H IS FOR HONESTY

To be honest, you can NEVER go wrong with the truth
#yagottalaughaboutit

G IS FOR GESTURE

 

Give me a minute....
 I want to tell you how I really feel!
TAKEN: APRIL 8th, 2022

It's hard to believe that the picture I am sharing was taken two years ago today.

Firstly,  I should say that you can tell by the expression on my husband's face that my very specific gesture wasn't directed at him. He knew it was directed at the Rainbow Bend Resort in Marathon (Grassy Key), Florida. 

Now, if you tend to read here about my travel adventures, you'd know that my travel buddy hubby and I love to check out new destinations. So, when the VID ended, we decided to fly to Miami and drive to Key West for a four day long weekend.

Though our round trip Air Canada flights were a steal, the road to Key West proved to be very overpriced and lackluster. I am disappointed to report that we felt it was NOT money very well spent. 

That said, we honestly thought we had a pretty good plan. We flew into Miami, landed before noon, then swiftly grabbed our airport rental car.  We hit Islamorada for that first night (expensive but fun). Downtown Key West for the next (crowded, crazy expensive but fun). Then hit the Rain-Blow RearEnd Resort for a night (insert the sound of a cat puking up a hairball here).

I knew as soon as we arrived in Marathon, the more than $800 Canadian I had spent to be on the ocean was a terrible mistake.

We checked, in then when we were unloading our things, we immediately noticed a lingering odor in the air. 

Next to our 2nd floor room, was a large bay of shallow water, filled with garbage and smelly seaweed, and the odor was almost stomach turning. As a result, we stayed in our room and watch the Masters golf tourney and ate an early dinner we had bought at the local grocery store. 

Not to throw baby out with the bath water, after dinner we decided to check out the pool. It was full of algae with visible garbage floating in it. Back to the room for more TV time we went. 

The next morning we walked out of the restaurant (where our  breakfast was to be free) because it was so dirty we didn't want to trust the food would be safely prepared.

There is more... 

As I checked the drawers in the morning to make sure I husband didn't leave anything behind, I was startled as a bunch of cockroaches scurried to quickly to get out of sight. I physically felt sick knowing they'd comfortably shared our very expensive accommodation; to which we were officially out of pocket for.

I did write about it two years ago. The photo I attached and description said it all; and how I left it until now.

(Click: K IS FOR KEY to read).

On a final note, I wanted my A word this challenge to be for appendage, but I didn't want to start off with a rant. 

So, after careful consideration, and my strong desire to share this specific experience, my thesaurus had me arrive at the word gesture for my letter G.

#yagottalaughaboutit

F IS FOR FORTUNATE

Just a couple of life long friends catching up while unconditionally supporting each other. 
TAKEN: AUGUST 11th, 2016

I have been fortunate to be surrounded by amazing friendships my entire life. 

The truth is, I can count the number of those wonderful peeps on two hands (with the help of a few of my toes). I suppose I relate to each and every one of those people by referencing the simple saying that, 'good friends are hard to find... and impossible to forget.'

The friendship I am sharing today started in the early throws of high school. I was a year older, and he was one of the most genuine and comedic people I had ever met. From that initial introduction, I simply wanted to get to know him better and spend more time with him. Just like yours truly, my parents loved absolutely everything about him.

He left our small town for university and never came back. I stayed, and I am still here. Yet, thanks to the evolution of the internet, I see him and hear his voice almost every single day.

The photo I am sharing was him stopping into my place of work to bring me lunch and catch up. He was on a solo cross Canada/US motorcycle tour that spanned more than fifteen thousand kilometers. It was the last time we've seen each other face to face outside of social media.

He was back to see his parents this past Christmas, and though my path of reconnection was paved with good intentions, I sat at my desk and worked on an eight million dollar construction estimate. Before I knew it, he was back on a jet plane and home again.

I expressed to my husband how disappointed I was that our window of time to visit had closed and he'd already left. My husband had a great suggestion. 

He thinks we should simply hop a plane and show up unannounced at his post retirement storefront on Vancouver Island. Lord knows we'd know when he'd be there. 

....Fortunately, we have his regular Facebook posts to thank for that!

E IS FOR EPIPHANY

Me, dealing with a terrible situation
after my hairdresser unexpectedly
turned me into a blonde!
(I just keep on keepin' on!.)
TAKEN: MAY 25th, 2023

Don't get angry, enraged or insulted.

Rise above the bullshit.

Flick your light back on.

Shine it brighter than ever. 

Fall so deeply in love with your own life

that anyone who tried to wrong you

becomes a laughable, 

ridiculous, distant, memory. 

~ Unknown

My epiphany last spring was to finally stop giving others more latitude than they could ever be granted by others on a good day. 

Instead of focusing on the colour I was dealt, I fired my hairdresser. 

...And it felt really good!

D IS FOR DISCOMBOBULATED

Well, it is day four of the challenge and I am already behind the eight ball. A tad discombobulated if you catch my drift. It’s not that I have writers block, as that usually happens around the letter O.  

With this being my eleventh attempt at this marathon, the same thing happens every year. I think I am far more organized than I really am, then in preparation to jump on a jet plane for my birthday trip, work trumps A-Z every time.

That said, what a difference a year makes. Aside from sucking the hind tit on the challenge, my work life balance is amazing. I love my job and am looking forward to the adventures I have planned for 2024.

The honest truth is that some days I just have more drive than others. There have been several times in the last decade where I have been a tad overwhelmed and wondered if this was the end of the challenging writing road for me. 

If you’re stopping by for the first time, I am pleased to report that today isn’t that day!

As far as the word I selected for the letter D. Due to what I have on my plate, I may be emotionally confused or uncertain that I will stay on track for the challenge....

But say my word of the day three times fast. How fun was that ???

C IS FOR COMPANIONS

Top Left - The Kids and Toby
TAKEN: JUNE 2008
Top Right - Hubby, Daisy and Dottie
TAKEN: MARCH 2012
Bottom Right - Puddin' rocking the dock!
TAKEN: SUMMER 2017
Bottom Right -  Miya & Annie soaking up the ocean breeze in Outer Banks
TAKEN: OCTOBER 2022

Growing up, my mother was a cat person. The idea of letting a dog in the house was simply a hard NO.

Then, once my husband and I married he explained how he'd always had a dog. To his credit, he did entertain a cat or two until he refused to getting a third. Instead, when I was getting ready to go off on maternity leave with Jukebox, we decided to get out first dog. 

The methodology behind the decision was that I would be off work for sixteen weeks and I could house train a dog and change diapers as part of my daily routine. Well, my son slept through the night after three weeks, and I got up with the dog to take a leak in the night for almost six months!

Giggles aside, in all our decades together, the overall canine tally is nine. Three of those are still alive and living their best lives with us. It is in my will that the ashes we have accumulated be buried with my remains, and I don't think I will ever not have a dog in my life.

Because the truth of the matter is, a bond between and person and their pups is like no other. Not only are they our life long companions, they are always along for the ride no matter what ups and downs life brings

They personify unconditional love and I swear if you treat them right, they will love you more than they love themselves.

B IS FOR BANANA

An interesting vantage point of the inseparable Oreo Gang!
Maya and Katie on the left and Annie riding solo on the right.
TAKEN (left) March 2024 and (right) June 2020

Like a lot of people my age, from Monday to Friday I eat a banana in the morning. 

Because I work from my home office everyday except Monday, as you can see in the photo on the left, the other four days I am expected to share my excellent source of potassium with my pups.

As any Labrador Retriever owner will attest, the breed pretty much eat anything and everything. Yet, for some reason my Annie (seen riding shotgun on the right) turns her nose up every morn at my standard offering. Blueberries, yet. Banana, not a stinking chance.

Now I'm no rocket scientist, but part of me wonders if it is her instincts kicking in as to why she turns up her nose. You see, as a small pup, she garnered the nicknames "Annie Bannanie and Nana Banana." 

Could it be that she just doesn't want to buy into others considering her a cannibal? You know, an animal that eats her own kind?

After all,  Edwardo Savarin was hilariously accused animal cruelty and chicken cannibalism in an article in the Harvard Crimson (as portrayed) in movie The Social Network.  If you'll, recall he fed chicken to a chicken while taking care of the animal for his initiation into the Phoenix Club.

Every time my girl turns up her nose, that exact tidbit scoots through my head. Then again, the other side of that proverbial coin could be that she simply doesn't like the texture.

Either way, I an 100% confident that one of my scenarios is the one that is actually correct!

#yagottalaughaboutit

A IS FOR ADVENTURE

Today marks the start of my eleventh April A-Z Challenge. 

Whether you're a regular reader or not, I can assure you that this month in particular always turns into a bit of a roller coaster ride for me. You know, a real writing adventure per se!

My buddy Dusty and I having a sunny winter snowbank adventure of our own.
TAKEN: EARLY 1980's (photo credit to my late mom)

From a very young age, I have always embraced writing. As I look back, I believe that part of me feels it was understanding the stages of the creative process itself that had me smitten from the start. 

The thought preparation, development, cultivation, the editing, and finally the implementation. With my implementation now being when I hit my website publish button - not flipping the page of my lined scratch pad.

That said, as a mature twenty nine year old, the public school systems back in my day differ from how they function today. Like cursive writing, creative writing was something that was both taught and encouraged. As a matter of fact, the best submitted efforts appeared regularly in our small town weekly newspaper.

For the record, I was first 'published' in said paper grade four. It was a poem, and I still that clipping my scrapbook that mother saved from our community rag. Public school poems evolved into the effort to write songs in high school. Once I left for post secondary school, the only writing I needed to have a stamp attached and the envelope get dropped off at the post office.

Then, when my kids left the nest, on that fateful night in October 2011, I registered for Blogger and the rest is history.

Writing for me is like the game of golf. Just because I like doing it, doesn't mean I am any good at it.

I read somewhere that adventure starts by standing still. In my case, for the last ten Aprils, adventure has always started with a blank page and the letter A.

Wish me luck - I am going to need it!!

SQUIRRELING MY NUTS

It's that time of year again, where I look to the jar of nuts I have squirreled away all winter and decide how many of those precious gems I am going to spend on each venue, creating a great 2024 concert season. 

Since starting my newest position two and half years ago, I have gotten into the habit of transferring the monies I am paid to do site visits and inspections into a savings account. Knowing full well, that those dollars/nuts will be earmarked for more bucket list tickets.

Because he is in such demand, and focuses primarily on playing football stadiums, my No Shoes Nation buddy won't be headed north of the boarder anytime soon. So, I knew eventually hopping a plane to see him perform was going to be a must. 

Then, shortly after Jimmy Buffet passed, and he and fellow parrot head Zac Brown decided to join forces for their Sun Goes Down Tour. I immediately began making plans to head to into downtown Chicago for our wedding anniversary in June.

Though not a concert, the next tickets to be added here will be for my hubby.
A 1pm start on June 14th at Wrigley Field (Cubs vs Braves)
TAKEN: MARCH 21st, 2024

Though the concert is one of the reasons for heading to Chicago, there are a lot of other items that are a must see. 

An afternoon baseball game at Wrigley Field, a trip to legend Buddy Guys bar in hopes he shows up, an architecture river cruise, and definitely lunch at Lou Malnati's for their famous deep dish pizza. Oh, and let's not forget the fireworks at Navy Pier and a selfie at The Bean!

With our Soldier Field, second tier fourth row adjacent to the stage tickets secured, I am now on the Ticketmaster hunt for Wrigley Field resale tickets.  Which, where my husband wants to sit, are currently running at about the cost of a heart transplant at a private hospital outside Canada. Therefore, I am still squirreling away my nuts to purchase.

I suspect those will be purchased after my annual birthday trip in April. This year we are headed to a luxury oceanfront home we've rented with a pool in the Bahamas. We both love snorkeling, which will be steps through our private gate, so it was a no brainer when West Jet packaged our round trip flights for just over $300 clams each.

Yep, Bahamas is where I spend the clams I have shucked, Ticketmaster is all about my squirreled nuts. Which should not be confused with my 'being nuts'. 

...For obsessively chasing really great concert experiences!

Just sayin'.

TAMING MY TRESSES

You never know who you're going to want to kiss walking Broadway in Nashville! #imabigfan
TAKEN: OCTOBER 10th, 2024

About a week ago, I bit the bullet, went into a hair salon, and got my hair cut. 

Not the most earth-shattering news I have ever shared here - but in this instance, my hair was the longest it had ever been in my life. The truth is I hadn't allowed anyone or anything near my tresses (except my very dull kitchen scissors) since that tearful day last May when I fired my hairdresser.

To be honest, I did wait a couple of days after a Edweena Scissorhands and her barrel of bleach did their deed, before posting about it here. All these months later, my disappointment in what was promised versus what was delivered still really pisses me off!

Anyway, because my hair was already frail, I took a step back and except for root touch up spray to kill the glare, I let it rest for more than two months. Then, through online research, I discovered a natural gloss that washes out which I could apply to cover the blondeness; until my grey could grow out and be blended in with highlights.

You can tell by the picture I am sharing today that by last October, my hair was brittle and because of the overall weight of the length, it looked like crap. It didn't matter what I did. The thing that was once my best accessory, was looking like that super annoying cousin no one wanted to admit they were related to.

Wait, it gets worse. Without notice, my hair started coming out in large clumps in the shower and by the end of January it was significant. My buddy Google said that by repeatedly pulling my hair tightly on the top my head, it was most likely a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. 

I knew it was time. My hair was so damaged that most everything below shoulder length needed to go. So it did. I told my new gal to get rid of everything that needed to go when she very diplomatically said, 'you can come back in a week and we can take more off, it really is best to do this in stages so you can get use to it.'  

She was very empathetic to my journey, and she was absolutely amazing. 

I guess as I sit here and type I wonder how the hell I went from holding my hand up to my ear saying loudly, 'Sorry so-in-so, I can't hear you over the volume of my hair!' To trolling Amazon for hair growth oils and hair thinning solutions.

Three little words. 

Middle age sucks. That is all!

 Actually, that is six words... but I think you catch my drift.

MY EMPTY CHAIR

A very powerful photo of reflection snapped as the sun began to set on December 25th.
TAKEN: DECEMBER 25th, 2023

 

The year twenty-twenty three, though a great year for me professionally,  was also one of staggering loss. Between the people unexpectedly passing, combined with my moving on from those that weren't good for my mental health, saw that final tally exceptionally high.

I'm not exactly sure why, but from a young age, death and great loss has always affected me to my core. 

Part of me wonders if it is attributed to the fact that my parents had me later in life, and I began experiencing death at a younger age than most. I lost my fathers' father and mothers' mother less that three months apart. It was the fall I started grade five; and it hasn't stopped since.

I think the fact that I nursed both of my parents (in palliative homecare) to their deaths by the time I was forty, then lost my very first love unexpectedly at forty three, had something in my mindset give way. I remember the exact moment I made the personal decision to unapologetically live my life to its fullest. To which I have.

This past Christmas, as the house filled with all the smells that represent the holiday season, I paused before I took my photo to say a quick prayer for every single one - living or dead that parted this year.

Whether you agree or not, I believe you truly suffer the stages of grief for both. With acceptance being the final part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with the those we've lost. 

If I am being totally honest, I suppose that is what my empty chair actually represents for me.

...Acceptance.

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.