The Big 4-oh.

I can't believe it, but today my favourite (and only!) brother John turns forty. It doesn't seem that long ago that we were planning a surprise fortieth birthday party for my DAD! Time does fly, doesn't it?

John is pretty special to me. He is one of the sweetest and kindest people I know. He has a truly gentle spirit and would never intentionally hurt anyone. I have always felt honoured to call him my brother.

When I was born, John was really disappointed that I was a girl because he really wanted a brother. Who could blame him? He already had TWO sisters. However, with some time, he grew to love me and we became pretty good pals.

Many hours were spent exploring outside and learning from my all-knowing older brother. John is an outdoorsman, so he always had interesting tidbits to share while we wandered through the bush or were fishing in the ditch across the road.

To celebrate this monumental birthday, I knew I wanted to do something special. Not only is John an outdoorsman, but he is also pretty sentimental. Combining these traits I believe I created the perfect birthday present for him. I documented 40 memories on strips of paper, rolled them up and stuffed them into empty shotgun shells! The shells were contained in a little box specifically for such a thing. I knew he would love reminiscing when he unrolled each one. He did :)

Happy birthday Johnny Boy.

The Many Faces of Janice Mills

Apparently I have hyper-expressive facial expressions. I guess I have always been aware of this fact, but over time, it kind of faded from my memory. After all, I don't actually see my face a whole lot.

Several months ago, my friend Duane started commenting on my extreme facial distortions. In fact, he started numbering them... as in "oh, that was a number 9 with a bit of 7 thrown in"  He also started to mock my expressions which, without fail, makes me laugh out loud. I'm pretty sure I don't look like Duane on a regular basis but it is pretty funny.

 This has become a standard and ongoing joke between the two of us and has been the source of some hilarious statements from Mr. Duane. Last week he declared I have "a smorgasbord of events on my face" and yesterday told me to "get my face off my face". I love Duane...he's hilarious.

All of this talk of my face and its contortions has caused me to be a little self-conscious about what exactly I'm doing as I talk to people. I have to admit, I'm a little more cautious as I'm listening to a story or reacting to news. I have, on more than one occasion, been told that I remind people of a muppet. Some might take offence to that, but since I LOVE the muppets...I'll take it as a compliment! In fact, there is already a muppet named Janice. Ironic? Maybe not. And, I do recall something in my college video yearbook about my crazy faces and how they can never be repeated. Oy. All this time I've been a freak show. Thanks for pointing this out Duane.

This might be a good time to re-post my photo of the day project from 2009. Although I didn't pull any crazy faces, it is kind of fun to watch. Perhaps 2011 should see a photo of the day - each with a different expression?

Winter is Here!

Janice Mills loves being a Canadian, but this snow is a tough trade-off. Good thing I look cute in a touque.

This is my current Facebook status and it's so true! Yesterday, London got even more snow...so much that as I was driving out my lane today, the snow on either side of my car was level with the bottom of the window of my car! Wow. Fanshawe College was closed today which meant I could write my one and only exam online at home. Sweet!

I am so glad I didn't drive to Sarnia on Sunday as I had planned! I had purchased tickets to take Grammie to see a Celtic Christmas with the Barra MacNeils on Sunday at the Imperial Theatre in Sarnia. Last year we went for dinner and went to see The Nutcracker. It was such a nice evening, we decided to make it a tradition. However, our resident weatherman Ross kept warning me last week that the weather was going to be "hellish" on Sunday and Monday and I shouldn't go. After waffling back and forth about whether to go (I didn't want to stand my Grammie up!) I decided it was pretty nasty on Sunday and I would not make the trip. It worked out that Karla & Mark could use the tickets and I could stay inside. Best decision. Ever.

Monday morning I woke up to find out the 402 was closed and Lambton County was declared a state of emergency! Over 200 people were stranded on the highway...it even made it on CNN! Yesterday some of that snow made its way to London and made life miserable. Although, I gotta say...my beetle is really standing up in all this snow. I haven't really been stuck once. I had help to get in my drive-way once but that is all. Now, let's just hope that is all the snow before Christmas!

Let it Snow!

For the first time since the year I was born, London has had it's biggest one day snowfall. The snow fell....and it just kept falling!

Sunday afternoon was our kids' Christmas party for /A\ employees. I set out around noon to set up for the party and although it was snowing, it wasn't treacherous. As 1pm passed to 1:30pm we started to wonder where the party participants were. People started showing up and telling us it took an HOUR to get across town. The snow was coming down fast and furious and the roads were a mess. Surprisingly, there were only 4 kids that were registered and didn't show up. Perhaps a comment on how awesome our party was!

On Monday, the first day of my internship was cancelled and a test at Fanshawe turned into an online submission. It was officially a "snow day". Unfortunately, working in the newsroom means there never is really a snow day for us. I had to venture outside mid-afternoon, find my car and make my way through the streets of London to get the news on the air. As is typical, we took the story and ran with it. Our entire first half hour was coverage of the snow and every angle we could think of. My friend Lisa offered to drive me home in her 4 wheel drive Escape and I accepted the offer. I left the poor beetle buried in snow.

The snow just kept coming and Tuesday was also declared a snow day. Even city buses were pulled off the roads! I stayed inside and baked cookies while listening to Tony Bennett and Karen Carpenter croon the holiday classics. It was a great day until it was time to go to work :) Lisa picked me up and we headed in for day 2 of groundhog day. More of the same snow stories. It was getting really ridiculous...the snow was really piling up!

Tuesday evening, Fanshawe confirmed that classes would be cancelled on Wednesday. So, another day at home. It was great. I took advantage of this one to complete my InDesign/Writing assignment of a 6 page newsletter. I also took the beetle in to Autobahn to get my brakes serviced and ask about snow tires. I think I'm going to take the plunge and get a set.

Anyway...the snow has now subsided...for now. Ross says there is another storm coming on Sunday. Great!

Black Friday

I survived my first Black Friday shopping experience!

I have always been a little curious about the whole idea, so when my friend Kim asked me if I wanted to go this year, I said "sure!" Every year, Kim and her friend Karen head over to the river to do some all-night shopping at Birch Run. This year we mixed things up a bit and went to Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills.

My day started with an 8am class on Thursday. I must admit, I tried to have a little nap in the afternoon, but it was not a successful mission. I was wide awake so I just decided to give up on the dream of some extra mid-afternoon sleep. We left Kim's place at 11:30pm and after stopping for our coffee, crossed the border into Michigan. Along the way, we saw some poor suckers set up in tents outside of Best Buy and Walmart stores. I cannot imagine going that hard core.

When we hit the mall, we circled like sharks to find a parking spot and the closest entrance was "The Children's Place". I couldn't believe my eyes when we walked in to see a huge line-up, but more importantly, people had KIDS IN STROLLERS. People...it's 2am...these children need to be in bed! Craziness! Actually the craziest thing I saw was perhaps not the kids in strollers, but rather a woman that barfed right in the middle of the mall at exactly the same moment that I happened to be walking by. What are the odds? Augh...gross!

The shopping was pretty fun, with a few deals to be had, but nothing earth-shattering. It really was more about the experience than the deals for me. I was trying stuff on at Banana Republic at 4am and commented to Kim "I'm not even tired, this is wild!" We stopped for breakfast around 7am and headed back to Port Huron to hit Birchwood Mall. I think we had run out of steam by then, but we carried on nonetheless.

By the time we reached Kim's house at 1pm I was ready for some sleep and had a 2 hour nap before heading back to London. And so, my very first Black Friday shopping experience. Success.

The Sisterhood

Happy birthday to my sister Connie. Today is her birthday...which falls exactly 7 days after my sister Jo-Anne's birthday.

Sisters are such a unique and awesome relationship, I always feel a twinge of sadness for girls/women that don't have a sister. Sisters can drive you crazy or be your biggest support. You can tell your sister things that you would never dream of telling anyone else and expect the same in return.

My sisters couldn't be more opposite. It really is an interesting spectrum that I am right in the middle of!

Jo-Anne is the oldest and 8 years my senior. When we were kids, this age gap seemed huge and as a result I was the annoying little sister! I didn't know I was so annoying until years later when she broke the news to me. Devastating!

As we got older, she moved out to go to school and I moved into her bedroom. Finally, my own room! Jo-Anne has always been an excellent encouragement, always knowing the right words to say and giving perspective when you're in the middle of a situation and can't see things from the other side.

Now that we are adults, Jo-Anne & Nick and their boys have become a big part of my life. We both live in London and are able to connect more often because of the close proximity. She is always very thoughtful in including me in their family and I love being a part of it.

Connie is next up from me in the line. We shared a room until we were teens and had a pretty tight bond because of it. We would stay up late talking...mostly me asking about her exciting life and listening to her stories...because she was older. Lots of time was spent playing with Barbies, baking and tons of craziness. She could make me laugh with the simplest things.

Even after she moved out, I would hang out at her apartment (and later her house) and often stay over. When I think of Connie I think of spontaneous adventures...like putting up the Christmas tree at 2 in the morning... just because we could! With Steve and Madison in the picture now, we still have the same fun...just with more people. I'm so lucky to be part of their family too!

So, I'd like to wish both of my sisters an awesome birthday and say thanks for the memories, moments and hope there's lots more to come! Love you lots.

Etiquette. Is it dying?

I have recently come back from an "etiquette lunch" at Fanshawe. It was offered to all students in my program as an optional experience. The lunch was at Saffrons - a fine dining room at Fanshawe . Throughout the lunch, we got tips on what is acceptable and expected during a business lunch as well as more formal parties.

For the most part, I think I have behaved acceptable in the past...however, did you know you are supposed to tear a small piece of bread and put it in your mouth rather than biting it off? Hmm. I did not! It was pretty informative and the food was really good!

The thing I thought was ironic, however, was that during the tutorial people were talking to those next to them with total disregard for what the host was saying. There is nothing that bugs me more. I have noticed this a lot lately, whether it is in a meeting, at church, or the biggest offender - in class. I think it is so rude, not only for the person that is supposed to be speaking, but also for those that want to listen.

OK...I'm stepping off my soap box now. Thanks for listening.

Wiggling with Liam

My nephew Liam turned three this summer and as is the Auntie Janice tradition, we got to spend a special day together. There was a bit of a delay from the time of his birthday to the big day, but there was good reason. We were going to see the Wiggles at the JLC.

Liam is an adorable and rambunctious three year old that loves music and dancing. So, I thought The Wiggles performance would be perfect for him. I, in fact, am a long-time fan of the group from down under. Well...ok maybe not, but I took my niece Abby to see them 8 years ago. Jo-Anne had Liam practicing his dance moves and by the time the big day arrived he was primed and ready to go!

I picked him up at daycare and we headed downtown. After a walk around the Covent Garden Market, we stopped for a special treat - a cupcake. We checked out all of our options, and Liam picked a nice chocolate one with a pumpkin candy on top. He was very careful while eating the cupcake. I'm not sure if this was to avoid getting messy, or more likely, to ensure every bit went into his mouth. It was hilarious to watch this whole procedure!

The Wiggles performance was apparently either under or overwhelming as he wasn't interested in singing nor dancing, but rather going to my house to make "scary pumpkins". We had made the mistake of telling him that we would be making jack-o-lanterns after the show. So, we ended up leaving the Wiggles behind and digging our hands into cold slimy pumpkin guck! What fun.  

Remembering

Today is November 11, which to most of us means Remembrance Day. Leading up to today, there are many special features, commercials and vignettes played on TV to help us remember the sacrifices of those that fought for our country. They usually bring a tear to my eye.

Today I am remembering my Grandad. He was a paratrooper in the second world war - where he met and married my Grammie. I don't remember Grandad talking about the war very much and I wish I had more time to get to know him and ask him questions.

I'm also remembering a dear old friend, Gord. Gord was a war veteran that lived in Petrolia and could frequently be seen riding his bike around town and stopping for coffee with anyone that would take the time. Over time, we developed a friendship and I think I learned a lot from Gord.

So, I hope you take a few moments to remember today.

Family Tree

Trees, for some inexplicable reason, tend to carry an emotional attachment. There is something about seeing the same towering branches, season after season that is somewhat comforting.

When a tree is part of your history, it has even more meaning. This large maple tree has been the property where my parents live for many years. It was there when I was growing up, and it was there when my dad was growing up. Its roots are entwined with our roots.

I can remember sitting under it with a book, waiting for the bus and collecting beautiful coloured leaves from under it in the fall.

When my family gathered at Thanksgiving this year, we were told the tree had to be cut down. It was dead for the most part and this year while other trees flaunted their fall colours, this tree looked rather barren. My brother John suggested we get some photos with the tree as the next time we gather as a family, it will be gone.

I was a little sad to hear this news, but it provided a great impromptu photo shoot for the family. It will be strange to drive down that country road an see an empty spot where it once stood.

Baby Bump

In the words of Anne of Green Gables, Karla Ann is my kindred spirit. We met as teenagers and instantly were inseparable. As time passes and we live our lives in different cities with different paths, we don't see each other often anymore. However, true friends are always together in spirit.

Karla called me in the summer to let me in on a very special secret. She had just found out they are having a baby! This weekend was the first time I witnessed the baby bump for myself. I was caught off guard when I was overcome with emotion. I couldn't believe it...my bestest friend is going to have a baby! How exciting!

I know Karla will make an amazing mom. It's just part of her make-up. She is the perfect blend of nurturing, loving, patience, understanding and domestic diva.

Strange Days Indeed

Sometimes you see some pretty strange things just by keeping your eyes open. Just last week, while driving home at midnight, I saw someone rollerskating up a hill. Yes...I said rollerSKATING...not blading. That was a bit bizarre.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw coming towards me yesterday though. It was a humungous bike! I'm talking a really TALL bike. Like someone on stilts...but on a bike. I've never seen anything like it before. And then I googled it and there it was. Crazy times. How do you keep your balance on such a thing?

Kaelyn's Big Day

As is tradition, my niece Kaelyn had her special day with Auntie Janice for her birthday last weekend. We decided this year it would be fun to go to the corn maze. I had no idea what fun we would have! The weather was absolutely perfect with the sun shining, blue skies and we had to take our jackets off as it was so warm!

We went to Leaping Deere Legends near Ingersoll and I would definitely recommend it for anyone with kids. There was so much to do and so much fun to be had! The corn maze played a minor role in our day that also included pumpkins being shot from a cannon, pig races, a hay ride, petting zoo, mini golf and lots of things to climb on! Kaelyn had a blast...and so did I.

Every time I pulled the camera out, Kaelyn would flash me her adorable smile. She is just so sweet. We had spaghetti for dinner and watched Horton Hears a Who. Can't go wrong with Dr. Suess! The next day we headed home for an awesome Thanksgiving dinner with the family. I wish every weekend could be so great!

!!!

My apologies for my un-presence on the web these days. School and work are keeping me busy. I will attempt to post something this weekend.

I also apologize for being out of touch with all my peeps. There is a light at the end of the tunnel when life will return to normal. Thanks for hanging in there!

~J.

It's all in the Aesthetics

Yesterday, while stopped at a red light, I looked over to see a Harley rumbling beside me. The man on the bike was decked out in full Harley leather and I thought... I wish that was me. Is it really about the Harley for me? Do I know anything about bikes? No. It's all about the aesthetics. The Harley just looks good.

Earlier that afternoon, I had driven past a certain house that always catches my eye. As I drove past it, I thought to myself how important the outside "look" of the house is for me and when I it comes down to it, that will play a big part in my purchase.

These thoughts collided as I was sitting at the lights, beside the Harley...it's all in the aesthetics for me. I am naturally drawn to thing (products) that have clean, defined lines, a nice use of space and generally look cool.

The car that I was sitting in...a beetle. Most recognizable lines/shape in automotive designs, I think. Do I love it because it is German engineered, has excellent safety ratings and is good on gas? No! While these things are great perks, let's face it...I bought it because it looks good. (better in yellow, but I digress...)

My laptop...same deal. Did I buy it because I love the operating system and all the technical capabilities? Heck no! That sleek and sexy design is what sold me.

When I look at a magazine, brochure or even an email, large blocks of text turn me off. There has to be lots of white space or it is a chore for me to read. What's worse is emails without paragraph breaks or even punctuation or CAPITAL LETTERS!!! Come on people. Not only is it proper grammar, it just makes it look nice!

So...that is my musing for the day. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the design.

Living up to my Legend

Part of working at A channel is acquiring a "nick" name. Most of you are familiar with nick names, but I mean literally a Nick name. Nick Paparella assigns names to people and uses them relentlessly until they become a part of who you are.

My Nick name has been around almost as long as I have. It has a few variations, all stemming from "One-time Queen of the Furrow" ...Queen, One Time or sometimes the full-out version. For people new to the newsroom, they may think I'm a little arrogant when Nick calls "Queen" and I respond. Ha ha. Little do they know the constant harassment I live with.

It all started when Nick discovered I was once the Dresden Fair Princess. I'm not even sure how this topic came up, but he grabbed it and ran with it. To be honest, I was never trying to be royalty and it certainly was no pageant. I simply won a lot of ribbons at the Dresden Fair and the boy & girl with the most points were declared Prince & Princess. I was totally embarrassed when my parents made me ride in the parade through town. However, over time the story has evolved and I think most people I work with really believe that I was the Queen of the Furrow, a title bestowed upon a lucky lady at the International Plowing Match.

Last week the IPM came to Elgin County, just south of London. After a year of planning and buzz, Nick was in his element when he was able to do a story about the history of the "Queen of the Furrow". Of course, I was noticeably absent. He did, however clip a photo out of the London Free Press and paste my face on to one of the contestants. (yes, he's technically challenged...his version of photoshop) He could barely contain his laughter as he walked up to my desk and posted the photocopy on my computer. Classic. The best part was that one of my coworkers saw the picture and actually thought it was REAL!

So, while at the IPM on the weekend, I couldn't resist getting this photo. It just felt like I should :)

TIFF 2010

So much to blog about, so little time.

Wow, the past week and a half has been so busy I've hardly had time to think. My first day of school happened last Wednesday. Monday was Labour Day and I don't have any classes on Tuesday, so Wednesday was the big day. I strapped on my backpack and set out at 7:30am. (a little early for someone that normally goes to bed at 1am and gets up about 8:30) I found my class, a Mac Lab in the "M" building for InDesign. I'm really looking forward to learning this software and everything that goes with it.

The next two days were two more classes and meeting my classmates. Overall, I'm excited about my classes, what I'll be learning and the projects we'll complete. But, it's taking some time to get used to the busy schedule and early mornings.

After class on Friday afternoon, Lisa picked me up and we were off to Toronto for our annual trip to TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) It was an exhausting weekend of standing around star gazing (sounds easy, but it's tough stuff) but so worth it. It actually turned out to be more of a TV star weekend than movie stars. At the first premiere we went to, I saw "David Silver" from the original 90210. He's married to Megan Fox, who caused quite a stir...but I was more interested in getting my photo with Brian Austin Green!

Following that premiere, we waited around for the "Super" premiere. This was the one I was most anticipating as Rainn Wilson (AKA Dwight Shrute) was going to be there. The Office is my current favourite show and Dwight steals the show every time. I was pumped to see him up close and personal. As I was waiting for him to make his way down the press line, I noticed someone that looked familiar that was kinda standing around...not talking to the press and no one was asking for his autograph. It was KIRK from Gilmore Girls!! I didn't know his actual name, but I called Kirk and he came over. I was thrilled to get his autograph and a photo with him!

My other TV moment came when we saw David Schwimmer! Wow, after 10 years of watching him on Friends as Ross Geller, it was a little surreal to see him...and get a photo! Other highlights included Ben Stiller, Minnie Driver, Martin Sheen, Anthony Hopkins, John Legend, Emilio Estevez, Jennifer Garner, Liv Tyler, Mickey Rourke...the list goes on.

Now it's back to reality. Back to school, back to work. I've taken a few minutes out of the day to catch up blogging while watching the first episode of Survivor. When am I ever going to fit in all my TV shows? Yikes. I'll keep you posted about how I'm keeping up on life.

Me & The Peanut

My nephew Jesse recently turned five. And with a birthday comes a special day with Auntie Janice. I had the idea that he would enjoy a trip on the train and everything just fell into place for that to happen. It was so much fun!

We boarded the train in London with Daddy & Liam sending us off. Liam was a little upset that he wasn't going and a few tears were shed. Poor guy. Jesse wasn't too worried about that. He was busy climbing on board and finding a seat. After being on the train about 2 minutes, he discovered the flip out tray that resides inside the arm rest. Wow...what fun! In...Out....In...Out... then he informed me that you could use it as a sunblock if needed! (it covered about 2% of the surface area of the window) We made use of the table for a few minutes to have a snack and then it was back in it's spot. And then out again. Ha ha. There was lots to see out the window and he chattered the whole way.

Our stop was Glencoe...about a half hour ride. So, it was perfect - no time to get bored! When we arrived, my mom and Aunt Peggy were waiting for us. I should clarify, before I share this story, that my Aunt Peggy is 85 years old and has had a nagging cough for most of her life. So, picture this: Mom & Peggy in the front, me & Jesse in the back. Jesse says to me: "Pop is not healthy." I thought he said "Papa is not healthy"...made sense to me. They call Nick's dad Papa and he recently passed away. I thought Jesse was just pondering this information. But, no. Then he says "You should only have it once in a while, for a treat. It's not healthy for your body." Oh. Ok... the penny drops and I realize he's talking about POP. I respond "Yes, that's right. Pop is not healthy for you." Then he looks at me, jams his thumb in Peggy's direction and says "I think she drank too much pop." What a kid. When we got to Mom's we explained that Peggy was not sick because of pop. :)

After lunch we headed in to Steve & Connie's for a swim. It was so adorable, when we got there, Madison had made a sign on the fence that said "Welcome to Our House Jesse". Awww. They had a blast together all afternoon splashing and jumping and snacking (of course). We picked up pizza for dinner and headed back to the farm.

As I said, it all worked out perfectly as I had read in the Petrolia paper the week before that they were showing the movie Wall-E at Petrolia Discovery and UWO astronomers would be on site with their telescopes. Wow...cool! We arrived and got our popcorn and watched Wall-E. I must admit...I didn't enjoy the movie. I thought it was kinda weird...but Jesse loved it. After the movie, we ventured out with our flashlight and glow stick to find the telescopes. It was pretty cool even though we had no idea what we were looking at! He was thrilled to get to look through. It was a late night for the little peanut as he didn't get to bed until 10pm!

The next day we went to church with Mom & Dad, went to McDonalds with them and the Berrys and then headed home. That one is going to be tough to beat!

Country Bumpkin

I'm just a small town girl. Born and raised in ....south Petrolia (kinda)

This song kept running through my head on a recent trip to Toronto. I went to visit my friend Sarah who lives in Etobicoke, which for me, equals Toronto. Visiting the big city is always a fun adventure but each time I am reminded that I wouldn't actually want to live there.

Take, for example, public transit. Wow, that is a crazy world! We took the bus to the subway to the streetcar, all the while cramming ourselves amongst the regulars. You see all kinds on public transit. And all smells too. Wow. I can't imagine herding myself onto those cars each day to be squeezed in between stinky bodies. Eww.

And the smells are not limited to the transit system. It's so strange walking down the street and out of nowhere, a stench will rise up to meet you. That is Toronto.

Awww, but it's not all bad! Sarah and I had a great day exploring the city. We started out in the Kensington Market area where we wandered around some cute shops and inadvertently joined a Chinese dragon parade ...??? We stopped for lunch at "I Feel Like Crepe". Ha ha...great name for a crepe place. We decided that we could not pass the opportunity to sample something from "Pie In The Sky" as well. This was a good idea at the time... best...pecan pie... ever... But, after finishing and running to catch the street car...not a good idea. Wow, my tummy was not happy with that decision!

The Harbourfront area, Sugar Beach and the Distillery District rounded out the day. We were exhausted but we sure packed it in! And what was that I said about Toronto not being all bad? Check out the TTC sign... ya, it's not that bad after all! (for a gum-phobic like myself)

Coffee Update

Some time ago, I wrote about my desire to drink my coffee black. I started as most Canadians - double double. I agree, it has a nice ring to it, but I was determined to work towards my goal. Black.

I moved to double cream, no sugar. This went well. And then I decided I was ready... I made the move to single cream. Success. In fact, on occasion I have used milk and even gone black several times!

In fact, John Tesh offers up this intelligence for your life: Black coffee has been shown to help prevent Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Type II Diabetes, and certain cancers. Wow.

Student Life

I am officially a student at Fanshawe College now.

Kindred Spirits

This is my cousin Wendy. I recently discovered that we are kindred spirits :)

Wendy and her family used to live just down the road from me. When I was about 4 they moved to the Bruce Peninsula. There were infrequent visits, but more importantly there were LETTERS! Getting "real" mail from the mailbox when you're young (heck, at any age) is so exciting. Wendy was really good at sending me mail, including fun things like stickers.

However, over time, communication dropped off and we more or less lost touch. Family get-togethers were less frequent and our letter-writing dwindled. And then along came Facebook. Wendy & I became "friends" on Facebook and started a obsessive Scrabble-playing relationship! I love that she is always up for an online game!

As we have re-connected, I have discovered just how much we have in common. That is really cool. Inspired by my blog, Wendy recently started her own blog. She also loves baking, board games and fonts. Hmmm, sounds like someone I know! She also introduced me to "letter boxing" which I would like to explore a bit more when life slows down a bit.

We recently planned a family get-together where we were finally able to play a game of Scrabble face-to-face! I would like to take a moment to brag and say that I won by ONE point!!

Love ya Wendy!

Sir Paul McCartney

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na. Hey Jude.

Singing this song with about 18,000 like-minded people is a pretty cool experience.

Since I can remember, I have loved the Beatles. I memorized songs, read books, did high school projects about them, and of course checked out Liverpool while in the UK. So, seeing Paul McCartney (the cute one) is a somewhat surreal experience for me.

McCartney is somewhat of a mythical creature. Over 50 years in show business as the most successful musician/song writer ever, thirty two number one singles, he was (and forever will be) a Beatle, and is responsible for some of the most beloved songs ever written.That is a tough resume to top! And, it makes seeing him in concert a magical experience.

The opening chords of every song that was played solicited such an overwhelming response. It's just hard to imagine a better show. And the amazing thing is...he is 68 years old and seems to have stopped the hands of time. He played for 3 hours without ever stopping for a break. He still sounds great and was jumping around the stage like a mop-topped lad from Liverpool :)

I am lucky enough to say this is the third time I have seen Sir Paul McCartney and I hope it is not my last. As my shirt says: I <3 p="" paul.="">

Potluck!

Perfect way to kick off the long weekend? A potluck BBQ!

Potlucks are always a hit with my coworkers and this was no exception. Our focus was on salads but we also had the BBQs fired up for some burgers and dogs. And of course cupcakes and smores for dessert.

Yes...smores. I came up with the idea of BBQing them, while wrapped in tin foil. The idea is good but needed some perfecting. Some of them had disintegrated marshmallow, but some turned out perfect.

Wayne provided the entertainment for the evening while eating his smore :)