You’ll have to watch the video to find out what I mean.

So I finally had a chance to do some video editing this weekend. I’ve put together the footage from the Mount Washington snowboarding trip to Courtenay on Vancouver Island in February, as well as the huge Big White bus trip to Kelowna.

Check out the video above! Video features… tree runs, powder runs, rails, jumps, and lots of silliness of course. Oh, and leg wrestling. Make sure you watch to the very end of the video Video is totally safe for work.

Here are also a few pictures from the two trips…

Big White was great… here’s a view from the chairlift.

We had a huge group together (54 people)… it was definitely crazy.

Yup, it was Big White-out for a few moments that weekend.

The Telus Park at Big White was awesome… boarder cross, rails, jumps and tons of everything.

My friend Adrian (above) and Chris made it up from San Francisco. They are two of my good friends from university and it was wonderful to see them again.

The private hot tubs in our cabins were awesome! And frequently used.

The view from Mount Washington on the Island is probably one of the most beautiful views you will ever see snowboarding. Wow!

Amy and Tom show off their goggles in the bar.

Teddy Bear stands are necessary, even in the snow.

The tequila was incredible… and yes, many drinking games were played…

… including the now infamous “BOXHEAD” game…

A huge vat of pasta was cooked for dinner, plus a huge breakfast in the morning. Group meals!

We had a great group.

Okay, I admit it, I’m cheating a little. I didn’t want to write up two separate posts, so here I am grouping mollusks with action sports.

Last night I wanted to make a nice meal for cheap, so I decided on some scallops. First, I made a reduction by boiling clementine juice, lime juice, lime zest, and some Arbol chili powder for about an hour. Next, pan sear the scallops in some olive oil and a little bit of bacon fat and top with walnuts, bacon bits, parsley, and serve on some green beans for the sole blatant purpose of having some veggies. Serve with rice or risotto for a more complete meal (not pictured).

And yes, all for under $15 Canadian, enough for two! Cheap meal for about 12 Canadian East Coast fresh wild scallops.

Second, I’ve been able to go through a couple of the snowboarding trips… and I’m just working on putting together a video. But here are some photos in the mean time.

Blown over chair at Big White… yep, it was gusty the second day!

Taking in the view of one of my favourite parts of British Columbia, Courtenay and Mount Washington surrounding areas on Vancouver Island.

The group at Big White… yep… Big White out

Having some fun on the Picnic Tables up at Big White.

The group up at Mount Washington! Yup — that’s right, 5 boarder chicks out of a group of 10! Pretty good ratio

Action group photo in Courtenay

If I had to describe myself, I guess I would be forced to categorize myself as a “city girl”. That may be true in a sense. I was born in Vancouver, grew up in Richmond, Vancouver, Sydney (Australia) and have pretty much lived here my whole life except for a few years when I went to university out east in Ontario.

I like going out to eat, going out to clubs, shopping, driving around, going to the gym, and having many amenities nearby and accessible.

However, I can’t help but feel — at heart — that I’m secretly a small town girl inside. All my hopes and dreams in the future seem to revolve around a piece of land… running a bed and breakfast… having my own home and garden… things I just couldn’t do in the city.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the years thinking about how my life would change if I moved to a place like Tofino, Courtenay (Vancouver Island), Seaside (Oregon) or even a smaller city in New Zealand like Christ Church. One thing is for sure — as long as I can — I’m going to stay on the West Coast in Canada.

Yesterday, I found a few nice piece of land and some smaller homes in Tofino and Courtenay for very reasonable prices. We’re talking like $85,000 for a huge piece of land to develop on, or just over $100,000 for a small house with a backyard. Incredible prices compared to Vancouver, and still expected to come down.

My parents both came from very small farm-based communities. Same with my grandparents. And their grandparents. I do feel like it is in my blood, somewhere. The times I’ve been happiest in my life are the times I’ve spent away from the city.

I’d be much happier exercising in the morning by running on the beach or in the woods than in a concrete gym. Being outdoors every day. I’d much rather use the extra time in the day to cook wholesome meals from scratch instead of going out to eat. And I go shopping about twice a year anyway. I’m pretty sure I can either eliminate that from my life or just travel to a larger town to do that. Or sew my own clothes, like I used to in high school and university. I love gardening… and I would have a large garden like my parents and grandparents… and grow just about everything I needed to eat, minus the meat. Life just seems so much simpler.

The real question, is of course the job. Unless you’re working remotely, jobs for people in the video game industry are hard to come by. Is it time to get creative? Run your own business? Or a change of industry?

Then there’s a question of timing. Is it better to make a drastic change like this when you are young? Or when you are old?

There are definitely upsides and downsides to living in a small town. Maybe people who have lived in small towns or grew in small towns for significant amounts of time can comment on this.

So much to think about. Can a city girl ever become a small town girl, or is it impossible? I guess if it did happen I’d have to change my blog name