Monday January 31, 2011

Hey Soul Sister!

Had some fun times playing music with my friends Cindy and Heather tonight.

They are being really patient with me as I learn to play.

Soul Sister is one of our favourites and only requires the use of a few chords

 that I've been working on. 

They have really inspired me to put in the effort in spite of the challenge that I'm feeling.

Thank you Soul Sisters! 

Sunday January 30, 2011



What a beautiful weekend!

Rocko is thanking Jim for his second long forest walk of the weekend.

It was a great weekend for long walks and lazy afternoons.

We played hard and then rested thoroughly.

That's what weekends were made for!

Saturday January 29, 2011

Sharing

Rocko is learning from his friend Oscar but as you can see by this picture, he's not

overly thrilled about it. 

 Oscar is a very affectionate, friendly dog and when he visits,

Rocko has to try hard to keep up with his share of the attention. 

They do get along well together and love going for long forest walks, barking at
little sounds and talking us into giving them more treats!

Friday January 28, 2011

Friends

"It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

I read this as our quote of the day at school today and it really spoke to me throughout the day.

It is easy to let little things get to us but so powerful to look beyond the immediate situation and consider the bigger picture.  Situations can be escalated or de-escalated depending on how we react to them.

This quote is actually from Eleanor Roosevelt, not my friend Heather, but it could be.

Heather has really taught me to see the good in people and situations and handle every situation with kindness (and a song).

Thursday January 27, 2011

Friends

This is Tobin, a friend of Rocko's; and my friend Kelly's puppy.

She's full of energy and always happy to be playing with someone.

You can't help but smile when she's jumping all over you and licking your face!

Another lesson learned from a puppy; smile, be full of energy and share it with the people around you!

Wednesday January 26, 2011

Questions

Are you asking yourself the right questions?

I had a really good work session after school today where I got to ask some of the pressing questions that will make a difference in the impact I have in my job.  It feels right to ask the questions, hear the answers, and settle into a new understanding or a new plan for moving forward.

There is a place for reflection in every aspect of our lives and it is a healthy practice.

Is this the right time? 

What do things look like from another perspective?

Have I done everything that I can?

What will I do next?

Who do I want to connect with today?

What will my next question be?

Tuesday January 25, 2011

TGIWU

Thank Goodness it warmed up!

We were all starting to get that home bound feeling.

It was so nice to be out in the forest again today.  I don't mind good Canadian winters but...

that was crazy cold these last few days.

I think Rocko is actually smiling in this picture...

and I'm smiling from behind the camera!

I remember painting in Kindergarten.  You stepped up to the easel with a big blank paper and wondered for a while what to paint.  Soon after that, the brush flowed freely with many different colours, never looking back and never second guessing your decision of what to paint.

Painting can be very liberating if you allow yourself the enjoyment of creating without judgement.

In an art class once, a teacher taught me a secret.  You don't have to love every piece of artwork that you create but keep painting and you will create many that you love.

Paint, Create, Enjoy!

Sunday January 23, 2011

Frosty and Toasty!

The Scandinave Spa at Blue Mountain.  The idea for optimal health is to go into the hot pool for 20 minutes, then plunge into the "Nordic pool" for 2 to 20 seconds,

 then go to the relaxation room for 10 minutes and repeat.

  Yes, this is how I filled my day with my sister and it was a pretty cool experience! 

(no pun intended) 

One of my favourite parts was the eucalyptus steam room!

Definitely a luxury worth experiencing!

Saturday January 22, 2011

Cawi fell in love today!  This is King and he loves Cawi... and belly rubs and face licks!

He's one of the dogsledding team that treated us to a ride today.

I have a couple hundred other photos that I could have put here but this one really shows my sister's kind heart.  I love that she doesn't rush through life but takes time to let things really unfold before her eyes.

I always experience new things, meet new people and have a ton of fun when we're together.

love you

Friday January 21, 2011

I'm just packing a few things for a winter weekend with my sister. 

We're heading up to Collingwood for a little snow and spa adventure! 

I can't wait to see you Cawi!

Thursday January 20, 2011

Waiting for puck drop!

Taken at tonight's game against the Anaheim Ducks. 

There's something about watching a game live that brings out the inner sports fan in everyone.  We had that jump out of your seat feeling 5 times tonight as the Leafs made their way to a 5-2 victory over the Ducks.

Way to go Leafs!



Wednesday January 19, 2011

I've decided that when opportunity doesn't knock in the course of a day, I'm going to use a few of my favourite pictures.

This is my niece Sarah.  She is the subject of some of my favourite pictures because at any given moment, you can find her being totally at ease with who she is.  She is such a free spirit.

This photo was taken in August at her birthday party at a horse back riding ranch. She is horse crazy and has been known to act like a horse on many different occasions.

In this picture, she is decidedly horse-like as she gives her nose a little scratch on the fence.

Sarah has taught me to enjoy life by using my imagination and to live life like no one is watching.

I love you, Sarah!

Tuesday January 18, 2011

What's happening to all my snow?

Some people hate it, others love it. 

Snow is better than the slushy in between.  We've had so much snow and so many thaws that the conditions are constantly changing.  I read a story to my students today about kids playing in the snow and stealing each others' snow for fort building.  They had so much fun but ended up in a huge twister of snow.  Everything worked out in the end and they all enjoyed the snow together...until it rained.  I love how the book ended, instead of the children being upset that their snowmen melted, they were excited for the slush and the next adventure that they were about to experience.  

I'll try to be positive about the thaw but I don't think I've quite had my fill of snow yet,

so if the snow fairies are listening...

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Monday January 17, 2011

I'm giving myself permission to use a photo that I took last summer since I'm sick in bed:(

This picture was taken in the courtyard of the Hotel Manzoni in Montecatini Terme, a small thermal spa town in Tuscany.  Walking into the courtyard for the first time was shocking.  It was so beautiful and secluded yet within the city.  You get a glimpse of the pool that I used every day and every night since the weather was incredibly hot! This was also an amazing place to chill with a very late night bottle of wine to reflect on the incredible sites and experiences of the day. 

Remembering those moments has made me feel better already!

Sunday January 16, 2011

Ahhhh, comfort food!

Sunday dinner smelled pretty good as it simmered away all afternoon. 

It tasted quite good with a glass of red wine too.

Cheers!

Saturday January 15, 2011

Simple Pleasures!

The lesson today is to really appreciate the little things in life. 

Rocko taught us this lesson today as he begged with his eyes to go out and play with his rawhide just a little bit longer.  He tossed that thing around in the snow until he lost it and then he would run around digging frantically until he found it again.  Then he would proceed to dance circles around it and roll on it when he finally did find it.

If you see me dancing around in circles you'll know that I've learned my lesson well!

Friday January 14, 2011

Sometimes things in life don't turn out the way you planned but it is what you do in those situations that shows your true strength.

Thursday January 13, 2011

I love taking close-ups! 

I realized this fact after going on a photo shoot with my good friend Cathy.

We walked around Toronto and took all sorts of pictures.

When I got home I noticed how many close-ups I had and that was the start of my portfolio.

Tonight's picture is from the kitchen but you never know where you'll find a great opportunity for a picture!

Wednesday January 12, 2011

This is my beautiful yoga studio.

I hadn't been practicing for a while so tonight's class was quite a challenge.  I love the relaxation and focused breathing time at the beginning of the class, then the hard work and finally the luxurious relaxation and meditation at the end of the class. 

Namaste

Tuesday January 11, 2011

Here's a shout out to an awesome artist.  Pink!
Love her new song (wish it wasn't as explicit) but every new song of hers becomes a favourite and gets stuck in my head.  Most of her songs will bring me back to a certain place...Dominican Republic, her Toronto concert, dancing in the living room, stretching out in the sun on a dock in the summertime with my iPod cranked.   Her songs also remind me of some of my favourite people (you know who you are;) who also love her music and who have been in those favourite places right along with me!

Monday January 10, 2011

Today's picture falls into the category of lessons learned from the dog!  Exercise is a good thing.
I found myself sitting in meetings all day today thinking about getting out and going for a walk after school.  Sure enough when I got home, Rocko was more than willing to join me on a walk to the park and around the neighbourhood. 

In this picture he's showing off with one of his fancy do-ga (yoga) moves!

Sunday January 9, 2011

I'm not sure what it is about music that simply feeds the soul. 
Jim gave me this beautiful guitar a few years ago after he remembered me mentioning that I wished that I knew how to play.  In the past few years I've picked up my guitar now and again, mainly with Cindy and Heather.  When we get together we sing and play and have a great time.  Music feeds the soul. 
Heather stopped by today and I pulled out the guitar so she could play the latest song that she's working on.  She played, we sang, we laughed and we both left feeling a little lighter, a little more joyful.  My wish for everyone around me today is that you experience the joy of music in whatever form that may be.

Saturday January 8, 2011

Today I had a chance to watch my niece, Rachel, play ringette! 
She's a very fast skater and isn't afraid of standing up to any of the players around her.  She's a team player and is in it for the challenge and for fun.  Way to go girls!  Great game! 
I love you, Rachie!

Friday January 7, 2011

Ukrainian Christmas has been on my mind all day.  Last night, Svyat Vechir or Holy Eve was the day of fasting in memory of the hardships of Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem.  When I was growing up we would celebrate the "old calendar" Christmas with distant relatives on this day (and I was always able to miss school!)
Tonight was a night of celebration.  Merry Christmas.  I didn't miss school today but instead, got together with some dear friends and celebrated.  You'll hear more about them in the days to come but for now, just know that I am blessed to have such good friends and fun times.  Even Rocko was invited.

Thursday January 6, 2011

Ahhhh, Thursday night volleyball! 
I was thinking about it today and I've played volleyball for about 33 years!  It is in fact my favourite sport and I've played on many different teams and at many levels of competition.  It's a great way to get off the couch, get together with some friends and hit a ball around.  Thursday night is particularly fun because of the mix of people.  We laugh a lot! Tonight we tossed around the idea of entering the Kitchener tournament in April.  I'll keep my fingers crossed for a whole weekend of volleyball.

Wednesday January 5, 2011

So I felt pretty lucky today to have my mom at my side all day.  We woke up and started the daily scramble to get to school before the bell.  It was nice to have my mom to make my sandwich so I could dry my hair.  It's all a trade-off...I did make her a skinny cinnamon dolce latte so she was not complaining.

It is the kick-off to the Forest of Reading programme and I had about 200 books that needed to be processed with stickers, barcodes, labels etc. etc. The reading programme has students reading Canadian books that are nominated in their age category.  They read as many as they can by April and then vote for their favourite.  It was funny to watch students come to the library and linger around mom's workstation.  I love how the real readers come out of the woodwork and come and ask for books.  I also love how my struggling readers come in and get the books that they hear are the best, in hopes of finally being hooked on reading or at least finding out what all the fuss is about.  Most of the books are done as you see in the picture.  Now my job is to keep up with the kids in reading as many as possible so we can chat about the books and choose our favourites.

January 4, 2011

So I noticed this "Me Chris" sign the other day while having dinner.  Obviously, I don't post things like this around the house and it actually said Merry Christmas, but I thought I would snap this photo today because it shows the snow coming back.  Rocko and I are so excited!  Since we had so much snow over the Christmas break and before, I got out cross country skiing quite a bit.  There's a place I know in the forest where if I take a right turn, I'm able to totally lose myself in the forest.  Remarkably, I always manage to find my way out after about an hour and a half but there are definitely times where I have no clue which way to go.  It's heavenly!  Rocko runs along side as happy as can be.  He is well aware of the command "OFF" so he stays clear of me on the downhill runs where I totally lose control.  The other day he tried something new...as I was half careening, half snowplowing down a steep hill, he decided that the opening between my skis was a good place to run and I could feel him bumping my inner calves!  We both managed to make it to the bottom of the hill upright and we continued on our way.  We had quite a thaw with a lot of rain for a while so it is a very welcome sight to see the snow on the grass again.  Looking forward to more skiing!

January 3, 2011

This picture started my day.  Literally, I got out of bed, grabbed the camera and took the picture of the rude awakening.  As much as I try to keep some sort of a schedule over the holidays, or at least go to bed at a decent time the night before school starts again it never happens!  This picture really reminds me of the "rude awakening" at 6:00, and 6:10, and 6:20, and 6:30 and finally getting ahold of the camera at 6:32!

January 2, 2011

The second day of the year was pretty relaxing.  I did manage to get out for a short walk but other than that, Rocko is showing you what we did.  He is the best at totally letting go and really relaxing.  There are certainly going to be a few pictures of Rocko this year and the lessons learned from the greatest dog in the world!

January 1, 2011

Last year my sister, Cawi (Carolyn) and I started an awesome tradition.  It involves having tea and breakfast in bed along with some form of art supplies!  I liked it so much last year that I remembered it and it was fun all over again...missed Cawi this year though but Jim enjoyed the breakfast too.  Here's an inside look into my space!

December 31, 2010

I thought I'd start by introducing myself!  That's me on the left.
Jim and I are all dressed up for a fancy New Year's dinner at Cachet.  Rocko snuck in the picture too!

Usually I'm not in many pictures because I'm behind the camera but this time I simply set the timer and ran...funny how easy that was.  I may have to try that a few more times this year.