Don't forget to vote for Amanda and Scott! They are doing amazing on Battle of the Blades!
How do you vote? Register at www.cbc.ca/battle
Every week they amaze me. Scott with how far he's come on his toe picks! Amanda with the confidence she has in her partner that she has only known for a short time. The lifts they are performing are truly amazing. There is at least 1 each program that has me jumping out of my seat.
They are skating for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. An organization very close to my heart and I'm sure many others. Here are links to their programs:
An unexpected hiccup in life can really throw you off. It can take a long time to get back to the old you. Or the "you" before. In the Spring, I experienced such a "hiccup"...
In April I suffered an emotional and physical set-back. Nothing life threatening but enough to throw me off my path and spiralling downward. It was tough. I tried to pretend nothing happened, tried to just move on, but the reality was, I had to face it head on before I could begin to heal.
It's during times like these that you realize all the wonderful people in your life. I have an amazing daughter that, although she too was hurt, she kept me strong. An amazing partner that, although he was just as devastated as I was, was there for me and made it his purpose to make sure I was ok, that I got through it. And the rest of my family, mom & dad, sister, such huge support. I remind myself how lucky I am to have such a supportive family.
My friends, wow, I don't even know where to begin. You all were there to support and cheer me up. Flowers, nights out for distraction, phone calls, texts, little messages to keep me cheered up.
Lastly but definitely not least, my family at CrossFit Indestri. The welcome back from the coaches and members. The extra push to help me get through that WOD. Letting me cry when I just needed to let it all out during a WOD. Tough times but totally healing. Who can really say that their "gym" is their family? I know I can and all the members of CFI feel the same. We are very lucky to have such an amazing community.
Well, they say everything happens for a reason and sometimes it's easy to find that reason. For us, many great things have happened in our lives and, I guess, a dose of reality needs to flatten you for a while to keep you real. We had that dose, and then another, but we've had MANY great things happen in the last month. I can't wait to share :)
It has taken a while to get back to the old me. I think I'm back... Feeling pretty good these days. I think the most important thing I learned out of this experience is give yourself time. Take the time to heal. Don't pretend nothing happened.
My CrossFit coach and friend will be competing on CBC's Battle of the Blades this season!
I have to admit, I've never watched the show before but now, I can't wait until the next episode. My friend, CrossFit Coach, former NHLer, and all round great guy, Scott Thornton has decided to lace up the figure skates and respect the toe pick. His partner, Amanda Evora, has been posting great pictures of their experience. Definitely a great match up!
So be sure to tune in on Sundays to CBC at 8pm and #VOTE4THORTY!!
Well, it's been a while since I've posted on my blog. Summer was hectic. Not really my excuse though. We went through a tough time in April and it took a while to get the spirits back up. So here I am because this weekend really brought it all home for me.
I recently celebrated my 40th birthday. 40... I remember when I thought 40 was so OLD! Not so much anymore. Just days before my birthday, my very loving partner, Parker, asked me to marry him. It had been a cold, wet day. I was feeling about as great as the weather when the family made the trek up to the trailer. I decided I needed a nap and headed inside. While Mommy was napping, Parker was asking Ciara if it was ok if he asked Mommy to marry him. Really? I LOVE that he thought of her first! Surprisingly, the weather cleared up, Ci went into the trailer to watch a movie (it was still freakin' cold), and Parker said "Let's go down and check out the sunset. It might be one of our last this summer." So I bundled up and away we went. We sat there for a while, just chatting away. Then he said "Let's head back". I was freezing so it sounded like the perfect idea. But before we left, he told me how much he loved me, that he couldn't imagine his life without me, and then, that big 6'4" man of mine got down on one knee and proposed. Yes, I cried. AND yes, I said YES! It was amazing. Before we headed back to the trailer he told me about his conversation with Ciara. Well, needless to say I had more tears! I felt truly loved and blessed.
But, it doesn't stop there. This past weekend we hosted our 2nd Annual Breast Cancer Fundraiser at the trailer. A little BBQ to raise funds for the Run for the Cure. We decided a pig roast was in order. We tied the event in with my 40th birthday celebration. I posted on Facebook "If you want to celebrate my 40th with me, you'll have to come to the trailer" and, you know what, people did! We had close to 40 people there! It was a cold one but the food and company was awesome. Everyone contributed in some way, a salad, dessert, games, tarps (thanks Mark), etc. The rain held off the whole night. We raised $550 at our little gathering. So, once again, I felt very loved and blessed to have all these amazing people in my life.
And that's all for now. I'm laid up in bed today but needed to get this out there.
If you weren't able to come to the BBQ but would like to contribute, here's my online donation page.
people in area: a group of people who live in the same area, or the area in which they live
people with common background: a group of people with a common background or with shared interests within society
nations with common history: a group of nations with a common history or common economic or political interests
When I think of the people at CrossFit Indestri (CFI), I think "community". As defined above, #2 is exactly what it is. Not necessarily people with a common background as we all have led very different lives and come from very different backgrounds. But we are a group of people with a shared interest. We all have a love/hate relationship with CrossFit LOL.
But seriously, it's very hard not to grow close to a group of people that you've completed a WOD with. We cheer each other on, give encouragement to help keep them going, and give them a high five or props at the end of the workout. We smile, we laugh, we sweat, and well, sometimes, we cry together.
Community is one of the top reasons I am still at CrossFit. As much as I have learned that I love to lift heavy things, the people bring me back day after day. Whether it's a "Hey Mighty Mouse" from coach Tyson in the morning or some "ribbing" from some of the members about whether we're ready for today's workout or not. I don't think I could ever leave this type of environment.
Photo by Jennifer Nichol
This couldn't have been more true when I, unfortunately, had to take a total of 6 weeks off from CrossFit. Between Pool School, a vacation, and some medical issues, it was the longest time away from these people that I've had in the past year. And when I was going through my personal troubles, the only place I wanted to be was at CFI. Kind of a Cheers effect. You know "where everybody knows your name"...
While I was off, I received messages on Facebook. "Miss you", "When are you coming back?" "Quit slacking and get your butt in here!" (My favourite). Just made me miss CFI more. So the first day I went back, I was a little emotional but boy, was I happy to see everyone. Got some great hugs and "welcome back".
Another great testament to this community, well now more like a family, is how people stepped forward to help Chris achieve his goal at MetCon. They were either there to watch him or there to help him. Truly amazing!
So, if you're looking for a place where you can get fit and feel a part of a "community" like ours, then check out your local CrossFit box. Ask the members. I bet they say the same thing.
"Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to go where people know,
People are all the same;
You want to go where everybody knows your name."
Where Everybody Knows Your Name by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo
Here are some words I would use to describe my cousin, Chris Stoutenburg: strong, funny, crazy, stubborn, hard-working, dedicated, determined, motivational, inspirational, a hero...
Parker, Chris and I at last year's Run for the Cure
Chris, AKA Stouty, has conquered everything that has been thrown at him. Just before heading to Guelph University to play football, he tragically fell from a balcony and was paralysed, what would be seen by most as a devastating blow to this athlete. But not for Stouty, Stouty took this new challenge and found a new way to compete, Wheelchair Basketball.
For those that don't know Stouty, he owns a lot bling! 2 Paralympic Gold Medals, 1 Silver Paralympic Medal, and well, about 20 more medals but I won't list them all. They're all listed on the WheelChair Basketball Canada site. Here's the link.
We've always been very proud of all his accomplishments. So when he decided to retire, we knew it wouldn't be for long. He'd find something, he always does :)
Next challenge came about from my conversations with him about my CrossFit experience. Stouty decided it sounded right for him and away he went to CrossFit Indestri to meet with the coaches. This was the beginning of a whole new journey. Since joining CrossFit, not only has he seen major strength changes but he's accomplishing things doctors said he never would. That alone is an amazing feat.
But this is Stouty, he's not going to leave it there... Last year he competed in the Wasaga Beach Duathlon just a couple of months after joining CrossFit. This year, Chris competed in the CrossFit Open. Submitting videos of his workouts for the big people at CrossFit to see what this guy in a wheelchair can do. To say they were amazed would be an understatement. Big names in CrossFit were tweeting him, retweeting his videos, sending messages stating how inspirational. He got invited down to a seminar to work with a very well known person in the CF world, Carl Paoli. I was totally jealous LOL. May just have a CrossFit crush on that Paoli. Chris was featured on one of the CrossFit video updates.
But the Open was just the beginning of what Stouty planned on accomplishing this year. Chris was determined to "conquer the mountain" by entering in the 2013 MetCon Blue Adventure Race at Blue Mountain. Having done this race twice last year, I know the challenges those obstacles can bring. But it wasn't just the obstacles I was trying to figure out, how the heck was he going to get up that hill.
Well, Saturday morning Stouty strapped himself into his off-roading chair and with his "Band of Brothers", they took on MetCon and they didn't back down. With help from his friends and coaches, Chris conquered that mountain and every obstacle MetCon Blue had to throw at him. They climbed walls, swam through muck, climbed cargo nets, tackled monkey bars, jumped fire, and took on the half pipe.
This is a picture of Team Stouty coming out of the wooded trail and heading down to the monkey bars AKA the Rockstar Plunge (I'm sure there's a few other choice names for it :) ) Team Stouty consisted of my boyfriend Parker, Scott Nichol, Chuck Mesley, Marc Amormino, Mark Arnold, Bill Pain, and, of course, the man himself, Stouty! A truly amazing group of men!
I got a chance to watch Chris on the last obstacle, the half pipe ramp. The crowd was going crazy! Emotions were running wild for friends and family that watched this amazing human being tackle this course and come out stronger than ever. Every time I watch the video, my eyes well up with pride. I've posted a video below that my friend, Jen Nichol has provided on Facebook. I'll be sure to post the video of their trek once it's complete as there were about 3 or 4 people with cameras following them on the course.
Chris has been the person that I look to for inspiration and, at the rate he's going with all these accomplishments, there is no doubt in my mind that won't change!
Stay tuned for Stouty's next challenge. Not sure what it'll be yet but I hear there's talk of a Tough Mudder...
Well, it's been over a month apparently since my last post! WOW. A lot has happened in my life and I apologize for those who look forward to my posts (if any LOL).
Anyway, I'm not going to get into any details throughout my blog at this time but trust me when I say, life dealt me another doozie. Right before I headed off to pool school, life slapped me upside the head. BUT as always, I'm still here and I'm coming back strong.
I took my first vacation out of the country in almost 15 years last month. My daughter and I headed off to Disney. That will be in an upcoming post.
Tonight is just to say, "hey, I haven't forgotten about you. Don't forget about me" and..
