Winnie the Pooh & Friends

When I think of how close I am to all of my friends, I think of this quote that always holds special meaning in my heart:

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember.  You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think, but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. i'll always be with you".
Winnie the Pooh

One of my most favorite things to do is get together with friends.  Whether it's been a while and we are catching up over dinner or a concert or whether it's once or twice a week croppin and creating at The Scrap Yard or dancing with my dancin' girls..... I love every minute I spend with my friends..... and I have the most amazing groups of friends.  I have many different hobbies and interests and I have groups of friends with the same hobbies and interests.

Last week was our last "Lynn Thune" class at the happiest place on earth - The Scrap Yard creating our 6x12 family album and, as I was creating my last layout, a feeling of sadness came over me..... wondering what will I do with my Thursday afternoons - our same group has been meeting for a year!  Fortunately Lynn has decided to do another 20 week session for a 9x9 album and I'M IN. 

I feel so thankful for all the great things that scrapbooking has brought to my life but making new friends has to be the best thing of all.

This is one of the last layouts that we created for our "family" album.... my scrappin' group of friends!
'Til next time..... Enjoy!

We've only got today!

"Carpe Diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think."

“You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth" This quote has come to have meaning this past week for my son as he lost a good friend in a motorcycle accident. I truly believe that we’ve only got today and today must be lived to its fullest. Since my kids were old enough to understand I have been preaching to them to say and do one nice thing every day. It may be just holding the door open for someone or telling them to have a nice day….. sound sappy? Just ask my kids; they think I am sappy, but at the end of the day I want them to think about what they did that day that made someone smile and I want them to pass this trait down to their children. Don’t drift through life, make the most of every single day because we’ve only got today.

Quite hanging on to the handrails….. let go, surrender, go for the ride of your life….. do it every day!

What if the “hokey-pokey” is really what it’s all about?



My Guys

This past weekend was Thanksgiving and, like most of you, I am thankful for a lot of things in my life. This weekend I was thankful that I got to spend a day with “my boys”. It’s not that often that they want me to join them on their “man” games but I had the perfect day! We played a round of golf, had dinner at the golf course and then came home to watch the hockey game. I took some photos and decided that I needed to create a layout of “My Guys”.

I used the Creative Scrappers Sketch #125 for this layout. They are celebrating their 125th sketch – congrats to them! What a talented group of designers! I get so inspired every time I visit their blog.  Til next time.... Enjoy!

Making a Difference

The CIBC Run for the Cure is an annual event held the first weekend in October on the same day across Canada. The event is Canada’s largest single-day volunteer-led fundraiser dedicated to a future without breast cancer and last Sunday 8,000 people ran or walked the 5k and raised 1.43 million dollars towards the cause.

You can’t help but feel a sense of pride mixed with emotion as you walk the beautiful tree-lined streets of Willow Park. The autumn leaves falling from the trees, the sound of them crunching under your feet and the sun peeking through the trees. Everyone walking for the same cause; it takes your breath away just looking around at everyone dressed in pink and reading the backs of their t-shirts declaring who they are running for…. At one point we were behind a 4-some and the man; dressed completely in bright pink including hair, had a picture of a woman on his run tag with the words “I am running for my wife”, she had passed away just 2 weeks ago….. My team-mates and I spent most of the walk on the verge of tears with a lump in my throat.

My girlfriends and I finished the walk in 1 hour and 20 minutes, walking at a very casual pace so that we could chat and take in all the sights and sounds along the way. There were houses decorated with pink bras, ribbons, teddy bears, flags and even the local police force got in on the fun. There was even a live band playing in the driveway of one of the houses… how can you not smile at that.

After the walk I left my friends and headed to the c-train. I sat down on the train, a little tired, closed my eyes for a minute and when I opened them a woman had sat down directly across from me and when I read the front of her shirt the tears came flowing…. She looked to be about the same age as me and her husband had his arms around her….. her t-shirt said “I am running for ME”…. She had no hair and looked very weak and frail. I had only a very short ride on the train but I made sure that I told her that I was running for her today and that I wished her well… put’s it all into perspective doesn’t it?

I want to thank everyone who supported me with a donation and encouragement and I want you all to know that we are making a difference…..

I love this layout, mostly because I chose all my favorite pictures from that day and because it is PINK!

'Til next time..... Enjoy!