This afternoon the boy convinced my mom and I to go see Dr. Strange. I have to say, I went in with very low expectations and really only went because I love that kid, but it was a great movie. I really enjoyed it.
And because my kid is weird and always makes me laugh, he provided my happiness moment before we went into the theatre:
Today Dad would have turned 76. I still can’t believe it’s been a year and a half since he died – I keep expecting him to walk in the door like he was just away on a trip somewhere. Except Dad would have never, ever gone away for so long and left us behind if he hadn’t been called by God.
I’ve been sitting with the memories of Dad today, it’s been a bittersweet happiness moment, but I wouldn’t trade my memories for anything. I really didn’t realize until much later in life how extremely fortunate I was to have been gifted the Dad that I had. I grew up kind of assuming that every father was as involved in the lives of their children as my Dad was.
I have a lifetime of memories of Dad being such a strong influence in my life. He made sure we went outside and played hard, he often got up at the crack of dawn and caught nasty ponies for us to take to shows, he taught us not only work ethic – but how important it is to love what you do, he showed me how important it was to live with integrity, he showed me what it was like to live life with an open and loving heart.
I miss him so much. I miss him for me, but even more I miss him for my kids who really, really need to have the influence of a man like he was. And then I realize I can still show them that through stories of what he was like, they have their memories, and they understand that we live our lives with love and integrity because that is how he taught us to be.
What a legacy to leave behind – how amazing to have so many people whose lives he touched, who miss him, who love him. It makes me really think about the kind of person I want to be and how I want to be remembered. It is so important to live life being true to my values and my heart. I’m so grateful that God opens doors for me, and that He closes some doors for my own protection.
My dad……..
he was allergic to horses, and I’m not even sure how much he really liked them, but he sure spent a lot of time around them because of his daughters.
there are so many memories of him reading to us in this old (maybe even corduroy?) chair. When he was done he would grab us and make many failed attempts at hauling us all up. It always resulted in giggles and in us pleading for more. And you see – there he is with Torts the cat, whom he was deathly allergic to and yet loved so much.
always the first kid down the hill
teaching his grandson to skate on the slough. I have many childhood memories of skating around this slough with Dad – it was so fun….
If you were looking for Dad, you could always find him doing whatever the kids were doing. Actually, usually he was the one dreaming up the fun.
I love this photo. Jacob and my Dad had such a special bond.
teaching Jacob how to ski – these poor Southern children had to be taught all about snow every Christmas.
Probably the thing Dad loved the most was being at the creek. I think he would have spent the entire summer there if he could have.
You can’t see him, but this was his greatest Dad/Grandparent trick of all. Flipping kids over on their rafts – he was known by the grandchildren as the Creek Monster. This always brought shrieks of laughter.
Happy Birthday Dad. We all miss you so much.
Nothing is quite like an evening stroll through our Canadian Tire in Cochrane. There’s always something certain to capture our attention and entertain us. This time did not disappoint.
I had a different moment of happiness this morning a happiness bonus – an overnight visit from a cousin on my Dad’s side. It has been such a blessing to get to know her better. Those family ties are strong and with all the shared history it makes for a lifetime bond even though we grew up on opposite sides of the country. It brings me a lot of happiness, I know it would for my dad as well.
Often the best happiness moments happen spontaneously- this was definitely the case this evening.
The boy and I were in the city doing some errands and found ourselves walking through Chinook Mall. We were laughing at all the ugly Christmas sweaters that have started to make their appearance in the store windows.
Things were brought to a whole new level though when we saw the Chewbacca onesie hanging on the rack at Bluenotes. Things got even more real when we discovered everything in the store was 40% off.
Because EVERYONE needs to have one of these.
Happy Chewy happiness moment.
For reasons I’m still not sure of, Jacob and I watched PeeWee Herman sing Surfin’ Bird on YouTube this morning during our Timmy’s coffee stop. If you haven’t seen it (or don’t want to admit you have) – watch it here:
I think I was probably around Jacob’s age when I was listening to this ridiculously silly song the first time around. It may be crazy, but man did it ever make us laugh.
When we got in the car somehow it decided to play from my phone onto the car stereo and we were blasted with PeeWee all the way to school. We were laughing so hard by the time we got there we both had tears in our eyes.
When I picked the kids up from school the funny was still there. Jacob ended up laughing so hard he gave himself the hiccups which of course made Jenna and I laugh even harder.
Few things are as good for the soul as a really good belly laugh. I remember the comedian when we were at Just for Laughs years ago in Montreal telling us to always find the funny and I think we usually do. I’m fortunate that I live with two other souls who have the same warped sense of humour as I do. We have a good time in our little family – that is a gratitude filled happiness moment.
Derek the orphan calf moved out to the field a few weeks ago. While I have not missed the little presents he left in my yard (however they provided endless that’s bullshit jokes), I miss seeing his little face peering in my window looking for me to come give him cuddles.
I decided this afternoon it was time to go give dear Derek a visit so we headed out to the field. It apparently was nap time as he, Blindey, and the two cows they’ve been put with were all lying down. The other three got up and stared at me with caution (but didn’t move away) and Derek just perked his eyes up and stayed where he was. I went and sat beside him and we cuddled and cuddled for a good long time.
It’s important to note here that I am not a cow person. A horse, dog, cat, etc etc person yes – I’ve never really wanted to bond to a bovine. But Derek… oh Derek…. he captured my heart.
It was so sweet how he leaned right into my arms and really wanted those hugs so badly. Amazing how all us animals just want to be loved. Happiness moment right there.
As a bonus, when we got home Jacob played for me a couple of videos that had him laughing all day. We may have discovered the cure for depression – snorting, hiccuping, laughter.
No idea what he’s saying but omg is it funny
a man yodelling with chickens – what more do you need?
We had our family thanksgiving meal tonight. I think my Thanksgiving curse has finally been lifted as this was the best Thanksgiving I have had in years.
During our prayer my uncle gave thanks for us being a family united – both together and in God. There were several moments tonight where I looked around the table and was filled with gratitude for the people sitting there. This tribe is so unique, so powerful, so loving. I don’t know how it is I ended up being part of it, but I thank God for that every second of every day. It was such a blessing to sit with people who all know each other so well. We are aware that we aren’t perfect, that we are full of flaws, but that we are also full of love and that love always wins. True, unconditional love. A perfect happiness moment.
I sat beside the other lefty – my giggle partner. One of my other cousins said one of our trigger words from The Frantics and we melted down in uncontrollable laughter. Of course, no one else understood what we were laughing about and we couldn’t even stop to breathe forget explain. I was crying, her stomach was hurting – and we kept laughing. All it took was one look at each other at the mention of that word and we lost it. We pretty much have our own secret giggle language which guarantees that we have fun at any get together. That is laughter and happiness.
We had a visitor come to the window right before we ate. It gave a perfect evening an even better Thanksgiving feel.
I have so much to be grateful for – we are surrounded by this amazing tribe of strong, loving people and I would not want it any other way. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
The past few weekends seem like they have been busy, stressful, and hectic. Having a quiet day today was so welcome. It was rainy and kind of gross out which made it the perfect day to clean the house, watch movies, read, and nap.
I’ve become a lot more aware lately of where my energy is being directed, to whom I’m giving it, and how I want to use it. It’s amazing how letting go of things and people that drain me has opened doors to allow some pretty cool things to start to come in. That letting go that I struggle with so much – it has it’s benefits for sure!
Having the quiet time to meditate, study my Ayurveda, love on my kids has put my balance back where it belongs – grounded and centered.
Laughing tonight with my Jenna while we watched an Alvin and the Chipmunks movie and ate popcorn was a fantastic happiness moment.
I met my cousin today for a spectacularly wonderful lunch at an Italian restaurant in town (for those of you close to Cochrane – it was The Boot). Life is busy, but we are both at a stage where we are very clearly understanding the power and importance of these close friendships, so we make time about once a month to get together for a visit. This was the first one in a while that didn’t seem like it was rushed (or had sick tag along kids involved) and we could really just sit and focus on catching up with each other.
This kind of relationship is special for many reasons. We have known each other our entire lives, we share and understand (as much as one can) our unique family, we have had a genuine friendship since we were babies, and we have both been through some (very different) shit over the past few years that has made us really sit back and reassess our lives. It’s so nice to be able to have a conversation with someone about anything in my life and not have to explain any back story because usually she already knows most of it.
We talked about everything today – kids, cows, family, relationships, faith, food…
The food was amazing by the way. And the owner comes from the same small town in Italy that my aunt does which made it extra enjoyable.
We laughed, we rolled eyes, we shared stories, we enjoyed our food, we split an awesome tiramisu…. we really enjoyed the warmth and love that comes from a genuine friendship. My happiness moment.
My moment of happiness today came in the form of uncontrollable laughter with him. We have the same weird sense of humour so together we find things funny that would make other people just roll their eyes.
The past few months have brought a lot more laughter back into my life and I am loving that. It really is the best medicine sometimes.
