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Writer's pictureErwin Edillon

My Gold Medal Calgary Trip | Sixteen Months

Dear Muir Rock Family,


Happy Monday and greetings from Calgary! I'm flying back tomorrow morning for those wondering when I'm coming home. I can't wait to see Mayo and anyone who wants to hang out. I'll also have some time off during the week of August 12 so we can hang out then if that works best for your schedule.


I took the day off of work today because it's Heritage Day in Alberta which means the rest of my Canada family has the day off of work. It's nice to have a day off before I fly home and then get back to another busy work week when I get into the office after my flight from YYC to LAX.


There are too many photos and videos to post about my trip. Instead, you can check out the family slideshow that I showed everyone tonight after dinner. It's a terrible draft but it will have to do for now:


Thanks again Neal, Salina, Lee Jay and Kathy for hosting me. Can't wait to see you all again soon!


I've been on a ton of trips but this one gets a gold medal. There are so many highlights from the trip that I can spend all night writing about. This really might be the best trip I've ever been on as a solo traveller (nothing will compare to Terwin's Israel trip). For those following the blog, hopefully you can tell that this was a much needed. I've had a pretty hectic last several months of work since March, along with two races to train for. Getting through the second year of losing Teri has continued to feel even harder than the first.


After my race, it was a great week to work remotely during the day and do some active recovery biking, swimming, and hiking in the Canmore area in the evening because sunset isn't until ~9PM. This may be the place for me to come every year to train and hang out with a lot of my favorite people:

Disc Golf @ 8PM - Team Juliette Wins!

There were also some low-lights from my trip I'll get out of the way first...


  • Didn't get any piano lessons (another important reason I came here)

  • Mechanical issues during my race that I wrote about in my last post

  • I ate way too much pizza (IMCA in October)

  • Some mosquito bites (takes me longer to write this post since I'm so itchy)


Tent Ridge Horseshoe Hike in Kananaskis, Alberta


Aside from the meaningful discussions with my family over meals, the most memorable activity we did last week in Canmore was a challenging 6.5-mile hike with a 2,700-foot elevation gain (peaked at ~8000 feet) called Tent Ridge Horseshoe which my cousin Kathy found:



Not being a big fan of hiking, I wasn't very interested and was going to suggest something else but couldn't think of anything better. Or maybe I'm just getting better at "going with the flow." Thankfully, it all worked out, and it turned out to be the highlight of the week. A few things made this hike stand out to me:


This hike was quite the challenge: I am not that good at hiking. My fitness base helps but It still requires different muscles. There were some areas requiring "scrambling" which is a new term I learned on the hike.

I met some new friends: The night before the hike, Kathy and Lee Jay mentioned the idea of going into town so I can meet new people. There's bachelorette parties going on because of the long weekend, so might as well make the most of my time here right? I was tired because of a long day so I opted to stay in. Instead, we watched the Simone Biles documentary on Netflix, which I highly recommend for everyone to watch when time permits. On the hike, we ran into Sarah, Susan, and Yang, who started about a minute ahead of us. I eventually caught up to them and thankfully they were very friendly. The three of them met through meetup.com, the site I used to meet Alexa Lee. We had a nice time talking and getting to know each other throughout the first half of the hike, and taking some fun photos near the top:



I ended up finding Sarah (wearing the black cap) using the Meetup.com app since I wanted some of the photos she took with her phone. It's always nice to meet new people. Hopefully we can all go on another hike next time I'm in the area.


Alone time: My family (Kathy, Lee Jay, Silas, Neason, Isabella, Juliette) eventually started getting ahead of me and my new friends. I chose to stay back and have lunch with my new friends and then catch up with my family. It took about 45 minutes until I finally caught up with everyone, but most of them went ahead again since I was slow descending the hill due to wearing the wrong shoes. This gave me a lot of time to think and reflect on our 16-month anniversary since Teri went to heaven.


Past Regrets: NOT Hiking and Traveling


During the alone time, I kept thinking about how I really wish I didn't give Teri such a hard time about all the hiking and travelling she wanted to do with me when we were together. There were lots of arguments about these topics, most were pointless to argue about looking back. Like my friends thinking Mayo was mixed, I was wrong, she was right.


I know there's no point in having regrets with the past. It's not as much of a struggle as it was last year. Everything happens for a reason. Including her passing away.


I'm not alone with feeling this way regarding hiking. Kathy shared during our run this morning that Lee Jay also isn't a big fan of hiking because it's too slow. That was my complaint to Teri. Thankfully she was good at getting her way and we went on a lot of memorable hikes, including this crazy one to Mt. Baldy:

July 17, 2018 - Mt. Baldy Hike


To this day, traveling isn't my thing. I just like being at home with Mayo, in Irvine, doing my weekly routine. I even gave thoughts about coming home from Canada early, as I felt a bit anxious to just get back to the office and get some work done. Why did I plan such a long trip?? I remember now, it was a great deal on the flight, and I love getting good deals on anything travel related. From the hike and the photos, it's a no-brainer that I did the right thing and stayed out here. I'm actually pretty sad that I'm going back tomorrow. At least I'll see Mayo. And speaking of my pookie Mayo...


DNA/Genetic Testing for Mayo: Erwin 0, Friends 1


Several weeks ago, my friend Allan and some our friends started putting thoughts in my head about how Mayo is a mixed dog and not 100% Coton De Tulear. Impossible. As many of you know, I love to prove people wrong, especially when I know I will be right. What a coincidence that on Amazon Prime Day, there was a sale on the Embark DNA test, so I figured, why not? It is good to back up how I am right with real data, just like I do with my day job.


Well I just got the results, and like usual..... I was wrong:

Mayo is only 3/4 Coton de Tulear!!

My dad got Mayo from a "Coton De Tulear" breeder in Montana. He wasn't cheap from what I remember since all of us weren't happy about his idea to spend so much on a dog. I can't wait to get home and look at all the Mayo paperwork I've ignored and give them a call. Not like I'll really do anything about it, but an explanation would be really nice. All good though, perhaps if he was 100% Coton de Tulear he wouldn't be as cute as he is now.


The bigger lesson with the DNA results was about humility. It was another reminder for me that I'm not always right. In fact, I'm wrong quite a lot these days and even wrote how Once Again I Was Wrong a month ago. Good to know that God will continue to humble me in lots of situations I'm so sure about.


Want to learn more about Mayo's genetic testing? Full Results Here

August 2, 2024 = Sixteen Month Death Anniversary


Thank you all for reading and supporting me during the emotional roller coaster I'm still on regarding Teri's passing on April 2, 2023. So many of you have been so intentional with me and making sure I am OK. I'm so blessed to have such a loving community of friends and family that love me in ways I don't deserve.


This blog and podcast has really been so beneficial in processing what's happening with me and my feelings. All the ups and downs I've written about helped me anticipate some of the emotional lows I've also felt this week after my Calgary 70.3 race and having great time with family.


I don't think I do a good job articulating how I'm really feeling these days. Every day I am usually pretty darn happy with how God has blessed me in so many ways I can't even count. What's hard still is that all the highs in life (like this trip) also come with lows, just like being on a roller coaster at Calaway Park:


We had a lot of pizza during my trip :)


The emotional lows are not fun but also nothing out of the ordinary. I'll share a few of of the recent ones. While on my trip, I was able to meet with Melody and her family in Banff. Coincidentally she planned a trip here, not knowing I was going to be in town for my race. A few days later, Melody sent me this cute photo of Teri at Peyto Lake:


This photo was actually from Teri's first time visiting Calgary with one of her boyfriends. I've looked through literally all Teri's photos from her Google album. I still look through them from time to time, but not as often as I did last year.


This morning after my run with Kathy, I saw someone was wearing a peach colored plaid shirt by the river, similar to what Teri was wearing in the photo. I didn't want to take a photo. I kept looking at the woman since she her shirt really reminded me of Teri.


I'm sure you've all seen from this blog that Teri had a lot of fun ideas for photos. There's still no shortage of photos and stories I want to share about her. I'm glad she has so many I can continue to share here. Most of the time I would get annoyed when she wanted to take the perfect photo, like the ones from our Yosemite trip In May 2017. Here's the best of each of the photos below (I took like a dozen of each):


Teri was hungry. Or maybe she was thirsty...


The most memorable photo I have of her is what I still use for my phone wallpaper. I end up doing this sideways heart pose more often now, since it's fun and I can't help but smile every time I pose this way. Doing so also gives me a moment to remind myself of how much I miss her:


Lots of great online dating photos...lol


I often think about all my anxious moments with Teri, most of which revolved around schedules or time commitments. I always wanted to ensure we finished a particular activity on time because I worried about one or more of the following:


  • Making someone else wait for us

  • Being late to our next meal and having to wait

  • Not getting home on time, leading to sleeping later than planned


Thankfully, I've been less anxious and stressed about life in general. I really think I am much better at breathing and slowing down. Others that would upset me, don't upset me as much. I also try to be intentional about not spending too much time with anxious or judgemental people. The story I share with others is this: Once you lose your spouse, your perspective on life and priorities completely change. The things you once thought were important just aren't that important anymore.


Teri and Kids


Teri really loved interacting with kids and learning about childhood development. I still have a long way to go to catch up to her. Thankfully, this Calgary trip also involved spending lots of time with the kids. Good news... I'll share some podcast videos in a few days that the kids are still editing (yes they know how to edit videos). I had a lot of fun with them.


Isabella and I played a lot of Ultimate Tic Tac Toe. What a fun way to play a game we all played while growing up:


I won the Gold Medal match :)


I can't believe these kids have also been instrumental in teaching me about humility. Isabella beat me twice in Ultimate Tic Tac Toe. Neason beat me twice in connect four. Juliette and Silas both seem to have better video editing skills than I do, which you'll see soon on the podcast. How is this possible??


There's more to come. Salina and I talked all week about sending their kids to Camp Erwin in Irvine to do all sorts of camp like things, such as:


  • Mountain biking

  • Running (with Mayo of course)

  • Swimming

  • Tennis / Pickleball


I think I feel more like "Terwin" than "Erwin" every time I hang out with kids. It does takes time to get out of "adult mode" and connect with them, but lately it's been easier. Does this make any sense? I just find it surprising that I'm even open to hosting kids at my house for a week next summer in the first place. I guess the point of all of this goes back to humility. The more I continue to experience life and have an open mind, the more I wished I wasn't so anxious and stubborn while Teri and I were together. I have so much to learn and grow in.


Great reminder for me (even if I don’t have kids)

Conclusion


Thank you all for reading and supporting me through this journey. It's getting late. This trip to Calgary has been a very special time for me for so many reasons I wrote about, plus more. From the challenging 70.3 race, crazy hike, new friendships to the quiet moments of remembering Teri and personal growth, this trip has been a much-needed escape for my mental wellness and a reminder of how far I've come.


I really am filled with gratitude for the meaningful connections and memories made here. God has a way of surprising and humbling me, and I'm learning to embrace the flow, be thankful for the highs, and navigate the lows of not having Teri in Canada with me with grace.


I'll be back in Irvine soon and can't wait to see Mayo and reconnect with everyone. Let's make time to hang out during my time off in August. Until then, here's a quote I found that reminds me of Teri and how much I miss her. I hope my friends and family can remember me in this way as well.


I also know that this post was a lot of facts from my trip vs. my feelings. I have a lot more to say about feelings which I'll cover in my next post. Or we can talk about it in person.


Have a great rest of the week!


Erwin

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salina_ca
Aug 06

Looking forward to the next meetup no matter where. Have a great week back at work and enjoy your time off next week!

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Lovely recap of your trip. Glad you got to spend some unhurried quality time with your loved ones. Hugs!

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