Bon Voyage!

Air New Zealand posted their Top Ten entries today. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to garner enough votes to make the list. It was a good run, though, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped - especially those who shared the link over and over and voted and commented as often as they could.

Even though I didn't win, it means a lot to know that I have friends who will take a little bit of time out of their day to help me in a long-shot bid to take my wife on a vacation.

Thank you.

A Contest Question.

On the Coldest Canadian contest site, "maxtreadwell" asked "Are you drunk or crazy or just really desperate for a holiday in the sun?"

I assure you, maxtreadwell, although I went "into the drink" when I filmed my video, the drink was not in me.

I cannot comment my sanity.

A few people, however, have openly wondered why I'm so intent on winning Air New Zealand's "Coldest Canadian" contest. "Why don't you just buy a ticket and go?" they ask.

Oh, believe me, I would if things were a little different. You see, as many of my regular readers know, my eldest daughter has epilepsy. We control her seizures with a very strict diet called the ketogenic diet. The effects have been nothing short of miraculous, but it is an awful amount of work. I have long wanted to give my wife, Fawn, a little break from it all - but going on a holiday isn't quite so easy for us.

We would need to make sure that Jade is being cared for by someone who is thoroughly trained in the administration of the ketogenic diet, from preparing the meals to exacting standards, to making sure they're eaten properly, to knowing the vitamin regimen and getting her to eat the cursed K-Citra pills. And it would need to be someone who would be willing to do all that. And it would need to be someone with whom the kids would be happy spending a week or two. And it would need to be someone we trust. And there's no way would would burden someone with all of the ketogenic diet stuff and both of our kids. It would require a team approach.

It would require grandmothers.

So we would need to fly one grandmother to Whitehorse from across the country, and the other one in from across the Atlantic - which is expensive - and then we would still have to purchase the tickets for our vacation.  (Flying the kids out to one of the grandmothers would be even more expensive.)

So, why not just bring the kids with us? The ketogenic diet is so strict (Everything weighed to a tenth of a gram! No brand substitutions allowed!) and time-consuming (It takes at least 4 hours every day just to prepare and feed the meals, not including doing the dishes), the very idea of traveling with the kids across the country is mind-boggling. We've done it, but it's very, very hard. The idea of transporting a child with epilepsy several time zones away (big changes in sleep patterns are not good for brains susceptible to seizures) combined with administering the ketogenic diet in a different country for two weeks? Almost inconceivable.

I don't want to sound like I'm whining. I'm not. And I'm certainly not looking for pity. That's just the way it is. We accept that - there's no sense in complaining, but we can be realistic about it all.

So the reality is that if I can win the "Coldest Canadian" contest, then I can afford to take my wife on a vacation. Which she deserves, because she works very, very, hard and could use the break. And New Zealand is a place we've always wanted to go.

I know that being crowned the "Coldest Canadian" is a long shot - but one can't win unless one tries, right?

The votes are now closed and the crowning takes place on March 4th.

Giving.

This morning I had the great pleasure of being interviewed on CBC Radio Yukon's "A New Day". Dogsled Stacie was there, too! We were being interviewed about Air New Zealand's "Coldest Canadian" contest.

Of course, I always think of the things I should have said after the interview is over. I mean, what can you say about what's going on in Christchurch right now? It's awful, and thoughts and prayers seem insufficient.

New Zealand and Canada are connected by more than an Air New Zealand flight from Vancouver to Aukland. And we're connected by more than our love for the Lord of the Rings movies. We are connected by the friends and family we Canadians have in New Zealand, and by New Zealanders who are visiting and living in Canada. And we are connected by a history of compassion for each other.

In 1916, after the Centre Block of our Parliament Buildings burned down, New Zealand sent wood. We didn't need the wood. We've got lots of wood! But we needed the gesture. The wood was meant to help us rebuild, and that's exactly what we did with it.

After the initial earthquake relief efforts are over with, it will be New Zealand's time to rebuild. I would like to go there and bring something to help with that. I don't know what, yet, but something.

In the meantime, maybe the contestants in the Coldest Canadian contest - a bunch of Canadians who are doing ridiculous things in their attempts to get to an amazing country - are sharing something that New Zealanders sorely need right now.

A excuse to laugh.

It's all a blur!

See that blurry plane? That, my friends, is an Air New Zealand plane at the Vancouver airport. That, my friends, is a plane bound for New Zealand.

The picture is blurry because I was surprised to see it and only had time to snap a quick pic on my mobile device. Or maybe it's because my hands were trembling with excitement. There are five days left in Air New Zealand's Coldest Canadian contest and I can't help but hope beyond hope that my wife and I will one day be on that flight for winning the Epic Date of a lifetime.

There are lots of fantastic entries, but there can only be one "coldest".  Please take a few minutes to visit their site and vote for who you think is the coldest.

You can start by visiting (and voting for) this entry, here.

Heating Up!

I am writing from chilly Fort Simpson, NWT, where the current temperature is -34.5^oC and things are heating up in Air New Zealand's "Coldest Canadian" contest!

Several new competitors have entered the field (some of them really quite good) and their videos have been skyrocketing in votes. (How do they do that?!)

It could be very easy to get discouraged about that, but I'm not. How could I get discouraged when UpHere Magazine, the North's premier magazine, has announced who they're voting for.

And how could I get discouraged when stuff.co.nz Travel flags my entry as "stiff competition"?

And just the other day, I won a Flip Ultra HD video camera from the Coldest Canadian random draw - which will be perfect for filming our adventures in New Zealand (hopefully!) It's a sign, I tell you! A sign!

There are eight days left, so let's keep those daily votes coming! Thank you for your continued support. Maybe I really will get to take my wife on an Epic Date!

Countdown: 14 Days!

Thanks to you, we're only a couple of days in and things are going very well in Air New Zealand's "Coldest Canadian" contest! Here are the current standings...

Most Watched: 13th (Up from 16th yesterday. Four more spots and the video will appear on the front of the "Most Watched" page!)

Current Coldest: 16th (Up from 17th)

This means that we've got lots of people watching, but we need still more daily voting (and comments)! With 14 days to go, we can take that top spot! Let's do it!

Here's the link!

Let's give 'em something to talk about!

My video for Air New Zealand's Coldest Canadian Contest has been up for less than a day and it's already the 16th "Most Watched" and the 17th "Current Coldest"! It has been climbing very rapidly in both categories. A good start, for sure!

But, of course, we need to keep that momentum going. Did you know that they're also counting comments on the website toward the "Current Coldest" rankings?

Let's make today Comment on the Video Day! It's easy:

1. Go watch my little swim.
2. Register and vote (if you haven't already)
3. Speak your mind! Leave a comment where it invites you to leave a comment.

This is gonna be great!

Zeal for New Zealand!

I would love to take my wife out for an extended, never-to-be-forgotten date. Just her and me. On a date. Where we can do whatever we want to do without having to worry about administering the demanding ketogenic diet that prevents our oldest daughter from having seizures. Where we can sleep in without being woken up by our youngest daughter's early rising.

Oh, how heavenly that would be!

And it CAN be! An opportunity has presented itself.

Air New Zealand is hosting a vote-driven "Coldest Canadian" contest. It's for a flight to New Zealand, accommodations, and some great activities while we're there.

Now, I'm not sure that I'm the coldest Canadian, and I certainly wouldn't win a contest for the coolest - or the hottest, for that matter - but I just happened to have some footage of me going for a snorkel in the wintertime and I thought, What the heck! I want to take my wife out for one heck of a memorable date!

Now, because it's a vote driven contest, I can't do this alone. I'm going to need your help to make it happen. I know it takes a lot of work to register with your e-mail address (and opt out of receiving newsletters if you so choose) so you can vote for my video. And I know it takes a lot of work to vote on the video every day. And I know it takes a lot of work to pass the link of the video on to all of your friends. But if I can take my wife out on a date to New Zealand, we'll have you to thank!

Here's how it works:

1. Go watch the video here.
2. Register.
3. Vote.  EVERY DAY!
4. Like it on facebook and whatever other social media tool you use.
5. Tell all your friends to vote EVERY DAY!

There are 16 days left.  The odds are good.  WE CAN DO THIS!

Thank you for your support.

Quite the date...

So, I've decided that I want to take Fawn on a date to New Zealand. But I'm gonna need your help...

Details to follow.