Today felt like such a short day! A travel day home, we decided to extend our time in the hotel with a late checkout so we could enjoy some quiet time together before rushing to the airport. This gave us the luxury of time to chat about our coming adventures. Before long we were off to the airport to head in separate directions.
And then the (seemingly) theme of today of extending moments continued. A flight cancelled turned into more time to be together at the airport. Fantastic news even though it meant a bit of shuffling around of arrival plans back home. (A hassle no one wants, but it did give us more time together on our travel day, so who's complaining?)
We spent the time in a cute pub that served "only real food". (Which is interesting since the food was served in either plastic containers or Styrofoam plates!) While we were sharing this extra time together, the waitress became quite enamoured with us, even though, at first, it felt like maybe we were challenging her too much. Let me explain:
Upon her asking us for our orders, she had to deal with special dietary requests. Breakfast was on the menu and was what was being eyed. Our waitress was quick to point out that the menu stated that they only served breakfast to 11am. Deadpan. No budging. No laughter. And so, we injected some laughter. We pulled that moment back into the fun side of things and moved beyond the breakfast request. I think she rather enjoyed the banter because she checked in on us frequently (but not too much) and shared a few stories with us along the way. One in particular is a moment that EQ believes would never have happened without me being there. I'm not sure I believe that entirely given that he was the one that enticed the story from our Catholic-school-raised waitress.
In a way, we extended our moment with the waitress beyond her providing us a service and we saw a slice of her private life. It was quite a moment to share today as I love to learn about strangers, their lives and how they perceive things. It's always an interesting exercise and today I had the opportunity to do this with my man.
So what did we learn? Well, our waitress has two cats. One is quite finicky with his food, the other quite normal with her choice of food. (yes, she had a brother and sister cat). The finicky cat is also quite intimidated by her big, tall, deep voiced boyfriend. And we learned that the food from a special pet store is really the only food that Mr. Finicky would eat. Interesting in its own right. But then, EQ posed the question: "Have you ever tasted the food you feed your cats? I have." And with that, we started down a whole new path of stories. Tales of tasting dog treats versus cat kibble versus wet cat food. (I'll admit openly that I tested a dog bone and kibble when I was a kid, but wet food? EEEEKS, no way!)
What could have been a simple story about her pet cats turned into a fun and silly conversation that went a little deeper beneath the surface. It was a shared set of stories that brought all three of us laughter and smiles. All born out of an extended moment together because a flight was cancelled.
Cool butterfly effect sometimes.
Moments that are extended beyond expectations.
Moments getting to know interesting tidbits of strangers.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Moments D546: Chasing the seagulls
Today was a near perfect day. So many moments. So many laughs. So many opportunities to share a story, a spoonful of ice cream, or a gulp of watered down lemonade.
My favourite moment of the day wasn't touring the museum of Science and Industry (though it was a lot of fun and very interesting - I highly recommend visiting it!), it was walking along the beach with EQ.
Having spent the afternoon indoors watching the rains roll through, it was refreshing to be outside and soaking in the heat from the sun. The sun was low in the sky (the golden hour) and we were both glowing in the sun's light. After a few fun pictures in the sun we happened across a flock of seagulls.
And I just couldn't help myself - I had to go chasing through them! Running through them waving my arms was a lot of fun and worth sharing. The seagulls starting flying all around me. See the picture! How much fun is this?
It totally made me smile. It made my boyfriend smile. What more can a girl ask for?
Moments being present and being silly.
Moments enjoying the beach post rain storms.
My favourite moment of the day wasn't touring the museum of Science and Industry (though it was a lot of fun and very interesting - I highly recommend visiting it!), it was walking along the beach with EQ.
Having spent the afternoon indoors watching the rains roll through, it was refreshing to be outside and soaking in the heat from the sun. The sun was low in the sky (the golden hour) and we were both glowing in the sun's light. After a few fun pictures in the sun we happened across a flock of seagulls.
And I just couldn't help myself - I had to go chasing through them! Running through them waving my arms was a lot of fun and worth sharing. The seagulls starting flying all around me. See the picture! How much fun is this?
It totally made me smile. It made my boyfriend smile. What more can a girl ask for?
Moments being present and being silly.
Moments enjoying the beach post rain storms.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Moments D475: Surprises gone wrong, turned right
Today was a fantastic day, I slept in, made my final preparations for my trip and then headed to the airport. I was headed back to my favourite city in the US (Chicago) to meet my boyfriend.
I arrived into Chicago early enough to have time to make some preparations for a surprise I had in mind. As my plan came together, my time table shifted. In a blink of an eye I found myself unprepared and floundering for a plan B. I found myself caught on the phone with a decision to make: Stay and ensure that Plan A worked out, or head out to meet up with my boyfriend and his friend for a late dinner. Even though I had eaten dinner already, I opted for heading down to meet up with the two gentlemen as it would be a treat to meet EQ's friend. And with that decision, plan A was quickly discarded.
The three of us sat and enjoyed dinner (well, they enjoyed dinner while I enjoyed my water!) We shared a story or three of the weekend's activities. I watched as the two of them spoke about the sport they loved and some of the interesting challenges they had faced over their weekend of training. Not only was it interesting to be a fly on the wall for those conversations, it was great to meet one of EQ's respected students who has become a good friend. As dinner neared its end, I had to figure out plan B in a hurry.
And just as quickly as Plan A was destroyed, Plan B took shape....and it worked. It worked out perfectly.
The moment here? Go with the flow. Have faith that a surprise gone wrong can be salvaged and enjoyed with a backup-on-the-fly plan. And sometimes, Plan B is actually a better Plan A. In my case, I was able to squeeze in dinner (right, water!), meet a new friend and still have a successful surprise to share. Bangarang!
Moments watching a surprise slip away.
Moments realizing that another surprise has filled its place.
I arrived into Chicago early enough to have time to make some preparations for a surprise I had in mind. As my plan came together, my time table shifted. In a blink of an eye I found myself unprepared and floundering for a plan B. I found myself caught on the phone with a decision to make: Stay and ensure that Plan A worked out, or head out to meet up with my boyfriend and his friend for a late dinner. Even though I had eaten dinner already, I opted for heading down to meet up with the two gentlemen as it would be a treat to meet EQ's friend. And with that decision, plan A was quickly discarded.
The three of us sat and enjoyed dinner (well, they enjoyed dinner while I enjoyed my water!) We shared a story or three of the weekend's activities. I watched as the two of them spoke about the sport they loved and some of the interesting challenges they had faced over their weekend of training. Not only was it interesting to be a fly on the wall for those conversations, it was great to meet one of EQ's respected students who has become a good friend. As dinner neared its end, I had to figure out plan B in a hurry.
And just as quickly as Plan A was destroyed, Plan B took shape....and it worked. It worked out perfectly.
The moment here? Go with the flow. Have faith that a surprise gone wrong can be salvaged and enjoyed with a backup-on-the-fly plan. And sometimes, Plan B is actually a better Plan A. In my case, I was able to squeeze in dinner (right, water!), meet a new friend and still have a successful surprise to share. Bangarang!
Moments watching a surprise slip away.
Moments realizing that another surprise has filled its place.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Moments D474: Mornings Dance Parties
Today is BFF's birthday. We spent last night in, celebrating her special day early! We ordered in TWO delicious pizzas (hello breakfast!), wine (white and a red we didn't touch), a sip (or three) of delightful high, HIGH shelf vodka and then onto the bourbon. A few tears, many laughs and hugs later and before we knew it the clock rolled over to midnight. BFF was serenaded promptly at the turn of the minute hand by both myself and EQ via Skype. We crashed around 2am and we missed having our typical tipsy dance party as there were people sleeping already. But that's just the back story.
This morning BFF was up and 'atter at 7am! At first she told me to keep sleeping (I crashed on the couch) but she needed to make coffee (the special Hawaiian coffee!). There was no way I was letting her get up on her own on her birthday!! So I shook out the cobwebs from my brain, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up.
The early morning hours were much fun with BFF. I watched as the texts, FB posts and IM's came in wishing her birthday love. And before I knew it, we were doing what we do best....DANCE PARTY. Just before 8 am in the morning, the stereo was turned up and her camping theme song played loud, loud, loud. Yes! We had our first dance party of her birthday day! What a perfect way to start her birthday day!
BFF played DJ and we enjoyed a few songs in the early hours of the morning. We ventured all over the genres. It was a lot of fun! We even revisited some ROOTS and LL Cool J. We finished up the day with, of course, some BIG WRECK!
And one that you MUST MUST MUST SEE: A brilliant cover of "Blurred Lines" with Roots, Jimmy Fallon & Robin Thicke. ENJOY. (see if you can find the banana!)
Moments setting up a brilliant birthday day!
Moments having a dance party with your BFF.
This morning BFF was up and 'atter at 7am! At first she told me to keep sleeping (I crashed on the couch) but she needed to make coffee (the special Hawaiian coffee!). There was no way I was letting her get up on her own on her birthday!! So I shook out the cobwebs from my brain, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up.
The early morning hours were much fun with BFF. I watched as the texts, FB posts and IM's came in wishing her birthday love. And before I knew it, we were doing what we do best....DANCE PARTY. Just before 8 am in the morning, the stereo was turned up and her camping theme song played loud, loud, loud. Yes! We had our first dance party of her birthday day! What a perfect way to start her birthday day!
BFF played DJ and we enjoyed a few songs in the early hours of the morning. We ventured all over the genres. It was a lot of fun! We even revisited some ROOTS and LL Cool J. We finished up the day with, of course, some BIG WRECK!
And one that you MUST MUST MUST SEE: A brilliant cover of "Blurred Lines" with Roots, Jimmy Fallon & Robin Thicke. ENJOY. (see if you can find the banana!)
Moments setting up a brilliant birthday day!
Moments having a dance party with your BFF.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Moments D473: Silver Linings
Sometimes life is just nasty to you. It's nothing that you've done to deserve the negative energy, but perhaps it's a moment where you weren't strong enough to shield yourself from it. It happens. We all fall down from time to time, get a little (and sometimes a lot) beaten up, and feel bloodied and bruised.
Recently one of our own suffered through a terrible ordeal on his birthday weekend. I had texted him on his birthday (last Monday) and his reply was to share some details about this birthday nightmare. He shared it with me and me alone. When we arrived to the office on Tuesday, I shared the story briefly with our team and we quickly agreed that we should try to help out. Given that this ray of light touches many lives in the company, we sent out the following email to the entire staff team:
Pardon the intrusion, but one of our own suffered through an ordeal this past weekend and my department would like to reach out and see if we can’t help ease the pain a bit.
Imagine it's your birthday weekend. You're ready to have an awesome time with your family. Food, drink, presents. The whole nine. Then, suddenly all of that joy is taken away in a heartbeat.
Our good friend Ray of Light experienced exactly that this past weekend, as a thief stole his wife's purse (containing a great deal of cash, credit cards and gifts) while she rode the streetcar. Never mind the financial inconvenience this caused - being victimized like that sure would put a damper on MY weekend plans, and I'm guessing they did the same to Ray of Light and his family.
What we are hoping for, is the generosity of the folks who see every day. Just to give what you can. We are not looking to replace any particular amount, but rather we want to show Ray of Light and his family that there is an opposite (and much stronger) side to their lousy experience. Hopefully they can use whatever funds we raise to have a nice dinner and drinks together - on us.
If you're interested in contributing, we will be collecting your donations till Friday at noon. Let us know you'd like to donate via email, as we'd like to make this a surprise for Ray of Light. We'll present him with whatever we collect shortly after that.
Please be aware that we are trying to make this a surprise, so please no sharing with him prematurely!!
Thanks to everyone for whatever you can spare.
Back to your regularly scheduled day. :)
The response immediate. The flood of support and the depth of love that it brought with it was inspiring. We've been collecting funds since Tuesday and today when we handed over the card and envelope there was over $1000 collected for Ray of Light. A company full of incredibly generous people offering to line Ray of Light's dark cloud with a little (a LOT!) of silver. From the executive team down to the warehouse, he is loved.
When Ray of Light realized what had happened it was like a dam opening. We're living in tight quarters at the moment and I tried to give him enough space to process the flood. I hugged him, told him that he was loved by many and quietly handed him the box of kleenex. Twenty minutes later, composed enough, he shared these words back to the company:
To my team mates, my friends, my work family - words will not do justice, will not suffice to give meaning to how you have all touched my heart –how you have helped my family.
I am so overwhelmed by your kindness – and your thoughtfulness - I am beside myself – I would be more eloquent in thanking you – but I am crying too hard.
A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.
My heart is full of names - I love you all, I am in your debt, thank you, thank you.He sent me a separate note, one that was just as heartfelt and touching:
Thank you most of all – one day I will find out what I did in my life to deserve a friend like you.Ray of Light is a good man. A man who has had quite a few hard knocks, and yet, he pushes forward, with a smile, with the ability to give more than he ever takes and he never, ever complains or asks for help. (Even when he should sometimes!) The outpouring of love and support only goes to show just how many people's lives his beautiful energy has inspired.
It was a beautiful moment to see him soak in the energy reflected back to him today to watch the darkness lift and his storm cloud blown away. As the rest of the day passed, I could feel him settling into the energy. Now Ray of Light will enjoy this weekend with his family (including visitors from out of town) without worrying about how he is going to afford to feed his extended family.
Ray of Light will left work with a full heart, a recharged soul and the understanding that while life can be nasty and break you down, there are loving people around that can help lift the burden and brighten the world around again. He is not alone.
You are not alone. Nor am I.
It's a story to share because many of us feel alone in times of trouble and don't always look past the darkness to realize that we have a support system. This is a beautiful example of that. It just takes a moment to share.
Moments watching the darkness lift and a heart swell.
Moments appreciating the beautiful people I work with.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Moments D472: A new flower design....for my toes
Tonight I went for a manicure and a pedicure right after work. It's always a time that I enjoy. Tonight it was particularly enjoyable for two reasons. Tommy & EQ.
The first, I had a male esthetician, Tommy who is incredible at hand painting interesting designs on fingernails and toenails. I was happy to see him available for me. (even though he always complains at how dry my skin is.) The first thing he said to me as I walked to the wall of nail polish colours was, "You look beautiful today Jennifer." (Points scored there for sure! (a) He remembered my name, and (b) he was flattering in a none-creepy-kinda-way.)
My time with Tommy was interesting tonight as the energy was high (in part to the excitement that EQ & I brought to the salon) and in part to a heated discussion happening between Tommy and Jenny, one of the other estheticians as they discussed when was best to start a family.
Tonight I learned that Tommy has been working in a salon since he was 12. He's now 35 and helping to support his Mom here in the city having just moved from Woodbridge. He loves riddles and he shared a few with me as "I'm a smart girl...." Here's a quick one:
In the end Tommy did an amazing job and his design on my big toe was so intricate and pretty. I can't wait to show them off! (take a peek!)
The second moment within this time frame was the fact that I was actually Skyping with EQ when I arrived and I put him to work! I showed him the wall of nail polish colours and had him help me choose the colour for my toes. Why not right? It was fun, it was silly and I think the entire salon of people enjoyed the banter that they watched us interact! Then as I sat and soaked my feet and Tommy worked away the weeks of grime, I had a good chat with EQ. What a treat all around with lots of laughter.
Thank you Tommy and thank you EQ for bringing a smile (or three!0, some sparkles and a lot of laughs this evening.
Moments being pampered.
Moments laughing and sharing.
The first, I had a male esthetician, Tommy who is incredible at hand painting interesting designs on fingernails and toenails. I was happy to see him available for me. (even though he always complains at how dry my skin is.) The first thing he said to me as I walked to the wall of nail polish colours was, "You look beautiful today Jennifer." (Points scored there for sure! (a) He remembered my name, and (b) he was flattering in a none-creepy-kinda-way.)
My time with Tommy was interesting tonight as the energy was high (in part to the excitement that EQ & I brought to the salon) and in part to a heated discussion happening between Tommy and Jenny, one of the other estheticians as they discussed when was best to start a family.
Tonight I learned that Tommy has been working in a salon since he was 12. He's now 35 and helping to support his Mom here in the city having just moved from Woodbridge. He loves riddles and he shared a few with me as "I'm a smart girl...." Here's a quick one:
It's a race between a red lobster and a blue lobster. Which one wins?I also learned that Tommy likes to hang out at the lake and to party in his spare time, but he needs to eventually settle down as he wants to have a family. Thus the discussion on when to start a family. Eventually Jenny & Tommy turned to me as mediator! I laughed I told them I'm the wrong person to be asking as I wouldn't be having kids. This shocked them both and the questions rolled out. It was quite amusing all around.
In the end Tommy did an amazing job and his design on my big toe was so intricate and pretty. I can't wait to show them off! (take a peek!)
The second moment within this time frame was the fact that I was actually Skyping with EQ when I arrived and I put him to work! I showed him the wall of nail polish colours and had him help me choose the colour for my toes. Why not right? It was fun, it was silly and I think the entire salon of people enjoyed the banter that they watched us interact! Then as I sat and soaked my feet and Tommy worked away the weeks of grime, I had a good chat with EQ. What a treat all around with lots of laughter.
Thank you Tommy and thank you EQ for bringing a smile (or three!0, some sparkles and a lot of laughs this evening.
Moments being pampered.
Moments laughing and sharing.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Moments D471b: Surprise Mail
Isn't it great when you open your mailbox and instead of just bills or admail, there is a surprise piece of mail inside? No no, not that thingamabob that you bought on eBay, you were expecting that. No, I mean something that you had no idea was on its way to you.
I love that moment holding it in your hands. Turning it over and reading the return address. Admiring the penmanship. That moment of wonder before opening the envelope. Is it an invitation? Are there photos? Do the words share a smile or a tear? The anticipation.
This is why I love to send random cards to my friends. I love receiving them.
I couldn't let today pass without sharing this second awesome moment.....because tonight when I arrived home, I had a surprise waiting for me! In fact, not only did I have one surprise, but TWO surprise pieces of mail!
One was from an Italian sailor, his spice wafting from the envelope. The script flows smoothly and there are four stamps upon it, two of which were Chippendale chairs. I smiled as I carefully opened up the envelope. Inside there was a beautiful card filled with loving words, and a sticker - FLY. Yes, I am flying.
The second was from my love. It's script is more firm and structured. My guess is that a lovely lady wrote out my address and mailed it. But inside is the familiar script with many colourful words fanning the fires. Truly. Madly. Deeply.
Moments for surprises.
Moments for smiles.
I love that moment holding it in your hands. Turning it over and reading the return address. Admiring the penmanship. That moment of wonder before opening the envelope. Is it an invitation? Are there photos? Do the words share a smile or a tear? The anticipation.
This is why I love to send random cards to my friends. I love receiving them.
I couldn't let today pass without sharing this second awesome moment.....because tonight when I arrived home, I had a surprise waiting for me! In fact, not only did I have one surprise, but TWO surprise pieces of mail!
One was from an Italian sailor, his spice wafting from the envelope. The script flows smoothly and there are four stamps upon it, two of which were Chippendale chairs. I smiled as I carefully opened up the envelope. Inside there was a beautiful card filled with loving words, and a sticker - FLY. Yes, I am flying.
The second was from my love. It's script is more firm and structured. My guess is that a lovely lady wrote out my address and mailed it. But inside is the familiar script with many colourful words fanning the fires. Truly. Madly. Deeply.
Moments for surprises.
Moments for smiles.
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