Traveling across the country....with fire.

Prairies

2010-01-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

Wow – Manitoba is flat…and straight!!!! I don’t think I turned my steering wheel once after crossing the border into this province!!! I really don’t understand how people can say that Saskatchewan is flatter? Is that according to a level? Regardless, very flat.

After crossing the border for the first time, we headed straight to Winnipeg. I was aware of the abundance of Ukrainian culture in this area, so what do I do? Go looking for food!!! I am always skeptical of other people’s Ukrainian foods (like perogies and cabbage rolls), cause nothing ever tastes as good as my mom’s or baba’s (grandmother in Ukrainian). I was determined to get a taste of local Ukrainian flavour, so I asked one of my colleagues (who is from the area) to recommend an establishment, and he told me about this “famous” Ukrainian restaurant, which the comedian John Candy used to order from….when in L.A.! So I ventured from the hotel into downtown Winnipeg, looking for this local relic. I wasn’t even hungry at the time, but I just really wanted to get a taste! So I drove for about 25 minutes (lots of lights in Winnipeg), eager to have a traditional sit down dinner at the best Ukrainian restaurant around (maybe even in Canada), I pulled up to the building slowly straining to see a sign that was not very pleasant – CLOSED!!!! I’m obviously not a very good Ukrainian girl….forgetting that it was Ukrainian Christmas Eve that day. I deserved it…I guess. So for now, my mom’s perogies and cabbage rolls reign supreme.

On to work stuff.

I hopped on to one of the torchbearer shuttles one night in Portage de la Prairie (as I normally do) to congratulate and excite the torchbearers, and they were watching the “video” – the one I cry to every time I watch. I always assure the emotional torchbearers that crying is a normal reaction to this video – as I’ve seen it many times and fight to hold back my tears….still. This spurred a conversation with one of our drivers, Patrick, while we were waiting for the convoy to catch up. Now Pat is responsible for our transportation logistics on the relay, so he doesn’t get to see the actual relay on a day-to-day basis. He asked me what my most emotional experience had been so far on the relay. I associated this question to the intensity of my “cry”, so that would have to be the arrival of the flame in Victoria (the Chiefs carrying the flame passed me in the torchbearer corridor). Everyone’s moment is completely different; Pat’s was about a woman who was running for her daughter, who had passed away recently. The story of their connection really touched Pat…enough that it made it his moment on the relay.

Off to Regina, Saskatchewan! At this point, I had done really well at NOT shopping. It started to get to me though. It was the only thing I could think about when we got to Regina. I really wanted to treat myself to something unique (or maybe different from what I have, cause you really do get sick of wearing the same clothes all of the time!). So I did….now to get rid of something….

Not only did the prairies satisfy my shopping craving, it beat Ontario in having the most “Big” things. Yes, you name it and the prairies have it made in larger then life size! Fire Hydrants, pumpkins, golf putters, lima beans…the list goes on. One of our staff from the RON (hotel prep) team has made a point to take a picture of every large object on the route. Needless to say he had his work cut out for him during prairie week!

We came into Alberta on Day 76 (apparently I can’t consider Alberta a “prairie” province because it has mountains…this is coming from some locals). We had a few days off in Edmonton – which was great because I was able to spend some much needed family time with Janet (my mom’s best friend) and Richard. That’s the one thing that I’ve truly really missed while being on the road. Travelling in general really makes you realize how comforting familiarity is in your life. Spending the day with people who KNOW YOU, your history, your story. It’s fabulous meeting new people, don’t get me wrong – but being able to really relax and let go is healing, in a way. So thank you Janet and Richard, from the bottom of my heart!

After leaving Edmonton (following a much deserved crew night talent show – wow we’re a funny bunch), we got our first peek at the majestic Rockies. Much different then the view from the plane! We had a fairly leisurely drive to Calgary so we took advantage of it and were tourists for the afternoon. We visited a small place called Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump – yes, that’s the real name. It’s named after an individual who literally had his head smashed in trying to get buffalo to jump off a cliff (which was a normal practice in this area). I obviously had to buy a t-shirt! In all seriousness, the museum they have set up there is great. It is beautifully done with creativeness strewn throughout. We took a lovely drive through the badlands (Turner Valley); and Janet you were right – you really do just want to jump on a horse and go! And speaking of horses, we visited Spruce Meadows in Calgary (it’s like the centre of the horse world in Canada) - which was amazing! Lot’s of moula there!

We did have to make it back to Calgary in good time, however, because I had a date with the bank….Royal Bank that is. As one of our partners, they make up the “spirit squad” that we (as pilots) lead in convoy. They have a big blue vehicle (appropriately called Loonie) that people dance on to get the crowds going and torchbearers even more excited. I was fortunate enough to dance on Loonie for our arrival into Calgary. It was about an hour or so of dancing on a float – ladies, I know you’re jealous right now. It was awesome to get a perspective from above the crowd – and to show off my dance moves too!!!

It’s actually one of my goals to get a taste of as many roles in the relay as possible. I’m slotted in to drive the command car (directly behind the torchbearers) soon, and I’ve already ridden in our Police escort car, done celebration advance, acted as 2 hour advance, experienced the torchbearer shuttle, and now danced on Loonie. Not bad for job diversity!!!

So we’ve just finished our last day in Alberta (in Banff – which was a fabulous pilot route being able to look at the mountains all day!). We’re officially in BC now – last stretch….bringin’ er home!!! It’s completely crazy to think that we have less then 20 days left. We have 6 piloting days left, 12 RON dinners, and 10 more hotels. We’ve driven 28,000 km since leaving Newfoundland, stayed in 39 hotels, I couldn’t keep track of how many phone calls home I’ve made – I’m going to guess about 180, met close to 200 people (I still have some teammates to get to know in the next 20 days!), and have now been to every province in Canada (realizing full well that I’ll have to visit the Northern Territories to consider myself a “cross country’er”).

It’s a little overwhelming!!

With my pending return into “normal life” there are a few things that I’ll have to get used to:

- cooking

- cleaning

- driving a standard car (I’m sure it’s like riding a bike)

- pulling over if police throw on their cherries (we’re surrounded by flashing police cars all day – just part of the gig)

- not having cautionary lights (I’ve fallen in love with my flashing orange blinkers)

- sleeping in (I’m sure this will take me a day to get used to)

- not answering “10-4” or “copy that” to a question

- not having to pack every night

- going to bed late!!! I go to bed at 10pm every night…

- eating breakfast after 8am

I’m sure more things will strike me as I get back to the everyday….

2010-01-04T16:26:00.001-07:00

Northern New Years

2010-01-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

Happy New Years to everyone!!! I rang in the New Year in Val d’Or (northern Quebec) with 100 of our crew, as we were scattered across northern Ontario in preparation for New Years days’ schedule. We were lucky enough to be invited (by the hotel) to crash their annual New Years Eve bash – which consisted mostly of local folk over the age of 50. Both groups were able to showcase their dance styles fairly well, and occasionally meshed the two: we like to call it VAN d’Or style. It was a great way to let loose, not to mention fabulous entertainment for the locals.

I had mentioned to some of my co-workers that I completely forgot that we were heading into 2010 – because we say it so much, it kinda felt like we were already there! Anyhow – here we are. The very futuristic sounding 2010 – 42 days left until the flame arrives at BC Place. Crazy.

So back to the relay.

Since my last blog, we began to travel away from Ottawa piloting to Kingston, and then on to Oshawa. I had to slowly deal with being away from home again. It’s extremely hard to make the decision on whether to go home and really immerse yourself in home comforts, or to remain in the “relay lifestyle” to avoid the “leaving home again” sadness. In choosing to indulge in my home comforts, I had to slowly get back into relay life. No tears, just sadness and a wish: that I cold shrink everyone down into small little people and pack them in my bag to bring with me. Is that too much to ask?

So remember those embarrassing moments I touched upon in my last entry? Well this one hurt. Let me set the scene: before we start marking, we have this massive electronic scrolling sign that we mount on our vehicle (indicating that we stop frequently). It’s quite cumbersome and heavy. So we started our marking day in Whitchurch-Stouffville that morning. It was beautiful with everything covered from the continuing snowfall, the sun just cresting over the horizon (so still a bit dark), and I was actually thinking how lucky I was to see so many of these sunrises. With a soft grin on my face, I began to get the sign out of the trunk, being sure to use both hands because I didn’t want to drop it. No worries there – because as I turned to walk around the vehicle I broke the signs’ fall as my feet were quickly removed from underneath me and my elbows and rear really cushioned my landing. I went totally ass over tea kettle. The sign was fine – I was not. Phil got to witness the whole thing and quickly began laughing (as I’m sure it did look funny). I started to laugh pretty quickly too. Phil actually stopped for a second and apologized for laughing – I yelled; “keep laughing, cause then I won’t cry!!!”. My left backside is still a bit embarrassed.

Speaking of “moments”, I think we’ve all come to realize that anything can and will happen on the relay. Specifically relating to torchbearers, they seem to be slowed down by many things. Seeing as our schedule is down to the minute, we have to overcome those obstructions to remain on time. The most common obstacle is people, obviously, wanting to get close to take a picture or get a better look. We often hear our command car over our radio giving directions as to how to overcome these different obstacles. It’s usually “ask them to move”. Now, relay crew who were in range to hear our radio transmission while we were in Bowmanville ON, but not physically with the convoy were perplexed to hear our command utter, “we need the elephant to move, can we do that?” I’m sure everyone had a bit of a chuckle over that one.

So after a few days in the Greater Toronto Area, we got to celebrate Christmas!!! Yes, our whole crew holidayed in London with two full days off!!! It was interesting though, while I was in a mall I ran into one of my co-workers who admitted that he wasn’t doing any shopping he just needed to feel like it was Christmas. So, he thought by watching other people go about their holiday bustle, it would help sink in the fact Christmas was actually going to happen. I later found out that he was not the only one doing this. Makes sense I guess. We all watch very little television, have no time to shop, and aren’t attending any Christmas parties, so really are not exposed to the “Christmas lead-up” to get us hyped.

Of course walking into our RON office (where we get all our hotel keys and other pertinent information) was a great reminder of holiday! Decorated and vibrant and full of packages for crew members – mostly from friends and family. What got me was the massive amount of gifts from people we didn’t know; like communities we’d gone through and even those we have yet to visit. One of our shuttle drivers walked into the office with a massive box full of individually wrapped baked goods (about 300 or so). The shuttle driver said that this lady just showed up to one of the collection points (where we pick up torchbearers) and handed her this box and said, “from our family to your relay family”. She is a foster mom of 6. Wow.

Of course our team had planned a bunch of activities and such to keep us busy, but I decided to forgo most as I had the privilege of entertaining my own special guest, Ryan. After close to a full day of work, he drove 6.5 hours to London to spend two days with me. And he did not come empty handed – he brought treats!!! My mother baked enough goodies to feed an army (or relay team), which she sent with Ryan to deliver. I’ve been frugal with them so far...hoping to have some left for the next few weeks! Those who have been fortunate enough to sample my mothers work have been more then blown away….they must be tasting the love they were made with.

I was one of the few who were able to spend a part of Christmas with family as my Aunt and Uncle graciously welcomed Ryan and I into their home for Christmas dinner. I was able to enjoy a very relaxed and wonderful meal with my cousin and his wife, my grandmother, my uncle’s cousin, and, of course, my hosts. After some great hugs and well wishes, we returned to the hotel, where there were some fairly competitive games of, let me see if I get this right, Mario Cart on Wii. Ladies – I’m not sure if this is ingrained in our genetic make-up, but when it comes to video games it seems like we need to use our whole bodies to make things “work”. It was hilarious to watch 4 people playing: 3 guys and a girl – the girl needing at least 3 feet on either side of her to make her controller work!! I’m guilty as well - and even worse, I have to make sound effects to boot…

With the holidays comes relaxation, and apparently with relaxation your body thinks it’s a good time to get sick. This happens to me every year. 6am boxing day morning I took up residence on the bathroom floor until 11am. Ryan wouldn’t take no for an answer as he made a little bed next to me, making sure not to touch me because it made me want to vomit. That’s love ladies!!!!

So now, still a recovering sickie, we’re doing some of our biggest drives through North Western Ontario and into Winnipeg. I have to say, it’s quite beautiful, but you would need to be VERY into the outdoors to live here. Towns are very small – everyone knows each other; I can see how that’s appealing (as a small town girl). I would still need one REALLY great funky restaurant to make the move here though!!!

My next blog will be from the Prairies!! It’s my first time venturing through Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta….really looking forward to it!!!!

French tales

2009-12-18T16:13:00.002-07:00

Ok, so It’s been a little while since I wrote last. It’s not because it became boring (not even close!), but I think now that we’ve moved closer to home (and familiar landscape) things don’t look as “new” to me.

Since my last entry, we moved through New Brunswick and Quebec. In other words, my French skills were put into play! I had been briefed on how some of the New Brunswick French would be different from the Ottawa area French I was used to. If I can put it into perspective for the Ottawa Valley folks; mix a light Newfoundland accent, with an Ottawa valley twang, and throw some French into the mix – I’m not going to lie, I did resort to the smile and nod a few times!

So a few highlights of New Brunswick:

(Note; I had a new partner, Scott, for NB and QC as Phil was doing advance duties for a while).

We were taken on a very thorough tour of Bathurst by one of the community task force members. While we were in City Hall, our tour guide along with the office director where having the darndest time trying to figure out where (on the large blown up aerial picture of town) the relay started. It went kind of like this:

“I’m pretty sure it goes by Chicken King” (Office Dir.)

“Yes, and Chicken King is on this corner” – pointing on map (Task Force Member)

“Chicken King’s not on this corner, Chicken King is on that corner” (Office Dir.)

“Chicken King? No, it’s here. Chicken King used to be on this corner but it moved” (Task Force Member)

“Chicken King moved?” (Office Dir.)

“Yes, Chicken King moved” (Task Force Member)

Anyhow, you get the idea. After about the 10^th “Chicken King, I was silently giggling thinking if they say Chicken King one more time, crossing my legs would not save me from embarrassing myself. It reminded me of a Kid’s in the Hall skit….played by women of course. So “Chicken King” is now (by Scott and I) used as a mood lightener when things start to get tense.

Speaking of embarrassing moments – this trip wouldn’t be complete without them! For example; while piloting from Bathurst to Edmundston I was trying to deal with some traffic build-up around our convoy. So, sometimes my partner has to drop me off and then move forward so that there’s enough room for all of our vehicles to fit. So I’m doing my thing – waving traffic through, and then I see a break and decide to take advantage of it. Usually it’s a quick 100m sprint to catch up to my car….that is if you don’t run into it after a hard first step on turnaround. Yes, I ran directly into the back of my vehicle – everyone watching; my team, spectators and my driver (who was Scott, at the time). Scott was perplexed by what could have caused the thump and squeek (the sound I made when I hit). We laughed….for a good half hour. Many, many more moments to come.

Back on track here; we made it through Quebec (which is beautiful, by the way!) amazed by the crowds – and not only in the big city centers. I felt like entire towns came out to cheer on the torchbearers. In some instances I couldn’t even hear myself think, the cheering was that loud. It was a riot!

Not surprisingly, we meet a lot of people on our journey. While we’re driving, eating, putzing – it’s pretty hard to miss our rainbowed car (Vancouver 2010 decals), with flashy lights, and uniforms to match. We look very official. Most people want to know when the flame is coming, which is about a minute long conversation. Others want to know the whole back story behind how we came to be in the position that we are currently sitting; that can range between a 10 minute to an hour long conversation. Inevitably, people want to know where we started; where we’re from. Of course the big assumption is that the whole relay team is from Vancouver. Most people are pleasantly surprised to find out that our team is national…and international. Now my story line here is that whether this conversation is 5 minutes or an hour, people want to make a connection with you and the easiest way to do that is by trying to link someone they know to your hometown. Now, being from small town Almonte, I generally say that I’m from outside of Ottawa. But that’s not specific enough for most. When I mention more specifically that I’m from Almonte, you can see people racking their brains – or their faces light up because they know someone from there, or they’ve been there! I have met people in every province who have either spent time in Almonte, or have relatives there. One torchbearer in Edmunston NB, Jean-Guy, actually guessed where I was from – first try! I couldn’t stop laughing! Who guesses a small town of 4,000!

Speaking of my hometown, the torch did go through little Almonte on December 13^th. I am SO proud of our community – as it left quite an impression on our Torch Relay team. I, unfortunately, was not piloting that day (I was marking a day ahead), but received all the details from my co-workers – way to go Almontonians!!

So even though I didn’t pilot through Almonte, I was lucky enough to have a day off while the flame was in the Ottawa area. It was absolutely amazing to recharge myself with familiar energies - my boyfriend, all my gals, my mom, and Tim & Cathy. I wish I could have stayed up 24 hours just to spend more time with everyone. This visit came close to the halfway point in the flames’ journey…perfect timing. As lucky as I was to have this “half-time break”, a lot of my teammates will not be seeing their family or significant others until the end of the relay, as they reside in the west. I only hope that those of us who were able to “re-charge” can be adequate family substitutes!

I have to give “props” to my amazing boyfriend who made a trip to Montreal to visit me on my day off – regardless of the fact that I would be home in two days. Needless to say, I spend the better part of the evening blubbering like an idiot. He then drove back to Ottawa at 5am (in a snowstorm) to work for 8am. How did I get so lucky?

And the luck continues….Olympic Flame style!

This one's really long!

2009-11-26T18:17:00.002-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been crazy!!! Well, Happy Valley / Goose Bay wasn’t crazy – it was actually quite relaxing. A once booming military base (housing the U.S. , German, UK, Italian and Netherland air forces), it’s now a quieter community.

The run and celebration went off without a hitch! As the last torchbearer past me to head down the torchbearer corridor leading to the stage, my boss grabbed me to follow (usually it’s only the flame that travels that corridor). He said to me with his Norweigan accent “you have to see this”! It was fantastic to be in the middle of close to 4, 000 people cheering – what a rush! We crouched near the front of the stage, and were suddenly overtaken by 12 other torchbearers who were barreling down behind us! They all jumped up on the stage to join their community hero who lit the cauldron. It was a great sight.

I was introduced to Toutons when I was in Happy Valley – deep fried dough. My heart hurt a little after, but totally worth it! I was encouraged to try cod tongue, but graciously declined. The cod tongue, however, is not something you can avoid in Newfoundland….as I will detail later.

It was so nice to be back with the team after being away for almost 9 days. Even though we didn’t all really know each other that well, there’s a sense of home when you’re back with the flame team. A sense of normal.

We left the next morning to head to St.John’s Newfoundland. It was the first (and last) time I got to ride on our charter plane. The team used the same plane and flight crew to take them from Vancouver Island all through the north until our destination in St. John’s. As a newcomer on the flight, I got to see the relationships that were built between our staff and there’s. It was all very casual, with jokes slung throughout the flight. Of course, the crew still had to give the flight safety briefing before each flight – and low and behold, some people had memorized the script and movements!! The flight crews’ final message was about how proud they were to be a part of this journey, and how privileged they felt to be chosen as part of the air team. It was one of the more touching speeches I heard in the last few weeks.

The captain came on speaker and told us to all take a peak off the right side of the plane to see the breathtaking landscape that is Newfoundland – but stressed that we not all do it at the same time!! It was truly majestic. It was a fairly sunny day, and the light was reflecting off the wing perfectly, with the massive cliffs falling into the ocean in the backdrop. Not a bad first glimpse at all. I had a feeling I would like this place…

And love it I did! Pam (a regional route co-ordinator for the northern territories, and aboriginal liaison) and I took a quick jaunt up to Signal Hill as soon as we got to the hotel. In a 2 hour advance position (which was what I was doing for the whole province) you never know where you’ll be posted the next day. So, if you do have time in a city, you make the most of it. You become a very quick tourist. Signal Hill was the closest attraction we could visit. It was beautiful…and very windy! It was this miniature tower built on the top of hill called Cabot Tower (built for the 400^th anniversary of Jean Cabot’s discovery of Newfoundland). This was also where the first reception point of a transatlantic wireless signal happened). Lot’s of history a top this hill and breathtaking views of the city and coast line. Little did I know that I’d be visiting this site the next day!

That night, we had our first official crew dinner. It was great to see everyone – and a little overwhelming too! We all got a chance to share stories about the last two weeks apart and our media team showed us some great footage that many of us did not get to see. Our “heart on his sleeve” leader was quick to jump to the podium to offer his congratulations on our northern journey and a pep-talk for our long haul back to BC. We laughed, we cried, it was better then CATS.

The next day my colleague, Candace, and I headed to Cape Spear for a morning photo opp with two torchbearers and the flame. Cape Spear is the most easternly point in Canada. My boss’s goal was to get an amazing shot of the sunrise with a flame exchange. Mission accomplished. It was an amazingly beautiful morning – it brought tears to my eyes to see the colours that materialized on the horizon with the sun, the vastness of the ocean below, the cliffs jutting out all around, and the flame in the foreground. I had a moment to myself (on the other side of an outbuilding, waiting for the torchbearer to walk through). It was so quiet (yet there were close to 50 people on the other side of the building); all I could hear was the wind and the ocean. It took everything I had to keep myself together – for the one reason that I wished I could have shared this moment with all of you at home. It was amazing. After the flame had left, Candace, Kim and myself decided to stick around the Cape to explore and do a few photo shoots! We all loved it.

That was definitely the highlight of St.John’s….mind you, I may add to my highlight reel the fact that I became an honorary Newfoundlander that evening as well! Yes, I was Screeched in that evening with 13 of my colleagues. Remember when I mentioned earlier that it wasn’t the last time I would encounter cod tongue? Well, they got me to eat it – and then kiss a frozen cod to boot! By the time the cod got around to me, its’ lips were kind of thawing out, and cod lips are actually quite plump. Kinda gross, but nothing a shot of Screech couldn’t help (or disinfect!).

The next day we spent the better part of our time in costal regions (which I cannot complain about – absolutely gorgeous!). I have to mention this small little town called Brigus. It feels like a completely different world to walk through their tiny little streets, and look at their adorable little homes, surrounded by huge old trees, perched next to the ocean. It was somewhat magical. I walked through the streets continuously repeating “oh-how cute! I could live here”.

So our next big day was Truro, Nova Scotia. After an overnight ferry from NF (on which I did not sleep – cursed bunk rooms!) we (Phil and I) headed to Truro to start, what felt like, our first official piloting day. We left everyone at the ferry to start marking the next day’s route. We returned later in the evening to arrival chaos! It’s pretty crazy when everyone arrives at the hotel at the same time. I mean, not all 250 of us get there at the exact same moment, but between 4pm and 7pm we all head to our main “office” to get our keys, pick up our bags (thank god I don’t have to do that everyday….perks of our position) and read the info board for the next day. We then all trickle into the dining rooms for our crew meal, where all the day’s stories are re-told. It’s usually pretty buzzing during dinner. We talk to the people we didn’t see during the day….wondering why we didn’t have our daily visit from them. We exchange hugs, high-fives, and pick food off each other’s plates. That’s dinner.

With each of our positions, we generally spend most of our time with select groups. As pilots, we spend our time with our shuttle hosts (who brief and pump up our torchbearers), shuttle drivers, security team (RCMP and police from detachments across the country), and our sponsor’s team of RBC and Coke (imagine two really big outdoor party buses with people dancing on them). That’s our convoy family. Phil and I have been amicably named as the smiley pilots. Big surprise there, right? I can’t see why no one else smiles like I do when I do my job. Smiles are contagious, they make you feel good, and as McDonald’s aptly pointed out – they’re free!!! As crazy as our days get, we stay positive and work with what we’ve got. If that means 6 of us getting out of our vehicles in the pouring rain to manage traffic at an intersection so that we can all stay as one unit, that’s what we do. It’s quite exhilarating.

And as we work with certain groups quite a bit, we become attached to certain people. For example, some of the security team who have been with us from the beginning left early this morning. Some of them we will see again once back in BC, but others we will not. It was amazing the sense of loss I felt for my team members – even knowing that they’ll be back, but not here for almost a month and a half. They’re going to miss a month and a half of stories, high-fives and hugs. I promised not to replace them…

So we had a day off in Nova Scotia after piloting in Truro…and what did we spend our time doing on our day off? Working!!! Phil and I have made it a goal of ours to spend at least a few hours in each convoy vehicle along with helping out in different departments. Sometimes there’s just not a whole heck of a lot to do in some cities – and it’s more fun to be with convoy! I spent a few hours in our command car (with one of my bosses) with a front row seat of the torchbearers. We later went to a construction area to check for possible detours, upon which I was then asked to jump into our police vehicle to help navigate through some extremely congested areas. I was less a navigator, more a traffic cop. It was so busy downtown that I would have to block all traffic so that all of our vehicles would fit through intersections. I would then have to sprint back up to the lead police vehicle to check our map, and then jump out again to handle traffic. It was crazy and fun – and a great workout!!! By the time we made it to the area where Sidney Crosby was runny, we looked like a big glowing worm moving through sand – there were so many people gathered to see Sidney…I could barely hear myself talk! Awesome.

Oh – did I mention I’m moving to PEI?? What a province! How come no one told me how beautiful it was! Phil was doing his best to keep me focused the day we had to work in PEI. I must have taken 50 photos of dirt! But it’s red dirt! I loved the colours, the landscape, the houses, and the people! And, a double bonus, I had the best Nachos ever in Charlottetown! So good, I had them 3 nights in a row! We visited this amazing pub in Charlottetown called the Gahan House (best nachos ever!!). It’s actually a brewery and a pub/restaurant. If you ever go to PEI, go HERE! Tell the manager that I sent you!!!! Seriously though, Phil and I spent our day off driving around the island and saw some very dramatic landscapes, and I also got to drag Phil to the Anne of Greene Gables house – beautiful property. I was very sad to leave PEI…but know that I will be back! Summer Holiday in PEI anyone??

2009-11-21T08:48:00.001-07:00

Island time

2009-11-21T07:39:00.001-07:00

So, Day 2 and 3. Day 2, I spent piloting from Sooke to Nanaimo (meaning, my partner and I, Phil, lead the convoy dropping off the torchbearers along the way.). It was one of our longest days; passing through 18 communities with 150 torchbearers. It was the first time that we acted in our pilot role (aside from our test event). It went off without a hitch! I have to say that the people in Sooke are some SERIOUS troopers. We got there at around 7am (so still dark), and there was a full blown party at the start point! It was raining heavily, but that didn’t waiver a soul. It was amazing how people didn’t feel the cold or the rain – they wanted to see the Flame! When we dropped off the third torchbearer, we mentioned that he could stay in the shuttle for a little longer (because the rain was torrential) till the first torch actually began move – he was suddenly swarmed with people. He looked at us, smiled and said “nope….I’d rather stay out here so people can get a closer look at the torch”. Trooper.

I realized during this day the roles that my partner and I would fill. I’m definitely the entertainment! Don’t get me wrong – I do my job as well, but I’m so quick to laugh or cry (good cry). Phil can’t believe how emotional I am.

Day 3 was another advance day. We went from Sooke to Tofino. My first stop was a community called Nanoose Bay. We arrived at this community centre at around 8am and the whole town was out! They had entertainment on the go, pancake breakfast in full force, and people just kept on coming! The weather was perfect; crisp and sunny. The best was that even after the flame was on its’ way, people stayed, to socialize and celebrate – I love small communities!!! Maybe I’m biased though….

We were then on our way to set up for the arrival of the flame in Port Alberni. On our way I HAD to get a picture of a store that has goats grazing on their roof! This is in Coombs. I’ve been to this store before, but it wasn’t during the season when the goats are normally out. Thankfully, the owners decided to bring the goats out for a “guest appearance” on this day for a fantastic photo opp (which happened on the roof) with the flame!

On my way to Tofino, I stopped into a community called Uclulet – where they were having a massive community celebration. Once the flame arrived, it was hard to get the first runner through the crowds!!! I think that community enjoyed their moment….

A couple of cool things happened in Tofino; one I missed, but the other I did not! We had a woman in a wetsuit in the water passing the flame on to a surfer coming in on off a wave – amazing! I didn’t get to see this one, but saw many pictures and heard rave reviews from staff who were lucky enough to witness it. I, in the meantime, was getting ready for our skateboarder (Scott), who was going to take it through a very impressive skate park in the heart of Tofino. Unfortunately, the rain did decide to show up before the show, but none-the-less Scott was able to ride the bowl (which was lined – no - packed with fans and spectators). It was so dark so the flame looked amazing – and Scott was high fiving everyone who was in the bowl. It was great.

So then I was off to Fort McMurray the next morning with my co-worker Mario. I spent the next few days assisting in the last minute preparations for their afternoon celebration. I have to say that the people we dealt with in Fort Mac were amazing! So helpful – bend over backwards to make you comfortable – people. We were both blown away. They had quite a show lined up for the residents as well; Aaron Lines and Paul Brandt. I had a chance to meet Paul, but sorry ladies….no picture!

We then headed to the airport for our next leg to Happy Valley / Goose Bay in Labrador. We actually ended up being on the same flight as one of the torchbearers for Fort McMurray who, for the next 2 hours in the airport, posed for an endless amount of pictures with passengers! We sat directly across from him in the airport…I couldn’t help but grin the whole time.

2009-11-08T18:37:00.001-07:00

Day 1!!!!

2009-11-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

Oh – Day 1!!! Well, I said there would be tears and I kept my promise!

I woke up a bit “vaclempt” knowing that I would be crying in less then two hours, but wondering how hard? Would they be slow tears – welling up, if you will or heaving sobs?

You never know how you’re going to react when you first see the flame – our operations manager (who I believe is doing his 6^th Torch Relay) said that taking part of the sharing of this sacred symbol would change our lives forever. This isn’t the first time he’s been a part of sharing this flame, yet he is as emotional as if it was his first time. He comes across as a real tough (Norwegian) cookie – keeping us on a minute-by-minute schedule. Yet, he’s all hugs and tears at the end of the day, or during a beautiful moment on the road.

So….how was my first glimpse?? Well, I spent the morning setting up the corridor that the aboriginal elders would be walking through (with the flame burning in the lanterns) to get up to the stage in order to present it to John Furlong (the president of VANOC). If you didn’t see the coverage, the corridor was lined firstly with young cadets (wearing their red mittens of course), followed by past Canadian Olympians, and then 450 school children. Once it was show time, I took position right between the cadets and Olympians looking at my colleague directly across from me mouthing the words “here they come”….he thought I was talking about the elders; I was talking about my tears!

Anyhow, the elders slowly made their way passed the cadets and then right in front of me – the lantern was in reaching distance. I took as many pictures as I could before I could no longer see what I was doing. I was sobbing!!!! It was so beautiful and ceremonial!! I’m crying about it now as I write this!!!! So the elders passed me; they were flanked by other members of their bands, along with our security runners (RCMP members who run alongside the flame carriers). Many of the RCMP were for-warned of my “emotions” – as were everyone else who were standing around me that morning. They didn’t seem to mind. One of our Ontario officers gave me quick wink and knuckle punch before moving further up. I had a total stranger ask me if I needed a hug, - I couldn’t even speak…just tried to squeeze out a smile. A band member (accompanying the elders) turned back after a few steps passed me and came and gave me a huge hug – thanking me for showing such emotion. You need someone to cry on this relay – I’m your gal!!!

After that we were off to help organize a flame blessing (which I spoke about in my previous entry). The chief of the band was actually the gentleman who carried the flame through the corridor earlier in the day. The atmosphere was calm and the members were very inviting encouraging us to go into the longhouse to sit by their massive fire and watch some of the preparations and pre-cursors to the flame blessing. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the whole blessing, as I was taking care of our convoy parking on the upper road. I had my colleague, Sarah, take some amazing pictures!

We then pushed off to Elk Lake. The torchbearers were the coach of the men’s Olympic 8’s gold medal team (Mike Spracklen), the men’s Olympic 8’s team, and a mix of up and coming youth rowers. The idea here was that the passing of the flame would also symbolize the passing of knowledge from Mike, to men, to youth. I was given the responsibility of getting Mike to the other side of the lake in order to receive the flame. This 72 year old British man had the reputation of being a real hard-nosed individual (which I think many successful coaches may be), so I was warned to be “delicate” with him. WELL – this man was so humbled, excited and nervous! You could see the energy coming out of him. We had time to chat, and he spent most of the time posing as people walked by us. In a span of 25 minutes, he posed for 100 photos – not exaggerating!! By the time the flame was on it’s way, he asked if I was going to be with him down the beach….I told him I would sprint to the end to meet him when he was done. He was adorable. This man has no knee caps , yet decided to run (on a beach!) for 300 meters – he was so excited!!! We then raced him back to the other side of the lake to meet his two teams for a team photo on the dock, with the next runner ready to go – flame lit. It was crazy – and exciting!!!!

So we had to race through crazy pedestrian traffic right after that to make it to our next site, and as I was trying to maneover the car out of the rowing club through the masses, I broke down – AGAIN!!! This time it was more sobbing and laughing at the same time because it was so much fun, a complete adrenaline rush, yet I really saw how the Flame affects people when they are the messengers. It was memorable – and Mike will be MY first torchbearer forever!

Lot’s more stories about Day 2, and 3, along with an update about Fort McMurray’s celebration on Friday – Paul Brandt’s playing!!!!

Countdown!!!!

2009-10-29T23:30:00.000-06:00

We’re coming up to day 1!!!!! Our team watched the lighting of the Olympic Flame on the 22^nd (and received minute by minute updates from the team present at the ceremony in Olympia) with incredible eagerness and excitement of the journey and responsibility we have for this sacred symbol. A little history on the Olympic Torch Relay if you don’t already know:

· The relay of the Flame was used in ancient Olympia so that heralds could spread the word of the games through Greece signifying a truce, therefore uniting individuals through the competition of sport.

· The first modern day Torch Relay was in 1936 in Berlin

· This Relay (Vancouver 2010) is the longest in history within the same country

· This Relay is reaching 90% of Canada’s population

Pretty cool.

I’ve spent the last week training for another aspect of my job; advance coordination of celebrations in select communities and certain events along the route. Lot’s of briefings and such – not too stressful this week at all.

We went to the dress rehearsal for our “show” (which happens at all lunch and evening celebration communities). It’s a mix of videos (which I couldn’t watch…. they all make you cry – I swear!) and live performances by our team and the community in which we’re visiting. I’m really excited for what the communities are lining up – I think there will be some AMAZING talent across the country!

So I’m actually in the Ferry line up while writing this blog (we’re heading to Victoria today!). We have 3 days to prep for the arrival of the Flame! Our first official day with the Flame is jam packed with events – I’ll be assisting with 2 eight man canoes, and a flame blessing ceremony. The Flame blessing ceremonies are a wonderful concept – the Flame will be blessed by Aboriginal/Inuit Elders (in approximately 80 communities) throughout the journey. So this flame will arrive in BC Place on February 12^th, and ignite the Olympic cauldron with the blessings of our Native population, along with the spirit of EVERY torchbearer on the route, every person who catches a glimpse of the Flame, every community it passes through, and every province. It’s 106 days of blessings, really.

I constantly worry that I won’t be able to capture this experience on camera. It’s sometimes difficult to experience things fully when you’re trying to take a picture because you want to freeze it in history. This will be a challenge. I’m such a crybaby lately; I’m probably better off taking pictures so I don’t become “the crier” at every event! I’m hoping we’ll (our team) all be able to swap pictures later anyways….

Stay tuned for the ARRIVAL OF THE FLAME!!!!

2009-10-16T09:20:00.000-06:00

So I’m back and somewhat rested from my weeks training in Vancouver. My boss met me with open arms at the airport. We had a chat….OK, more me firing out questions about anything and everything about the job. She happily obliged to answer everything!

I met all of my Pilot team mates (that’s what we’re called….Pilots) ready to tell them everything about myself in 10 minutes. For those of you that know me well – this is difficult as my train of thought is somewhat random…at times.

The reality is that I’m going to be intensively spending the next 4 months with the same people – I think we all felt like we had to get each other up to speed on our lives up to now, so that when a conversation comes up about an occurrence back home (during an 9 hour drive through northern Ontario) they’ll know exactly what we’re talking about.

My Piloting partners’ name is Philiipe. I prayed that I would be with someone who would force me to speak French, and my prayers were answered! Phil’s first language is French, which is great because he can explain French jokes that go over my head and I, in turn, explain points of English sarcasm – match made in heaven!

So we eventually met our whole team….all 250 people who will be traveling together across the country. I only remember 5 people’s names. I’m sure my memory will get better. We had, what I like to call, our Pep Rally where we met all the heads of the different departments. These are people who have worked on multiple Olympic Games and they each had one congruent message: We are beginning the journey of a lifetime! This is an emotional event for many (yes, including me – which I quickly realized after watching the promotional video for the torch relay – if you haven’t watched it, click Lights will guide you home…..balled like a baby!!!). So, I got the sense that we’re all going to be “happy crying” a lot during the next four months; well, some of us I guess.

So aside from all the crying I’ll be doing, I had some other things I had to think about on my way home:

· Will I be able to teach my boyfriend how to use Skype before I leave? (This was actually a breeze – let’s see if he remembers two weeks from now!)

· How readily will coffee be available (can’t function in the morning without it)

· What will be my favorite part of our uniform? (This is after wearing the same thing everyday for four months).

· How many times will I bail when I get out of the car? (I’m sure this will be concentrated in Quebec, Ontario and across the prairies).

I’m sure more questions will arise, but these are just a start.

I’m eagerly awaiting the start of my position – leaving this Sunday, October 18^th!

I have to mention that I am totally distraught that I’ll be missing the celebration of one of my oldest friends’ wedding, but grateful that I’ll be able to witness the ceremony! Anyone who is from Almonte will agree that there’s no party like an Almontonians wedding!

I'm en route...

2009-09-19T18:29:00.000-06:00

So I was on the radio on Friday morning! Live 88.5 in Ottawa. I love the radio bits because the public can’t see how red your face is getting…

I’ll be doing regular updates on Live 88.5, so stay tuned to the station to hear me live!

So, I’m actually on the plane (on my way to Vancouver for training) writing this; trying to keep my mind off how anxious I am and wondering how long this bump on my forehead will last. Yes, I have (what I think looks like) a massive bump over my left eyebrow, which I’m sure, will develop into a solid bruise by the end of the day.

So how, may you ask, did I get this bump? Well in my hurry to get myself to sleep last night (as I had a 7am flight this morning), I ran into my kitchen, turned off the light (which is directly over my kitchen table and chairs), then remembered that I had to get my cell phone out of my purse – which was directly in between my legs. You know that initial blindness you get when you turn out the lights? Takes your eyes a couple of seconds to get your “night eyes”? Well….I didn’t wait for those eyes to kick in and just rifled down to reach for my phone. My forehead was then swiftly met by the top of my kitchen chair. So I expect to be donning a bruise that looks much like Bert’s (from Bert and Ernie) uni-brow. I was so tired at this point that I whimpered out something that sounded like a soft cry, mixed in with some delirious giggles. Awesome start! I can hear people now….”who’s the chick with the uni-bruise?”.

So at this point in my journey (about a half and hour away from touchdown in Vancouver), I thought I’d let you know how I’m feeling. Anxious, excited, scared, curious, and tired, yet very confident. There is so much “new” with this job. New organization, new people….lot’s of new people, new standards to set, and a new energy to feel.

I want to talk about the energy for a second. The Olympics doesn’t happen every year – I mean our last Olympics was in 1988. I was 8 years old and had not yet experienced the thrill of competition in sport. Now, having watched many Olympics on T.V., cried during medal ceremonies as soon as they started to play ANY national anthem, and having had the experience of being a high level athlete (well, I still like to think that I am – even at 30!), the Olympics are so much more then just competition. It’s a chance to really see and feel our country; the dedication and prowess of our competitors, the empathy and support of the locals for every athlete – not just their own, the feeling that all Canadians are rooting for the same team (as we seem to have strong rivalries between our Canadian sport teams), and ultimately a chance to show the world the best of ourselves. So what’s that energy going to feel like?

I’ll let ya know!!

You know how people say "there are jobs out there you didn't even know existed"?

2009-09-15T15:40:00.000-06:00

Well, I have one of those!! And in less than a month I'll be starting my new (albeit, short) position as a Pilot Route Marker for the Vancouver Olympic Committee's Olympic Torch Relay. This means driving across the country, starting on October 19th, 2009 from St. Johns, Newfoundland and ending up in Vancouver, BC for the Opening Ceremonies on February 12th, 2010. Which, if you were confused by the title of my blog, may explain it a bit better. The "fire" part isn't only referencing the Olympic Torch; it's making reference to the heat, the emotion, the adrenaline we, as a team and as a country, will be experiencing during our journey.

I hope to share with you the stories of people who touch our hearts, who make us cry with laughter, and make us want to be better people.

I want to tell you about the places you HAVE to visit, that may have been left out of the tourism brochures.

And last, but not least, I'll keep you posted on the torch and its' progress...and my progress. Anyone who has done extensive traveling knows how it wears on you. You cry when you mean to laugh, and vice a versa. You have unavoidable embarrassing moments, and life changing memorable moments.

The hardest part of this journey will not be the 5:45 AM wake up (although I do start to well up when I think about it). It will be the physical absence of my family, friends, and wonderful boyfriend in Almonte, ON. I wouldn't be where I am right now without their support, encouragement and love igniting my ambition to go beyond.

So THANK YOU to my personal cheering squad!

Oh, and thanks for looking after Tillicum mom....I'll miss her too!