Thankful in Calgary

Okay, this post is a big catch up! I've been in Calgary since Saturday, and haven't had time to blog. So - here's a week's worth of thankfulness...

Day 12 - September 23, 2011

1. I am thankful for the time Dad, Tara and I spent with our dear friend Loraine today. It was so nice to see her again!

2. I am thankful for the awesome boots I bought today. 25% off plus only 5% tax (instead of 13% in Ontario).

3. I am thankful for the beautiful summer weather we had today, despite the calendar showing the start of autumn.

4. I am thankful that the dinner I cooked for Dad and Tara tasted okay!

5. I am thankful for the beautiful blue Alberta sky - it just doesn't look the same in Ontario.

Day 11 - September 22, 2011

1. I am thankful for my amazing friend Shareen and her three beautiful kids. I had so much fun hanging out with them. I love being a "yellow haired" auntie.

2. I am thankful for the yummy Vietnamese food we had for dinner. It was nice to not cook :)

3. I am thankful for getting to shop with my best shopping sidekick - Tara.

4. I am thankful that Air Canada didn't strike and my hubby was able to get home from Brussels okay. Can't wait to taste the chocolates he got for me!

5. I am thankful for a quiet night with Dad, spent watching X Factor and wondering why people with no talent feel the need to embarrass themselves in front of millions of people.

Day 10 - September 21, 2011

1. I am thankful for my super fantastic hair dresser and friend, Donna. Seriously, she's so good that I travel across the country for a cut and highlight!

2. I am thankful for the time I spent with my university friends tonight. Five strong ladies helping each other through some pretty crappy stuff.

3. I am thankful that my Dad still lives in the house I grew up in. It's so nice to visit and walk down memory lane.

4. I am thankful for rent a wreck. While my rental car wasn't the prettiest, it got me where I needed to go, on the cheap.

5. I am thankful when a restaurant has healthy but delicious things on their menu.

Day 9 - September 20, 2011

1. I am very thankful to be in Calgary with my Dad today. Today would have been Mom and Dad's 37th Anniversary.

2. I am thankful that Mom's headstone (and sod) has finally been placed at the cemetery.

3. I am thankful for Peter's Drive In. Yummy lunch.

4. I am thankful for contact lenses. I went to the eye doctor today. Man, am I blind!

5. I am thankful that my Dad is a fast shopper. He needed new winter clothes. 30 minutes at the Bay and we were done.

Day 8 - September 19, 2011

1. I am thankful that I had no cavities at my dental appointment today.

2. I am thankful that Dad drove me to the dentist, so I wouldn't have to parallel park. I so can't parallel park!

3. I am thankful for the time I spent with my friend Kim today. I'm so excited that she's going to be a Mommy soon!

4. I am thankful for cheesecake. Now, if only it was calorie-free.

5. I am thankful for thinking to pack lots of layers. It's cold here in the morning!

Day 7 - September 18, 2011

1. I am thankful for McInnis and Holloway funeral homes. Today I attended the opening of the plaque and tree area in Fish Creek park where my Mom will be forever memorialized. Beautiful.

2. I am thankful for mashed potatoes. They are definitely a good comfort food.

3. I am thankful that Mark made it to Europe safe and sound.

4. I am thankful for my husband's obsession with aeroplan points. Can you say cheap flights to Calgary?

5. I am thankful for traveling to a destination with only a two hour time change.

Day 6 - September 17, 2011

1. Today I am thankful that I am going to Calgary for 9 days!

2. I am thankful for seat back television/movies on airplanes.

3. I am thankful for my noise cancelling headphones. Heaven!

4. I am thankful for flights that leave and arrive on time.

5. I am thankful for getting to see my Dad and sister again :)

Catch Up

Day 5 - September 16, 2011

1. I am thankful for my tiny little ipod that fits inside my headphone case. 

2. Along the same lines, I am thankful for my cool suitcase that I got as a wedding gift. Packing is much more fun when you have a pretty (and big) suitcase.

3. I am thankful for all the Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy emails I get. I haven't bought anything full price in forever!

4. I am thankful for awful, but addictive, reality shows. It's nice to know that I'm not the craziest person in the world.

5. I am very thankful for my true friends and family. Weddings and funerals bring out the best and worst in people. I have learned so much in the past year!

Day 4 - September 15, 2011

1. I am thankful for my ultra cool washer and dryer. They almost make doing laundry fun... almost.

2. I am thankful for the arrival of cooler weather here in Ontario. I love waking up to single digits!

3. I am thankful for my car (little blue), who has stood by me for 7.5 years without a problem to speak of. I hope I can get another 7.5 years out of him.

4. I am (often times) thankful that I have no sense of smell. 

5. I am thankful for the ability to download free ebooks off the library website. I love my ereader!

Day 3 - September 14, 2011

1. I am thankful for the country that I live in. The best country in the world!

2. I am thankful for coffee with french vanilla flavoured coffee cream.

3. I am thankful that I finally learned to cook. It's nice to have dinner ready when Mark gets home from work. How very housewifey of me.

4. I am thankful for all the happy memories I have of my amazing childhood.

5. I am thankful for the travel I have done since meeting Mark. In just two and a half years, we've been to the UK three times, as well as Europe and Australia. I have been bitten by the travel bug!

Day 2 - September 13, 2011

1. I am thankful for my husband pumping my gas! It's just a little thing he does for me, that I really appreciate.

2. I am thankful for the invention of PVR. I love being able to pause, fast forward and rewind live TV.

3. I am thankful for my good health.

4. I am thankful for Google, especially since losing my Mom. I know it sounds weird, but I used to call her to ask things like how to get a stain out or how long to bake chicken for. Now I Google it. 

5. I am thankful for flat rate North American long distance. It allows me to talk to my family every day, without breaking the bank!

Time for a Challenge

Over the past few months I've been spending a lot of time thinking. Thinking about everything that has gone on in my life this year - trying to get a better understanding of who I am and what I am meant to learn from it all. I know, sounds like fun, doesn't it? Ha. Well, I've decided that I'm spending too much time looking back and focusing on the difficult things, instead of being appreciative of and grateful for all the wonderful things in my life. The one year anniversary of my Mom's passing is approaching quickly, and in her memory I want to try out something new... I'm challenging myself to write down five things a day that I am thankful for. I'll be posting my entries here. I won't always be able to post every day, but I'll catch up on missed days at least once per week. My Mom was a hugely positive and grateful person and I feel it's my duty to carry this legacy on.

So, here goes nothing...

Day 1 - September 12, 2011

1. I am thankful for being born into the family that I was. I had the most amazing Mother, and still am fortunate to have to best Dad and sister.

The Best!

2. I am thankful for my husband. For his patience, kindness, humour and for loving me just as I am.

Happy Day!

3. I am thankful for chocolate.

4. I am thankful for books and all the people who are brave enough to write them.

5. I am thankful for all the little people in my life who bring me such joy and laughter (especially Lois, Rebecca, Matthew, Emily, Oliver, Simon and little Eleanor).

Oliver and Simon

Miss Eleanor Jane

Lois, Matthew and Rebecca

Emily

Living Room Update

So, after many months of being indecisive, Mark and I finally purchased some more furniture for our living room. While it's still not complete, it's at least at the point where I'm no longer embarrassed to open the front door for the Chinese food delivery guy!

We added a couple of pieces from West Elm (we LOVE West Elm).

Coffee Table (with sliding top and lots of storage capacity)

 

 My favourite piece (we don't have the yellow cushion)

We also bought an area rug from West Elm. We originally had it in the living room, but have now moved it to the family room... again, with our indecisiveness. We're hoping when Tara comes to visit at the end of the week, she'll help us get our decor in order! How great is it to have an interior designer for a sister!

Love the chevron striping - just don't know which room to put it in

Finally, we purchased a few throw pillows from Crate and Barrel to add a splash of colour to our very neutral room. I absolutely love grey and yellow together. Now if only the yellow looked better with the rug. I guess I may have to find a new rug that ties it all together. There are worse things in life than having to continue to shop!

Some colour!

Two of these help to brighten things up

Now I am in serious need of some wall decor, accessories, a side table and possibly a bench for the front entry. I can smell my Visa card burning already!

This Year

On Sunday, Mark and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary. For most couples, I would assume that this is an exciting milestone, but for us, I feel like it holds some extra special meaning. Mark and I have not had the easiest year. This fact actually has nothing to do with my husband, or our marriage. It has to do with the variety of 'obstacles' that have been thrown our way since our wedding day.

Our perfect day

Looking back on everything, I can honestly say that we were able to have three glorious days of wedded bliss before we had to start dealing with reality - harsh, hard, unfair reality. Our wedding was perfect - absolutely perfect. Everything I had ever dreamed of. The following day was also perfect - spending time with both our families (for what would turn out to be the very last time). We had one day to ourselves, and then, my Mom was admitted to the hospital. Without going into too many details, the next few weeks would be filled with ups and down, resulting in my Mom's passing, exactly six weeks (almost to the minute) after Mark and I had said our vows. 

The happy family (circa 1982)

The following days and weeks are a blur. Instead of living the life of a happy newlywed, I was living the life of a grieving daughter. I had quit my job three days before we lost Mom, in the hopes of helping her and my Dad deal with all that was going on. So in six short weeks I had changed my living situation, marital status, name, and career, only to be hit with the blow of losing my amazing Mom. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement.

I managed to make it through the next few weeks before Mark and I left on our preplanned honeymoon in Australia. It was a wonderful trip, but now I can see that it was much too soon and while there were moments of joy, it was not what a honeymoon should be. Mark was amazing through it all. I can't imagine being a new groom that suddenly has to deal with a wife who is not who you married. Only my Mark could handle it with such grace, understanding and compassion. I couldn't have got through it without him.

My rock and me, in front of some rocks (Kangaroo Island, Australia)

We were struck with another 'blow' just two days before Christmas. Mark was told he was being transferred from Calgary to Toronto - and fast! Mark and I moved across the country, away from all I have ever known, at the beginning of March. We've been in our lovely new house for a few months now, and I'm still taking it one day at a time. I take time every day to appreciate all the things in my life that I am so lucky to have. They say people never change, but if there is one thing I know for sure, I am not the same person I was last August. 

Exploring our new home province

I can honestly say, I don't know what lies ahead, but I look forward to facing the next adventure. Fingers crossed that our second year of marriage will be full of happiness. I know it will be filled with love.