I never used to think I was afraid of heights, until I was at the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, attempting to edge around the incredibly small Golden Gallery.

The entire walk up I was getting uncomfortable. The stairs changed from stone and marble to metal grates, meaning I could now see the great height I had already climbed. The first gallery was the Stone Gallery and it was just fine, large stone walls and a big walking space. But at the top, it felt like the gate was rickety and small. In fact, I remember it seeming too short for building and safety codes, but looking at actual photos I realize that must have been my fear talking. Luckily, I had a great friend who guided me around to the door and we headed back to the safety of the ground.

All of this to say, when Dave and I were given the option of rappelling down the side of the Marriott Hotel as part of the training day for the rope volunteers at Rope for Hope, I politely declined. Repeatedly. Nope, nope, nope. And I was very happy when Dave had finished his rappel as it meant he could take over on the roof and I therefore could head back to the nice solid ground and photograph from there.

So I have mad respect for everyone who was brave enough to go over the edge, especially those who share my fear of heights. And there was an impressive number of people who conquered their fear that day! And for what better cause than Make-A-Wish?!

The entire day was fantastic and, like always, we got to meet so many great people. The employees at Make-A-Wish as well as of their wonderful volunteers, including the ones who volunteered to help with the rappelling itself, all of the other vendors contributing to the day, those super brave rappelers and the absolutely amazing Wish Kids themselves. And of course to Over the Edge for making is so fun and safe for everyone. Thank you to everyone who helped make this day successful and for everyone who supported this deserving charity through this event.

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Special thanks to all of the great companies and people who sponsored this event:

National Presenting Sponsor: Canadian Western Bank with Canadian Direct Financial and National Leasing

National Sponsors: WestJet Cares for Kids, Captivate Network, BlueRiver Trading Ltd., Canadian distributor of Klean Kanteen and Clif Bar

Local Sponsors: Hot 89.9, Ottawa Events, Circus Delights and LouLou Lounge, and Stephanie Beach Photography (that’s us!)