STICKER JOY

It's usually not much bigger than a stamp. Just a little piece of animated paper that you peel and stick. But there is just something about stickers that, well, sticks with you!
Last week we had a team meeting. We had some rather delicate issues that needed to be discussed and our Manager thought she would start off on a positive note and we all got stickers for our good work. Mine said "YOU'RE GREAT!!" I peeled and stuck it on my shirt and wore it proudly the remainder of the day. She emphasized before proceeding to the next agenda item, "now I want you to remember this feeling!" Yes, I'm no dummy, I know she was buttering us up. Good thing too.
But word got around the office that stickers were to be had and before you knew it many people were sporting their stickers, some more than one!

These belong to my co-worker, Julie. She got a little greedy.....

But we love stickers! 
Instant gratification!
Instant pat-on-the-back feeling! Yeah Me!!
When you were in school, did you not desire ardently, the sticker received on a test you aced?
What about the ole sticker reward system at home when your teeth were brushed and your bed was made? 
My cello teacher Linda, gives me a sticker when I do well on a song. Mind you, I have to have that song down pat and memorized. She does not hand them out willy-nilly. No sir, those are hard earned, those stickers. I usually pick an animal, last one was a big white polar bear. And I love the feeling I get when I look and see, yup, got a sticker on that one. 
Perhaps not everyone is keen on stickers. I've noticed my pets don't particularly like them.

Then again, Frodo does not seem too perturbed...

If spring ever shows up, she gets a sticker. For that matter, if winter ever leaves, I'll sticker his backside on the way out. So bring on the sticker joy. I'm 50 and I still love em, for crying out loud.

LETS GO SWIMMING!

I love to go swimming! My Dad, who is not much of a swimmer, calls it "staying alive in water". But to me it is so much more than that.
When I was young it was always a treat to go to the cottage at Roblin Lake. My sisters and I would spend hours in the water. We would dive dolphin style, do handstands, see how many somersaults we could do in one breath, forwards and backwards or the classic try to figure out what the other was saying underwater. I would spend so much time in the water my lips would turn blue earning me the nick name "popsicle lips". At night we would sneak out and go "vimming" which in common vernacular is skinny dipping. But we called it vimming. Those that know me will vouch for the fact I am a big fan of swimming in the buff and when I get the chance - I do!
We have a beautiful public pool in Belleville (alas no vimming allowed here) so this year I took out a membership and have taken the waters a few times over the winter. I usually meet my mom there but sometimes I go on my own. 

It has nice long lanes for working out, an area for the kids to play in and a therapy pool, which is warmer. My mom and I go for the lanes and swim back and forth. I like to flip over on my back and float by those rows of hanging blue and white flags. In my mind, I cross the finish line....the crowd goes wild!!! 
I meet lots of different people there too. One time I met Nick. Nick is in his 20s and has some mental disabilities. As I'm swimming by in a lane, Nick is coming the other way. He get closer to me and next thing I know Nick is coming in to grab my arms. An older gentlemen who is watching Nick yells at him
"No touching Nick!!" 
Nick backs off but just keeps staring.
"Nick doesn't realize he will drown people."
Right, I'm thinking. Good to know. So as we continue to swim by each other while doing laps Nick now has two people on either side of him and everytime we get to passing they would yell
"Keep going Nick! Keep going!!"
I meet people who are there working on healing an injury or just having a good time with their little ones. 
I bought myself a new bathing suit online and wonder of wonders, it fits. You ladies will know this is bordering on the miraculous. Buying a bathing suit is a tricky endeavour, buying one on line is downright risky. 

Swimming in a pool is nice. Swimming in a lake with the sun to warm you up, listening to the sound of the waves lapping up on shore and the wind tickling the trees is even better. I'm sitting here looking out at the never ending banks of dirty snow but soon people......soon we can hit the beaches and clean cool Canadian lakes.

THAT'S HIGH END!

Hey All. Hope you have had a good week! Maybe even a "high end" week. What do I mean by "high end"? Well, let me try to explain.
I have a co-worker, Richard, who is an expert on all things high end. In fact it is a statement I hear coming from him to describe food, a place, an outfit, whatever. But he does not drop the term willy-nilly. There is criteria to be met. 
"High end" is top of the line, high quality, the best of the best. Richard is a big giver so he sometimes buys me something, drops it on my desk and says
"That's High End! You're gonna love it!" Recently he bought me this butter.

Can you see that? Imported, Product of France, unsalted. That's high end my friend. The stuff is silky and creamy and far beyond the statement "melts like butter." So much better. I want to use it with extravagance only. 
High end does not have to mean more expensive, but it usually does. So there are some things I'm willing to pay more money for: 
Chocolate
Bread
Soap
Fine Dining
Hand Cream
Mittens
Electronic goodies
After sampling that butter, I may have to add it to the list.

There are other things that are no big deal to me:
Clothes
Books
Shoes
Jewellery
Makeup
I'll buy most of these things second hand without a second thought. 
So, getting back to the previous week. Looking back it would seem quite ordinary, but there were "high end" moments in it. I just had to find and recognize them. 
There was a hint of spring in the air (followed by yet another snowstorm and deep freeze but let's not talk about that). 
There were moments of laughter and communication with those I love. 
I received a random hug from someone. It touched me to the core just because I realized this person who has many walls up, felt safe enough to get close to me. Truly, there are no ordinary people in this world.
So here's to the best of the best! I hope you have a wonderful week ahead or at least a few wonderful moments. And you too can say 
"That's High End!"

SELF DISCIPLINE AND GIVING IT UP

So, I started to observe the season of Lent this week. For those of you not in the know Lent, according to that always accurate source Wikipedia is as follows:
"A solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar of many Christian denominations that begins on Ash Wednesday and covers a period of approximately six weeks before Easter Day. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement and self-denial."
Wait a minute....I'm good with about half of those things on the list. Baby steps people, baby steps.
I had decided to give up a few things for Lent, none very willingly, but that is part of the deal, and one of those being chocolate. Little did I know what I was getting into! 
It is no secret I am a chocoholic. I have a "chocolate drawer" at work, both milk and dark and open to all in need of a 2-3:00 o'clock fix (I believe I can drop this one under "almsgiving"). Worse yet, those yummy, crunchy candy-covered chocolate eggs have surfaced in the office and are taunting me.
One of the ladies I work with calls me her "Chocolate Goddess." I clearly stated there would be no bare-naked-horse-riding-Godiva-like scenerio happening any time soon. My hair is just not long enough. 
It is also a well known fact that I am a pretty darn disciplined individual so this should be a walk in the park for me. 
But giving up anything is never easy. Especially when you don't want to! In fact, the giving up of chocolate is probably the easiest thing on my Lent self denial list. I'm not going to tell you the rest, cause that just seems like cheating. It seems more appropriate to keep it under wraps. 
So, what do I hope to gain from this experience? To hear a little more clearly, to understand myself a little better, to become more like the person I hope to be are a few reasons. 
Today I went back down to the vintage store and for those of you who read my last blog, I did decide to buy the dress. Then I went to a little french bistro and had myself and amazing cappuccino and fresh baked croissant. They also dropped a teasingly beautiful little chocolate on my saucer. I always appreciate this classy gesture. I enjoyed my cappuccino, ate some of the croissant and brought the rest home for the family, but I did NOT touch that little choice morsel of chocolately goodness. 
But come Good Friday....only another 40 days or so....look out people. I will be indulging to the hilt.

FINDING THE DRESS

Although the cat is pretty much out of the bag and well down the hall, some of you may not have heard the news...my daughter, my beautiful firstborn, is getting married this August. That means lots of planning, lots of money and of course, finding the dress!

Now before you go freaking out on me Randi, I will NOT be posting a picture of your dress. It is safely tucked away in my closet waiting for its big reveal.

That got me thinking about all the dress hunting I've done over the years which turned out to be not very often. The first one I remember agonizing over was my Grade 8 Graduation dress. I guess that would be about 1976...

I'm the short one dead centre in the flowered concoction. Pretty groovy don't you think? As I recall, I had to use a brooch to pin the middle together cause I did not have the top shelf to fill it out....story of my life....

I did not attend my highschool grad as I was in a different sort of place at the time of my life, so we skipped that one. Next up would have been my wedding dress.

My sister Heidi and I were married the same summer so we simply shared dresses - I wore the wedding dress and she was Maid of Honour and then we just switched dresses for her wedding. So the dress had to fit us both.

The photo is no heck but I'm totally distracted by how dark Sheldon's hair is!

So other than a few here and there for important occasions, I have not had to go through this ordeal very often. Good thing. I'm not much of a shopper.

At Christmas, while Randi was home for a short two weeks, we went wedding dress shopping for her. Now Randi is redunculous and looks good in pretty much anything. She is all curves in the all the right places. 

This is one of many she tried on. And I rest my case.

Today I thought I would take a gander and see what I could find for myself. I'm not really sure what I'm looking for....nothing frumpy and probably nothing too formal. I'm open to suggestions. I've looked at "Mother of the Bride" dresses with not much luck (could be I'm in denial). I checked out this vintage store, which is really a fun and fascinating place to just wander in. Found this bit of pink fluff...

Nahh.....not really my style.....but here is something for the man in your life. 

"Dahling, my slippers and pipe, if you please...."

Needless to say, I went off track on the "finding the dress" process.

I did find one that piqued my interest. Fit pretty good but I will need the talents of my good friend Kelly to pull it off. Meantime, I will keep looking. People keep telling me I will know it when I see it. Here's hoping!