Holidays

 I did not write a blog last week as I was away on holiday.  It was fantastic one of the most beautiful places in the World and we were spoiled!

I have the ability to see some stats on my blog which are pretty cool...  I can see I have over 550 "all time" views, where in the World people are viewing my blog from, and where most were directed, for eg. Facebook. It is pretty neat to see people from all over the world have read my blog!

That being said,  I have a lot on my plate this week. We are going to try to sell our cottage because we bought an RV....  yes,  I am going to be travelling the roads of Canada and the US over the next little while. My husband and I are both very excited for this new adventure and stage in our lives....  HA, and now you are wondering.... HOW OLD IS SHE?!?!  True, I am not the average age of the typical RV'er (sp?) BUT, we have always loved hitting the road in the car and driving across country.  The Road Trip truly begins when we leave our driveway. It is all a part of the experience and always an adventure!

This will be interesting. ;) I bet you can't wait for the stories!!

We had our first "fill up" which took approx. 20 minutes.... yes, 20 minutes sitting at a gas station.  At least we have our own toilet!! :D

Bob said, "We'd better like where we stop for gas, looks like we'll be there a while!"  A lot of people came and went during that time and Bob (being the friendly man he is) talked to a few as they wondered "how much it cost to fill?"  His response with a big grin, "we DON'T know yet!!!"

The final total was $325, and that was filling on the reserve, it was 10 cents cheaper per liter.  ;)

Here are 2 photos for "Photo of the Week," we stayed at the Four Seasons Resort in Costa Rica, lot's of Wildlife!!

Kony 2012

Facebook and social media have been on fire with the Kony 2012 campaign. Everyone is jumping on the "band wagon" trying to help support a cause where they feel they can affect change with minimal effort.  It is very easy to "share" things on facebook, twitter etc.

I just read an article about the "Invisible Children" group, posted by my son on FB.  Here is the link in case you have time to read it.  It does state quite a few very good facts about the Kony 2012 campaign as well as the state of things in Uganda.

http://ilto.wordpress.com/2006/11/02/the-visible-problem-with-invisible-children/

 Here is my problem with the article:

Although he has some points as, "it is old news"... he also still confirms Kony is on the lamb and that there is still fear in the people from Uganda that "violence may return". Kind of similar to the "Bin Laden situation" is it not? Doesn't that mean it is still a great reason to find him and make sure he CANNOT start up another rebellion? This man has commited terrible "war crimes" he is NOT a nice man. What can be wrong with rallying people to show the World that those who try to kill, rape and hurt others will be brought to justice. The World cares!

True, making people reliant upon aid is bad, and I do believe that things should change. BUT, this is not the cause that the Kony 2012 group has picked. It is to capture Kony, so that he cannot do what he has done in the past. What kind of a World would we live in if we didn't show that we cared and believed in causes other than ourselves ?

Why jump to "knock down" someone who is clearly making an effort. Especially when you have not done anything yourself....  Just like out parents used to say, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

 Just my two cents ;)

Keeping with my promise of a photo every week, here is a picture of my son.  Thank you Robert for keeping your Mother "in the loop". I love that you have the ability to believe in a cause and can hope for the power of ONE.

The Leg

I am not sure in my years of watching the Oscars I have quite felt the incredible hilarity that I felt when Angelina Jolie sauntered up to the podium to present an Oscar last Sunday.  I watched in awe and shocked horror as she tried and tried again to pose herself JUST right so that her right leg would be exposed outside of her gown.  Now, when she walked across the stage we all saw her leg out there.... that was ok... very attractive.  When you stand like a Flamingo and make it so ridiculously OBVIOUS that you are trying to stick your leg out....  because you think it looks good..... that was just OVER the top!

Here is an article I've copied so you can see "the leg".... THE best part here, when the Oscar was announced the winners came up to the stage and Jim Rash quite HILARIOUSLY exposed his leg... well, sort of!  I almost fell off the couch!!! Apparently her leg has become a twitter sensation!!! I love people!!!

Here is the article:

In a sea of black garb, the toned and trim leg – visible from ankle to thigh – was hard to miss, thanks to the actress’ exaggerated pose. And as if it weren’t visible enough, the appendage took to Twitter to call attention to itself. @AngiesRightLeg was quickly set up by an enterprising viewer, tweeting calls to Oscar watchers to “look at meeee” and “check me out!”

Angelina Jolie's Leg @AngiesRightLeg

Check out this leg over here!

26 Feb 12

ROBYN BECK / AFP / Getty Images

Jim Rash, at right, strikes an Angelina-esque pose while accepting an Adapted Screenplay Oscar with Nat Faxon and Alexander Payne

By the end of the show, the just-launched account was quickly closing in on 10,000 followers. Since Angelina’s dress was rather boring, we had to have something to talk about, right?
And the leg laughs didn’t stop once the red carpet was rolled up. Jolie ascended the stage to present an award, stopping conspicuously to pose with her leg jutting out. Noting this, screenwriter Jim Rash, upon accepting the best adapted screenplay award for The Descendants, struck a pose like hers. Fortunately he showed no skin, but the comparison was unmistakable. Next up: the Oscar for best supporting limb?


Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/02/27/angelina-jolies-leg-an-oscar-breakout-star-gets-a-twitter-account/#ixzz1o9zSVqPq

Now if you've happened to read all the way to the bottom this week you will see my 52 week challenge photo of the week! One of my favourites :)

Coca Cola CEO Speech

I was browsing on facebook and read a link in my news feed that I thought needed to be shared a little more than just adding it to my facebook page.

 It reads:

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the Air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.
But the other four Balls – Family, Health, Friends and Spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it.”

WORK EFFICIENTLY DURING OFFICE HOURS AND LEAVE ON TIME. GIVE THE REQUIRED TIME TO YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS & HAVE PROPER REST.


Hard to believe these are the words of a man "at the top" of the business world. 

As I "juggle" day to day life I live knowing that for all of us, time is limited. I start every day trying to remember "Life IS good" and "Don't sweat the small stuff"! (a good book too!) 

 If I hurt others, I make amends, apologize and move on.  If I am fearful, I consider doing what I am afraid of and if it does not put my life or health at rish, I take a chance.  Like swimming in Triathlons!

Just like my dog Finnegan who greets another dog 10X his size, he doesn't stop to think or worry.  He greets the other dog with a friendly attitude and no fear ;)

LIVE LOVE LAUGH! <3


Here is a picture of happy go lucky Finnegan ;)

Fate-Congratulations

Quite a few years ago, I think 10 to be honest, my son was chosen to play on a "select" hockey team here in town.  As a result of that I met a very special person who has become a "constant" in my life.  Little did Jim Rogers realise how he has affected our lives with that small choice :)  Thank you Jim!

I met an absolutely amazing woman named Suzie Miller.  We have become the best of friends and know just about everything about each other.  We started jogging together, little 5 km runs which became weekly 10km jaunts. All the time talking about our lives and the things that were going on at that time.  We've seen each other through some very tough times. Not to mention the Caledonia/Six Nations problems.  Suzie's mother was Native and her father is Non-Native.  This put Suzie in quite a different position than that of most people involved in this dispute.  It was not easy for her.  Through all of this she decided to do something good. Not just for herself, for Caledonia, or for Six Nations but for everyone. She started what is called the Caledonia/Six Nations Penpal Gathering.  This has grown over the years to include upwards of 1,000 children from all over our area.

Suzie recently has achieved some great things.  One, in October Suzie took a trip to Africa and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. This alone I know was quite a feat for her and she looks back on it as a great achievement in her life. She has also recently received the Brantford "Peace Award" for all of her work with the Penpal Gathering and bringing the communities together.  Most recently Suzie has received the Caledonia Chamber of Commerce's award of "Citizen of the Year".  Congratulations Suzie! You do very truly deserve this award!

Funny, I did not hear anything about it until our walk yesterday, Suzie is not much for letting those around her know that she is being recognized for her work.  She said "it's not that hard, someone just needs to take the time to do it" and you Suzie are that very special person who does.  Day in day out, you make the extra effort to try to bring our two communitites together for the good of all of us. You are truly a Citizen of BOTH communities. 

Congratulations, you have started something that will last in the hearts and minds of many small children the rest of their lives! You are making a difference!

That being said, here is your picture of the week, we were out at our cottage over night and the sun setting on the still water as the ice was starting to flow to shore was quite beautiful.

The world is truly a beautiful place, and with people like Suzie they make it even more so!

Valentines Day Personal Ad Translator ;)

For those of you looking for that "special someone", here is a little advice :)

Personal Ad Translator!!

		CODE WORD.....	MEANS:
		40-ish	48
		Adventurous	Has had more partners than you ever will
		Affectionate	Possessive
		Artist	Unreliable
		Athletic	Flat chested
		Average looking	Ugly
		Beautiful	Pathological liar
		Commitment-minded	Pick out curtains, now!
		Communication important	Just try to get a word in edge-wise
		Contagious Smile	Bring your penicillin
		Educated	College dropout
		Emotionally Secure	Medicated
		Employed	Has part-time job stuffing envelopes at home
		Enjoys art and opera	Snob
		Enjoys Nature	Bring your own granola
		Exotic Beauty	Would frighten a Martian
		Feminist	Fat; ball buster
		Financially Secure	One paycheck from the street
		Free spirit	Substance user
		Friendship first	Trying to live down reputation as slut
		Fun	Annoying
		Gentle	Comatose
		Good Listener	Borderline Autistic
		Humorous	Caustic
		Intuitive	Your opinion doesn't count
		In Transition	Needs new sugar-daddy to pay the bills
		Light drinker	Lush
		Looks younger	If viewed from far away in bad light
		Loves Travel	If you're paying
		Loves Animals	Cat lady
		Mature	Will not let you treat her like a farm animal in bed, like last boyfriend did
		New-Age	All body hair, all the time
		Non-traditional	Ex-husband lives in the basement
		Old-fashioned	Lights out, missionary position only
		Open-minded	Desperate
		Outgoing	Loud
		Passionate	Loud
		Petite	Wouldn't stand out in a pack of Munchkins
		Poet	Depressive Schizophrenic
		Professional	Bitch
		Redhead	Shops on the Clairol aisle
		Reliable	Frumpy
		Reubenesque	Grossly Fat
		Romantic	Looks better by candle light
		Self-employed	Jobless
		Smart	Insipid
		Special	Rode the short school bus
		Spiritual	Involved with a cult
		Stable	Boring
		Tall, thin	Anorexic
		Tan	Wrinkled
		Voluptuous	Very Fat
		Weight proportional to height	Hugely Fat
		Wants Soulmate	One step away from stalking
		Widow	Nagged first husband to death
		Writer	Pompous
		Young at heart	Toothless crone
		Sooo, where's the male side of that list?  Here, I'll give you a start:
		CODE WORD..	MEANS...
		40-ish	52 and looking for 25-yr-old
		Affectionate	Needy and looking for mother-figure
		Artist	Delicate ego badly in need of massage
		Athletic	Sits on the couch and watches ESPN
		Average looking	Unusual hair growth on ears, nose, and back
		Distinguished-looking	Fat, grey, and bald
		Educated	Will always treat you like an idiot
		Employed	On management track at Radio Shack
		Free Spirit	Sleeps with your sister
		Friendship first	As long as friendship involves nudity
		Fun	Good with a remote and a six pack
		Good looking	Arrogant bastard
		Honest	Pathological Liar
		Huggable	Overweight, more body hair than Gentle Ben
		ISO Slim, attractive female	Would be better off with a labrador retriever
		Light drinker	Headed for AA
		Like to cuddle	Insecure, overly dependent
		Like romantic walks on the beach	I read Cosmo and think this is what you want to hear
		Mature	Until you get to know him

Happy Valentines Day!!! ;D

Small Towns

The older I get the more I remember times from when I was younger and I then start to reflect on decisions that have changed my life and the path that I am on.  Going back to the small town that I grew up in, seeing people whom I haven't seen in years, wondering what it would be like to have actually stayed in Acton (where I grew up) ALL my life ;)

I chose to move away from home, close enough to visit, but far enough away for some space. I am still not sure why I felt I had to move away.  I now live in a small town, I love it.  Knowing most people when you walk through the grocery store, beer store or when you are just walking down the main street. It is an experience unique to small towns.

This brings me to why I am writing this blog this week.  I've had this song by John Mellencamp stuck in my head the last 24 hrs....  here are some of the lyrics :)

No I cannot forget where it is that I come from
I cannot forget the people who love me
Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town
And people let me be just what I want to be

Got nothing against a big town
Still hayseed enough to say
Look who's in the big town
But my bed is in a small town
Oh, and that's good enough for me

Well I was born in a small town
And I can breathe in a small town
Gonna die in this small town
And that's prob'ly where they'll bury me

Don't knock a small town, that is where day to day living amongst your neighbors you will learn what life IS all about. Here is a photo of the Caledonia Bridge, it is the ONLY 9 span bridge in all of Canada, and it is in the middle of my small town. :)