Moments D66; Road Trips

I love to drive (maybe a little too fast sometimes, but please don’t tell on me!). And I love, LOVE road trips.

Road trips offer time for reflection (or conversation) and they ALWAYS include great tunes blasting loud (all the time when I’m alone driving or for only the best of songs when travelling with someone).

Today was a road trip out to the cottage. We had amazing weather. It was perfect for catching up with my best girl as passenger, but the moments I loved most about our roadtrip was singing at the top of our lungs when our favourite songs came on. I knew that our girl in the car ahead was doing the same.

For me - these are blissful moments. I love singing in the car and I love trying to solve all of life’s little problems (big deep conversations along the way) too!

Moments D65; Hurricanes & Earthquakes

Today I thought a lot about hurricanes and earthquakes. It’s an analogy that was used once to explain two incredible forces coming together. It was suggested that this was a rarity. Something that didn’t happen often and something that should be celebrated.

As much as I love the analogy, the fact that hurricanes & earthquakes don’t collide very often seems to be untrue. (What can I say, I had to google it!) There have been a few studies done where hurricanes seem to trigger earthquakes.

But I digress. The point, and the moment to be shared, is the fact that rarely do two unique souls connect and share their life experiences. Most times the differences are too great. Other times, there isn’t enough of a common thread to bother exploring. But, once in awhile there is this rare connection. Something that ties you to someone. Most times when these worlds/lives collide you are unable to explain the connection, but the fact of the matter is that this connection is undeniable and it needs to be explored.

And so - a moment of reflection. A moment of trying to understand how hurricanes and earthquakes can work together to create a new unique entity.

Moments D64; Mika the Frug

Today’s moment brought to you by a wee creature exploring the world around her. Today I met an absolutely adorable French bulldog/pug cross puppy. She is wee. She is vibrant and full of life and bounce. She stole my heart!

Her owner was quite happy that my colleagues and I watched her yesterday as he grabbed his morning java. In those few moments she managed to tear into a plastic bag covering a phone book (which we removed from her reach) and then she started tearing out the pages of another book on the ground. (Again removed). She was so cute and her energy was uplifting. I hope to run into her again.

Mika was her name. (This means beautiful smell in Japanese….hope the owner keeps her bathed!) She kinda looks like this frug:

Adorable - right?

Moment of cuteness and joy.

Moments D63; Family Genes

Today I had lunch with extended relatives from the UK. I won’t lie, I was a little nervous in meeting them. I’m not entirely sure why. I’m not exactly a shy person. But, I was feeling a little nervous none-the-less!

They were absolutely lovely and adorable people. We shared many stories and enjoyed a long lunch. What’s interesting to me, and the moment I choose to share, is the family similarities.

First, let me explain the connection between us. S’s line originates three generations back. Her great-great-great grandfather was the brother of my Dad’sgreat-great-great grandfather. (Head hurt yet?)

At one point during our conversation it was noted that I was incredibly similar to their niece - in looks, in personality. From there we talked about family traits. From fears to tendencies and onwards. It was incredible some of the touch points that were the same. Time (generations of time!) and space (different continents) don’t supersede genes.

It was fun. It was great to have a slice of someone else’s life shared with me. It was a moment where time, space and generations crossed. A very interesting moment indeed.

Moments D62; Arrivals and Departures

I realized today that the arrival area of an airport is filled with such joy and anticipation and happiness. As I looked around at the people around me as we waited for our respective flights to arrive, I saw many excited faces. I swear you could feel the anticipation in the air. On the flip side, the departure area of an airport can be filled with such raw, sad emotion as loved ones separate for some undetermined time.

It’s kinda like life. There are good days (arrivals) and bad days (departures). One without the other would lessen the importance of either. It’s the balance of life. The good and the bad. The light and the dark. But I digress…..

As I waited, I watched the people around me (I do love to watch people) and I realized that I was smiling. I really enjoyed seeing such excitement on other’s faces. But, there is one reunion that brought a tear to my eye.

In the crowd there was an older gentleman and his wife. She was sitting at the seat closest to the door and he was standing at the rail in front of the door. In one hand he held a “Dora-the-explorer” balloon and in the other a bouquet of pink carnations. You could feel the anticipation as he gently rocked side to side waiting for the doors to part and reveal his arrival. Time passed and with every door opening you could see he was hoping….and then the magical moment arrived. Somehow, someway his daughter and granddaughter came out the door that wasn’t being used. The granddaughter saw grandma first and went barreling down the ramp, under the railing and into her arms before grandpa could say “boo!”. Grandma immediately wrapped her arms around the little girl and smothered her with hugs and kisses and more kisses and hugs. Grandpa made his way over and it was quickly a big group hug with the little girl in the middle. Not far behind was the little girl’s mother and daughter to the older couple. She walked down the ramp with a huge smile on her face and added herself into the group hug.

It was such a beautiful moment. The love, the joy, the raw sincerity of it all. It was some time before the flowers and balloon were handed over as everyone was too busy hugging and kissing.

I love those moments. Moments when love is tangible. Moments when love seems to cause the rest of the world to fall away.

It is this moment I had to share today.

Moments D61: JUST DANCE!

Today’s smile comes from a video sent to me in the wee hours of the morning. It was unexpected. It had no supporting comments or information included with it in the email. Just the URL. I had no expectations, but as the footage unravelled itself, I couldn’t help but smile.

As I continued to watch nearly 5 minutes of footage I realized Matt had accomplished quite a feat. Imagine just how many lives he has touched. How many smiles he has brought to strangers faces. How much love and positive energy was born from this social experiment. Not only has he learned new dances along the way, you can see in the video that he’s teaching moves as well.

Moments of learning and moments of teaching.

Moments of dancing, smiling and laughing.

What a perfect way to start one of my favourite days of the year. The day that my family and I celebrate one of our own. One who, ironically enough, loves to dance and sing and joke around. The timing of the video was perfect and the sender couldn’t have known that.

So today I say - GET OUT THERE AND DANCE!

Moments D60: Home is where the Heart is

Today’s moment: Heading home.

Not where I live, but where I grew up. Even today, 36 years later, I still love to go home. I suppose it helps that I love (and LIKE) my parents dearly. We are actually quite good friends I dare say. Coming home is like a breath of fresh air or a captured moment of peace.

Moments of love.

Moments of laughter.

Moments of sharing.

Moments of comfortable silence.

That’s home to me.

#moments #family #love #laughter #home

Moments D59: Just ask the Question

My parents always told me to ask the question. No matter what the question, no matter how outlandish the request - ask the question. What's the worst that can happen? In our home - the worst that could happen was the answer no.

Today's moment was born out of this advice. Born from this deeply engrained part of me that won't NOT ask the question. Sometimes this means asking difficult questions. Sometimes this means talking to people that can be challenging and are more often reply negatively.

Today I decided to fight to keep one of our summer students on staff. He had a short-term contract with us to help out with the trade show. His contract expired as of today. This kid is one of the best kids I've ever had the pleasure of working with. He's hard working, motivated and quickly and easily asks for direction when he needs it and more work when he's done. This type of work ethic is a relic of the past and yet there is hope - this student is only 18 years old. With this type of dedication to the job, with his ability to connect with so many people in such a short period of time it's inevitable: He will be incredibly successful no matter what he chooses to do.

I'm certain that if I had I not acted upon the years of "Just ask the question" instilled in me we would have missed out on keeping this wonderful soul on our team.

In the end, Mr. H Jr. will continue on with us for the remainder of the summer. All because I took the time to confirm and double check with the big boss that he had all the information he needed to make a decision. (Obviously that wasn't the case!)

Moments of asking the question.

Moments of believing it is worth fighting for.

Moments D58: Follow Your Heart

Today’s moment was advice offered from a new friend (and coincidentally this advice was shared again with me later today by two of my nearest and dearest).

It’s really simple advice. Why isn’t it simple to follow. I stop to ponder this. I really truly believe it boils down to fear. (Did you see my blog post from Tuesday?)

Before the “doubt-monster” attacks, my heart soars at the thought of simply “following my heart”. Why can’t it be that simple? Once you strip away the fear what is left? OPPORTUNITY.

I know I’m regurgitating a bit of Tuesday’s blog post, but having had the “Follow Your Heart” tossed casually (and NOT so casually) at me, I had to explore it once again.

So today’s moment: Follow Your Heart. Keep it simple, but make a game plan. No one said you couldn’t plan when you follow your heart! (Hey, once a planner always a planner!)

Moments D57: New Friends, Old Souls

One thing about me: I believe we are all connected. I believe that we are here, as physical beings to learn and to teach. That every moment should be special. That every interaction should be focused. (I know, this isn’t always possible, but I do try to focus on situations/people as they come into my world.)

Today was a continued day of meeting many new friends, new faces. For me, this is what drives my soul. People. Talking to people. Hearing their stories and understanding how their experiences have affected them and how their shared stories entwine into my life. Sometimes this connection feels so deep and so comfortable that I swear I’ve met these people in previous lives or different universes. For me, I call them old souls. (I’ve been told once or twice that I have an old soul, so I suppose we’ve run into one another before!)

To this day, I am still amazed when it happens. I’m sure you’ve felt it too. Where you just “click” with another person. It’s that moment where you just meet someone and you’ve moved beyond the pleasantries. Where you dive into discussions about business or life or lost loves. It happens fairly quickly and without much effort at all. Before you know it you are talking about the meaning of life (42) and how one can believe in a higher being without religion being a part of it. You’re sharing some of your deepest darkest secrets without even batting an eyelash.

I really love those moments. I am inspired by those moments.

Moments - D56; Resistance to Change

Why is it that most of us are so resistant to change? I know that I’m a fan of growing, learning and evolving and yet, confronted with major life changes I too fall to the realm of fear.

And yet I have persevered. I have made some big life decisions in the last 8 months and I find I still have a few yet to work through. It’s these few that bring such fear into my world. Fear of choosing the wrong path. Fear of sharing too much. Fear of not sharing enough.

Strip away the fear (which I believe really is at the core of us all - fear and love are the seeds IMHO) and what is left? Opportunity. Opportunity to choose a different path or tweak the one you are on. Opportunity to share with someone new or to dive in deeper with someone close to you. An opportunity to push your boundaries or to snuggle in. Change is a catalyst. It’s the unknown we fear most.

This moment, this insight was inspired by an article shared with me by a new friend. It reminded me to rediscover ME, to appreciate the beauty around me AND the beauty within.

An enlightening moment to remember that “Each small step is a major victory, and a step closer to what is right, to hózhó, Walking in Beauty.”

Moments - D55; Teamwork

Today was a day that was all about teamwork.  A day where we pulled together a bazillion little details to bring to life a tradeshow.  A bazillion little details with a team of brilliant, hard working people.  We easily worked a 15 hour day.  We laughed.  We chuckled, we danced, we hugged.

Tomorrow will be a great day to see it all start to breathe and to see the smiles of our attendees.  But, today, today it was all about teamwork.  About getting the job done.  About getting the job done with a smile.

Yes - we have an awesome team and I am thankful for that team.

Moments to share.  Moments of teamwork.

Moments -D54; Ignoring the weather man

You know, those weather experts sure do struggle with predicting the weather. Today’s moment….beating the weather.

Today I had hoped to get in a few games of beach volleyball before the thunder storms rolled in. out started off badly. Very sad actually…nearly left defeated after an hour…but then we had a few new players (better caliber!) show up. It was now worth getting my net and setting it up for better games.

Ah, but the weather was calling for thunder showers….was it worth the effort?

We decided to risk it. BEST DECISION OF THE DAY! We were set up by 1:30pm and played thru to nearly 5pm. It sprinkled a bout around 2:30pm, but then the sun broke through….Whoa ya! Heaven. I’m tired, a weee bit burnt, but so very very happy that we ignored the weatherman!

Moments! Love the ones where you nearly missed out on them!

Moments - D53; Making Lemonade

Today was a strange day. I worked (longer than I wanted to) ran some errands, then headed to check in at the hotel near the concert if the year for me. After check in, about 30min later, I found out the concert was canceled due to the stage collapsing. Saddened by the news, my girlfriend and I were not disheartened.

We made the best of a changed situation. We made lemonade with our lemons. The fact that we flowed with it…rolled with it and had a ton of fun without our favorite band….makes me smile. It was a great moment in our friendship.

Dave n Busters (and three jackpots); wings n beer, and a blizzard to top off the evening!

Perfect for filling in.

Moments with your best buddy.

Moments - D52; Intervention

The friends in our lives are so invaluable. Given the right environment, the right moments, you can feel such love, such support. The right friends have empathy. The right friends will support you know matter what decision you make, even if it isn’t the right decision.

AND then, there are times where your nearest and dearest hold your hand and then kick you hard in the a$. They do this because they love you. They take the time to explain with tough love. They listen patiently to your words and your feelings. Then they kick you in the a$ again. They continue to listen and support you and your feelings….but they push. Gently. Then they push a little harder. And then the light begins to shine in the darkness. The white love of a friend’s love.

A reminder that “We have no control over how people will react to our assertion of boundaries.” But that it’s incredibly important to set the boundaries.

Today I had my two dearest friends shared their perspective on what’s been going on in my life as of late. Bottom line, it was an intervention of sorts. It’s a veil being lifted. Moments of love….moments of support. Moments of understanding. Moments where you realize just how lucky you are to have such beautiful people in your life.

Moments - D51; Tomato Cages

Today I tried to help find a home for some used tomato cages. During the process, I had quite a few laughs and it’s the moment I’m going to share with you today. I was very surprised at the fact that this small request to my office brought so many smiles.

First of all, I had three people ask me “what is a tomato cage”. Shocking. Who doesn’t know what a tomato cage is? Why wouldn’t people know what a tomato cage is? Hmmm. This was puzzling to me! As the email conversation continued between my team, there were pictures shared….the real one:



Which garnered these comments:

“They keep the tomatoes enclosed so they don’t run off when they ripen.”

and

“Ya gotta keep an eye on those ripe tomatoes!”

And then, this picture came along:



Oh the giggles.

Then this line:

“Yep, once they take off you can never (sigh) ketchup.”

Ah yes. Smiles. So many today from my office.

Thanks guys for the smiles today, during a tough stressful work day.

Moments within the office. Moments of laughter and silliness.

Moments - D50; Distance Doesn't Matter

Today I had my eyes checked for the first time in four years. Yes, I know, I really should do it more often, but I haven’t had any issues with my eyes, nor with my glasses or contacts, so really, what’s the harm?

So the moment today that brought the smile to me was when the drugs used to dilate my pupils started to work. I was playing on my phone doing a crossword. I started holding my phone further and further away from me so that I could read it. I actually, at one point, laughed out loud when I realized I was doing what many of my (ahem) aging friends are doing. THIS must be what it’s like to have hyperopia (or farsightedness). It was a good chuckle to myself.

Moments that make me laugh and moments that I must share!

Moments - D49; Peonies

It is that time of year when one of my favourite flowers begins to bloom. (actually this time if year brings both of my favourites - daisies and peonies!)

Over the weekend I spent some time with a dear friend I haven’t seen in far too long. (both of our lives have been too busy for our own good!) But our visit was sweet and perfect.

As we parked for dinner at our favourite local Chinese restaurant, there was a bed full of freshly bloomed peonies. I stopped to take a couple of photos…like this one:



Of course we spoke about my history of peonies and my love of them. (My mother used to have them. I remember how the ants crawled on them and we’d “ew and ah” over them as the magically opened up over the days of lingering sunlight….)

Today, my dear friend texted me to find out if the plants in her new home’s flowerbed were weeds. She informed me that she was cleaning out her beds and was going to plant a peony in my honour. She wanted to know what colour I wanted.

I was touched so deeply by this gesture. So sweet. So simple. So very genuine and touching.

I may have lost my dream garden this past year, but I now know that there will be a little piece of me living with one of my best friends.

It’s a moment that MUST be shared. It’s a moment of friendship, of love, of respect and understanding.

Moments - D48; Coming Together

You know that moment when things “click” into place? That was my moment today.

I love those moments.

Today was a busy day at work. Many deadlines. Much to accomplish. Even so, I wanted to get out at a decent time so I could get to the beach and play a couple of BVB games BEFORE meeting up with someone dear to me for the rest of the evening.

Many things needed to click into place to make it all happen smoothly.

And it did. Every piece fell in line perfectly.

Those are great days. Great moments. And it was a wonderful day and evening.

Thank you universe for a moment that clicked together

Moments - D47; New friends

Today started off with a bang as I hit the ground running and ended up being late to meet my pick-up crew at the beach. It’s never a good feeling to know that you’ve let down a group of people. (I wasn’t at the beach early enough to lock down a volleyball court for us!)

I’ll admit, I had a moment of panic. What to do, what to do.

And, as has happened during much of my life, the universe opened up new doors for me. One of my team mates had connected with another group of pick-up players. These guys are serious! They’ve been doing this for the last 10 years every Sunday during the summer.

And WOW! What a crew! It was some of the best volleyball I’ve play to date this summer. The digs, the hits…I was a serving machine! It was the best 6 hours of my weekend. I came home a little burnt (even though I had slathered on a lot of sunscreen all day!) and exhausted. JUST the way I love to feel!

And so, today’s moment is about new friends. New adventures. Believing that the universe will provide.

Moments - D46; Little Flowers

Today I met up with a dear old friend of mine. I haven’t seen her nor her husband in nearly 6 months. It’s simply been too long. But, with the turmoil in my life and the turmoil in hers it has been difficult to connect.

BUT, connect we did. We had a lovely afternoon catching up. The moment of the day though, was sharing a pedicure. Side by side, we shared stories from the months that have passed. We’ve had our challenges and our triumphs. It was when we both had teeny-tiny flowers painted onto our big toes that I knew, this was a moment that we’d both cherish for many years to come.

Friendship moments. Moments of connection. With friends like this, you know you are fortunate.

Moments - D45; Late night Basketball

Tonight on my way home from a fun movie with a fun guy….we saw a group of kids playing basketball. It was 10:30pm…nearly dark. They were playing by the light of the tennis courts which weren’t very close.

We slowed…and I watched briefly with a smile.

This is a moment where a group of 10 kids were having so much fun they didn’t want to stop.

I love those moments. Moments you want to last forever.

Moments D44 - Kitty Kuddles

There's nothing like going home sick, crawling into bed and having your kitty curl up beside you and purr.

More reliable than most people tend to be!

Kitty Moments - gotta love 'em!

Moments - D43; Scarf Dancing, Barcelona Bags, and Random Flowers

Today's smile comes from complete randomness on my drive into work. Normally I wait until the end of the day to share the moment of the day, but I had two moments that brought smiles to me that I simply couldn't wait.

When I arrived into work and logged in, I had a lovely (digital) bouquet of peonies waiting for me from a dear friend. She knows I've had a couple of challenging days and even though she's just moved and has been busy she made time to reach out to me. Why have I not surrounded myself with people as glorious as this woman sooner? (Something to delve into perhaps in another type of blog!)

But, back to the randomness. As I drove through the Beach, I saw a lady walking a very cute pug with a black Barcelona bag, kinda like this one:

As I approached my office building, I saw another lady riding on a bike with the same bag. How random is that? How strange that I saw two people with the same unique bag in a 15 min drive. The pieces that had to align for that moment to occur astound me! What is the universe suggesting? Perhaps it's time to explore Barcelona? Hmmmmm.

The second bit of randomness was just before reaching my office building. There was a young girl, perhaps early teens, playing on the corner with two scarves. She was dancing and twirling and tossing her scarves. It was quite a beautiful moment. If only we could all remember to be so carefree.

Moments of love. Moments of alignment. Moments of beauty.

Yes, today I've already had many moments.

Moments - D42; Bruises

Yes. Seriously! Now I know you must think me crazy. But hear me out.

Bruises can bring me smiles. Not all bruises. Definitely not. But there are some that remind me of OTHER moments. Moments of a caught ball, moments of a big dig.

Today, I smile and appreciate the new bruises on my arm. Tonight's pickup volleyball was challenging (I played 2's for awhile and held my own!) and I managed to dig out some really challenging balls.

My bruises will make me stop and smile for the days they live with me. A reminder of the plays made. A reminder of the cheers and the camaraderie with new players. A reminder of the fun had on the beach on a Tuesday evening in the setting sun.

Moments with bruises. Sure - why not?

 I'll bet you are smiling now too!

Moments - D41; Revelations of Strength

Have you ever had one of those days where you wondered if you'd make it through the day?   Have you ever wondered if you would be able to deal with all the "stuff" that life is throwing at you and survive with a smile?  (And I do love to smile...even if the world around me is challenging!)

Today was one of those days.  Between the chaos at work (we are going crazy now ramping up to our tradeshow) and my personal turmoil, it's been a challenging day!

But, in spite of or perhaps because of these challenges, I've come to realize just how strong I can be.  Finding this inner strength and believing in this inner strength is such an important part of "self".  Don't get me wrong, I'm not always strong (not even close really to always), but when I am, and when I am aware of being strong, it is a moment that should be celebrated.  It is a moment that should be acknowledged and understood.

We all have a well of strength to draw upon during our darkest days.  I, for one, will  stop for a moment and celebrate this ability, for without it the bleakest of thoughts would take over.

A moment of strength.  A moment to smile and appreciate one's self in troubled times.

Moments - D40; Healing Sunshine

Today they were calling for rain. I cancelled my pick-up volleyball due to the high POP. Sadly, it didn’t rain until much later in the day. Talk about disappointed! It was also a hard day for me on a personal level with much emotion flowing from me.

Still, there was a moment within that cloud of disappointment and angst that brought a smile. A smile beyond the the turmoil.

This came to me early in the morning when the sun broke from the clouds and washed over me in warmth. I sat in the sun, feeling its warm upon my face for quite some time in the quiet of the cool morning. I let the tears flow. I let them dry in the sun.

Yes, some moments can really be that simple. Appreciating the healing warmth of the sun on a cool morning.

Moments - D39; Shrimp hugs

Today’s moment bright a smile to me at the strangest time.

Today I watched a shrimp and a fish be friendly with one another. The fish was nestling into the shrimp’s antennae. It looked as though the shrimp were petting/stroking the fish.

At first I thought I was crazy. Why would this be happening. Surely I was projecting and humanizing the shrimp and fish.

But I watched for a good long time (I do love aquariums!). At one point the shrimp moved to another part of the tank. It didn’t take long for the fish to follow and nestle itself back into the shrimp’s antennae again, where it stayed and was petted by the shrimp.

A beautiful, strange moment between a fish and shrimp.

A moment I had to share.

Moments - D38; Winning and losing

Today was a productive day but nothing spectacular stood out. But, even so, this evening did provide a moment where I smiled and giggled and enjoyed.

Tonight I managed to win $6.17. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. Shortly afterwards I realized that I had lost a card if mine. It wasn’t significant, but out still bummed me out. (I really hate to lose things!)

Then I remembered. I won $6.17! And I did a little happy dance!

Yes it really is all about how you focus on the situation. I think our core selves struggle to keep sight of the wins in our lives. For some reason it seems easier to focus on the losses. Why is that? How did we evolve to be that way?

Life needs to be more about the positive moments. Our wins. No matter how insignificant they make seem.

Winning moments.

Moments - D37; Proud Papas

A co-worker today shared this email with me about his daughter's recent promotion.  It's beautifully written and brought tears of joy to my eyes.  I will share the email exchange in its entirety, though I have changed the names for privacy.

From: Mr. B
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 10:42 AM
To: JP
Subject: FW: Want to be successful? Ask yourself, What Would Kylie Do?

Thanks JP. I’m so proud of her. I hope she one day becomes as smart and as good at what she does as you.

From: Daughter of Mr. B
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 10:33 AM
Subject: FW: Want to be successful? Ask yourself, What Would Kylie Do?

It’s official.

From: Kylie's Boss
Sent: May-31-12 10:27 AM
Subject: Want to be successful? Ask yourself, What Would Kylie Do?

I am happy to announce that Kylie  has been promoted to CEO and Chair of the Board effective immediately.

In her time at XXXXX, Kylie has proven to be the most extraordinary human on the face of the planet. Since I started wearing my “What Would Kylie Do?” bracelet I’ve become a better person. You should all wear them. Kylie is my hero.

And for those who have seen her in action, you know that negotiation is the most impressive of Kylie’s amazing skills. (In retrospect, I now regret agreeing to negotiate the content of this note and getting talked into letting Kylie write the first two paragraphs of this email.) Needless to say, the unique skill set and industry knowledge Kylie brings to XXXXX has raised the reputation of our company.

Kylie started at XXXXX as our very first events person and quickly proved her mettle with CT and their hockey program. It was at the NHL Heritage Classic in Calgary in February 2011 where we first saw Kylie in total lockdown mode for an entire week. To visualize this mode, image a hungry lion that has a zebra in its sights. It sees nothing else. It knows exactly what it wants to do. It will not stop until it kills and eats its bloodied prey. That’s Kylie in lockdown mode. If that image grosses you out, imagine a kitten chasing a ball of string. That’s Kylie, too. Either way, you want Kylie in your corner.

And she has been in the corner for some big events – many store launches and classic car road shows, but also for Mark’s and Amex events. She also was a driving force for XXXXX’s Big Day last August, from concept to execution. As we’ve all learned just how amazing Kylie is, the more her role has grown, including to help win new business such as additional projects with ZZZZZZZ. Kylie is never short on ideas, and sells her ideas driven by a sincere desire to create the best events.

And for the record, Kylie really can negotiate down any price and talk people into things they never wanted to do. But people also love working with Kylie, and deeply trust her. I mean, I could have sworn we promoted her to Account Supervisor, Events. But if Kylie says she’s CEO and Chair, then in must be true.

Congratulations your majesty.

BOSS MAN

From: JP

Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 10:50 AM
To: Mr. B

OMG Mr. B.

First of all your compliments make me glow!

Secondly, *I* am so happy for Kylie. It sounds like she is an incredible woman and someone that is appreciated and highly respected by those she works with. In some regard, I’m a wee bit jealous. I long for a day when I am part of a team that works so cohesively and respectfully.

And finally, Mr. B, YOU are an incredible man. You had much to do with Kylie’s personality and drive for success. I only know a slice of you from the work world and that man is pretty damn impressive. I can only imagine that the whole you is ever more so. So be a “bursting-with-pride” papa. You deserve it.

Thank you for sharing such a personal, important moment in your life. It brings tears to my eyes as my heart fills with the shared joy!

From: Mr. B
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 10:52 AM
To: JP

Jen, 30 feet away my eyes, like yours, are filled with tears. You are too generous.

Yes - this is my very special moment today.  

Actually, I was quite fortunate today.  I had quite a few special moments today.  From missing a speeding ticket, to winning a baseball game where I caught the last ball for the out, to revisiting old moments to reveal new smiles.

BUT - none of those special moments trump this moment proud papa.  I was so happy to have been included in the joyful moment.

These are the moments that define us as people.  Nothing else matters.  Just the people around you.  (IMHO)

Moments should be shared and celebrated.