Go Canada!

I'm very proud to be a Canadian.

There I said it.

Then again, if you follow me on twitter you know that I've been wearing my Canadian toque for weeks in prep for the games. I'm so excited for us to be in the games but I'm almost more excited that we are hosting them!

It's sad that we are hosting in Vancouver which is known for weather changing every five minutes and not much snow. But I'm still really proud to hear when records are broken on our soil. Just yesterday the Olympic record fell in the Men's 3000m Speed Skating. Something to be so proud of even though it wasn't a Canadian.

There are those that only cheer if their team is winning. But for me it's more about the sport and being your best. My dad, brother and sister used to officiate different sports and we'd go to the games to cheer. We didn't have a home team per se, so we would cheer on the moments of the games that stood out. We'd cheer on the strong moments and the great teamwork. Through my family I've been able to see that it's so fantastic to witness great moments in sport.

Last night we earned our first medal in the games. A silver in moguls on the very first day! And by a woman from Alberta! So proud to be Canadian. So proud to be there with her when she walks on the podium even though I'm not in Whistler. But in my heart I'm there. I'm cheering on our athletes and all the best of the best in the world.

To the Olympians in the 2010 Vancouver Games - I salute you and your awesomness that got you to this level. I hope Canada is good to you!

This city I call home

If there is something that I know, it's that I will not be swayed on my opinions of my fair city.

I was born into and raised in Cambridge, Ontario. Really I was born in what I deem to be Preston and raised in Galt but that's a mute point.

Back in 1973 Cambridge was forced into creation. The province wanted to save a little money and it made sense to join people who lived somewhat together into a big city. It's worked out in a lot of ways in that it gave us more power as a collaborative. We had more people in our population and were able to have more clout on the provincial stage. We were able to have a central hospital, share our police and fire services.

But it really hasn't been all roses and sunshine in Cambridge.

Cambridge has three main parts. Galt - was the county seat for North Dumfries. It was already a city in it's own right and had things pretty good as it was strongly connected to Dundas and Hamilton. Preston was a town and had it's name on the map for a few other reasons. The main reason people went to Preston had to do with the rejuvenating springs that were the home to the world renowned Preston Springs Hotel. Preston and Galt were connected by streetcar so that many of those needing the healing waters were able to find them. Hespeler, the third party in this wonderful city, was a village by the river. Fiercely loyal to their roots, Hespeler was strongly connected to Guelph.

All three were textile communities and used the rivers running through them to their advantage. All three were unique and special in their own right with interesting histories.

Joining them together might have made sense on paper, and yes it brought some good things to the area, but there ended up being a strong disconnect away from the small community feel you had to a joint hustle and bustle. We went away from the downtowns and focused so much on building up our central area that the downtowns started to suffer. You no longer saw shopping and commerce in the core areas - instead everyone was at the mall or worse yet, leaving town to go somewhere else.

The City of Cambridge has been so afraid to offend any one segment of the community, that they need to do something in each down town or not at all. For years you never heard the name of each piece of the puzzle. It was only a hushed word said here or there.

What they don't realize is that the downtowns are what make us unique. This amazing history has been lost. Our city has grown to over 125,000 people that came here for many different reasons. But what we need to understand is what it's going to take to make them stay here.

People come for cheaper land than in the big bad Toronto - but they stay for the good schools and nice neighbourhoods. They make friends here and like the shopping. They enjoy hopping on the 401 to get anywhere and being not too far from cultural events and activities.

The sad thing is - they are completely missing out on what makes Cambridge - Cambridge. The pieces make up the city and they are all unique and special and should be celebrated. I know I focus a lot on the downtowns, but it truly is indicative of the way the city is put together and the way it is looked upon by the world. When I was a kid we shopped downtown Galt on a Saturday. Made a day of it - going in and out of shops and getting everything we needed. We ate lunch there, maybe took a stroll down by the river. I'm sure kids in Preston and Hespeler would say similar stories of their youth. Instead now you go downtown and see half the stores empty or wanting to be rented out. Preston is the only exception to the rule by having a strong core. Businesses have stayed in Preston for decades and there truly is a sense of community there.

We need to get the sense of community back for each of the areas in town. We need to celebrate what we have. It's going to take a lot more than just putting up signs to indicate where the cores are. We need to promote what we have. The old buildings, the history and our uniqueness.

It's entirely possible that we can save our City but it's going to take work and passion. I wonder how loud we need to yell in order to be heard.

Knit Bomb

This week I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with a friend of mine I met on Twitter named Wendy. (You can find her on twitter as @wendyhoomo) What initially interested me was that she was local and then slowly over time we've built a bit of a friendship. I find her really interesting and always come away from things she has to say with some new perspective on things.

The reason we got together this week was knitting.

I know, I know, you are thinking that knitting is only for old ladies - but I don't agree. Knitting is an art!

But what I'm coming to find is that knitting is becoming a very unique mainstream passion. People that knit are very passionate. And they aren't just knitting the basic scarves, mitts and touques. They are starting to cover any available surface with brightly coloured yarn. They are creating gorgeous masterpieces for the world to enjoy. Trees are covered, statues, light standards, street signs, bridges, boat docks, buses and even tanks.

After talking with Wendy I found out about a knitting project right here in Cambridge. In June they plan on knitting the Main Street bridge. I was shocked and really excited when Wendy said "If you keep it up, maybe you can be part of that project too." I never thought I'd ever be involved in anything like that as the Guerrilla knitting they normally talk about is usually in warmer climates where they are less likely to have the yarn deteriorate due to weather. If you want to read more about the project - go here.

Back to the point, I picked up on knitting and it felt really good. Sure my hands are a little stiff and tight but I've been told that I will get a better tension as I start to relax. Wendy has told me that I have a good eye as I've started to notice when I've made a mistake or missed a stitch. What started out as casting on and a couple rows is now pretty much a square on the way to becoming a scarf.

Me. A knitter. Who knew?

Party like it's 1983!

So I'm planning a fun party for my hubby's 30th birthday.

Yes folks - my baby is turning 30!

I'm sure you don't want to hear it, but my hubby is a couple years younger than me and for my 30th he rented a hall and got me a Cookie Monster pinata to make things awesome. Now that he's turning 30, I want to throw the kind of party he'd like.

When I asked him a few months ago he mentioned Chuck E Cheese. I believe I blogged about it here...

Anyhow - After much thought and discussion, we decided that we could throw an awesome kids party right here at home - but without the kids.

I know, I know, why cut off a huge part of the population? Well My husband wants to say a big F. U. to his youth and the best way to do it would be drinking and doing really childish things. When we sat down to make a guest list for this awesome kids party without kids, he came up with about 80 names. 80!!! Wow. So much for having as many friends as the age you are! I'm sure that we won't have that many show up, but these are the people he'd love to see.

We've narrowed down the venue to our house and I plan on having decorate your own cupcakes and giving out grab bags to the first 30 guests. We have a few fun little games too - but I'd love to get some help from the outside world. Perhaps from those of you who have kids or remember how fun it was to go to parties when you were a kid.

Do you have fun party ideas???

I'd love your help!!

To my mother with love...

I love my mother.

Not everyone can say that but I truly can. She makes me laugh, has a way of getting right to the point when you least want her to, is incredibly supportive and protective and loves all her children each in their own way.

My mother turned 60 today and after a year of changes and upheaval in her life it seems that things are starting to look up. This past year saw her job searching; finding a job in a field she knew nothing about but where she enjoyed the challenge; somehow her job changed and eventually she ended up getting laid off; she had a massive gallbladder attack and it caused her gallbladder to rupture; she waited months, losing tons of weight in the process and getting very ill until she finally had surgery.

Not really knowing where to go, and feeling that life was getting away from who she is and where she really wanted to be, she sat back and started to look at what she really wants to do.

My Mom loves to work with people - mainly in the service sector.

For a long time though my mother focused more on making money than being happy. But when she started to look back at her favourite employment positions - she thought of McDonald's. Now I'm not talking the McDonald's with the cafe style tables, bad service, fireplaces and wifi - I'm talking the great service with a smile McDonald's of the 80's and 90's. My Mom was the breakfast manager for 15 years at a McDonald's and loved it. The job was consistent, expectations were there and training was fully provided. She was able to smile and make people smile just by doing a good job. She got to know the staff and the customers and she loved the fast pace.

With Service in mind she started to realize that the money wasn't so important. Not really wanting to go back to management as she's now in her prime, she decided to focus on what she was good at and look for a part time position working at a Tim Horton's or a McDonald's. These are things she knows - food quality, great service and cleanliness. My Mom is an amazing billboard for Q.S.C.!

Being slightly more experienced she has been passed over for younger candidates more times than she can count. For some reason many employers were more concerned that she was going to up and retire - than the fact that they'd hire a younger worker who may go on mat leave in a few months. My mother has been recognized for her attendance record - but that doesn't really enter into many employers minds.

She handed out a couple resumes at McDonald's again and at a few Tim Horton's in Cambridge only to find that they weren't really looking at this time. Either her age and experience scared them, or they really legitimately had enough staff at this time. Feeling a little discouraged, we had a heart to heart last weekend. I think it was great that she was looking for jobs in a field she enjoyed. It would get her out of the office and back behind the counter with a smile. It'd give her a purpose and she'd see the results of her hard work every day after each customer was served quickly and with a smile.

I remember that a new friend of mine made an off-hand comment a few months ago about going to the Tim Horton's out in Aberfoyle. It's not in a big city, but it is a busy location. It's just off the 401 and he told me that they are always looking for good people. Knowing that my parents live outside of Cambridge on the Aberfoyle side, I suggested for her to apply. She was interested and thought she'd give it a try. What could it hurt right?

After driving the big whopping 12 minutes (less than it would take her to get to a most of the stores in Cambridge) she found herself dropping off her resume and having a good conversation with the manager. She was told the same "We aren't really looking for those hours at this time" (day shift before 3pm) but the manager did say "I'd hire you right now if you could work all shifts as I think you'd be great." With a final parting of the manager saying "Give me your resume and application as you never know" my mother left feeling a little better about herself. If they didn't have space, they didn't have space but getting some positive feedback went a long way for her self esteem.

On the drive home she stopped at her sisters farm and they had a tea and discussed how things went. She had no idea, but she sparked something just by going there and taking my advice. By the time she got in her driveway they had already called and arranged an interview for her with my uncle who just happened to answer the phone. It seems something may have opened up after all.

She went in for the interview and by the end they hired her. She starts in two weeks and was absolutely glowing as she told us about it today at her birthday party. She talked of uniforms and her new non-slip shoes and you could see her just bubbling.

I love that she's finally followed the advice she's given all us kids for years and years - Do what you like to do. She deserves this challenge and will excel because that's who she is! She is a wonderful service machine and they will see this.

So Mom - on your 60th birthday I have to say how proud I am of you!