A Little Email From TripAdvisor That Put A Big Smile On My Face :)

I am weirdly proud of my recent status update on Tripadvisor. I’m not sure I why I pride myself on reviewing the random things that I do after I do them. I have been a little boring lately, but this email today made me smile. I am looking forward to continuing to rise in the ranks when the next segment of my life’s strange adventure begins. Helping even one person is awesome, I am so happy to have helped the people who have voted my comments helpful on Tripadvisor!

I think of myself as a very average lady, I like the fine things and can appreciate pretty much everything so it is fair to say that I am a pretty nice reviewer on Tripadvisor. I’m not sure that I have given any really bad reviews, but I love noting the amazing experiences I have while I am on my travels and on my highlight reel nights at home.

I cannot wait to continue seeing and doing the things that I love and sharing them with you! J  

I know in the grand scheme of things this is a relatively minor, silly blog but I am really trying to be happy about the small things in life right now and for some reason this email made me ridiculously happy today! 

Visiting Columbia Gardens Vineyard & Winery

I had a busy Saturday.

I started the day off Saturday morning trip the Peak Physique and a stroll around the Castlegar Market and then I came home to Trail for a quick bite to eat and a quick grocery trip to Ferraro Foods.  I felt a little inspired when I finished unpacking my groceries and made a trip up the hill to Columbia Gardens Vineyard  & Winery.

Our GOAT Account Executive Ray inspired me to make the trip. I am gathering together some of the Kootenay Boundary’s finest products for a gift basket and Ray suggested that rather than go with his suggestions for wines that I should go visit them and try them out myself.  I am a red girl so I already had that determined but I sampled three of the winery’s reds and enjoyed them all. In total I now have four bottles from Columbia Gardens for the basket, the Station Road Rose and three Red (DeJager’s Merlot, Foch Private Reserve and Kootenay Red).

Included in my three reds is Kootenay Red, a bold red wine with a story! If you visit Columbia Garden’s you need to ask about the story that inspired the bottle’s cartoon label. They had me at bear cub…

While at Columbia Gardens I had to ask Tersia De Jager about her accent and the story about moving to the Kootenay Boundary. Terisa tells the story best here:

Also, Terisa showed me around the Guest House that they are developing at the Vineyard and it is absolutely lovely. Here are a few sneak peak photos! I know the guesthouse is going to be the perfect place for wedding parties and functions in the future.

A sneak peak at a room in the guest house.

Terisa De Jager also showed me around one of the areas where weddings are hosted in the vineyard. So many happy memories will be made here!

To see Columbia Gardens Vineyard  & Winery’s full wine catalogue and all of their services click here.

I am so excited to have a fridge full of wine right now! I wish I had bought more from the “The Burl” at the Vineyard. You can do a wine tasting there and check out amazing homemade goods for your home. All of the gifts in the “The Burl” are handmade pieces and one of a kind!

As you can see the deck is the perfect place to look out over the vines and sip a glass of wine.

Introducing The GOAT to the Kootenays!

Well it has been a crazy weekend that is for sure! Friday we broke new ground for Vista Radio

Kootenays by flipping our second station in two weeks.

Our sister station 1035 the Bridge flipped a two weeks ago to 1035 Juice FM – Nelson’s Biggest Variety and now what used to be Mountain FM is now The GOAT. I totally get the questions and the laughs over the name change, but once you get that GOAT is an acronym for “Greatest Of All Time” it is easy to get behind. I hope you have been listening and like what you hear. If you missed the big launch you can here the moment we flipped from Mountain to the GOAT right here:

Unlike Nelson and Juice FM the GOAT still sounds the same. I have heard so many great comments and people were so excited to get new GOAT swag at my remote broadcast yesterday. I was on location for the afternoon yesterday at Andre’s in Uptown Centre and lots of people stopped in to pick up water bottles, frisbees and pens! 

Don't worry, John and Jenny are still waking up with you on the Morning Herd and I am currently on-air from 10am until 6pm weekdays. We still have all the local content you loved before but now we have a fresh new polished sound!

Make sure you like the new GOAT on Facebook and follow us on Twitter J

My New Favourite Treat--- Hidden Garden Foods Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a new favourite food item and surpassingly there are more vegetables involved than I like to admit.  I discovered these bad boys at Ferraro Foods in Trail a couple of weeks ago in Trail, BC and I have been addicted to them since.

 I am so sold on the chocolate chip flavoured cookies made from pumpkins that I have not tried the other flavours (including red velvet cupcake) yet! Tonight, after a crazy day at work I think I am going branch out and try a new flavor and be in my happy place as I watch more of season two of Orange is the New Black!

Another great BC product! Check out these guilt-free treats! Gluten free, no preservatives or artificial flavours and they taste just like my great-grandmothers amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe that’s loaded with guilt inducing ingredients among other things.

Hidden Garden Foods, a BC business making better foods for British Columbians! :) 

My First Tim Horton's Camp Day!

Not my best hair (or face) day... 

Today I experienced my very first Tim Hortons Camp Day as an on-air personality. I had so much fun in Trail early this morning at 8am for the morning rush of drivers b-lining for caffeine to get them to the end of Humpday. I was absolutely astounded by the number of generous cash donations that were given to Tim Hortons Children Foundation just in my two hours at Tim Hortons. It was mind-blowing. 

On top of the staggering number of people supporting sending children in need to camp I witnessed lots of goodwill between strangers; chains of people paying-it-forward by paying for the order that was coming up behind them! I have heard of this happening at Tim Hortons before but I have never been the beneficiary of it. I think it is important to note that I have never started a kindness chain in a drive-thru either (karma, eh?). Now, I really want to do it... I may even add that experience to my summer of firsts on my way home today. I'll keep you updated.

I like to think I was a little better at my job in the drive-thru window than some of the RCMP officers pouring coffee and mixing up iced caps! There were some spills and lots of sass from Trail’s finest who broke Tim Hortons protocol multiple times and held the coffee cups as they poured the coffee. In all seriousness, the firefighters and police officers who were part of my Camp Day experience were so much fun! I don’t think there was a better time to be at Tim Hortons today in Trail than while we were holding down the fort! Although, the staff was pretty excited for the Trail Smoke Eaters to come in a little later in the day so I think we were most likely their second favourite crew of the day. 

So many people bought tents and cabins to line the walls of Trail's Tim Horton's, I have a very good feeling that we helped raise more than the $11.8 raised last year on Camp Day! 

If you would like to donate to Camp Day it is so easy, you do not need to even go to a Tim Hortons. You can give online by visiting sendakidtocamp.com or by texting CAMP to 45678 in Canada or CAMP to 41518 in the States. 

Help celebrate Tim Horton Children's Foundations 40th birthday by grabbing a coffee today and 100% of the proceeds will go to THCF!

This year alone more than 200,000 kids will be impacted by the Tim Horton Children's Foundation and more than 17,000 kids will attend at THCF camp! 

I have made up my mind. On the way home someone better be behind me in the drive-thru at Tim's because I am starting a chain of awesomeness. 

*Side-note, one of my biggest pet peeves is people who call Tim Hortons "Timmy's". You will NEVER heart me reference Tim's in such an informal way. I don't know why it grinds my gear but it really, really does. 

The 51st Annual Trail Silver City Days

Our Street Team ready for the parade!

This is my first Trail Silver City Days.  I feel like Summer 2014 has now started and is out in full force. Right now the weather is absolutely beautiful downtown for the last day of activities.

As a resident of Trail I have seen the all the hustle and bustle getting ready around down for days. I walk around town and climb the staircases in the evenings to get some sunlight and exercise, one day all of the carnival gear showed up and everything quickly started transforming.

The highlight of Silver City Days weekend (for me) was driving in the Firefighter’s Parade was a lot of fun. Actually Jenny drove. I rode shotgun and jammed with her the entire time. I have been a part of many parades; I was Princess Middleton 2009 and had to be in parades pretty much every weekend that summer. I have never been in a parade as long as the Silver City Days Parade.

A car view of the streets full of people at the parade.

Not only was the parade filled with an impressive group of floats (including the City of Trail’s beautiful new float) the streets of Downtown Trail were PACKED with people. Luckily the rain started as soon as the parade ended.

The parade was like a second Halloween for the kid’s watching, we were entry #54 and by the time we reached the kids most of them had semi-full bags of candy. It is a good thing those sugared-up youth did not revolt, there was so many of them they would have taken over Trail!

After the parade the midway and food mall was the place to be until the evening when ABRA Cadabra played the arena. I had another work function (I’ll tell you about it later) but driving back into town the fireworks filled the sky beautifully!

On Sunday Country Divas took the stage at Gyro Park for Family Day and a Mother’s Day celebration.

Sunday we spent the day going on rides and playing games at the West Coast Amusement Carnival and treated ourselves to the food mall. My roommate from university came and visited for part of the weekend so she experienced the perfect first weekend in Trail.

I had a great time at my first Trail Silver City Days, I got to meet new people and celebrate Trail for my first Silver City Days! Thanks to everyone who helps make this incredible event happen, I can't wait until next year!

For a look at the entire schedule of events for the 51st Annual Trail Silver City Days click here.

Helen Bobbitt from 'A New Year for CaDANCE' on Morning Rocks

This morning Helen Bobbitt from 'A New Year For CaDANCE' was on Morning Rocks to talk about their fundraiser event coming up on New Year's Eve. For more information about the event click here. For more information about Cadance's story follow this link. To help be part of the 'Go Fund Me' effort click here. 

Silver City Nites with Andrea from the City of Trail

Friday night in downtown Trail is where you need to be for the city of Trail's 'Silver City Nites' celebration! It is going to be a great time with Santa's Candy Parade and more great events all evening for your family. Head to Trail Friday night to see Mountain FM's Tom the Intern on location with hot chocolate! 

Click here for more information about Trail's 'Silver City Nites'. 

'Pay it Forward' Friday at Mountain FM

Everyone at Mountain FM was so part in the Kootenay Society for Community Living’s ‘Pay It Forward Day’ last Friday (October 11).  This incredible initiative was part of BC Community Living month and hopefully inspired random acts of kindness in our community.

I was so fortunate to get to spend the afternoon at A&W in Castlegar, I got to have the chance help be the messenger for Mountain and A&W’s random acts of kindness, part of the ‘Pay It Forward Chain’. We hoped to start the random acts of kindness by handing out free food (for orders under $10) to people coming through the drive-thru. I know I would have been stoked to have my cash ready at the drive-thru window, only to find out that my meal was free!

Morning Rocks co-host Darren McPeake visited A&W in Trail and the hosts from our sister station 1035 the Bridge in Nelson were at Grounded. 

People seemed to be really receptive to the ‘Pay It Forward’ concept. We had lovely stories come in online about people on the receiving end of random acts of kindness and from people who had paid it forward themselves, starting the chain of generosity.

I had so much fun with the team at Castlegar A&W, they even paid it forward for to me with an order of (my favourite) sweet potato fries. I can’t wait until next year, I know this was a building block for what is to come next year when this initiative grows bigger and better!