Sensational Send Off

I've said this before and I'll say it again. I have worked with some pretty fantastic people during my years in TV. Last Saturday I had a farewell party that was a testament to this fact. I had so much fun with my colleagues that have become like family.

In addition to all my friends that currently work at CTV London, some old friends showed up too!

I worked with Jo Ann for about 8 years during which, I started to call her my London Mom. This stemmed from a time when I had to get an immunization needle and I was scared. I said I needed to squeeze my mom's hand and she offered to substitute. Since then she became my confidant and advice-giver!

Another blast from the past was Richard! Richard & I worked together while he was the 6pm producer. The guy kept me in stitches constantly. He's hilarious. We also share the same taste in music and have had many great talks about the merits of different artists/albums. I'm so glad we have kept in touch over the past 7 years since he left. (can't believe it's been that long!)

And, making a surprise appearance...Mr. Lightfoot. The trickster told me he had to work. This didn't surprise me as he works most weekends, so what a great surprise when he walked in. It's been nearly 2 years since Scott moved on to Toronto but happy to call this talented guy my friend.

My friend Lisa pulled this event together. That's her thing...and she's so good at it! Lisa &I met on my first day when she was training me as a PA. She was also planning the company picnic and I was amazed at how she could multi-task and pull together such an awesome event. Since then we have gone on to be great friends. Friends that love board games, planning events, stalking celebs at TIFF and watching ER, Survivor and The Oscars.

So many awesome people (some of which I didn't even get pictures of!) were there to celebrate with me. Special thanks to the late-comers who had to work but came when they finished up. Norm, Lisa, Trevor and Laura - you guys showed stamina!

Possibly the best part about the evening was the CAKE. Special thanks to Cristina Howorun for arranging the most amazing cake ever. It was a VW beetle with Paul McCartney sticking his head out the window! How perfect is that? It was the most photographed item of the evening. LOL. And it tasted great too!

Thanks All! It was a blast.

Flashback

It's funny how a small thing can trigger a memory at any moment. Over the holidays, my uncle Doug drove me to the airport and picked me up after my trip to France. He used my Beetle to do this and when I opened the door to climb in, my senses were overwhelmed. My car smelled like my Grandad.

I'm not sure exactly what the mix was (perhaps a cologne + fisherman's friend?) but to me, it smelled just like Grandad. It has been nearly 20 years since he passed away so it was a bit startling to me when I first caught the scent. The sense of smell is a powerful thing.

And then it happened again. This weekend, I was at the Petrolia hospital and walking down the corridor was like walking in a time warp. Not a lot has changed in those hallways over the years including the very same black and white photos hanging on the wall. As I walked past one room in particular, I was overcome with emotion. It hit me like a ton of bricks and immediately brought tears to my eyes.

I flashed back to being 6 years old and sitting in the "family" room while my Grandma Mills was in that very hospital. I remembered being really sad because everyone else was really sad. I remembered staring at my red corduroy pants as my mom explained to me what an aneurysm is and how Grandma would not be coming home with us.

Thirty years have passed and it was just like yesterday. Again, it caught me completely off guard with a wave of emotion.

I am thankful to have such a great memory for such details because sometimes all you have left of someone very special is memories.

Thanks For The Memories...

Since making my decision to leave the glamorous life of TV, I've been reminiscing the memories I have from the past 14 years. I've compiled a list that is by no means complete, but some of my favourite moments from The New PL/A-Channel/A/CTV.

• The Christmas Eve breakfast (with missing sausages)
• Alan's scavenger hunts
• Lisa & I inadvertently high-fiving in the back of a shot (I had just done the fastest graphic correction in time to go on air!)
• Bob Smith calling out my dad about promising me a car if soybeans hit $12/bushel
• "reporting" at Walkerton Watershed (I interviewed Great Big Sea, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Paul Brandt and The Watchmen!)
• Wingham elections
• working on the station's version of Survivor
• the day the audio board caught on fire and we had to switch control rooms during the news
• the many awesome stinger shots on the noon show
• running to the art department (on the other side of the building) every morning to fix the clock on the morning show 
• working with Trevor on the morning show. I swear he slept through most of it ;)
• election subs (the smell of Subway always reminds me of elections)
• Pancake Tuesday Potluck - frying up bacon right in the newsroom
• learning to speak the language of Doug
• sitting on a milk crate in engineering shooting the breeze with Scott and Mark
• lunch at the picnic table with Bruce
• countless episodes of That 70's Show, Friends, The Office and The Big Bang Theory with Scrappy
• appearing in a Leavens Volkswagen commercial
• witnessing historic events within the perspective of a newsroom - 911, The Bandidos Massacre, etc.
• learning that Mr. Dressup died from an "urgent" on the wires
• the day they cancelled the noon show :( so sad
• Nick Paparella incessantly telling me I'm "living in the past" and calling me Queen of the Furrow (this relates to when I was the Dresden Fair Princess at age 11)
• teaching my coworkers to play Dutch Blitz

Dagoberto

During my years at CTV I have spent many hours with Mr. Doug Assis. He has been my graphics guru, a constant source of technical know-how and endless patience to share his knowledge.

I must admit it was a rough start to our relationship. Our approaches are much different. Doug has all the time in the world to research techniques and perfect the end result. I'm impatient and need results NOW. (Part of that could come from working in the newsroom where my deadlines come fast and furious) And for this very reason, we did not always get along!

However, we have come to understand each other. Even like each other. :)  Over the years Doug has been an invaluable resource and we have spent countless hours together working on several re-brands, elections and general graphic needs for the newsroom.

He has helped me with multiple personal art projects that I have had the vision for, but not necessarily the technical expertise to finish. He has given of his own time to help me improve my skills.

The tables were turned on Friday when I, the grasshopper, had a chance to share my knowledge with the teacher, prior to my pending departure. It was a fun day as I showed Doug my tricks and secrets of the news graphics world.

I will miss Doug and the confusion that usually ensues when we have a conversation. I've mastered the accent but still have not deciphered the riddles that he always speaks in. Thanks Doug. For everything.

Bon Appetit

One of my favourite things about Paris was the food. Glorious food. I knew, going into the trip, that the food would be fabulous. But, I didn't anticipate it being such an integral part of the experience!

There were certain things on our check list, or as CA put it "it's our moral imperative to eat...". On that list were: pain du chocolat, crème brûlée, baguettes, crêpes, escargots, foie gras and plenty of fromage.


As I mentioned before, the trip was all about experiencing Paris and that equated to plenty of time spent at sidewalk cafés (even in the winter, they eat outside!) belangeries, patisseries and brasseries, eating our way through Paris. One day, while deciding on what to order, Carol Ann commented (and I loved it..) "go big or go home...or go home big." LOL

Perhaps the most decadent of all was the day we went to Angelina Tearoom. They are known the world over for their hot chocolate. We waited in line for about half an hour before we got a chance to experience it but it was well worth the wait. Thick and velvety, it was divine!

One of the tips that we read online before heading to France was to order the café gourmande. It is on most menus and includes an espresso and an assortment of desserts. That way you can sample rather than commit to just one thing. In one day of wandering Paris, we sampled THREE café gourmandes! We had to compare from different places, obviously. (#1 turned out to be the best)

That's a Wrap

Fourteen years ago, I was a Mohawk College student looking for an internship. I landed at The New PL in London in the Creative Services department. Several months later I got a job in the newsroom and the rest, as they say, is history.

It's hard to believe it's been that long! When I look back at my time in TV, things have changed considerably. (I know I sound ancient saying such a thing, but it's true!) There have been cutbacks, downsizing and the working atmosphere has changed.

I have always loved my coworkers and we have become like family. I have certainly spent more time with them than my own family in the past 14 years. The camaraderie has been great in the newsroom and it will be really hard for me to leave that. Yes, I said leave.

For the past few years, I have been working on a transition plan. I returned to Fanshawe College and took the Corporate Communication & Public Relations course. When I graduated, I worked part time at The Achievement Centre and tbk Creative to gain some experience. It's been a wild 3 years of having zero downtime, but it is finally paying off.

In December The Achievement Centre approached me about coming back on a full time basis as the Visual Communications Coordinator. After a few days of consideration, I took the plunge and accepted. As much as I've been working towards leaving TV behind, it was a difficult decision when it came down to it. I'm sure my last day will be an emotional one but I'm really excited about this new opportunity.

Perhaps the best part of this whole process is that my hours will now be 8:30-4:30 compared to 3:15 - 11:45pm. Yes, that's a complete shift in my world. I'll be able to actually do stuff with people. Like a normal person. Woot woot.

Welcome back, social life. :)

Paris ReCap #1

Time seems to have slipped through my fingers and I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since returning from Paris.

What an amazing time we had! Seriously, trip of a lifetime. I have never been away at Christmas before and was a little apprehensive about that. But once I arrived and was experiencing the magic of Paris, I didn't mind not being home. We had to pinch ourselves several times to remind us we were really in PARIS!

Our hotel was in a great location. We felt like we were in a little neighbourhood with locals around us, but were really close to Place du Concorde and Champs-Élysées. We walked there on our first night and marveled at all the lights. It was stunning.

We took the metro a few times but mostly we walked. In fact, we blended into Parisian life so well, that one day an American walking in front of us turned around and asked us if we lived there. Hilarious but true.

CA and I had similar expectations for our trip and that was to experience Paris. We saw some of "must see" things in Paris but for the most part we soaked up the atmosphere, moving from café to brasserie to pâtisserie - sampling all the amazing food Paris had to offer!

Stay tuned for more on that amazing cuisine as well as other adventures we had!

Songs and Stories

Excuse my catch-up blogging...

This morning while listening to the Vinyl Cafe podcast, I was reminded of a post I didn't have a chance to make before Christmas.

Each year, my friend Laurie & I anticipate the Vinyl Cafe Christmas show. It has become a tradition of sorts and we both really enjoy the festive feel of the night.

If you are not familiar with Vinyl Cafe, wait...what? You don't listen to CBC radio? Vinyl Cafe is a CBC radio show featuring Canadian music and stories of a fictional family. It really should be experienced, but for CBC aficionados like Laurie and myself, we are well-versed in the Dave & Morley stories. We had been looking forward to the Vinyl Cafe Christmas for a couple of months.

As the icing on the cake, this year's musical artist was Reid Jamieson. You may remember me mentioning him here before. I discovered Reid while listening to Vinyl Cafe and instantly was drawn into his rich vocals and gorgeous take on some of my favourite songs. What a bonus that I'd get to see him in person!

This year did not disappoint. Laurie and I found our seats and settled in for an evening of Christmas classics. The lights dimmed and Stuart walked out on stage. For the next few hours we were lost in holiday stories and songs. A delightful evening with a dear friend.

After the show we met Reid and had the opportunity to bestow proper praise on him for his fine work. He has made it into my top 5 artists currently. I'm absolutely loving his Songs For A Winter Night album (which he had pre-signed and ready for me in his pocket!). Have a listen here...you'll love it too!

Merry Christmas from Paris!

Is there anything more magical than Christmas in Paris? I'm not sure.

I'm so glad my fruzzin CA invited me to join her for this trip of a lifetime. Although I have twinges of missing things at home, I will never experience anything like this again!

Yesterday we spent wandering Christmas markets around the Eiffel Tower. It was so picture-perfect. Just being out and about while Parisians finished their last minute Christmas preps was so neat. (So much calmer and quaint than in North America) We saw people stopping at the fish market, the bakery, etc.

So far Paris has been amazing and it's only day two!!

Christmas List

This Christmas I've had to abandon some of the traditions that seem like necessity and recognize that I am only human. I cannot be everything to everyone and this December I encountered a number of unplanned instances that demanded my attention and required a constant change of plans!

I'm a natural communicator and love sending things in the post, so Christmas cards are always a favourite project to get me in the holiday spirit. In fact, I often make my own cards. However, this year as the days slipped by, I resigned myself to the fact that I would not be sending cards. I did get a few in the mail early in the month, so if you got one... you're lucky :)

Another thing I love doing is baking. Somehow it became tradition for me to make cookies in the shape of beetles and drop them off to the fine folks at Autobahn. I kept trying to figure out a time in the schedule to do my baking and it kept getting pushed down the list of priorities. I am, after all, going to Paris in four days!

There's always next year to bring back these traditions or start new ones. How has your Christmas changed or evolved over the years?

Auntie Janice's Christmas Extravaganza

Each Christmas, I spend a lot of time considering the age and personality of each of my nieces and nephews. I come up with an appropriate gift idea, track it down, buy it, wrap it and on Christmas I see it added to the pile of other "stuff". After the gift wrap frenzy of last year, I decided to do something different that would mean something to both me and them.

Taking a cue from my birthday celebration with each of them, I decided to do an "experience" gift, and so began Auntie Janice's Christmas Extravaganza!

We made crafts, built-our-own pizzas, attended a church Christmas concert, watched Christmas movies, decorated cupcakes and had a lot of fun! No presents were wrapped and under the tree but each of these kids is a gift to me each day. (I know that sounds cheesy, and it is...but it's true.)

Abigail made me an auntie, so she'll always have a special place in my heart. She reminds me a lot of me when I was her age. She has a sweet personality, cares about others and is maturing into a wonderful teenager!

Joshua is a teddy bear. He's always been sensitive and cuddly. He's just like Daddy & Grandpa which just happen to be 2 of my favourite guys! He thinks about things and sometimes I can almost see the wheels turning inside but is a man of few words. Josh is really creative and is good with details.

Madison is independent and is free to be who she is without worrying about what others think. She is thoughtful and loves reading, going to the library and blogging! She is compassionate towards others and likes things to be fair.

Kaelyn is like a ray of sunshine. She is always smiling and sees the positive in everything. She is adventurous and not afraid to try much of anything. She loves to have fun and always makes me smile.

Jesse is a curious explorer, always asking the most interesting questions. He's very observant and picks up on details to file away in his little brain. He's very loveable and always has a hug and kiss for me. (and usually has to come running outside for one more before I leave)

Liam is quite the character. He loves music and dancing and is often moving to some beat in his head. He's a little sweetie pie that loves snuggles, always shares and is a really funny kid.

Enough is Enough

During the past year, I have had my fair share of hospital visits. In fact, I think I've had enough for right now. I mean, I keep it interesting with different family members and different hospitals but it's kinda becoming a drag. My aunt, my sister, my mom, my brother-in-law, my dad and my nephew...the list can stop growing now.

Here is my most recent patient...

Jesse broke his elbow this weekend and had to have surgery. I spent yesterday afternoon with the Peanut and he was taking it all in stride. In fact, I think he was enjoying the adventure.

Rising To The Occasion

Have you ever experienced a change that was so gradual, you didn't see it happen? The past few weeks have revealed something like this to me. Let me explain.

I am the youngest of four siblings and as such, I'm usually treated as the "baby" of the family. I'm totally cool with that and most times it works to my advantage. For example, when we have a family potluck I'm usually assigned something like "drinks" or "veggie tray". Nothing too complicated, you know.

Over the past few weeks, I've needed to rise to the occasion and surprised myself. (I feel like I observed me from the outside. Does that make sense?)

My mom had knee replacement surgery at the end of October and obviously needed some help with things around the house as well as encouragement and a shoulder to lean on once in a while. I found myself giving up my time on the weekends to spend with her. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to. She has always been so giving and supportive of everyone else, it was her turn to be on the receiving end.

Don't get me wrong, visiting my mom is not out of the ordinary for me but it was the situation that was different this time. Providing support for her was incredibly satisfying, yet caused me to pause and reflect on the fact that I'm entering a new stage of life.

That was affirmed on Monday when Dad had a heart attack. I'm so thankful that he is home now and doing well but, again, a time to pause and reflect. My initial reaction was fear and panic. However, after I saw him and felt that everything was going to be OK, that is when I surprised myself. I pulled myself together and helped figure out logistics for the next few weeks as they both are recovering. I talked to nurses to find out more about his recovery and was there for his discharge. I've had some good talks with Dad over the past week.

I've changed and the way I deal with crises has changed. You never know what life is going to throw your way and the past few years have really shown that to me. It's all in how you handle the curve balls. Perhaps what I'm writing about is really called maturity and I'm finally catching on.

Weathering The Storm

There are pivotal moments in life that forever change you. Unfortunately, one of those moments happened last night when I got a phone call from my mom. The words on the other end are ones you never want to hear, "Dad has had a heart attack".

Nothing can prepare you for that and I was in shock when I hung up the phone. I was at work, in the middle of the newscast, so I had to soldier on through the tears. Details were sketchy as I tried to piece together what had happened so I drove to Jo-Anne's house just to be with family. She was ready to go when I got there and we set off for University Hospital.

The entire time my mind was racing. A heart attack is a scary thing and I've heard both sides of the story. There are people that go on to live normal and lengthy lives and those that do not. I had no idea what to expect. Was it a good thing that he was being transported to London from Strathroy? Or did that mean it was more serious? Our drive to the hospital was pretty quiet.

As we were turning into the parking lot, an ambulance with lights and siren was approaching from the opposite direction. Jo-Anne said that was probably Dad and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. She quickly parked and started running to the exit. I followed suit and was pretty scared. After the fact, she told me that she knew he would want to see us and that is why she ran - not because she thought he was dying. It was sobering to see him lifted out of the ambulance and on the stretcher but I was glad to see him and give him a kiss and tell him I loved him.

The next couple of hours were stressful but I was surrounded by my family and that was comforting. However, seeing Dad in pain and the scared look in his eyes was something I don't want to relive. They decided to do an angiogram and inserted a stent. Dad seemed to have instant relief and was feeling much better by the time we left the hospital well after midnight.

My mom (who is still recovering from her knee replacement) is always a rock in these types of situations. It's like she knows that we all need her to be and she just pulls it together. Me, on the other hand, can be summed up by the Patsy Cline song... "I Fall To Pieces".

Please pray for my family as we make our way through this latest challenge.

Young House Love

After following the Young House Love blog for the past 5 or so years, I feel like I know them! I've watched them transform their first home and now they've moved on to a second. Their blog is full of great ideas and tips for your home that require minimal skill and dollars. I love it!

This fall, the pair released a book with 243 new ideas in a hardcover book. When they announced on their blog that they would be doing a book tour, I thought it was kinda cool that they were coming to Toronto and decided to go to my first book signing. Originally my friend Jodi was going to join me but scheduling didn't cooperate. So, I was off to TO by myself.

The day was not as ideal as I had hoped. I started off witnessing a serious crash and then continued on the highway in pouring rain. Talk about stressful! I was ready for a deep tissue massage by the time I got there. Oh ya, and I missed my exit for Ikea. Dang! Was looking forward to wandering through the Swedish furniture mecca.

However, once I got to West Elm and saw other DIY nerds, like myself, forming a line I started to get a little excited. We swapped stories while we waited and showed off pictures on our phones. We were even served hot chocolate and treats!

I finally got to the front of the line and got a book signed for me and one for Jodi. (supposed to be a Christmas present but she figured it out already) We got my photo snapped with them and I was on my way. I wonder what they think when people line up for hours to see them, some even bringing crazy gifts. Afterall, they are just regular people that started out casually blogging their DIY projects. Surreal!

Something's Missing

While visiting my nephew this week, he smiled at me and what did I see? A new smile. He was missing one of his front teeth. Mr. Peanut is growing up. What a cutie!

Timing

Until Monday, I have been fortunate to have never witnessed a car crash (other than my own). Seeing a crash that looked like it was from the movies is difficult to edge out of your mind.

On Monday afternoon, I had just fueled up and off to Toronto. I was headed south on Highbury Ave. and waiting for the light at Dundas. Usually I would be turning onto Highbury from Dundas but I had decided to get gas before I left the city.

It happened in an instant and in slow motion. A car appeared out of nowhere and I saw a streak pass on my left. My mind was racing as I wondered what was going on, why was that car going so fast, how would they possibly make it through the intersection without hitting someone...and then it happened.

The car that had passed me collided with another in the intersection and both went airborne. They ended up in a parking lot at the corner. I was in disbelief at what I had just witnessed and quickly called 911. Knowing that I couldn't handle seeing what was in the wreckage, I didn't get out of my car. Many others did, however, and helped the victims out of the car (as far as I could tell).

photo courtesy LFPress

Leaving the accident, I got on the 401 and started out for Toronto. I didn't realize how shaken I was and the scene kept playing over and over in my mind like a movie. I couldn't help but wonder the condition of the people involved and why such an horrific accident had to happen. Why was that car going so fast? I imagined how the lives of the second car changed in the blink of an eye, on what would be an otherwise regular day for them. I stopped at Woodstock's On Route to gather myself and try and put it out of my mind but it's still there. It will be for a while, I imagine.

It wasn't until the next day when I was describing the situation to someone that I realized if I had been one lane to my left, that car most likely would have ploughed right into the back of me. She crested the hill at approximately 100km/h. Scary stuff.

Read The London Free Press account here.

Janice 2.0

This weekend I had the privilege of hanging out with my niece Madison. We were finally celebrating her 9th birthday after some scheduling conflicts.

Madison has been patiently waiting to work on a scrapbook with me and for months has been asking me to help her set up a blog. I thought this was such a cute idea.

We spent a few hours at a local scrapbook store and she was so excited to create her layouts. I was impressed with her progress and by the time we left she had done 18 pages!

As luck would have it, London's Santa Claus parade was this weekend. So after a quick dinner we were off to scout out a spot for the parade. We saw lots of Christmasy characters and enjoyed some hot chocolate from the thermos.

Madison is such a neat kid. I'm impressed with how mature she is and the way she handles herself. We had some interesting discussions this weekend and I'm proud of how compassionate she is for others. She has really great ideas and is a smart cookie when it comes to naming provincial capitals, times tables and spelling.

The best part about our time together was creating her blog. She was so excited. It is a private blog so only people on her "readers list" can access it, but I'm going to include her first entry here. On the way home she sat in the back seat of the car and wrote a list of topics she's going to blog about. When I asked her to read the list to me, I was impressed.

• my first blogging experience
• feelings
• my Mom
• all about me
• animals

I thought that was fantastic for a nine year old! When I dropped her off, I told Steve I thought she was becoming Janice 2.0 with her new interests of scrapbooking, blogging ...and did I mention she likes the Beatles?!

Madison's first post:

For my first scrapbooking day me and my dad had to drive to Lambeth. When we got there I saw my aunt Janice. The scrapbooking place was called Memories on Main.  I got a scrapbooking kit for Christmas from aunt Janice. We had lots of fun scrapbooking with lots of smiles and laughs. The scrapbooking owner had a dog named Paige (that's my middle name). I wish we could go scrapbooking again. Their kid James helped me with scrapbooking. 

When we got back we had pizza for supper. Then we went to the Santa Claus parade. When we were there we had hot chocolate. Last in the parade was Santa. Before Santa we saw the Grinch twice.  It was so much fun going to the Santa Claus parade. When we got home we watched some Cloudy With The Chance of Meatballs.

Aunt Janice is helping me with this blog. Stay tuned for my next blog post.

Book It Danno.

Today I opened the door to find a cardboard Amazon box sitting on my porch. Wow, those guys are fast! I had just got an email last night that my order had shipped and there it was sitting in front of me!

For the past 5 or so years, you will have noticed a link from my blog to another blog called Young House Love. It's a great DIY blog by 2 twenty-somethings and the ideas are always great. They do projects that anyone can do and very affordable ideas too. It has become a daily read for me so when I heard they were coming out with a book, naturally I had to have it. In fact, they are doing a book signing in Toronto next week and I'm going. Woot.

I also ordered Jian Ghomeshi's 1982. If you read my blog, you know I'm a fan...and that I missed out on his book signing in London. Boo. Anyway, I'm looking forward to diving in but might save it for my flight at Christmas. Can I wait that long? We'll see.

Yeah, Amazon!

City of (Christmas) Lights

For the most part, I am a traditionalist. Especially when it comes to Christmas. I love playing the classics, decorating, making cookies, holiday movies... all the good stuff. However, this year, I'm breaking with tradition in a big way.

As much as I love spending time with my family over the holidays, feelings of loneliness creep into my festive cheer. When you are single and don't have your own family, Christmas shines a big light on that area of your life. I have often thought I'd love to just go away at Christmas and avoid it altogether, but the dilemma is - who to travel with that is in the same situation?

This year, my answer came when my cousin Carol Ann emailed me. She lives in Kuwait and is planning to spend Christmas in Paris this year. She thought I might want to join her. Just the thought of it took my breath away. Spending Christmas in the city of lights? Yes, please. But then I considered what I would be missing at home. I have never been away for Christmas and as a traditionalist, how would I deal with that? I knew that neither of my parents would be too jazzed by the idea.

But, the more I thought about it and chatted with her on Facebook, the more I thought I should seize this opportunity. When would I ever have the chance again? I suppose this is a trade off for not having a family of my own...I can jet off to Paris for the holidays!

With the flight and hotel booked, now is the fun stuff! We are researching and deliberating how to spend our week in Paris. What I love about Carol Ann is that she likes to experience life and I know we will have a fabulous time. It will be a Christmas to remember for sure!

Celebrating Dad's Farming Career

Last night we pulled off the grand-daddy of surprise parties. My dad retired from farming this year (as I blogged about here) and it has been a transition for all of us. Farming involves the entire family so we all felt that it was the end of the era. I thought this was cause for celebration!

The idea started forming months ago but took some time to develop into a full fledged party. Juggling schedules and deciding on details took some time, but I must admit we pulled off quite the event. I had an absolute hoot!

This party needed to be a surprise because if my dad caught wind of it, he would put a stop to it right then and there. He is not much for crowds or making a “fuss” but I knew that if we could pull it off, he would feel as loved and honoured as we wanted him to.

I have the most amazing family and we really make a great team. Everyone has their own set of skills they bring to the table and when we arrived at the hall on Saturday we set to work. We transformed it from an old country hall typically used for card socials to a trip down memory lane. John provided some bales of straw, we had toy tractors, photographs…the place looked awesome. And smelled awesome too! We had a “farmer’s supper” of roast beef, mashed potatoes, veggies, and homemade carrot cake.

When my dad walked through the door and we all yelled SURPRISE! he was astounded. He thought he was going to a rural farmer’s dinner (or something like that…John made it up) Even after each of us gave him a hug and said “happy retirement” he was still perplexed!

It was the perfect blend of family, friends and neighbours; some who I haven’t seen in years. A really fun night where we shared stories of growing up on the farm and what that means to us, and even sang a song. This last minute idea from Connie ended up being the highlight of the evening! With the help of some Facebook friends, we re-wrote the words to Coal Miner’s Daughter to Three Farmer’s Daughters. Thanks Nadine & Brooke!

I left the party feeling so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people. Thanks to everyone that helped us pull it off  and especially to my family. But most of all to my dad for shaping who I am.

Jacob Moon

This weekend I had the opportunity to see a fantastic local musician. I first discovered Jacob Moon about 10 years ago and was amazed at his talent. He's a guitar virtuoso! At the time, I had never witnessed anyone use looping techniques while playing the guitar and I was in awe.

Using a small machine at his feet, he would record a small sample and then play it back while he went on to play another part of the song. At least that is how I see it with my limited music knowledge! The result is a very full sounding song with just one man on stage.

Jacob writes his own music but also does a variety of covers including Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel. If you know me...you'll know that covering a Paul Simon song is always a hit :) Anyway, he puts his own spin on these songs but knowing the song, you can still sing along. By far, the most amazing cover he does is Come Talk To Me. You must see it to believe it. It is not so much the sound of the song that blows me away but the fact that he is not strumming the strings but slapping them. So cool.

He will be playing London Music Club on November 30 so make sure you check him out!

Read previous posts about Jacob Moon here.

The Perfect Storm...of Awesome.

This weekend some of my favourite things collided. It was great!

I love autumn. The coloured trees are gorgeous right now and driving to my parents farm for Thanksgiving dinner was a great display. It's still nice enough to be outside but chilly enough that you can really enjoy a hot drink when you're indoors. Mmmm, autumn.

I love going to the Western Fair Farmers' Market. Just wandering around taking in the sights and smells is awesome. I really love the atmosphere and want to make it a weekly thing. Need to work on that. The best part is: it's close enough to walk!

I love Thanksgiving. Who doesn't love a good turkey dinner? Everything that Thanksgiving encompasses... a big family gathering, helping Mom get the food ready which makes the house smell amazing, remembering the things I'm thankful for. Ya, Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays.

Awesome weekend all around. Thanks to all that were a part of it. You know who you are :)

Liam's Big Day

As if a day at Ilderton Fair wasn't enough, the next day I took my nephew Liam on his very first train ride. It was a beautiful day as we set off for Port Stanley and we chatted our way down the road, sunroof open! At five years old, Liam is at such a cute stage. There were many moments that I thought "I need to remember this" but before you know it, it's left my memory. Darn.

At one point, Liam looked at the man in the car stopped next to us at a light who was drinking a Rockstar energy drink. He declared that pop is full of sugar and not good for your body. As I laughed in my head at his maturity, I agreed and said it is not. He told me he doesn't eat sugar. (he does come from a very healthy home) I replied that sometimes it is ok just for a treat but he insisted it is not good for you... until I suggested we get ice cream. Then he thought it was ok!

The train ride was great. It was about an hour long including a stop where kids can get off and check out some parked train cars for photos. We rode in an open air car and it was beautiful to see the fall colours as we traveled through the countryside. Liam was thrilled.

I am so lucky to have such great nieces and nephews. I got lots of high fives, hugs, kisses, thank yous and I love yous from Liam while we spent our day together.

Kaelyn's Big Day

I spent most of this weekend with little people. Tradition states that each of my nieces & nephews spend a special day with Auntie Janice to celebrate their birthday. This weekend I did TWO of these days.

Saturday I picked Kaelyn up and we headed to Ilderton Fair. This is one of my favourite fall fairs and includes a lot of typical country fair events and exhibits. I knew it would be the perfect spot for me & Kaelyn to spend the day. After going to Dollywood this summer, I knew Kaelyn would be all about the rides, so that's where we headed first. We rode the ferris wheel, the tilt-a-whirl, the scrambler and a few that I don't remember the names of. We watched the time and at 4pm we headed over to watch the mutton busting. If you've never seen it, you really need to. Small children don helmets and knee pads and ride sheep until they fall off. It sounds cruel but it's a hoot to watch! (please note: the kids volunteer for the activity)

While we were over at the sheep pen, we walked by Olympic gold medalist Scott Moir. I had a star-struck moment and asked Kaelyn if she wanted her picture with him but she was more concerned about using the rest of our tickets on more rides!

The fair is a really great for observing. On one hand I loved the rural/agricultural feel of being in the country with tractors and animals surrounding us. On the other hand, we were at a fair...filled with the midway, bratty kids with a pocketful of tickets and carnies.

Kaelyn is one of the sweetest kids you'll meet. She nearly always has a positive outlook on things and is always smiling. We had a great day!

Polkaroo

If you know me, you know my affection for Jian Ghomeshi and his CBC show Q. I've blogged about him here, here and here. You may remember that I was super-psyched to bring his radio show to London and when the date was announced, super disappointed to realize I would be in Florida.

Well folks, it has happened again. Jian recently published a book called 1982 and as you can imagine, he's been doing some book signings to promote it. I had poked around online but didn't see anything near me...until today. This morning a tweet popped up on my computer mentioning his appearance in Sarnia on Saturday. What?!? How did I not know about this? We tweeted back and forth and I discovered he's also going to be in London on Saturday. This information is NOT on his website. C'mon Jian!

Alas, it is not meant to be. I have plans to take my niece Kaelyn out for her birthday on Saturday and as much as I love Jian, I love her more. I won't disappoint her by breaking our plans.

It seems that we just cannot be in the same place at the same time...he's my Polkaroo.

My Faithful Reader

It's always interesting to me when someone mentions reading my blog. I honestly write mostly for myself and otherwise to share photos/updates with family and friends. It's kinda like having a public diary.

So, it blew me away a few years ago when I met my friend Trevor's girlfriend (now wife) Laura. She mentioned that she loves reading my blog. I thought that was sweet.

Not only is Laura a blog follower but she's a total sweetheart. Now that her and Trevor are married and have an adorable son Luke (with red curly hair, no less!) we have had more opportunities for getting together.

Last week, Trevor stopped by my desk and said Laura had sent something for me. I wondered what that could be and he dropped two chocolate eggs on my desk. Apparently Easter Cream Eggs have come out with a Halloween version called "screme eggs". Somehow Laura remembered that I love them and told Trevor to deliver them to me. Aww, so sweet.

So, a shout out to my faithful follower! Need to do a games night or something soon :)

TIFF 2012

Another year has come and gone since TIFF 2011. Hard to believe it's been a year since my last star studded weekend!

It all started twelve years ago when my friend Lisa asked if I'd like to go to Toronto and get autographs from celebrities at the Toronto Film Festival. I thought it sounded pretty lame and why would I want to bother getting Jim Carey's autograph? Well, it turns out that TIFF is one of the biggest film festivals in the world and there are more than Canadian celebs there! Boy, was I wrong!

Since then Lisa and I have attended many TIFFs and scored pictures and autographs of Hollywood's finest. This year's TIFF did not disappoint. Thursday and Friday were spent gaining momentum for Saturday. Saturday I saw a huge deluge of A-list celebs. Both Hotel Transylvania and Cloud Atlas were crammed full of stars and they all showed up in Toronto! Adam Sandler, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Kevin James, Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant and Susan Sarandon...just to name a few!

This year, Lisa and I actually went to see a movie. Yes...in the theatre...we watched a movie. Since Lisa's #1 celebrity is Tom Hanks, we opted to go to his premiere. It was kinda cool to watch the movie with the actors that star in it (although they were so far away you had to remind yourself you were in the same room). The movie, however, sucked. I hated it. It is a parallel universe, crazy tale that involves multiple plot lines in different times in history. Weird is all I can say.

with David Spade

It was a fun weekend that ended with us spotting ourselves in the paper and on just about every website carrying TIFF photos.

it's JIM from The Office!

Caravan To The Mountains

It all started during our Thanksgiving gathering last year. The weather was unusually warm and we were sunning ourselves on the deck before the Turkey dinner. It was at this moment my dad chose to announce two things. First off, he had decided to retire from farming. Secondly, he told us that next Thanksgiving (2012) he wanted to take us all to a cabin in the Smokey Mountains. Many questions erupted and ideas were tossed around. Considering how long the drive is, it was decided that a week would be a much better than just a weekend.

Over time, the trip moved from Thanksgiving to the summer to accommodate schedules and this August all FIFTEEN members of my family spent a week together at a cabin in the mountains. Initially I was concerned that we wouldn't be speaking to each other by the end of the week. Afterall, it's been a really long time since the days of a "family vacation" in the motorhome. Add in in-laws and kids and I was unsure how it would go. As it turned out...no need to worry. We all had such a fun time we wanted to stay for another week!

Stay tuned for some of our adventures!