The Graduate

Last week was quite the week

it was busy ~ but a good busy

you see this little girl

graduated high school

I won't lie to you ~ it has not been an easy road for this one

and we did not know whether this day would ever come

but she made the decision to go back to school in September

and she stuck to it and made it through

she was actually finished in January after her exams

and said she did it and was not going to bother with prom or graduation ceremonies

I am so glad she changed her mind!

prom was Monday ~ she looked stunning in her shimmering gown

it was navy blue and she had plenty of "bling"

so she shone just like the diamond she is

her boyfriend is pretty handsome too

they had a ball at prom

~*~*~

Thursday night was graduation

I won't lie and will tell you that I had tears in my eyes

I was bursting with pride

and I kinda love that she graduated from the same high school

that I did ~ 31 years ago!

love this shot of the girls with their Dad

and one with Mom

I wrote the following on Facebook when I got home after prom

and posted her pictures

I met this little girl when she was 2 ~ she soon had my heart and became my niece soon after. 

She has grown into a beautiful young woman and seeing her tonight brought tears to my eyes 

and a heart full of love. 

I cannot wait until Thursday night to see her in her cap and gown.

I am so proud of you my Goosey Lucy ~ Love you forever Katrina xoxo

you done good kiddo ~ the sky is the limit

you can do whatever you want

and Auntie Lori gets a 3 year break until the next one

My Hometown ~ Moncton

The events of the past few days have been all consuming 

something like this does not happen in our little city

the gunman was caught Thursday night

and when I awoke on Friday morning

I breathed a sigh of relief ~ it is over

then while getting ready for work the press conference came on

I stopped to watch as they announced the names of the fallen officers

and the 2 in hospital

Constable David Ross, Constable Fabrice Gevaudan and Constable Douglas Larche

wait..............what

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Doug?  No..... but he was accounted for

we heard it on the scanner on Wednesday night

we know now that accounted for did not mean that he was ok

you see before Doug joined the RCMP, he worked with Trevor

they were on the road ~ together steady for 4 days a week

every week

then the phone rang ~ Trev was at the fire station ~ he wanted to know if I was watching

choking back tears I picked up the phone

I cannot believe it

although we did not travel in the same circles anymore

it hit us both pretty hard

this is Doug and his wife Nadine on their wedding day

he leaves behind 3 little girls ~ 9, 8 and 4

it breaks my heart in 2

if you would like to read Nadine's message you can do so here

if you can say a prayer for her and her girls along with the families of the other officers involved I am sure they would appreciate it as well

I really hate and I know that hate is a strong word

that our city ~ my hometown will now be known for this

I have lived in or around here for most of my life

we used to be known for our magnetic hill 

where you can put your car in neutral and coast uphill

(really!  google it!)

now we join the ranks of places I never knew existed 

but are now known for incidences like this

all because one 24 year old had a problem with authority and

a dislike for the police

I have read every article, watched every video

cried, smiled and swelled with pride with the outpouring of support

the police force and our city has received from all over the world

the CN Tower in Toronto lit up last night in honour of the fallen

love * love * love

last night I got some flowers and went over to the police station

my lip quivered and my eyes welled up with tears

I shook the hand of an officer and said thank you

it's the least I could do

this video was shared today on facebook and I love that I can share it here with you.

We will come back ~ we will heal

#monctonstrong

I Pray....

It's Thursday night and I should be working on my 

Friday Potpourri post

talking about how the scent of lilacs fill the neighborhood

and I love it so

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but not tonight

we are in the middle of a surreal moment

a moment that has shaken our quiet little city to the core

there is a madman on the loose

with guns ~ one that has shot 5 RCMP officers

killing 3 and wounding the other 2

it has consumed me the last 24 hours

school was cancelled ~ malls were closed

no garbage picked up or mail delivered

all provincial and federal offices closed

buses pulled from the streets

and many office buildings, restaurants and bars

shut down til further notice

there is a portion of the city on lock down

police have come in from all over to assist in the search

as darkness fell tonight with still no news of capture

my heart ached

I read this post and loved it

I pray for the safety of the police out there searching

I pray for the families of the fallen

I pray for the residents in the locked down areas of the city

I pray for the parents that have to explain to their children 

why they cannot go to school and play outside

I pray that he is found and this nightmare ends soon

I am so happy to be able to post an update to this post this morning!

They caught him just after midnight last night

for those who prayed ~ I thank you

xo

Hello June

Oh June

you smile at me in every blossom

you embrace me with the warmth of the sun

you wink at me on the wings of a butterfly

your song to me comes from the birds sweetly singing

you delight me by awakening all my senses ~ the hummingbirds hovering

the lawn mowers humming and the smell of fresh cut grass

then I watch the bees buzz amid the flowering blooms

your big blue skies and fluffy white clouds bring out the child in me

warm gentle breezes kiss my skin

then you shade me under the big willow ~ nature's canopy

the earth absorbs the raindrops that fall from the sky

making everything green and lush

I will drink you in as you tan my skin and remind myself once again

why I love you so.