How 'Bout Those Jays?

I had the brilliant idea (along with 45,000 others) a couple weeks back to get tickets for the Blue Jay's Home Opener... I had wanted to go in years past but had been disappointed by not being able to get tickets on the night of...

It was a brilliant Spring Monday... and my Love and I had the whole day off together! We have a tendency of trying to plan the perfect day off (they are so few and far between) and I didn't want the day to get away from us, so instead of planning I thought we should just a drive to 'The Beach' for an impromptu date... we grabbed some Timmie's, a park bench, enjoyed the warmth and each other...

We were close to my cousin Pete's place. I thought it best we call him or else if he found out we were down the street from his place and we didn't, he'd be like what the f@#$! We took him to one of our favourite restaurants, The Owl of Minerva, a Korean pork bone soup joint in Little Korea. The food is absolutely delicious, very substantial and ridiculously priced! A few dishes and a bottle of Soju later we made our way to the driving range to hit a few balls...

We stopped home for a rest and a beer, then went next door to the game..

The crowd was insane! It took us 20 minutes just to get in the dome and another 20 to get a beer! That was not the fun part... the fun part

was hanging out

with family

and 45,000 others bring in the game of summer!

Thank you!

Just Doing It!

brings me gratitude!

(A looooong overdue post!)

So... I haven't been here for a while... again, not sure why... perhaps not recognizing my blessings in everyday life. I have so much to be grateful for!

Here are some photos from the past little bit.

My grandmother's 85th birthday passed and it was a fun, family filled night at the Mandarin... my grandmother's favourite restaurant.

Maybe she was a little shy with all the attention at first but...

she soon relaxed... hee.

It's rare to have everyone at a family function so I thought it would be fun to bring some 'staches to the party! They were hit! We had so much fun! Dad looks how he looked in the '80's!

I love this photo of Uncle Peter... I'm sure he enjoyed himself... maybe just too much MSG.

Pete enjoyed himself a bit too much...

Sheila too... eeeeewwwwww

That's a bit better... cute!

Alyssa's 16th birthday was a couple of weeks later... has it really been 16 years?!

Oh my sweet!

We had dinner at a togarashi joint that we had all been meaning to try for years... It was lovely!

(Great action shot below with my face doing something weird...)

The birthday girl seemed to enjoy it.

Then some birthday cake while reminiscing Alyssa's childhood dinosaur love..

I tried to blend in with the teenagers... yes?... No!

Anyways, it was a lot of fun! and so so special...

The next day to keep the celebration going Sheila and I spent the day together...

We went to the Market to pick up food to make dinner for Nick and Pete... and it happened to be Earth Hour day as well.

Such fun!

Here is Nick helping out... he always finds his way into the kitchen!

Sheila is pretending to help...

...Here we are hamming it up after dinner...

and Sheila and I looking a little mischievous at the end of the night...

I've been keeping myself busy with workshops and such and lots of work gets in the way... it's the busy patio season again!

I must remember to stop, take a deep breath, enjoy the moment

and smile.

Thank you!

Forgiveness...

brings me so much gratitude!

I've learned a lot since January 2009... I've posted a lot of what I have learned on this blog so I won't go through them now. The one thing that I have struggled with is forgiveness.. I have shifted my perception and changed my reality on many levels but when it came to letting the biggest aspect of my past go I thought that I was the exception... that I didn't have to forgive my father for his choices because it was too big to have to forgive... until now.

When we were teenagers my father moved to Hungary and left my sister and I to live with my grandmother (his mother) . We weren't happy with his decision and didn't understand and going into our teenage years we rebelled. I made many bad choices and ultimately blamed my father because he left...

Like I said I've made a lot of positive changes in my life but this one thing I couldn't let go of.

Even though I'm grateful for the person I am now and am stronger because of my past experiences, I just couldn't see clearly that I was putting my well being in the hands of another person, even though he couldn't change the choices that he made so many years ago, and I couldn't change mine. I knew that I needed to change my perception and forgive but I was stuck...

Then last night, when I was talking with my husband, I realized that I was still in victim mode and have been for all these years. I realized that telling my sad stories could not make things better and trying to pass on the responsibility of my choices would not help me move through my pain. I realized that if I could actually forgive my father then I would be free. And just like that, after all these years, I changed my viewpoint. I realized that I was ready to forgive, and let go and move on and take responsibility for my past choices but even better than that take responsibility for the biggest choice that I could make.

This morning I met my father for coffee and I forgave him. I instantly felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and our energy changed immediately. It wasn't awkward anymore, it was natural and pure.

My life changed this morning.

Thank you Dad for giving me this huge gift! I love you. I'm ready to move forward and looking forward to what the future holds... but more to what we have right now!

THANK YOU!

Ringing in the New Year with Family

brings me gratitude!

Nick and I had plans to stay at home and have a quiet New Year's Eve in.

But my cousin Pete called New Year's Eve afternoon and invited us over for a pre-midnight celebration dinner... he picked up steak and lobster tails... ummmm, yeah!

So we went, started with a few cocktails and some bubbly that Sheila brought

and while the guys worked in the kitchen,

Sheila and I waited patiently for dinner.

Well, it was well worth the wait... actually we decided it may have been THE best dinner ever!

We've all had our fair share of fine meals at the some of the best restaurants across the country... this one certainly ranked up there.

It was absolutely spectacular! Good job Pete! Great products, cooked with love... with the assistance of a chef and great company made for a memorable meal.

Well, that is well worth a toast (I think I know what to get Pete for his birthday - wine glasses!).

We partied a bit more, then we went our separate ways. Pete and Sheila joined Pete's family to ring in the new year at a restaurant..

..and Nick and I went home for some lovin'!

Happy New Year indeed!

My Family

brings me gratitude.

I am so truly grateful for my family... Our busy lives don't bring us together very often but when we do get together, it is so special to me. Do they know how special they are to me? I hope so...

To me Christmas is not about presents. The real gift is spending time with my wonderful family.

My grandma is very special to me. She is so giving and the most self-less person I know... she'll give you the coat off her back without a second thought. She essentially saved my sisters and my life when we went to live with her. My love of food comes from my grandmother. Even though she worked 5 - 7 days a week well into her 70's she always had fresh food in the house and there was barely a day that we didn't have soup to start a meal and fruit to finish. We gave her a very hard time when we were rebelling as teenagers but hopefully she is proud of the women we have become based on the qualities of traits we learned from her, such as respect for people, young and old, and polite manners.

My sister, Sheila, is a free spirit. She is very loving, loveable and is always ready to have fun. She is my biggest cheerleader and thinks the world of me. She was my "partner in crime", so to speak, for many years and my original "we".

Alyssa is my super creative, truly gifted, super smart niece. She is very independent and does not follow the crowd. She has family in the States, Europe and northern Canada so she's done a lot of travelling. The world is her oyster.. and she is so, so special to me.

My Uncle Peter and Aunt Flo have been mine and my sister's parent figures for a long time and they continue to guide and nurture us. They welcome us into their home generously and whole heartedly and are the glue that keep our family together. Peter and Flo thank you for keeping your hearts and home wide open... Your love means more to me than I could ever express...

My cousin Lena loves my sister and I so much! She is like our big Inuk sister... we are so special to her and she shows it! She was so generous to us as children, she never came to see us empty-handed, which just shows her generous heart. She has a great big laugh, a huge heart and like Sheila, is always ready to have fun! I think I speak for the entire family when I say we are so happy that she has joined us in our family get togethers.

I've watched my cousins Pete and Natasha grow up and they are such blast to hang out with! They are very near and dear to my heart and I will look forward to many more years of friendship and get togethers with them.

I see Nick's sister's Sacha, Remy and Taylor as my little sisters. I want to take them under my wing and protect them but they have also grown before my eyes and are now great young women - very smart, friendly and fun! I am so happy that they have welcomed me into their family as generously as they have.

Nick's mom, Del, is a strong, resilient, very smart and creative person. She has raised wonderful children and holds the family together. She has welcomed me whole heartedly and I will be forever grateful for that.

Nick's little brother Devon is smart and funny! And when I ask him nicely he gives me a hug. Thanks Dev!

As a child I looked up to my cousin Sandra and as adults it's so nice to have her a part of my life.

Sandra's husband Glen is such a great guy! So likeable, funny and fun... just a really great person. Love ya' Glen!

I have happy childhood memories with my cousin Tommy! And his new wife Mary is lovely and smart! Good catch, Tommy! More get togethers are in order!

Nick, the love of my life, my life partner and best friend. Even though I tell you a million times a day that I love you and I'll tell you a billion more times, I'll still not have said it enough to express how much I truly do. You bring me so much joy and years ago I would never have imagined that I could be this happy. Now I know, and I imagine many more wonderful experiences in our life. We are so blessed and I am so grateful!

And to the latest addition to our family, Lola... I knew I was going love you but I didn't expect to fall so hard! Thank you for filling my heart with joy... Even though the idea of you was not a positive one for the family, I knew they would fall in love with you when they met you!

From a very grateful girl to my wonderful family... Thank you for being a part of my life. I hope this entry shows how much I appreciate your presence in my life!

Merry Christmas!