Y IS FOR YAHTZEE

As I’ve written before, it’s not always easy having two places to maintain a mere 15 minutes apart. I’m in no way complaining, rather just pointing out that the weather has so many things happening on the fly. If we stay home there’s work to be done and if we head to the cottage its offers the same loaded buffet of chores. 

That said, all these years later, I have never focused my energy on the work. For me (in either instance) it keeps me outside and exercising, or inside with the tunes cranked cleaning; until I can get outside soaking up the sun.

After the work is done, we literally let the games begin. 

That's fifty points baby!
TAKEN: July 2013

If you recognize game pic I’m sharing, you’ll know it takes little skill and a lot of luck to play. It tends to be what we easily agree on playing first.

It always seems neither of us want to think too much after chores are done. To make it a tad more interesting, we play an entire Yahtzee page, which is six games at once.

The other side to that coin is that I very rarely ever win. It can’t be because I have less skill, because you’ll agree it take none to play. 

My issue is in the luck department I have absolutely none!

X IS FOR X-PLORING

Land's End - at the southern tip of the Baja sur in Cobo San Lucas, Mexico
...An amazing place where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean.
TAKEN: DECEMBER 3rd, 2015

 

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)

V IS FOR VALUE

April A-Z Challenge
Year 10 - Day 26 
Offers a personal and truly sincere message.... #wordstoliveby

U IS FOR UNCLE

My Uncle Roger and I. One of my best buddies growing up!
TAKEN: JUNE 27th, 2005

I have always loved this photo of my Uncle Roger and I. 

Though we are both smiling in the moment, it was a day surrounded by sorrow. It was taken in my side yard, the afternoon after we buried my dad.

Growing up, I really didn't understand that my uncle had special needs. It never crossed my mind why, as a grown man, that he still lived at home. 

I just knew that I loved spending time with him, and at the end of the day, he has always rated at one of my favourites.

Later in life, I learned that he weighed over ten pounds when he was born, and the home birth had been a hard one. I believe the prognosis was that he would never mature mentally past that of a young tween. Which was perfect for me growing up!

He passed away in October of 2019 at the age of 86 and their is no doubt that he immediately went straight to heaven.

After all, look above his head... He was already boasting his halo in 2005!!

T IS FOR TRAVEL

 

Believe the hype. It really is..."Better in The Bahamas"
TAKEN : FEBRUARY 8th, 2018
Melia All Inclusive Cable Beach, Nassau, Bahamas

S IS FOR SEACREST

 

Helllloooooo Rhondi!
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 6th, 2018

As any of my avid readers know, I live for, and love to travel. 

People often ask how we can afford to hit as many destinations as we do, and it is simple. We set a budget for the year and stick to it. Any online deals I come across are simply a much appreciated bonus.

One of the best deals EVER, was booked on Black Friday in the fall of 2017. 

Five days and four nights, all inclusive, on beautiful Cable Beach in Nassau, Bahamas. Less than a three-hour flight and an oceanfront king room, for $805pp via West Jet. 

Anyway, not knowing much about the island, other than Baha Mar was usually out of our price range, I figured I should research. My first entry into Google, things to do in Nassau Bahamas included the date ranges of our mid week stay.

I immediately discovered that the filming of the morning show Live with Kelly (Ripa) and Ryan (Seacrest) was being filmed live at the Atlantis Resort while we were there. I filled out all of the online paperwork to get free tickets, including submitting our photo which was a prerequisite; and the tickets arrived via email a couple of days later.

We arrived early, in the hopes to get near the front but little did we know the seats were filled from back to front and we were in the very last row. Not a problem, as that gave me the ability to stand on my chair and take great photos.

As the show was about to start (you can see Kelly signing an autograph above) I held up my camera and began to yell my name.

RHONDI… RHONDI…. RYAN it’s RHONDI...OVER HERE.

How shocked was I, when he toward me and yelled back HELLLLLO RHONDI! 

And just like that, I got what I would classify as my only great photo, whilst acting like a member of the crazy paparazzi culture!

Definitely a travel moment I will remember forever!! 

R IS FOR REGGAE

My hubby walking the beach (with me and my Blackberry) taking in this great vibe.
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 2012 

In September 2021, the morning my husband was to be admitted into Toronto General Hospital, he sat on the sofa in our hotel room and sang a loud 'Three Little Birds' with Bob Marley. Needless to say, he was understandably emotional and scared. 

As we walked hand in hand to the hospital at dawn, I promised him that our first adventure once all of this was behind us, would be to get him back to Jamaica; his very favourite travel destination.

I know that yesterday was 4/20 but that has nothing to do with his connection with this beautiful island. He loves the people, their culture, the cuisine, but first and foremost he is truly connected to the music.

The first time we travelled to the island was back in 2012. I was given a $3,000 travel voucher as a bonus at work. We had never been to the Caribbean and decided to spend it toward a destination we had both always dreamed of going.

For the allure of seven mile beach we chose Negril, Jamaica, and the experience didn't disappoint. We returned again in 2014 to Runaway Bay, and he has wanted to return ever since.

But, him dealing with my wanderlust has always been a challenge, as I have always ultimately convinced him to open his mind to new adventures we haven't previously taken. 

Yet, our bond will never forget that life changing morning walk, when a simple promise is made. 

It may be only 5 nights and four days (to celebrate our upcoming milestone wedding anniversary) but guess what?

Weeez a goin' back to Jamaica MON!

And I am pleased to report my hubby is ecstatic to finally to be going back 'yard'... In the non residential sense.

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.

P IS FOR PUP(s) POEM

From left to right:
My beautiful Dottie on Toby's Rock (RIP July 2019) ~ Taken 2014
My Puddin' (RIP June 2022) & my Annie Banannie (11 years old October 2023) ~ Taken 2020
The amazing Miya (Born 4/9/21) and wee Katie (Born 12/5/2022) ~ Taken March 2023

Now I lay be down to sleep,

The king-sized bed is soft and deep.

I sleep right in the centre groove,

my human beings can hardly move.

I've trapped their legs, they're tucked in tight,

and here is where I'll pass the night.

No one disturbs me or dares to intrude,

'til morning comes and "I want food!"

I sneak up slowly to begin,

and nibble on my human's chin.

For morning's here, it's time to play,

I always seem to get my way.

So thank you Lord, for giving me,

this human person that I see.

The one who hugs me & holds me tight,

...And share their bed with me each night

                          

                                   ~AUTHOR UNKNOWN~

O IS FOR OBVIOUSLY

Leading up to the summer of 2016, my then boss at the time use to brag that he was the 9th Canadian to put his name on the list for the purchase of a Tesla electric SUV. 

Well, the photo shown here was the day it arrived at the office. 

I disclosed that a close friend of mine (also a P. Eng.) was envious at his purchase and he offered to take my picture in front of it for me to share with him. He even offered to let him come to the office and take it for a drive.

After it was all said and done, I praised the ding dong on his new car and his ego couldn't help itself. 

He said, "If you work hard, set goals, and put in long hours, I can get an even better one next year!"

OBVIOUSLY, I was an full blown idiot. Why?

This photo was taken in July of 2016, and I allowed his chauvinistic, misogynistic behaviour, to gaslight me until I walked out the door never to return; nor look back and be treated as such ever again.

That life changing day for this cat was September 11th, 2021.

I may be smiling in this photo, but for years I would wake up in the night and suffer panic attacks.
Again, obviously, I WAS an idiot.
Past tense!
TAKEN: JULY 2016

N IS FOR NOT

 At the beginning of my A-Z challenge this year, I came across a poem by Erin Hanson. 

As an aside, I began never worrying about how I am defined by others after my father died.

Yet, the poem is so relatable by so many, I immediately knew it needed to be my 2023 letter N. 

To my electronic friends... Stay strong and always know your worth!

Reading (with some friendly company) at Poppa's Camp
TAKEN: Lake Temiscamng ~ Summer of 1996

NOT ~ by Erin Hanson

You are not your age,

nor the size of clothes you wear,

you are not a weight,

or the colour of your hair.

You are not your name,

nor the dimples in your  cheeks,

you are all the books you read,

and all the words you speak.

You are your croaky morning voice,

and the smiles you try to hide,

you're the sweetness in your laughter,

and every tear you've cried.

You the songs you sing so loudly,

when you know you're alone,

you're the places that you've been to,

and the ones that you call home.

You're the things that you believe in,

and the people that you love,

you're the photos in your bedroom,

and the future you dream of.

You're made of so much beauty,

but it seems that you forgot...

When you decided that you were defined,

by all the things you're not.

M IS FOR MINGBOGGLING

The statement above is a mindboggling, albeit accurate statement.
...Something I will never be able to laugh about!

L IS FOR LOGISTICS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not even worth mentioning! #yagottalaughaboutit

K IS FOR KNACK

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which is like $117.45 CDN these days!