MY BEAUTIFUL SATURDAY SURPRISE

Like everyone I know, I am grateful for the break in humidity, after muddling through two heat waves in as many weeks. It’s cooler this morning, but I still didn’t sleep well last night. I am at the point where I think I may need to start taking a sleep aid. Part of my issue is unplanned stress, the other is the restlessness of the dogs in the night because of the heat; last night was because they slept the day away thanks to the much needed rain.

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve written almost everyday, but I am going through a very personal and somewhat dark time, so my keyboard is getting a bit of a brow beating. The one thing I did want to share, was the amazing day I spent with my daughter last weekend. She has some exciting things happening in her busy life and I love the fact that she is comfortable sharing them in my confidence. I have to say, though she still struggles some days, I am so impressed with how she’s doing. Some well deserved inner peace happening there to say the least.

There's nothing life a day on the dock with your daughter!
TAKEN: AUGUST 6th, 2016

Having enjoyed our day so much, I stopped in to see her at her place of employ in the midst of my cottage commute last week. We laughed and hugged like best friends. You never truly know what life may bring, and at this point in time, she’s the one offering me strength. It really is tough being the “sugar” to everybody’s cup of tea, all of the time. That could be why I talk to myself…. I always treat myself the way I want to be treated.

As I sit at my desk at the cottage, I can’t help but think how many things have changed in my life in the last year. So much so that I am excited, albeit a tad nervous of what’s coming my way in the next year or two. That said, I know there won’t be any expansion of a canine nature. The three I have are a mitt full of work. Matter a fact, right at this very moment, they are playing their very favourite game. It’s called... “How to cram 3 dogs under this desk!”

I guess Annie loses this round, because she’s sitting on Puddys’ head. In no way, shape or form, should she lie beside my chair, as the rules of the game clearly state that you must be UNDER my small desk for the entire time I am working at it. Shame on her for arriving late to the party.

On that note, I only have one other important notable to add this morn.

… Holy 14th of August Batman! I can't believe it's the 14th of August!!

(l-r) Puddin', Dottie & Annie experiencing separation anxiety from Sweetie!
TAJKEN: AUGUST 6th, 2016

A VERY BRIGHT FUTURE...

Join me this post in wishing my newest pup a happy ANNIE-versary. You see, it’s a year ago today she joined our family.

I’ve never really written about that time before but let’s just say, as I boarded a plane to the Caribbean, my daughter boarded a Greyhound bus with her then boyfriend, to return to Alberta. It was a very emotional time for our family, as she'd dismissed us from her new life for being vocal about our feelings about her idiotic shithead, I mean future 'husband'.

As you can imagine, at the time I needed a 3rd dog running around the house like I needed a hole in the head but with my daughter gone, I needed an outlet so that I didn’t focus on what had ultimately unfurled; and Annie was exactly that. Celebratory wishes to my pup aside, I can't begin to describe the joy we felt when she expressed that she wanted to returned to Ontario less than six months later. Once we understood what had transpired, we had her home in a little better than 72 hours, with a promise not to ever dwell on our time apart. We never have.

It pains me to remember just how emotionally spent and somewhat broken she was when we picked her up at the airport. She’d invested her trust and love to a person that was not only mentally unstable but extremely abusive. As silly as this may read, as a mother, the first telltale sign for me how lost she was, was that she’d dyed her beautiful long curly hair jet black.

Well, as the snow begins to fall a year later, I believe that she has made great strides in healing. She's working hard at a full time job, made some exciting new friendships, not to mention nurtured and re-established solid friendships she’d left behind. More importantly, she's finally let certain people go. Those that have ultimately lied and betrayed her over and over again.

Sweetie taking a good look at her very bright future.
TAKEN: NOVEMBER 14th, 2015
(Photo Credit: Our other GOOB)

How cool is it that almost a year after her leaving our home, she posted this photo that I am sharing today. One of her best friends (and someone very dear to our family) had taken it and I absolutely love it. 

So many things come to mind for me when I look at the picture but first and foremost it tells me just how far my daughter has come.

The quite, teary mouse, that returned home, has now reverted in the firecracker we know and love. Though there are (and probably always will be) scars, I think she realizes that her future is much brighter than the darkness that surrounded us a year ago.

As an aside, she allowed me to strip the black hair dye from her hair yesterday afternoon. As I sit here and type with tears rolling down my face, I can assure you my tears a year later are much different. They are truly tears of joy.

You see, in my eyes, something as simple as changing her hair colour... is just another small and simple step to her finding her way back to her very loving and confident self for good. 

FRESH COLOUR... FRESH START!

Well, as you know my daughter relocated home a few weeks ago.

Like any rush and pack move, things ultimately got left behind. Actually, when you’re moving cross country via West Jet, you have little wiggle room and choices have to be made. The upside to that was that she choose to leave things behind this time last year, yet nothing was disposed of. It felt good to have her head on a road trip with her buddy Becca and I could pull a kick ass pair of her sandals out of my closet. They’d accompanied me to the Caribbean a couple of times but other than that were simply awaiting her return.

My point isn't about the sandals, rather that I can’t begin to describe the change in her disposition since she's left her painful drama behind. Out of respect for what she’s been through, we’ve made a conscious effort not to discuss her decisions; instead, we’ve just offered quiet support. In time, if she wants to discuss her feelings she will. In my opinion, what's happened is in the past and not the direction she's going. Only she can expand on that.

Dad & I watching Kim doing her THANG!
TAKEN: MAY 11th, 2015

After spending a very quiet Mother’s Day together, I sent her a text her today to meet me downtown. Unbeknownst to her we walked to our hair salon to get her a new do. Gone are the dark sullen hues she arrived with and in arrived a soft shade of auburn. Her bright new colour matches her new found disposition perfectly.

As she re-establishes her bearings and continues to grow, there’s one thing I know for sure. It’s great to hear her laugh... not to mention getting to witness her normal sibling shit disturbing.

It isn't because it’s mischievous, rather she knows it keeps all of us laughing. Not gonna lie, there’s a twinkle in her eye when she knows she has the upper hand and I love it. Words can’t describe how much I've missed her fun side.

Momma’s piece of Staccs advice #25,475? 

Life’s too short to let the glass half empty win!

T IS FOR TIMING

As my daughter returned home to us today, I thought the quote below fitting when trying to understand the timing in ones life. I know for a fact that these very wise words will resonate with so many in my life: both past and present, near and far. May my timing find each and every one of you healthy & happy. ~ Your friend, Rhondi

“Sometimes the best and worst times of your life can coincide. It is a talent of the soul to discover the joy in pain - thinking of moments you long for, and knowing you’ll never have them again. The beautiful ghosts of our past haunt us, and yet we still can’t decide if the pain they caused us outweighs the tender moments when they touched our soul. This is the irony of love.”           

                                                                                                                         ~ Shannon L. Alder

My Sweetie and me... Never to focus on the past. It's not the direction we're going.
TAKEN: MARCH 11th, 2012

Q IS FOR QUESTIONABLE

I’m the first person to put my hands up and admit that I’m not the sharpest tack in the box. That said, I suppose I am grateful that Sharp Tack Quality Control Department let me slip into their proverbial box for being 'just sharp enough'. Hell, I'm no rocket scientist, so I’ll accept whatever grades those white coat quality peeps are handin' out!!

What do I know?
My fur babies don't even listen to me!
TAKEN: MARCH 31, 2015

Giggles aside, for the first time since I started this electronic journal, the one thing I have refused to discuss, have been the months of painfully questionable distance placed between my daughter and myself. All I will say is that based on difficult choices, hard lines were drawn & maintained.

It's only recently that she has made the personal choice (outside of us) to come home. It's only now, that I can tearfully admit that it was my husband and my sons that carried me though all those very difficult months.

Truth? I wasn't silent because I wanted to be,  I was silent because I needed to be. For her: so she could go to the next level in her life without my noise. My heart knew she needed to have this specific life experience, no matter what the outcome.

I'm not gonna lie. The evolution of the relationship I have with my children isn't unlike what I have discovered works within my marriage, which is probably why I have learned to compartmentalize so well. Simply put, I came to the realization that a breath saved, makes the world of difference... in the long run.

Could that be why I write? So that I will always have a voice that is truly my own?

QUESTIONABLE!

P IS FOR PEEPS

Staccs is moving back to Ontario next week. Not for a visit but to generally start anew. 

Though she's shed a tsunami of tears in the last couple of weeks, the one thing she can’t deny, is that her inner circle have rallied around her and unconditionally assured her that she’s doing the right thing.

Saying her PEEPS are 'all that' is an understatement. As selfish as this may read, I am glad the advice she received to regroup came from them and not me.

I love my shot of TEAM PINK. Brat Pack... Black & White.
TAKEN: JUNE 2010

Wearing those “bat shit crazy bitch mother, that stood in the way of true love” pair of shoes have to be the most unfashionable & uncomfortable pieces a gal will ever wear.

The ugliest outfit that goes with those f-ugly shoes? Letting your children experience life lessons when you know that you're ultimately the heavy. There is no handbook for parenting, yet today proved that I have learned to truly listen.

To my daughters PEEPS....  You are all such amazing Men. 

Never lose sight of that!

N IS FOR NOSTALGIA

Jukebox, Goob, Sweetie & Me... in South Carolina
TAKEN: APRIL 1993

Snow? NO... Frost? YES!

Sweetie full of SNOW
TAKEN: Sep 10th /14

I asked my daughter to take a selfie of herself so that I could appreciate the snowstorm she was enduring last week in Calgary. Actually, I couldn't believe that she was needing to wear her winter coat and gloves a minute and a half after wearing white would have been considered her biggest fashion faux pas!

The dad-gum honest truth is that I felt sorry for her, yet hopeful for us in Muskoka. My thought process being that with all the shitty weather we've  had, we may actually have a shot at an Indian Summer. Right on schedule, this morning, I was given a glimmer of hope.

Not because I was bundled up with a fire on and it was a balmy 5C outside... but because there's a frost warning in effect for tonight. (I'm not sure if you know this; in order to have a chance at an Indian Summer, there has to have been two bouts of overnight frost prior.) Though the leaves started to change earlier than normal this season, they seem to have stalled. Again, more  hope.

The pic I am posting is one I took while sunbathing on Saturday September 14th, 2013. I guess what has me really pissed off is that this time last year I was worried about harmful UV rays... Not getting stinking frost bite!

It is what it is and I will spin it however I see fit. Try and stay positive as I head to the cottage in the morning for what I believe to be my last stretch living there before it gets closed for the winter. I'm not saddened by the thought, I had a great time this year. I simply refuse to say 'this summer' because it never truly arrived.

As my friends start changing their profile pictures to include their skis and sleds I'm doing the opposite. I'm selecting my plethora of swimsuits and the dozen pairs of shoes I'll  need to pack for my trip. YUP, I've cashed in all my pop bottles and heading South in November.  Truth of the matter is I've gone non-stop since I left my job last December.

Leaving on a jet plane may be  the best way for me to embrace my very interesting albeit exhausting year.. She's been a bit of a ride to say the least.

I LOVE Labour Day Weekend..

Well, it’s the last long weekend of the summer that never officially arrived. For various reasons, this one in particular, has produced some of the most long standing memories to date.

In the early cottage days, it was the weekend that we started hauling items up the hill. We didn't have stairs for the first six summers but we did have slave labour. I mean energetic children that did what they were told. As the years progressed, they caught on and rebelled. Trekking items up over the entire weekend inevitably prevented the angst, emotion, and volume of, “MOM…. NO FAIR… All she’s carrying is an empty water jug!”

This weekend doesn't only make me think of cottage life. It reminds me of indoor shoes, outdoor shoes, back packs, and the pain of adjustment at home the following week. Tweens adjusting to making (and not missing) the school bus at the bottom of the hill. Then, there was High School, and the cash drain of twelve hundred bucks a year for uniforms. BIG bucks for clothes they loathed wearing each and every single day they had to put them on. 

Good Times… Good Times.

Smiling, none of those are the one moment I deem most memorable. It would be a private moment Labour Day Monday of 2012.  I had lived at the cottage for the summer and the Post Secondary journey was finally complete. I remember my husband and I enjoyed a great day. By mid-afternoon, I finally said what I’d been thinking all weekend long, “we made it” I said. “No rent cheques to write. No more books to buy. We made it!”

Memories of a really GREAT Labour Day Monday.
Taken: September 3rd, 2012

It was in that very moment that be both realized it was a new beginning for us. Actually, in going back through my photos today, I found the one I’m posting. 

The fact that I picked up my cell phone and snapped a picture of my husband’s glass of red wine is significant. I'm positive it was to remind me that the kids were grown and gone and the next lag of this long journey was ours to define.

The hard part for both us, had been transitioning from being parents to being a friend and solid support system for them. Two years later (this weekend), we readily admit, that we had to do those things as a couple as well. 

So, I guess in some ways, this weekend not only commemorates Labour Day, it's an anniversary for us as well. Wonder what he'll get me as a gift? Who the hell am I kidding. He's gonna forget! 

Bet he'll tell me it's my fault. For failing to remind him! Ya Gotta Laugh About It...!!

Have a great weekend Peeps. Stay safe, have fun, and ensure you're always SMILING.

GIT-R-DONE Little One

I moved my only daughter cross country last weekend. It was a difficult thing to do but it was what she truly wanted. I wish the transition would have went smoother, but at the end of the day there's no handbook for parenting.  All you can do is try your hardest and just never lose hope. Hope, that their compass will point them home. If, and or when, they may want to return.

Doing back flips with Dad at our favourite family spot on Lake Rosseau. She was 4.
TAKEN: JULY 1994

I remember being at her stage in my life. I was surrounded by a core group of friends and had that proverbial tiger by the tail. I was driving my boyfriend's Corvette and my mother was not impressed with my choices. Why would I remember? Aside from it being the most amazing summer of my life, it was just before she got sick. We were estranged. 

When my daughter was making her most recent series of life choices, I thought of that time all those years ago with my own mother. Oh how I wished she could have told me that she loved me. Even though in her opinion she thought she knew best, I wish she would have trusted me to know my own self worth. Instead, I was given her all or nothing ultimatum. I didn't choose her. That time of disconnect has ended up being a very bittersweet time in my life that I look upon with regret.

That said, this time isn't about me, it's about my daughter. I know that no matter what she puts her mind to, she will be successful. She knows we're here... but at the end of the day she's driving the bus.

Look at my photo. She was only four years old and she had such an unconditional trust. The moral of my story is what my photo doesn't show. That she instinctively knew to pull her knees into her chest so that she'd land on her feet!

I love you Sweetie.

What A Difference 8030 Days Makes!

Where were you 8030 days ago? Do you remember? I do. Almost like it was yesterday.

Not to confuse - this photo was taken 8027 days ago.
...We were heading home from the hospital.
TAKEN: June 8th, 1992

Why? At the end of a lot of hard work, I shotgun dropped fifty pounds in two minutes and  without the use of cosmetic surgery!

Also included in my plethora of prizes that day, were some really great drugs and two almost 7lb bundles of joy.

With it being 8030 days later, I'll finally verbalize the truly harsh realities: the drugs wore off way too fecking quick and thems bundles is all growed up!

Around day 1095 this week officially kicked it up a notch. It became to most celebrated week of our entire year;  the fifth was their day, the ninth my Dad’s day, and the eleventh the day we got married. A lifetime of tradition which has officially ended on this 8030th day.

My daughter still got cranked this year (but she generally gets excited when Friday rolls around every week). It’s just who she is. Kinda like an eternal ray of sunshine. Her twin tends to be a little more nonchalant about the lack of fanfare like me. I don't want him to become pessimistic about the occasion but the hard reality's that he had to haul his ass into work. Guess his expectation of a really great water balloon fight was probably nonexistent.

It was a chilly day outside. I made and ate an early dinner. With my son at work and my daughter heading to dinner with friends, it's the very first time (8030 days later) that the house was quiet. Actually, that's not entirely true. The dogs were excited when I announced that it was the twins birthday this morning but I know for a fact their excitement was directly tied to the fact that I had bread in toaster and they were hoping I'd slap on a little extra peanut butter for them if they'd perform.

All joking aside ... Happy Birthday Sweetie & Goob. I love you both very much.

I can't wait for cake & everyone being together on Sunday!!

Z IS FOR ZOOOOOOM……

Just like that, the month of April is gone.

Having paid homage to the twenty six letters of the alphabet in thirty days, my annual A-Z Blogging Challenge is officially complete. As expected, I am completely exhausted.

That said, what a difference a year makes. I really struggled to finish last year. Had a big plan (including a spreadsheet, with multiple options for inspiration) that turned out to be complete and total crap. I totally focused on the goal of finishing, rather than enjoying the experience. I am not proud to admit, in search of the perfect post last year, my competitive nature produced tears.

This year, there were no tears. I didn't give a single letter the time of day until I woke up and my feet hit the floor. The bigger personal challenge, was trying to meld my chosen photo, to the letter of the day… & vice-versa. Today, I had a word, but no photo. So, before I began to write, with an appreciation for how quickly the month blew by, I asked myself, “…what was I doing exactly one year ago today?”

The Girlz making the best of seasonably
COLD North Myrtle Beach weather.
Taken: April 30th, 2013

Turns out that I was spending the day on the ocean with my three favourite girls. 

I looked at the photo's from that day and they were both amazing and memorable.

Oh, how the four of us ZOOOOM'd that day. 

Dogs after a Frisbee, my daughter and I after a couple of off leash bat shit crazy dogs... And me, back to my laptop to finish my final post of the challenge.

Thanks again for reading. It really does mean a lot to me and it truly is appreciated.

~Rhondi

R IS FOR REUNION

For the first time in more than three years, we hit the road (as a family) for a day trip this past weekend. I don’t know about you, but getting the exclusive time of five full time working adults coordinated, can be a real pain in the ass. We were going, we weren't… We were going, we weren't. Ay Carumba!

With everything finally aligned by mid-morning yesterday, I was excited. We were all going to have some serious family face time...and not the kind you receive courtesy of your iPhone.  

L'il ole me capturing a moment... While my husband captures ours.
TAKEN: APRIL 20th, 2014

You’ll be proud to know that even though I brought the camera into the restaurant where we had lunch, I held my extreme picture taking urges at bay.

A couple of hours in, with beautiful Lake Simcoe as our backdrop, I began to snap away like a drug addict in need of a hit.

The tricky part for me's that I never usually take just one picture with one camera. As I worked through the stash in my purse, I realized that my kids have become conditioned to my affliction. 

I just can't seem to help myself!

Being the last of four children with older parents, my mother passed and there was little evidence of my childhood. (The biggest item missing, was a family photo.) I'm not suggesting that my children live in the past... but I would like them to have the ability to reminisce together once we're gone. 

Besides, yesterday was an official reunion right?

Who the hell am I kidding... my kids could be embroiled in a full out round of fisticuffs and I'd still want to take their picture. Because in my books,  'remember the time when...?' 

Is always a PERFECT Sunday Supper conversation starter!

My final effort.... Aren't they all just absolutely amazing!!!
TAKEN: APRIL 20th, 2014

O IS FOR OBJECTIVITY

I believe as people age and accumulate more life experiences, their true sense of who they are and what they want tightens. At the risk of sounding corny, I feel every life experience, no matter how small, becomes a part of who we are. Which is why, it takes a combination of both time and experience, to become objective and develop a compass for perspective.

Professionally, objectivity has never been an issue for me. I’ll lobby for my beliefs, but at the end of the day, it’s the person that I am reporting too that signs my paycheck. So, being objective has always been, pretty much a no brainer. Unless of course, it effected my personal well being.

The opposite side, to the ease of that slope, is how I have to dig deep to find that same fairness toward a situation, when it comes to my husband, my children, my dogs (hell, any/all dogs) or our home. I’m sure it has something to do with the need to nurture and protect but that's not my point.

Their bond is so very strong and powerful. It's amazing to witness.
TAKEN: AUGUST 2007 

My daughter is going through one of the toughest challenges that she’s faced in her life to date. 

As a family, we've all unconditionally rallied to her support, but that still doesn't change the shitty situation at hand. Which is, it involves a person... that we all want to shake the living snot right out of! 

Verrrry... Slowly... Enters ...OBJECTIVITY. 

I’m proud that it’s me that has taken the lead on this one. I've never been this calm, which tells me I'm still evolving. My husband and she are so fiercely close, that some days I feel that he is taking this as hard as she is. Her brothers, the same. Each have a different resolution in mind, but none will help our daughter heal any quicker. Which goes back to my opening ramble.

It’s been my personal experience that one can only gain objectivity from a series of life changing events. The sad part is, the ones we learn the most from?

…Friggin’ SUCK experiencing!

C IS FOR CAMARADERIE

What can I say? You either gravitate to that kind of energy or you don’t. Matter a fact, I am probably one of the few people I know that strive to surround myself with as much of it as much as possible. I consider it to be an essential balance in every single area of my life.

When I began dating my husband (almost thirty years ago) my mother was terminally ill. We've always had a  lot of natural chemistry but I believe we have stood the test of time part and parcel because of how well we get along. Hard times have always be overcome because we've always been the best of friends. 

From the very beginning, our life together has
always been filled with a love for sarcasm, humour and camaraderie!
Taken: June 2002

In my eyes, one of his most valued traits is his ability to make us all laugh. 

Intense by nature, he can make me laugh at the stupidest situations imaginable. Silly ones I may end up fixated on. Some days our mutual love of humour is what literally pulls me through.

With our children fully grown, it warms my heart to know that they have all embraced our philosophy. They love to laugh and live to nurture great friendships; with each other, extended family, co-workers and many facets of varying people. 

I must admit, as they were growing up, I'm confident that we were probably labelled the strictest parents. All these years later, I also know that when you flipped that disciplined coin, we've always been the most fun!

What can I say? The Peacock's LOVE FUN... It's how we roll!

A Family Day of Reflection

I am not proud to admit that I have zero contact with my three older siblings.

Different life choices are probably what created the gigantic chasm but my Dad passing was most definitely what sealed our long term fate. It’s not like the distance happened immediately, I guess we all made a series of individual/personal decisions over time.

As parents, we make choices every single day on the philosophies we decide to instil in our children; those choices will ultimately last a lifetime. I know in our home, we chose to constantly reinforce that no matter how much they bickered, one day they would cherish the bond they had as siblings. My husband and I continually reminded that they would always have each other and therefore their respect for one and other should always be carefully nurtured.

The Power of 3 - Summer Lovin' Poppa's Camp!
Taken: July 1995

From the very beginning we've always cautioned them that we could never force them to be friends.

Only they could make the specific choices to unconditionally love and support one and other as they matured.

Look at my picture (snapped almost 20 years ago on their Poppa's dock).

That amazing bond, though tested at times, has had them communicating more with one and other more than with my husband and I by a mile. To be honest, after the journey I have taken with my siblings I'm a little envious. It makes me somewhat reflective actually.

I sometimes wonder if the demise of my relationships with my own siblings is why I've evolved into the crazy dog lady. In some way, shape, or form, maybe I was meant to be surrounded by a gigantic pack of love without a stitch of drama, rivalry, or ulterior motivation.

What can I say?... I'll start with the fact that I am so proud of my three children for getting it right. We may have led by planting the example seed; but in the end, they made it look easy, which is definitely the silver lining never to be taken for granted.

Happy Family Day. Here's to you and yours... and a million more.

Cheers...

Our Precious Daughters...

I love you Sweetie. You truly are a precious gift.
Taken: December 2010

I chose to share this picture of my daughter today for a very specific reason. 

Not only do I remember being in the exact moment that my shutter closed, I remember how very proud I was of her that day.  

Look at her beautiful face. 

Taken more than three years ago, as she approached my husband and our dogs, you could tell she was truly comfortable in her own skin. She was glowing: with confidence.

My point today is that I vividly remember our precious daughter and her entire 18th year. 

Extremely shy by nature, she had taken a placement through school and was participating with them in the annual Santa Claus Parade. She’d had a tough 17th year. After a terrible bullying incident that lasted months, she begged us to change schools. We finally agreed. She transferred in June and by September she had started her life anew. 

Her 18th summer brought her first serious boyfriend into our home and she truly discovered that hard work equated to monetary reward. A quiet leader in so many ways, she raised her hand to spearhead the homefront; and to this day, she's never once wavered with her message to the rest of us about the importance of family and our staying together. She truly is amazing and I love her very much.

Why so reflective? My heart is heavy and my eyes are damp today. At 2 am this morning I awoke from a deep sleep and I wandered into my office to see if my fear had come to fruition and it had. After a short battle with an unexpected illness, my friend Dodi’s daughter died last night. She was in her 18th year.

Staci and Brianna had never met. Their paths had never crossed; nor did they even know that their mothers knew one and other. As I sit here in shock, I can’t help but stare at this picture of my beautiful daughter at 18 years of age.  I can't begin to fathom just how shattered my heart (and my world) would be if she'd passed in the night. 

Rest in Peace young Brianna…. You were a very brave girl but your pain is finally over. 

Did You Say 'Employee Discount'?

Breakfast at Fran's in Barrie!
Damn you silly iPhone filter...
Taken: November 17th, 2013

So, I travelled to Barrie this morning to have breakfast with my totally amazing daughter. 

We'd conjured up a plan for me to arrive before 10am because she was scheduled to start work at 11am. What can I say? She arrived for her shift 10 minutes late.

In our defense, it wasn't because we were chatting, yet we tried to dine with every single person that had been to a church service within the city limits!

So, once I dropped her off for her shift, I parked the car and ventured into one of my very favourite stores to shop. Wait, allow me to back up. I should share that when she moved south at the end of last summer, she left with a full time job in place. 

In turn, she took a part time job to ensure she could cover her expenses (not to mention a lifestyle she'd become very a custom to). Well hog tie this Momma and tell her she'd won the lottery... because my youngin' dum went n' got herself a job at WINNERS!

GIDDY UP... She'll work over 60 hours this week!
Taken: November 17th, 2013

I LOVE WINNERS.

I can sniff out one of them thar stores easier than a drunk can sniff out a bottle of Old Spice tucked waaay in the back of a medicine cabinet!

Last weekend in Montreal? It was the first store I found, and the one I spend the most amount of time in.  

Funny part is that it isn't about the labels for me. I actually had someone ask me last weekend if I was carrying an Anne Klein bag. I said "I have no idea. I liked it, I bought it... At WINNERS!" That said, I do love Deloris Claiborne... I mean Liz Claiborne stuff... but it too can get pricey, so I tend to pass. It's not that I am frugal, I just pride myself on being practical.

To accentuate my point, I went from WINNERS to the Goodwill. Browsing in total comfort, the Barenaked Ladies came on over the loud speaker. I sang aloud with the couple of ladies near by, and without missing a beat I sang the unspoken solo.

♫♪♫ If I had a million dollars... If I had a million dollars.... ♪♫♪...If I had a million dollars.... I wouldn't be shopping at the Goodwill in Barrie ♪♫♪... We all a laughed and individually kept browsing. 

What a great day Sweetie. Thank you so very much. Not just for being you... but once again proving that the only place where success comes before work is in the Dictionary.

Atta GIRL!