I was so exhausted last night that I missed the Northern Lights. Thankfully most of Facebook was flooded with pictures this morning.
I picked up coffee and Tim Bits at 9, fruit and veggie trays and drinks at Safeway, and the muffins and yogurt at FireHall. Once at the park, Shayne from JCI was there to help for 4 hours in the Green room/volunteer hospitality tent. We kept the food and beverages rolling and provided a safe space. The feedback was great.
There was so much fun going on all over the park and streets. The place was packed in a good way. I loved wandering around, when I could, with my new bubble gun. The kids and adults loved it.
Christina the Crazy HooperFatima
Strike went fairly smooth and quickly and I enjoyed my roll as Tetris master for the trailer.
Doug Mitchell
I am still a bit confused about who would decide to bring a bottle of wine to a children’s Festival.
This day drained me. I suffered from allergies and it left a dent. I had a waxing appointment and then a dental appointment and then made it down to Rotary Park just as I was needed. The big party tent had to be built and I was the one who figured it out last year. I supervised everyone to get it set up. I left not long after to go pick up Mom’s pills and deliver them. I also ordered fruit and veggie trays at Safeway to pick up in the morning. From there I dropped the pills, had a short visit with Mom and then headed to Superstore and Walmart to find hot air popcorn makers. They want to make big bags to dole out during the entertainment tomorrow. Once I had them, and bungee cords in hand, I returned to the park. My allergies were settling in so I came home, took a pill, changed and cooled down for a bit as it was over 30 when I got there. Too big of an adjustment to the system for sure. I headed back to the park and brought my Niimbot label maker to make a proper diagram of the tent and label the poles in order to make it easier next year. When Slow Joe Crow was done, I headed to Fenwick and Baker with Kevin and Barb Phillips for a nice appy meal and visit while the Canucks vs Oilers game 2 was on. It was 1-1 when we left. I am home and tired and my eyes are burning… tomorrow will be a long day.
I did get work done, but I also went to Rotary lunch, bought bubble liquid for Saturday and picked up more pop from Selkirk beverages for Children’s Festival. My stop at Tim Horton’s confirmed that they will donate 2 boxes of coffee and 100 Tim Bits to be picked up Saturday morning.
While at lunch Lallah asked if I would join her tonight for dinner and the High School musical of Legally Blonde. We had a lovely time sitting on the patio at Heidout, while Maddisun played, enjoying good food in the beautiful sunshine. It feels like summer is on the way.
The show was great although I was mildly uncomfortable watching teens perform in a more mature show. It would not have been my first choice, but they were good and it was a shame there were issues with their wireless mics which made it challenging to hear parts of it. Eric, Jeff and Deanne’s homestay student, was fabulous. He should have a career performing.
I stopped at the Guedes house to drop off the girls ‘thank you for making me a mom’ gifts, had a quick visit with Ash and borrowed Roger’s big cooler for the Fest before heading to Encore to find R & R. I bought Roger and I a Glenmorangie and we toasted Dad. A day late is better than not at all, but it cost $28 before tip for an ounce each. I shall not be drinking that there again, lol. After a short visit I offered Roger a ride home and was glad he took it. He was probably ok to get home safe but I am sure he would have blown over and that would have been devastating to his job.
I felt the weight of loss today. Hard to fathom that two decades have passed since my dad was killed when he crashed his floatplane. He was barely 64, gone too young and too full of life and love. I know he would admire the life I have now and would be proud. I do wish he could have seen his great grandchildren as he would have been tickled to hang with them. Gene, his namesake, the oldest, is a wonderful human, and has the best hugs, just the thing his Great Grandad was known for.
I have had a challenging last week of being ‘on’ for people and it made me just come home after work. I didn’t even stop at the liquorstore for Scotch which is my traditional toast to dad. I’m sure he would have a chuckle that I am enjoying Port and Pringles though.
The work day was broken up by a Mother’s Day Brunch where Mom lives. It is also her birthday. Donna and Hogie, Bill and Deanne, Rae-Anne, Ashlée and I all joined her. The food was delicious and we had a nice visit.
Back at the office I worked and met with a new client. He works in the building and I think it is a small enough file that I have time. I finished payroll and then headed to my dentist after going at the wrong time an hour earlier. They filled where I was grinding behind my front upper teeth and a good catcher on the bottom left. I am going back for the bottom right and once that is done I have an appointment for impressions for a night guard and a whitening. I’ve always wanted to do that. I hope it makes a difference.
Once done there I headed to a client to assist with a few things and will set up his new company tomorrow. We discussed the potential of him setting me up an office in his new space he’s building where I can work on my own stuff and his. It would have a view on a second floor! We will revisit it when the time comes.
I got a lot done, but I found myself checking in often on my emotions as I was stuck in a loop thinking about the past, the consequences, and the current choices. I don’t want to get into it much as it involves people I care about. It is mine to chew up and spit out, or just swallow and move on.
Dinner was good
and so was the mail as I received my Chewbacca Lego and some new fun Flamingo lights for the yard
I wasn’t especially impressed when housekeeping knocked on my door just after 9 as I had said I wanted to sleep and opted for the 11 checkout. I did get myself together, left a good tip and my long stemmed rose and headed off into the rainy day.
I stopped at Target and just wandered the whole store picking up a few things from several departments. It was nice.
Next stop was the gas station in Bonner’s Ferry and then a run for the border. It was an easy crossing, but I was getting sleepy.
By the time I got home and unloaded the car I was pretty shaky. I realized it was after 5 and I had t stopped to eat. I whipped up a quick meal of Gyoza and will head to bed soon. Lots to do tomorrow and that last few days was a lot!
Normally this morning would find me dressing up in one of my favourite Star Wars shirts, throwing on my lighting up head band and celebrating by saying May the 4th be with you to anyone who would listen. Instead, I got myself ready and headed down to breakfast by 7:30 which was a delicious buffet including challah French toast and huckleberry syrup.
Demetress Harrell was the first speaker and I can honestly say that she inspires me and impresses me and manages to bring joy and connection in the same breath. Every time I saw her in the hotel, or over the course of the day she would take time to connect. She is educated beyond measure, sits on many boards and has so many accolades I can’t begin to list them here, and yet does not intimidate me at all, but rather makes me want to sit and have a beverage with her.
Patrick Shagaluke was next representing Forced Migrants and Refugees. I think the preview screen was not working properly for him and his presentation was sped through, but it was heartfelt and I appreciat the work that is being done by this refugee from Congo.
Next was dear Deepa Willingham, another amazing example of a human who trained under Mother Theresa, has many degrees and accolades and yet is so humble and full of love that one cannot help be drawn to her. I want to be part of her world, to learn how to give and make a difference in this world. And, she made me cry for the second day in a row.
For lunch I was part of the group that went out on the Mish-An-Nock and because there were so many of us we rafted up with the Coeur d’Alene. It was a lovely buffet on a cruise around part of the huge lake. I was happy to have conversation with a local member who could fill me in on the details of the area. She was super friendly and we talked for a good long time. It was cool to pass the ‘floating green’ where one of our members, Rick had golfed yesterday, having had to take a boat out to finish the round. The boats felt a lot like I was on a ferry or sea bus and gave me very pleasant feels. If I didn’t concentrate on the lack of smell, I could almost believe I was back on the ocean.
Next, I attended the Business Meeting as I really wanted to learn all that I could about this organization I have joined. It was worth it and I learned a lot.
After the meeting Heidi, Joe and I walked over to margaritaville in Rotary Centennial Park where for a donation, we got top shelf drinks and had a nice visit. Apparently over 700 dollars was raised, lol.
I came back to my room and got changed for the evening before heading down to the no host reception. I met up with Penny from Sunrise Rotary in Cranbrook and we picked a good table where Rick, Heidi, Jordon, and Joe from my club as well as Helen from hers and an exchange student from Belgium joined us. We all had a lovely evening.
Highlights were The Youth Exchange Flag Ceremony and Talent Show, the District Awards where we won Social Media Citation for the year as well as Outstanding Large Club of the Year, and the entertainment from Courtney & Co (on his Harp Guitar) followed by Eric E who got those who remained up dancing.
Penny and I went over to Whispers for a martini on the deck. She went back to her room and I ordered a crown to take back to my room which was free poured. As I turned to leave, there was Jordon and Heidi and we had a nice visit out on the deck. She has good insights as our president and a friend.
I am so grateful to me for making the choice to come and will be looking forward to finding my place where I have passion to serve in Rotary for the rest of my days. And I will always remember these powerful women who inspired me
I got up early so that I could dry my hair before walking over to the Peace Summit. I realized that I forgot any method of combing or brushing my hair. Oh well, the fingers worked. The first session of the morning at the Human Rights Education Institute had technical difficulties getting started, but turned out to be a real blessing in my day. The speaker, Devankar Mekhi, was on by zoom from Detroit and shared a lot of great information about cultivating peace and encouraging youth to Rotary. We broke into small groups and answered a bunch of questions around the circle. I made some conference friends in that circle, and we were blessed to have Keynote speaker for tomorrow, Deepa Willingham, in our circle. At one point she had two of us in tears with her stories about changing someone’s life with our actions. I look forward to tomorrow. Afterwards was the Peace Pole dedication with the Schitsu’umsh drummers. It was moving and I saw a moment when what looked like a young landscaper was driving past and pulled into a parking lot across the street to come over and see what was going on. He seemed earnestly interested, asked questions of a Rotarian at the back of the pack and stayed to watch.
On the way back from that, I stopped at Figpickles again to buy ‘The Child’ as I found out on Lego.com that it is a retired item. This made me happy to find and they were thrilled that I had discovered that and was getting it.
I dropped it off in my room and headed down to the lunch to find Heidi and Jordan had arrived. I sat at the table with them and Sandra and Bill from Kimberley. It was a multicultural buffet and I was able to find many delicious options that I was not allergic to. The first speaker was Demetress Harrell. She was very inspiring, came from Texas and left us touched by her message of giving. Next was Gabor Gasztonyi from NEw Westminster, BC. He is a survivor of polio, a photographer and huge giver in the world of African children who are victims of Polio. After a break there was a panel of 4 who spoke on homelessness. It was interesting, but not feasible in BC due to the difference in laws. There were some very good points though about coming alongside and supporting even on an individual level. During the break I had a great talk with the CDA youth rotary group about potential marketing possibilities as I had become aware that CDA store employees were not aware of Rotary in the area. They listened and responded well to my observations. The final session at the resort was Chief Allan from the CDA Tribe, Schitsu’umsh. He was full of personality and had an ‘off the cuff’ manner of speaking that was very well crafted to keep the session positive. He is the face of reconciliation. I want to believe it was not just what we wanted to hear, but I do believe he was full of grace and that there is a reason he has been chief for so long. His two sisters and niece were the drummers that I had seen earlier and they did two songs. I spoke with one of them after and asked her to pass along a message to her brother of gratitude.
The donation to the auction raising money for polio eradication includes a lovely grouping from Cranbrook
Once I was done that session, I was led astray and bought the last penguin available. I downloaded the App and found that I am supporting and following Elal who is somewhere off the coast of Uruguay. The stuffy is soft and gorgeous. I love penguins, have since the 90s or so when I first realized how glorious they are in real life. I hope someday to see them in their natural habitat.
I had an hour free time so I wandered the park and the waterfront enjoying the art and the view.
The final event of the evening was a tapas buffet sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce. I was happy when 4 of the Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary group joined me at the table I was at. We had a great visit, enjoying the food, a beverage and the guitar player/singer. We then visited as we strolled back to the Resort. Penny and I, two bookkeepers celebrating end of season, sat on the deck and had drinks. Just before the sun was to set, Helen joined us and we all had a lovely visit before it cooled down. I am loving that I am staying alone, but am also enjoying getting to know people from the other clubs. There are so many that I am already meeting in the lobby and elevators with great exclamations of recognition and hellos. It truly is a relationship, an extended family. This experience makes me more eager to travel more and get involved with Rotary international experiences. Heidi mentioned that I may want to be involved in Polio vaccination days as I have a soft spot due to the fact that my maternal grandfather died from Polio when my mom was a child. I am open to that!
I took my time relaxing and then getting ready to head to the states today. The urgency was completely relieved when I realized they are on Pacific time so I would gain and hour going there. The drive was lovely even with the short patch of rain, the border crossing was pleasant, and I was in awe when I arrived. The Resort is just lovely and the weather cleared enough to allow me to go for a comfortable walk to the shops, grab some happy hour sliders and martinis and get back in time for a 50 min Swedish Massage. Jason worked his magic and I floated back to my room in time for them to deliver my Sweet Treats plate. It is ridiculously good and very sweet. I could only eat a bit so will dole it out over the next few days. I have the candles lit and am tucked in watching The Day After Tomorrow. I will sleep early tonight as I plan to be up at 6:30 so I can shower and dry by hair before the 10 minute walk over to the Peace Summit
It does amaze me how much it feels like I am on the ocean here. Good for the soul
The weather felt like march, but the month holds promise, and we need the water for the fire season.
The day had several oddities. I was able to gather more donations for the Children’s Festival which was a plus. I had to do only half a payroll as one of the two employees didn’t have their timesheet completed. The big company that I was supposed to run last payroll for found out that the new ‘owner’ didn’t set up liability insurance so they couldn’t take over the payroll. I will do it next week as usual. My printer stopped dead as the starter toner ran out after not much use. Fortunately I am also connected to the network one so I could print cheques, including the one to me. I received an email from the General Manager of the local radio station that he had been approached for advertising by a band who is playing free in the park on the same day FPPAS is doing our fundraiser. They said they were raising funds for us but have no affiliation, so, yeah, I had to deal with that. Funny thing was, the GM was the guy I chatted with when I sat next to him and his wife at the Gala on Saturday night. Can’t get away with things in a small city, especially when my network is large.
I met up with the kids and grands at Encore for rib night. It was fun to hang out even if the ribs were disappointing. I had a very interesting conversation with Ash when out of nowhere, it seemed, she asked if I had reconciled myself to the fact that she wasn’t ever going to have kids. I have never thought of it as imperative and I was able to honestly say that the only thought I have always had is that I hope to see her happy. She said she is getting there. We also think that the poster this year for VIMF sums up the past and would be a great year to end on, the 30th. We would both miss it, but know we can’t do it forever. It is such a long, encompassing journey for us.
Today was a very good parcel day! I got my lights for my two Lego dioramas and when I got home there was a lovely parcel from England for my birthday. It made me a bit teary, to be honest. Such thoughtful friends from afar that I hope to see again some day.
triumphgal 