A Blast from the Past!

It's a busy birthday time around our house, so (slightly belated) Happy Birthday wishes are coming a number of people's way today!

Not only did my darling husband just have a birthday, but so did his Uncle Danny, our good friend Nicole, and my sweet friend and former co-worker, Heidi (left). Since I left Consilium behind just over 3 years ago, I haven't made the loonnnng trek out there very often - but Heidi's birthday was definitely a good reason, so last week I paid a visit!
Visiting with my former colleagues was wonderful, and it's funny how sitting and chatting with them makes it feel like it's been ages, yet just yesterday - both at the same time. Sadly, my camera wasn't in my purse that day, so I was forced to dig out some older photos for this post. These are from 2004 and 2005.

In the second photo, Jane is posing with me and a few pictures that Evan made to thank her for some little gifts that she sent home with me for him back then. Suitably, the photo I'm holding is his sketch of the office building we're standing in. Isn't it cute? Jane was kind enough to give it back to me when I left, so I'll be able to scrap it one day!

It was great seeing Heidi, Jane, Michele C., Candace, Robin I., Michael G., Josie, Wendy and Andrew, talking to Lisa on the phone (I hope you're feeling better now), and waving to a number of others while they worked. And Laura-Lea, I can't believe I missed you again, but we'll definitely hook up soon!

On a blogging note, technology has not been my friend lately - I've had some blogger access issues, in addition to problems with my slide account and with my access to gmail. Grrr! So those of you I owe e-mails, RAKs or other things to, please bear with me. My head's above water, but barely!

Next post, I will update you on the four final layouts I created for the Scrap Away the Winter Blues challenge at Scraptivity. And yes, I created all four in a frenzied scrapping marathon last weekend! More on that to follow, so stay tuned. :-)

A Surprise Party for Candace

I was thrilled a bit ago to receive an invitation to a surprise birthday party for Candace's 40th birthday. Candace and I worked together for years at TELUS, delivered a major, long-term project, and were pregnant at the same time - she had Crosby around the same time I had the girls.

OK, so I completely forgot that it was supposed to be a 60s theme party, but nonetheless, I had a fantastic time. It was great to see a few former colleagues that I haven't seen in ages, and although I had to leave before Jennifer R. arrived, I did chat with her on the phone.

Candace and her husband Matt have a wonderful lakefront home, and their backyard housed a live band and bonfire for the evening of the party. It was a great event, and I think it will live long in Candace's memory.

Happy Birthday Candace!

So Thankful

As I just started blogging in March of this year, today is my first September 11th as a blogger. And I'm pensive. I think many of us are on a day like today. My blog posts usually come to me very easily. I write freely, naturally; I don't have to struggle with words or dwell on the details of what I'm writing. It just flows.
Today is different.

I think back to September 11th, 2001 and I remember how different my life was back then. We had one small child; we were struggling with infertility treatments and the monthly cycle of hope and disappointment. I had a corporate job and a long commute, and while I don't miss the commute,
I do miss my former colleagues, who were a huge part of what made that job great.

(Happy birthday today, by the way, to both Laura Lea and Candace! I really miss you gals, and hope you're reading this!)

I guess I feel an obligation to be less frivolous today; more meaningful. And it's fitting; my life now is full of meaning. Of course, I do miss the pace and passion of TELUS, but I love where my life is right now. I am truly blessed. Stephen and I have three great children, a growing company, each other, as well as a tiny bit of time (which we take whenever we can) for fun with family and friends.

And I love the passion I have found for scrapbooking; the wonderful friendships I have made in the scrapbooking community. I've been published once, and have three more pages coming out in this winter's Canadian Scrapbooker. It's fulfilling; it makes me happy and proud.

My cup runneth over.

In some small way, I want to give back today. I want to pass along the emotion I feel when I think back to that fateful day. But can I do it justice - me, so removed from the tragedy of those who perished or lost family members on September 11th, 2001?

What can I possibly add?

Here, perhaps, is my answer. I'm not a cardmaker, but I was moved by a challenge recently posted on The Scrapping Nook by a fellow scrapper, Corinne. She is putting together a package of Christmas Cards to be sent to the Canadian troops overseas; those who will be on duty and far away from their families at Christmastime. So, despite my lack of cardmaking prowess, I put together a set of cards and sent them off to Corinne for her project.

So that is my tiny contribution today. I hope that the meaning I am searching to share will be evident to the men and women who open those cards, and help them feel the gratitude and respect, the hope and honour I feel for those at risk and those lost to tragedy, whatever the date.

Today, more than most days, I feel so thankful.

A Little Bit of Nostalgia

In the days before acronyms like CHA, LO, PP and LMAOPIMP were a meaningful part of my vocabulary, I spent my days buried in SPE, SDLC, MLC, DNA, PIT, PDA, and IMEI! If you have any idea what any (or all) of those mean, then you probably shared some time (maybe a LOT of time) with me at Consilium Place. I dropped by for a quick visit there yesterday!

I still find I hard to believe that I let two years pass between my last drive to work and my first trip up to 16 to get a visitor's pass! Wow! And while the building looks very much the same (except maybe the pay parking station!), so much more has changed. The 10th floor was cluttered with so many new faces, and while Robin, Mike G. and I sat in the lobby beside Pumpernickle's, I found it hard to believe how few faces I knew.

That said, I was thrilled to be greeted with wonderful, familiar faces, even on such short notice.

It is always wonderful to see Heidi. I loved seeing Robin's pictures of little Matthew, and it was fantastic to hear that Mike G. is engaged! We did a quick drive-by past Jane, who was in a meeting, and then visited at Michele C.'s cube, where Andrew joined us, and - believe it or not - no-one had to come by and sush us (even though we were a tiny bit loud!)


There were so many more people that I miss, and would loved to have seen this time around. Of course, Candace and Laura Lea, you may be back before my next visit (and hey LL, I KNOW you're reading this - drop me a line!). Crina, Lisa B., Jane and David K., I will plan better next time so that hopefully you won't be out of the office or in meetings. I promise that next time it won't be another 2 years!

Enjoy this photographic trip down memory lane. I think that each of you is in at least one of the photos here. And hey - if any of the pictures don't load, or your browser crashes, I've been told apparently the thing to do is to blame it on Provisioning Re-design!

A Birthday Shout Out...

Happy Birthday wishes today go out to my gal pal, Heidi. Up until about two years ago, Heidi and I worked together, and would have had a chance to go out for lunch on her birthday to celebrate!

Now that we don't work together anymore, we don't see each other very often, and a birthday lunch is much harder to do. I miss Heidi. Not only is she one of the sweetest people alive, but she's also trustworthy and honest, funny and smart, she has a great fashion sense, she likes to chat, she's a good influence on anyone trying to eat healthy, and she's adorable too!

So enjoy your day, Heidi. And set aside some time in your calendar, because while it might not happen on your birthday, there definitely has to be a lunch date in our future!

spe ~ no ordinary folk

Today is the two year anniversary of one of the more recent major decisions in my life. On March 11th 2005 I worked my last day in the Strategic Planning and Execution (SPE) group at TELUS Mobility. After almost 8 years, I left the telecom world behind to join Stephen as a Project Manager in our screen business.

I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by. It's been a hectic couple of years for us, both at work and at home, and I can't believe that it has passed so quickly. While it's been wonderfully busy, succesful and happy, I certainly didn't seem to gain back 3 hours in my day from the loss of the more than 100 km daily commute. Also, I haven't done a fantastic job of keeping in touch with my TELUS family. There are so many people who had a tremendous influence on my life - both personal and professional - and I wish I spoke with each of them more often.

Both Laura Lea and Candace are on maternity leave now with new baby boys! And I have gifts for them in my closet, which I hope to get off to them before their kids are in college! I miss them both a lot, and would love to see their little boys. We need to book something soon!

Then there's Heidi. I talk on the phone and exchange e-mails with her once in a while, but I truly can't believe that we haven't had lunch together in two years now. Heidi always has a sympathetic ear and good advice at the ready, and can always make me smile. Heidi was the first person I met on my very first day at Consilium, was always there for me, was pregnant with Harrow at the same time I was pregnant with Evan, and shared so much of my time at ClearNET/TELUS - both good and challenging! I miss her so much!

There are too many more to mention, and I don't want to leave anyone out, but I will add a few names. Lisa B, David K, Jane F, Michele C, Michelle D, Robin, Anissa, Michael G, Tami, and others, made my time at TELUS fun, challenging and rewarding. Then there are also so many in other cities, other groups and many who left before I did. You all were a big part of my time in SPE and TM overall, some for a very short time and some for a long time, but you all touched and influenced me in ways you may not even know! I really miss you all!

P.S. - the title of this post - SPE - no ordinary folk, is - of course - a take on the Mike ad (Mike - no ordinary phone), and the title of a scrapbook layout I plan to one day create with this photo!