Moments D727: Ishtar (prounced Easter)

Today was Easter and, like most families on this long weekend, a chunk of mine gathered to enjoy dinner together. Unlike those celebrating the religious holiday of Easter this weekend, my family simply celebrated life and family.

I suppose that's what we've always done come to think of it. It's not so much about the religious holiday, but about family time.

Today we had rambling discussions about religion, life and death. Interesting given that today is Easter Sunday. But today's moment was when EQ shared the concept of Ishtar with my parents. Oh, that was a funny moment. Ishtar, is a Sumerian, East Semitic Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of love, war, fertility, and sexuality. There are theories that Easter has roots in celebrations of Ishtar, afterall What do eggs and bunnies have to do with a ressurrection?

The comment didn't linger long before my Dad smacked my Mom's forearm and said, "How long have you known this and been withholding from me?"

Of course, we all fell into giggles as we watched my Mom's face turn from pink to a bright glowing red.

Celebrating fertility and sex - yes, that would make Mom blush.

Moments enjoying time with the family.

Moments sharing silly theories and lots of laughter.

Moments D690: Dance, dance, dance!

Today the entire crew visiting Jamaica for my cousin's wedding joined in on a full day adventure with Chukka Tours.  The day started out with a rain storm.  It was fun to watch the storm cloud roll in, let loose upon us at breakfast and then pass through just as quickly as it came in.  We were thankful for the quick storm as we had all signed up for their catamaran cruise headed to Dunn's River to climb the falls.   There were over 20 of us.  It needed to be a good weather day and the universe was in agreement!

What a treat to enjoy a day with everyone.  It was a day filled with great moments, and today, I'm going to share a couple of them.  First, we cruised along and stopped for a snorkel.

After our snorkeling time (which was definitely dampened by the rain storm - the reef wasn't very clear!), we headed to Dunn's River Falls.

Walking up the falls wasn't much fun with the group as the tour guides originally had us all hand in hand, in hand, like a trail of kids.  It was like being on lock down when a world of excitement was just in front of you, teasing you for more action.  It didn't take long for EQ & I to split from the group and climb up the falls on our own terms.  What a treat that was.  What a ton of fun it was to play in the falls.

But truly, the best moment of the day was after lunch and on the boat ride back to the resort.  With rum punch in hand, we all rode the waves and sang and danced....and danced some more.  We all did!  All 20+ of us on the front of the catamaran.  With screams of fear (for some of our group fear motion like that!) mixed with screams of laughter we danced the afternoon away.

When we landed back at the resort, we continued to dance, sing, and laugh.  We managed to even catch some, actually a lot, of it on video!  How incredible to spend the day bonding with my family (and extended friends) and to be an adventurer with EQ.  

It was a day filled with dancing; dancing in the waves of the ocean, dancing in the river splashing up the falls and then dancing atop the catamaran.  Dance, dance dance!

Moments enjoying a day trip with the family.

Moments being extremely silly and loving life!

Moments D689: Underwater Screams

Today, EQ took a bunch of us snorkeling!   What a glorious morning it was!  Blue skies with puffy clouds mirrored upon the aqua waters.   The eight of us were eager to get into the water and explore!

And explore we did!  For over an hour, seven of us in the water explored the depths of the coral reef just North of the resort.  Pepper was our guide and he was a lot of fun as he tried to make our time in the water special.  He was obviously very comfortable in the water and the reef.  He was constantly lifting rocks and shells to show us what was hiding beneath.  Under one of the rocks lifted, there was a starfish.  He pulled it from the rock and ocean floor and  let it go near the surface.  We watched as it fluttered in the waves and back to the sandy floor below. He showed us sea eggs, and marbles, and at one point he even took my hand and we chased a stingray.

But, the best moment, by far, was when Pepper convinced me to touch one of the soft looking corals on the reef.  Now, I come from a mentality of "look, don't touch", but he was flitting about so confidently and I had begun to trust him.  I figured, why not?  I could gently touch this coral, right?

And so, I dove down with him, and gently touched the soft coral.  When I realized that my fingers were stuck in the coral, I screamed!  MY FINGERS WERE STUCK!  "AAAAARRRGGGG"  When I touched the sticky coral, it grabbed me and held on! It was like a bad horror film moment!

With a firm tug, of course, the coral let me go.

As Pepper and I surfaced for air, we were both laughing hard.  Topside, he explained to me, my cousin and EQ who were within earshot, that this coral was food for seahorses.   After the laughter all-around subsided, I watched my cousin dive down and experience the same sticky coral as it grabbed her fingers.  While she didn't scream as I did, you could tell she was still surprised at just how sticky it was!

Moments that surprise you.

Moments that make you laugh big and deep.

Moments D631: The Hard Sell

Today, in the office we opened the last of the holiday treats.  There was a box of calendars for 2014 and a couple of boxes of holiday treats.  Panettone, Baci chocolates, another box of chocolates and yet another of Italian candies.

Just when we thought all the bad food influences of the season were behind us.

Not so much.  Today's moment comes from the fact that Chica is now in full steam ahead mode to get herself in shape for her upcoming nuptials in June.  She's not really dieting per se, but she is being very careful about what she's eating these days.

Enter the Baci chocolates, stage left.  Enter Chica stage right.

Oh, the look on her face was priceless.  It was obvious that she wanted one.  It was more obvious that she wasn't going to have one.

Enter our Art Director stage left.  Within seconds, he leaped at the opportunity to tease Chica and before anyone realized, he was in a full on hard sell of the Baci chocolates sitting in front of Chica.  What a hilarious moment, watching her squirm and him finding ever more delightful adjectives about the chocolate or why she shouldn't pass up on this "last" opportunity to enjoy the chocolate.

In the end, he won.  I think the fact that the Baci's have inspirational messages inside won Chica over.  That said, she didn't go quietly!  With a big huff and puff, she snagged a single Baci from it's nest and stomped out of our office and into hers.   So much for saying "I love you the Italian way!"

We all had a good chuckle at the theatrics.  That's a good moment!

Moments having too much fun in the office.

Moments enjoying the banter between co-workers.

Moments D586: Girls' Night In

Tonight I had my best ladies over for dinner and drinks.  It's the last Saturday night of 2013 for me here in Canada and I couldn't resist spending the time with my favourite ladies celebrating each other.

It was a night filled with much wine, fun and laughter!  It`s hard to filter down the awesome moments!  That said, there were two moments that really stand out for me.

The first is an app that Heini introduced us to.  Vivino.  Wow.  How much fun is this wine app??  I loved it instantly and I think the more I use it the more likely I'll end up buying the pro version.  FINALLY a way to manage my fridge of wines!  AMAZING!

The second awesome moment was when Bunny shared a bath time story with the group of us.  It was of her youngest son pooping in the bath.  Of course, there were rounds of laughter as Bunny acted out the scene.  Shortly after the first rounds of laughter were dying down, I asked when her youngest had done this.  Her reply?  Just minutes before she had headed out to meet up with us!  Another round of laughter ensued.  And then we learned that her hubby actually picked up the feces bare handed.  After a room going eeeeeeew....we all laughed again.

So much laughter tonight.  Yup.  Amazing time with the ladies tonight.

Moments finding an app that really is perfect for you.

Moments enjoying your friends in 2013 and looking forward to many more in 2014.

Moments D584: Giving Thanks

Today was a challenging day for me on many levels.  First of all, it was an extra long work day as I had an event today.  It was an emotional day as I dealt with the final stages of letting go of a friendship.  And it was an emotional day because my love was 3000+ miles away and feeling lonely on one of the biggest holidays in the states.

So very, very challenging.

When I was on my way home and I was asked to Skype into the Thanksgiving festivities in SoCal.   I was tired from a 13 hour work day, but I couldn't say no to EQ.  Besides, it warmed my heart to hear that my new friends from SoCal wanted to connect with me too.   But, before I go any further and share my moment of today, let me take the time to introduce a couple of  my new SoCal friends.

Sunshine-Unicorns&Rainbows (SUR) is an incredible woman, filled with a bubbling energy and positive outlook on life.  She also happens to love unicorns....and rainbows.....and sparkly shit.  I have no doubt that as we get to know one another more and more, she and I will become close friends.  She is married to:

Say-it-like-it-is (SILIS) is a  warm, witty and shoot-from-the-hip kinda guy.  Honestly, he says it like it is.   No shit.    He also loves food.  (hmmmm.  I love food....)  He and Sunshine-Unicorns&Rainbows are such a fun couple to have in my circle.  The love between them is obvious and they are so filled with laughter and positive energy!

The other couple at dinner, I've met but not had a lot of time to get to know just yet, so I'm not ready to give them nicknames.  (It wouldn't be fair!)  Suffice it to say, that T&T are going to be a ton of fun.  From what I saw tonight, they too are a fun loving couple.  Bottom line, I was laughing and smiling so hard tonight because of the group dynamics.  If I were there in person?  Boy-oh-boy would there be trouble!

Back to the story of today's moment.

My love felt like a fifth wheel and was quite excited to have me home and dialling in.  Me, I was worried I wouldn't have enough energy to share with the excited group of friends.

And then my moment of the day hit me.  Once connected EQ walked me around the room to show me where everyone was sitting, I found myself excited by their chatter, banter and side conversations.  There were quips and digs, and even a random hug in the background.  It was perfect.  The light and love that came pouring through from SUR, SILIS, T&T and EQ filled me with a third wind.

As we settled down, the first thing they had me do was pour myself a drink and then share with them what I was thankful for.  

(Nothing like being put on the spot!)

But honestly, that's easy for me.  I'm ever grateful for the family I have.  Not only my blood family (but I am very fortunate to have the blood family I do), but I'm also grateful for those family members born of friends pulled into my deepest inner circles.  I know I am lucky to have such a strong support system around me.  Most of all, I am fortunate to have ever found EQ.  How in the universe did we manage to find one another?    He's rocked my world and I will never be the same now that I've had him in my life.

And in the end, I stayed online with them for over an hour.  We shared stories of love and engagement. Stories of silly rumours and how two very strong, independent women became fast friends in spite of the rumours.  I watched as they poured more drinks and continued with the banter.   And, in the end when I hit my wall of exhaustion and I couldn't simply holdout any longer they were all very warm with their goodbyes and sharing that they were looking forward to my arrival in SoCal next month.

Yes.  My heart was warm from tonight's Skype with new friends in SoCal.  Great idea EQ.

As I reflect now upon the evening and in the vein of giving thanks, I can't help but circle back to how fortunate I am to have an amazing man like EQ in my life and for him to have introduced me into a new circle of friends.  They are amazing people.

Moments pushing past the exhaustion.

Moments pausing to give thanks and enjoying the ample light and love flowing from holiday celebrations.

Moments D576: A wake

A dear friend's father passed away on Monday.  While he had been sick for some time, his death wasn't expected so soon.  Regardless of the circumstance, death is never easy for those left behind.

Tonight EQ and I attended the first evening of the family's wake.  I'm always nervous at such gatherings, especially when I don't know the extended family.  But I'm also a firm believer in sharing my love and light in dark moments like this.  My fears and needs are insignificant in comparison.  It's my job as a friend (or family member) to bring extra energy to those in need at times like this.

Fortunately as we entered the room my friend and her husband were easily found.  We immediately made our way to them and shared our condolences.  This, regrettably, was the first meeting between my friends and EQ.  Unfortunate circumstances, but sometimes life throws curve balls at you.

They were surprised to see us and after our exchange of words of sympathy and hugs, I, in turn, was surprised given that we were in a funeral home at my friend's father wake.

My girlfriend stepped back and then gave EQ a thorough one-over.  With a raised eyebrow and a twinkle of mischief she commented on his "adorable dimple".    I followed along and asked which one was out?  The evil one or the good one?  And she laughed.

She laughed.

She continued her inspection and then noted EQ's cleft chin.  She proceeded to call him adorable again and that he "was too much to take in all at once."  All the while a laugh in her voice.  And then she let out a big hearty laugh.

A moment of brightness in a very dark time.  Beautiful.  Simple.

Moments consoling a friend, worth every ounce of nervousness.

Moments of shared pain, peppered with healing laughter.

Moments D573: Family laughter

Today EQ & I met my Mom & Dad in Burlington (half way from their house to our house) for lunch.   Why on earth did we do that?  Well, it was important to my Mom & Dad to have some time with EQ before he heads back to SoCal.  Yes.  He's had some impact on my circles.  That's what happens when you have an amazing man enter your world.  Your amazing world shifts and envelopes him with their love and light too.

But I digress from today's moment. My moment today happened as we were finishing up our lunch. 

As a child, my family used to sit together for dinner well until I was in my mid/late teens.  It wasn't simply a tradition of sitting and eating, no, dinner was always a place of conversation, shared stories and, often, a lot of laughter.  So much laughter that there were nights that we left the dinner table with full bellies that hurt from all the laughter.

Not 20 minutes after sharing that family memory with EQ, did we have a reenactment of said experience.

My Dad, the jokester he is, dropped a blur of words on my Mom that had us all a wee shocked, which was followed quickly by deep, rolling, belly laughter.  It didn't take long before my Mom, bright red, was wiping the laughter tears from her eyes and each of us struggled to swallow the galloping laughter.  There were pauses of laughter, but all it took was one small look from one to another at the table to engulf the entire table in laughter again.  We laughed so hard and for so long that our faces and stomachs hurt!  

And, as we are known to do, we were not quiet about it.  Not even in the very busy restaurant!  

So much so, that our server, whom we had already paid, dropped by to make sure we were all okay.  Of course, this only caused another round of laughter between us all.

No there was nothing "funny" in the water.  We're just silly people enjoying what we can out of life.

Why not right?  Life is too short.

Moments being silly.

Moments inflamed with belly-aching laughter that follows you for the rest of the day.

Moments D558: Big Sis Digs Deep

After a day of volleyball, EQ and I headed into the Niagara region to spend the rest of the weekend with family.  Tonight was an anticipated evening, one where he would finally be able to spend some extended quality time with my "Big Sis" and her family.  

The first part of our night was spent just the four of us.  Shortly into dinner Big Sis' youngest daughter and her friend joined us.  The atmosphere was light and jubilant with much laughter.

As the evening wore on and the kids disappeared, the adults settled in with another glass of wine and later some Jack.  The conversation, inevitably, dug in a little deeper.  What was incredible, and the moment I want to share, is even though some of the subjects that we dug into were serious and deep, everything was coming from a place of love and support.  Serious questions were asked with a humourous tone.  Family history and secrets were shared with twinkling eyes.  With every turn in the conversation, I could see the relationship between EQ, Big Sis and her husband being built.  At times I found myself simply sitting back and watching it form.

What was most incredible was watching my Big Sis' openness.  She was open enough to go deep tonight and as the evening came to a close, I realized with a certain confidence that Bis Sis and her hubby were really enjoying EQ's company.  Tonight, I watched them fall a little in love with him.    A beautiful moment indeed and one that I can see happening again over the months to come.  A heart warming, soul fulfilling moment.

Moments digging deeper with family.

Moments building new family relationships.

Moments D556: Imitation as Flattery

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

My favourite holiday of the year has finally arrived and with it a day filled with fun and laughter.  (And yes, too much candy!)

My moment today surprised me.   I actually managed to don two costumes today (one for work and one for our outing this evening), but it wasn't about either costume this year that brings me my moment of the day.  (They were fun, but not awesome.  Next year, I am going to go after awesome!)  Honestly, I thought that the moment of the day would be the fact that I was sharing my favourite holiday with EQ which is another first for us.  And as amazing as it was to share today with EQ,  another moment knocked me over!

When we arrived at our pre-Church Street walk party, we were greeted by the host dressed up as a Prince.  Fun.  Expected.  Then we entered the living room and found ourselves greeted by Comic Guy dressed up as our host for his Halloween costume?  Completely unexpected and insanely hysterical!

Comic Guy was a perfect representation of our host.  And it reminded me about the concept of imitation being the highest form of flattery.  And so, I had to look up where that concept originated:

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery" coined by 19th century English cleric and writer, Charles Caleb Colton

The light rain didn't dampen the experience as the group of us eventually made our way out to Church street to see many more forms of flattery.  What an incredible evening with friends, my love and complete strangers, soaking in the fun energy of the holiday.  

Moments of surprise.

Moments of raw laughter.

Moments D522: I won't need pants!

Yes.  Those were the words that came out of my mouth.  In the middle of my office, with all ears listening.

What a funny moment that ensued.  There were deep belly laughs and tears all around.

But let me back up and set the scene.

Recall, that my department and I are currently sharing a smaller office space due to a fire earlier this year.  On some levels it's brought us closer as a team even if we have lost some of our privacy and possibly productivity due to distractions.  The point, at 9:15 am, we're all in the office, not quite deep into work and everyone is paying attention to the chatter.

As Mr. B passed through with his tea, he commented on just how beautiful the morning was.  He's right.  It was a beautiful fall morning.  Sunny and about 15 degrees Celsius.   If tomorrow is like this it would be perfect to run the Tough Mudder.

I agreed with him out loud.  And then I added, very enthusiastically, "If tomorrow is going to be like this, I got this!  I won't need pants either!"  The office paused, quieted and then burst into deep belly laughter about the thought of me running my race without any pants on.

A little stunned, I quickly added, "...shorts.  Of course I'll have shorts on instead!"  Of course by then it was too late.  We were all lost to the laughter.

To me it made perfect sense.  We had been talking earlier this week about pants v.s. shorts for the race.  But, that's not what they heard this morning.   Perhaps I needed to finish my coffee before engaging in conversation!

Just a reminder of how much fun my team is.

Moments streaming words without thinking too deeply.

Moments being centre stage as the source of good deep belly laughter.

Moments D489: Water Fight

Today my brother and his family came over for a visit as they were unable to attend the BBQ yesterday.  I was grateful that they made the time to come out because otherwise EQ wouldn't have had a chance to meet my brother, my sister-in-law and my two very beautiful nephews.  What a treat he was in for!

After watching the video of my youngest nephew's Karate testing for his purple belt, we sat and watched a few more videos of the boys.  From karaoke to sledding in the winter!  What fun!  The laptop on my lap, both nephews beside me on one side and EQ on the other.  What an incredible moment with lots of giggles and full on laughs.  But it quickly got much, MUCH better and that trumped this mini moment of the day.

The best moment of the day was when my oldest nephew handed over the laptop to my brother and then looked at me, with a glint in his eye, and said, "I'm going to get my water gun and I'm going to squirt you until you are very wet."   WATER FIGHT!!

Well, well, well.  Really?

And so, I took off my sunglasses, set aside my pretty straw hat and tied back my hair.  I then made my way into the backyard as I watched both my nephews fill their water guns.  Before I knew it the three of us were running around the yard hooting and hollering.  Then my Mom handed me a water bottle.  It didn't have quite the range of the water guns, but it certainly helped my stand against the two boys!  

And then, something magical happened.  EQ joined in on the water fight.  The boys chasing him, all of them ganging up on me, and then my nephews and I ganging up on EQ.  So much fun! And boy, oh boy what a water fight it was!  I wonder what the neighbours thought at all the hoopla!  By the end of it all, each of us was completely soaked.  So much so that all our clothes (undies included) needed to be put into the dryer before we could sit and eat dinner.  Such silly fun.  What a way to warm one's soul!

It was a perfect way to spend some quality time with my nephews and for them to really engage with my boyfriend.  In the end, I think he passed in their young eyes too as they both gave him a hug when they left later that evening.

Moments enjoying playtime with one's nephews.

Moments being surprised and falling a little more in love with your boyfriend.

Moments D466: Girls Night Out

Running on a mere 3.5 hours of sleep and emotionally drained, I very nearly bailed on my Friday.  Part of me wanted to just pull the covers over my head and stay in bed all day.

I refused to succumb!  I dragged my tired butt out of bed, drank a boatload of coffee, had an incredibly productive and fun day at work (we had a Mexican potluck lunch!) and then I freshened up and went out with some fabulous girls from work.

We went bar hopping on Queen West, from the Caddy (for dinner and an awesome bourbon caesar) to the Savoy for a couple of drinks, to the Church for a couple more drinks.  From there we walked up Ossignton and had a few laughs along the way.   From one wine bar with a bar full of gents shooing us away because they were closed for a private party (though the door was open!) to going into and then quickly out of another bar that had a strange hip hop vibe.  We finally settled at the Dakota Tavern where Melissa Payne was playing.

Though I was tired and a little less lively than normal, it was an incredibly fun night out. Sometimes blowing off some steam is exactly what is needed.

Moments pushing through exhaustion.

Moments celebrating new friendships and girl power.

Moments D453: Gun Show

Today was our baseball tournament.  While it was fun, we lost and I was injured, twice.  (I now have two ankles that are bruised and swollen.  Ah, well.  It serves me right for not catching the ball in the first place, right?)

The team went for lunch after our first two games at our local watering hole and today's moment was when we all sat down at the outdoor table.  My coach looked at me and said, "Show me the gun show."  I looked at him quizzically and then looked at a couple of my team mates to see what the heck he was talking about.  One of the gents started laughing and explained that earlier in the day he had asked our coach if he was "...ready for the gun show..."  at which point he had showed our coach his "guns" (which is showing off your flexed biceps).

Interestingly, our coach had no idea what that had meant...so this was a fun new experience for him. Coach's reply:  those aren't guns...I'll show you guns!

And circle back to all of us sitting at the lunch table and Coach asking me to show him the gun show.  Apparently Coach felt I had better guns than my team mate's guns.  Well, after that story, how could I not oblige?    And so, I showed off my biceps to the table of baseball team mates. We all had a good chuckle.  (And yes, my guns were more defined than my team mates!)

Moments being put in the spotlight.
Moments laughing with your team.

Moments D439: Ever Digging

These past few weeks have been life changing for me.  I have been digging ever deeper into the shadows of my heart and soul.  Years of accumulated pains and neglect found me with very stubborn daemons.  In the past month, I've started to feel them lift from me.  It's a glorious feeling, but the steps along the way are not always easy.

Today's moment is about one of those raw emotional moments.  As painful as it was, it was cathartic.  Twice.  The same subject at two slightly different angles.  Digging deep today meant getting into the nitty-gritty and then going a little deeper.  It meant I had to push through the fear and  shove the embarrassment aside.  I wasn't sure, either time if I'd have the courage.

In these moments, when you do dig as deep as this was, you need to believe that those you share with will stand strong and hold you tight and not judge.

Today, I was fortunate enough to have two of those moments.  The first was happened this afternoon.  I went deep this afternoon.  Very deep.  Coerced a little, but I understood that it was time to look at the reflection in the mirror.  As hail suddenly dropped from the sky and interrupted the intense conversation, I wept as the emotions flooded over me, but my tears were (fortunately!) lost in the moment.  Then the hail turned into gobs of rain and laughter and silliness ensued.  My tears dried and I was, once again, listening in wonder to the depth of support that I had in front of me.

I have been on a soul journey these past two (or so) years.  Digging ever deeper.  Exploring.  Sometimes the reflection in the mirror is not so kind to look at.  But with every step forward, that has begun to change.  To really, deeply change.  Today, I felt it.  Today, I believed it.  That's a first.

The second moment (of this very same nature) came much later in the evening.  I recounted the days events to Heini.   I shared my deepest darkest feelings and before I knew it, she shed tears for me and the journey I had taken over the past 5-7 years.  And then, we celebrated just how far I've come and the promise of hope that was on my doorstep.  No more self-made obstacles.  Life is for living.  Life is for digging ever deeper, because this soul won't have it any other way.

Moments for cathartic sharing.  Worlds lifted from your shoulders.

Moments believing.  Truly believing, in the path ahead.

Moments D437: Smokey vs Smoky

Today we had a discussion in our department upon the spelling of smokey.  (my preferred!)

Was it "smokey" or was it "smoky"?

We had a mini-spelling bee that included one of the executive team members from another department.  In the end, our senior copywriter seemed to be on his own with the spelling of "smoky", whereas the majority was  more comfortable with the spelling as "smokey".  Go figure.

And so, I had to look it up online and figure out how it was that our authority on copy was disagreeing with the majority.  And I found this website on the English Forums.

The major point from this site:  "use smoky if you don't want to be old-fashioned".

We all had a good giggle. We were all the old-fashioned users of the word and our executive team member said outloud, "sure, you are hip and cool with the ky".  And then she realized what she said.  The room exploded in laughter.

You can't script that kind of humour.  My face and belly hurt from laughing too hard.

Moments trying to better understand the English language.

Moments of explosive laughter.

Moments D414: Statler and Waldorf

Today was busy day from the start with one final (marathon) meeting before the big trade show. The good news: we are near ready. The news bringing anxiety, we are only days away and there is yet much to produce.

And, as you may recall, my team and I have been displaced due to an office fire. As such we are all working together in very tight quarters. There is little privacy (actually I don’t think there is any privacy come to think of it!) and we are, at times communicating to one another out loud for all to hear. It’s been an interesting dynamic and it has certainly pulled us closer as a team. (And we now better understand musical preferences and the value of earphones, but I digress!)

In the room (which I like to call the war room as we are nearly all sitting around one big table) my CD and I are situated at what has been lovingly labelled “the head of the class”. (In some ways it does feel that way, especially when I have an apple on my side and my CD has a ruler on his!) In other moments, like today, we were lovingly labelled “Statler & Waldorf.”

Now, if you don’t know Statler & Waldorf, they are muppets who heckle from their balcony seats. The funniest thing: They are a bit grumpy and grouchy about their heckles and they laugh furiously at their own jokes. And, while my CD and I are not old men, nor are we grumpy or grouchy, we do have many a quip for the team during a day and boy oh boy do we laugh heartily at our own jokes.

So yes - that comparison made me laugh. It makes me smile now even as I share the moment. I loved it in that moment and I love it now. Knowing that we can make the team smile and laugh and we can laugh at ourselves is priceless.

Further, it reminds me, yet again, at what a great team I’m on and I am grateful for all the moments I work with them. Their words, insights and silliness are what makes the day an enjoyable day. Today, I am thankful for the label and the smile!

Moments being labelled.

Moments of pure, unadulterated laughter!

Moments D391: BBQ Smokefest

Today I woke feeling lazy and so I switched my day up. Originally I was going to head to the beach to play volleyball all day before heading to my baseball coach’s BBQ. Instead, I was lazy and planted my herb garden. It felt good to have my hands in the earth. I missed that last summer, but last year I was hurting about leaving my gardens behind at my old home. I wasn’t ready to have my hands in the earth again. Today however, I was ready. And I loved every minute of it.

And then my oldest girlfriend came over. Stop the presses…..

I’m going to give “my oldest girlfriend” a nickname because here in my blog it’s easier and I think it’s time. Heini. She is now dubbed Heini because while I’ve known her forever, she’s not my oldest girlfriend, just one that’s been in my life for a very long time.

Phew. I’m glad we have that sorted out.

So Heini came over just as I had hopped out of the shower. I finished prettifying and she tossed the salad we were bringing to the BBQ and off we went.

The BBQ was a smokefest. Ribs, burgers, salads, beer, caesars, oh my! So much food. The company was great, the food was amazing, but the best moment of the day was when Heini offered to help clean away the paper plates after we ate.

Now, Heini is shorter than I am. I’m 5’4.75”. The gent hosting the BBQ is likely close to 6’ tall. He scopped the plates from the table before she could dive in and literally held them high above her head. And Heini jumped for them.

It was like a bad scene out of a comedy. And on cue, we all laughed deeply about it. How amusing to watch. Of course, she lost that battle. (if you’re going to lose a battle that’s not such a bad one to lose!)

Moments with friends & great food.

Moments of belly hurting laughter.

Moments D363: Returning words

I have always found it amusing when words you’ve shared with others find their way back to you. Sometimes this is good and light hearted and other times it may be something more intense and deep. It happens from time to time to me and light hearted or intense, I always love those moments. It’s like something you created has really stuck with someone and they are sharing it back. Today I had one of those moments happen. Not only was it light hearted, the returning words brought a smile and a laugh to both me, the recipient of the words, and to my colleague who shared them.

Not too long ago I was negotiating a campaign with a respected colleague. At one point he asked me to do something I simply couldn’t do. My response: ”Not going to happen” along with a big ‘ol smile. We laughed he told me I was a tough negotiator, we laughed some more and then we found a solution.

Today, weeks later, we are about to launch the campaign and during our final approvals of the campaign I asked my colleague on the phone for something I knew wasn’t likely to happen. His response: ”Not going to happen….but I’m saying that with a smile”. We laughed and commiserated over how one’s words can come back to haunt you sometimes.

Honestly, I’m okay with my words being shared back to me. First of all, I try not to never share words that take things from people, I try to share words that give. I believe there can be light heartedness and words that lift and support the other person even in the most challenging conversations. Because of this awareness, I really don’t mind when my word come back to me. Most of the time it just brings a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart.

So today’s moment, celebrating a smile and a laugh through the phone with words reflected back to me.

Moments with words returning to you.

Moments enjoying laughter with a colleague.

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!