Moments D310: Respect and understanding

Today’s moment seemed to bombard me as I had many instances of it occur.

A moment where a friend asked me to have their needs respected and they followed up with thanks for understanding.

Another moment where another’s needs were not being met and where I may not have necessarily understood what those needs were.

A moment with two in my circle that took the time to understand my needs and not only respect my boundaries but work with me in them.

And then, the pièce de résistance my two cute kitties finally found a place of respect and understanding today. As I type this, Ma-Ku, the baby, is curled up on my chest. Nimue is curled up right beside me. Together they purr in unison.

A reminder that respect is a give and take. A flow of energy if you will.

A reminder that it’s important to take time to understand the needs of those around you.

Moments D309: Concerts and Cameras oh my!

This evening I spent at a concert with my 17 year old niece.  I found myself in a sea of young adults, some of which were most certainly still going through the last stages of puberty.

It was an amazing moment to share with my niece.  We laughed at the pushing crowd (pushier than my hardcore rocking Soundgarden concert goers) and we conspired about flying elbows and gum being dropped in hair.  Of course none of that happened!  But we giggled about it in whispers.

And as the concert progressed to the most popular of songs by Imagine Dragons, the sea swarmed with cameras and smartphones recording the songs in their entirety.  For me, that’s a disconnect between the “here and now” and “capturing a moment”.  A moment isn’t the entire concert - it’s snippets of it.  I realized years ago that being caught behind a lens all the time takes you out of the moment.  A moment that becomes a memory in and of itself.  Is it nice to have a couple of pictures to jog your memory?  Definitely, but I don’t want to relive entire moments through image.  I want them to be deep within me.

The disconnect between self and the world around you.

Are we now more interested in being connected with others through image instead of absorbing the moment within?  Hmmm.  A question that puzzles me.

Instead of being annoyed or upset that I could no longer see the stage and band through the sea of arms and cameras I closed my eyes and listened.  I listened to the intricacies of the band.  I listened to the people around me and their reactions to the music. And, I danced.  Quietly.  By myself.  For me, that’s absorbing a moment.  Taking it all in.  And for me, I will always fondly remember this night, not because of the band, but because it was such a treasured time to spend with my niece.

Moments connecting.

Moments going deeper than the world outside.

Moments D308: Fly

Sometimes it is challenging to accept change. Sometimes it is even harder to instigate change.  And sometimes, yes sometimes we have no choice.  The waves of change push us beyond our comfortable cocoon.

Today was one of those days for me.  It was light of understanding that washed over me after a conversation with a colleague of mine.  (This a man I respect greatly!)  He told me to fly.  His simple, yet (always) elegant words inspired me to believe.

His words “Think just how much more beautiful a butterfly is to look at than a cocoon.”

Today:  a day where I realized the cocoon isn’t necessarily the best place to be.

Moments where you believe you can fly.

Moment D307: Clowns

There are lots of people I know that are afraid of clowns. Interestingly, one of my best friends actually went to clown school. (Yes, really!) It is because of this that I know some of my friends’ deep-seated fear of clowns. These were the friends that refused to go to the clown show put on by all the clown students. (Can you imagine being in a small theatre filled with MANY acts of clowns if you were afraid of them?)

Well, this memory came flooding back to me as I saw a clown walking two children to school today. I had to do a double-take. I didn’t believe I was actually seeing clown walking on the side walk at 8am in the morning. But, there he was with his over-sized shoes, bright red/orange curly hair and red nose upon a white painted face.

Really though, I don’t know why I was so surprised. Clowns have to get to work too. Why not walk to work on a warmer winter morning?

A love strange moments that make me randomly giggle.

This was said moment today.

Moments D306: Ma-Ku;

Today I brought home a new family member.


She’s only 8 weeks old. She’s sweet, she’s cuddly and she is very curious about her new world she finds herself in.   Oh, and she's polydactyl.

I named her Ma-Ku. Ma-Ku is a Chinese goddess personifying the goodness in all people. Ma-Ku also means spring and longevity.

Spring is one of my favourite seasons. When the world begins to shake off its winter slumber. It smells fresh. It’s when the sun begins to tease the bulbs to bloom and their blossoms track its warmth. When the trees suddenly shift from brown to bright green and they are filled with the sounds of birds cheering on the dawn. I love spring. The sights, the sounds the smells.

I love to find the goodness in all people. Yes. All people. Challenging? Definitely. But, it is important to me to do so.

And hey, who doesn’t want longevity? Longevity in love, in career, in friendship, in life.

Welcome Ma-Ku. Welcome home.

Moments with a new family member.

Moments finding a name that fits.

Moments D305: Late Night Dinner

Today was a day filled with reading my textbook and typing out notes. It was a day to push hard because I had a very exciting evening and morning planned. I worked hard right to the end and though I had a bit of a speed bump to slow me down, I still managed to make it to my BFF’s at a decent time.

But, instead of diving into dinner, we dove into cheese and wine and caught up. I love those moments. Who cares what time it is. Who cares if I’ve had “real” food. I have REAL conversation.

I don’t think we ended up making dinner until 10:30pm. And it was good, actually it was GREAT, but honestly, I barely noticed the food. I was so engrossed in our conversations. We had side-bar on side-bar and “hold that thought” to start another conversation.

I love those moments. They are some of the best and definitely the most memorable. To besties, and noting that you are having a dinner so late at night, but that you really didn’t care.





Moments with your girlfriend.

Moments losing track of time.

Moments D304: Jello Cubes

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to “Quiver like jello cubes on a freight train”?

Huh. Neither have I. Until now.

Wait. No, that’s not true. Once upon a time, years and years ago, a fellow co-worker taunted another co-worker about her “jiggle butt”. Okay - kinda the same, but not quite. Interesting though. Very, very interesting.

After all, what’s not to like about quivering jello cubes, right?

Moments to laugh those belly laughs.

Moments to remember times long ago.

Moments D303: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Tonight at dinner we had the waiter write “have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious night”.

I haven’t heard that in years. No spoonful of sugar needed though as it was a perfect ending to a perfectly delightful evening. My evening’s volleyball was full of fun and wins and my late night dinner was filled with laughter both with my friend and with the waiter serving us.

Now I can’t get the song out of my head. Thanks Adam the French-Irish waiter.

My moment: enjoying something as silly as “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” being written on the back of your receipt.

Moments D302: Worry & Calm

I'm a worrier. I know it isn’t a healthy thing to do and it is something that I’m trying to learn to curb.

Today, I worried. A lot. I had an opportunity to share my concerns with a few of people tonight and I gratefully received three very different perspectives on the same issue.

And all three said “Don’t worry about it - you can’t control anything but your own actions.”

Interesting. AND TRUE.

Sometimes I think I just need someone else to remind me of this simple fact. To remind me that even if my worry is warranted, I can only control what I have control of. All other things don’t matter.

And deep tidbit comes from a most trusted source. Of course she’s absolutely correct. But, I feel better having dissected all the possibilities as well. Now that I better understand the situation, I have a sense of calm. It will be what it will be. I can, and I will accept that.

Moments understanding why the worry.

Moments accepting the calm.

Moments D301: Gently falling Snow

This time of year a lot of people are complaining about the winter dragging on. But for me, I love the seasons. I'm not ready for summer again so soon.

Tonight, I rather enjoyed the softly floating flakes of snow. I smiled as I blew them from my wind shield.

Moments appreciating winter.
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Moments D300: Turning Point. Endings, Beginnings and Questions

Today was the end of a beautiful weekend. I dragged my feet when it came time for me to leave. I simply did not want to go. The peace, the beauty, the friendship and laughter. It was hard to say goodbye.

But, it was time to head back to home and the reality of homework and the coming work week. I arrived home about 3 hours later than I had planned, but the extra stolen time was well appreciated.

About an hour away from home, I received a phone call from someone who was once very, very important to me. We had many beautiful memories, but we also shared quite a few dark ones as well. It felt like a constant struggle between us, and like the lyrics of a song I heard today, it felt like he loved me for everything he hated about me. It was complicated at the best of times….and here he was, again, in a dark place again. For him, it was time to end the ending of what was left of our relationship.

I took the time to hear him out, for I understood his frustration, pain and fears. I’ve been where is was. It can be incredibly hard on one’s heart to let go, but harder still to hang on. He needed closure to move on.

Will I miss him in my life? Yes. Of course. People that share important milestones in my life with me will always be a part of my memories. But I won’t lament the loss of this friend. I did that when we broke up. I was hoping we could find friendship again, but I understand why that can’t be. It’s okay. I have no real emotion about it (which is a little strange to me, but I’ve already gone through the grieving process) And frankly, with every ending is a new beginning. I’ve been on that journey now for some time. For me, his ending of endings only becomes my more solid beginning of beginnings.

So today, as I sit to write my 300th post on daily moments and how they make me smile, I realize it’s a perfect time to really reflect on my journey with words.

I look back over the past 300 posts with fondness. It was a new beginning for me. A journey to dig deeper and learn more about myself. I think I've learned a great deal about what I really want in life in these past 300 days. And, as mentioned earlier, I think what’s more important is that I have a much better handle on what I don’t want in my life as well. That, truly, is really the bigger revelation from my journey.

This blog, these words, have helped me find perspective. My written voice offers me a moment to self-assess every day. After all, coming up with special moments for 300 days in a row hasn't always been easy. It takes a moment to pause and reflect upon the day, and sometimes, I have to dig for that moment.

Today’s moment is the turning point. That moment where you realize you are on the right path. It’s like reliving the past, but from a future perspective. I have always believed that things happen for a reason, today, this turning point, makes me feel like I know that there was purpose in the lessons I've had over the past year. I'm more confident because of those lessons and taking the time to self-assess along the way has really opened my eyes to what I want and what I don’t want moving forward.

Today’s moment? Appreciating the depth of moments and what this process has given me. The moments that continue to surprise, entertain and offer perspective to my life. They also keep me questioning the world around me.

Moments D299: Euchre!

It’s been a lovely LOVELY weekend already with my Bestie in Haliburton. I’m so very lucky to have her in my life.

We had a beautiful, cold, walk to the Wolf centre. We set up her profile on OkCupid and giggled all the way through the questions. We played Scrabble (and she kicked my butt!) made an amazing fajitas dinner (WITHOUT cheese….gasp!) and then we invited the boys next door to come and play Euchre with us.

I haven’t played Euchre in years. It was such a treat to be able to do so. Not only was an old favourite game dusted off, but we all knew the game well to play well. Lots of laughter and ribbing happened during the games and after nine rounds of games, my partner and I came out on top!

So why Euchre as my moment today? I choose this moment because I believe playing games with someone shows a side of them that you might not know. Are they competitive? Compassionate? Do they teach (their partner)? How do they think? How do they plan moves? For me, it’s all very interesting. And, I find, more so in card games, the banter reveals even more of a person’s personality than just sitting around talking at times. You quickly see if there is a humourous (or serious) side and if it’s subtle or in your face.

I like playing games. And not just because I like to use my brain in different ways, but also to take time to appreciate those I play with and understand how they play their game and how they interact with others playing the game. Tonight, it was about new friends, who quickly became good friends over nine rounds of Euchre.

Moments digging deeper through games.

Moments for new friends & laughter.

Moments D298: Fast Lane

Well, now. Driving. I love to drive. I admit, I really love to drive. And yes, speed is something I enjoy.

Typically, I try to behave and not speed all the time and I’m certainly not reckless with my speed. But sometimes, sometimes it feels great to really enjoy going fast!

With that in mind…..

I had a four hour road trip to Haliburton today. A beautiful bright sunny winter day. PERFECT for driving. I was singing along to my tunes and enjoying the moments.

Except the moment where this one van was riding my tail closely. I guess going 100km in an 80km zone wasn’t fast enough for him. Shortly thereafter, the one lane highway split into two. What happened next was comical. It’s, by far, my moment of the day. I know most might be upset by having been pulled over and given a ticket, but no, not I. I speed a lot. I was due. It’s just the way it goes. But the story behind it? Priceless!

I was feeling a little annoyed by this van driver and I didn’t particularly want to let him pass me. So I sped up in the split highway and took the fast lane instead. Had I stayed in the right lane and let the van pass me, wouldn’t have ended up with the ticket. That’s just the tip of the iceberg!!

As I rounded a corner, there was a black SUV in the fast lane. It was going slower than I was in the fast lane (with the fast van behind me) - so I switched back into the slow lane to pass the slower black SUV and to my dismay it was an undercover OPP vehicle! SNAP! He was on me in 30 seconds with lights on. Huh. The speedy van behind me? Zipped by without another thought.

How can you not laugh at that? My moment of weakness (of being stubborn and not letting the van go by) turned into a moment with an OPP officer. By the time Constable Johnston made his way over to my window, I had all my paperwork ready for him and I apologized. I was caught red-handed! Not much I can do otherwise. Within a few minutes I was on my way with a $140 ticket.


And I was laughing. Silly me. Caught up in the speed. I should have let the van go.

Live and learn and laugh about it!

Moments D297: Surprise Visits

Tonight was supposed to be a night of homework in preparation for a long weekend away. (HAPPY FAMILY DAY!!!) While I managed to sneak in an hour and a half, but the rest of my evening went awry. But it wasn’t a bad awry (for a change!)….it ended up quite a change of pace for me.

Those of you that know me, know I’m pretty regimented in my scheduling and how important school is to me. So to switch up my plan is always a little painful for me!

So after work today I ran about getting a few errands done, I was, after all, heading out for the long weekend to spend with my Bestie in Haliburton. I needed groceries. I needed flowers (it was her birthday celebration) and I needed beverages. By the time I finished running around, my homework seemed to be a painful idea, even though I had PLANNED on this evening for homework, I wasn’t really feeling it. This was strange for me.

And so, when I had an opportunity for a friend to drop by, I decided - why not? I’m all about changing things up and living a little differently than I normally do. So I said yes.

So, instead of hard night of homework, it was a night of a little homework, a couple of drinks, great conversation and a movie. Not bad for a planned homework night!

Moments to deviate from the plan.

Moments enjoying the new path.

Moments D296: Pampering Mani/Pedi

Today is Valentine’s day. For me, it’s always been a “Hallmark” kinda day and it only seems worse as the years have passed. Don’t get me flowers on Valentine’s day. That’s lame. Surprise me in the middle of January or the end of March. After all, we should love, appreciate and tell the people we love how much they mean to us everyday.

I get it though. Sometimes life takes over and the mundane washes over us. It’s good to have a milestone to remind us to take a moment and appreciate those around us. I do, of course, take the time to tell those I love that I love them on Valentine’s Day. But the craze? That I avoid. And today always reminds me to find ways every day to appreciate the people I love.

So tonight, I took a moment for myself. I treated myself to a manicure and a pedicure. I was worried that the salon would be busy. Quite the contrary. It was a ghost town. I was the only customer there. Huh. I guess that means the coupled ladies in the hood had plans and the other single ladies (like most I know) tucked in and avoided being out on their own. {sigh} That saddened me a bit.

Personally, I’m okay being on my own tonight. I received a lot of love from people in my circles. What more can a girl ask for?

An insight: I’ve never believed in “true love”. We’re all connected. We are more connected with certain souls. This is what I believe. There are people that you just “fit” with. Is this true love? Not necessarily. It doesn’t need to be a lover to fit. It could be a best girlfriend, or a teacher, or a mentor. There are many levels of “fitting” and connecting, in my humble opinion.

My day will come when I find the right “partner in crime” again. I’m not worried about it as I was, maybe 6 months ago. I’m a pretty cool chick with a lot to offer and I’m happy with the friends and family that surround me.

And then my foot massage kicked in with a focused conversation (because there were no other distractions). I was very happy to have the place to myself.

Moments for oneself.

Moments of reflection and soap-boxing.

(sorry about that!)

Moments D295: Terrifying vs. Terrific

Today my nephew turned 9. I spent almost two hours in rush hour traffic to get to him in time for cake.

I made it in time! It was glorious and I couldn’t have been happier than to have had the opportunity to hug the little guy on his special day.

But the best moment, wasn’t when I was playing “Little Big Planet” with him, it was when he opened his card from me. He laughed when he read it. This drew attention from the rest of his guests. The rest of the family wanted to know why and asked him to read it aloud. And he said:

“For one terrifying guy, I thought I’d treat you to some French cuisine…..”

(this is when I started to laugh to myself….)

He finished reading the card and one of his aunt’s looked at me and was - was that supposed to be TERRIFIC guy? We all laughed again. Yes - OF COURSE it was supposed to be terrific!

Guess he got a little nervous reading aloud, but it was so darn cute. I think it brought a smile to us all. Thank you dear nephew for that moment.

Moments D294: Fevers, Tests and Love

I know. I know. Strange bedfellows, but what can I say? Today my cold broke free of me. I had a full on fever by mid-morning. It’s a good thing my pounding head convinced me to stay home again from work. A fever is nothing to mess with! And of course tonight was my first test of the semester too. Talk about a day!

I slept, I worked from home in my pjs (again - I tell you, I could get used to that!) and then I slept some more. The fever finally broke and I figured it was a good time to brush up on my studies and dive into the test.

But today’s moment isn’t about the cold or the test - it’s about the love that I felt from my circles. Those close to me, those afar, those nearest and dearest and new friends. The love, the support, the well wishes.

It’s just a cold. But I know I am missed in the office.

It’s just a test. But I know that my friends (and family) want me to succeed. (Maybe that’s because they know me well enough to know that I won’t be happy with anything but success!)

Sometimes, it’s just a nice warm blanket of comfort knowing that there are people who really care about you. I’m fortunate, that circle is wide, and its depth great. So today - thank you to my peeps. For the surprise smiles, for the silly suggestions, for the rants about Angelica and raw sugar.

Moments for many smiles, from many directions on a tough day physically and intellectually.

Moments D293: Reset

I'm sure everyone has had a day, or a moment, where you just wanted to pull the covers back over your head. Today was one of those days.

My cold lingers and this morning was not easy to tear myself away from the warmth of my duvet. So I didn’t. Instead, I grabbed my phone and called in sick again. I rolled over and pulled my fluffy warm duvet back up around me. I reset my day.

Three hours later, I awoke with a start. It was nearly 11am. Out of character for me, I tested the waters and lifted my head from my pillow. Yes, yes I was ready to jump out of bed (finally!).

After making myself a cup of coffee, lazily cleaning up my kitchen and doing some readings, I begrudgingly logged into work shortly after lunchtime. I worked, in my pjs until nearly 5:30pm. Not bad for a sick day. That`s a good reset kinda day.

Moments acknowledging that you need another day to recuperate.

Moments at your pace.

Moments D292: Digging the Car Out

Today I had to finally adventure out to pick up a few necessary groceries. Normally, not such a big deal, but after being sick for the past three days, it definitely was a bigger production than normal.

AND to top it off, my car was buried in about 2 feet of snow. Not just the light fluffy snow that fell, but also the snow that the snow plow pushed up aside it.

Twenty minutes later I put the shovel down, finished my coughing fit and hoped I had dug around my car enough to get her out. I said a mini prayer to the universe that it was enough and then we attempted it.

SUCCESS! On the first go. Yes - that’s my moment today. Successfully digging out the car. Why? Because it meant I could finally have some fresh food and not just all the stuff I had kicking around the apartment. It was a good moment and one that made me smile. (Though eating my tomato salad a little later on certainly made me smile too!)

Moments of successfully beating a cold to be mobile.

Moments D291: Snow Angels

Today was a study day. My cold, getting better. I'm still coughing,but not nearly as much or as often. That’s a win in itself!

Studying went. Not to bad at all actually. My mind was more clear. Phew. I needed that. Here’s hoping tomorrow will be as productive and the information will stick in my brain.

But today’s moment was celebrating the snow. My apartment gets very, VERY hot. That’s because the basement apartment in my triplex gets very, VERY cold if the heat isn’t turned up higher than normal. To counter-act this heat (and I actually hate to be warm in the winter - after all it’s winter and I WANT to wear my sweaters and fuzzy socks and curl up on a blanket!) I open a window in nearly every room.

This morning as I started my studies, my first floor neighbour and her very adorable 7 year old daughter were outside shovelling the side walk. This was what I overheard through the open window:

“Mommy, I love the snow today……Mommy, I think there is more snow today…….Mommy look at my beautiful snow angel…………..Oh Mommy, I LOVE the snow today.”

How can you not just ooze with love and smiles after hearing that?

I won’t lie, I’m a wee bit jealous that I’m not out there enjoying the snow too. I love shovelling. But not with this cough!

I loved the snow today too - but from the 2nd floor. Watching it sparkle in the sunlight - that was quite lovely.

Moments overhearing joy & happiness and soaking it in.

Moments to pause and enjoy the beauty of winter.

Moments D286b: The video

I hope you enjoy the sounds of the waves!

Moments D290: Snow Day!

Well, technically it wasn't a REAL snow day. Had I been just a student, it would have been, as the university I go to cancelled all their classes. We had over 25cm of snow fall in the last 24 hours. FUN! Too bad I'm still not feeling so hot to get outside and enjoy it a bit.

Today, I called in sick to work. Though my breathing is better, I didn't sleep well and at 8am this morning there was simply no way I had the energy to truck myself into work. I happily pulled the covers back over me and slept in until 11am.

Then, I logged into work from home. Ya, I know. I really shouldn't do that since I'll be docked a whole sick day. But, I'm too responsible for my own good. I was actually feeling better post morning nap, so why not be productive. It's not like I had enough energy to go outside and dig out my car! So I worked for 5 hours. Not bad for a snow day.

Then I switched hats and ready my textbook and did some problems for my upcoming test. Huh. Really not bad for a snow day.

Now, I'm about to make a late dinner. Yes, only soup, but it's time. I'm finally hungry. All in all, a pretty productive day for a snow day. Sleep in, work, school, food. Not bad at all.

I really loved watching the snow fall too. I had my blinds open all day watching the blustery winds of white.

Here's hoping tomorrow can be as productive, though I may need to dig my car out so I can get some groceries!

Moments enjoying being snowed in and "stuck" at home.

Moments D289: Slow Down

Today was a bit of a frustrating day. First of all, I'm sick and coughing like I've smoked 2 packs a day for the past 20 years. (I have never been a smoker!) Second of all, my day consisted of meetings and waiting for IT to fix my computer issues. What this means? I wasn't nearly as productive as I like and need to be.

But, on some level, that’s okay. I realized this as 5pm drew near. I wasn’t feeling well. What a better way to deal with my afternoon than to slowly clean up my office. You know file away stuff that I haven’t had time to in many moons, dust off the back part of my desk. Walk around the office and check in on the team. Just the mundane stuff that I never seem to have the time for.

It was good to have had a slower afternoon and as I departed on time (for once in a dog’s age), I had to smile at the slowness. It’s okay. The work will still be there tomorrow.

Moments to appreciate a slow down.

Moments realizing that work isn't everything.

Moments D288: Kitty Love instead of homework

I haven’t been feeling well.  That darn cold that went through the office found me!

Tonight, the original plan was to buckle down and get a lot of reading and studying done for my upcoming test.  Instead, my brain wouldn’t really allow it.  I’m slow and struggling to focus.  So, after a couple of hours of of struggles, I gave in to the cold and sat my butt down on my couch.  Shortly after I did, my pretty kitty came to join me.  Sitting on me purring away, it was just the love I needed for the day.  For a good 30 minutes we just hung out together.  No TV.  No reading, just sitting and contemplating.  I’ll be my blood pressure isn’t too high now!

Love my furbaby.

Moments D287: Trust & Respect

Today I had an epiphany and it is the moment I want to share with you.

Some people just don’t have the ability to fully trust another.  I think I’ve always, on some level, known that we’re all different in who we trust and how we might trust others in our lives. After today I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t a small group of people that really are unable to trust.  Period.

Of course there are!  It’s absurd that I ever romanticised that we could all learn to trust given enough time and energy.

So then the question becomes how do I interact with people of that nature? How do you build a relationship with someone who does not trust? For me, I over compensate with information. That seems to help alleviate the anxieties of not trusting.

But there are moments that this annoys me. Surely, by now those in my circles know me well enough to trust me. Which circles me back to: never finding that trust.So it comes down to choice. I either stick with what (mostly) works, or I choose a different path. Perhaps it is time for change.

Moments of revelation.

Moments D286: Sun & real beach surf

Today was the last day of vacation, but we had a full day before we had to be at the airport.  So, we made off to the beach.  Cocoa Beach actually. It wasn’t a super hot day, but it was sunny with only a few clouds spotting the sky.

When we arrived in Cocoa Beach, we were at the day’s high - about 20 degrees Celsius.  Honestly, it was perfect to lay on the beach and soaking in the sun.

But it wasn’t about the sun today.  Today I celebrate the sound, sight and smell of the ocean.  I even took a video to capture the movement and sounds of the waves.  (And if I can figure out how to do so, I’ll post that video later on, for now, here’s a photograph of the spot.  Imagine yourself here!)

Laying on the beach, listening to the surf was deeply relaxing and calming.  By far, it was one of the best moments of the trip with my family.

Moments in the sun, on the sand, listening to the surf.

Moments D285: Hawks, soaring and drifting

I swear, where we are staying in Davenport, Florida it must be a hawk sanctuary or something.  Every time we were away from the resort, we would see 20+ hawks soaring in the sky.  I’m not even exaggerating.

It was pretty amazing to see them everywhere in the sky.  Each of us noticed it.  That’s kinda cool that my nieces noticed. *I* noticed them noticing!  Geeky.  Yes.  Maybe.  But it made me smile!  At one point my older niece counted 28 hawks in the air.  Together we stopped and watched them soar and drift in the warm winds.

Oh to be a hawk soaring on those warm winds!

Moments looking to the sky.

Moments enjoying your family and their perspectives.

Moments D284: Soaking in the sun and the winds of change

Today we enjoyed a day by the pool, but in the sand. Yes, our resort has a man-made beach! Drinks from Jay the ever attentive bartender, pizza lunch on the beach. A perfect day out enjoying some tunes and each other.


The best part of the day was late in the afternoon. It was just my uncle and I left soaking up the sun as the girls bailed on us. We continued to soak in the last of the day’s rays in complete silence. How zen it was! It was in these last quiet moments that I found a deep sense of quiet & relaxation. It was incredible. No distractions, just me, myself and I, enjoying the heat of the sun.

In those last moments of the day I thought about many things. From a brief overview of my last year of change and growth to a more in depth processing of next steps looking forward. I feel a great change coming. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it is coming. The question becomes: Am I ready for it?

Yes. I think I am. There’s no reason to simply be comfortable. Change makes us uncomfortable. But I think, I’m ready for that stir up. My new year’s resolution: To be more true to self. and not fear change.

Moments in the quiet.

Moments with one’s thoughts.

Moments D283: Jack & lemon post shower

Today, a brilliant day enjoying yet another shopping morning and sun by the pool. It was also a brilliant day in that my niece was accepted to her preferred university for next year. She was beside herself in happiness!

But, my personal personal favourite moment post shower. We decided that tonight we would go out and celebrate the good news. That meant showers for us all. The moment of the day? That was the moment when I stepped out of the shower, peeked out of the bathroom to let the girls know one of them could step in and I was handed a Jack & lemonade garnished with a sliced strawberry and a couple of blue berries. Damn! Now that was service. It was the biggest smile of the day, and likely will be for the week. My aunt? She’s a damn superstar that way.

Moments enjoying being pampered.

Moments when your mind was read!