Katalijn in Canada: SRI and more photos

This past week, I spent two days in Pointe Claire, near Montreal, for a SRI Workshop: The Five Disciplines of Innovation. Senior Management of both the Fibre Centre and FPInnovations had taken the training, and most project leaders and scientists were asked to go as well. Since not everybody was able to go, there was a list of 'back-up' people in case they had some extra spots available. And you guessed it right, my name was on that list and I had the privilege to attend the two-day workshop. It was an intense two days, but very much worth it. They showed us how to think differently, especially when you are working on a project. We learned about value propositions, and how to look at your project proposals from a different point of view, or look at the end product, rather than at the process. This way you make sure there is a need for that specific product or service, and why your proposal is better than the competition. Of course, it was so much more than that, but I would need several pages to explain it all! In short, it was a very interesting two days, and I am very happy I was able to go.

By the time I came home Thursday night, I was pretty much toast, both physically and mentally. The last few weeks have been pretty busy, with the house, the marathon, travelling for work, visitors, and work in general. Not that I'm complaining, not at all! But my body just shut down, and I decided to stay at home on Friday, and recharge the battery. It was hard, but I didn't do anything that day! I just read the paper, read my book, went for one of the best runs in a long time, and had a nice long bath. And guess what, it felt so good, and I really think I recharged that battery!

Saturday Walter and Deb came up from Belleville, and they brought Steph with them. It was a really nice visit, especially since we hadn't seen them in a long time, and it was nice for them to finally see how we are living here in the Ottawa area. But overall, it was just nice to catch up. We went for a nice walk in the Greenbelt, and again fed the chickadees. Especially Steph loved hanging out with the birds!
Today, we decided to sleep in and skip running in town. We finally cleaned up the garage, so the car can finally go inside, and started putting the floor in for our fitness area in the basement. After a really nice chat with Renée (which we should do more often!), we decided to go for a run. Of course, at that point it was raining and cold... But that couldn't stop us, tough as we are :-) The rain was definitely cold, the wind was nasty, but we still managed to get a 5k in. Nolan hadn't run in a week, so especially for him it was nice to get out there. And for me? Even though I'd run a nice 10k on Friday, it felt like I had to start leaning again right there. But with some strong perseverance, we manage to do it.

Here are a couple of photos left from my mom and Annette's trip. Finally some pictures of my mom as well!