Spring Time

Easter has always been a special time in our family. Not for any religious reasons - it was just a time to celebrate spring! Our mom always prepared a huge feast and the family gathered to make memories and enjoy one another's company. Later, I was able to enjoy the easter festivities with my own children with an annual easter egg hunt that was so much fun.

Easter is another one of those special times through the year when we can show our loved ones and especially our kids how much we care. Putting together little easter packages for my kids is soooooo much fun even though they are grown ups now! Maybe more fun because I have to get creative. Any chance we have to say to our kids "I love you and I am thinking of you" is a good thing! Make hand dyed easter eggs or decorate cookies shaped like easter eggs, put together little baskets of goodies and have fun - just like a kid yourself!

I am signing off this blog for a while. I am beginning my training for the Kusam Klimb and if you want to share in the journey, check out www.ploddingtokusam.blogspot.com to see what I am up to now...

Pursuing Your Passions

As most people know, my two greatest passions are running and my kids. When I get an opportunity to combine the two AND add a wondeful visit with girlfriends - well, that's just pure nirvana for me.

I recently ran the First Half 1/2 marathon in Vancouver with two special girlfriends, Nyree and Ethel. Of course, no run would be complete without Nyree falling and Julian being there. Julian won first place in his age group (there is no living with him now!) and Nyree was covered in mud by the finish.

It was my slowest 1/2 marathon yet! But, who cares! It is the experience of being there, soaking in Stanley Park, catching up on all the news with the girls, watching all the other inspiring runners finish and basking in Julian's victory that made the whole weekend such a gift!

My father-in-law always says that if he can still go hunting (his passion) then everything is ok. I can't agree more. As long as I can go running, everything is a-ok! SEEK OUT YOUR PASSIONS and go for it!!!

Kathryn Eileen Thibodeau 17 05 1944 - 27 01 1999

Dear Mom:

I can't believe that it has been eight years since I last saw you.

I will never forget how you smelled or how soft your skin was. I miss you a lot, especially on Mother's Day, your birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I miss your cooking (noone cooks as good as you!), I miss your straight forward advice and I miss the way you connected our family together. I still wear some of your great clothes to work, like your burberry skirt and some of your jewelry. It makes me feel close to you.

You wouldn't believe how grown up Jessica and Julian are. Julian graduated from high school last year and Jessica is quite the career oriented woman now! You were so supportive of Jessica in her early teens and you kept reassuring me that everything would work out fine - you knew that because of your own experiences with teenage girls...

My life has changed a lot in the last eight years too. I married a great guy - I think you'd really like him. You'd probably be surprised that I got married again, but I found a great catch and I just couldn't let him get away. He is smart and kind - we have become great life partners. I am still working as a legal assistant and I really love my job. It is interesting work and the people are great. I have some other dreams that I am working to fullfill and your inspiration is always there.

I often wish you were here to share life's moments with. It never gets easier not having a mom but I know that you are right where I need you to be - in my heart!

I love you, mom

M

We even look alike!

Some people even say Jessica and I look alike - ya think!?!

Oh, the guy in the middle? That's Jules graduating from high school!

My Favourite Christmas Present!

I love it when I receive a gift that makes me feel special every time I use it. My fav gift this Christmas was this beautiful wool pumpkin scarf that my amazing daughter Jessica gave to me. Not only was it thoughtful (orange is my favourite colour) and practical, but I think of Jessica everything I wear it. It goes with all of the brown clothing items I own (brown is the new black!). Jessica has given me many of my favourite gifts like opal earrings from Australia and a beautiful pearl necklace she gave me for my birthday. I like getting gifts for her too because we have similar tastes. So I know if I like it, she'll like it!

The Gift of Health

Sometimes I have to choke back tears when I look at these pictures because running is one of the greatest gifts I have given myself EVER! It is spiritual, mental and physical. It is like an old friend that has seen me through times of stress and times of joy. I have travelled to run with girlfriends. I have run up mountains, I have run behind my husband, I have run on cobbled roads, I have run hours and miles around Canyon View trail, I have run the dark streets of Campbell River and Victoria while the world was sleeping, I have run under a scorching sun (hey, Ethel!!!), I have run 1/2 marathons in the driving rain and I have run in other countries.... But the most amazing and incredible experience for me has been sharing this passion with my eighteen year old son, Julian. He started seriously running when he was fifteen. We even celebrated his 16th birthday staying in motel in Nanaimo so we could run the Gutbuster trail run the next day. Not many moms get to share this kind of time with their teenage sons. I am soooooooo blessed! Not that we are ever running together at these events. Julian is a very talented long distance runner and is usually done 20 minutes to a half hour before mom sees the finish line. Often at a tough race, he will double back to find me in the crowd and run to the finish with me. We share post race snacks and battle stories. We have done events such as the Gutbuster series and the Kusam Klimb that are really tough races and relived the milestones kilometer by kilometer on the ride home - if we are awake!

Sometimes I think, I will never, ever do this race again (think Kusam Klimb) and then Julian calls and says "hey, let's do it" and I am off again running down some road or trail.

Sometimes our gifts don't come in boxes with bows but with the experiences we have in our lives with the peeps we love...

Paper is beautiful

After Christmas, I went down to my favourite shop in all of Victoria, The Papery on Fort Street. It is full of beautiful paper items. They have spectacular wrapping paper, journals, date books, notecards, pens, stamps and all sorts of other wonderous paper products. I love paper!

While I was there, I stocked up on all of the cards that I will need throughout the year.

Birthday cards, get well cards, miss you cards, thank you cards and blank cards!

It is always a good idea to keep a stash for unexpected situations - like getting invited to a birthday dinner at the last minute or to send to a friend who's blue. I like going to little specialty shops like The Papery because there is such a great selection of beautiful and unusual cards that you won't find anywhere else.

If you are creative, you can make your own cards. The possibilites are endless - collage cards, photo cards, handpainted cards or hand stamped cards. Scrapbooking websites have tons of inspiration and supplies. Some craft stores even offer classes. Handmade cards are a special gift on their own. The recipient will treasure it because you made it just for them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Aja and I went out on a wet early morning New Years Day walk today. Taking pictures while walking Aja is a tricky thing because you can never let go of her leash or she might be gone forever! She doesn't quite trust the camera yet either so she doesn't make the greatest subject. But she's sooooo cute that we forgive all of her strange idiosyncrasies!

I am not really one for making New Years resolutions. I try to make "adjustments" in improving my life all through the year in my attempt to live each day as it comes. However, I am making a commitment to stop engaging in gossip. Sometimes, I find myself getting so caught up in it and relishing in the sordid details. Later I feel really crummy and guilty. How horrible to exploit other people's weaknesses and mistakes for one's own pleasure?! (as if I am perfect!) Yuck!

It is going to be a busy and exciting 2007! My adorable husband is going into his most challenging and work intensive term of school yet. I am on the cusp of blowing the doors open on Soul Comfort Care Package Co. I am hoping this will be the year that I bust that 1:54 1/2 marathon time (read: train, train, train). It's always exciting to see what Jessica and Julian are going to do next and watching them grow up is a pleasure even though some days I feel like a childless mother!

Carpe Diem in 2007!

KINDNESS

No Act of Kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted - Aesop

I was thinking today about how old-fashioned kindness seems these days. People are dashing around with their busy lives and often forget to look up, smile at others and above all just BE KIND!

So I googled KINDNESS and to my great joy, I came up with 22,300,000 hits!

Check out some of these wonderful links:

www.extremekindness.com (these guys are from Victoria)

www.actsofkindness.org

www.helpothers.org

www.care2.com

and if you haven't seen it - rent and watch the movie - PAY IT FORWARD!

Say Thank You!

As the long New Year's weekend approaches, this is the perfect time to get some Thank You cards, curl up on the couch or at your favourite desk and send little notes to friends and family who gave you a gift or touched your heart in some way over Christmas.

Nowadays, we think it's sufficient if we e-mail someone or give them a quick call to say thanks. But nothing beats opening our little used mailboxes and finding an envelope inside that does not contain a bill or junk mail. Believe it or not, some people, like Grandma Daisy or Nicole and Ed, do not even own a computer!

When writing, be specific about the gift you were given and how you will use it. If you went to a fabulous holiday party, write a thank you note telling the host what a marvelous time you had! If it was just seeing an old friend again - let them know how good it was to spend time with them.

- start 2007 with a spirit of gratitude!

My belly is sooooo full!

Goodies galore! We ate until we thought we might explode! Isn't that part of the fun of the season? We had two giant Christmas dinners - thanks, Sheri & Judy! But it was the cookies, chocolates, gingerbread people, toffee squares and toblerone that really did me in... Must eat fruit and veggies for the next month to cleanse my system from all the junk!

Santa gave me just what I wanted, too! The Extra Vegan Za cookbook - original recipes from Phoenix Organic Farm (right here in the greater Victoria area!)Filled with delicious vegan recipes that you would never guess were vegan. Because when I am not filling my face at Christmas, I am trying to follow the vegan path for health reasons (sugar is vegan, right?). The publishers of this amazing cookbook produce some fantastic eye-opening books. Check out www.newsociety.com.

Christmas is for giving!

I get butterflies in my stomach about Christmas - mostly because I love to give a gift!

I can't wait to see my friends and family & give them goodies and a big hug! It doesn't have to be anything huge - just something especially picked out and carefully wrapped for them!

"Give without remembering - take without forgetting!"

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I had such an amazing experience this morning ! Our office put together 40 small care packages with granola bars, hot chocolate, socks, gloves and other goodies for the youth homeless shelter in Victoria. We delivered them at 6:00 am this morning along with fresh breakfast for everyone. The kids really appreciated it. There were far too many goodie bags so we walked up Fort Street and gave a goodie bag to the homeless we found sleeping in the doorways. I was absolutely astounded at how many people were on the streets on just one main street in this beautiful city of ours. Most were alone, curled up in dirty sleeping bags with their heads covered. I just left the goodie bag at their feet. A few of the mostly men, were in groups of two, keeping each other company I suppose. A few were awake and were surprised and very grateful when I wished them a Merry Christmas and handed them a package. As I walked away in the dark from one doorway, I could hear two men laughing and excitedly checking out the goodies in their bag - such a small gesture that meant so much to them. It's hard to believe that in a city like Victoria that also has such wealth, that there is this kind of poverty and hopelessness. I drove home in tears because I was deeply touched that these folks slept in the streets last night and will probably sleep there tonight - on Christmas Eve - while we laugh and drink hot chocolate and eat a large meal with our families INSIDE where its warm. At the same time, I had some warm fuzzies because I felt the true spirit of Christmas come over me and also realized.... I am truly blessed and grateful!

We are going to Campbell River today to see our family for the holidays. See you in a couple days... Happy Holidays

Excitement is contagious!

I went over to sunny Esquimalt on Tuesday and picked up my newly printed t-shirts with the Soul Comfort logo on the front. I love them! They are perfect and exactly what I wanted. Friends and family love them too and are snapping them. $25.00 each and 15% of the proceeds go to the BC Cancer Agency. Let me know if you want one - they are going fast. It comes in sky blue as well. Thanks to Cara - the graphic designer who helped my vision become a reality! Well, gotta go finish my Christmas shopping and wrapping...

Another of Life's Gifts

Grandma! What a treasure she is... So smart and so funny. She inspires our whole family with her love.

My Greatest Gift

My greatest gift is being the mother of these two. They make me laugh, they make me cry, they make me mad, they inspire me, they test my patience, they surprise me, they puzzle me, they challenge me, they teach me, they question me, they make me question myself, but most of all, they bring me JOY...