Memorable Times!

"If you want to live a memorable life, you have to be the kind of person who remembers to remember."
-Joshua Foer

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."
-Abraham Lincoln

"Time moves in one direction, memory in another."
-William Gibson

Any time we can spend with our grandkids, Mariah and Beau...
are MEMORABLE TIMES!
Here we were last Thursday to wish the kids a good time
at the lake... which is where they are this week.

Jana and her good friend Courtney spent many years of memorable times
both growing up through school and at dancing.
Courtney and her partner, Francois were visiting from Edmonton, and stopped
by Jana's Thursday to introduce us to their  adorable little girl...
LILY!
Babies always bring memorable times.

Jana and Courtney enjoyed a little trip down memory lane, and I know Jana
enjoyed some baby cuddles with baby, Lily, too!

We always enjoy when we can get together with our friends, Joan and Jerry.
We met with them and they treated us to a delicious supper last Thursday
at Montana's Restaurant... where we shared more memorable times.

Friday I met with former dance student, Kelly at a great little spot called
"D'LISH"... we shared many memories over a d'lish lunch, too.
Sunday we did our traditional sunday morning outing to Fuddrucker's
for breakfast and were joined  by good friends,
Bob, Jacquie, Danny, Judy and Vern.

Saturday I remembered my MOM & DAD on what would have
been their 64th Wedding Anniversary... and took a pic of
this beautiful locket of my mom's with photos of
their dating days... ah memorable times at their finest!

Sometimes the simple things add up to memorable times...
we have enjoyed our back yard so much in the great summer weather we
have had this past while.
I even got a heart shaped chip out of our bag of chips!!!

Saturday we were invited to the most wonderful evening
at our friend's Ross and Trona's  beautiful home... where many of our good friends
gathered to share in more memorable times!

We shared many delicious appies in the stunning backyard,
followed by a mouth watering meal in doors later.
So many memories were made and reviewed...and a lot of
laughs, too!

Trona and daughter, Rae, personalizing the desserts...this one with a
hockey stick and puck!

Each dessert was a work of art... created by the entire family...
memories in the making... and may I add so YUMMY!

Sunday evening a little impromptu supper with friend, Bob,
while Jacquie was out of town.
I just happened to catch Brian yawning here... he was very relaxed!!!
He and Bob shared many more memories  together,
while enjoying the warm summer evening

More memories...
For the past 11 dance seasons at Brenda 's School of Baton and Dance
(BSOBAD)...
I have hung memories on the many bulletin boards at her studio.
Yesterday  I updated 3 boards with the photos
the studio made while dancing in NY and twirling
in Holland this summer.

More memories...
just this morning we went to mass at St. Phillip's Church
to honour Brian's Brother, Bruce, who recently passed away.
A full celebration of his life will take place this Sunday
at the University Club (formerly the Faculty Club) on campus, at 1 PM.


My life has been a whirlwind of memorable times this summer and I continue to capture it in depth on both my phone and camera. I don't like to miss any memories along the way!

The photos above pretty much share the many things we have been up to this past week.

Just this morning I received a memorable text from my friend Lynne in Regina saying she had become a Grandma for her third time around... her daughter, Kristi, gave birth to a baby boy, MiLES KARL MICHAEL. What is even more special is he was born on his grandpa's birthday. MIKE received the birthday gift of a lifetime!
Kristi has two little girls already, so this little bundle of joy will be a memorable addition for them  and their sweet little family I am quite sure.

Jana, Nels and their kids have been enjoying this week of sunshine at Waskesiu Lake... and I know they will be making lots of memorable times together there.

As my pictures show... we have been treated to many outings and events since my last blog post.
The evening at our friend's Ross and Trona's lovely home was one to remember for sure. They put on a very nice meal and included many good friends of ours. I took a lot of photos there, but only included a few for now!

Life is busy... and this weekend will be busier with the celebration of my brother-in-law, Bruce's life.
Many out of town guests will be coming for that.
Although we are sad to lose Bruce, we have so many memorable times to help us remember him forever.

On that note...
my rhyme of the day...

My life is filled with rhythm and rhymes,
And also so many memorable times.
Whether in sunshine outside in our yard,
So much to share, it isn't too hard.
We feel so blessed to have many friends,
And with those people, the fun never ends.
Whether we are out here or there...
I've many photos and stories to share. 

A TAPESTRY of FRiENDSHiP & LOVE!

"My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of ever changing view."
-Carole King

"No love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever."
-Francois Mauriac

"In life and in love, there is only that one moment, the now."
-Leo Bascaglia

Last Saturday I TAPPED into some from by going to the Farmer's
market with my buddy Brenda.
We also had Mariah here for the afternoon!

Last week I received this very special and thoughtful little
gift from my dear Auntie Betty in Chicago!

So many friends have stopped by to share love and friendship
in our backyard with us...
Bob and Jacquie dropped off a lovely meal...
Vern popped by to share some food and friendship,
Heather and her dog Sadie came for coffee...
Ella shared a happy hour while dropping off some roses!

Sister-in-law, Bev stopped by with some yummy baklava...
.Former Neighbours, Joan and Ken stopped by
on their 40th Wedding Anniversary...
Friend Robin came by to share an afternoon of friendship!

We enjoyed time shared with our darling grandkids
on Saturday!

Our friend Vern treated us to an evening out at Asian House cafe...
here with Mariah, Beau and their nother one gramma, Nancy...
along with Brian and Vern...
Beau played cars on his plate, too!

A mixed bag here... me working on some tappiness...
sister-in-law, Bev's dog, Jake, our dog, Shuffle...
and a good deal on hand sanitizers from Bath and Body works!

Teaching a day of TAP at KRISTY'S DANCE FUSION...
Here with Kristy and guest teacher, Faye.

These are the 3 classes of feet I shared tappiness with on
TAPPiN' TUESDAY at Kristy's summer camp!

Monday night at Jana's...
cousin sharing love and friendship...
Mariah and Linnea... Beau and Lars.
their mom, Erica in the background...
Erica and Nancy made a yummy supper to share!

Sharing more friendship with my good buddy Joanne at Starbucks yesterday.
We have been trying to share some time for the past few weeks...
& YAY we finally got together!



As you can see my life has been a real
TAPESTRY
of friendship & love this past week or so!

The pics speak for them selves pretty much...
each time I sit down to do a blog, I have many photos to sift through and decide which to share and this blog is no exception to that... since my last blog post, I have taken over a hundred... so always hard to know where to begin.

The little gift I received from my Auntie Betty this past week in the mail, pretty much was made for me... I do take a lot of photos...stating:
"She used her camera to capture the big moments, and her heart to capture the small ones."

Since Brian lost his brother, Bruce, on August 11th...
we have had a real whirlwind of friends dropping by to share their compassion... cards, flowers, food...and lots of love and friendship. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for all the love and support.



In addition to the photos shown above we have also had a visit from our friend and Brian's boss, Ross...  We also had a visit from Brian's friend, Tommy.
We were treated to a meal at Brown's Social House on Tuesday night with my good gym friend, Ella.

I have not made it to the gym in over a week now... so much going on always, it seems.

We have shared a few loving visits with my parents in law. they seem to be doing very well considering they have recently lost their oldest son.
They have many bouquets of flowers and cards etc, as well. I know they have loved all the love friendship and support they have received at this time of loss.

Jana and Nels were in Vegas for a week... and Beau and Mariah's other Grandma, Nancy, came from Edmonton to look after the kids. It is so nice when the grandkids can share their love with all their relatives.
Their cousins, Linnea and Lars came from Regina for a sleepover too. So they had tons of fun while their mommy and daddy were gone.

Last night we had a great phone call and visit with our son, Colin. He and his girlfriend Caro just returned from a week of camping in Quebec. We always love hearing from him.


Later today I will share visits and meals with more friends...and the beat goes on. Life is really a
TAPESTRY of FRiENDSHiP & LOVE!

My nephew, SAM is 24 today... Mariah and Beau's Auntie Ingrid also has a birthday today as well...
 so wishes to them both. 
On the 24th I will be thinking of my parents in 
Heaven as they celebrate their anniversary together...
I hope they will be dancing to their favourite tune up there...
"Satin Doll "!


On that note... my rhyme of the day...

Life is a tapestry of friendship and love,
Coming from here and from up above.
I am so lucky to have people who care,
So many friends popping by just to share.
The people in my life are like a fine weave,
In happy moments and in sad ones when we grieve.
I have a big tapestry through the many years,
So many friends and so many dears.
Whether at work, or when I'm at play...
The tapestry goes on for a very long way.
The memories weave together like a big rug,
Special little moments wrapped up in a hug.
Life is a tapestry, it really is true,
Tapping into fun filled with me and you.
Living each moment right from the start,
With so many loved ones dear to my heart! 

A CUP of SUNSHINE & MEMORIES

"Take life one cup at a time."
-Author unknown

"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.
Those are trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."
-Joseph Addison

"Love lives on forever in each memory and thought of those who've shared our lives and all the happiness they've brought."
-Author unknown

Here is a darling MEMORY dating back to the 1950's!
Above is my hubby, Brian on the right, with his
brother, Bruce on the left... enjoying the SUNSHINE!

Sadly... we lost BRUCE
on this past Sunday, August, 11th,
following his courageous battle with cancer.
We will now cherish all our MEMORIES of him
as we look up to the SUNSHINE in the sky!

Another SUNSHINY moment and comparison
of LOVE shared between
Grand daughters and their Grandpas...
photos taken earlier this week of Mariah with Brian,
and Jana with Greg...
4 generations of MEMORABLE LOVE.

Sharing CUPS of FRIENDSHIP
in the SUNSHINE!
Above Brian and his friend, Steve...
My friend, Kristy and me...
and friends, Ella, Linda and I all enjoying
our tasty coffees!

More FRIENDSHIP shared in the SUNNY
backyard of my friend's last friday.
Here with my dance student, Stephanie
 and her little boy, Connor, and her mom, Sharon.
We enjoyed many MEMORIES over a few CUPS of Coffee!

Sunday morning breakfast was shared at Fuddruckers'
with our friends... Jacquie, Bob,
and his son, Danny and wife, Judy.

Any coffees shared with my good buddy, Linda...
are like a CUP of SUNSHINE and fun filled MEMORIES always.

Lots of funny and SUNNY MEMORIES were shared
on Monday night with Jana, her friend, Shelane,
and the kids...Mariah, Beau and Braxton...
at the Jasmine restaurant .

We have had many moments to enjoy
CUPS of SUNSHINE & MEMORIES 
this past week.

We received these beautiful flowers as well,
which always add SUNSHINE anywhere.
Thanks to our friends who sent those.


Whether you are a regular reader or a newcomer to my blog... thanks for popping by!

I like to think of my blog as my own little personal journal and journey through life with memories and stories along the way. I try to share what has recently taken place in my life since the previous post... and as always take an abundance of photos to share. I originally planned to share a blog post on Sunday and was going to include my many coffee outings in it which I still have...
but the most prominent event since my intention to write that, was the unfortunate passing of my  brother-in-law, Bruce, on Sunday, August 11th.

I have been so fortunate to share many outings with friends and relatives over this past week following my last post and tribute to my birthday boy, Beau,
 who is now done being 2 and onto being 3!

As well as the photos above, we have shared lots of family times...very many tears and hugs in all our memories of Bruce. He lived in Vancouver but his parents and siblings all live here ... therefore the celebration of his life is to be in town... at a later date.

When I sent a message to Bruce's kids, Alec and Emily, they seemed to be handling things fairly well so far.
Emily shared that on her final visit to see her dad this past Saturday night it was raining out, and as they left the hospital the SUN came out...
and she went on to say
it was as if her dad was saying
he had reached his better place.

Now as I look up to the SUNSHINE I will definitely think of my brother -in-law, Bruce...
and we will remember him fondly.

Two years ago today my dear Auntie Frances passed away, and I think of her often as well, especially on this date.
Later this week we will be remembering our dear friend, Jaime, who passed away at the early age of 15 in 1994.

So it is with mixed emotions this blog post comes today...

On a happier note, I am thinking of all those who will be enjoying the Paul McCartney concert tonight in Regina.
I saw him in concert in November when he toured through Edmonton. I loved his concert and have and always will be a big fan of him and his music.

Yesterday words from one of his songs was quoted in our local newspaper which kind of sums up my thoughts for today's blog...
From his 2007 album  "MEMORY ALMOST FULL",
the song entitled "End of the End"...
"On the day that I die, I'd like jokes to be told,and stories of old to be rolled out like carpets that children have played on."

I found that song and posted it to my
Facebook page today as well.

So with fond MEMORIES of
SUNSHINE...
and so much more, my poem of the day!

Life is so precious and MEMORIES fill it up...
Like SUNSHINE in the sky, and coffee in a CUP.
Every minute makes a memory, but only some live on,
The special things are what we hold
...long after they are gone.
Visits with family and with each and every friend,
Help the days seem brighter from the start to end.
Our strength can come from looking
to the sunshine up above,
And sharing all the little things
with the ones we love.

GooD BiRTHDAY FuN!

"Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time."
-Jean Paul

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."
-Dr. Seuss

"All the world is a birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much."
-George Harrison

Today is BEAU'S 3rd Birthday...
Here is the little card I crafted to give him today with
a photo taken at an early celebration for him this past Sunday!

Here we are all enjoying the SPEC-TACULAR
FUN BIRTHDAY PARTY Glasses from Target!

Here are the kids looking adorable in the Cupcake glasses
at Sunday's early Birthday celebration for Beau at  their house.

All GOOD FUN!... Cupcakes, skate boards, presents, glasses and more!

Mariah enjoying the celebrations, too...
and a special hug for her
poppa!

3 candles on the cupcakes!

A fun little coffee celebration on Monday with former
dance student, DAWN, who was in town visiting her mom
with her son, Adam. Dawn is the owner of
MARTINO DANCE CENTRE
in Brampton, Ontario
for the past 20 years.
I was GOOD FUN to catch up with them after a long
lapse of time!

Another BIRTHDAY get together...
this was also on Monday and was a delicious
lunch at "Botega Restaurant"
as a B-lated celebration for my sister-in-law,
BEV who celebrated her actual day in July.
Sister-in-law, Brenda and I also did traditional
Birthday lunches for our days back in January, too!

Yesterday was my cousin, Gwen's BIRTHDAY, too.
We shared a fun filled day of cousin-birthday bonding...
here we are wearing the SPECTACULAR Birthday glasses
at our lunch outing at
"COFFEE'S ON FOOD EMPORIUM"

I had cake twice yesterday...
And although this was for no one's birthday... it was certainly delicious!
We got invited to our good friend Vern's for supper and
brought along a carrot cake from CALORIES on
Broadway... YUMMM!!!

Today I happened to notice this on my FB page...
this famous photo featured on the BEATLES ABBY ROAD album
was taken on AUGUST 8th 1969!

Beau making a wish before blowing out the 
THREE CANDLES!

In the summer of 2010 we highly anticipated the birth of our second grandchild. Jana found out she was having a baby boy and had the name BEAU picked out in advance. Her due date was August 7th... but early in July her Dr. told her to be prepared because this baby would likely arrive around July 15th. So from that date onward it was a BIG WAIT... infact my daily status on Facebook kept everyone reading it, anxious too! But as all babies do... they come when they are ready... and our little grandson did exactly that making his grand debut one day after the original due date...
it truly was a BEAU-nus when he finally arrived!

THREE years later it seemed as though we went through the same anticipation of Beau's 3rd birthday to come! He has pretty much been reminding us of his AUGUST 8th BIRTHDATE coming up for a while now. He has continued to tell us how  he is almost done being two and ready to be three! He really is such a sweet little guy and what a character he is!

We decided to do an early impromptu birthday celebration for him this past Sunday at his house. Jana and Nels had a lovely barbeque supper followed by Beau's gifts and some cupcakes to make it complete! Later today BEAU will be celebrated again at some relatives on the Pederson side of the family... at the WAPPLES. We have called him to wish him HAPPY BIRTHDAY this morning as well.

As mentioned in the photos above I celebrated a couple of other special birthdays this week... my cousin, Gwen yesterday and a belated celebration for my sister-in-law, Bev earlier this week, too.

I pretty much enjoy any outings and visits with friends and turn them into celebrations of sorts by taking more photos of them and storing them for future memories!

As well this past week I have connected with my good friend, Ella at the gym and for coffee afterward. We are always a bit sweaty for photos following our workouts!

Tomorrow I look forward to connecting with another former dance student, Stephanie, while she is also home visiting from her home in Toronto. So that is two former dance students in one week... both from the Toronto area... and both Dance Studio owners themselves now...
lots to celebrate... ALWAYS... GOOD FUN!

So as the GOOD FUN... and BIRTHDAYS continue
...here is my RHYME of the day!

I love a celebration for this and for that...
I love to wear glasses or a party hat!
I love to eat cake for any occasion,
For me it doesn't take any kind of persuasion.
I love it when life is going really great,
YEP... I love a reason to just celebrate!
Today is a day for more BIRTHDAY FUN...
For my dear little BEAU,
who's THREE... now TWO'S done!

 

CAPTURE!

"What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that's gone forever, impossible to reproduce."
-Karl Lagerfeld

"People talk about perfect timing, but I think everything is perfect in it's moment; you just want to capture that."
-Eddie Huang

"Right from the beginning, I tried to capture everything I saw as completely as possible."
- Norman Rockwell

"PUR"-FECTLY... "SPEC"-TACULAR!
I was able to CAPTURE Mariah and Beau here on Friday.
Mariah had CAT face painting from her final
day of Gymnastics camp... and Beau had these hilarious
GLASSES on... which just cracked me up!
I love all the moments I have CAPTURED
of these two in my life!

CAPTURING times spent with special FRIENDS...
Lunch with Brenda, Coffee with Cathy, Colleen and Gailene,
Walking the Fringe with Vern and Bob...
a sweet lunch with Robin!
We also shared many other friend moments...
some did not get captured, but we feel so
lucky to have so many caring friends in our life!

Capturing a special weekend spent with our former neighbours and
dear friends, LYNNE and MIKE...
We have captured so many memories with them and cherish them all!

Capturing the HAPPY HOURS on our deck!
Here with the DUGGLEBYS...and with Brian in his new hat!
I also shared a Happy Hour with my sweet friend Ella on her
deck this past week, but didn't capture it  on my camera!

Capturing some time spent SHUFFLING along with the
grandkids and doggie, SHUFFLE!

Capturing the time we spent at Marion Gym club this past week
when Mariah did a week of GYM CAMP...
Beau enjoyed the toys and the container they were in, too...
what a little character!

We even captured the sleepy moments in the week...
of which there were a few of those!
I am not going to lie... these kids do tire me out at times...
and they tire out also... but I love them to pieces!

Capturing moments with my sweet girlies...
Jana setting up her garage sale, and picking up her kids,
 Mariah crafting cards, and making lip balms in her garage!

Capturing a special CELEBRATION
in the news paper yesterday!
My dear aunt and uncle are
celebrating 68 years of marriage today...
WOW... now that is something worth CAPTURING!

Capturing moments at a special 30th Wedding Anniversay
for our friends... The Harts... with friends, The Orrs..and many
others last night at TUSQ!
Duane And Kellie sure do not look old enough
to have been married 30 years!!!
Here with their cute girls, Courtney and Stephanie...
and Cathy and Megan Orr...
I love friendships that have developed from
my dance career!

Capturing a special visit with the great grandparents!
Blanche and Greg love it when ever we pop by,
and especially with the little ones!
They were having fun with Great Grandpa's glasses here,
Fun to capture the little "SPEC-TACULAR" memories along the way!

 Capturing more sweet moments of fun with the grandkids
here they are having a surf boating party in the back yard...
playing happily together!

Out for Marble Slab ice cream... we ran into
our sweet friend, Nicole, from the Athena restaurant days!
Nicole has a darling baby girl now, named Lucy...
Glad we captured this moment!
I love that the ice cream cups say this on them...
"Find Happiness Within!"

Capturing more SWEET MEMORIES with the grandkids!

I love that the picture on this month features Jana
with Martial arts trainer, Troy Scheer.
The caption says this...
"When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege
it is to be alive- to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."
-Marcus Aurelius

Also here are many Captured photos of shoes
worn by Jana's staff... now featured on
her SWANK SHOE LOUNGE walls.
Those photos were captured by
Chelsea Klette Photography.

This morning Beau and his daddy came to get
their stroller from our garage to sell in their garage sale today.
I just happened to capture Beau in this cute pic...
he is "almost done being two" as he puts it
...and will be celebrating
his THIRD BIRTHDAY this week on Thursday...
I love all the memories we are able to CAPTURE along the way!



Well... where do I begin?
I guess I could say that the long lapse in my blog posts is due to all the events going on in our lives these days... and thankfully I have CAPTURED many of them along the way.

I know I drive my family a little crazy at times when I pull out my iphone and or my camera to CAPTURE every little thing
  in our lives from day to day... but my philosophy is this...
You have to live in the moment, and try to CAPTURE as many or those moments as you can as you live them!
Life truly is what you make it...
so why not enjoy it and capture it?!

Because our lives have been a whirlwind of events and sharing those with so many friends and family members... I decided I would just highlight some of the things we have been up to in point form since my last blog post, seeing as I have sort of CAPTURED it in the photos above!


We have been doing lunches, suppers, coffees, ice creams, happy hours, going to the gym, and to gymnastics camp, friend bonding, shopping, babysitting, dog walking, fringe festival -ing, card making, photo taking and printing, poem writing, garage sale preps, lip balm making, trips to the strawberry ranch, special occasion celebrations...
LIVING, LOVING and LAUGHING... and
CAPTURING it as much as possible along the way!

Today on my Facebook I saw this quote witch really sums
up much of my life...

"OPTIMIST:
Someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster,
it's a cha-cha!"
-Robert Brault

Today I am thinking my special Aunt and Uncle who celebrate their 68th year of marriage. I wish them so much love  as they are and always have been so dear to me.
On the 7th my cousin Gwen celebrates another birthday,
and on the 8th my fun loving grandson, Beau will be 3...
So I wish them all special memories and I hope they get CAPTURED on their special days!

On that note...
a short poem today!

I try to capture every minute of each day...
In a memory or a photograph before it slips away.
The memories are captured so they live on longer,
Capturing the photos keeps them living on much stronger.
Whether it's the special... or just the simplest of things...
Capturing each moment, can share what each day brings.
I try to make the least of bad ,
and of good I make the most,
And I capture the things that make me proud...
and share them as I boast!