I am in Calgary this week for the first training camp of the summer. I make the 12-hour trek across B.C. and through the Rockies' on my trusty steed (aka Fiona the Aquamarine Mist '97 Ford Escord Wagon ... ) several times a year, either for training in the ice house during the summer months, or for sliding on the track in the winter.

So my wonderful husband gets the Pulled-it-off Award of 2009. After a great day of birthday lunching with friends, starting a new tradition of buying myself a birthday outfit each year (to cover my ... uhhh ... other birthday outfit ... ) going to the movies and blowing out the candles on my homemade Devil's Food cake, my sly husband pulled a spanking new iPhone from his pocket, minutes before the clock struck twelve.

I give you Rufus (from the German verb "anrufen" which means "to call") ...

So this year, I hinted to Jay that I would REALLY like an iPhone for my birthday.

Now, in the past, some of my more subtle hints have gone unnoticed, for example the time where I said "Sigh ..." which meant "I am bored. Please sporadically take me on a romantic date in which we participate in an activity that is both humorous and economical." Then we had a box of KD for dinner and watched the news.

This year, while watching the Whistler Canada Day Parade ... I gleaned a very important piece of information regarding Canadian culture: Apparently, you can tell a Royal Canadian Mounted Police horse apart from your average run-of-the-mill horse because the Mountie steeds have a maple leaf shaved onto their butts.

Who knew?

Today was our sixth wedding anniversary, which we celebrated by succeeding in having other people pick up the tab.