Moments

There are certain moments that, when we reflect on them, alter the course of our life's path. These moments are usually a while building, but there is something that tips the scale to one side and pushes us to take action.

One of my moments was about 3 years ago. A few of us were sitting around at work discussing what the future held for local television and how that may affect us. One of the group was attending teachers' college and the conversation turned to career change and going back to school. We all wondered what that new path might look like.

About 20 minutes after our group dispersed, my friend Scrappy called me over to his desk. He had a bunch of papers printed/stapled and handed them to me. He said "I think I found your new career". When I started to look at the program offered at Fanshawe College, I immediately recognized it was for me. It combined all of the things I was interested in or had experience in. 

And, so began the seed of change that has now developed into a new career path. 

After discussing such things with friends, these moments can happen on a beach in Dominican Republic or while sitting at your cubicle in a call centre. It doesn't matter where or how the moment happens, but rather how you react to it. 

Have you had a moment that changed your life? How did you embrace the challenge and make the change?

Reflections on Birthdays

It's March 16th and that means it's time to mark another year in the life of Janice Mills. As the number gets higher, there seems to be less enthusiasm about celebrating a birthday. A lot has changed over the years... birthday cards are exchanged for facebook posts and texts, birthday parties (including games, cake and loot bags) turn into a nice dinner and counting down the days loses the thrill that is once held!

However, in the wise words of a good friend, I'm going to embrace my birthday! And in the words of another friend, it's been a great year for Team Janice. Looking back on the past 365 days, I've got a lot to celebrate:

• Paris for Christmas! How cool is that?
• A new job! (includes great hours and a boss that actually appreciates what I do)
• An amazing family trip to the Smokey Mountains. Did I mention Dollywood?!?
• A fantastic party celebrating my Dad's farming career. I'm still impressed by our Farmer's Daughter song.
• Reconnecting with several friends I haven't seen in years.
• Welcoming new friends into my life. I'm lucky to have such amazing people surround me.
• I got my picture with David Spade, Hugh Grant AND Jim Halpert (AKA: John Krasinski) at TIFF
• Another year of "special days" with my nieces and nephews including the introduction of Auntie Janice's Christmas Extravaganza

Sometimes life doesn't quite turn out the way you plan or expect it to but that doesn't mean that it's not worth celebrating!

Here's a look at birthdays past: 

The Incredible Chris Hadfield

Until recently, I didn't really know a lot about Chris Hadfield. I knew he's an astronaut and the Sarnia airport is named after him. And that's about it. However, in December, his name seemed to be popping up everywhere as he made his way into space.

There were reports about him on the news, he was doing interviews with Jian Ghomeshi, and Captain Kirk and even wrote a song with The Barenaked Ladies! His twitter feed contained stunning pictures from outer space and loads of tidbits about what it's like to be an astronaut. I started to really dig this Chris Hadfield guy.

After I was tuned in to what he was doing, his popularity seemed to explode! From elementary school kids to my Grammie, everyone loves him! He's the perfect blend of personality, creativity and science-smart.

One of my favourite moments was when he took this picture of his hometown of Sarnia. Residents of the surrounding area were urged to turn their lights on for a photo as he passed over.  So COOL!

He has taken his mission to space and made it accessible to all of us. Fielding questions about everything from what he eats to how he shaves in the morning, Chris Hadfield has invited us into the ISS. Each time I watch a video clip or read a neat tidbit on twitter, my Canadian heart swells with pride.

Kudos to Commander Chris Hadfield on becoming the first Canadian to command the ISS.

25 Years - Built Ford Tough

Hard to believe but it was 25 years ago that my brother John landed his first job. He was in high school and started working Wednesday evenings at Grogan Ford. That job led to a career as a Ford Class A mechanic.

Before Christmas John was commenting to me that his 25th anniversary was coming up. After sufficient reminiscing, I asked what the date was so I could put it on my calendar. I knew that I wanted to mark the milestone but I wasn't sure how. Obviously if it was my sister, I would send flowers. However, sending flowers to the garage just didn't seem to be a good idea.

I decided on cookies. I just happen to have a car shaped cookie cutter that looks more like a VW Beetle, but I used blue icing to Ford-ify them. My friend Char helped me with the icing and Mom & Dad acted as delivery agents.

I'm super proud of my brother. Congrats on the hard work and dedication. Love you loads.

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!