Our first day here was a perfect day to be outdoors, nice and sunny. In all the years I’ve been up here I’ve always wanted to do the Grouse Grind; but, no one ever wanted to go with me. Looking back after taking on the mountain, I can see why. The length of the trail is 1.8 miles and consists of 2,830 stairs to get to the top. Some stairs are easy to get up…

While others not so much….

This was by far the toughest hike I’ve ever done in my life. Not to mention, it almost killed my fiancé. But, the sense of accomplishment was exactly what I needed to start this trip off right. I’ll make sure to include a side post of the hike for those interested in doing it.

Getting back I quickly cleaned up and headed to Joe Fortes (Vancouver’s best restaurant) for drinks with Alex Lee Behan. Indeed we closed down the place as we didn’t even notice the time. There’s nothing better than girl talk involving a few dirty martinis to make you realize how important “real” friends are in your life.

The following day Keith and I headed down to Yale Town for sushi with Alex and to stock up our room for our stay at the River Rock. First stop was to Swirl. They carry a beautiful selection of BC wines at great prices. Afterwards we walked up the street to Choices, an organic Canadian grocery store. Although the store had a fantastic selection, I was shocked at how much the prices were in relation to Whole Foods in the States. My protein alone was double the price! I guess there’s no more complaining from me when I shop at Whole Foods.

That night Keith stayed in while I went to an art gallery opening by Mo Salemy with Darryl Humphrey. Mo’s exhibition features enlargements of panoramic photos taken from James Clark‘s archives. The photos captured a beauty that we don’t find in today’s photographs. I absolutely loved it. The exhibition runs from October 29th- January 14th at the Satellite Gallery, 560 Seymour Street on the 2nd floor. If you have the time, go check it out! Afterwards we met up with Seema Dhilon and some new friends for nibbles at the Shore Club. I somehow always have a good time hanging out with Canadians. Funny stories and great conversation were followed by drunk Jenga at another bar till 3am! Oy, my head hurt the next day. But, it was well worth it.

Even though it seemed like things couldn’t get better this week, they did when Alex gave Keith and I tickets to the Vancouver Canucks v Washington Capitals hockey game!! The Edgewater suite was the perfect spot to watch the game. Plus there was a fun group of people that adopted Keith. He had to join in on whiskey shots for every goal Vancouver made…7! The Canucks won 7-4 and gave the crowd an awesome game to watch. It was a nice little intro to NHL hockey for Keith as that was his first hockey game he’d ever been to.

I can’t even begin to express in words how happy I am in this moment. I’m more ready for the BCPCs  than I’ve ever been for any tournament. It all comes down to having a positive mindset and taking the time to focus on poker. No matter the outcome this week, I win.

If you can, make sure to clear you schedule and head up to play the BCPCs. Flights are cheap on West Jet and you’ll love staying at the River Rock. The $3000 main event starts November 2nd with an added $5000 high roller tournament on November 7th.  To reserve your seat call (604) 247-8983. Hope to see you here!

I eased into this year by not going out for New Years. Staying home playing Xbox seemed like more fun than waking up with a wicked hangover for January 1st. I made the switch from the iPhone to Blackberry, began packing up my house, and becoming open to change instead of resisting it. At the time I was reading Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book The Power of Intention. If you haven’t read his books I strongly recommend you do. I feel like saying, “Look at me now!” Although it wasn’t just his book that helped me through this life changing year, it was my best friend Alex. Changing to Blackberry I could now BBM her every second if I wished with no international charges! This is the ONLY reason I have not yet gone back to the iPhone. We could now speak everyday multiple times a day without breaking the bank. May not seem like a big deal, but you have no idea how much we talk and how much I need her in my life!

This whole month I worked out, ate healthy, and pampered myself as rewards for deeds done well. Hanging out with my sister getting pedicures and chilling in a fort made of blankets with Faviola on her bday were the highlights of my first two weeks. I was also getting ready for a busy mid- to-end of the month and needed to be in shape. 300 situps each day was required and drinking 6-8 bottles of water a must!

January 13^th I was booked on a PT’s photo shoot for Golden Gaming with some of my favorite people. We had to do a road trip around Nevada for a few days to get the shots we needed for the campaign. I was happier than I had been in quite a while. I wish I could post all the pictures from this excursion, but there are way too many! Look for the final edits on my Flickr page. They look amazing!

From that point things got a little busy and in normal fashion I was faced with back to back trips involving lots of fun adventures to be had.

My Tweet: Packing for Tahoe/ Vancouver/ Atlantic City/ New York. Can’t wait to get out of Vegas for a while.

First stop was Tahoe to shoot a music video for Grouch & Eligh’s new song “All In” and I had no idea what to expect. If you  haven’t heard of them you should check this site out: www.legendarymusic.net  Flying into Reno I was greeted by Eligh, Pigeon John, Gift of Gab, and a few others cool cats. We piled into the

car and headed straight to the casino where we would be shooting. It was nice to get to that ice breaker and get to know eachother a bit in the car ride before we started. Once we got to the casino it was all business as we had only 1 day to shoot all the scenes. Our second shoot was at the Fantasy Inn where each room has it’s own theme, mirror on the ceiling and a jacuzzi. The suite I stayed in was Anthony and Cleopatra and  was pretty comical to say the least.  Ended up shooting late into the early morning and Cory “The Grouch” drove me back to the airport to go straight to Vancouver.

Getting to Vancouver was a little bitter sweet as I would only be there a few days to shoot voice overs from the BCPC’s final table in November. If you remember correctly Daniel Negreanu won that event and it was quite fun to see all the hole cards and watch him school the boys.

After my few days in paradise Alex took me to the airport with some words of encouragement. She let me know she would be there for me no matter what and that this is my year to shine. Always great to have a pep talk before you take on a new battle.  Getting to Borgata was a snap and I was ready to take on the world.

My favorite Tweet: Jumping up and down on my bed at The Water Club and waiting for them to bring my luggage. Goodbye Vancouver. Hello Atlantic City.

Stay Tuned for the tail end of January and an interesting February where I finally make some changes in the right direction.

I’ll be on the air today again from 3:00 to 6:00pm. Tune into CFOX or if you live in Vancouver you can find us at 99.3fm. If you missed Friday’s show Todd’s ADD recap is on their page in the Audio box.

Don’t forget to check out their site for more information on their amazing apparel.

I am so honored to be the official hostess for the 2009 BC Poker Championships. I get excited every year when they ask me to come. The River Rock Casino Resort just celebrated the design of their new lobby and so far I have to say I’ve really been enjoying my stay.

Stay tuned for the KSINO video from Vancouver, BC!