Moments D725: Connecting at the airport

Today I picked up EQ from the airport. It's been far too long since I last saw him.

Typically I pick him up outside of the terminal doors, but today I arrived a touch earlier than I had expected and my last piece of information from him was that the custom's line was quite long. In a flash I decided to surprise him inside the terminal and I went to park the car.

Of course, finding an actual parking spot took me longer than I had anticipated. As time ticked away, I became anxious that I'd miss EQ inside the terminal. As I jogged into the building and down the escalator to the arrivals level, I still hadn't heard from him and I thought to myself "phew, I made it".

I entered into the arrivals area and my phone dinged at me. Of course it was EQ. I didn't even reach into my pocket for the phone, I simply scanned the arrival area a little harder. I was determined not to miss him! I scanned and scanned as again around the arrivals entrance. Just as I finished the second scan of the room, I saw him quickly heading toward door. He was just about the exit the building!

And so I ran, bouncing around the people in my way. I caught up to him from behind just as he exited the the terminal doors. I put my hand on his shoulder, he turned, dropped his bags and swooped me into his arms.

Now that is an exciting reunion!

We stood like that, in silence, arms wrapped around one another for what seemed like an eternity in a blink of an eye.

Sometimes, the universe is on my side. Today was one of those days. I am thankful I caught him and surprised him as I did.

Moments setting up a last minute surprise, even though tight for time.

Moments connecting "just in time".

Moments D715: Secret Deliveries

I have the best damn naturopathic doctor ever.

Of course, that suggests that I have a ton of experience with NDs and know that know what the hell I'm talking about.  I don't.  Honestly, she's the only ND I've ever seen.

That said, she IS an amazing person.  She goes above-and-beyond all the time.  She takes time out of her personal time to check in on her patients (well me, but I assume she does that for all her patients).  She is thorough and easy to share all your health bits and pieces with.  Yes, even the embarrassing ones.

This past Thursday, she helped me out of a pinch.  (Sorry for the pun!)  I emailed her, she called me and we talked about options.  No charge, no expectation of anything, just a "I don't think you need xxx, but this might help."

And it did.  And she, in the end, missed out on an appointment that would have generated some income for her.

I needed to do something to thank her.  For this moment and for all the others she's done in the past.  It's a small token, but it hit the mark.

And for some reason, my name wasn't signed to the card!  The gift was completely a surprise AND it came anonymously to her.  BANGARANG!

I have since emailed her to let her know that I am happy that she was surprised and that it's a small token of my appreciation for all the over-and-above she does for me.

And, I know those potted bulbs will bring her weeks of enjoyment to come.  Perfect really.

Thank you Dr. Lisa Watson!  You've been a life saver more than once.

Moments knowing that your surprise was well received.

Moments sharing your light and love with those that give it to others.

Moments D714: Spring Flowers

Last week, with everything going on, I missed an appointment with my CFA.  Terrible of me.  So very unlike me, but, so it seems, a new side of me as I let things become less structured.  (I've been told I'm too scheduled and structured....letting loose, for me, means missing appointments apparently!)

And so, today was our rescheduled moment.  I was determined to make sure my CFA knew that I was appreciative of her time and that I didn't mean any disrespect.  I offered to pick up a coffee for her, but she politely declined.

So I arrived early and with with a tiny pot of purple flowers.

She couldn't say no to flowers, right?

Sure enough, it was something that certainly brought a smile to her face.  And one to mine for bringing her a smile.

What a delightful moment.  What a wonderful way to start the week.

Moments sharing a tiny bit of love to show some respect and appreciation.

Moments knowing that a small gift will bring many days of smiles ahead.

Moments D711: Unexpected Compliments

Sometimes friends can really, truly surprise you.  Today was one of those days for me.

After another long day of peering at a mega-spreadsheet, it was finally complete and ready to share with the executive team.  A moment to celebrate given all the energy that has been poured into it over the past weeks (months?).  My way of celebrating was to take a well earned break and walk away from my desk for once.

Being near the end of the work day and Friday, I wandered into Arizona's office.  The rest of the team had ventured out to have a department lunch with our co-worker who was laid off back in February.  As much as I would have liked to join in on the festivities, the timing wouldn't allow it.  I wanted to find out how she was doing and catch up with Arizona as I really hadn't had much time all week to pause.  After briefly sharing how lunch was, it wasn't long before we were sharing stories of working out, aching muscles and results from the workouts.  It was within this conversation that Arizona dropped a pretty big (unexpected!) compliment my way.

An instant flush of heat hit me.  I was embarrassed, I was grateful, I was surprised by her words.  At first, we squabbled a bit about her compliment (okay, I did, and she firmly held her ground!).  In the end, there was nothing I could do but say thank you while scratching my head.  (After all, in my mind, all I could hear was "really?")

Sometimes the strangest things surface from your friends.

Sometimes it's impossible to argue against their logic.

Sometimes it's just good to take a compliment, even if your friend misses the point of the conversation being about sharing a personal frustration.  Her point:  I may be personally frustrated, but others tend to be more so.  Arizona reminded me to be grateful that I'm not in the "more so" category.

Okay girlfriend.  Message received.

Moments being shocked at a compliment.

Moments reminding you why you love your friends.

Moments D708: Curls

This morning I woke late and in a rush to get out to my RMT appointment.  In my mad dash, I noticed that I had the cutest little curl on my forehead.

It totally reminded me of pin curls.  If only I had more time to play with hairstyles.  I think I might enjoy messing around a bit.  Time is a luxury when you are working full time and doing school part time.  I do look forward to a day or three where I might be able to attempt a new "do" or two.

In the meantime, today's moment surprised me.  I enjoyed the surprise curl on my forehead as it made me giggle.

A good way to start the day.

Moments being surprised.

Moments being inspired to try a new hairdo.

Moments D703: Pearl

Tonight I went to visit BFF after volleyball  It's been far too long since her, but I was happy for a short visit (it being a "school" night after all!).  Sometimes a short visit is better than no visit at all!

What a fabulous short visit we had.  She shared her leftover dinner with me.  I know in some worlds that may seem odd, but BFF can cook and I was damn happy to have a late dinner of her leftovers!  Over dinner and a glass of wine, we caught up.  She dug into her bag of goodies from Jamaica with glee in her eyes.  I could see the recipes rolling around in her head as she pulled out the special ingredients that I brought back for her.  Bangarang!  That's what I love!

Before I share today's moment, I need to backup and explain that BFF & I love monkeys.  It all started with the lack of a "hug" emoticon in Google's Hangouts - we nominated the monkeys as our hug emoticon.

Back in December BFF had knee surgery.  I was in California.  Bad timing, I know.  I felt terrible to not be around to help out when/where I could.  And so, I sent her a hug, in the mail.  You guessed it, it was a monkey!

She named him Earl.

Tonight, Early gave me a birthday present.  He presented Pearl to me:

And now Earl as a friend!  Monkey hugs everywhere now!

Earl & Pearl.  BFFs.

Perfect right?

What a fabulous surprise.  Thank you Earl.  Thank you BFF.

Moments reconnecting and catching up.

Moments enjoying a lovely surprise.

Moments D699: Milestone birthdays

Today my niece turned 19.  I remember holding her when she was only hours old in this world.  She's grown into such a beautiful, vibrant, loving young woman.  I am one proud aunt.

What an incredible milestone.  I remember mine fondly.  My Big Sis took me out on my 19th birthday.  My first drink, a fuzzy navel. Lame.  I know, but still memorable to this day!

While I'm a proud aunt, but I'm an old aunt.  Twenty-one years separate my sweet niece and I, so as much as I would have loved to join her at a bar for her first drink, starting the evening at 10 pm on a Sunday night really wasn't in the cards for EQ & I.  Instead, we offered to take her out for dinner before her birthday outing with friends and cousins her age began.  Of course, we went to her favourite restaurant: Grazie.  (How could we not?)

Little did my sweet niece know, but my Big Sis, her hubby and her other daughter were going to be there at the restaurant already.  Big Sis & her hubby had the day off and were able to drive into the city for a surprise birthday dinner.

I warned EQ that there would be tears.  We weren't disappointed!  As we walked into the back room, my niece saw her family and instantly sprung tears in her eyes.  Mom, Dad & sister were all teary-eyed.  I love when a moment is so filled with love that you just burst!  This moment, with the first hugs of the night, was just such a moment.

Perfect really for a milestone birthday.

Moments celebrating a milestone birthday.

Moments celebrating family.

Thank you for the round of shots Grazie - a nice touch for the birthday girl.

Moments D675: Spidey-senses

Today was an interesting day.  A day where my spidey-senses were off the charts with activity.  It felt like everything had a double meaning, or a deeper meaning.  Things unsaid were heard.  Things heard left the feeling that there was more to be said.  Small pieces didn't add up.  Bigger pieces felt forced together.

The puzzle was set up and done, but it just didn't feel right.

And I went about my day.  Ignoring the pieces.  Well, sort of.  I was aware of the misplaced pieces, but re-arranging them in my mind (over and over) was unbelievable. Truly.  The version of the puzzle that appeared to best fit, not only seemed unbelievable, it felt like a fairytale story.  No way was that version of the puzzle real.

And yet, as the day passed by, I came to believe that maybe it was possible.  Maybe, just maybe it wasn't just my imagination.  Maybe my gut instinct and understanding of the pieces were right.  Maybe.

On my way home from volleyball, I was on Skype with EQ sharing our days with one another.  As I drove up to the apartment, I realized that there wasn't parking right out front and said as much with, no doubt, annoyance in my voice.  I've never had EQ find a way off Skype with me as fast as he did in that moment.  That was the linchpin for me.  All the pieces locked in place.

Of course, I could still be wrong.

I slowly parked the car.  Methodically.  It was a perfect distance from the curb.
I slowly walked to the apartment.  It was dark.  The hallway light was on.
I slowly walked up the stairs to the apartment.  Nothing seemed out of place.  Nothing changed from when I left this morning.

My belief began to falter.

I opened the door.  It was pitch black inside.  I dropped my bags in the kitchen, said hello to kitt-eh and then flipped on the light.

And there he was.  Laying on my couch.  A big 'ol smile upon his face.  I laughed, still in my parka and stood there a moment and soaked him in.  He was really here, back in Toronto.

And I said:

"I knew it!"

A few seconds more I had dropped my parka and joined him on the couch and we fell into a moment of just holding each other.

What a fantastic, beautiful non-surprise.

EQ was home again.  Early by 4 days.  What a beautiful moment that was.  What a fairytale indeed.

Moments paying attention to the details and not believing what they were saying.

Moments enjoying one of the best surprises ever to come your way.

Moments D670: Family Dinners

This afternoon I headed to Welland so that I could watch my nephew in his hockey tournament.  Typically such a visit is quick and I don't have much of a chance to really interact with my brother, SIL or my nephews.  I join them at the arena, spend some time with my SIL and younger nephew and then we all go our separate ways.  As fast as it is, I am always willing to make the drive, when I can, to cheer on my oldest nephew in the sport he loves.

As I sat enthusiastically cheering on my nephew (playing centre these days) I wondered where he would be in 10 years time.  He's only just turn 10, so there are many paths yet before him.  Will he still be playing hockey?  Would he push himself hard to ever make it to the Olympics?  (What can I say?  I have the Olympics on my brain!) Or, will he be more focused on learning?  Of course, I haven't any answers, but there was that moment today where I was pondering where he might go with his love of hockey.  (And boy-oh-boy does he love his hockey!)

While watching my nephew play is best was a heart-warming moment, the real moment today was a surprise family gathering.  The entire family was coming back for dinner after the game.  Not only my brother and his family, but my Big Sis and her family.  There was 11 of us in all.  What an incredible dinner it was.  Our food was simple, but perfect for the occasion and something we "kids" all love.  Spaghetti and meatballs with ceasar salad.  The dinner table was filled with fast moving conversations, silliness with my nephews and silliness with my "nieces".  Lots of laughter.  The only thing missing was my love.  (He's in California right now.)  I think we all missed him tonight.

I was so very happy that my Mom offered to pull this impromptu dinner together for everyone.  I may have only been in Welland for 18 hours, but I managed to see all my peeps.

That was pretty incredible.

Moments appreciating the effort Mom puts in to pull us busy kids together for dinner.

Moments loving and appreciating my family.

Moments D666: Talking toilet paper

Today I dropped EQ off at the airport - he's headed back to California.  A sad moment to be sure for I don't know when next I'll feel his arms around me.  Time will pass quickly (as it seems to these days), but that moment of saying "see you later love" is never an easy one.

I arrive home to quiet.  After 72 days together, we were now apart again.  It was eerie.

And then I walked into the bathroom and broke out into a round of giggles.  This is what I found:

Even while he was in the middle of his flight to California, the man knows how to share a smile with me.

Apparently the cats decided to help out too by unravelling the toilet paper for me.  I found it just like this!

Can't read it?  That's okay, here's what it says:

Of course, I had to Google Rumi 32.

What a romantic.  Love that man.  Love that he left this surprise (amoung others) for me to find tonight.  It helped with the shift in energy 'round here.

Moments enjoying silliness.

Moments realizing your toilet paper is talking to you!

Moments D664: Scotch heaven

Today EQ and I had dinner with Comic Guy and Archie at a local pub - The Feathers.  I had no idea the treasure we were to stumble upon!

EQ is a scotch fan.  He has an impressive collection of his own.  Tonight, after dinner, after a visit to the loo, EQ noticed the wall of scotch which was, literally, right behind him the entire time we were sitting eating.  Oh the look of surprise!  

As soon as our waitress realized just how big a fan EQ was of scotch, she offered him the book of scotches available.  What an incredible book of options!  It was written in small print  with many, many pages. 

And then, the pièce de résistance - she offered him to take a look at the cellar.  WHOA!  Check it out:

Now that is a collection! And in that moment EQ was in scotch heaven.  He came back to the table with the look of a child who had just seen the biggest candy store.

He decided, at that point, that we simply must try one of his favourite scotches, from Ardbeg, from 1974. It was incredible.  (I guess 40 years old isn't so bad after all!)  Even Archie, a non-scotch drinker enjoyed it!

Today's moment, randomly stumbling across a treasure trove filled with scotch.  

Moments being pleasantly surprised.

Moments enjoying watching the childlike exuberance upon the face of the man you love.

Moments D658: KD - also known as MAC n CHEESE

Tonight was another night in the books.  After tonight, I have only one more night to cram three chapters worth of tax knowledge into my tired brain.  I pushed hard and I persevered through some challenging twists and turns.

But I didn't do it alone.

No.  Tonight EQ sat with me and quietly read.  His presence and calm energy was very welcomed. But the best part, the part that is my moment today was that he made me my favourite "I-am-studying" dinner.  K-D.

Of course, I came to learn that K-D has no meaning to EQ.  Kraft Dinner is what we Canadians know it as.  But to those south of the border, it's known, not by the brand, but by what it is "Mac n Cheese".

No matter what we called it, I called it damn good! 

Not only was it done up special (with a touch of love!), EQ took the time to spice it up a bit.  The attention did not go unnoticed and I had to Instagram it before I even took a bite!

Yes, that's right.  Bread with oil & balsamic as a side with a coriander garnished K-D plate.!

It was heavenly!

Moment appreciating the simple dinners.

Moments being surprised that it wasn't so simple after all!

Moments D645: Checkerboards

Sometimes all you need is a crazy cupboard setup to make you smile.  Today, when I went to grab something from the pantry, this is what I found:

Yes.  That's right.  I have black toilet paper.  EQ took the time to set it up in a checkerboard in the pantry.

How awesome is that?

What a great little smile to come home to.

Moments of surprise.

Moments that make you smile for no real reason!

Moments D641: Push Pins

Yes, really! Today's moment is about push pins.  What can I say, they caught me off guard after an insanely busy day in the office.

So busy, that not only didn't I leave my office all day, I barely left my desk.  So busy and focused on getting through things that I didn't even notice that I hadn't eaten my lunch (brought from home) until nearly 4 pm.  At that point, I ate my apple and kept ploughing through, right until the lights were turned out on me.  (Yes, we are "kicked out" at 6 pm now that we're part of the retail store, no late nights in the office allowed!)  

Suffice it to say, it wasn't an easy day.  

But, if ever a day to avoid going outside, it was today.  It was a silly cold day, with biting winter winds.  I knew this.  I had heard the complains all afternoon.  On my way to the car, I decided that instead of walking around to the parking lot outside, my typcial route, I would take the warmer shortcut through the condo building.  I rarely ever walk to my car this way, but today's weather begged of it.

And there they were, on the condo clear-of-news news board.    White push pins arranged in a hand-sized heart with a single red push pin dead centre.  Even my amped-up-post-work-anxious self, in that moment, making my mad dash past the news board, couldn't help but smile.

It was a perfect way to shed some of the energy from the day and re-focus on the coming weekend.

Moments noticing that someone took the time to send a smile.

Moments pausing to enjoy that simple smile.

Moments D637: Coffee for three

Sometimes people surprise me.  This morning when I stopped at Tim's for a morning coffee, I watched a very pleasant exchange happen between three people ahead of me.

There was a gentleman four people ahead of me who was ordering.  He turned back to the two ladies immediately in front of me and asked them what they'd like to order.  It was surprising because up to that point it didn't seem like the three knew each other.  It brought an immediate smile to my face.

To further amuse me was watching the gentleman just in front of these two ladies, but behind the gentleman ordering.  He was not happy as the two ladies passed him and met up with the gentleman who had just ordered (and paid) for their drinks.

This too I was surprised by.  So I looked the grumpy gentleman in the eye and said to him as the women passed him, ..."isn't it sweet of him?"

He did not look amused.

But I was!

Moments enjoying a kind offer.

Moments trying to spread the joy.

Moments D597: Italian Servers..... not

Today felt like an incredibly long day.  Getting up at 5:30am after going to bed late last night, was a bit of a challenge!    After finally making it through the day,  I was very much looking forward to our dinner with friends. 

Which ended up being a touch delayed.   Oooh tired soul.   You can make it.  Right? 

When our dinner reservation finally arrived,  I was happy to enjoy a few appetizers as we waited for the last of our guests, who were running late. 

And then things started to get a little strange.   Strange questions.   Wine coming and then being taken away. Extra servers coming by.  Yup.  Spidy-sense was on high. 

And then I had three people coming out of the kitchen with a tray with the wine.   I wasn't sure why.   I noticed that the gent holding the tray had a big white ball hat down very low on his head.   I couldn't see his eyes.   Then I noticed my Mom standing beside this "guy".  And it hit me.  That's my parents.   My parents have flown into California.  They were here in front of me!

After a while lot of laughs, our wine was opened and poured and we toasted friends and family. 

What a wonderful, beautiful surprise. 

Moments when family randomly shows up for dinner.   

Moments realizing they flew 3000 miles to do so!   Awesome. 

Moments D575: Food Surprises

Tonight I had a hankering for Indian food and while I had a good chat with my ND about the best Indian restaurant in the area to order from, I actually ended up making dinner tonight.

Okay, that's not entirely true.  I had some butter chicken with chickpeas that I made up awhile ago and froze the leftovers.  After thawing the main course out, I propped it up a bit by adding more sauce and some paneer to the mix and let it come to a simmer as I made some raita and kachumber as sides.  EQ watched the basmati rice and by the time I was done making the sides we were ready for dinner.

And I was drooling!  Seriously.  Perhaps that's TMI, but I was hungry and I was about to enjoy a meal that I knew I'd love.

EQ, on the other hand was feeling tentative about the meal.  I had no idea.

Just after digging in, I asked EQ how the meal was.  (Every chef wants to know if their offerings were enjoyable!)  His answer surprised me.  "It's good.  Much better than I expected."

Huh?

So I dug into that a bit.  Seems EQ was pretty certain that he wasn't going to enjoy my butter chicken, that it would be okay, but not something enjoyable.  I felt badly!  I was so excited at the prospect of this meal that I hadn't stop to think that maybe it was something that would be outside EQ's comfort zone.  After all, I know he's had curries before!

And then the strangest thing happened.  EQ wanted seconds.  He rarely does seconds.  Bangarang!  

Now that was an awesome moment.

Moments sharing my love of food with the one I love.

Moments where they joyfully connect.

Moments D571: Rose Petals

Tonight I arrived home from work to a trail of rose petals and candles.  

Yes.  Really.  As I walked up the stairs, I followed the petals to the top of the stairs.  At the very top was this single beautiful rose.  Wow.  I found myself surprised and intrigued. 

I opened the door and found the trail continued inside.  Following the petals and the candles I found myself in the bedroom where a massage awaited me to melt away the stress of the past week.

Wow.  What a surprise at the energy invested to make it happen..  With all the tender love and romance in the air, I was filled with joy.  It was a moment unlike any other I've ever had before.

Moments of surprise.

Moments filled with love.

Moments D561: Poppies V2

Today was an interesting day.  From first next steps, to an unexpected lunch out, to a sweet surprise just before leaving work.  Today's moment comes from that surprise.

Yesterday, while out for dinner with EQ, Comic Guy & Archie, I broke my new artsy, ceramic poppy as it fell off its pin.  Just my luck.

This early eve, my love arrived to pick me up at the end of the day.  As he waited for me, he pulled out of his pocket something in bubble wrap.  Eager to open my surprise, I unwrapped it with a gleam in my eye.

It was a perfect replacement of the one I had broken not 24 hours earlier.

I'm not sure if EQ realizes just how special that gesture was.  Now I can continue to enjoy my pretty, artsy, ceramic poppy, version 2.

Moments enjoying a simple gesture that shows much.

Moments enjoying a replacement poppy.

Moments D536: News!!

Today was not the best of days.  Too much to process, too many tasks to push through.

But in the craze, I had an opportunity to connect with a couple of friends today and share some good news with them.  Their reaction, each unique and yet similar in sentiment, brought a glow to my challenged day.

Before I go on with my story, I suppose I should properly name my best friend couple (BFC).  Let's call them Comic Guy and Archie.  Now, let me back up with my news story.

Last night I spoke with one half of my BFC, Comic Guy.   I was calling to connect with Archie to make arrangements for coffee time today. As Comic Guy and I spoke, I decided to make a bit of a game with my news.  I asked Comic Guy if he could keep a secret from his other half for about 18 hours.  With laughter and amusement, he agreed.  And so, I told him my exciting news.  He wasn't able to really respond given that his love was home with him, so I kept talking and shared with him some of the details.  It was a fun, silly conversation.  And, I knew that Archie would be itching to hear for himself today.  Amusing, right?

Back to today's moment (which is actually two moments about the same exciting news):

First thing this morning I shared out the news with another couple that I love dearly.  The response I received back was so warm, genuine and heartfelt.  It brought a tear to my eye and warmed my heart with a smile.  I was reminded that I am surrounded by loving friends.

Later in the morning, I had my coffee date with Archie.  As he, his business partner and I walked to the coffee place, I found myself antsy. Unable to hold onto the news any longer, I spilled the beans as we walked.  Stopping dead in his tracks, with a huge smile upon his face, he scooped me up in his arms with a big hug.  We spent the next 30 minutes talking about some of the finer details. How incredible that felt!  And, of course, we had a laugh (or two) over how Comic Guy knew about the news and used that as a tool to poke at Archie all last night.  Too much fun for one moment!

Fortunately today's warm fuzzy moments eases the sting I've been feeling from others being silent.

Moments getting a chance to share exciting news.

Moments enjoying the reactions filled with love and support.