To say the last couple of weeks have been challenging would be an understatement. We miss our guy. We miss him so much. Many thanks to all of you who took the time to phone, email, text, comment and just listen to us talk about our Murphy. Marc and I truly do appreciate it.

Some people don’t understand how we can feel the way we do. Murphy was a cat – yes – but he was also a member of our family. Marc and I have been together for almost 21 years and we had Murphy for 19.5 (and our other cat Minou for 13 years). So there is a big hole in our lives right now. It’s amazing really how quiet and empty our house feels now. I guess an elderly 4.0 kilogram cat did make more noise than we realized!

This weekend we’ve been treated with looking after our neighbour’s cat. Wow – it’s so awesome to pet a cat and to hear good ‘ol Edwin purr away. He and Murphy weren’t the best of friends but together they did a good job of keeping close tabs on the happenings on our street.

The last couple of weeks have been a bit uneventful really. Lots of bike riding in the basement. A good mix of trail and bike path running. Some excellent meals out with friends. And lots of just being thankful for what we have.

One new and pretty awesome thing is my involvement with the Parkdale Food Centre. I started volunteering at this local food centre three weeks ago. I do have to say that Tuesday evenings are very special to me now. There is nothing quite like helping others and really experiencing first-hand what it means to be appreciative and thankful. There is so much good stuff happening at the Parkdale Food Centre and I really feel so lucky to be involved.

Speaking of being lucky, in a few weeks I’ll be in Mexico! This will be my first time going “down south” and somewhere “hot”. I’m going on a six-day yoga retreat at Casa Om – this retreat is organized by two yoga instructors from Mountaingoat Yoga studio here in Barrhaven. I’m really looking forward to this trip. Even more so because my mom is coming as well. It will be a great chance to relax, unwind, do some great yoga, explore, and simply chillax.

Marc and I are also in the midst of planning a summer vacation. We’ve tossed around a lot of destinations but are now thinking of the French Alps. Amazing riding. Great trail running. Good hiking. Awesome food. Spectacular scenery. So, if you’ve been on a similar vacation in the Alps – let me know the scoop! Where did you stay? Any suggestions?

A lot of people have asked me how I “pass” the time on the trainer day-after-day… Well, here’s my secret: Netflix and The Good Wife. Perfect program for riding, regardless of the type of workout – you can get the gist of the story even if you’re staring down at your power meter and can’t focus on the television screen… Interesting story lines. Good actors. (Yes, I know television pollutes the brain – but really – isn’t life about balance?)

Speaking of training – I couldn’t be happier to be back riding under the guidance of coach Steve Weller of Bell Lap Coaching. It’s so refreshing to have a plan and a purpose for each ride. It’s only been a little over a month but I can feel a difference already. I really can’t wait for the spring and getting out there for some road rides. Oh, and of course – I’m looking forward to ‘cross season…

Well, that’s about it. We had a rough and horrible start to 2015 but I’m confident we’ve got the sad stuff out of the way and the rest of year will be a good one.