Saskatoon Hospitality.

Congrats to Saskatoon for hosting its first international salsa congress this weekend!  It was great to perform and social dance at this intimate but fun affair :)  Alberta dance companies did a great job of representing and supporting this event.  I also met international professional dancers who were so so so amazing but yet so humble.  Really an inspiration for me, knowing that people can get to an almost inhuman level of skill but still manage to maintain kindness and respect for others.  I could gush about these people for hours!!! I'm such a salsa groupie sometimes :)

Actually I was floored by how nice people were in general - not just the dancers at the congress, but the locals I encountered.   One server recommended a bunch of good places to eat and took the time to make a handwritten list.  Another one sent us away with free Callebaut dark chocolate covered cherries to keep us going on our 6 hour drive home :)  Lovely.

Saskatoon itself is a quaint place.  At times it was eerie because it felt strangely Edmonton-like.  Typical Canadian prairie city I guess.  It might even be flatter than Edmonton, because when it gets windy it gets REALLY windy.  

This road trip reminded me of how open and spacious the prairies are.  The blue skies seem to go on forever.  It's beautiful really.  Remember the Windows XP background?

Now I am struggling to stay awake so I can get unpacking, laundry, dishes and work lunches done - this is what I get for my 3 hours of sleep last night.  Maybe chores will have to wait until tomorrow - good thing I booked the morning off from work!  I'm finally learning to prioritize rest.

Mind Farts
-i haven't had chocolate in a while until this weekend.  and Callebaut at that!  i've forgotten how giddy i get after chocolate
-still not done Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 700-page bio.  got sidetracked by reading about eating more raw food whenever you can (smoothies, fresh salsa, etc.).  apparently it's the best way to get much-needed enzymes for your body.  i'm trying it out
-challenge comes with the fresh food thing ... the amount of food i bring to work keeps growing and growing:

-one thing that i've really become inspired about this weekend is female physical strength.  it's absolutely beautiful!  i've been working on it (hello, nice to meet you chin-up bar) and it really helped me during a private lesson this weekend that involved lifts with my partner.    let's see what happens when i combine really healthy food and building more physical strength!