Spring Food Drive

All week I've been trying to get ready to start the Annual Spring Food Drive in my office building.
The things I do in my spare time I tell ya! Smh.
Keeps me sane on the job. lol

When it starts to overflow...
I remove some items to another area.

I try to solicit donations from fellow employees for the month of April and a part of the month of May so that we can help a local food pantry re-stock their supplies after the winter.
What becomes challenging for me is that I work on a particular floor in my office building which doesn't grant me access to all other floors. That being said, it makes it difficult to reach other employees I wouldn't normally have access to. So, I've been trying to figure out all week how to work around this. Probably because last year our donations were much lower than the year previous. Luckily, I kept some emails from people that have assisted me with other programs I run with. Ie. Backpack program. Already Making Plans. I've been soliciting a few foot soldiers to help me make this years Food Drive a success. We'll see how it goes. Are you helping out where you are?

"The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor." (Proverbs 22:9)

If you listen to the news (at least in my area), you will see that we are not the only one running with the same idea. Daily Bread Food Bank needs YOUR help. If there is anything you can do to help your area or ours, that would be awesome. There are always ways to help in every community in every city and every country. You just have to seek them out. We just have to remember that there are many others that are less fortunate than ourselves. We make excuses for why we can't help without realizing that if we can't help in one way, we can help in another. Sometimes it's not always about your money, but about your time. And you know that we always make time for the things and people that are important to us!

Why not pay it forward? Just think about it.

                                     

Everybody knew Michael Jackson (RIP MJ)
....so I thought I would share this song with an awesome message.
He got it...long time ago! (Although many people prefer to remember him for the bad instead of the good.)

On that note.....I want to wish everyone a Blessed Good Friday for those who celebrate the true meaning of Easter. And, in case I don't get to blog before Easter....hope you are spending yours with the ones you love. 

Happy Easter to you all.

Back Down Memory Lane

I took a brief stroll Back Down Memory Lane today.
It was very brief because it was a reminder of a time that was very very difficult for me.
A bit too difficult to even share in this post right now.
But....it's always good to share with someone....get that release. So, that's what I did.

What prompted the stroll?
Well, the person who facilitated that pain (that is no longer a part of my life) attempted to reach out yesterday. Not to me, but one of my children. It was quite out of the blue. I understand though. I'm not mad. A bit of a dejavu I must say. Smh. lol

When I was sharing with a good friend this morning, it helped to identify how that point in my life had it's part in shaping who I am today. Why I do or react to certain things certain ways. I had never thought about it much before. Obviously because we often try to put the painful things out of our minds and leave it there. lol I'm much stronger than I was, and probably because of this experience, but it still kind of hurts. Especially when you think about how much you have gone through with one person and/or because of one person. lol I certainly took more than I needed to. It was like being in a boxing ring and getting knocked down, but you keep getting up to get knocked down again, and again, and again. lol That was me! WAS!

I've since gotten out of that ring. Not on my own accord though. The person that was knocking me down got tired I guess. hahaha They did me a favor and walked away. Perfect timing too...Furman had come back into my life to be the friend and husband that I need. My protector too! Now...life is great! God is good. Furman is by my side to walk the rest of the journey with me and my children. And, I've gotten through all that I have because I had Faith, Hope and Trust....in God.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths." (Prov 3:5,6)

Yup...the Lord has shaped my life and the people in it because of his Love for me!
All I can say.....

                           

On that note....should that person ever come across my blog, I want them to know:
We're all ok. No regrets! 
God was and is always in control.
We also, hope and pray that life is awesome for you and your family too.
Live, Love, Laugh.  

I'll end this blog post with a pre-lude to the Easter Holidays. May we never forget! 
We had the opportunity to attend my Church's Easter Production on Sunday called "It Is Finished" and they did an absolutely wonderful job. So, I thought I would share this video.

Have an awesome week.

Boarding the Ship - It's OFFICIAL!

Today, was a good day!
Thank you Jesus!

The ship has docked and my husband has boarded. Ready to set sail! Lol
Oh....but not without something sweet that he made last night for the Captain and it's crew. lol
  My office missed out today. lol
Sorry ladies!

What have I been talking about the last little while when referring to ships? Lol. Well, I can tell you now ... Because IT'S OFFICIAL! My husband has joined the land of the gainfully employed in Canada. A taxpayer! An exciting occasion. :) But, this isn't just any job. Oh noooooo...... God is THAT good. My husband was able to return to the company he used to work for when he lived in the US. Yup! Like I said in an earlier post, there was no room at the port but they made room for him. Good News - The Ship, The Ship (There were no positions available, but they saw him as an asset important enough to bring him back by making room. Sure did!) I know he feels honoured, as he should. He is definitely excited to return to what he has known and has been great at doing for so many years. Just has to see how it's done in Canada now. He's gotta brush up on some material so he can get back into the game! That office won't know what hit them. They'll absolutely love the new addition to their team. I have no doubt!

Excited or what? lol

(his posting on Facebook to his friends)

                                     

I'm so happy to once again be a part of the Sandals and Beaches family.. Thanx to everyone here in Toronto for making me feel at home as a new member of the CANADIAN sales team....... EH!!!

Anyone need to make a reservation for one of the best resort company's around? (Did I mention we got married at Beaches, Negril? lol) Furman is now YOUR man!  (cheesing)
Everyone is happy for him and happy to see him back where he belongs. It'll be almost like old times. Lord knows, it was time for him to get out of the house. lol 

We celebrated with a wonderful lunch again at the Mongolian Grill. Then, we set out to get him his first Canadian cellphone. Can I Have Your Number? - MAD TV After all, he'll need it! So, I treated myself with an upgrade and we both got iPhone 5. lol When we were in another store with my daughter, Furman was entertaining the staff. lmao It was pure jokes. They will certainly remember us him. lol That's my husband. And, that is what certainly helped get him back to where he needs to be - at Sandals! 

So now, Furman is getting our phones set up to how they used to be, just on a newer device. It sucks that when you upgrade your iPhone that you have to get all new accessories and stuff. What a money maker! Oh well. In just a short while our phones will be "rarin' ta go!"

Thought i'd end my post with a Classic tune that crossed my mind. LMAO

Not my sentiments of course...cause I LOVE MY FURMAN. 

But having an extra income in the house will be NICE! 
Although I've been holding it down...if I must say so myself! haha 
Furman and I make an awesome team and I can't wait for what happens next in our lives. Everything has just been falling into place and we have so many people to be thankful for for their prayers. (And anything they might have said or done to help a brother out, lol).
God heard and answered!  Again!!

Moving on to the next big thing!!

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

The Chocolate Race

REGISTERED!

We have a goal!

I am sooo excited.

Now that the weather will be getting warmer my mind has been on getting back into running. Setting a goal for another race so that I have something to work towards. A reason to run other than to be healthy. lol Well, I did it! In fact, we all did it. My daughter confirmed that she will run another race with me so I wasted no time in booking something. 

This is a big deal. 

She ran a race with me once about a year an a half ago - a 5k, Goodlife Fitness 5k. My chip time was 31:49. She thought that it would be a piece of cake and that her youth would help her at 15. lol Little did she know, you really gotta train for it. We told her! It helps. lol But noooo. That run was my 3rd time running a 5k. (My very first was the Toronto Women's 5k, chip time 31:53 and my second was the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 5k, chip time 33:33 running without a partner) I was hoping to keep up with her that morning...instead, she ended up behind me somehow. I turned the u-turn section of the course and couldn't find her, looking for the fluorescent orange shirt I gave her to wear. I kept running wondering WTH? lol She wasn't too too far behind me though. She certainly learned a lesson that day. We had some laughs as I teased her. I remember asking her at what point in the race she realized it was harder than she thought? As I expected, she said it was at the u-turn section when you were able to see exactly how far you still had to go. hahahaha Like I said, you can't count on youth for everything. Some things, you have to put work into. I thought she'd never run with me again after that! Now, she's ready to do it again and The Chocolate Race couldn't be more ideal - scheduled for Mother's Day!! The perfect gift!

Furman, my daughter and I will do the 5k together. Furman's a marathon runner and i've graduated to the 10k with hopes to do my first 1/2 marathon real soon this year (maybe), but we are doing the 5k to run as a family. Oh...and it didn't take long for my partner in crime to sign on. Nope...she didn't have to think twice. Considers it a warmup for this years Spartan Sprint! (You gotta check out this video if you haven't seen it) Gotta love her! She is the one that got me going....starting with CN Tower Climbs. 1776 stairs up! Then, we were off to do our first 5k as I noted above. I can say with confidence that I would have never had a chip time of 31:53 if it wasn't for her. lol I can still remember begging her to go on without me. LMAO! But noooo......she was staying with me. Thank you girl!

With permission - my partner in crime - Catie!
This is from our last race together - Mud Hero because WE LIKE IT REAL DIRTY! lol 

And doesn't she look awesome? She is older than me and quite the inspiration. A powerhouse!

So, I will continue to try and recruit others to join us as well. You coming?
Working on my cousin and her daughter. After all, we broke her in with her first 5k doing the Starbucks Run for Women last year. We'll see how convincing I can be. lol After all, it's her birthday weekend...would be a great gift to herself along with Mother's Day. lol I'm trying!
At the same time....I'm looking ahead to other races. Time to plan, time to plan. Spring is upon us! Although we'd never know it by the weather. lol
 Ya...that's supposed to be today. But, i'm not dancing. :(

Happy 1st Day of Spring everyone!

Live Chat

Well, I had an opportunity to use a LIVE CHAT service this weekend.
Won't tell you for which company, but let me just say that it was quite an experience. lol

 

I just happened to be looking at one of my bills online and noticed that on one of my services we had gone over in what we were paying for in terms of usage. Well damn! It's gonna cost us just over another month of service for not paying attention to something we probably should have. lol Nobody to blame but ourselves. Oh well.
Sooo, I decided to search for some information on options. Can't have this happen again ya know! Changes I could make to save us money the next go around. You know, instead of just stopping what we were doing that cost us all this extra money. (It could have been worse but you know what I mean. Lesson learned.) This, is where Live Chat came in. I decided to give them a try. Save myself some search time for info cause one of my shows was coming on, and possibly get any changes made that I might need. Well......

I initiated Chat and started my conversation with Erick. Now, keep in mind that you really and truly have no idea where these people are. They could be in India just like half of customer service for soo many companies seem to be these days. I'm just saying. Erick answered a few of my questions but we ran into a problem when we seemed to get stuck at Erick's desire to sell me a product that I didn't need right now. I was happy with what I had, just wanted more of it. My current service had certain limits, and...I was already paying additional for extra usage. Online, I saw that there was Unlimited Usage available. According to Erick, in order for me to have this Unlimited Usage, I had to change to a newer service that I didn't need. Mind you, on the actual website there was nothing in small writing saying that the Unlimited Service was only compatible with this new service he was offering me. Oh noooo....I checked. I think he was trying to bamboozle me. He was good, but I was better. So, I put him off and told him I would contact customer service on Monday so I could actually speak with someone because certain things he was telling me wasn't making sense. Nope...he wasn't getting my sale! Lord knows, I dreaded having to call customer service because usually you get someone from an overseas location that is soo scripted they are too busy reading their script to listen to your concern.

So, after completing my Live Chat with Erick, I browsed the company site some more and decided I would initiate another Live Chat. hahaha Sure did. Got Kasey this time. So, I didn't get into as much detail with Kasey as I did with Erick because I really didn't want to repeat myself. I don't care how fast I might type. lol But, I cut to the chase and told Kasey exactly what I wanted. What Erick was indicating that I couldn't have unless I changed my service. I just wasn't telling Kasey I was told that. I wanted Unlimited Usage without having to change my current service in any way. After all, according to the website, Unlimited Usage was just an extra monthly charge on top of what you have already. Low and behold....Kasey confirmed exactly what I figured to be correct in the first place. Erick was wrong and I was right!! (Not that I have to be right all the time! lol)
Then again, maybe Kasey was wrong and Erick was right?  lol At this point, I didn't even care....I was getting exactly what I wanted. Kasey was able to help me and wasn't trying to sell me anything more. So, Kasey did an order to make the change. I should have what I wanted and need in about 24 hours, assuming she was right that is! Hey..she even told me how to get a transcript of our conversation for safe keeping. Well how smart is that? Didn't matter if she was making an error because I had it all in writing now! Erick didn't offer that little tidbit about the transcript! I wonder why? lol Way to go Kasey! Excellent customer service in my opinion.

Moral of the Story - When dealing with Customer Service - sometimes you just have to hang up and try again. lol This obviously applies to Live Chat Service too!  hahaha If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Maybe you'll find your Kasey.

Trust me though, I know for a fact that tons of people already know this based on my experience with working in Customer Service myself. I've had plenty of customers trying to get something out of me that they couldn't get from someone else. lol Can't say I blame them. Not all customer service reps have the same expertise. And, when you throw the sales component in.....customer service really gets lost because all that representative wants is to make the damn sale. Shame on you Erick!!

He'd Do It Again

Nope...wasn't on the bus!

My son called me from Quebec City the other day. You know, to check in and let me know that he's doing alright. That the Teens Gone Wild are driving him crazy but he's getting through it. It was nice to hear from him. He had said that the first couple of days were rough because it was growing pains. Getting into the job, Destination Staff, and what he needed to do on his first trip. He was losing a lot of sleep because he had to be up patrolling the hallways and stuff, making sure the teenagers weren't being disruptive with late night parties, room hopping, etc. Said he wasn't able to get to bed till about 4:30am and had to be up a few hours later to start the day again. lol I know my son loves his sleep. All I can do is laugh. I mean it wasn't like it was that long ago that he was a teenager himself. lol While I spoke to him for a few minutes, he was still on the job. It was impressive to hear him interrupt our phonecall to address a teenager that must have been walking by with a cup in hand. "There's not beer in that cup right?" hahaha The way my son said it had me smiling. That's my boy!!! I listened. Sounded like he had everything under control. After only two days he had stories to share. Not even surprised. After all, he's dealing with a large number of teenagers. He had 53 of them on his bus alone. In fact, the trip had about 1100 teenagers from all kinds of cities spread over 3 hotels. Oh man! He was telling me about how three girls from Nova Scotia already got caught smoking marijuana in their hotel room. Three girls!! Smh. Yup, parents had to be contacted and the girls had to fork over $200 in fines. (not sure if that's each..lol) Well....he had a few more days to go at that point. Hang in there buddy!

My son just got back from chaperoning his trip to Quebec. He lived through it. lol As expected, he had more stories. I can't even remember them all. But, he did say that once he got into the groove of things....everything was copacetic. It was quite funny to hear him praise himself and the job he did. lol I thought I was supposed to do that? haha I did of course, but it seemed like he certainly didn't need my praise. I'm just so proud of him and happy that he is also proud of himself. As we drove back home through terrible snow conditions, my son shared some more of his stories.

Why? Why? Why?

While I may not have been shocked to hear of kids caught drinking and smoking, I was shocked to hear that a teenager was stupid enough to get caught shoplifting. Yup! Another girl! What on earth is wrong with girls these days? I swear, they are often worse than the boys. Thing to is, that she was apparently making a purchase and while purchasing decided to steal something else. WTH? Stupid! I'm sure the parents must have loved getting that call. As far as he knew, they did their best to help resolve the situation as best they could so the girl probably got off with a fine. If she did, she's lucky. It's bad enough when you break the law at home. But, to travel somewhere and break the law there? Smh.

If only parents knew how their teenagers really are when away from home! lol We really need to take off the rose colored glasses and stop saying Not My Baby! lmao Raise them as best we can to be great people, at home as well as away from home. That's all we can do.  And PRAY!

After all is said and done, my son answered the main question I had for him, "Would you do it again?" His answer: "Yup!" He'd do it again!

Because I love music this song came to mind...Love this Classic.

Actually, he is looking forward to another trip and is confident he will be asked to chaperone again. I'm sure he will, I have no doubt.
Oh....and it appears that all the years my son spent in French Immersion came in handy. He was the only staff that was able to speak French, and fluently. lol Oh, I would have loved to hear that. That certainly came in handy in Quebec City. My son was more than happy to use his French at every opportunity. He sounded quite grown when he was telling me how he communicated in French with the bus driver to make him feel comfortable. Oh yes....I am a proud mom. My baby has grown up! That's my boy!!

I must say....God has certainly blessed me with two awesome children. A son, and a daughter!
Now I'm gonna take a page out of my son's book and praise myself....I've done a good job!

Teens Gone Wild

That's where it seems a lot of teenagers are hanging out this week during March Break. Skiing.
Lucky for my son, he gets to join them too....as a chaperone. Lmao
Yup....time for him to put on his Adult Hat and supervise well mannered as well as the out of control teens.
I feel for him! But, also think it will be a great learning experience.
If only I could be a fly on the wall.
Both Furman and I are looking forward to the stories when he returns. hahaha

So, we headed to Orillia on Saturday morning to assist my son with meeting his bus and starting his job. Collecting teenagers to travel to Quebec.
First stop...and from the little we witnessed....he was going to have his hands full. Oh boy! He chaperoned one bus and there was another girl two years "younger" (21) than my son that was chaperoning the other. Instantly we knew that my son and this other girl were going to be tested. My son is a big guy so he might not have as much trouble. The other girl, well she actually looked like one of the teenagers travelling so I knew she was going to be tested. That was clearly evident when we watched her trying to do spot checks on their carry on bags. You know, to confiscate stuff like drugs, alcohol or weapons. Without hesitation she got attitude from a few. "We weren't told our bags were going to be checked". Yup....someone actually said something like that to her. lol What did they expect? I mean really! She told me this after busting a teenager that actually had the nerve to try and smuggle alcohol on the bus. OMG! Can I say that I am surprised? Nope! What I am surprised about was that it was a girl!! Sure was.

As Furman and I sat in the car to watch the buses getting loaded (and be there in case my son needed anything), we saw a small group of teens huddle in the parking lot. It was only after we heard about them getting "busted", and later saw the broken beer bottle on the concrete, that we realized what they were doing. I had already been shaking my head at the group of girls because one of them was wearing her little sisters skirt. hahaha Not even funny! Now you know that I don't really know if it was her little sisters...but you know what I am saying. The skirt was wayyyyy too short for her. (Like in this photo to the left) I started shaking my head when I saw the girl get out of a car wearing the skirt. "Umm...like where does this chick think she is going?" I'm thinking....and then almost passed out when the girl was bending over in the huddle clearly full out flashing us sitting in the car. If only she knew, although she may not have cared. We saw wayyyy too much. I swear I wanted to jump out of the car and pull her skirt down. But I know that wouldn't have helped because there really wasn't anything of the skirt to pull down. Not sure how it could even be called a skirt. lol I remember my days of wearing short skirts. Oh yes I do...they aren't the most comfortable ya know! Always trying to pull them down to make sure nothing is showing. Yeah, like I said, she probably didn't care.

After all was said and done, attendance was taken, bags were checked and everybody boarded the buses to head to their next stop to pick up MORE TEENAGERS! Lord help them! lol I gave my son the quick version of the parent speech...lol And even gave the other girl an even quicker version. haha Hey...she wasn't MY kid...but felt I needed to give her a reminder of what her parents may have already told her. All about being responsible and covering their asses. Any difficulties they have with anything or anyone need to be reported to their supervisors asap.....and, to have fun. It will certainly be an experience.


Just makes me think of all the stuff I missed out on as a teenager. I was pretty shy and withdrawn until my early twenties. I also was a victim of bullying so remained very fearful of people until I finished school. My issues....my skin was too light, or I was too pretty. Go figure! In my younger years, I grew up in an area that was very populated by Portuguese. Never had no problems that I remember. But, when I moved to an area where you'd think I'd fit in for my teenage years. An area very populated by black people...that's where my problems began. Like I said, I was too light! But, I did a 180 and started to find myself in my early twenties. I became the life of the party. hahaha In a matter of speaking. The point I was trying to make was that I am sure that there were many opportunities I missed out on because I was more reserved and not outgoing in the least. Things that in i'd jump at the chance if I was a teenager now. But...I'm clearly not!! hahaha So, I always try to encourage my kids to take advantage of stuff that I wish I could of. Be more outgoing. Travel as much as possible and get educated! On and on and on.... since all these experiences are what help build our character. Yup! They sure do.

So, I've wished my son an awesome trip. He called me to let me know that he made it safe and sound, and that his first night was absolutely crazy. hahaha Picture it, a hotel full of teenagers! 1100 spread amongst 3 hotels. Yup...not much sleep for the adults (or those trying to be adult) trying to keep order. Welcome to parenting! Because we know, who our teenager is at home is not always who they are when they are out with their friends....oh noooooo. lol

Prayers out for all the people that are travelling this March Break. That they have travelling mercies, stay safe and create awesome memories.