SOME AFTERPARTY PETRO

TOP: Our festive holiday view of the falls in our sleepy little town
BOTTOM: Watching the sunset, waiting for my coworkers to arrive.
TAKEN: DECEMBER 15TH, 2023 

Last Friday, my husband and I rented a large AirBnB home overlooking the Bracebridge Falls, and hosted an afterparty for fourteen; which included the seven coworkers I am closest with and some of their life partners.

I was pleasantly surprised by the individual reactions I received as they walked through to the kitchen and spied the gaggle of Petro Canada glasses neatly lined up on the counter. There was one on display for each of us.

None of them readers of my electronic journal, I told my story of how my collection of over two hundred glasses came to be, then poured them a spot of holiday spirit.

I explained that whomever enters my home for the first time, always has to raise a glass and have a drink with my dad. Because my home couldn't sleep ten like the rental could, I brought my glasses to them -  as if they were entering my home for the very first time.

 As I told the story, one of the project managers I work with (who is the same age as Jukebox) Facetimed his parents so that they could meet me and hear my silly story about my glass collection. Similar in age, they remembered when my conversation pieces were all the rage. 

Then, as so many do, promised to keep an eye out for them in Southern Ontario and have their son deliver them to me. As it does whenever anyone offers to help grow my obsession, it warmed my heart.

As I reflect on the last year, I am grateful it has been exceptional. I think I finally have this work/travel life balance thing in check. I took the business to the next level at work AND I got to have a drink with my dad in some pretty cool places. 

Under the stars at the Bellagio fountains Las Vegas, in the sun on a beach in Jamaica, rockin' Broadway in downtown Nashville, and with fourteen work buddies overlooking the beautiful Bracebridge Falls. 

Life is really good!

And keeping my pops memory alive with my Petro Canada water glass collection is just an added bonus!!

W IS FOR WOMEN

March 8th was when we celebrated this year!
Cartoon (c) maxine.com

In recognition of International Women's Day, I posted this to my personal Facebook page this year with a song link (which I have added to my post at the bottom): 

In celebration of International Woman's Day I am sharing a song that has carried me though a male dominated sector, to which I believe I belong. Truthfully, I've seen it all as a mature woman in Muskoka construction. 

I've been told what to wear, coached on how to manage men that should have been let go, and had my intelligence diminished by bullies that hated the outgoing personality of an well versed woman. 

Most importantly, for being unconditionally loyal,  I was totally gaslighted as the internal political climate changed. 

The point of my story is I have never given up - and I am really very proud of that.

PS: If you truly know me and you've read this far.... AND you've listened to the tune I am sharing; you know who was on the other side of this exit interview!

Sara Bareilles - King of Anything (Official Video)

Q IS FOR QUORUM

Great coworkers can transform common days to thanksgiving, 

routine jobs into joy, and ordinary opportunities into blessings.

                                                                                  ~ Google Quotes    

                   

The perfect way to end the day in Beamaris. Skating at dusk on Lake Muskoka.
TAKEN: March 2022

Have you ever had one of those days where you landed at work and you realized two minutes in that you were going to need a do-over? 

Jokingly, the morning I returned from Las Vegas, I asked my leadership team of coworkers (in our Monday morning meeting) for a show of hand of 'who did my job' when I was away. No one raised their hand. 

They did laugh, a lot, which told me what I was coming back to. My glass half full kicked in and it simply reminded me what job security actually looks like.

That said, whining about how far behind I became and time change complaints aside, I chose the word because I work with a really great group of people.  

If there is one observation I will make, it's that we communicate really well, and no one goes rogue to get themselves ahead in the company. In all my years of work life experience, that is a rarity.

Oh, the other thing is that this is the first company that I have worked where the President has surrounded himself with four very intelligent women to help him lead.

Even rarer than no one scratching their way to the top? Zero drama!

All in all, our quorum of leaders loyally serve the greater good of the company as a whole. 

Which on so many levels, makes going to work every day extremely easy.

LEAPIN’ LIFE BALANCE!

In fairness to Miya, this was a bad throw by me...
I didn't want my lunch break served with a side order of soggy!
TAKEN: AUGUST 24th, 2022

In 2007 at fifteen years of age, when my beautiful yellow lab Toby crossed over the rainbow bridge, I promised myself I would take time to truly grieve his passing and not get a new pup during my extended time of mourning. 

Not only did I have no desire to try and replace him, I honestly believe once you have a unique bond and connection like we did; that bond remains singular forever. 

As a family, we were more than two years before we entertained another dog.

Now fast forward to the realization that our beloved Puddin’ had a rare form of cancer. Her long-term prognosis was grim, yet this time it wasn’t only me being left behind; it was our beautiful Annie. 

They had been inseparable since we'd rescued her at five weeks of age. When she arrived she fit in the palm of my hand, was sickly and unable to eat, and Puddin' never left her side.

Worried Annie may die of a broken heart when Pud parted, we decided to smooth that transition by working with a CKC registered breeder to purchase another Labrador Retriever. 

Miya Maria (seen above) was born on April 9^th, 2021, and we picked her up on my father’s birthday in June. We were blessed to have Puddin’ live a year (less two days) from the one year anniversary of Miya joining our pack. 

My point?

When I left my construction management job last fall, I was truly blessed to have several opportunities present themselves - and for the first time in my life (just like I did with Toby) I knew I would be taking my time.

In the end, of the six formal offers I entertained, I had it down to two. One paid more money, the other offered me the option to work from my home office from Christmas Break to Easter without travel.

When I walked away from the money and accepted the other offer in another sector, 48-hours before I was scheduled to start, my current employer asked me back to the table with his counteroffer.

The most important item he presented was because I would report to him and he splits his time leading our teams, I would commute to the Muskoka office the set three days he's in. When he's working from our other company office, I would work from home for those two days. 

It sealed the deal - and I have been grateful to get to balance my home office hours between the house and my desk at Orillia Lake.

I will report that the my current team's much younger than I expected, but I am excited to share that they look to my decades of experience and appreciate it. I love that I have entered the mentoring stage of my career after having so many really great mentors.

Also, I love the fact that those I am mentoring don't care to chase flying pigs into the lake, never beg for my lunch using drool, chase the squirrels I feed until they are ready to drop, nor smell like rotten ass on a rainy day from swimming so much.

...Truly making my work life/real life/doggie daycare life balance perfect!!

OLD BESSIE AND ME

An Alberta Clipper passed though Muskoka and old Bessie rose to the occasion!

TAKEN: FEBRUARY 19th, 2022

Like everyone else in Muskoka, we woke up Saturday morning and couldn’t see across the street. 

After a pot of hot coffee and the blizzard subsiding, my hubby began to bundle up and I immediately followed his mid-morning motivational moves. We headed out together, to tackle the hellish 13+ inches of the white stuff that had arrived; express, via Alberta.

Though I have always complained about winter in general, when it comes right down to it, I've always enjoyed shoveling snow.  You can move quite a lot of the crap with a snow scoop and prior us inheriting old Bessie, snow was always moved the old fashion way – with sheer determination and hard work. 

For the record, Bessie came to us a few years back as a gift from our buddy Myler. To accurately describe her, I would have to say she’s a lot like me. Older in nature yet has a lot of spunk and life left in her!

Just like me, she may struggle some days to get going - but at the end of it all she keeps going and going until the task at hand is completed... And this past Saturday played out exactly like that for all of us.

I started by shoveling the decks and around the front of the garage while Bessie and my man hit the long driveway straights. Boy, there was a lot of snow to move. About halfway through them making a dent in the driveway drifts, it was my turn to drive the Bess-Monster.

To give you a visual, this old girl is heavy as a tank (not that I’m not that too…) and directly under the driveway snow, was a sheet of ice from top to bottom.

 

I did OK heading uphill, as the blower motor did most of the work and I positioned my feet as if I was climbing uphill on cross country skis. Coming back down was another story. I just gripped the handles and focused on staying standing up as if I were snowboarding. 

Trust me, gliding down the driveway ice behind Bessie was far easier and safer than trying to walk. All I could think to myself was thank goodness for my figure skating point of balance and my elementary school super slider snow skate experience. In one word… WICKED!

After hubby and I tagged team off again and he headed back toward the top of the drive, I held up my phone and snapped our photo. What I am sharing is exactly what I captured, and there are a couple of things I love which this photo illustrates.

Firstly, that teamwork really does make the dream work.. AND, that I absolutely LOVE that the blowing snow hides my Saturday morning big ass bedhead, as well as the fact that I am not wearing any makeup. 

What can I say?

...Except our old girl Bessie brings out the absolute best in me!

Q IS FOR QUANTITY

My quest for a greater QUANTITY continues
TAKEN: APRIL 17th, 2018

From the April -Z Blogging archives.
This was originally posted April 20th, 2018

One of our employees walked into my office on Tuesday morning with a list of specific work related questions for me.

Mid conversation, he noticed one of the glasses I collect next to my monitor that an architect had delivered to me. It was neat to observe his general curiosity as he asked, “is that one of them?” 

He then continued to tell me that he thought he had come across an older one on the job site he was working on (inside a garage we're going to tear down). So I asked that he snap a picture of it, and send it to me when he landed there later that morning. When his email arrived, my heart filled with love as I discovered another one was finding its way home.

Though she’s still in transit, I have to admit that this one looks like it has had a good run. I will say that my guess is that her previous owner used the dishwasher to keep her clean, which is why the paint is so worn.

I will admit that years ago when I began my collection I use to put them into the dishwasher as well, but it seemed they were meeting an quicker than normal death; so now I wash every single one used by hand.

Curious where I'm at in the quantity department with these beauties?

Last count was 126. This gals makes it 127, with no end in sight!

HAPPY TO HELP

A minute and a half away from celebrating my 5th anniversary with my current team, Tuesday was an extra special day for me at work.

A client walked into the office and handed me this lovely gift with a heartfelt personal note to say thank you. Though we socially distanced, she offered an ear to ear smile when I told her I would hug her if we weren't in the midst of a global pandemic.

Thanks Alberta!
TAKEN: JULY 7th, 2020

She's such a lovely lady. One that knows when she calls at the last minute and asks for help, I offer it unconditionally. Not because I want to sell her something, but because I pride myself on providing great customer service; one of the most important and successful career hats I have worn for close to 20 years.

When I changed careers in 2004 and went into business for myself, it was serious grassroots market research that defined my path to the here and now. Having never really been in sales prior, I discovered very quickly that with my keen ability for analysis that sales and marketing was definitely that sexy little black dress that absolutely fit me perfectly.

Shortly thereafter, my dad fell ill and he lived his last six months in hospice care in our home. While managing that, every single free moment of every single day was spent on the phone in my home office. 

You see, in the midst of his end of life care, I was trying to build something special. That something special, had been clearly identified by the large amount of data I had collected and analysed. 

That said, I would be lying if I said I did it alone. There were two great friends coaching me on how to get a seat at the 'big peoples table'. One still remains one of my closest friends and has an MBA in marketing, the other was a friend with a degree in journalism; with a brilliant mind, and marketing background. 

I could always count on the latter to be brutally honest with me. He ghost wrote for my clients for those first few years.  His name was Greg; he has since passed.

I remember how hard I worked that first year. When things really started to blossom, with a keen respect for his knowledge I  asked Greg to review my 3 year business plan. 

All these years later, I will never forget the moment he looked me in the eye and told me that I was onto something.  Three months after that, he and I celebrated after my very first full page ad appeared on page A5 of the Toronto Star. The  value of the upload of that one ad in 2005: $60,000. 

Print led to great success with radio, then in 2007 I produced my first series of television commercials. I still watch them every once in a while to prove to myself what I'd actually accomplished. It was a life changing.

Not gonna lie, it is always nice to daydream of those years gone by, yet when a simple gift bag arrives for the little extra effort that was supplied, makes one realize they're on the right track.

Proving, one should never bet against karma .

KEEPING IT REAL

This is US at Orillia Lake.
TAKEN: 2008

More than a decade ago, I worked for a big fat guy that was an absolute donkey. Because I don’t like to degrade without inserting context, he was also extremely militant and generally very rude.

I remember he use to constantly page me over the loud speaker. “Rhondi, can you come to my office?” Which was code for me - that he needed to be fed.

When I heard, “Rhondi, can you come to my office, please!” I knew I was going to get a good old fashion ass kicking, because something out of my control had pissed him off.  The latter happened far more than I care to share.

Why did I stay? Truth is, I loved the job. 

I loved the job, the industry, but most of all the other people on the team. I guess you could say that I absorbed his poor treatment of me right up until the specific moment when his poor treatment of me was the straw that broke this loyal camel’s back.

Which leads me to my point:

With everything that is happening surrounding COVID-19, I find myself having similar conversations with my children about how they were, and are being treated (or mistreated) since this pandemic hit.

As I’ve mentioned, my daughter has two front line jobs, one at the hospital and one at a grocery store. She isn’t sure she wants to continue with both once the province opens up. I don’t blame her. One employer values her, the other does not. 

As a mom, all I can do is listen and let her talk things through with a sense of optimism that she'll hear herself rationalize her concerns; which I hope will eventually help her understand what she truly wants to do. 

Pre-pandemic, both my boys were doing very well in the restaurant industry. One can’t work because of underlying health issues and the second took a front line job so he could continue to pay his bills. After a month, his new employer exceeded his previous wage in hopes he would stay in their employ long term.

I guess the big picture question is should they return to the status quo or should they look to transition? At this juncture, no one has a crystal ball to tell me what the future will bring, so I can’t really be of assistance, simply listen and support.

For me, I'm just keeping it real. I have firmly instilled in all three to always treat people the way you want to be treated, in hopes that energy is returned. But more importantly, they always need to stand unconditionally strong together and support one and other no matter what.

COVID-19 or not, I will circle back to the nasty boss I mentioned at the beginning of my post. 

By sharing with them what happened to me in 2008, reinforces my point to them that substandard employers that don't appreciate young talent may come and go.

.... But family is forever!

MY COFFEE CONSTERNATION

Snapped this right before I hit the reset button!
TAKEN: JULY 13th, 2019

Ever wonder how you were handed your lot in life?

Because you weren’t. The only person responsible for where you’re at in any given scenario, looks right back at you in the mirror!

As I truck along through this little thing called mid-life, occasionally, I feel I need to shake my head to get all the crazy out that’s going on around me.

So, this morning over a quiet cup of coffee on the dock, I shook my head so hard that it felt like my eyeballs were going to end up in the lake. Officially reset, I did my chores then decided to write about it.

In this instance, the crazy was a swift one-two knockout punch of ego and greed that ultimately took them down for the count. Leaving me dazed, as the referee announced the fight was officially over.

For those that know me, they understand first hand that I am a lover, not a fighter. Should I decide to battle, I’m a tad embarrassed to admit that I generally wipe the mat with you, then embrace personal victory.

However, in the fight analogy I’m skating around this post, I wasn’t in the ring. Just simply given a front row ticket to the main event; hence why I had to shake all the crazy out this morning.

Not gonna lie, I’m happy the prizefight hype and overall anxiety surrounding the bout is over. Feels good to exit the arena and move forward knowing the result.

Because in the end, the fella that had labelled himself the favourite,  showed up for a gunfight with nothing more than a plastic pocket knife!

Which leads me to Rhondi Rule #177: Choose your battles carefully.

If you don’t give a shit about how you treat people, you will ultimately end up being treated like a piece of shit. 

As you know... Karma can be kooky that way.

X IS FOR X-AMPLE

My 2019 April A-Z Blogging Challenge posts will primarily consist of words & corresponding quotes. (With the odd electronic journal entry inserted to keep you on your toes.)

Q IS FOR QUANTITY

My quest for a greater QUANTITY continues
TAKEN: APRIL 17th, 2018

One of our employees walked into my office on Tuesday morning with a list of specific work related questions for me.

Mid conversation, he noticed one of the glasses I collect next to my monitor that an architect had delivered to me. It was neat to observe his general curiosity as he asked, “is that one of them?” 

He then continued to tell me that he thought he had come across an older one on the job site he was working on (inside a garage we're going to tear down). So I asked that he snap a picture of it, and send it to me when he landed there later that morning. When his email arrived, my heart filled with love as I discovered another one was finding its way home.

Though she’s still in transit, I have to admit that this one looks like it has had a good run. I will say that my guess is that her previous owner used the dishwasher to keep her clean, which is why the paint is so worn.

I will admit that years ago when I began my collection I use to put them into the dishwasher as well, but it seemed they were meeting an quicker than normal death; so now I wash every single one used by hand.

Curious where I'm at in the quantity department with these beauties?

Last count was 126. This gals makes it 127, with no end in sight!

THE BEST CATCH OF ALL

I don’t know about you but lately life has been crazy busy for me. Not that it normally isn’t, it’s just that there has been a day or two in the last month I wish I could have coasted just a teenie weenie bit.

A tad over-tired, I may have beeen cranky a stitch but I’m not complaining. Though I've been busy, I am looking forward to a tropical fall vacation I booked last week with some great friends the first week of December. I am venturing back to Riveria Maya to meet up with the British pals I met last year, bringing other cool Canadian peeps for them to meet. I honestly can't wait.

Tropical vacation news aside, the point of my post is that at the end of last week I spent three days and two nights away from home on a team building excursion I'd had the pleasure of planning for the guys at work. It was a fishing trip and we traveled a little more than 2 hours northwest of Muskoka.

Grateful to be rewarded with one big team event a year (last year a Christmas Gala at Deerhurst Resort) this year the goal was to appease the angler in all of us.  Our team occupied the entire fishing resort on the French River. The difference between last Christmas and last weekend? What you saw was what you got.

Not a single male employee worried if their shirt and tie matched their fishing rod, nor did anyone comment that my very sexy flip flops clashed with my sweatshirt.  As I said repeatedly over the course of the 3 days, with close to 70 in attendance, "...everyone that was there, truly wanted to be," which in itself is very powerful and motivating.

Every single person on the leadership team got as much out of the experience as the newest employee; which speaks to why we stand so strong. From a personal perspective, thanks to my bestie floating me his company ball cap off his head at 1am Friday morn, as I only put product my hair once in three freaking days. For the first time ever, the team saw me as myself. No hair nor makeup, always smiling, with my very sick sense of sarcasm as sharp as a bag of razor-blades. For me, the entire experience was absolutely and unequivocally bat shit crazy amazing!

Oh, I should mention that though I did many mange to go fishing for about an hour late Friday afternoon (with my favourite carpenter and our company mascot Charlie) I didn't catch a thing. What I did land was the best catch of the entire event; the Saturday morning sunrise.

In my opinion it was much better than the $200 bucks awarded for biggest fish.

Because for me...it was PRICELESS.

Thanks, Wolseley Lodge.... We ALL had a blast!
TAKEN: SEPTEMBER 16th, 2017

BRING ON THE HEAT!

As I got ready for work this past Wednesday morn, the local radio station warned me to bundle up. Even though spring had officially sprung the DJ let me know my morning walk was going to have me endure some serious -28C weather with the wind chill. I didn’t care.

Why? Because when you’ve geographically lived where I do as long as I have, you realize that this particular early spring cold snap is just winter leaving us with a sheer sense of haste whilst sticking its middle finger up at Mother Nature!

NO Hair, NO makeup, AND happier than a polar bear on an ice shift to be outside!
TAKEN: JANUARY 1st, 2017

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't hate winter, just simply despise how it affects me. I don’t know about you but it’s been a brutal winter for me. No matter how much time I spent outside, I was unable to turn my funk into fab. I had great days, like the one I am sharing in my photo, where I made a massive fire in the effort of getting as much natural light and exercise as possible; but by sun up the next morn, those neat vitamin D produced chemicals were once again depleted.

In an effort to keep my life as uncomplicated as possible, I unhooked electronically from a number of people that drained me emotionally, rather than showed any general support. It's not like I've ever looked for sympathy when it comes to my seasonal affect disorder but when you know I'm down, I'm not sure why certain peeps felt the continual need to kick me. My only reasoning's that they were unable to give to the friendship because they only ever had an expectation to take. To self preserve, I simply had to let them go.

Anyway, because the firm Darin is a partner in does work in Muskoka, once we confirmed my travel timing, he began sending me a weather updates from New Orleans. On the very day I ventured into the very cold spring tundra,  his graphic read that it was 70F in the moment that he was walking to the office.

My first reaction was surprise in that appeared a tad chilly. Not sure why that was the first thought the entered my mind, it should have been how quickly our visit was approaching. If I think back, it probably had something to do with the extremely limited fashion choices I have to make and the single piece of carry on luggage I get to take away on my adventure to visit him; but that's another post.

I am looking forward to being in NOLA during the April A-Z Blogging Challenge.

Will F be for Fashion? Hell no! The letter F will definitely be for French Quarter Fest!!

MY LONG WEEKEND LAMENT

Like every other Canadian reading this electronic entry, I'm sure you anxiously awaited this past civic long weekend to roll around again. I don't know about you, but I was so sad to see it over, by 9am this morn I knew I would be bolting back out to my cottage in hopes of making my weekend last just a little longer. Not gonna lie, sitting here typing in my swimsuit, I am tickled to report that I made the perfect call.

Were the hell does the time go?
TAKEN: LONG WEEKEND IN AUGUST 2016

Like most empty-nesters, we have a busy summer calendar. Yet, for varying reasons, this particular long weekend landed us short on time. As I sit here looking up from my laptop, I find it hard to believe just how quickly the season's flying by. With our fall vacation booked and the summer nights getting cooler, I can’t help but start to shift my focus onto our plans to renovate the exterior of our home is September.

I don’t have an issue with what has to be done, but I do know my husband works about 55 hours a week and the last thing he wants to do is swing a hammer and run a table saw. I’m not kidding when I say, he has no issue watching me work outside. Actually, I get angry when he feels he need to pitch in. I sit at a desk for 9 or 10 hours a day. He does not. He has an extremely physical job. When it happens that I do need his help, I’ve always given him the choice of what task he wants to tackle. I handle the others.

When we arrived at Orillia Lake Friday night, I gave him a run down of every crappy indoor & outdoor task I wanted to accomplish. It was up to him to pick one. Little does he know that the rest of the list was filled with things he truly hates doing more than swinging a hammer and running a table saw; so our solid effort and teamwork saw the outdoor shower relocated. If I'm being honest here, which I always am, it's the one thing I truly wanted done. I know it may be construed as sneaky to admit that I stacked the list... but at the end of the day the choice was his.

How the hell was your weekend? Mine seems to still be in full swing. Matter a fact, at this rate, it may last until the end of next weekend. First thing on the list for me to work on then?

A much better tan!

BITCHY WIFE 1 - HUSBAND 0

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the last few weeks, I’m sure you have been experiencing this amazing summer weather. With the majority of my evenings and weekends being spent at the cottage, accomplishing my outdoor/yard type chores at home's suffered. So much so, that when my husband got home from work this eve, he put his hands on his hips and felt the need to announce just how long the grass had grown.

As you can expect, unconsciously, his comments didn't stop. I felt bad for Jukebox, because he obviously felt jammed in the middle. In turn, though it was very amiable dialogue, I sensed he felt the need to apologize that the lawn wasn't cut. As I've said before, and I'll say again: I sit behind a desk all day. I love the exercise/fresh air of working in the yard, and have zero expectation that I receive any help with said chores. I suppose I do have one small caveat to disclose, which is, don't look a great big stinkin' gift horse in the mouth!

Anyway, by the time he'd made it into the house, his steady rant of comments resonated and I started to laugh. When he asked me what was so funny, I told him that I could go to into my home office and send a shout out to Facebook, asking if there was anyone that wanted to come on over and help me mow my lawn. He didn't know what to say....

"Hell, I figure I have at least one buddy that wouldn't hesitate to head over and start-a-mowing," I said. Then continued..."But I fear they may only agree if you'd hang around, have a beer & watch us do it!"

Not another word was said. Cool as a cucumber, I got out of my dress clothes, hooked in my headphones, and opened the garage door. Suffice is to say that my photo illustrates exactly how my lawn officially got mowed this eve. 

Who says a bitchy wife needs to lose their temper to get what they want? Not this cat!

I always knew having two kickass lawn mowers would come in handy!
TAKEN: JULY 25th, 2013

MY ANNIVERSARY NEGOTIATION

Well, this past weekend was my wedding anniversary. Although the year we celebrated isn’t officially represented by a gemstone, my friends at Google tell me that couples hitting the milestone, tend to mark the day with amethysts and orchids. We didn’t go the jewelry and flower route, instead we sent the money on how we’d decided to spend the day.

On that note. When my husband asked how I wanted to recognize our day, we bounced a couple of ideas off each other. Once I realized that we were miles apart on how we’d celebrate, I told him what I truly wanted; to repair the dock at the cottage. In all honesty, he really didn’t want to that (as he HATES any/all type of his handyman duties) but after a spurt of my begging, he reluctantly agreed.

I don’t care what anyone says, any marriage takes a boatload of work. That work, produces varying reasons for ultimate success. For us, one of the reasons that we have been successful all these years, is that we’ve always been willing to communicate and negotiate with one and other. For example, in the past when expressing a need to clear & burn brush at the cottage, his standard reply would be, “I’ll man the fire for you, if we can listen to the ballgame on the radio.” 

Knowing how he hates handyman duties I would always agree, though I truly hate baseball. In my eyes, no pain not gain, and my yard work result was always a win/win. So, suffice is to say, I wasn’t the least bit surprised when this past weekend dock repair came with a caveat. “I’ll help fix the dock …If we finally get rid of the slide!”

Now, he knows that I am completely and unequivocally attached to that sucker. I watched my children grow up on it, and with them grown and gone I still enjoyed it quite a lot. I know he offered that up as a condition, so that I’d say... “No way. Let’s go golfing down south!”

My good ole girl is down!
TAKEN: JUNE 11th, 2016

My only comment? I wish each and everyone of you could have seen the look on his face when I agreed.

The only downer was that when we were disassembling my ole friend, one of her legs fell off and dropped to the bottom of the lake. Out of respect, I let her spend the night on her side, stretched out on the dock. With any loss, I’ll have to reflect and figure a few things out.

…Like what I'm going to have to negotiate to get my husband to put her back up next weekend!

MY INNER ANGST

Well, here we sit. It’s the tail end of the long weekend in May and this is officially longest stretch I have ever gone without writing. Last time it was because I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue my electronic journal journey, this time it’s that I've been fashionably embracing the sheer excitement of spring. You know that swag, when no matter what you're wearing, it's always complimented by a smile.

As you can imagine, my change in seasonal mindset has kept me on my toes. So much to do at the house, with equally as much to getting the cottage open, and my very busy social life getting the last sliver of free time available. Like most people my age, I still have a level of inner angst that I will miss something that may be worthy of being embraced. As I've written before, in some way, shape, or form, I believe that need for adventure is connected to the fact that my mother passed at 57.

Found 500 pecos in my bathing suit bag I moved this weekend.
It'll stay on the cottage fridge to remind me of Mexico
TAKEN: MAY 21st, 2016

As a result, I am always saving and planning. Trips, concerts, sporting activities, dinner parties; you name it and I'm on it.

With a wide range of activities planned until I leave for my fall trip to the Bahamas, the focus outside of those will be upgrades at the cottage.

This weekend had us complete the installation of a new pressure tank and hot water heater. Then, beginning next weekend, all the decks and stairs will be resurfaced. Lots of elbow grease to be exercised, which is fine by me.

Though we have a deck and dock expansion planned for July, I am most excited to build a new retaining wall along shore. Moving all the material in will be a bitch but after that I'll get to wade in the water, work, and suntan. A much better task than rebuilding the old outhouse which is something my husband keeps mentioning.

I get that it's currently a bit of an eyesore but the good news is that because I am the keeper of the list, I am pleased to report that particular renovation is only a topic of conversation and not currently earmarked as an official project.

...Which is where it will stay if I can keep adding to the list!

MIKEY-MIKE & THE FUNKY LUNCH

As you know, I returned to work the first of the week after a really great trip to Mexico. As I finished packing my suitcase at the resort last Sunday afternoon, I admitted something to my husband that took him a little off guard. "I'm excited to get home and get back to work," I said.

The truth of the matter is, that until this past vacation, I have always hopped a plane feeling frazzled and returned more anxious than when I left. Not because I am incompetent, rather, in 99.9% of any work environments that I have worked, I've been very hard pressed to find a core group of coworkers that haven't had their own agenda.

The honest reality is, until I started my current job last September, I'd never experienced working with a true team. Don't get me wrong, I have worked for employers that pontificate they embody a 'team philosophy'; yet in all my years in the workplace, this is the only employer that personally sets the tone and follows through.

Meet Masterchef Mikey-Mike...
Always providing amazing internal customer service!
TAKEN:DECEMBER 11th, 2015

Even though the company may be one of the largest employers in the district, our specific group is quite small. All hardwired to go that extra mile, we work through our lunch most every single day. When I joined, I was pleasantly surprised that (as a team) they strive to eat their lunch together every Friday noon.

Why? It not only officially gives everyone a chance to catch up, it gives us all a chance to laugh as a group, which as you know I always deem... 'the best medicine'.

Okay, so here comes the point of my post. When I snapped Mikey's pic serving lunch today, my core thought was that my post was going to be about our odd ability to BBQ and suntan at work (in Muskoka) in December.

Then, after we scoffed down our food, I headed to my desk and looked up a personal tidbit. I surprisingly discovered via my blog, that today marks exactly 2 years since I handed in my letter of resignation and keys for what I'd previously referred to as my "Dream Job".

When I clicked on my post titled "Christmas Came Early For This Cat"... My reaction wasn't what it had been in the past; which was that I missed and longed for those days to come back. It was simply... HOLY BOATLOAD OF PRECIPITATION BATMAN... LOOK AT ALL THE SNOW!

I guess time, and really amazing internal customer service, truly does heal everything.

Thanks for listening.

I’M OFFICIALLY SPENT!

What a weekend. Though I had the luxury of spending the majority of Saturday with my daughter, I definitely paid for it by trying to cram three days of cumbersome fall house chores into two. I have aches on top of aches and they aren’t what I consider a “good hurt”. I’m not sure if I remember the euphoric kind if pain I’m alluding to that usually follows really great sex; but trust me, these aches ain’t them.

Yesterday was spent inside, cleaning and purging. From moving furniture, to vacuuming the corners of ceilings, to sorting through a boat load of closet crap I no longer need. If there’s one thing I’m not, it’s a pack rat. This time last year, I told myself that I would hang onto certain items of clothing until I hit a certain goal size. Well, I’ve hit that goal and all I could do was laugh as I crammed specific residual frocks into garbage bags for donation. Why? Because the I have no idea why I was holding onto the stuff. They was some dat mo-fo ugly kinda stuff!

Anyway, after a Jays win last night, I went to bed early and switched the focus to outside chores today. With my man working his list of things to do, I was really hoping that this would be the last time I'd have to mow the lawn this season but you never know. It’s 22C here today, so I just may need to pull out my bad boy Lawnboy one more time before my snow scoop replaces it and my closest yard work confidant.

I swear we're the only household on our street that doesn't have someone else do their yard work!
TAKEN: OCTOBER 12th, 2015

Speaking of my snow scoop. When I finished the mowing the main part of the lawn, I couldn’t help but notice that we were the only house that was suffering extreme foliage spillage onto the street, so I decided to rake. Though it was still raining leaves as I tackled the task, the good news is that I grabbed my snow scoop and shoveled the suckers into submission. Like I said, I’m spent.

As I sit here in a near comatose state, squinting at the screen, I have no desire to prepare dinner. With the twins engaged elsewhere for dinner and Jukebox working at his computer, I’m contemplating what to prepare. At this juncture, a bowl of Fruit Loops and an ice cream sandwich for dessert seem mighty inviting.

Then again, I’m not sure that I will be able to lift the cereal spoon to my mouth without wincing; so three ice cream sandwiches into the blender it is!

Uh-Oh, where's my straw? Come on.... Has anyone seen my straw?!

THE EPIC TEST OF EVERYONE

“...Never push a loyal person to the point where they no longer care.” ~ Brock Napier

When I logged onto my LinkedIn at lunch today, I came across a post that read:“If you want to see the true measure of a man, watch how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” I’ve only ever really worked for men, so I ended up sharing it with the simple caveat that I'd wished it was worded toward leadership rather than gender.

What a day. If I could give you a glimpse, I would have say that it felt like I took a trip in a time machine. Twos and I talked about my heading to New Orleans via Nashville, one of my favourite former clients sent me a two word text message that simply read CALL ME, and my buddy Brock stopped by to give me a hug and check out my new employment digs.

As I was explaining how my newly developed role came to fruition, I could tell that he was truly happy for me. I explained the differences in Leadership from my last experiences and he reminded me of something that made my heart skip a beat. “As I’ve always told you Rhondi, it starts at the top!”

Leave it to Brock to have the ability to reinforce the obvious with such eloquence. Matter a fact, hearing his voice took me back to him saying those very same words to me in the early Fall of 2013.

Anyway, after an uber quick parking lot visit, I sent him on his way and made him promise to bring my pal Wendell (his basset hound) by his next time through. He hugged me, agreed and got into his truck. I returned to my desk and began to cry. How the hell did I get so lucky? Not just for my friendship with Brock but for this amazing career opportunity?!

I know my personal confidence had most definitely taken a hit in the last year. Truth is, I'd known it for a while, yet only admitted it to myself for the very first time today.

Honestly?

I'm sure my emotions were compounded once I sat at my desk and his final words truly hit home. 

“You were meant to be here…” he said; and he's right.

Read my graphic... This most definitely feels like my perfect time!