Frick 'n Frack Are Back!

Though she was in a hurry, I did manage to chat with Staci before she left for a typical seasonal Monday night in Muskoka. Yup, Frick 'n Frack and the gang were off to get into mischief. It really is kinda neat that after all these years they're still such a very close group. Public School, High School, Post-Secondary school behind them, their gang is still a pack: Tightly knit and fiercely loyal.

Anyway, after a good night sleep, I awoke and headed down to my office to greet my day. When I logged onto my Facebook, my heart dropped; “Bitch who pushed me off the stage and broke my wrist... f*ck you!!!!”

Frick n' Frack before Grade 9 Spring Formal - My Babies.
Taken: April 2008

I knew they'd taken the bus to The Kee to Bala for Resort Night, but could this be true?

Without a word of a lie, here was my immediate thought process.

1) Holy shit! She’s broken her wrist!

2) Where the hell was David and the Gang?

3) Nice Facebook status update Stacccs; enough with the F-Bombs already!

Seriously? WTF! I have no idea where she gets it?! I'm pretty sure it's her father but the jury is still out.

Joking aside, one sling and a cast later, here's the story. It turns out Frick was being accosted (punched in the face repeatedly) on the dancefloor. Frack decided that Frick needed her uncondtional "you can't punch my brother in the face" support and stepped in. As Frick caught his bearings, Frack stepped back. Pushed from behind, my Sweetie (I mean Frack) landed with all her weight on her wrist on the concrete floor five feet below. 

Was there alcohol involved? Were there Police involved? Was a lesson learned? Has it been discussed? The answer to all of the above is yes. What can I say? Frick 'n Frack are back for the summer and the game has changed. Glass half full? We can finally discuss all of these life changing things as adults. 

For the record? She really was very brave. Just sayin'

Trust Is Earned

Boy, this past weekend blew by. I worked on Saturday morning; then my husband and I did our house chores that afternoon. I spent all day Sunday outside. My man was kind enough to do the groceries so that I didn’t have to leave the yard.

I love a day when I feel like I get a lot accomplished. You know those types of days, where the only thing you do is wash your face, brush your teeth, and dig out the ugliest clothes you can find. I blissfully embrace any day that I don’t have to get all gussied up. If I had things my way, everyday would be dress down day!

Out on the lake Easter Weekend
Taken: March 30st, 2013

All of that said, my post isn’t on the topic of vanity. My mood is more spiritual.

What makes some people extremely compatible? 

Why is it after all these years he and I have stood the test of time? 

Is it that there's just so much history it's comfortable? I believe it's much bigger than that.

It's been a rough couple of years. Have we had our ups and downs in the non-conjugal sense? Absolutely! Have we sat across from one and other (in tears) worried that we’d never fix what together we’d broken? Yes we have. Has it been worth all of our hard work to arrive at today?  Hell ya!!

When did I know we'd never be apart? It was this past January 22nd. An unexpected incident rocked me to my very core. I was so upset I was almost crippled. I missed work and I completely shut down. It shattered me emotionally.

During that time, like he had before, he carried me. He wrapped his arms around me and wiped away my tears. My heartbreak instantly became ours, and we got through it together.

Why am I so reflective tonight?

The January incident landed on the front burner at work again today. This time I was ready for it. Proving once again that the only person in my life I truly trust is my husband. What can I say? Trust is earned. 

Oh, and let's not forget the other thing today reminded me never to forget...

MEAN PEOPLE SUCK!

My Silly Little Hang Up

So it happened again.

“WOW, you don’t look 48” a business colleague said. Jerk!

Do men not realize that age may be a sensitive subject for some women? I don’t know about other women but for this cat, it’s like entering the sketchiest area of Detroit during a riot. 

DON'T go there!

Just like 99.9% of the people I know, I have a couple of quirky hang ups. I hate being late, I hate not having a plan, and I hate that I am getting old (them right thar are pretty much my top three)! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking Services Ontario for a wheelchair parking sticker anytime soon, but I would love not to have to dye my hair EVER again.

I am of the firm opinion that age is a mindset; you’re only as old as you feel, and as young as your imagination will allow. It’s a number, not a gauge of who I am.  I am active in both mind and body, and I don’t see either of 'em stopping anytime soon. Why would they? Why should they?

What did I say to the person that assessed who I was based on the number 48? “It’s been nice meeting you. You’re 45 right?... Ya don’t look a day over 58 1/2. Oh, and the deliveries? They are at the rear!”

That’s what I wanted to say. Instead, I just turned down his very generous lunch invitation. The loss is his.

What can I say? Us gray haired mamas gotta have some very high standards!

Your Name Was What?

I generally may sound all “get up in your grill” and crap, but I am realistically pretty fragile. Though I would never classify myself as insecure, I do tend to second guess myself when people make unnecessarily cruel comments. 

My point? I HATE MEAN PEOPLE.

PLEASE...
An ass has a purpose!!

When it comes to these folks, the only squint of rationalization I can come up with is; that mean people have no idea they are being mean.

Trust me, I've tried to gently point it out, but the only serious flaws they'll ever see are yours. So, how does one spot a classic mean person?

They'll always play the “I honestly don't have a clue what you’re talking about" card. Which is nothing more than sheer justification of their treatment of you in their own mind.

At the end of the day, I only have two words for those types of overbearing and smothering peeps. 

Shut the hell up and MOVE ON!

OK, that was seven, but you my gist.

What can I say? My apologies. Mean people drive me crazy, not to mention make me all frizzled and frazzled inside.

Just Meant To Be...

I wandered up the cottage stairs at dawn this morn in a great mood. Turns out I had experienced one of the best weekends at the cottage ever. The weather was magnifique (not to mention the company) and for the first time in years, it feels like I'm starting this crazy six month season well rested. Well rested and surrounded by some amazing energy.

As a result driven individual, I know first hand that I can be my own worst enemy. It’s not that I want to dwell on the fact that the sky is falling – I just can’t help but focus on when the hell it will. I push harder, only to find I worry more. Some may label me neurotic: I prefer quirky (with a splash of charm folded in for good measure).

I knew something in my life had to shift and it did. A random phone call to remind a colleague that “coffee's for closers” and that they needed to "buy me a cup, pot, Tim Horton's franchise" completely changed my outlook and long term focus.

"You're awesome"...
"No! You're awesome!!"

I know it's human nature for you to read this and wonder who the hell I am talking about but it makes no matter. They know who they are, and they know I think they are absolutely awesome.

Just like me, they have the odd day where they think they may want to run for the hills and the closest lawn tractor, but I'm here to remind them that it's not an option!

From that very first cup of coffee, I knew we'd met for a reason. Moving forward, they need to make sure they never lose sight of a couple of things (Cole's Note version & in no particular order):

A) We are going to kick some very serious ass.

B) We will always promise to use our energy for good and never evil....and

C) We are going to remain humble as we tell everyone "I told you so".

Hang in there my friend. Tomorrow is another day. Why? Because we freakin' rock!

...Not to mention that we're totally awesome!!

Today I Wept ~ By Ellyse Murphy

 (c) Ellyse Murphy
All copyrights reserved

Today I wept. 

I wept for a stranger. I wept for a family. I wept for a nation. I wept for this world.

I have been anxiously checking updates daily, it’s consumed almost every conversation I’ve had and it hasn’t left my mind. Today, the update came – with great sadness. My heart fell, tears fell, I felt empty. I don’t know this man, I don’t know his family, I don’t even know somebody who knows somebody who knows him but I have a father; to grow up knowing I wouldn’t get to know my father because someone wanted a truck, would be devastating beyond words. I have a fiancé; to lose him because someone wanted a thrill, would break me in half. I have uncles, brothers and friends; to lose any one of them in this way is unimaginable. And so, I wept. 

I can’t count the number of items I have sold on Kijiji. I have found many jobs and hired many people from ads on Kijiji. I have been in people’s homes, met in central locations and had people in my home. I have test driven cars and sold cars. Tim’s story is everyone’s story – we trust. 

Today, I question God. We all wonder what kind of world we live in that a man could be taken this way. It’s okay to be angry with God. Your anger will make your relationship stronger. He will guide you through. Often, right before God gives us something, he puts us through hardship. For the Bosma family, this is one of the biggest hardships you’ll know. Today you will weep, tomorrow you will weep, you very well might weep every day for the rest of your life – a piece of you was killed when your husband, father, son, uncle, friend was killed. But, one day, you will find your greatest moment of strength and you will move forward for Tim, you will find a way to honour him, find a way to prevent this from happening again, find a way to make meaning; you will find your way. 

To the media, I would ask that you report on Tim. Report about his life, his accomplishments, his family, his friends, the people who have prayed for him. STOP reporting on the suspects. I’m tired of turning on Google and finding stories about such a promising man in aviation, a humble man, a quiet and reserved man. I don’t want to read one more fact about him. I won’t speak for the family but I can’t imagine it helps them either. There is one question they want answered: why? This doesn’t require pages and pages of details on this man, your reporting is speculation. I don’t care if he was an aviation prodigy – today he is a monster. 

To the men who took Timothy Bosma, I have this to say: You have broken a family. You have killed the dreams of a wife and a little girl. You have crushed a mother. His family mourns his loss but do not be mistaken, they are not alone. 41,855 on Facebook alone, have found a way to be there for the family – some sent prayers, some sent love, some called the tip lines, some posted flyers, some talked to everyone they knew about Tim, some were the reason you’ve been caught. People from across the globe are pouring out their love and compassion for this man and his family. 

You are but two men. We won’t focus on you because we cannot. We cannot allow ourselves to be consumed with all that is wrong with the world. I saw 41,855 reasons that you don’t matter. 

Let us remember – just when the caterpillar thought life was over, he became a butterfly. 

Timothy Bosma – Gone but not forgotten.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Last night was my Class of 1983 High School reunion. It’s not like it was some well thought out highfalutin Gala, it was planned via Facebook out of Raleigh North Carolina. There was never an expectation that thousands would land in droves; which is a good thing, because this is a really small town.

Don’t kid yourself. We had a blast. My feet are still sore today. We laughed, we sang, and we reminisced. The local paper showed up to take our picture, and a great time was had by all. A humongous hug and kiss to our dear friend Doug for all his efforts. Without his driving force, it would have never happened. 

As I sit here after the fact, I am unexpectedly reflective. On just how life is continually evolving, then in an instant you can be in the comfort of company you had no idea that you'd sincerely missed. That said, the big ah-ha for me last night was the lapse of time.

I don’t feel like it all happened to us thirty years ago but it did. I saw people I see in town once a week, and I hugged people that I thought for sure wouldn't remember my name. I got BBM messages this morning from people that had to work today, not to mention an email from someone asking me to go to tea in two weeks. Last night felt like time had stood still. 

That's Tina in the back with me.
Linda owns the amazing blue eyes and
Connie the great smile.
Tammy & Belinda - you were really missed!

Taken: May 11th, 2013

I honestly hadn’t seen Tina in thirty years. Watching her and Linda get Connie cranked up was like I was in a time warp.

I had some serious tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard! Poor Connie.

My added bonus for her? Connie and I promised each other we would “dance our asses off” and we did!

Sorry folks; I have to stop typing now and go find my ass.

Nope, not Tony. Nope, not Connie. My other ass. The one attached to my very tired legs & equally exhausted feet!

PS: I promise to post the group pic once I get a copy from my friend Bev. Cheers!

“Here Honey… Hold This Sign!”

What can I say? I have been blessed with a wicked sense of humour. Today, I would like to officially go on record with the fact that so has my husband. I really do love to laugh, and 9 times out of 10 he’s the one that's bending me over. Seriously? Get your minds out of the gutter!

As you know, I always have a camera with me, it's an extension of who I am. Last month when we were shopping together in a knick-knack shop, I came across a very unique sign. With a very straight face (and little emotion) I handed it to him then immediately held up my phone to snap this pic. 

What can I say other than... Isn't this a great sign?
Taken: April 2013

“Here Honey… Hold this sign” I said in my very best sex kitten voice. 

"Now SMILE..." I added.

Suffice is to say that after 25 years of marriage he did exactly what I asked. 

I quickly snapped the picture then totally busted a gut laughing! 

Seriously, I know my sense of humour is sick at times, but this is just bat shit freakin' funny! Best part? His immediately requested me to email it to him so that he could share my joke with his buddy Al.

Thank you Tony. I had forgotten what a fun day this was until you showed Doug this pic on your phone last night. I love that you totally still get me after all of these years. By the way, nice smile!

I Think I Can? I Know I Can!

What a week. I am buried in paperwork and dreaming of the sunshine. I have a million things on my mind, and two million things to accomplish. What can I say? All it takes is a State of Emergency in our neck of the woods to get things rolling.

Managed to get the cottage opened this week and I am heading to my very favourite place by precisely 1:01pm today. Let see, other good news? I have made the executive decision to move in for the season the long weekend in May rather than wait until Canada Day. 

I am hoping to get some of the long overdue maintenance items crossed off my list. There are things I want to undertake on my own. Tony would help me, but I have asked that he to let me try and do the stuff on my own. He has agreed.

I'll be soaking in this puppy
by Labour Day!
Taken: May 2000

I can’t help but be excited about my extended stay this summer. I had so much to discover last year, and this year I have so much to accomplish. Even though it’s been a very difficult week, I have managed to start my list of "things to do" just the same. If I time it right, I should be able to get everything done before the leaves change colour two seasons from now.

What’s the one decision I’ve made that surprises me the most? I am going to fold like a lawn chair and finally get internet access out there. 

Not because I would be lost without it, but because I have to rip apart the ceiling below the upstairs bathtub (and repair a broken pipe) as well as refinish a very old aluminium bathtub.

...and how the heck will the internet help?

I’ll be damned if I am going to start ripping off rough sawn pine and tearing apart a bathroom without Google to help me put it back together!

Don't be silly. I was born at night. Just not last night!!