As seems to be the trend now, it has been a while since my last post, and much has happened since then.

A few weeks back, my parents made the trek out here for the first time, and it was a great time spent with them.  They were here for just over a week, and we got to do a lot of touring and hanging out.  I took them to Whistler, Granville Island, Stanley Park, and of course, around my school and residence (which, my mom wasn’t so thrilled about…really, it’s clean…at least by most people’s standards).  My dad got to run a workout with the team, and my mom and dad met the coach, although briefly.  It’s the first time since I’ve been out here that I’ve really taken the time to actually tour the city.  You can see pictures of their visit here: http://gallery.mac.com/tfeens#100050

While they were here, they also got to witness Hollywood North.  Just prior to their visit, our school began a transformation to movie set resembling a military base for the upcoming movie The Day the Earth Stood Still.  Although I have seen various parts of our campus transformed numerous times since being here, this was by far the most elaborate and widespread work I’ve seen.  During the actual filming, there was helicopter flying, lights everywhere, traffic being diverted, etc.  It was pretty neat.

To add to this Hollywood theme, during my Sunday long run this week, the park/lake loop I run around also had small parts being adjusted for filming.  It seems to be a normal theme out here.

Moving on, this past weekend I opened my outdoor track season with a cold, windy day in Seattle.  Luckily, the weather overall has been fantastic out here (in my opinion…unless you like the mass piles of snow that is found in Ontario).  I’m looking forward to the season, as there are chances to travel to some exciting places (California, Oregon). We actually have the bulk of our season after the semester has finished, which I like, though it means I likely won’t return home until late May (depending on how well I run).

Continuing with the school end of business… It has been a tad stressful, and I’m definitely looking forward to being finished with it.  Almost all my papers are done, and soon the cramming will begin for exams.  One last push, and it will be behind me.

All in all, it’s definitely been a great learning experience out here, on so many levels.  I came out with the idea of stepping out of my bubble, and well, I definitely feel that I’m far from that bubble.  I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again and having good times over the summer.

It’s been a few weeks since I returned to what I now think of as “Home #2″.  Things seem to be going fairly smooth, but it definitely was not such a seamless start…

The day I was to fly out was a foggy one, and my dad and I were frequently checking the flight status, which in time indicated a one-hour delay.  Being as I live all of 15 minutes from the airport, this wasn’t a big ordeal; it actually gave me a bit of time to relax.  Upon arriving at the airport adequately prior to the new time, we quickly learned that the “one-hour” delay wasn’t quite accurate anymore.  As it played out, the flight that was to be coming in had to be redirected to Toronto, meaning that we had to be bussed there and fly out from there. We had to wait for the buses, and then wait again to check in once in Toronto.  By the time had taken off and arrived in Calgary, it was 1:30am (CST).  We were given a pass for the airport, but being as my flight in the morning was scheduled for 7am, I was limited to a hearty three hour nap; definitely the shortest hotel stay I’ve ever encountered.  All in all, it was around 7:30am (PST) when I finally arrived at my destination.  I decided that my afternoon classes were not an option and a nap was a necessity.

Since then, it has been much smoother sailing (thank goodness!).  My school schedule seems to be a lot more balanced this time around, and I have a lot better feel for how to handle the workload.  A couple of weeks in, and I am keeping up on my work without mass amounts of stress.  My professors all seem decent thus far, and the workload is definitely a bit lighter than the last time around.  I am particularly enjoying my business classes; English and philosophy are different story, but they at least seem tolerable and not overly  difficult.

My running has been going quite well, and a couple of Saturdays ago we traveled to University of Washington (in Seattle) for our first indoor meet, which was quite an enjoyable and exciting experience.  It has been nice being back in our wonderful temperate climate, though we did just get a foot of snow this past weekend.  The indoor season it quite short, and the real fun starts at the end of March, when we begin our outdoor season.

All in all, I’m pretty excited about this semester.  The schedule is better (as well as the workload), my parents are coming to visit in March, and I should get to travel even more than last semester.

I looked out the window, revealing a winter-like bliss unfolding before me. The forecast had called for rain in Burnaby, however I just happen to live on a mountain. This actually isn’t the first time I have seen snow up here this year, but this was definitely the most I have seen thus far. However, it did not seem unusual to me; the drivers on the mountain must have felt differently as their cars got stuck. The next day we headed down the mountain for our practice, and it was mostly green…I even saw a guy mowing his lawn. A couple of days later, I look out to mostly melted snow and have already enjoyed one of my two runs today in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt.

The quick snow-storm certainly reminded me of my quick-approaching Christmas break. I realize it has been a while since I made a post; life has definitely busy out here. To quickly summarize the last little while: running, and school.

The cross-country season finished on a bit of low note for me personally, but the team did really well. Our guys and girls team both won NAIA Regionals, with the girls going on to win the NAIA Championships for a record fifth straight year. The guys, having been unranked a couple weeks before regionals (unranked being under the top-25 in the NAIA) pulled off a 4th place finish. Now it’s time to start gearing up for our two track seasons, indoors and outdoors. I’m looking forward to traveling with everyone on the team and having fun at the meets, though it can make for tiring weekends.

School is coming to a quick close. I am buried in my books cramming for my finals; only 2 left. It has been a tough semester, both adjusting to the University academic system, which as I expected, greatly differs from the College one, and trying to survive my Calculus class. I have learned a lot about how everything works in University over the past 4 months…apparently being perpetually behind is quite normal. It truly is a great juggling act, especially with athletics thrown into the mix.

On December 16th I hop on a plane and head back to my true home. I’m really looking forward to the break, and having substantial time (rather than one day to pack in as much as possible) to visit with family and friends. I do believe that this Christmas, that time spent with everyone will seem even a bit sweeter than normal.

Until then, I shall remain in a high state of stress and lock-down as I try and shove as much information as possible into my head and then release it all within a 3-hour time-period. I also want to thank everyone for keeping tabs on me, checking in, and keeping me updated on things back home. It’s always great to hear you.

P.S. More pictures of our lovely snow-storm can be found here: http://gallery.mac.com/tfeens#100042

Friday we (the SFU Cross-country team) arrived in Olympia, WA (75 min south of Seattle) to a nice sunny day. Saturday was race day, on the same course that is going to be used in one months’ time for NAIA Regionals. We woke up to a wet ground and a light rain falling from the sky with cool temperatures. Far from ideal running weather, but such was the story of my week.

The week began with a strong effort to catch up on the sleep I had missed from the previous week. A calculus midterm on Wednesday hampered these efforts. The mid-term itself was tough, as I had expected. The week also included a couple of assignments which needed to be completed before we left Friday at lunch for our race. It was another packed week with plenty to do. On top of this, I had to make sure I was doing enough contract work to keep my clients pleased, which has been tough as I’m limited to my laptop until my main development computer arrives.

I entered weekend far more stressed and tense than I would’ve liked, and this was compounded by a bit of a nagging foot issue. I tried to put as much of this behind my going into Saturday’s race, one that I had been trying to build up for, as it is our last race until Regionals. The race did not end up providing any solace to my already less-than-ideal week. Within the first (of three) loop of the race I had rolled my ankle twice, and considered dropping out the second time as I jogged with a limp, trying to loosen up the foot. The rest of the race was spent being overly cautious on the rough areas of the course and trying to make up time on the better areas. It was the worst I have raced this year, though I was proud of myself for sticking it out and putting in all the effort I could given the circumstance. The result wasn’t disastrous, and our teams both did really well in winning the meet. I must admit though, I wasn’t in a particularly good mood at this point.

Sunday I made an effort to make my way to church, on yet another rainy morning (not that the rain itself bothers me, it just seemed fitting with my mood at the time). Church did not disappoint this time. It helped me to take a step back and regain a larger perspective. The sun can’t always shine; there are always lessons to be learned and hardships to go through.

Later Sunday afternoon, the sun made a welcomed appearance from beyond the clouds. I enjoyed a light run around the campus, and was able to take a brief moment of time to relax, knowing that I had an extra day off. In addition to having the day off today, it also marked my first Thanksgiving away from home. Luckily, I know I will have the opportunity to see my family in a short while. As well, me and my neighbor, a member of the track team, had organized a Thanksgiving meal for those of us who didn’t have opportunity to make it home. With everyone chipping in, we made and enjoyed a wonderful (and rather large) dinner, showing that University students are capable of having the luxuries away from home. It was a great time, and really helped kick-start a new week.

Sometimes it does rain; but rain is refreshing and invigorating, and helps us to enjoy the pleasure of the sunshine. I’m learning to balance my workload better, and to make sure I take time out for that which really matters. One bad race only re-ignites my passion to train hard and I intend to be ready to go come Regionals. The sun is always there waiting for the rain to end.

As I write this, I look out of a small plastic window and see the world below with pockets of lights scattered around, and the dark horizon in the distance. This caps off what has been an absolutely amazing weekend.

The weekend started off with a visit with my home track club, including a good, tough hills workout. I must admit, I was very excited to see my running friends and my coach again. However, as exciting as this was, it was merely the start.

Saturday marked the wedding of my little sister (Alicia, for those of you who do not know her). Due to a crazy schedule and hectic workload and stresses leading up to this, I think my anticipation was really delayed for this. Friday was spent doing do work up until the rehearsal, and the rehearsal just flew by. In addition, I was trying to learn the song in which I would be joining the other two musicians in. Waking up Saturday morning though, everything came full circle. I couldn’t have been happier for Alicia and Mike. The ceremony suited them perfectly, and was very emotional for all involved, including my grandparents who are in their 90’s. Just seeing them there brought tears to my eyes.

My duties in the wedding were as a groomsman, which is simple enough, and to sing one of the songs. Although I have never been one to be overly comfortable in front of people, I have learned to adjust to this over the years of singing on a worship team at church. Saturday morning was different though, as I quickly learned. I have never been so nervous in my entire life. I was already emotional and I wanted things to be just perfect…Alicia would deserve nothing less. It was such and honour and privilege to be up there participating in her wedding, and is definitely a moment I will never forget. I do believe that Saturday would mark one of my proudest moments for her.

The weekend finished off with some time spent with my close friends, one of whom is getting married in 3 weeks time (which prompts for another brief return to my hometown). It was great spending some time with both family and friends, and it’s nice to know that it won’t be long until I do so again.

The next task at hand is conquering my current state of sleep deprivation, which is never an easy task while in school.

Update: here is a link to the pictures my older sister took at the wedding: http://picasaweb.google.com/tfeens/ALICIAANDMIKEWEDDINGSEPT2007?authkey=P3EuyFsVau8