My day started out swiftly with an early trip to a somewhat far away land to get all of my documents signed for my passport. It took no time at all to complete this and by 10:30am I was back in my neighbourhood ready to tackle something else on my list before I had to go to a meeting that afternoon. I knew exactly which number I was to tackle: #36. Off to the Italian Bakery and Deli I would go!
I entered the store a bit disoriented as to where I should be. You see the only time I ever visit this place is with my one aunt when she visits and we generally only stick to the bakery section. They have THE best brownies (with little shaved pieces of white chocolate on top – sooooo good!), among many other yummy treats. But this time I was in for something different, something I would have to travel over to the deli section to get, my cheese! Sista had reminded my a while before that this deli usually has a couple of different kinds of cheeses out during the day to sample (if you were there at the right time) and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity take advantage since cheese can be rather expensive. I went over and browsed around not immediately finding the free samples, instead I started to pile several various kinds of cheese in my arms that were new to me and within my price range.
As I rooted through I discovered the sampling area and hit the jackpot! They had two kinds that I’d never had before. I snuck a piece of Canter-something right away and quickly wandered about the store to ponder the new taste. It didn’t take long before I strolled right back to an area that had little melba toasts you could also taste. Canter-something definitely needed to be eaten in conjunction with a cracker or bread or anything, but overall not bad. Once I realized I would save myself a dollar or two by not having to buy one of the hunks of cheese in my hand I returned it and headed over to the brownies … even trade, at least price wise. I soon decided that I should try the other sample available and made my way back to the free cheese.
Asiago. I popped it into my mouth and right away loved it and noticed that it did not NEED a cracker – hmmmm interesting. I put back another one of my cheeses. Eventually I figured enough was enough and it was time to move on out so I could try the others that I bought - off I went.
When I arrived home I got out some grapes and wheat thins and sat down for my favourite kind of lunch. First I tried Nappi, thinly sliced light cheese with little flavour – I wondered if it was supposed to be melted. No patience for that today, it was good the way it was, just not bursting with flavour. Next, I tried the sliced Havarti with herbs and olives. This was a soft, creamy cheese that seemed as if it too would be good melted but also great as is, I decided I would have to try it in a sandwhich someday – thumbs up for it. Finally I had to get out the knife and open up the Wensleydale (sp?) with cranberries. I had heard of this kind off of a movie so I had to try some. It was also good, better to be spread (sort of) on a yummy cracker – very sweet. Yum! You may also remember that I bought Blue cheese early on in my 40 days and did not really enjoy it. I do like it in dressings and probably would in very small doses. Unfortunately no one mentioned that this is how one eats blue cheese. Instead I had gotten out a sharp knife and hacked off a chunk to eat with a little cracker and immediately spit it out and wanted to brush my tongue right away. Warnings need to be on the packaging.
The first half of my day was rather productive with my list. I very much enjoyed my cheeses and learned of new inexpensive ways to try it. I really do love cheese but it really is quite expensive no matter how you cut it (I have even asked for baskets of it as gifts - I am still waiting). I think it’s an amazing discovery and a rich commodity. I think I am learning too why you eat it with whine – I need to attempt that sometime. Another thing to try!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Adventure Day 37 – Beginning #25 Getting my passport
Adventure Day 37 started rather early for me for some reason. I’m not sure why but every once in a while I wake up with things on my mind and a need to do them right away. I probably was considering the fact that I had very little time to complete my list and I really had to get on it, so I did.
I think it was 4-o-clock in the morning when I decided I should start working on my passport papers … sounds logical to me.
#25 has been on my ‘To do’ list for years actually, and I finally had to push myself to do it. I’m not sure why I thought that is was so much work, maybe it was the trip to the government office and the potential wait time I would have to go through in line. Maybe it was all of the tedious questions you have to answer on the application, or getting that stupid picture that truly makes you look like an inmate (and it’s supposed to convince them you are good to travel overseas eh?). Whatever it was that delayed my intentions I was determined to overcome it or at least try this time.
I actually began my paper work for my passport early in my adventure but when I went to save it before printing I accidentally lost everything instead. Needless to say that really ticked me off and sent #25 on my list to do only when I absolutely had to, apparently that was Day 37. Early morning work must sit well with me because I completed my papers, printed them off and was inspired that evening to whip over to the Wrinkleville mall where my car towing/travel place is that I could quickly get my mug shot done. I couldn’t believe how fast it went, I guess that’s because it was 7pm and everyone in Wrinkleville was already tucked into bed. I was the only person in the store and had my pics done in a couple of minutes (along with a couple of maps necessary for my fall placement at school). Why didn’t I do this sooner?!
Next that evening I called up my accountant who lived about 50 minutes away to see if he could be my guarantor for my papers (only because I didn’t know anyone in the city I lived that I’d known for long). It was set that I would visit early the next morning to have them signed. Wow, once again I ask, why did I wait so long?
Between my early morning paper work and my evening photo shoot I had made an appointment to have my hair done. This sounds like a normal thing to do but for me it’s always an ordeal. You see I didn’t just make an appointment for a trim but also to have a little colour done. This is always a scary thing for me since the last time I asked for some natural highlights put in I got a bleached streaky look that made me want to hibernate for the winter. Not to mention the wonderful bowl cut and hack job done on my bangs. I’m not a huge fan of hairdressers but my friend Shell Bell had been sporting a lovely haircut so I stepped out in faith and asked for her hairdressers’ name and made an appointment right away.
Another reason I don’t get my hair cut or coloured often (rarely coloured) is the cost. It just seems so ridiculous to spend money on something that’s just going to grow out in a matter of days. It seems a bit vain. However I had decided to put this on my next list then when I saw Shell Bell’s hair I thought ‘Why wait? There’s no time like the present!’
I ventured out to a new hair artist and was pleasantly surprised with both the work she did as well as the price – both very good! I had also made a date to meet with Shell Bell and her two little girls (who I am delighted by) after my hair was done, so off I went for another wonderful visit.
I had babysat Flower and Rosebud early in the summer and had a ball with them. You see I had only met them a couple of times before but we all seemed to click and ended up having a great day together – we were all sad when it was over. It was a great time to be able to see them again and go to the park together. When I arrived Flower (who’s 5 I think or almost) greeted me with a hello and showed off her beautiful black and white flowered top with lots of sequins on it which added lots of sparkle, of course Rosebud (I think 2 ½) couldn’t’ be out done and she too showed me the lovely dress she was wearing (the same one she wore the day I looked after them – I smiled and told her how cute it was). Apparently Flower told her mom that she was getting dressed on her own and picking out something special for my visit, I was honoured.
We enjoyed our time together outside and I wished I had longer but I was on the go once again. As I left I was thankful for the chance I got in June to spend the day with two little girls that I had not known previously. It’s kind of funny; it was totally on a whim that I answered a facebook plea for help from Shell Bell to offer to babysit for the day (I had no other plans or work to do – why not help a friend?) It’s something I normally would’ve paid no attention to because I didn’t really know her kids and I live a drive away, but the desire to be adventurous was already brewing (ok so babysitting a couple of little girls isn’t all that adventurous, but it was a step out for me).
I am thankful in so many ways how doing new things and blogging about it has brought people into my life or brought those already there in a bit closer. It’s these kinds of things that I enjoy the most!
I think it was 4-o-clock in the morning when I decided I should start working on my passport papers … sounds logical to me.
#25 has been on my ‘To do’ list for years actually, and I finally had to push myself to do it. I’m not sure why I thought that is was so much work, maybe it was the trip to the government office and the potential wait time I would have to go through in line. Maybe it was all of the tedious questions you have to answer on the application, or getting that stupid picture that truly makes you look like an inmate (and it’s supposed to convince them you are good to travel overseas eh?). Whatever it was that delayed my intentions I was determined to overcome it or at least try this time.
I actually began my paper work for my passport early in my adventure but when I went to save it before printing I accidentally lost everything instead. Needless to say that really ticked me off and sent #25 on my list to do only when I absolutely had to, apparently that was Day 37. Early morning work must sit well with me because I completed my papers, printed them off and was inspired that evening to whip over to the Wrinkleville mall where my car towing/travel place is that I could quickly get my mug shot done. I couldn’t believe how fast it went, I guess that’s because it was 7pm and everyone in Wrinkleville was already tucked into bed. I was the only person in the store and had my pics done in a couple of minutes (along with a couple of maps necessary for my fall placement at school). Why didn’t I do this sooner?!
Next that evening I called up my accountant who lived about 50 minutes away to see if he could be my guarantor for my papers (only because I didn’t know anyone in the city I lived that I’d known for long). It was set that I would visit early the next morning to have them signed. Wow, once again I ask, why did I wait so long?
Between my early morning paper work and my evening photo shoot I had made an appointment to have my hair done. This sounds like a normal thing to do but for me it’s always an ordeal. You see I didn’t just make an appointment for a trim but also to have a little colour done. This is always a scary thing for me since the last time I asked for some natural highlights put in I got a bleached streaky look that made me want to hibernate for the winter. Not to mention the wonderful bowl cut and hack job done on my bangs. I’m not a huge fan of hairdressers but my friend Shell Bell had been sporting a lovely haircut so I stepped out in faith and asked for her hairdressers’ name and made an appointment right away.
Another reason I don’t get my hair cut or coloured often (rarely coloured) is the cost. It just seems so ridiculous to spend money on something that’s just going to grow out in a matter of days. It seems a bit vain. However I had decided to put this on my next list then when I saw Shell Bell’s hair I thought ‘Why wait? There’s no time like the present!’
I ventured out to a new hair artist and was pleasantly surprised with both the work she did as well as the price – both very good! I had also made a date to meet with Shell Bell and her two little girls (who I am delighted by) after my hair was done, so off I went for another wonderful visit.
I had babysat Flower and Rosebud early in the summer and had a ball with them. You see I had only met them a couple of times before but we all seemed to click and ended up having a great day together – we were all sad when it was over. It was a great time to be able to see them again and go to the park together. When I arrived Flower (who’s 5 I think or almost) greeted me with a hello and showed off her beautiful black and white flowered top with lots of sequins on it which added lots of sparkle, of course Rosebud (I think 2 ½) couldn’t’ be out done and she too showed me the lovely dress she was wearing (the same one she wore the day I looked after them – I smiled and told her how cute it was). Apparently Flower told her mom that she was getting dressed on her own and picking out something special for my visit, I was honoured.
We enjoyed our time together outside and I wished I had longer but I was on the go once again. As I left I was thankful for the chance I got in June to spend the day with two little girls that I had not known previously. It’s kind of funny; it was totally on a whim that I answered a facebook plea for help from Shell Bell to offer to babysit for the day (I had no other plans or work to do – why not help a friend?) It’s something I normally would’ve paid no attention to because I didn’t really know her kids and I live a drive away, but the desire to be adventurous was already brewing (ok so babysitting a couple of little girls isn’t all that adventurous, but it was a step out for me).
I am thankful in so many ways how doing new things and blogging about it has brought people into my life or brought those already there in a bit closer. It’s these kinds of things that I enjoy the most!
Adventure Day 36 - #14 Walk into a place and get a pedicure
Before I make myself out to be a liar I want to set the record straight: I have indeed gotten a pedicure before. The catch is that I’ve never done it for no reason, it’s usually been before a wedding or something (or maybe I just needed an excuse to go and do it). I will admit I find it intimidating doing anything for the first time in a new place. It’s always nice to get a referral to go somewhere or to go with someone else. It was no different with this number except that the person who joined me for a pedicure invited me to join her - I readily accepted.
The person I shared this number with was Sista. Apparently she visits a pedi place every now and then and said she got a decent deal on it – I’m all about a decent deal, especially when it comes to doing something unnecessary.
We met for lunch (it seems essential to a girls’ afternoon out) then went to a little place called ‘New York Nails II’. The name of this place is absolutely hilarious to me for two reasons: First of all we live in Canada, second of all everyone that worked there were Asian and barely spoke English – a little off the beatin’ trail to New York in my opinion.
As soon as we arrived we were told to go to the colour wall and pick our paint. Sista went with a light bright orange and I a deep red, I thought I would try and match my ‘40 days’ purse (the colour actually looked like black in the end). We then got to take our seats in a couple of side by side gigantic massage chairs. Not long after we were seated the chairs were turned on and boy were they an experience!
I’ve never had a pedicure done while enjoying a massage chair before so this definitely added to my overall pedicure experience. I had no idea a chair could do such things! It really does work you ALL over. I had no idea my butt could be contorted in such a way. The weird part is when Sista saw my face and the seemingly immense discomfort I was in she said “You can change the settings you know, or shut it off”, I couldn’t do it, I felt obligated to get every cent out of what I had paid for my pedicure (even if it had nothing to do with beautifying my feet). I replied with “No, this will give me A LOT to write about … a lot”. Although looking back, I am now speechless about the chair, let’s just said it was a love-hate thing I guess.
As we sat and soaked our feet two Asian little ladies came to work away the calluses that had developed. First they cleaned, then trimmed, a little cuticle work, some cream, then the filing – and I don’t mean our toenails. If you’ve ever had a pedicure you know what I mean. The point when they bring out the huge rough file to help you say good-bye to all of your dead skin. Well, as my lady worked away (all the while speaking fluent something-or-other to the other little Asian lady) she immediately noticed my stiff reaction. I really tried to relax and just let her work but it was killing me! She finally asked “Tick-o? Tick-o?” I quickly replied “Yes, it tickles, a lot!” For some reason I had the absurd idea that if she realized how ticklish it was for me that perhaps she might try being more gentle or careful somehow – boy I was dreaming! She continued to torture each of my feet (along with all of my nerves too).
After the filing work out, more soaking and cream she eventually got to painting my nails. Thankfully that wasn’t uncomfortable – I was starting to wonder why pedicures were considered a ‘treat’. In time we were able to leave our souped up lazy boy chairs to sit on a couple of office chairs with our feet sitting under a giant fan (which by the way didn’t feel like a fan at all – I think it’s just there to make you think you are getting more for your dollar).
The whole experience took about an hour and a half I would say and an interesting one it was. Definitely different than any pedicure I’ve had before! At one point I thought ‘I could get used to this’ and at yet another point I thought ‘Beauty is painful man! Why do we do this?!’ overall I had mixed reactions. I will certainly do it again because there is just something great about getting your toenails painted evenly and perfectly by someone, they were so shiny – they looked fake.
I’m ok with fake every once in a while …
The person I shared this number with was Sista. Apparently she visits a pedi place every now and then and said she got a decent deal on it – I’m all about a decent deal, especially when it comes to doing something unnecessary.
We met for lunch (it seems essential to a girls’ afternoon out) then went to a little place called ‘New York Nails II’. The name of this place is absolutely hilarious to me for two reasons: First of all we live in Canada, second of all everyone that worked there were Asian and barely spoke English – a little off the beatin’ trail to New York in my opinion.
As soon as we arrived we were told to go to the colour wall and pick our paint. Sista went with a light bright orange and I a deep red, I thought I would try and match my ‘40 days’ purse (the colour actually looked like black in the end). We then got to take our seats in a couple of side by side gigantic massage chairs. Not long after we were seated the chairs were turned on and boy were they an experience!
I’ve never had a pedicure done while enjoying a massage chair before so this definitely added to my overall pedicure experience. I had no idea a chair could do such things! It really does work you ALL over. I had no idea my butt could be contorted in such a way. The weird part is when Sista saw my face and the seemingly immense discomfort I was in she said “You can change the settings you know, or shut it off”, I couldn’t do it, I felt obligated to get every cent out of what I had paid for my pedicure (even if it had nothing to do with beautifying my feet). I replied with “No, this will give me A LOT to write about … a lot”. Although looking back, I am now speechless about the chair, let’s just said it was a love-hate thing I guess.
As we sat and soaked our feet two Asian little ladies came to work away the calluses that had developed. First they cleaned, then trimmed, a little cuticle work, some cream, then the filing – and I don’t mean our toenails. If you’ve ever had a pedicure you know what I mean. The point when they bring out the huge rough file to help you say good-bye to all of your dead skin. Well, as my lady worked away (all the while speaking fluent something-or-other to the other little Asian lady) she immediately noticed my stiff reaction. I really tried to relax and just let her work but it was killing me! She finally asked “Tick-o? Tick-o?” I quickly replied “Yes, it tickles, a lot!” For some reason I had the absurd idea that if she realized how ticklish it was for me that perhaps she might try being more gentle or careful somehow – boy I was dreaming! She continued to torture each of my feet (along with all of my nerves too).
After the filing work out, more soaking and cream she eventually got to painting my nails. Thankfully that wasn’t uncomfortable – I was starting to wonder why pedicures were considered a ‘treat’. In time we were able to leave our souped up lazy boy chairs to sit on a couple of office chairs with our feet sitting under a giant fan (which by the way didn’t feel like a fan at all – I think it’s just there to make you think you are getting more for your dollar).
The whole experience took about an hour and a half I would say and an interesting one it was. Definitely different than any pedicure I’ve had before! At one point I thought ‘I could get used to this’ and at yet another point I thought ‘Beauty is painful man! Why do we do this?!’ overall I had mixed reactions. I will certainly do it again because there is just something great about getting your toenails painted evenly and perfectly by someone, they were so shiny – they looked fake.
I’m ok with fake every once in a while …
Friday, September 4, 2009
Adventure Day 35 – A regular day at work with lots of fun!
Yes my adventure was my work day for 35 and it’s never an understatement when I’m talking about my job. I have to say I love that I get to laugh so much at work (sometimes appropriately and sometimes to only keep sane, never the less I do laugh). This day was no different in the humour it held for me. Here are a few of the funnies I got from Day 35 at work:
Guy, Muscles and I were sitting at the kitchen table while Guy was eating. Muscles and I were joking about the fact that he (Muscles) wanted my blog address and had for a while but I was holding the information regarding it high over his head for a suitable ransom. Muscles describes himself as an eight year old kid who can’t stand not knowing something that others know and gets irritated and obsessed with it until he finds the secret out. I loved this and so I taunted him every chance I got. Apparently he had talked about wanting access to my blog for weeks at work, since he first heard about it. Once I found this fact out I tried to use it to my advantage every chance I got – this was too much fun!
Anyway, as we all sat at the table and I teased Muscles very discretely (not actually mentioning the blog itself), Guy (who is very defensive over anything negative that is said about his favourite staff Muscles) piped up after a while and said: “Eva you need to stop being a bully or I’m going to call the police on you!” At which point Muscles thanked Guy for his defense (as I glared at Muscles). I may have added another jab because Guy then reiterated “Eva, you shouldn’t be a cyber bully, I’m going to call the police on you if you don’t stop!” Finally at this point Muscles decided it was a good time to let Guy know that all was ok and that we were only joking around.
At one point later in the day Guy stated to me that “This house is a democracy, not a relationship!” something I’m sure he heard from his favourite staff. However I think the quote was supposed to be: “This house is run by a dictatorship, not a democracy!”
Later in the afternoon Guy suddenly ran up to me and was in a state of hurry. He said: “Eva, can you please time how long it takes me to go to the bathroom? Red (another staff) is the fastest person I know that can go to the bathroom – that’s a girl. I want you to time me.” I said sure and started watching my clock.
After exactly 60 seconds Guy returned from the bathroom and asked what his time was. I told him precisely one minute (in an excited tone). At that point I asked him if he remembered to wash his hands.
He was rather annoyed and replied “Yes. Why does everyone always ask me that?!”
“Well, you were really fast and I just wanted to be sure you did.”
He quickly put both of his hands around my neck and said “Feel. I washed them, they’re still wet.”
I was rather uncomfortable at this point (with the two of his hands clenched around my throat ‘n all) and I must have looked it because Guy then said “Why the look on your face?”
I replied with “Well your hands are around my neck and that makes me nervous. Can you please take them off?”
He sort of gave me a half smile and asked “Are you worried that I might choke you?”
“Maybe a little” I confessed.
“Don’t worry Eva” he said with a huge grin and a hand patting me on my shoulder, “I wouldn’t choke you because I think you are cute.”
Wow what a relief!
Another point during my shift Hottie (Guy’s description of another certain staff) and I were sitting during a meal with Guy at the table. He says “You know I just can’t seem to control my behaviour when ___________ (insert name) is working. Some staff just cause me to go out of control. They are the ones I try to get to quit because I don’t like them.” Hmmmm I’m thinking Guy is a lot smarter than everyone gives him credit for (aside from the fact that he tells on himself).
Just another day at work!
Guy, Muscles and I were sitting at the kitchen table while Guy was eating. Muscles and I were joking about the fact that he (Muscles) wanted my blog address and had for a while but I was holding the information regarding it high over his head for a suitable ransom. Muscles describes himself as an eight year old kid who can’t stand not knowing something that others know and gets irritated and obsessed with it until he finds the secret out. I loved this and so I taunted him every chance I got. Apparently he had talked about wanting access to my blog for weeks at work, since he first heard about it. Once I found this fact out I tried to use it to my advantage every chance I got – this was too much fun!
Anyway, as we all sat at the table and I teased Muscles very discretely (not actually mentioning the blog itself), Guy (who is very defensive over anything negative that is said about his favourite staff Muscles) piped up after a while and said: “Eva you need to stop being a bully or I’m going to call the police on you!” At which point Muscles thanked Guy for his defense (as I glared at Muscles). I may have added another jab because Guy then reiterated “Eva, you shouldn’t be a cyber bully, I’m going to call the police on you if you don’t stop!” Finally at this point Muscles decided it was a good time to let Guy know that all was ok and that we were only joking around.
At one point later in the day Guy stated to me that “This house is a democracy, not a relationship!” something I’m sure he heard from his favourite staff. However I think the quote was supposed to be: “This house is run by a dictatorship, not a democracy!”
Later in the afternoon Guy suddenly ran up to me and was in a state of hurry. He said: “Eva, can you please time how long it takes me to go to the bathroom? Red (another staff) is the fastest person I know that can go to the bathroom – that’s a girl. I want you to time me.” I said sure and started watching my clock.
After exactly 60 seconds Guy returned from the bathroom and asked what his time was. I told him precisely one minute (in an excited tone). At that point I asked him if he remembered to wash his hands.
He was rather annoyed and replied “Yes. Why does everyone always ask me that?!”
“Well, you were really fast and I just wanted to be sure you did.”
He quickly put both of his hands around my neck and said “Feel. I washed them, they’re still wet.”
I was rather uncomfortable at this point (with the two of his hands clenched around my throat ‘n all) and I must have looked it because Guy then said “Why the look on your face?”
I replied with “Well your hands are around my neck and that makes me nervous. Can you please take them off?”
He sort of gave me a half smile and asked “Are you worried that I might choke you?”
“Maybe a little” I confessed.
“Don’t worry Eva” he said with a huge grin and a hand patting me on my shoulder, “I wouldn’t choke you because I think you are cute.”
Wow what a relief!
Another point during my shift Hottie (Guy’s description of another certain staff) and I were sitting during a meal with Guy at the table. He says “You know I just can’t seem to control my behaviour when ___________ (insert name) is working. Some staff just cause me to go out of control. They are the ones I try to get to quit because I don’t like them.” Hmmmm I’m thinking Guy is a lot smarter than everyone gives him credit for (aside from the fact that he tells on himself).
Just another day at work!
Adventure Day 34 - #3 Go to Catholic Mass
I had been looking very much forward to the day I would get to go to my first official
Catholic mass. I had been to one a few months ago while doing a placement at a Catholic school. I had really enjoyed working at that particular school as well as the mass the school attended together each month. I have briefly mentioned a friend of mine (sort of, I think we could say friends), that was raised Protestant and had turned Catholic a few years ago and who is currently seeking God for direction regarding the Priesthood.
If you are Protestant you are likely very surprised to hear of such a thing. Having been raised Protestant I was. Usually we are known for converting Catholics into our ‘more real, lively faith’. I have never really known a Catholic personally who practiced their faith (that’s not a knock, I just haven’t known any), so hearing Father Al’s story (my friend) really took me by surprise. Not only that, but the part that made/makes me curious is that he lives a life of calling rather than habit. He doesn’t assume what his path is, he seeks it out day by day (well it appears that way to me). I know only a couple of people well in my life that do that. Interestingly these people are single, are not bogged down by owning stuff (house, big things, etc), and they intentionally leave their lives open to where God could be leading them – no assumptions. I look up to these people to teach me what it looks like to live by Spirit rather than my man’s opinion and expectation.
It has been through some interesting conversations (e-mails) with my friend Father Al that I became interested in attending a Catholic Mass – hence this becoming #3 on my list. I have to admit I wanted to accomplish this number much earlier on in my adventure than I did. However I became intimidated by attending a religious ceremony alone without knowing the meaning, expectation and the duty of the unaware onlooker. Though I have grown up deeply involved in church throughout my life I have been very ignorant of Catholic practices. To help myself out in this endeavor I made a plea on facebook (I am very thankful for facebook) not expecting to hear a peep, when all of a sudden I had an offer! I was shocked!!!
Not only did I have an offer of a companion to go to mass with but this person was a former Catholic, someone I knew well, and they were willing to go to the Cathedral of my choice – could it get any better than that? My date was none other than Aims!
I was so excited when she offered to come the one hour drive to help me experience #3 and admittedly I was a bit baffled as to why. I mentioned before that Aims has a bit of a trucker’s mouth yet a heart of gold and she doesn’t hesitate one minute to tell you what she thinks. Though she was once Catholic she sort of made the turn to Protestant when she married and had a child of her own and has been growing ever since where she’s at. I did not think that she would ever want to come and spend her Saturday night (she truly doesn’t get out and about kidless often) driving a ways to go to mass with me, when I knew there was little in it for her.
Not long after she arrived I didn’t pretend to understand why she’d come to do this and I just came out and asked. She answered me on the way to the church: “I’ve started my own list Eva, both Bub (her husband) and I have. It’s time I started doing stuff, trying new things and getting out more so here I am!” Wow! I couldn’t believe it. I knew she was sincere because she had not yet come to visit me in my new home nor had we visited (aside from our outing a few weeks prior) in several months. She had truly taken the idea to heart. The odd thing was that I had only mentioned my list briefly. I hadn’t gone into any long drawn out explanation, just a simple ‘this is on my list because…’ I was stunned that Aims had been influenced by a single conversation about mass and tequila.
As we entered the church I followed Aims after her actions (I didn’t mimic, just observed) and we sat a third of the way from the back of the church. What a beautiful sight it was. Murals everywhere, stained glass, high ceilings, everything that could make a building stunning surrounded me. I later decided that there could have just been the organ playing in the background and me sitting alone and I would have had a deeply spiritual experience. As we sat, we quietly discussed what may happen and what I should do. Several times words had flowed out of Aims’ mouth that required the traditional crissy cross Catholic thingy (I told you her vocabulary left a bit to be desired – at least in a church setting). I had to hold myself back from laughing a couple of times – not the best way to quiet myself.
The service began and we watched a processional, then listened and participated in some singing (lead by a beautiful voice), then commenced the sermon, some readings, followed by communion (which I skipped out of respect and ignorance of what the rules were). (By the way it was the Eucharist that really spoke to the heart of Father Al in his experience). By the end I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. Aims helped me feel a bit better as we were approaching the parking lot by saying: “Well, I have to say, as far as mass is concerned, that was *made a sounds with her tongue blowing out of her mouth, along with a thumbs down sign*.” Of course I took this lightly as I know Aims had never practiced Catholicism from the heart but rather out of her family tradition, and only as a youth.
I came away with many more questions and a desire to learn the whys about many more things. (When I eventually got home I did send off an e-mail to Father Al letting him know of my experience and am yet to get a response. I am curious to hear what he thinks, but sure that I will try another mass sometime, perhaps somewhere else).
My mass experience may have ended there but my evening with Aims did not. She was game for a meal out and some good time together. I was pleasantly surprised and took in every minute. After much driving through the city trying to find a certain restaurant, then choosing another and accidentally driving in the opposite direction, we finally found a Vietnamese place to go where we were able to sit and enjoy some good food and conversation.
We had such a great time! In fact I don’t think we’ve ever had an occasion like it (at least not in several years). She has a way of making me laugh like nobody else (remember I don’t really laugh easy), but that night for the first time since I was a kid I sprayed water through my nose from laughing so hard (can I just say that water is far more painful than milk coming out the nose). We talked and talked, about all kinds of things. We’ve never really spoken all that seriously about life and spiritual things but that night we did and it was really cool. At the same time we were able to have fun and relax too!
Though the focus of my evening was originally one thing, the lesson and gift I got out of it was something totally different. I had hoped for a real spiritual experience of learning something new and seeing through different eyes. Instead I got a true gift of meaningful connection and friendship with family that I had grown away from in recent years gone by. We shared priceless time together that meant something. It wasn’t really planned (yes mass was but the rest wasn’t) it just happened out of a different intention.
Time and time again I am seeing the benefits of why it is so important to try to do things out of the ordinary and just attempt walking in different waters, because you will meet amazing people along the way. Perhaps people you’ve already met before somewhere else, but whom you meet again with new eyes and a fresh heart. That’s what Day 34 gave to me, a wonderful, wonderful gift of eye opening light.
Now I just pray the electricity stays on …
Catholic mass. I had been to one a few months ago while doing a placement at a Catholic school. I had really enjoyed working at that particular school as well as the mass the school attended together each month. I have briefly mentioned a friend of mine (sort of, I think we could say friends), that was raised Protestant and had turned Catholic a few years ago and who is currently seeking God for direction regarding the Priesthood.
If you are Protestant you are likely very surprised to hear of such a thing. Having been raised Protestant I was. Usually we are known for converting Catholics into our ‘more real, lively faith’. I have never really known a Catholic personally who practiced their faith (that’s not a knock, I just haven’t known any), so hearing Father Al’s story (my friend) really took me by surprise. Not only that, but the part that made/makes me curious is that he lives a life of calling rather than habit. He doesn’t assume what his path is, he seeks it out day by day (well it appears that way to me). I know only a couple of people well in my life that do that. Interestingly these people are single, are not bogged down by owning stuff (house, big things, etc), and they intentionally leave their lives open to where God could be leading them – no assumptions. I look up to these people to teach me what it looks like to live by Spirit rather than my man’s opinion and expectation.
It has been through some interesting conversations (e-mails) with my friend Father Al that I became interested in attending a Catholic Mass – hence this becoming #3 on my list. I have to admit I wanted to accomplish this number much earlier on in my adventure than I did. However I became intimidated by attending a religious ceremony alone without knowing the meaning, expectation and the duty of the unaware onlooker. Though I have grown up deeply involved in church throughout my life I have been very ignorant of Catholic practices. To help myself out in this endeavor I made a plea on facebook (I am very thankful for facebook) not expecting to hear a peep, when all of a sudden I had an offer! I was shocked!!!
Not only did I have an offer of a companion to go to mass with but this person was a former Catholic, someone I knew well, and they were willing to go to the Cathedral of my choice – could it get any better than that? My date was none other than Aims!
I was so excited when she offered to come the one hour drive to help me experience #3 and admittedly I was a bit baffled as to why. I mentioned before that Aims has a bit of a trucker’s mouth yet a heart of gold and she doesn’t hesitate one minute to tell you what she thinks. Though she was once Catholic she sort of made the turn to Protestant when she married and had a child of her own and has been growing ever since where she’s at. I did not think that she would ever want to come and spend her Saturday night (she truly doesn’t get out and about kidless often) driving a ways to go to mass with me, when I knew there was little in it for her.
Not long after she arrived I didn’t pretend to understand why she’d come to do this and I just came out and asked. She answered me on the way to the church: “I’ve started my own list Eva, both Bub (her husband) and I have. It’s time I started doing stuff, trying new things and getting out more so here I am!” Wow! I couldn’t believe it. I knew she was sincere because she had not yet come to visit me in my new home nor had we visited (aside from our outing a few weeks prior) in several months. She had truly taken the idea to heart. The odd thing was that I had only mentioned my list briefly. I hadn’t gone into any long drawn out explanation, just a simple ‘this is on my list because…’ I was stunned that Aims had been influenced by a single conversation about mass and tequila.
As we entered the church I followed Aims after her actions (I didn’t mimic, just observed) and we sat a third of the way from the back of the church. What a beautiful sight it was. Murals everywhere, stained glass, high ceilings, everything that could make a building stunning surrounded me. I later decided that there could have just been the organ playing in the background and me sitting alone and I would have had a deeply spiritual experience. As we sat, we quietly discussed what may happen and what I should do. Several times words had flowed out of Aims’ mouth that required the traditional crissy cross Catholic thingy (I told you her vocabulary left a bit to be desired – at least in a church setting). I had to hold myself back from laughing a couple of times – not the best way to quiet myself.
The service began and we watched a processional, then listened and participated in some singing (lead by a beautiful voice), then commenced the sermon, some readings, followed by communion (which I skipped out of respect and ignorance of what the rules were). (By the way it was the Eucharist that really spoke to the heart of Father Al in his experience). By the end I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. Aims helped me feel a bit better as we were approaching the parking lot by saying: “Well, I have to say, as far as mass is concerned, that was *made a sounds with her tongue blowing out of her mouth, along with a thumbs down sign*.” Of course I took this lightly as I know Aims had never practiced Catholicism from the heart but rather out of her family tradition, and only as a youth.
I came away with many more questions and a desire to learn the whys about many more things. (When I eventually got home I did send off an e-mail to Father Al letting him know of my experience and am yet to get a response. I am curious to hear what he thinks, but sure that I will try another mass sometime, perhaps somewhere else).
My mass experience may have ended there but my evening with Aims did not. She was game for a meal out and some good time together. I was pleasantly surprised and took in every minute. After much driving through the city trying to find a certain restaurant, then choosing another and accidentally driving in the opposite direction, we finally found a Vietnamese place to go where we were able to sit and enjoy some good food and conversation.
We had such a great time! In fact I don’t think we’ve ever had an occasion like it (at least not in several years). She has a way of making me laugh like nobody else (remember I don’t really laugh easy), but that night for the first time since I was a kid I sprayed water through my nose from laughing so hard (can I just say that water is far more painful than milk coming out the nose). We talked and talked, about all kinds of things. We’ve never really spoken all that seriously about life and spiritual things but that night we did and it was really cool. At the same time we were able to have fun and relax too!
Though the focus of my evening was originally one thing, the lesson and gift I got out of it was something totally different. I had hoped for a real spiritual experience of learning something new and seeing through different eyes. Instead I got a true gift of meaningful connection and friendship with family that I had grown away from in recent years gone by. We shared priceless time together that meant something. It wasn’t really planned (yes mass was but the rest wasn’t) it just happened out of a different intention.
Time and time again I am seeing the benefits of why it is so important to try to do things out of the ordinary and just attempt walking in different waters, because you will meet amazing people along the way. Perhaps people you’ve already met before somewhere else, but whom you meet again with new eyes and a fresh heart. That’s what Day 34 gave to me, a wonderful, wonderful gift of eye opening light.
Now I just pray the electricity stays on …
Saturday, August 29, 2009
40 Day Adventure is done!!
As I mentioned earlier I have a ton of posts to write about the last seven days of my adventure. Wally and I are going on our planned vacation for a few days and look forward to some relaxation after our busy summer (and my super busy social engagements as of late). I look forward to doing some writing while we are away and posting when we get home in a week.
I think to say that my last 40 days were an adventure is a perfect description because it has been all that and so much more. Please stick with me and come back in a week to hear how the rest of my experience went - you won't be disappointed!
Miss me and let me know if any of you have been trying anything adventurous of your own. I'd love to hear if anyone has challenged themselves in any way - big or small, it all counts!
Love Eva :)
I think to say that my last 40 days were an adventure is a perfect description because it has been all that and so much more. Please stick with me and come back in a week to hear how the rest of my experience went - you won't be disappointed!
Miss me and let me know if any of you have been trying anything adventurous of your own. I'd love to hear if anyone has challenged themselves in any way - big or small, it all counts!
Love Eva :)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Adventure Day 33 Part2 - #12 & #6
#12 - Convince 5 other girl friends to go out for a night on the town
#6 – Have a shot of Tequila
Adventure Day 33 held one of the most memorable nights I would have in a very long time – it was going to be my girls night out, and a chance to try my first taste of tequila. What a night it would be!
As I mentioned early on in my 40 Day Adventure finding 5 friends to go out with was a huge challenge, or at least I was making it into one. You know how you have different groups of friends? Like old school friends, job friends, for me home church friends, maybe neighbourhood friends. Initially when I put this item on my list I thought ‘How hard could it be to invite 5 friends out for some fun? I have lots of friends – I can do this!’ … until I started making lists of invitees. That’s when it hit me. Girls aren’t always that easy to mix up.
Come on ladies, you know what I mean. We all have, and have been, the friend that was looking forward to hanging out with specific people that we know then we come to find out they’ve invited a bunch of other people they know. All of a sudden our quaint, safe gathering has turned into a block party and we have no one left to talk to. (Ok block party is a bit extreme but in the moment that’s what it feels like). We’ve also had those friends that we invite to a group function that feel like we have to ‘babysit’ the whole time because we know full well they aren’t the social butterfly we are (I’ll admit I’ve been this person too) and in the end we wonder if it was all that wise to have them join in.
You see this is the dilemma I faced, along with something else: I wasn’t too sure if I ended up inviting friends from all different areas of my life how they would all mix together. It’s kind of like menu planning … is it ok to serve grapes on a snack buffet along side of the chips and salsa dip? Is chocolate going to be an appropriate addition (of course chocolate can liven up any buffet)? What about orange juice being offered beside red wine? Will all of these various forms of indulgence compliment each other or completely clash and ruin a potentially great evening?
After creating and sorting through several different lists of people I had considered inviting to my fun night out, I had to finally just make a decision. Since my time was indeed running out and I was forced to choose, I felt no other option but to take a risk and mix up the party. I went on facebook one day, tired of trying to create ‘the perfect group’, and just started typing random names of people that came to mind that I thought may enjoy a chance to mingle and have fun with possible strangers. I invited around 11 people hoping that there might be five that would respond with a ‘yes’. I thought to myself ‘Surely it won’t be that hard to have 5 people out of this list that would want to come – I’m a nice fun girl’. Apparently that’s up for debate because it was no easy task.
In the end I got 4 movie goers and 5 Tequila watchers – and the perfect 5 they were!
Here was my plan: we would meet at the theatre to watch the new movie “Julie & Julia” (which was recommended by Sista and I had wanted to see), then we would travel across the street to a trendy little bar and grill for some drinks and appetizers (and most likely at least a taste of dessert). My final list of movie people were Shell Bell and her friend (whom I’d never met before), Sista from work, along with her best friend Mammy (also from work), and myself. We would lose Mammy after the movie and gain Smiles and Cricket (one of my home church leaders) at the restaurant.
I waited patiently at the theatre for my posse to arrive, nervously wondering how this night would play out. Would everyone get along? Would we like the movie? What would we talk about? How awkward would it be? I wasn’t sure of any answers but at that point was so ‘in the middle of it’ that I didn’t have a chance to care too much. Before long we’d assembled into our seats for the movie and none of my ponderings mattered much. Everyone was introduced and comfortably awaiting the show.
I’m not sure how it happened but I ended up sitting at the end beside Shell Bell’s friend (who fit in well by the way!), it seemed odd to me that after all of this ‘Eva’s night out’ talk happened that I ended up beside a stranger and in the aisle – appropriate I suppose after all of my lessons on meeting new people. Miss T was good at conversation and I thought to myself how cool it was I had been able to assemble the group necessary (including someone new) before my deadline hit. On to the movie…
Sista had told me she had just seen the movie and that it totally reminded her of me and my little experiment. I decided to trust her. Wow! She was dead on. If you don’t know, the movie is about a 30 year old woman who wants to shake up her life by cooking through Julia Child’s cookbook in a year and blog about it. I don’t know how many times through out the movie that I found myself thinking ‘Oh my goodness that’s me!’ or ‘Wally has totally said that to me before!’ (Regarding my blog). It was THE perfect movie (at least in my opinion) for my night out with the girls. At one point a line was given by one of the actors and apparently 4 heads leaned over and peered all eight of their eyeballs at me – luckily I hadn’t noticed (it was the part about bloggers being narcissistic – I have no idea where they’d get that idea!).
I think it’s safe to say that everyone enjoyed the movie. We then strolled over to the restaurant for some eats and there would soon meet up with my other friends. It’s at this point I wondered if accomplishing #6 on my list would be a good idea. You see I was exhausted from doing nights that week and starving (as I hadn’t had supper). I wasn’t too sure Tequila was the answer to my problems, however Sista convinced me otherwise (I was getting the impression that perhaps it was going to be an experience not only for me, but everyone else to see my first Tequila). Sista had brought her camera and was prepared for the whole event, so I went ahead and ordered my first shot. It didn’t take long after our drinks were delivered that the camera started snapping away, we got pictures of me with everyone there (along with me drinking everyone else’s drinks), as well as a step by step picture story of me and my Tequila. (Wally saw the pictures later and was a bit stunned at what I boozer I appeared to be, I really wasn’t, I just enjoyed a tasting, that’s all!)
I have to say, I had a lot of opinions given to me about what the Tequila would taste like, how much I wouldn’t like it and where to stop at. Marshmallow didn’t even want me to try it, another friend of ours (a veteran drinker) said he couldn’t take more than 2 shots at a time of it, and yet others talked of the horrible flavour. I however didn’t understand what the fuss was about. The taste wasn’t bad (at least not compared to other stuff I’ve had), I definitely felt good after one, but I could’ve handled another without a strip show on my part, in the end I made it out of the experience no worse for the wear. (In fact, I think Tequila would be choice of beverage if ever having to live through a torturous family occasion).
Once we had our drinks and some yummy appetizers the evening seemed to sail along. I can’t say that I remember what the conversation was about. I think some was about my blog (as a few were readers), some was about past drinking experiences (or lack there of), and maybe a little about men. I find it amazing that you can put together a group of women (the right ones anyway) and simply find a common thread. Everyone I had talked to afterwards said they had a good time, and I do think that if we got together they would come out again. Though none of them expressed their fears before hand to me, most of them did confess that they wondered how things would go and what the night would be like. The part I LOVE about it all was that everyone just took a chance on their Friday night to come out and spend some time together. In some ways I wonder why some of them would risk the only free evening they would get off from their regular woman/mom/work duties to be with people they barely knew - but they did, and I am so grateful!
As I mentioned before, #12 turned out to be one of my favourite events on my ‘List’ by far. It definitely ended up feeling like MY night. How many of us get a night to celebrate ourselves? Everyone was gathered there knowing the premise of the night’s events and came out to be a part of it – I couldn’t be any more honoured to have people that would do that with and for me! (And it wasn’t even my birthday!!!)
I am one of those people that feel as though you should never wait for someone to throw you a party or give you a compliment before you realize how important you are, just know that you are. I know people that get upset that they don’t feel loved or cared for in life. They want someone to notice them and do something special for them. Of course my hope is that everyone feels special in life without these things but sometimes it’s nice to know you are valued in extra ways. I’ve had days where I sat and wondered why no one thought to do something for me or why I don’t have surprise parties planned on my birthday every year (every year does count you know). But one day I realized that if I waited around for that it may never happen – why not make your own party then? Why not throw your own party to celebrate living life? Unintentionally that’s what I felt like I did with this little outing and I LOVED it!!! I was surrounded by fun, amazing women that ‘got’ me and weren’t afraid to celebrate my crazy firsts that many of them had long past accomplished. The part I love the most is that they lived it with me and shared my excitement – does it get better than that? Someone sharing your joy – acting like it’s theirs too? Well in my humble opinion it doesn’t and for those reasons I will cherish my #12 and #6 on my list forever.
The next time you feel like giving yourself a gift, do what I did and you will find out you are loved and celebrated more than you could ever imagine … 4 friends, 1 stranger and 6 hours = amazing things!
BTW: I totally went out with Smiles and Sista after (since I had no curfew) to another place to share a quiet beverage (mine was only hot chocolate). We did more visiting and I didn’t get home ‘til 2am – great memories. Thanks gallies!
#6 – Have a shot of Tequila
Adventure Day 33 held one of the most memorable nights I would have in a very long time – it was going to be my girls night out, and a chance to try my first taste of tequila. What a night it would be!
As I mentioned early on in my 40 Day Adventure finding 5 friends to go out with was a huge challenge, or at least I was making it into one. You know how you have different groups of friends? Like old school friends, job friends, for me home church friends, maybe neighbourhood friends. Initially when I put this item on my list I thought ‘How hard could it be to invite 5 friends out for some fun? I have lots of friends – I can do this!’ … until I started making lists of invitees. That’s when it hit me. Girls aren’t always that easy to mix up.
Come on ladies, you know what I mean. We all have, and have been, the friend that was looking forward to hanging out with specific people that we know then we come to find out they’ve invited a bunch of other people they know. All of a sudden our quaint, safe gathering has turned into a block party and we have no one left to talk to. (Ok block party is a bit extreme but in the moment that’s what it feels like). We’ve also had those friends that we invite to a group function that feel like we have to ‘babysit’ the whole time because we know full well they aren’t the social butterfly we are (I’ll admit I’ve been this person too) and in the end we wonder if it was all that wise to have them join in.
You see this is the dilemma I faced, along with something else: I wasn’t too sure if I ended up inviting friends from all different areas of my life how they would all mix together. It’s kind of like menu planning … is it ok to serve grapes on a snack buffet along side of the chips and salsa dip? Is chocolate going to be an appropriate addition (of course chocolate can liven up any buffet)? What about orange juice being offered beside red wine? Will all of these various forms of indulgence compliment each other or completely clash and ruin a potentially great evening?
After creating and sorting through several different lists of people I had considered inviting to my fun night out, I had to finally just make a decision. Since my time was indeed running out and I was forced to choose, I felt no other option but to take a risk and mix up the party. I went on facebook one day, tired of trying to create ‘the perfect group’, and just started typing random names of people that came to mind that I thought may enjoy a chance to mingle and have fun with possible strangers. I invited around 11 people hoping that there might be five that would respond with a ‘yes’. I thought to myself ‘Surely it won’t be that hard to have 5 people out of this list that would want to come – I’m a nice fun girl’. Apparently that’s up for debate because it was no easy task.
In the end I got 4 movie goers and 5 Tequila watchers – and the perfect 5 they were!
Here was my plan: we would meet at the theatre to watch the new movie “Julie & Julia” (which was recommended by Sista and I had wanted to see), then we would travel across the street to a trendy little bar and grill for some drinks and appetizers (and most likely at least a taste of dessert). My final list of movie people were Shell Bell and her friend (whom I’d never met before), Sista from work, along with her best friend Mammy (also from work), and myself. We would lose Mammy after the movie and gain Smiles and Cricket (one of my home church leaders) at the restaurant.
I waited patiently at the theatre for my posse to arrive, nervously wondering how this night would play out. Would everyone get along? Would we like the movie? What would we talk about? How awkward would it be? I wasn’t sure of any answers but at that point was so ‘in the middle of it’ that I didn’t have a chance to care too much. Before long we’d assembled into our seats for the movie and none of my ponderings mattered much. Everyone was introduced and comfortably awaiting the show.
I’m not sure how it happened but I ended up sitting at the end beside Shell Bell’s friend (who fit in well by the way!), it seemed odd to me that after all of this ‘Eva’s night out’ talk happened that I ended up beside a stranger and in the aisle – appropriate I suppose after all of my lessons on meeting new people. Miss T was good at conversation and I thought to myself how cool it was I had been able to assemble the group necessary (including someone new) before my deadline hit. On to the movie…
Sista had told me she had just seen the movie and that it totally reminded her of me and my little experiment. I decided to trust her. Wow! She was dead on. If you don’t know, the movie is about a 30 year old woman who wants to shake up her life by cooking through Julia Child’s cookbook in a year and blog about it. I don’t know how many times through out the movie that I found myself thinking ‘Oh my goodness that’s me!’ or ‘Wally has totally said that to me before!’ (Regarding my blog). It was THE perfect movie (at least in my opinion) for my night out with the girls. At one point a line was given by one of the actors and apparently 4 heads leaned over and peered all eight of their eyeballs at me – luckily I hadn’t noticed (it was the part about bloggers being narcissistic – I have no idea where they’d get that idea!).
I think it’s safe to say that everyone enjoyed the movie. We then strolled over to the restaurant for some eats and there would soon meet up with my other friends. It’s at this point I wondered if accomplishing #6 on my list would be a good idea. You see I was exhausted from doing nights that week and starving (as I hadn’t had supper). I wasn’t too sure Tequila was the answer to my problems, however Sista convinced me otherwise (I was getting the impression that perhaps it was going to be an experience not only for me, but everyone else to see my first Tequila). Sista had brought her camera and was prepared for the whole event, so I went ahead and ordered my first shot. It didn’t take long after our drinks were delivered that the camera started snapping away, we got pictures of me with everyone there (along with me drinking everyone else’s drinks), as well as a step by step picture story of me and my Tequila. (Wally saw the pictures later and was a bit stunned at what I boozer I appeared to be, I really wasn’t, I just enjoyed a tasting, that’s all!)
I have to say, I had a lot of opinions given to me about what the Tequila would taste like, how much I wouldn’t like it and where to stop at. Marshmallow didn’t even want me to try it, another friend of ours (a veteran drinker) said he couldn’t take more than 2 shots at a time of it, and yet others talked of the horrible flavour. I however didn’t understand what the fuss was about. The taste wasn’t bad (at least not compared to other stuff I’ve had), I definitely felt good after one, but I could’ve handled another without a strip show on my part, in the end I made it out of the experience no worse for the wear. (In fact, I think Tequila would be choice of beverage if ever having to live through a torturous family occasion).
Once we had our drinks and some yummy appetizers the evening seemed to sail along. I can’t say that I remember what the conversation was about. I think some was about my blog (as a few were readers), some was about past drinking experiences (or lack there of), and maybe a little about men. I find it amazing that you can put together a group of women (the right ones anyway) and simply find a common thread. Everyone I had talked to afterwards said they had a good time, and I do think that if we got together they would come out again. Though none of them expressed their fears before hand to me, most of them did confess that they wondered how things would go and what the night would be like. The part I LOVE about it all was that everyone just took a chance on their Friday night to come out and spend some time together. In some ways I wonder why some of them would risk the only free evening they would get off from their regular woman/mom/work duties to be with people they barely knew - but they did, and I am so grateful!
As I mentioned before, #12 turned out to be one of my favourite events on my ‘List’ by far. It definitely ended up feeling like MY night. How many of us get a night to celebrate ourselves? Everyone was gathered there knowing the premise of the night’s events and came out to be a part of it – I couldn’t be any more honoured to have people that would do that with and for me! (And it wasn’t even my birthday!!!)
I am one of those people that feel as though you should never wait for someone to throw you a party or give you a compliment before you realize how important you are, just know that you are. I know people that get upset that they don’t feel loved or cared for in life. They want someone to notice them and do something special for them. Of course my hope is that everyone feels special in life without these things but sometimes it’s nice to know you are valued in extra ways. I’ve had days where I sat and wondered why no one thought to do something for me or why I don’t have surprise parties planned on my birthday every year (every year does count you know). But one day I realized that if I waited around for that it may never happen – why not make your own party then? Why not throw your own party to celebrate living life? Unintentionally that’s what I felt like I did with this little outing and I LOVED it!!! I was surrounded by fun, amazing women that ‘got’ me and weren’t afraid to celebrate my crazy firsts that many of them had long past accomplished. The part I love the most is that they lived it with me and shared my excitement – does it get better than that? Someone sharing your joy – acting like it’s theirs too? Well in my humble opinion it doesn’t and for those reasons I will cherish my #12 and #6 on my list forever.
The next time you feel like giving yourself a gift, do what I did and you will find out you are loved and celebrated more than you could ever imagine … 4 friends, 1 stranger and 6 hours = amazing things!
BTW: I totally went out with Smiles and Sista after (since I had no curfew) to another place to share a quiet beverage (mine was only hot chocolate). We did more visiting and I didn’t get home ‘til 2am – great memories. Thanks gallies!
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