The last few days have been amazing. The fact that Jodi got back from out east is definitely a big part of that. She had a great visit with her parents and they sent back some lobster for us which was a very nice gesture on their part.
Tuesday was not a good day for me. I let something incidental at work in the morning bother me and I struggled all day. I let it fester in my mind and I was just pissed off at the world for the entire day. I am normally pretty easy going and of good disposition. I did not like being angry and will come up with some strategies so I do not have a day like that again. Part of it was probably lack of sleep and not eating right for a few days prior to Tuesday. I really have to make sure I take care of those two aspects to continue to improve my mental well being.
The last few days have been really positive. It is remarkable what you can get accomplished if you put in a good days work. I am so proud of the jobs we did this week. We did a lot of summer pruning and tackled another hedge yesterday. I took some pictures of our work so perhaps I will post some of them on my blog when I get them on the lap top. We are going to the Jays game on Thursday for a 12:37 start time. Will be good to go as a crew and do something different than the normal grind. My boss has never been to a game since he moved here from Holland so I hope the Jays put on a good show for him.
Jodi is off to boot camp this morning. I am enjoying my morning coffee and catching up on some sports highlights. I cannot wait for the Olympics next week in London. We have qualified two beach volleyball teams so I hope they can make a good run at a medal. The one event that I have to watch is the 100m final. I love the way Usain Bolt runs and am eager to see him break his own world record. I am going to do some pruning in our front beds and then make a trip to the pet store with Ollie for some treats.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Take care, Shawn.
The best advice often comes from someone who has failed at something.
Saturday, 21 July 2012
Thursday, 12 July 2012
The Power of Sleep
Jodi left Monday night for her trip out east to visit here parents and hit up the Praught family reunion. I would have loved to go but, could not take that much time off work. Will have to make sure to make up for it at the next one with a little karaoke magic.
I miss Jodi a lot. She is such a big part of my everyday life and it does not feel quite the same without her here. Ollie and I are doing pretty well though. We have managed to get in some good plays and I even did some tidying around the house tonight. I have been a bit lax with watering Jodi's plants so I better get on that soon before they wilt a way to nothing.
The first few nights without Jodi were really hard. I have difficulty at times with transitions and I was really struggling. My head was racing quite a bit on Tuesday which I am not a big fan of. Just think of listening to a cd that skips repeatedly for hours on end. That is the best way I could describe it. Wednesday was a little better but, still not where I wanted to be. I did not sleep well for two nights and knew that was a huge part of the problem. So last night, I made Ollie sleep downstairs and I went to bed at 9:00. That eight and a half hours of sleep made a world of difference for me today. I was strong mentally and was able to control my thought process in a positive way. I have to keep that in mind for the future. Making sure I get enough rest for body, mind and soul.
Ollie and I are just relaxing tonight. I was supposed to play volleyball but, wanted to rest my back.
We are watching some CFL action which is no NFL but, is actually fairly entertaining. Looking forward to going to Port Credit tomorrow to do some summer pruning.
Happy Thursday. Take care, Shawn.
Enjoy the small victories in life.
I miss Jodi a lot. She is such a big part of my everyday life and it does not feel quite the same without her here. Ollie and I are doing pretty well though. We have managed to get in some good plays and I even did some tidying around the house tonight. I have been a bit lax with watering Jodi's plants so I better get on that soon before they wilt a way to nothing.
The first few nights without Jodi were really hard. I have difficulty at times with transitions and I was really struggling. My head was racing quite a bit on Tuesday which I am not a big fan of. Just think of listening to a cd that skips repeatedly for hours on end. That is the best way I could describe it. Wednesday was a little better but, still not where I wanted to be. I did not sleep well for two nights and knew that was a huge part of the problem. So last night, I made Ollie sleep downstairs and I went to bed at 9:00. That eight and a half hours of sleep made a world of difference for me today. I was strong mentally and was able to control my thought process in a positive way. I have to keep that in mind for the future. Making sure I get enough rest for body, mind and soul.
Ollie and I are just relaxing tonight. I was supposed to play volleyball but, wanted to rest my back.
We are watching some CFL action which is no NFL but, is actually fairly entertaining. Looking forward to going to Port Credit tomorrow to do some summer pruning.
Happy Thursday. Take care, Shawn.
Enjoy the small victories in life.
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Blistering Heat
This humidity is utterly draining. The last few days have been close to 40 degrees with the humid-ex and this heat wave will not break till Saturday. I am all for hot weather but, working in this kind of humidity takes its toll on you. I am really starting to feel my age the last few days. I have been icing my knees, rubbing ointment on my back and my right hamstring is on the verge of being pulled. That is the last of my whining for today, on to the rest of my entry.
We are watching the Jays get their asses handed to them by the Royals. Alvarez is getting rocked, think Ollie would have a better chance of getting hitters out at this point. It is 5-0 in the third, hope our bats can come alive in the bottom half of the inning. Our work is going to watch the Athletics on the 26th of July, can't wait.
My mom gets back from the west coast early tomorrow morning. Cannot wait to get the verdict on the new flower bed we put in. Jodi pulled all the weeds out of the driveway and it looks awesome. I hope my mom had a chance to really enjoy her time out there. I know she was quite excited to visit with Ryan, Deb and Rylen. She had some long time friends and family to catch up with too. It has been great few weeks with my Dad here in Fergus. He helped us a tremendous amount with the landscaping projects, could not have done it without him. We had a chance to hang out around the pool a lot and get in some nice chats. If we could just get that damn pool clear.
It is hard to believe that July is here so soon. The last few months have flown by. Work has progressed quite well this year. My head is in a much better space than last year and that has made it easier for me to cope with the occasional off day. The guys I work with are a big part of that too, makes work simpler when you truly enjoy the people you work with. I still get frustrated with some aspects but, am proud of the work we are doing thus far.
Jodi is going to visit her parents next week out east for eight days. I know they are really looking forward to seeing her and I think she will have an amazing time. I would have liked to got but, cannot afford to miss a full week of work. Ollie and I are going to miss her as she is such a big part of our daily lives.
Happy Thursday. Take care, Shawn.
Life is what you make it.
We are watching the Jays get their asses handed to them by the Royals. Alvarez is getting rocked, think Ollie would have a better chance of getting hitters out at this point. It is 5-0 in the third, hope our bats can come alive in the bottom half of the inning. Our work is going to watch the Athletics on the 26th of July, can't wait.
My mom gets back from the west coast early tomorrow morning. Cannot wait to get the verdict on the new flower bed we put in. Jodi pulled all the weeds out of the driveway and it looks awesome. I hope my mom had a chance to really enjoy her time out there. I know she was quite excited to visit with Ryan, Deb and Rylen. She had some long time friends and family to catch up with too. It has been great few weeks with my Dad here in Fergus. He helped us a tremendous amount with the landscaping projects, could not have done it without him. We had a chance to hang out around the pool a lot and get in some nice chats. If we could just get that damn pool clear.
It is hard to believe that July is here so soon. The last few months have flown by. Work has progressed quite well this year. My head is in a much better space than last year and that has made it easier for me to cope with the occasional off day. The guys I work with are a big part of that too, makes work simpler when you truly enjoy the people you work with. I still get frustrated with some aspects but, am proud of the work we are doing thus far.
Jodi is going to visit her parents next week out east for eight days. I know they are really looking forward to seeing her and I think she will have an amazing time. I would have liked to got but, cannot afford to miss a full week of work. Ollie and I are going to miss her as she is such a big part of our daily lives.
Happy Thursday. Take care, Shawn.
Life is what you make it.
Monday, 2 July 2012
Oh Canada!!!
Yesterday was Canada Day and what an amazing day it was. It is one of my favourite days of the year. I am a proud Canadian and feel quite fortunate to live in this great land. Their is such a unique diversity of cultures, landscapes and passions in our nation. Their are issues here like any other country but, I believe we live in one of the best places in the world.
Our nations birthday started with some work at my parents place. We have been over their the last three weekends doing some landscaping to surprise my mom when she gets back on Friday from the west coast. I am really satisfied with how everything turned out and hope she loves what we have done. In between working, we had a chance to swim in the pool and listen to the Jays game. Too bad the bullpen kind of blew up as it was an entertaining game. I hope we can get some of our starting pitching healthy again and make a bit of a push. Our offense is clicking on all cylinders and continues to give us a chance to win games. Matt Garza would be an awesome addition, guess we will see if Alex can pull the trigger on a deal.
We had some sausages for dinner which were cooked to perfection by my dad. We made our way to the fireworks at night and were treated to a fantastic array of explosive sound and an amazing display of colour in the sky. It seems like every year they get longer, they must have lasted close to thirty minutes last night. The townships of Fergus/Elora have done a good job of organizing a variety of Canada Day festivities.
Work is going really well these days. Two weeks a go was a bit of a struggle for me but, things have progressed in a positive direction since then. They finished the stone job in Brampton on Friday which turned out really well. Never thought it would get to that point seeing the site at the beginning of May. Their were some delays along the way but, I think the customer will be quite pleased with the finished product.
Leslie, Bart and Elias will land back in Ontario this Friday. I cannot wait to see them and have a chance to catch up. I truly hope their trip went well and their pain was eased in some way. I know the hurt will never fully go a way but, maybe the healing process is slowly starting. I have missed them a lot and look forward to giving them all a big hug.
I have the day off with the stat holiday. We plan to simply relax and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Hope this finds you well. Have a wonderful week.
Take care, Shawn.
Patience is a virtue.
Our nations birthday started with some work at my parents place. We have been over their the last three weekends doing some landscaping to surprise my mom when she gets back on Friday from the west coast. I am really satisfied with how everything turned out and hope she loves what we have done. In between working, we had a chance to swim in the pool and listen to the Jays game. Too bad the bullpen kind of blew up as it was an entertaining game. I hope we can get some of our starting pitching healthy again and make a bit of a push. Our offense is clicking on all cylinders and continues to give us a chance to win games. Matt Garza would be an awesome addition, guess we will see if Alex can pull the trigger on a deal.
We had some sausages for dinner which were cooked to perfection by my dad. We made our way to the fireworks at night and were treated to a fantastic array of explosive sound and an amazing display of colour in the sky. It seems like every year they get longer, they must have lasted close to thirty minutes last night. The townships of Fergus/Elora have done a good job of organizing a variety of Canada Day festivities.
Work is going really well these days. Two weeks a go was a bit of a struggle for me but, things have progressed in a positive direction since then. They finished the stone job in Brampton on Friday which turned out really well. Never thought it would get to that point seeing the site at the beginning of May. Their were some delays along the way but, I think the customer will be quite pleased with the finished product.
Leslie, Bart and Elias will land back in Ontario this Friday. I cannot wait to see them and have a chance to catch up. I truly hope their trip went well and their pain was eased in some way. I know the hurt will never fully go a way but, maybe the healing process is slowly starting. I have missed them a lot and look forward to giving them all a big hug.
I have the day off with the stat holiday. We plan to simply relax and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Hope this finds you well. Have a wonderful week.
Take care, Shawn.
Patience is a virtue.
Saturday, 23 June 2012
What a difference a week makes ...
Last weekend was one of the toughest on me mentally. I was really struggling to get out of the pit of despair I was in. The depression had taken a hold of my entire being and I was certain I would not be able to face the week ahead.
Now I am looking at this weekend with a sense of optimism and joy. I had the best week so far this year and was thankful for the positive experience I was fortunate to have. I was in charge of the truck for two days this week and things went smoothly. We left the properties looking quite professional and I was happy with the work we did. I learned how to lay inter locking stone as well which was quit fulfilling. We are even planning on going to a Jays game on July 26th as a team which will be a lot of fun.
Today, my first priority is to get our house in order. The last week was amazingly humid so we kind of let things slip as we were both so drained. I even slept through my alarm one morning from being so exhausted. Then we are heading to my parents to do some work outside and attempt to get the pool in order. We are picking up my dad tonight from the air port so I want to get some things taken care of before he gets home. The pool has been a pain in the ass this year but, think I may have managed to get it clear again. My dad has been on the west coast visiting some friends and meeting his nephew, Rylen. My mom is staying out there for another few weeks but, I still managed to remember her birthday yesterday. We are also having dinner with Matt and Laura which will be awesome because we have not had a chance to hang out with them for a few months.
Jodi only has one more week left of school and then gets to enjoy her summer vacation. I am sure that Ollie will appreciate some company during the day as he has been home by himself a lot these days. My dad will be around to walk him as well so he should get a plethora of exercise over the next few months. We have had him for over two years now, time sure does fly. I took him for a good play this morning and now he is lounging in his bed. Jodi is off to boot camp now so I better start off with some dishes.
The last week has affirmed that anything is possible in life. While standing tall and readjusting your mindset, challenges can be faced head on. There are solutions to the majority of problems in our daily lives. You just have to be willing to believe in your ability to seek out those solutions. Take pride in who you are as person and push on, one step at a time.
Laughter is a key to happiness.
Take care, Shawn.
Now I am looking at this weekend with a sense of optimism and joy. I had the best week so far this year and was thankful for the positive experience I was fortunate to have. I was in charge of the truck for two days this week and things went smoothly. We left the properties looking quite professional and I was happy with the work we did. I learned how to lay inter locking stone as well which was quit fulfilling. We are even planning on going to a Jays game on July 26th as a team which will be a lot of fun.
Today, my first priority is to get our house in order. The last week was amazingly humid so we kind of let things slip as we were both so drained. I even slept through my alarm one morning from being so exhausted. Then we are heading to my parents to do some work outside and attempt to get the pool in order. We are picking up my dad tonight from the air port so I want to get some things taken care of before he gets home. The pool has been a pain in the ass this year but, think I may have managed to get it clear again. My dad has been on the west coast visiting some friends and meeting his nephew, Rylen. My mom is staying out there for another few weeks but, I still managed to remember her birthday yesterday. We are also having dinner with Matt and Laura which will be awesome because we have not had a chance to hang out with them for a few months.
Jodi only has one more week left of school and then gets to enjoy her summer vacation. I am sure that Ollie will appreciate some company during the day as he has been home by himself a lot these days. My dad will be around to walk him as well so he should get a plethora of exercise over the next few months. We have had him for over two years now, time sure does fly. I took him for a good play this morning and now he is lounging in his bed. Jodi is off to boot camp now so I better start off with some dishes.
The last week has affirmed that anything is possible in life. While standing tall and readjusting your mindset, challenges can be faced head on. There are solutions to the majority of problems in our daily lives. You just have to be willing to believe in your ability to seek out those solutions. Take pride in who you are as person and push on, one step at a time.
Laughter is a key to happiness.
Take care, Shawn.
Monday, 18 June 2012
This too shall pass
I am often reminded of what my dad tells me when I am struggling, " This too shall pass."
Yesterday I was at the lowest I have been in months and today my world leveled out and I had an amazing day. I talked to my boss this morning and we had a good discussion. I was actually able to verbalize some of my issues and we cleared the air. He was able to explain some of the stress in his own life and what his expectations were for our crew in regards to a few things. It was a positive experience and I was happy that the day started that way.
Smitty was a way today so I was in charge of the truck which I was a bit nervous about. I also did not exactly know where some of the properties were but, managed to get through the day in good spirits. We finished a mulching job and were able to lay a lot of stone at an interlock job in Brampton. It is really starting to take form which if good because I believe the job has gone a bit longer than expected.
Jodi looked at Amaya's picture in the car this morning and asked her to be with me today. I truly believe she was as I was expecting the worst and it worked out to be one of the best days I have had. She really is an Angel. I often look in to the sky and look at a star shining bright and think of her. I miss her.
I took down my blog from yesterday. I wrote that in a state of depression and frustration. It was more of a rant than a well though out literary musing. It was laced with some profanities too and I hope Elias and Rylen have the opportunity to read this one day so I will try to limit the use of four letter words. Cannot promise I won't let a few slip here and there though but, I will make an effort.
Today taught me that confronting an issue head on is good medicine. It would have been easy for me to hold everything inside and not explain how I was feeling. Instead, I let it all out and it led to a positive outcome. So many times in my life, I have simply run a way from things I was scared of facing. I have to put today in the memory bank and remember how good it felt to get something off my chest and face my fear head on.
Pay someone a compliment this week, it will go a long way.
Perfectly Imperfect, Shawn.
Yesterday I was at the lowest I have been in months and today my world leveled out and I had an amazing day. I talked to my boss this morning and we had a good discussion. I was actually able to verbalize some of my issues and we cleared the air. He was able to explain some of the stress in his own life and what his expectations were for our crew in regards to a few things. It was a positive experience and I was happy that the day started that way.
Smitty was a way today so I was in charge of the truck which I was a bit nervous about. I also did not exactly know where some of the properties were but, managed to get through the day in good spirits. We finished a mulching job and were able to lay a lot of stone at an interlock job in Brampton. It is really starting to take form which if good because I believe the job has gone a bit longer than expected.
Jodi looked at Amaya's picture in the car this morning and asked her to be with me today. I truly believe she was as I was expecting the worst and it worked out to be one of the best days I have had. She really is an Angel. I often look in to the sky and look at a star shining bright and think of her. I miss her.
I took down my blog from yesterday. I wrote that in a state of depression and frustration. It was more of a rant than a well though out literary musing. It was laced with some profanities too and I hope Elias and Rylen have the opportunity to read this one day so I will try to limit the use of four letter words. Cannot promise I won't let a few slip here and there though but, I will make an effort.
Today taught me that confronting an issue head on is good medicine. It would have been easy for me to hold everything inside and not explain how I was feeling. Instead, I let it all out and it led to a positive outcome. So many times in my life, I have simply run a way from things I was scared of facing. I have to put today in the memory bank and remember how good it felt to get something off my chest and face my fear head on.
Pay someone a compliment this week, it will go a long way.
Perfectly Imperfect, Shawn.
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Safe Travels
It is 8:00 on Sunday morning and I am curled up watching The Facts of Fishing on thie Score. Morning highlights are over and I have yet to find anything else on the tube. The Score is by far my first choice for my sporting news. I love the cast of characters they have and find it to be the most entertaining broadcast. And I was never to spectacular at fishing so I can always use some helpful tips from Dave Mercer.
The last few weeks kind of caught up with me this past Wednesday and Thursday. My mind started to drift a bit and was struggling to keep it focused. The emotional roller coaster of this past month was bound to affect me mentally at some point. Work has helped me focus on routine and I am still trying to break up days in to small sections. The pain and sorrow of losing Amaya will never go a way and I will never completely understand it. She continues to be a light on my shoulder to help guide me in daily life.
Leslie, Bart and Elias are on their way to Australia tomorrow. I truly hope their trip will be a therapeutic journey for them and they are able to ease some of their pain. I know the hurt for them will always be close to their hearts and I would give anything to take some of that a way from them. The Chapman clan will be there for support and sometimes in life, a change of surroundings helps in the healing process. I wish them a safe flight and safe travels. I will be thinking of them daily on their trip for the next five weeks.
Love is essential to the human existence.
Shawn
The last few weeks kind of caught up with me this past Wednesday and Thursday. My mind started to drift a bit and was struggling to keep it focused. The emotional roller coaster of this past month was bound to affect me mentally at some point. Work has helped me focus on routine and I am still trying to break up days in to small sections. The pain and sorrow of losing Amaya will never go a way and I will never completely understand it. She continues to be a light on my shoulder to help guide me in daily life.
Leslie, Bart and Elias are on their way to Australia tomorrow. I truly hope their trip will be a therapeutic journey for them and they are able to ease some of their pain. I know the hurt for them will always be close to their hearts and I would give anything to take some of that a way from them. The Chapman clan will be there for support and sometimes in life, a change of surroundings helps in the healing process. I wish them a safe flight and safe travels. I will be thinking of them daily on their trip for the next five weeks.
Love is essential to the human existence.
Shawn
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