Monday, June 23, 2014

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


Sunday, June 8, 2014

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
.
.
.
.
.

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



Thursday, June 5, 2014

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
.
.
.
.
.
.

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




Monday, June 2, 2014

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.