REMEMBERING 2023

As the year comes to a close at midnight tonight, there is so much I am very thankful for. So much so, that I have no idea where to start. 

What I will highlight is that our wee, four legged blondie/Oreo filling, simply stole the show (as well as at least a half dozen of my perfectly good slippers). And, that I can finally admit I have discovered a perfect work/life balance; solidifying the saying 'life is short' as my personal mantra. 

Thanks for the memories 2023. They are truly respected and appreciated. I feel blessed that I have such great hope for an even better 2024.

All the best in the coming year everyone. Cheers to all, and thank you once again for reading. 

~ Rhondi

PS: With the past year 99.9% in the rearview, as you reminisce with me electronically you can click links to journal offerings that you may have missed, or wish to revisit. 

Most Memorable Moment (centre): The addition of the beautiful Katie Lulu, that arrived to her new home on January 31st, 2023. She has proven to be a much welcome thread to the newly reunited Oreo Gang and we love her very much. Thanks again @labradorables

(LINK TO RE-READ: NEVER, UNTIL NOW! )

January: The unexpected and shocking murder of my former coworker Ashley Milne (top left) in Collingwood. I have spent the year following this terrible and unnecessary tragedy in hopes her amazing spirit didn't die in vain. Please keep her and her young children in your thoughts and prayers.

(LINK TO RE-READ: A IS FOR ASHLEY)

February: With my sweet Puddin' passing in June of 2022, we thought for sure The Oreo Gang would be displaced for years. That said, with our addition of Katie, Family Furbaby Day was once again a great success.

(LINK TO RE-READ: OUR ANNUAL ADVENTURE)

March: After checking the Salvation Army Store in Gravenhurst for more than twenty years, I was ecstatic to find four more of my wonderful Petro Canada water glasses for the very first time. In a stinking blizzard no less!

April: I always look forward to my birthday trip and this year was no exception. We hit Vegas Baby! What do you do in Vegas if you have no desire to gamble? Guess you'll have to read to find out! (There are also other offering though my April A-Z posts.)

(LINK TO RE-READ: K IS FOR KNACK)

(LINK TO RE-READ: L IS FOR LOGISTICS)

May: For the first time in more than a decade, I moved to the cottage for the summer.  I set up a satellite office and only commuted to work Monday mornings for meetings. I kept telling my husband that we should have named Katie '649'... Because that pup definitely won the lottery.

June: A milestone anniversary had us hop a plane to Montego Bay for the weekend to celebrate. My dad's birthday the 9th and our anniversary the 11th it made for a great reason to getaway. Though we stayed in a much smaller resort hotel than we usually do, we had a great time.

(LINK TO RE_READ: FROM FEAR TO FEARLESS)

July: July was an amazing weather month. I worked for most of it sitting at my desk in a bathing suit. The only thing I enjoyed more was spending time with Goob in the water. You know, it doesn't matter how old they get, I just love having them around.

August: As reminisce about the year gone by, I think it had to be the 'year of the concert'. I think there were seven in total, with four being my country quartet. From a bucket list perspective, Chris Stapleton won that prize. Man, Budweiser Stage is a great venue.

(LINK TO RE-READ: MY COUNTRY MUSIC QUARTET)

September: Per the work plan, we added another layer to our estimating team, a new project coordinator. I began her training right the first week of September, so I moved home to have a shorter commute. Labour Day Monday (Lab + Our Day as the photo shows) was my last day living at the cottage full time. Made no matter, it was a really great month!

October: This nod goes to spending Canadian Thanksgiving week in Nashville. Boy, did we cram as much in as possible before returning home. The Mother Church of Country Music left me speechless, as did almost everything about this amazing city - including the Opry.

(LINK TO RE-READ:SIMPLY, UNFORGETABLE

November: They say some of the best decisions you make are the ones you think about the least. Well, we bought another boat. A 20 foot Doral bowrider that gets delivered the first week of May (weather pending). Can't wait to load up the pups...

(LINK TO RE-READ:WE BOUGHT ANOTHER BOAT)

December: Well this month is crammed with memorable moments. It closed out another milestone year at work, had us spend valuable time with family and friends, and our home was filling with both birthday and holiday spirit. Not just the birthday on the 25th but the 5th, when Katie celebrated her very first birthday.

L IS FOR LOGISTICS

 “The line between disorder and order lies in the logistics…” ~ Sun Tzu

The dynamic duo chillaxin' taking in the beautiful topography.
TAKEN: APRIL 6th, 2023

When you’re traveling as far as we did for four nights, to ensure you can experience as much as possible, there needs to be a lot of planning involved. 

Our first step being getting us from the airport to the hotel. When we were leaving LAS and headed to grab a taxi, a group of guys heading up the escalator yelled down in tandem, “YOU GUYS NEED TO DOWNLOAD UBER!”

I wanted to yell back, “didn’t your mother teach you not to get into cars with strangers!?!” Instead, we just smiled and waved back.

Unlike some, I refuse to install apps on my phone that house my credit card information. Therefore, using Uber, Lift, or Samsung Pay has never been something I have ever entertained.

What we did include in our carefully planned trip, was a car rental for the day to take a road trip and save on the large fees tour companies charge. 

We knew we wanted to hike Red Rock Canyon. What I missed when hatching the plan was that we needed a reservation to enter; as they only let so many cars in the park at one time.

Rather than trying to reschedule our logistically planned ‘just in time’ day, we made the best of the situation at hand and enjoyed the views from the periphery, before heading toward the Pat Tillman Bridge and the Hoover Dam.

The fact that when back on the road we went over an hour out of our way, went south instead of north on 215 taking us toward LA... Before my driver would listen to me telling him we were going in the wrong direction?

Not even worth mentioning! #yagottalaughaboutit

K IS FOR KNACK

When I returned to work last Monday and was asked about my birthday trip to Las Vegas, I gave a one-word answer: Meh.  (You could also insert a sarcastic shoulder shrug in there for visual effect.)

My underwhelming response was followed by an immediate, "I’ve been to much nicer places, and had far better experiences." 

Reaffirming our thought process which was, "It's VEGAS baby... You've got to go at least once just to see it!"

That said, I did enjoy the varying levels of architecture and attention to construction detail in the grand casinos on the strip, but my solstice of trying to enjoy those few moments was interrupted by the ‘ding-ding-ding’ of the slot machines that were situated absolutely everywhere.

Neither my husband or I have the desire nor ever developed the skill for gambling. We are both smart enough to know that’s it not there for you to win.

I lost everything and my husband did not.
Here's the photographic proof!
TAKEN: APRIL 7th, 2023

My only attempt at the jackpot was a five-dollar bill in a slot machine in the Bellagio. I did get my investment up to $12.95 in winnings and should have cashed out. Instead, I kept pushing the button, rolling the odds, until it was all gone. The entire entertainment experience lasted less than ten minutes!

My husband tried his luck while we waited for our table at Tony Roma’s in the Golden Nugget. His investment was in the three singles he had in his pocket and his chit shows where he landed.

To which I immediately told him, ‘I thought he may have developed a gambling addiction and may want to seek out help’. We both burst into laughter and headed into the restaurant.

On a scale from one to ten, the moral of this post is... Our knack for gambling, negative two. Our knack for investing in great running shoes,  positive twelve. We walked and walked and walked. 

Thanks goodness there wasn't a charge for that. After all, we lost a whopping $7.83 USD gambling.

Which is like $117.45 CDN these days!

E IS FOR EXCHANGE

Editorial cartoon from the Toronto Star that is even more applicable in today's economy.
JANUARY 24th, 2016

 

After our roadtrip/beach house adventure to the Outer Banks with the pups last fall, I started grabbing US$'s from the Royal Bank ATM whenever I thought of it. 

You know, twenty bucks this week, forty bucks the next. Not because I want to be carrying a lot of cash around when travelling, but on our last trip I noticed the steep premium I was paying to use my credit card out of country. It was an eye opener that pushed the limits to the budget we had set because we used the card for everything.

So, when I selected Las Vegas as my next passport stamp, I knew cash would probably be the way to go, hence the Andrew Jackson currency hording that's been happening.

Then, when packing the weekend before takeoff, I said to my husband 'maybe we should save the cash, and use the card' (as we have an anniversary trip booked in June where American cash will be King). 

To explain my methodology, not using the card is kind of a double edge sword for us. We pay our credit card off every two weeks and use it for absolutely everything, including household bills. In turn, with the mountain of points we earn, we redeem them every quarter and it's like found money we apply to our balance.

Anyway, that thought quickly passed when he returned with our next couple of twenties for our piggy bank stash and I discovered we'd paid $1.40930 Canadian for a single American dollar. 

At $1.40930 for a buck, I only have one last comment. Thank goodness for the secure hotel safe. 

In their wee safe space, those twenty dollar bills will blanket our passports better than us fattening the already fat fee fellas at credit card company hands down!

D IS FOR DECISION

Well, a killer Black Friday deal made my birthday trip decision a no brainer this year. With the intention of only ever going once, I landed in Las Vegas today.

For just over six hundred dollars each, a suite with an Eiffel Tower view overlooking the Bellagio fountains was the purchase, and for the second year in a row I have Air Canada to thanks for a crazy amazing birthday deal.

Landed about 2p.m. today and home Saturday evening about 10p.m., we have a fun fill trip planned. 

Heading to TopGolf this afternoon, Cirque du Soleil Beatles ONE at the Mirage tomorrow night, renting a Slingshot to head to Red Rock Canyon and the Hoover Dam Thursday, then Freemont Street for the day Friday.

Lots to talk about and some great pics to share the rest of the month for certain.

Another 'Happy Birthday Trip' but more importantly another passport stamp for yours truly.

Feeling very blessed, as life is good!

Photo courtesy of booking.com