Monday, November 23, 2015

Fantastic Friends Rock My World






My mind goes back to the old 80's song 'Friends' written by Michael W. Smith when I think about how blessed I am by such amazing friends.  And really, if I was a sobbing kind of girl, I'd likely be filling a bucket of tears right now.

The evening started out with what was going to be a quiet dinner with 3 friends.  And actually was a completely surprise party that included 15 of my friends.   2 of the girls made the drive from Kamloops to help me celebrate the big 4-0, and that was truly humbling.  Cindy is a fabulous party thrower and even had Jodi and Jeremy in on it helping to make it a total surprise.

  And wow, did we all celebrate! Starting with some fire at the Greek Islands.  Hey, the many candles made for some very nice ambiance.  But... when a paper napkin touch's fire, it's sure to not end very well.  My very first Muff Diver was served up.  And being a good sport I dived right in.  A little strange sight I might say for the other guests in the restaurant.  But, it was appropriate for the group I was hanging with for the night.  Just being with this great group of friends made me truly grateful.

 As the evening moved on, we  moved to the local pup.  Where, as the night went on, the crowd got much younger.  By 11pm I think there were ten people in the crowd over forty.  The balance of the place was filled with kids half our age!  And... one of those 20 years olds even bought me a drink! Not sure what that was all about, but I'll take it:)

The laughs continued.   I think the time '2:00' is etched on my brain forever now.   The 2:00 thing is an inside joke that I don't think all of us who were there really understands. But, it gave us something to laugh about all night.  Julie, share sometime what the heck that was about:)

Thank you to all of my friends!  You all impress me in so many ways and I can't thank you all enough for making entrances into my world in various ways over these years.  Thank you for the gift which I will enjoy this week on my little shopping trip.  And Kelly and Julie, my Heart and Soul figure, which will always remind me of my good friends who always make me feel great and encouraged.

Michelle


Thursday, November 19, 2015

Wow! 60 Years Ago...




One of the most influential people in my life entered this world 60 years ago.  My dad. And I feel blessed to have such an encouraging and patient man as my dad.

He is a person who can be counted on to be fair and not gossipy.  He is a person that most people in his circle of influence will say, has integrity at his core.  He is a faithful and generous leader and well respected for his passion for people.

When I was young, I was my dad's little shadow.  If there was any opportunity for me to go for a ride in a truck or to town for one errand or another,  I would be there.  If there was work to be done in the yard,  I was there.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are times in which I would go with him  to pick up an evening load of sawdust.  There was always a stop at the same little store for some pop and chips which made it extra awesome.  (I was easy to please:)

I even would go to church every Sunday evening.  And this wasn't something the average kid enjoyed.  The sermons were very long and very dry.  But for me, it meant time that it was just he and I sitting side by side.  Me, with my head on his shoulder just relaxing.

I truly believe I was pretty easy on him all these years.  An easy kid who didn't cause too much stress. That's likely why he appears so youthful. At least 10 years younger. Seriously!

Ok.  There was one time I may have pushed his buttons.  Just a little bit.  Janey Both will often remind me of this time and we chuckle as if it was yesterday.   All anyone could see was me running through the campsite, flying through the air into the tent.  Only a few seconds later there was my dad, running through the campsite, flying through the air right into the tent behind me.  And a bit of yelling followed.  I like to think that I was helping him remain fit and trim with the exercise he got from chasing me through the campsite. LOL.

Our family certainly has been blessed to have been raised by a dad who shows much patience, grace and care.

Happy Birthday Dad!  You are amazing and we wish you many more healthy and wonderful years of life to encourage people to live a life of purpose.