Happy 77th Birthday Mom!

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Berlin, Birthday, Canada, children, family, Germany, growing up, happy, joy, kids, laughter, life, Life's like that, living in the moment, love, memories, Mom, parents, Relationships, Stuff my parents used to say and do

Mom as a little girl with her mother

The oldest of six children, mom was born in Berlin, Germany the year WWII started.

Not an ideal childhood, but there were those special moments with her favourite grandparents, those rare moments where she could enjoy a piece of chocolate and the hospital stays that made her want to be a nurse.

And then the family years. Getting married. Having children of her own. Making a new and better life in Canada.

I have many memories growing up, like when Mom would tear around the house looking for her rat tail comb so she could finish setting her hair in rollers; all the while the comb was safely fixed in between the rows of curlers on her head.

Or how she’d barely be in the door after work and we’d all be like, “what’s for supper?” She’d sing to us, with us, read to us, take care of us when we were sick, threaten us with the wooden spoon to make us eat porridge, bake a cake every Sunday and feed it to us for breakfast with a vitamin.

And oh those cleaning days on Saturday, stripping, washing and waxing the floor, dragging the mattresses downstairs and beating them on the balcony, vacuuming, dusting, filling the sink with water to wash all the knick  knacks, washing the laundry in the wringer washing machine and hanging the laundry on the line – cleaning day was like boot camp!

Waiting up for me when I came home past curfew; lights flicking on blinding me, asking where I’ve been, why I was late, did I have any idea how worried she’d been? what was I thinking? Never mind, just get to bed! And by the way, you’re grounded for the summer – which never really panned out because grounding me meant I’d be around all the time and I was quite the pain in the ass!

Cooking our favourite meal, making our favourite cake on our birthdays, always motivated by wanting to be the kind of mother she had wanted to have as a child.

Wish I could cook for you today Mom. Wish I could bake your favourite cake. Wish we didn’t live so far apart.

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Happy Birthday Mom. I know you don’t feel like celebrating and I understand. But you are worth celebrating. I am grateful for you and I hope you have some moments of joy today.

With love, Diana

So…Yesterday, I Went To A Birthday Party…

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#IAmDowntown, #OCanadayyc, Alberta, Birthday, Calgary, Canada, Canada Day, Canadian, celebrate, Diana Schwenk, humour, Hump Day Chronicles, living in the moment, Tourist in my own city, Urban Living

*** WARNING. THIS POST IS A TAD LONGER THAN MY USUAL POSTS. BUT DON’T WORRY, I’VE INCLUDED A LOT OF PHOTOS TO DISTRACT YOU***

One, two, three, almost 4 Canadians…

“Sure,” they said, when I asked to take their picture. He told me he’s been in Calgary since 1992. “Awesome! I’ve been here since 1990,” I said.

Oops, look at me jumping into the middle of a story. Sorry about that!

Yesterday I went downtown to celebrate a birthday. Canada’s birthday, to be exact. She’s 147 and she’s looking ‘not too shabby.’

Anyway I asked this lovely family if I could take their picture because they looked so…

…well they looked so Canadian.

It was a gorgeous  sunny day, about 24c when I headed downtown. I cut through Central Memorial Park and saw this.

One of the war memorials in Central Memorial Park

I’ve always just assumed, by the clothing worn by this horseman, that this statue was in memory of those who served in WWI. Yesterday, I decided to walk up to the plaque and read it.

Would you look at that! It says, “In memory of the brave men of the province of Alberta who in the South African war of 1899-1900 gave their lives for their country’s honour.”

Hey Bulldog! Seems we’re loosely connected outside of the blogosphere 🙂

Bulldog isn’t the only blogger I was reminded of yesterday. This post seems to be following in the magical styles of Andrea who gives clear directions to would-be travelers when she visits other countries; minus the whole clarity thing she employs. And Ann who shares photos that complement the themes of her posts; minus the whole stay on theme bit she uses.

Stephen Avenue, downtown Calgary

Leaving Central Memorial Park, I walked 4 blocks north and turned east onto Stephen Avenue. This is what I saw. Canadians everywhere, in every direction!

It’s not very clear, but if you click on the above picture and squint at the bottom right hand corner, you can almost see the table with cowboy hats for sale. And that’s because starting on Friday we’ll be welcoming hundreds of thousands of tourists who will be coming to the 102nd Annual Calgary Stampede and Exhibition!

What’s that I am hearing? I continued east to follow the music and came upon these two guys…

These two guys were rocking the original Spider Man theme – it was amazing!

When they were done playing is the exact moment I spotted that very Canadian family in my first photo. So now that you’re caught up, let’s just move along, shall we? 😀

Olympic Plaza is located at the end of Stephen Avenue

A whole gaggle of Canadians were gathered at Olympic Plaza and asked by the emcee to sing Happy Birthday to Canada.

How bossy!

She also told us to tweet out about the goings on using #IamDowntown or #OCanadayyc so I tweeted this picture out.

I am so compliant.

Hey! Stop laughing!

I didn’t stick around at Olympic Plaza, deciding instead to head north again into the East Village.

Two Canadians on bikes in the East Village

Look at all those Canadian flags on the roof of that building!

5 Canadians heading west on the River Walk

I turned west and stalked walked behind this family. I snapped this picture because I’ve just always thought that photos of people walking away were cool.

I’ve seen family portraits like that, they’re awesome – you should do a family shot like that – seriously!

Why are you still here??

An electronic Canadian flag

Centre Street Bridge, Calgary Alberta

I stopped to shoot this picture because I was remembering that last year at this time, the Bow River was so high that it almost covered that arch. As a matter of fact, the place I stood to take this picture was under water last year. If you click to enlarge the photo you’ll see that there is also vehicle traffic at a lower level below the arch.

Along the River Walk

Oh Look! Another Canadian Family!

They’ve been in Calgary since 1990. They’re originally from Newfoundland, and although I’ve never been to Newfoundland, I have met many Newfoundlanders and they are, by far, in my humble opinion, the friendliest people on earth!

See that little girl in the front? Did you notice her totally awesome over-the-shoulder-hand-bag? Well, when I told the family I was a blogger and asked to take their picture, she immediately insisted on putting my business card in her purse when I offered it. ❤

As I was walking away, I asked myself, “What kind of Nut Job asks complete strangers if she can take their picture?” Oh well…it’s not like I’m going to change that about myself any time soon. 🙂

Just a Canadian girl sitting by the river with her Canadian dad

I took a picture of this Canadian, who was taking a picture of another Canadian

Another flock of Canadians…

Everywhere I went, every direction I looked, every time I turned around, I saw one or more Canadians.

Was there a convention in town or something? 🙂

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

If you’re a Canadian, how did you spend Canada Day?

And if you’re not a Canadian, how did you spend Canada Day?

50 ain’t so Bad…

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Birthday, Calgary, dancing, Deanne House, Diana Schwenk, Events, family, friends, Ranchmans, The Big 5-0

Some of you had asked me to share how I spent my birthday; OK one of you asked me. (Thanks B!)This is the last post about my birthday – I promise!

~

Because it was my birthday on Valentine’s Day I decided to take Thursday and Friday off and Monday was Family Day here in Alberta. I ended up with 5 days off for my birthday.

Thursday, the day of my birthday, I had a dentist appointment because I’d lost a filling. It turns out I need to get a crown so after the dentist smoothed the sharp edges I booked another appointment for March. Happy Birthday to me!!!

~

Later I enjoyed a lovely lunch  at the lovely Deanne House in Inglewood with Kathleen, a friend who used to be my EA at a previous job.

The one thing I really miss about my old job is the group of people who used to make up what I called my ‘Dream Team.’ Kathleen had spoiled me rotten; she really took care of me in those days. Thanks so much for a lovely lunch Kathleen!

~

I got home around 1:30 and within a few moments my doorbell rang. I opened the door and there was this 6’4” cowboy looking guy with a box.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a box,” he said.

“For me?”

“Yup, can you print your name here?”

“Yeah…sure”

“You know,” he said observing my excitement, “they always act surprised, but if you don’t get them flowers, there’s hell to pay!”

I chuckled to myself thinking he probably had forgotten to give his girlfriend flowers for Valentine’s Day, said goodbye and shut the door.

I couldn’t believe someone sent me flowers and couldn’t imagine who they could be from. I opened the box to discover they were from my friends Annie and George who live in Scotland. The flowers were accompanied by such a beautiful note! It made me cry – you made my day A & G – thank you so much!

~

Friday was my day to rest and get ready for the visit from my daughter and her tribe (her friends). They arrived late Friday night (I was already sleeping) and I awoke to find them all safely here Saturday morning.

We hung out for the day and got ready for the big night out. I had reserved the loft, overlooking the stage and dance floor at the Ranchman’s Bar and Dance Hall. (I highly recommend booking your event here) There were 15 of us there and we enjoyed a night of dancing and celebrating.

Many of you already know that I love dancing.

I like letting the music move me.

It was Michaela though who wowed us with her dancing prowess, having learned two-stepping and other ‘dance moves’ in high school – wish they’d done that when I went to school!

I had an awesome time!

Thank you Adele, Carmen, Julie, Sandra, Norm, Helga, Tammi, Derek, Paula, Del, Cherie, Michaela, Jayden and Katrina for helping me celebrate my milestone birthday – the big 5-0!

Also a special thank you to Jason, our bartender who took care of us for the night.

I wish I had more photos to share with you!

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~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Turning 50 ain’t so bad when you’re blessed with dear family and friends 😉

How did you/do you plan to spend your ‘half a century’ birthday?

Thank you

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Birthday, Diana Schwenk, facebook, growing up, half a century, happy, laughter, The Big 5-0

Tomorrow I turn 50 – where has the time gone?

I’m surprised, but I’m actually OK with it.

If I had an opportunity to be 25 again, I don’t think I would take it.

I like where I am in my life. And maybe that’s one of the secrets to happiness.

It gets a little dangerous with this many candles!

On Monday night I was talking to my uncle from Germany and he told me that turning 50 is a big deal in Germany, like the ‘no turning back’ point or the pinnacle of life, the half-way milestone so to speak.

Well my friends, on the eve of the end of my 40’s, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who shared the ways they give or pledged to give in honour of my birthday on my post here.

Some of you made a donation to the cause you believe in and some even donated to the place I work!

It really does mean the world to me. I learned a lot about you.

You also pointed out that there are many other ways to give as well and I whole-heartedly agree!

Thank you for the lovely gift of “YOU”

In an effort to take away the sting of my ‘no turning back now’ milestone, here’s a birthday poem I found online – with my responses in brackets. It is one of many that won a contest about turning 50.

Happy Half 100

              by Kayla Metoxen                    (Green Bay, WI, USA)

Turning 5-0 is nothing to fear! (I bet a 25 year old wrote this)

It all goes downhill from here. (going downhill is easier than trudging uphill right?)

You’ll soak your teeth next to your bed (I’m hanging on to my teeth – thank you very much!)

You’ll thin out atop your head (luckily I’m blessed with lots of hair)

You’ll slow down and hate loud things. (except when I’m cranking Santana while doing housework)

Your underarms will look like wings. (Yeah, that happened a while ago)

You’ll never have to wait in line. (In what universe?)

You’ll even make a Tom Jones shrine! (I don’t think so!)

Happy half a hundred! (Thank you!)

Happy Half a lifetime! (Oh Shut Up!)

click here to read the other birthday poems that won.

~ THE HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Totally unrelated, I saw this video on facebook the other day and it really moved me, I just had to share it with you.

It’s well worth the 10 minutes it takes to watch.

A Bonus Saturday Post

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Birthday, children, courage, daughters, Diana Schwenk, family, growing up, kids, laughter, love, memories, parents, stress, teens

What seems to us bitter trials are often blessings in disguise. ~ Oscar Wilde

I don’t normally post anything on Saturdays but today is a special day.

You see, 19 years ago today I was taken to the Peter Lougheed Hospital here in Calgary.

The doctor was worried.

Things weren’t the way they were supposed to be.

I was classified as “high risk” and had been undergoing numerous tests over the last 3 months.

I’d been so worried, but worrying was just adding stress and stress was exactly what I didn’t need.

I’d been given strict orders to rest, be still and calm.

I was going out of my mind.

I was restless and all this quiet time just made me think more…

and thinking more stressed me out!

~

But there’s a happy ending to my story.

At 6:50 pm, I gave birth to my beautiful daughter.

The doctor came to see me the next morning to congratulate us.

He hadn’t been hopeful – but we made it.

My girl’s a fighter.

She was born a fighter and she’s a strong young woman today.

~

Happy Birthday Angel Girl – I love you so very much!

And here for your birthday is one of my favourite photo session memories

Camera Madness 2007!

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The Perfect Age

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Birthday, Diana Schwenk, Rite of Passage, The Perfect Age

Earlier this year, I celebrated my forty-ninth birthday with a bottle of red wine and the company of a dear friend.  Even though my next birthday isn’t until 2013, I’m already thinking of 50 and I am not ready for it. I don’t feel old enough to be fifty. But as my dear friend reminded me, hitting those zero humps is always challenging. Since then I’ve been thinking about how fast time passes. I didn’t always feel that way. When I was thirteen I decided that the perfect age would be twenty-five. Each year that went by felt like an eternity and I thought I would be a teenager forever. “Don’t be in such a hurry to grow up,” my mom would say. “Enjoy these carefree years.” I wouldn’t have any of it. I dreamt about what my life would be like at twenty-five. I would have an awesome job. I’d be married with three kids – two boys and one girl. It would be perfect.

“To our Dearest Diana,” read the card from mom and dad when I turned twenty-five. “We both wish you a wonderful birthday. You’re a quarter of a century old now. Wow makes us feel so ancient. By the time I was your age I had been married for four years and had two kids. When can we expect grandchildren?  Love Mom and Dad.”

Ok so I wasn’t married. I didn’t have kids. And I definitely did not have the perfect job.

When I turned twenty-nine I cried and cried until there were no tears left– my life as I knew it was over. I was soon going to be old. I was sure that when I was out in public people would be thinking “Wow, she’s old!” But turning thirty wasn’t bad. In fact it felt somewhat like a ‘Rite of Passage.’ I became a mother. I felt more confident. I walked taller and straighter. I knew who I was. I was unstoppable! For the first time I was glad to be a woman. (Previously I had wished that I had been born a man because people just seemed to take men more seriously). I blossomed in my thirties and I loved it. I had become aware though, that time seemed to pass more quickly now.

Before I could grasp the concept, forty came. And that was OK too! I was somewhat surprised with that, but it truly was OK. People would say, “Wow, you’re forty? You don’t look forty. What’s your secret?” I felt good and in many ways I was in the best shape of my life. I started an exercise regime and began eating healthier foods. I introduced high heels and tailored and fitted clothing into my wardrobe. I had embraced my feminine side! My Forties brought power to me – I am Woman, hear me roar. It was exhilarating!

A woman thinking (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But now here I sit at forty-nine, trying to imagine the card from my parents when I hit the BIG 50 in about ten months. I’m sure it will start out with something like, “Our Dearest Diana. You’re a half-century old!!! Where the (insert explicative) did the time go?” Ok maybe not those words exactly – but something along those lines!

Of this I am sure – I’m not ready for fifty.  So I have decided that early next year I will be celebrating my forty-tenth birthday and maybe by the time I’m forty-thirteen or so I will have become comfortable with fifty.

To read an article about the perfect age for women by Stella Brikey (via The Citizen)  click here

What do you think is the perfect age? Was there an age that was difficult for you? What was it?