Anni Adventures

We had yet another weekend of beautiful summer weather this past weekend. I was invited by a friend of mine to join her and a friend for a hike up dog mountain. For those who don't know where that is, the trail is just off of a run at Mount Seymour, about a 45 minute drive from home (Surrey). Its about a 5 km hike roundtrip, which is about a 2 hour hike.

We met up on the mountain and started our hike around 1:45 pm. The trail is not particularly hard altitude wise, as you're already fairly high up in the mountain. However, it is rather technical. There are lots of rocks and roots on the trail that makes stepping very difficult. There was also a LOT of mud too. Just before we reached the first lake, which acted like a checkpoint, my friend and I both managed to slip on the same rock and fell in mud. We managed to clean ourselves off somewhat at the lake and witness some fellow hikers playing on the half frozen over lake. One of them decided to run across the lake and, as if I really needed to explain what happens next, without warning he falls through the ice. Luckily for him the lake is very shallow and he is alright, albeit a bit wet.


We continued on our hike and finally reach Dog Mountain after hiking for an hour. The view was amazing. Although we didn't have a unobstructed 360 view, the weather was so nice and clear we could see the entire lower mainland and as far away as Mount Baker. The feeling of climbing to the top really was amazing. It wasn't as crowded as Quarry Rock a week ago, which was awesome. You could just sit and relax and soak it all in.



The descent was equally long as the ascent. You would think it would be faster but because of all the technicalities on the trail, it took just as long. We made it back to our car dry but muddy. So a word of advice if any of you ever decide to hike to Dog Mountain. DON'T wear your nicest, cleanest sneakers/runners/shoes. You will get them dirty and they WILL be hard to clean. I learned that the hard way.

What a weekend it has been. It really feels like it ended before it even began. So what did I do? On Friday night niu's friend held a birthday party for another friend who turned 19 the previous week. We went over to drink and play games. I had to run back and forth between the party and church because my dad wanted to practice basketball for a tournament the following day. We played different Asian drink games that were simple but fun.

Saturday morning was particularly hard for me as I am really not a morning person. I don't like to wake up so early on my day off. But the tournament started at 9 am so we had to get there by then. I was very nervous for the day because I hadn't really played in years. The last time I played in a game was back in Waterloo with my friends. Our team was called "The Legends" and with good reason too because the age range for my team was the highest. We probably averaged around 40 years old. My first game was hardest as my body became accustomed to the intense stress I was putting it under. It was also because I tried my hardest. We were up against my ex. It gave me that much more motivation to try my hardest and beat them. I managed to score twice playing four on four (3 guys and 1 girl). My second shot was a nifty spin-around that I didn't even know I was capable of doing. I can still remember the crowd ohhing at my move. The rest of the tournament was lots of fun. We only lost two of the seven games we played, although we never really played to win. Just to have fun. It was really intense though because the games would come down to within a point or so of each other. The best part was getting to play with my dad who is 62 this year! I'm so proud of him, playing against people over half his age.

After the tournament ended, we went out to eat as a celebration at New lakeview Restaurant. After dinner, we went over to another friend's place to play board games and hang out. We ended up watching Suits, which I am now hooked onto and played Takenoko.

On Sunday, I went to church as usual, early in the morning for my nursery duties. I swear the kids get cuter as they grow up but just as rebellious. There was one girl who just refuses to do as she's told. After nursery, Sol picked me up and we headed for the GAME! I received tickets from work to attend the Sunday Canucks game against the Wilds. The seats were the best I've ever sat in. We were in the ninth row right behind the opponent's goalie, which meant we saw the Canucks attack twice! The goals made by the Canucks were a direct line from where I was sitting. It was such an amazing experience. The only thing that really clouded the whole game was my phone had disappeared miraculously in between, while I was at my seat. But it was eventually found by security in a completely different place. I'm not complaining, but even now I still find it weird. We lost the game 4-2 due to horrible reffing and an empty netter.




That night, to celebrate Aaron's 22nd birthday, we went out to Red Robin to eat as a family. It isn't very often we do this anymore so it was nice to just spend some quality time with them. And just like that the weekend was over.

What did you do this weekend?