What a week!

Last Sunday morning I woke up to an empty house.  I savoured the quiet and solitude knowing that the week ahead was going to be a busy one.

I had been in Owen Sound the previous day working at a charity golf tournament. My stepmom Loretta accompanied me as far as Mount Forest where she spent the day visiting her aunt and cousin.  Thunderstorms were forecast all week but as I continued north, the dark grey clouds broke up and the sun graced the 38 teams and 20 odd volunteers on the golf course.

Tammy and Allan raised $22,000 for their charity, the Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation (Canadian Chapter). We have a national family conference to host in August so I will write more about this organization later in the summer.  Everything packed up and returned to Al and Tammy's, we settled in for a quick drink as I downloaded all the pictures that I had taken that day.  The visit was much too short as I had to pick up Loretta and get her home.  By 10:30 p.m. were on the road.  I dropped off Loretta well after midnight and finally collapsed into bed around 1:00 a.m. 

SUNDAY
After that busy and rewarding day, I spent several leisurely hours on Sunday strolling around the Aberfoyle Antique Market. This is the 40th year the market has been in business and it is one place that I have driven by dozens of times thinking, some day I would like to go there.  It was better than I had imagined - not rows of stalls (though there are a few) but charming settings and artifacts around every corner. I was enchanted.

Lorne Young was one of my dad's (Emm) oldest friends and has been selling old telephones at the market from day one. I finally found Lorne and his wife Nancy in one of the booths and enjoyed a visit with them.  I can't believe that I didn't get a picture of them - next time. Reluctantly I had to leave. I can't wait to bring the girls with me.  Ev especially would love it here.

It was party time.  Father's Day & Birthday bbq at Adam and Yvonne's.  I was not used to attending a family function without my immediate family.  Without Leah and Evann to play with, Avry decided that I would make do. We played in her tent, we went for a walk and cuddled.  We celebrated the wonderful dads in our lives, and Yvonne's sister-in-law and I enjoyed warm birthday wishes.

Sunday night my family was once again all under one roof. 

MONDAY
Monday morning I magically awoke as a 50 year-old.  Later that night Carson asked me if I felt older. She said that she always feels older on her birthday.  "Not at all", I replied.  However, little did I know after this week of partying, 50 did feel a little tough.

No work for me Monday morning, I had booked it off as a vacation day. Plans had been made weeks before to spend the morning with mom and aunt Mary on a golf course. Carson was a late addition but made up a perfect foursome.

Mom was a great coach. Carson was exhausted from a rigorous cheerleading practice the past weekend, but she managed to impress us on her first time out.

Home from the golf course later than expected. Thought that I would get some visiting in with a few neighbours, but had to get ready to go for dinner with Rob and the girls.  The meal itself was a mixed bag of great and not so great dishes, but the company was superb.  One dish we all agreed was the best was the grilled calamari.  Ev enjoyed her mussels, but had more fun with the calamari - yes, that is a tentacle on her finger.

After dinner we enjoyed some ice cream on our walk through downtown Oakville. It was a beautiful summer evening.

TUESDAY

Back to work Tuesday.  I was supposed to play baseball that night but a torrential downpour all morning made the field too muddy for playing.  A few emails back and forth from the team confirming that despite the game rain-out, the post-game party was still a go!  With no game to race home to, I took advantage of an offer from a good friend to go out for a birthday drink.  One manhattan, some delectable appetizers, yummy red wine and many laughs and reminiscing prepped me for the baseball girls. 

I arrived a little later than the others and was immediately greeted with more red wine.  Many red wines later (I recall a birthday cupcake and singing at some time in the evening), a team mate drove me home.  I had called home around 12:30 looking for a ride, but by then everyone was in bed (go figure!).  At 1:30, somewhat worried that I wasn't in bed, Rob found me fast asleep on the couch in the family room. Let's just say that I didn't feel very good on Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY was the day an earthquake hit - between the sleep deprivation and big bad headache, a little tremour wasn't something that my body was capable of registering...

THURSDAY

Our offices were closed Thursday and Friday. It was great working from home on Thursday.  Ev wrote her last exams that day and the whole family was together for an early dinner that night.  A relatively quiet night.

FRIDAY

I had to head into the city for an event at the Royal Ontario Museum.  At the last minute, I invited Ev to join me.  What a trouper - on the first official sleep-in day of the summer, she was up and out of the house by 8:30.  I wasn't sure what to expect traffic wise as Toronto was deep into G20 lockdown, but we made it into the city in record time. 

We were at the ROM to attend the media launch of the Terracotta Warrior exhibition.  There was a great turnout.  That's our Minister (of Tourism and Culture) at the podium.  After a few speeches by various dignitaries, and a ceremonial dotting of the dragon's eyes for good luck, everyone was invited to tour the exhibition. 

This exhibition has been in the works for many years.  My job as government liaison to the ROM was quite insignificant with regard to this event, but I was very proud of efforts of the ROM, its staff and all the sponsors and supporters who bring these cultural initiatives to fruition.

I was pleased that Ev enjoyed the exhibition.

Hundreds of great displays, and tucked into a corner we found some erotic artifacts.  One of the curators was walking with us when we came upon them - a fun discussion ensued.  

We said our goodbyes and made our way south to Front Street for a peek at the security fence and other changes to our city.  It was a surreal sight of the swarms of police officers at every street corner in the downtown core.  Here's Ev in front of the fence that surrounded the Metro Toronto Convention Centre - site of the G20 meetings.

We raced back home.  I had to finish up some work and then get ready to meet up with two girlfriends for a long awaited birthday dinner.  Earlier in the afternoon they moved up the pick up time to allow us to go to a new hair salon in town.  The place is called Blo and it specialized in just styling hair. No cuts, just wash, blow-dry and hollywood hair.  Marion was already coiffed when we arrived.  As I was prepped, Marilyn popped out to pick up some wine and munchies.  What a perfect way to start an evening. 

 

Here we are in the salon - I'm taking the picture, Marilyn is having her turn, and Marion is that sexy one with the "Bardo" do on the far right.

Et voila - one hour later, we are ready for a night on the town

 

We had been planning and looking forward to this night for months.  Little did I know that it wasn't just going to be a quiet dinner with Marilyn and Marion.  We went back to Marilyn's for more wine and nibblies.  Marily presented me with a gorgeous afghan that she had been working on all winter.  Not only are my girlfriends beautiful, intelligent and oh so much fun, they are creative and talented.  I knew that she was making one for me, but I could never imagined how beautiful it would be:

  

  Finally it was time to head out to the nice italian restaurant that Marion had been raving about.  "Oh Val, you will love it. The food is great and the owners treat you like family".  I couldn't wait. 

Marilyn's husband Larry drove us, and it was decided that there was time for him to drop us off at YukYuk's to allow Marion to pick up some tickets for her son. The plan was to then walk to the restaurant which was just across the street.  As Marion went to the main desk, Marilyn decided that we should look around the place.  The "theatre" was empty but the restaurant looked like it was hopping.  As we popped in there for a look I saw some familiar faces - "Surprise" yelled Paula, Laurie, Bandna and Carol! I was escorted to the table and was greeted with laughs and warm wishes. 

As I sat at the head of the table and beamed at these wonderful women, my heart felt like it would burst. I am so fortunate to have these women in my life. What a beautiful surprise. They spoiled me with funny cards and a gift of my choice of some incredible adventures - I'm leaning toward the fly fishing afternoon or zip-lining.  Another adventure for another day.

 

During dinner we were serenaded by dueling piano men.  They invited everyone to join them on stage for a sing-a-long.  It didn't take long for Carol and I to take the stage. Apparently we were quite entertaining:

 

Thankfully for everyone, we had to move to another room (with reminders to not quit our day jobs). It was time to watch the comedians.  What a hoot!  After several hours of laughs, we made our way back to Marilyn's for tea and birthday cake.  And what a cake. My life in fondant. I will feature the cake in another post. Here's a peek for now:

It was a long and exciting day and I was looking forward to getting a good night's sleep.  Little did I know that there was an After Party! 

But not mine.  Finally home - to be greeted by several dozen teenagers partying with Carson. Carol and I kept vigil in the front room. But first we had to show off what was left of my birthday cake.  Those darling children were suitably impressed.  

There's a cake somewhere there behind the beer bottles.

The last kids left at 4:30 a.m.! 

SATURDAY

With just a few hours sleep, I was off and running errands.  Thankfully Ev and I took some time in the afternoon to enjoy a pedicure.  Carol fed us samosas as we sat in the massage chairs.

Home to get ready for the next party. Cousin Larry's surprise 49 1/2 .   With Rob at the cottage, Carol was my date. I am fortunate to have a large and loving family. If we had a motto, it would be "The more the merrier". Carol has been welcomed to many family events and last night was no exception.  We laughed and sang and danced.  A hint of fun to come when I'm in Florida next week with many of these family members.

Earlier in the week, I was thrilled to find a picture of Larry and I from 1963.  My gift to him were reprints of the following pictures:

 

SUNDAY

A day of rest. 

With a trip to Turkey Point, Port Rowan and Port Dover.  Some laundry. And some baking.

I'd post some pictures, but I think I had better get to bed.

TGIM

Guys Weekend

The hockey guys and some cousins came north to help work on the cottage

But a power outage from Friday night to Saturday afternoon put a damper on productivity.  Rob did manage to retrieve his dad's generator. Hooray - the guys were able to have their morning coffee! (That's the generator at the bottom right in front of the car) 

They did find time to eat

 

Oh look - new insulation!

And some freshly chopped firewood

And time to enjoy the beautiful piece of heaven that is our

home-away-from-home.

Thanks guys.  Come back soon.

Goodbye CC

Home from the cottage - quiet ride, just Ev and Leah. Both listening to their respective iPods. We needed a break from our raucous GLEE singalongs that entertain us on our trips north.

A melancholy trip for me. Halfway home I hear Ev mumble "...do that for your birthday..." I perk up. Until I hear "paintball". "Paintball, Paris - yeah, that's close" I grumble to myself.  Silence. Tears stream down my cheeks. I am making too much of this supposed crossroads of my life. Turn on the radio. Get the kids to sing along to some rock and roll oldies with me. Finally home.

My car is not in the garage, meaning Carson is not home. But she has left us a gift - the main floor is immaculate (a relative word in our house). So nice to come home to. Everything is unpacked, we have a glass of milk then head upstairs to get ready for bed. Leah will sleep with me tonight. We brush our teeth together, wash our faces and duly moisturize. I am still in a funk. Leah snuggles close as I turn on the iPad and check my work emails.

A one word subject line takes my breath away.

Catherine.

She's gone. Passed away this morning. The most maddening friend and colleague I have ever had. One of those intelligent, creative, dramatic, larger-than-life personalities to ever walk the earth. She was diagnosed with cancer in October. There were so many complications and set-backs from day one. We sent food and gifts and corresponded by email. She asked for and was given privacy, but her closest friends kept her in her beloved limelight through a blog ( http://www.ciavarella-update.blogspot.com/ ).

As Leah squeezed my hand, I looked at CC's picture and her year of birth - 1964. Catherine loved celebrating her birthday - we would get 6 month reminders, then her wish list would be posted 3 months before the big day. I used to keep these lists - she was a very funny person and I would enjoy rereading these lists every few months. No more birthdays for Catherine.

Catherine loved parties. She threw one for me the first time I left our branch. A memorable evening at a martini bar, and a comical end as we headed home, wandering down Yonge Street trying to stop Catherine from drinking and dialling all her favourite colleagues. One my favourite pictures is from that evening:

I don't have an eloquent or profound way of tying together Catherine's death at 46 and my imminent, where-do-I-go-from-here 50th (although "Suck it up Buttercup" is ringing in my ears). Catherine lived a very full life, in fact for the past 8 years since I had known her, her downtown condo, trips to Europe, weekends biking and visiting friends was a lifestyle I dreamed would be mine some day.

But I know that Catherine envied my full life, full house and beautiful daughters. There were a few months before she turned 40, when she kept joking "oh my god, I'm going to be 40 and I forgot to have kids!"

As I am writing this, my eldest kid texts me "Love you" in response to my note to her about Catherine. My youngest cries with me as we look at CC's blog.

Goodbye CC. You brought me joy and you caused me pain. You weren't always true to yourself, but you always knew what you wanted. I will never forget you.

A Hard Day's Night

A full day yesterday packed with friendship, beautiful sights, sounds and adventures.

A different start to the day when my friend Paula offered to drive me to the train station.  We rarely see each other during the week as she works in Hamilton and I head in the other direction every morning.  Today she was scheduled to attend a training session in Toronto, so I had a train buddy and enjoyed a lively conversation on our way into the city.  Thankfully Paula is a patient and easy-going friend - in my haste to get out the door earlier than usual, I forgot to put in my contacts.  Only when we pulled onto the major road on the way to the train station, did I notice that my world was a little blurrier than usual.  (Blurrier - is that a real word?) "Ack Paula, you have to take me home. I can't see!" Lots of laughs as we raced back to the house. 

Once into the city, we parted with a hug on Front Street.  I walked up to work, cutting through the parking lot of the Royal York, through the serene courtyard of the TD Bank complex and through Nathan Philip Square.  Another pleasant surprise as the farmer's market was open. 

I didn't buy any radishes or onions, but did purchase my first pint of Ontario strawberries, and a loaf of multi-grain raisin bread.  That made for a decadent breakfast at my desk.

A busy morning - a project that had been in the works since March was finally going live.  Lots of calls between colleagues and clients.  I don't get out for lunch every day, but lately it has been so cold in my office, I need to get outside in the sun to warm up.  I walked back to the farmer's market and then popped into the Apple Store at the Eaton Centre.  Rob brought an iPad home from his last business trip to the States, but we hadn't been able to buy any accessories until it was released in Canada last week.  The store was packed as usual.  I found a sales person and asked him to direct me to the iPad accessory section. His response: "See that empty wall there...?"

Back to the office, still waiting for the official launch.  Lots to do in the mean time. The afternoon went by quickly.  A colleague had invited me to join her at a Toronto FC game that evening. Before I was to meet her for dinner on Front Street, I popped over to the Keg Mansion on Jarvis to attend a retirement party.  It was great catching up with colleagues that I had worked with a few years ago. 

Did I mention that the rain forecast for the afternoon did materialize?  I took a cab to the retirement party - traffic was crazy, the streets were jammed.  Another cab to meet Julie on Front Street.  Rain continued to pour down.  We had had beautiful sunny weather for almost 10 days.  Now on the evening I needed to run around the city and then sit down in an open stadium to watch a soccer game, the rain gods descend. 

Julie and I enjoyed our beer and food in a covered patio, watching the rain stop and start. We knew that we were going to have fun no matter what the weather. Our meal finished, we ventured out to join the crowds making their way to the stadium. 

Once there, it was my treat for the beers - Julie warned me about the exorbitant prices - we had a choice of small, medium and large plastic cups of Carlsburg beer or Carlsburg beer. 

"Two medium please."

"Twenty bucks please."

Life in the big city...

Up to our seats.  Wet seats. Julie had a makeshift rain poncho made from a garbage bag that she found at the office.

It worked.

The sky had begun to darken, we weren't sure how much was nightfall, and how much of the sky was rain clouds.

The CN Tower faded away quickly

The rain continued.  We sat back and enjoyed the sights and sounds. 

I haven't been that soaked in a long time. And I couldn't stop smiling. Game over, 0-0 (I think there were only 3 shots on goal all night), we made our way back to the streetcar. At Union Station, I bid a quick goodbye to Julie and raced to the train platform.  Thankfully the train was delayed - I would have missed it by 1 minute which would mean waiting for the next one to arrive in an hour.  Five minutes from home, I called Rob who stumbled out of bed to pick me up at the train station. 

Sixteen hours after leaving home, I returned drenched, but invigorated. 

I am blessed with a full life.  Long may it run.