Van Zwaaij

Well I am on Week 3 of my Half Marathon training schedule. This all came about after I signed up to run a 10K race with Jen and Heather. So I started running a few times a week starting at 2K and then ran 6K on my own and with Heather and Jen before the 10K race. I was feeling pretty unsure of the 10K since that was 4K more than I had run so far. Well race day arrived and it was raining. Heather and I met up with Jen and got prepped to run the 10K by staying dry and warm in the mall until the start of the race. The music was pumping and the excitement was growing and then the race began. I was feeling good and the adrenaline was flowing. We ran 9 and 1′s that day and I was unsure that I could even do that. At the 5K mark I was thinking, what did I sign up for??? There is no way I am going to finish this race. But Jen and Heather encouraged me and gave me the nudge I needed and Jen just said, concentrate on swinging your arms more and then the last 1K, Jen started describing the yummy brunch we were going to eat after at Heather’s house. All of these things helped push me to the end of the race. The last 500 meters were incredibly hard and exhilarating, we started racing harder and harder and ran over the finish line at 1 hour, 13 mins and 13 seconds. I almost burst into tears from the adrenaline, it was awesome and so hard. But I was so proud of myself for completing a 10K, 17 months after my foot surgery. My foot surgery was Dec 10, 2009 and for about 9 months, I was not participating in any other exercise besides walking the dog since my foot was healing and hurt sooooo much. In September 2010, I signed up for bootcamp with my dear friend Tara and she worked through my new goals of getting back into shape and getting my foot strong and pain free. At the end of the 8 weeks, I felt amazing. I has lost 15 pounds from a huge change of diet and a challenging butt kicking bootcamp and felt awesome!!! I had started and was part way down the road of my fitness journey.

Bootcamp started again on Feb 1 and I felt 10 times better than I did in September. I was no longer needing to do the optional exercises that would hurt my foot less, I was able to push myself even harder. I was filled with excitement and a sense of accomplishment. I had set out on my journey of being healthier and fitter last November and seeing results along this journey was so exciting and rewarding.

So while training for the 10K run, Jen and I decided to sign up for the Harvest Half Marathon on October 1, 2011. So now being on week 3 of the training program, I am running 4-5 days a week and depending on the day, I am running 5-10K. I am definitely getting faster and stronger and feel better on the runs but it is still very hard and some days just don’t feel as good. I think the thing I struggle with the most is strengthening my feet. So I am going to work on the philosophy of barefoot running and run 1 day a week without orthotics and run barefoot on the grass which will strengthen my foot and also improve my running posture.

Well that’s it for now. I will keep updating my progress on my running journey.

Wes and I Chester Lake June 2010

Originally uploaded by Sonja van Zwaaij

What a great hiking day we had with Dad. The weather was just perfect, around 18-20 degrees and we just missed the rain. We got back to the Pathfinder and then the rain showers hit. After our hike, we went for a well deserved beer and dinner at the Iron Goat Pub.

Chester Lake, Kananaskis, Alberta
June 2010

Machu Picchu

Originally uploaded by Wes Devauld

Well 2009 has been a year of lots of new beginnings and new challenges. I began my new career path in March as an Account Manager with Emerson Clarke Printing. This new career has challenged and satisfied me in many ways. Challenges I have faced are: learning all about print, what press prints what, different types of varnishes, foils, die cutting, emboss/deboss, etc. Then the challenge of learning stocks so I can suggest different paper to clients and I am learning to identify what stock to use for what project and what weights of stocks are good for different projects. But learning about print and presses and digital printing vs offset printing and what papers are available etc has been fun. I truly enjoy being part of the end result and love to be able to make suggestions or come up with different ideas for my clients.

I think the most rewarding aspect of my job is working with people. Developing relationships, growing relationships and learning to work with many different types of people. The most challenging part of my job is gaining new clients. I have been successful in meeting new clients through friends or contacts as well as new clients have call in for quotes. But it is very difficult to go from point a to point z working a cold call to a client. The challenge of doing this has taught me many skills in working with people and that you need to keep your chin up high and stay positive.

What else has happened this year? We went on an amazing holiday to Peru with my family. The journey began with Wes, Mira and I leaving Calgary and Mom, Dad and Yuri leaving Vancouver. We met in LA where we all boarded the plane for Lima. We landed around midnight and the adventure began. Mom and Dad were supposed to stay in a different Hostel that night since they told us ours was sold out, but when my parents arrived at their reserved hostel, no one would let them in. So in the end they were brought back to our Hostel and given a slightly bigger room for the 3 or so nights we stayed there. The Hostel was very warm and inviting and was in the nicer part of Lima known as Miraflores. We enjoyed our few days there but were ready to leave after 2 days since the pollution was outrageous and the culture we wanted to experience was lacking.  We joined our tour group at a little hotel in Lima to embark on our journey the next day to Cusco. We landed in Cusco during a strike and it was chaos at the airport and instead of being picked up at the airport we had to walk with all our luggage for about 15 mins or so to where our van was waiting. We were then transported to our hotel to settle in and meet our guide. The elevation in Cusco is approximately 3360 meters above sea level. So this evening and the next day we spent relaxing and trying to get used to the altitude. Most of us felt the lack of oxygen but were able to reduce the effects with chewing Coca leaves, candies and Coca Tea.

We then were told that our bus to Ollantaytambo would be leaving in the evening since there was an agriculture strike on and they had all the road barricaded with rocks, stumps etc so you could not get through. The strike by law was to end at midnight. So we left around 6pm and had to take so many different routes and deal with people trying to chase us and prevent us from getting through and at one point we reached the place where we could not drive further. We had to wait at that point till just before midnight when they removed enough of the stuff on the road for us to get past. We arrived at approx 1am at the hostel and had to be up and out of the hostel for 7am. The drive usually takes about 1.5 hours not 6.

The next morning we ate breakfast and went and checked out the ruin quickly and then headed to the start of the Inca Trail. Once we arrived at the Inca Trail we had to show our passports and get stamped to make sure we were regsitered. Wes went to get his stamped and they said no, your passport expired and has not been changed. We had emailed a few months before the trip with the new passport info and then again in Lima and Cusco Wes provided the new passport info that they were supposed to pass along the line. Percy, our guide, did some sweet talking and was able to get Wes on the trail. Phew.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wdevauld/sets/72157621016168150/

The for 3.5 days we hiked and camped along the Inca Trail. We saw amazing views, ruins, people and got smellier by the day. haha My poor mom had Altitude sickness and was sick most of the hike. Mira was also sick for much of the hike. But they made it The hike was amazing and we met some pretty incredible people, two great friends from Edmonton and one great friend from Australia. We have visited with all three since being back from Peru. The day arriving at Machu Picchu was busy and hectic but beautiful. We got there to watch the sun go up from the Sun Gate and then moved to walk around Machu Picchu. It was pretty incredible but we were disappointed with the amount of people that took over the place that took the bus up the mountain. It took away from spiritual and peacefulness of the place. In my opinon, they need to restrict the amount of people that can go up per day just like the restrictions on the Inca Trail of 500 people a day. We enjoyed our time there till around lunch time and then descended the mountain on bus, what a crazy expereince that was. Later that afternoon we jumped on the train back to Ollantaytambo where we got back on our bus for the 1.5 hour ride back to Cusco.

We then spent another 4 days or so touring around Cusco and learning about the history. We enjoyed many great Peruvian meals. We hired our guide Percy to do a tour for the family. We started by going to an Alpaca and Llama farm where we fed the animals, watched them die the wool and weaving it into beautiful pieces. We all spent some money at the store buying toques, gloves and table runners. We then went to Pisac and went for a nice hike through some ruins down to the town to wander the market and have a great lunch. On our way back to Cusco, we visited some Salt Flats. This was very cool and great to see that everyone in the town owns a little flat the they can turn over every 2 weeks and collect the salt and sell it.

Wes, Mira, Yuri, and myself flew home at the end of the month and unfortunately had to spend a day in Lima. Most of the day was spent in a restaurant, patio enjoying some Cusquena beer. Mom and Dad continued on to the jungle for a few days but unfortunately it rained most of the time for them. So that was our trip in a nutshell, it was an amazing trip and one I will never forget.

Shortly after we got home from Peru, we picked up our new puppy Riley, an American Staffordshire Terrier. We love spending time with her and have been enjoying a dog in the house. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wdevauld/4110583239/

So the rest of the year was filled full of weddings. Wes attended 9 and I attended 7. Too many for our liking but it is so hard to choose what wedding you attend.

Then Dec 10 I had foot surgery on my bunion. I was off work till Jan 4 recovering and just this week started driving again. It has been a long 6 weeks but I am happy that we are nearing the end. I just need to exercise my toe to gain the mobility back in the joint so I can walk properly. Once I have done this, I will look at doing some physical therapy to realign my body since my hips, knees, back, everything is out from my foot being bad and also from wearing the air cast. I am very happy I decided to have the surgery since the pain in my foot was increases quickly and I want to get back out hiking, playing foor hockey and walking the dog. I miss getting out of the house and being active.

Well that kind of wraps up parts of 2009. 2010 came so quickly and now looking back, we are almost a month in. WOW time sure flys. I look forward to all the wonderful and exciting things that 2010 brings Wes and I.

Riley Portrait

Originally uploaded by Wes Devauld

Well I have been super busy with life and have not found the time to write on my blog.

We have been busy this year with a trip to Peru to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu with my family, wow was that ever a great trip. Then we added Riley to the family and then Wedding season started. Wes attended 9 and I attended 7 weddings. CRAZY!!!! I loved going to each wedding and had a great time dancing and celebrating with each wedding couple but it just overall got to be too expensive. The most expensive part is travelling, so gas for the car, hotels and food.  I hope that 2010 will contain only 2-3 weddings for us….. Then we can enjoy some more camping and maybe get back to doing some more renovation work on the house… who knows…

Riley has been such a great addition to our household and loves us unconditionally.  She is a big cuddler and loves to please Wes and I. She is very proud to do tricks for us and loves to be praised. Recently she has shown more interest in a ball which we are taking full advantage of since we would love for her to fetch and retrieve the ball. It is a work in progress. I think her ultimate favorite thing to do is play tug a war… oh and of course play with other dogs at the dog park.  Here is a recent photo Wes shot of her in his basement studio. She has grown soooo much and is close to 50 pounds. Overall she is a great dog but sometimes, like most pups, will chew something that is not hers… I think the most difficult thing with Riley has been training her to go outside to the washroom. Fingers crossed she has it now. She is n0w showing us she wants to go outside. She has been great in her kennel for the past 3 or 4 months but that most difficult part is when you are home doing something and she sits by the front door and you don’t see it in time.

Well my new job is going well, I guess not so new anymore, I have been here now 7.5 months. Time just flys by when you are busy. I am enjoying the new job and developing relationships with my clients and being challenged each day. Adding new clients has been going well and it makes me very excited to land a new account

Well that is all for now…

So from this picture you can tell that Riley is a big suck and loves to be around us. She loves to cuddle with us as much as she can. So in the evenings I sit on the floor in the livingroom and she piles on my lap and sleeps. She is so affectionate and loving and if there is anyone that thinks this is a mean dog, they have not educated themselves on how dogs become mean, it is not the breed, it is the owners.

Riley is a very quick learner and sits, lays down and even stays sometimes. She loves chewing gentley on her green squeeky plush bone and her teddy but loves to play tug a war with her rope toy. We are working with her on fetching, she does it a few times but not enough where you can go to the park and expect her to bring it back.

We are really hoping to get her into chasing a ball and bringing it back since the chuckit is such a handy toy to go to the dog park with. We are also hoping to get her swimming and so far she is curious and wades into the water a bit but does not swim yet, except for the day she walked too far and went under, it was so funny. But over time she will be running into the water to swim, fingers crossed .

Well we are off to Eckville for the weekend to celebrate with Wes and Ashlyn for their Wedding Day. I am hoping and praying that the weather stays nice for the outdoor reception .

So I thought I would update on my new job. I am really enjoying the work atmosphere and working with my clients. I feel confident that I can provide exceptional service and products to my clients but I am looking to grow my client base. Last week I was very busy with new orders, changes, meeting with clients and overall it was a great week. But since Easter weekend things have slowed down considerably for me and I am looking to grow my client base more to be busy but also to increase my bottom line so I can pay my bills

Since I have been working in marketing for three or so years I developed many great skills for working will all types of people and situations which has greatly prepared me for my current role as an Account Manager for Emerson Clarke Printing. But the area I need to do a lot of growing in is prospecting and landing new clients. In an ideal world we would all love to be able to speak to friends, family and acquaintances and gain new clients that way and not have to look further but that is not the case. So I am working on developing a list of people I can contact and setup a meeting with to discuss what I can offer them. Currently at Emerson, we are working on a new sales piece that the Account Managers can send to qualified leads and customers they may not have heard from in quite some time. Once this is completed and printed, I think it will be a great tool to follow up with after an initial phone call to someone that is interested in learning more.

So if anyone has any printing needs, I would love to help. Emerson Clarke can print pretty much anything big or small. Visit www.emersonclarke.com and contact me at sonja@emersonclarke.com.

Elbow in the Winter

Originally uploaded by Wes Devauld

Last year for my birthday Wes got me a easel, paints and brushes so I can start painting again. The last time I really painted was in 1998 so it has been a good ten years since hand and brush have touched paper. After leaving my career with Fairmont, I thought now that I have the time on my hands I should put more energy into painting. What a great idea that I put off over and over and over again and then one day in Oct/Nov I pulled out the paints, brushes and paper and painted a beautiful ocean scene from a National Geographic picture. I was extremely impressed that I still had an eye for painting and in just under 2 hours I had completed my first painting in over 10 years!!!

A little history on where my artistic inpiration and talent came from. When I was little, my Oma started watercolor painting in her 70′s. What an amazing hobby to pick up when you are 70 something. I showed an interest in my Oma’s painting and she took me under her wing and showed me a number of watercolor techniques and we spent many hours painting in the garden and by the ocean. Oma bought me my first paint brushes for me to pursue my interest in painting. In high school I enrolled in a number of different art classes so I could learn more techniques for drawing, painting, pottery, etc. That is where my passion for acrylic painting began. In grade 11, we were given a project to paint and 2×3 foot painting of our choice that would be entered into an art show case. I chose a scenery to paint that was a bluffy area with beautiful flowers and trees. I was and am still extremely pleased with the end result and was offered a few hundred dollars for my painting but could not part with something so dear to me.

The painting took its place in my parents house for many years to come and once I had a permanent home, it was brought to me so I could enjoy my work. This painting is hung right near the entrance into our house so I see it everyday and it reminds me that I need to paint more. So today I decided to paint again. My inspiration for my painting was a beautiful photo Wes took at my parents house this past August. It is of a beautiful Black-eyed Susan flower that brightens any room. This painting will be a gift next week for a person that has played a large role in my career and personal life. She always stands behind me and supports me in everything I do. Thank you Marnie.

Once I have completed this painting, I will get Wes to take a photo of it so I will always be able to look back at this great painting I have created. I will post that photo soon.

Sonja at The Dam

Originally uploaded by Wes Devauld

So I started a company in December providing marketing services, support and consulting for other businesses. So far I am truly enjoying working from home and gaining experience working with clients and marketing myself to others. I have been concentrating on developing and expanding online marketing such as Blogs, Twitter, Delicious, StumbleUpon, Facebook and article submission sites such as EzineArticles. I am learning so many new things and understanding how much you can do on the internet for free or for very little money. The internet opens a whole new world of consumers and opportunities to get noticed and promoted by your own consumers. You can not go wrong developing your online presence.

So if you have a small marketing budget and need help with your marketing and/or need someone to do your online marketing for you, please contact me at sonja@vanzwaaij.com.