticky situations. In all honesty - it was a great day. We did the morning in flat water doing skills and then spent the afternoon in Class 2 rapids down the Elk River. Those rapids don't look so big when you're in a raft with 7 other people, but when you're the only one in control of a tippy little rodeo boat - it's another story! I did go for a couple swims, but managed to hang onto my hat and sunglasses both times. Thankfully the weather was scorching hot so the river felt... refreshing. On Tuesday we hit the mountain bike trails in the early morning to beat the heat. It was still a workout heading up Dem Bones - and I did manage to add a few more scrapes and bruises to my already battered legs when I went over my handle bars, but it's good to know I'm challenging myself ;)

I've now started to slowly settle in to Nelson life. Lisa and Carey had an amazing meal waiting for me when I arrived, and today was a casual day of getting organized. Provided the good weather keeps up - tomorrow I might just have to hit the beach...