        With the temperatures buoying between warm and cold, I’m particularly getting excited for the summer months.
               Personally I don’t mind winter, all of the seasons are beautiful in my opinion. Although I hate being cold… my mom did teach me to dress in layers, so it’s not a problem. And at the end of the day when I think of why I live somewhere the air hurts my face… I remember helping with some gardening in Australia, seeing a common garden spider the size of my hand… the cold air stops crazy bugs and arachnids from getting that big.
               So, I’ll take the cold over those crazy things… like leeches that just live in the forests there because it’s wet enough. I mean they were tiny, just little squirmy black lines, until they latched on and started filling up on blood. But, it was weird that leeches were checked for after going for a hike. I mean here you might expect a tick, but leeches. It was tough to wrap my mind around.
               However, despite the fact that I’ve come to appreciate the cold weather, I do love the summer. When I was little my family would go camping and I’d force them to set up the tent next to the camper, because let’s face it, tenting is the best. The best sleeps, the freshest air, it’s beautiful.
               I must say it’s what I’m particularly looking forward to this year. Last year, I had a great experience as an assistant coach with Team Â鶹ÊÓƵeast, I mean the girls won gold and I don’t think I’ve ever been in a gym that loud before in my life. I met some truly wonderful people and very much enjoy running into them now… but, it did take up a lot of the summer and I actually haven’t had a break from coaching since the summer of 2015, so I’m looking forward to a bit of a slowdown. Just work and no other commitments.
               So, as one of my favourite coaching books says, you’ve got to fill different pockets: family, friends, volleyball, camping, work, etc… Each one is a pocket and you have to fill them with time and although I love it and wouldn’t change a thing, my volleyball pocket has gotten pretty full recently. And for me, there’s not much to do in the winter anyways, but the summer brings camping. Campfires, kayaking, hiking, and just enjoying nature is so nice. The calmness of it all is beautiful: the wind rustling the leaves of the trees, a campfire crackling, and the sound of a babbling brook. It’s all just so calming and the scenic views of Saskatchewan are mesmerizing.
               Although I enjoy all of the seasons and even with this winter being particularly cold, I’m quite happy to see the start of the changing to spring because it means I’ll soon be enjoying the warm tenting weather that comes for a few short months here and a little extra time to enjoy.
