Moments D669: Monkey Notes

Tonight after work I headed to Newmarket to have a girls' night with my BFF.  It's been far too long since we've had such an opportunity.  We had a delightful time with "imported" Chino Locos, wine and delightful conversations. (Yes, that's right, I brought dinner with me from Toronto to Newmarket.  And yes, the burritos were still warm when I arrived at BFF's!)

But the best moment of the evening was when I remembered that I had something for BFF.  I dug it out of my purse and gave it to her.  She laughed and laughed.  And I smiled.  It was that perfect moment of knowing you've brightened someone's day a wee bit more than they had expected.  Bangarang!

It wasn't anything big, but it was meaningful:

It's a note pad with monkeys as a theme.  I know you are wondering why this might have brought such smiles.  I can't really share the "inside-scoop" to that, but let's leave it as this:  monkeys are an "us" thing and they are meaningful to us.  I simpley couldn't not pick up the pads when I saw them while out shopping a few weeks back.  One for BFF and one for me.

Why two?  Well, because now every time I need a scrap piece of paper for one thing or another, I'll have a laugh.   And so will my BFF when she goes to do the same.  A gift that will keep on giving, to us both over the days to come.

Moments finding something simple and yet special.

Moments sharing the smile for many "pages" to come.

Moments D668: Proud Canadian

This evening I found myself with a little more time on my hands than I had expected.  We had a snow storm.  Actually, we had an freezing rain storm that, North of the city turned into a snow storm.  Typically  on Thursdays I play volleyball in Markham.  Not so tonight as I was convinced by BFF & EQ to no take the chance of a questionable drive there and back. 

So I stayed home.  Instead of making use of this found time for my school readings, I decided to catch up on the Olympics.  (I figured it was my sport night, I might as well catch up on the day's activities at the Olympics if I couldn't be playing volleyball.  That seemed pretty logical to me!)

Earlier today the Canadian women's hockey team had won their game - to bring home GOLD!  I realized as I read up on their game play, that I was one darn proud Canadian.  There were a few Canadian-Olympic feel good stories that brought a smile and a warm heart and downright awe.   I'm so very proud of Team Canada and so very proud to be able to say that I'm Canadian.    

Today, my moment is appreciating my country.  The hard fought games and moments at the Olympics.  Even thought I'm no elite athlete, I have a sense of how hard our athletes train just to compete in the Olympics.  This year, not only did we compete (and do well), we also did so with kindness.  How very Canadian of us.

There are only a few days left in they Olympics, but I am looking forward to cheering Team Canada on to the very end.

Moments catching up on the Olympics.

Moments realizing just how fortunate and how appreciative I am to be Canadian.

Moments D667: Sharing Chili Love

Two days ago I made a pot of chili.  A very, very large pot of chili.  So much so that I didn't have enough room in the freezer for it and I didn't want what I couldn't freeze to go bad, so I had to figure out something to do with the rest of my chili.

Chica loves food.  Nearly as  much as I do.  And so, I took in a little container for her for lunch and another bigger container for her to take home to her fiancée should she enjoy it.

She squealed with delight when I told her of her lunch option today.  (That always makes me smile!)

Before I had a moment to blink, she had eaten all of the smaller portion.  She came bouncing past my desk grinning ear to ear.  Laughing, I asked her if she enjoyed her lunch.  She was all smiles and said, "I sent you an email."

In the email, not only did she thank me for the tasty, unexpected lunch, but also for the dinner she'd now have to share with her fiancée.  Without getting personal, it meant a lot to her, more than I could have imagined.

That touched my heart.  I think I'll bring her another container tomorrow.

Moments of sharing.

Moments of sharing that go deeper than the act itself.

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 D665: Comfort foods

Today was Family Day.  A welcomed February statutory holiday here in Ontario.  It ended up being a lazy-stay-in-you-PJ's kind of day.  

Perfect for a lunch filled with comfort foods.  And so, we made fancy grilled cheese sandwiches (okay, who's kidding who, *I* had a fancy grilled cheese sandwich with coriander and avocado in it and EQ had a plain cheddar cheese sandwich) along side, yes, you guessed it, tomato soup!

Delightful.  Simple.  Perfect for a lazy day.

And then I stewed a big (too big) pot of chili for dinner. (Yes, that's right, I overflowed into a second pot!  Whoops!)

Yes, it was a comfort food kind of day.

Moments having a simple quiet day.

Moments enjoying simple comfort foods.

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 D663: Flying with yoga

Today EQ and I tried something new.  New is exciting.  New can be nerve wracking.  New, when it comes to showing and sharing trust is even more exciting and nerve wracking!  And that is today's moment.  Sharing and showing trust.

Today EQ and I participated in a yogaFLIGHT session in Barrie.  It was worth the drive!  Not only was the experience incredible, so were the instructors Sky & Slade.

This was a new experience for EQ and I as a couple. Never before have we done something so interactive and new for us both. yogaFLIGHT is a style of a type of partner yoga exploring yoga practice through connection with another individual. It combines the youthful exuberance of a child (think about when you were young and you enjoyed airplane rides!) with the wonderful and healing benefits of yoga.  And how very accurate that description was!

A couple of great examples from our 2 hour adventure with Sky and Slade.

You can easily see how yogaFLIGHT is all about trust between the "base" and the "flyer".  And, it's all about communication.  

Not only did EQ allow me to fly, I managed to allow him to fly.  Yes!  I was a solid enough base to support him.  It was incredible!  We shared and showed trust for 2 hours in this session.  It was amazing to see, on yet another level, how EQ and I work together.  It was an empowering, experience that had as promised, the youthful exuberance of a child.  If you get the chance to experience yogaFLIGHT with Sky & Slade, I highly recommended it!

Moments experiencing a new activity with the man I love.

Moments enjoying a new way to fly.