Bad Roads, Easter Visit And Beauty Makeovers

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Alberta, children, daughter, Diana Schwenk, Easter, family, friends, Hump Day Chronicles, laughter, Life's like that, living in the moment, love, Makeover, makeup, Michaela, Michaela's Beauty Warriors, Relationships, Rosalind, Spring

This past weekend, my daughter and I thought it a fine idea to spend Easter together at hers and her boyfriend, Werner’s place in Rosalind, Alberta.

The morning I was to drive out there, we talked on the phone about how bad the secondary roads were due to snow and we decided to meet in Camrose for dinner and then drive to the farm together afterward, in case my car got stuck.

Well as luck would have it, the roads were not as bad as we thought they would be and I arrived earlier than anticipated, too early for dinner, so we met at the Paint Pottery where I painted a mug, Werner painted an elephant and Michaela painted two plates. I can’t wait to see the finished products after they’re glazed and baked!

After dinner we headed out to the farm and parked my car about a kilometer away from the house at the old school because the muddy gravel road that leads to the farm-house would surely have swallowed up my little Toyota Tercel.

It was a wonderful weekend that included a stunning makeover for me by Michaela, a not-so-stunning, but fun as heck, makeover for Michaela by me and Werner, and a wonderful Easter meal shared by me, Michaela, Werner and his parents Claudia and Manfred.

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Michaela and Werner, thank you so much for hosting me this Easter, it was so good to see you again!

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

For more Easter fun, check out me and Werner doing Michaela’s makeover on the link below!

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F100010097341891%2Fvideos%2F442868522726389%2F&show_text=0&width=560

And, oh if you like makeup, you might want to head over here https://www.facebook.com/groups/1295392280541774/ and check out Michaela’s Beauty Warriors page. She really knows her stuff!

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If I Had Known…

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200 words, Canada, Dad, daughter, death, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, family, Father, grief, growing up, Heinz Schwenk, Life's like that, love, memories, parents, Relationships

One year ago today, Dad passed away peacefully after eating supper in his hospital room…

If I had known that that last time we were together would be the last time I would ever see you, I would have looked at you more closely. I would have listened more carefully to what you had to say. I would have said to you all the things I ever wanted to tell you.

― Anonymous, page 49, Reflections upon the Death of a Father by Harold Ivan Smith

Dad, I wish I would have stayed longer that Friday. I wish I’d taken the opportunity to be with you alone to talk, to listen, to sit silent, to watch you sleep, to watch you eat your dinner.

I wish I would have looked into your beautiful blue eyes that never changed with age and searched them out for the wisdom you’d learned over the years.

But we thought you had turned a corner. And so we left that afternoon as you slept. And we sat the ‘get well’ teddy bear on your table with my handwritten note, “It was good to see you Dad, we’ll be back tomorrow, love you …”

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Thanksgiving in Rosalind

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Alberta, Calgary, Camrose Alberta, Canada, children, daughter, Diana Schwenk, driving, family, friends, fun, generosity, grateful, growing up, laughter, living in the moment, love, parents, Relationships, Rosalind, thankful, Thanksgiving, turkey

Just how great was Thanksgiving in Rosalind, Alberta?

Glad you asked!

I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about driving to Rosalind by myself on Saturday because many of the roads I needed to travel on are so barren and have no cell service. But in spite of the cold, fog with iffy visibility and snow, it was a rather pleasant drive.

Seeing as this was my first visit there, Michaela met me at the Rosalind School parking lot so I could follow her on the gravel secondary highway eight-hundred-and-something to hers and Werner’s long driveway about 1 kilometer from the school.

We turned the corner on the driveway at around 4:30PM revealing the cutest little farm-house and property. It really is too bad that it got cold and snowed so early this year, I would have loved to have walked around the property a bit. But it was that wet kind of cold, you know? The kind that chills you to the bone in just minutes.

Anyway, after settling in, enjoying a nice cup of coffee and playing a few rounds of Macke Been, Werner drove us to the Brew House in Camrose for dinner. After dinner, we headed back to the farm-house, played a few more games, chatted about this and that and turned in early. I slept like a baby!

The next morning, Michaela made us a wonderful breakfast before starting all the food prep and cooking for the Thanksgiving dinner. We all helped out here and there, but for the most part, Michaela had it all under control. There would be five for dinner. Me, Michaela, Werner and his mom and dad, Claudia and Manfred, who I would be meeting for the first time.

It was fun.

Lots of laughter, lots of story-sharing and playful banter.

And what a feast it was, especially since this was the very first dinner party, Michaela had ever hosted!

So just how great was Thanksgiving in Rosalind, Alberta?

it was so great that I forgot to take pictures!

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

And how did you spend Thanksgiving? And what did you non-Canadians do this past weekend?

Happy Thanksgiving From The Middle of Nowhere!

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Alberta, attitude, blessings, Canada, daughter, disappointments, family, farming, food, grateful, Gratitude, Happy Thanksgiving, harvest, Relationships, Rosalind, thankful, values

If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.

~ John Wooden

Well…not exactly nowhere. But when you’re an urbanite like me, driving on a handful of secondary highways to get to Rosalind, Alberta feels a lot like the middle of nowhere.

Me and Michaela Sept. 2016

I gladly drive those lonely highways though, to spend Thanksgiving with my daughter, her boyfriend Werner and his family.

That’s right. Here in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October. My guess is, we pushed it up to line up with harvest time north of the 49th.

Speaking of harvest, that’s what my daughter, Werner and his parents have been up to on their family farm the last few weeks.

What’s more Thanksgiving than that?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I’m going to practice magnifying my blessings instead of blowing up my disappointments into massive proportions, how about you?

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Have you hugged a farmer today?

This post has been scheduled to publish on Sunday. When you read this, I will already be in the middle of nowhere cherishing wonderful people. I hope you are also with those whom you love. ❤

Diana xo

Don’t Call Her A Dork. Be Nicer.

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Alberta, Anthropologie, Be nice, Calgary, Canada, daughter, Diana Schwenk, Easter, family, happy, Hump Day Chronicles, living in the moment, Michaela, Relationships, wine

Michaela at Peter’s Drive-In, Calgary AB

This past weekend, my daughter with beau-in-tow, came home to spend Easter with me.

It’s always great to see her. We don’t often get to visit as we live a three and half hour drive apart.

This time I remembered to renew my parking pass so the kids could park in my assigned spot behind my apartment building, while I legally parked on my street.

In the past, I haven’t done this, so Michaela has had to park a few streets away and move her car every few hours.

A gift from the Easter Bunny awaited Michaela’s arrival

Yeah, yeah, I won’t be getting the Mother of the Year award anytime soon!

But before you go getting all indignant about the way I treat my daughter, know that Michaela, AKA The Tornado, has her own way of getting even.

She has this uncanny ability to pretty much destroy a room seemingly by just walking into it.

Within minutes, it looks like a storm has blown through!

I don’t mind. Really. It’s a small price to pay for the pleasure of spending time with her.

My late birthday present from Michaela

…A few years back, Michaela and I discovered Anthropologie, a boutique store that sells unique merchandize, including a mishmash of dishes. At the time, I told Michaela that one day I would start an eclectic collection of plates and cups. She remembered this and brought me two pieces (above) to start my collection…

Be nicer. Don’t call your daughter a dork. Be nicer.

One of the things I enjoy most about Michaela is her sarcastic wit.

We often lovingly jab at each other.

An endearing habit, that I’ve come to expect from Michaela every time she visits, is the writing of a message on my whiteboard.

On this last visit she added items to my to-do List.

For some reason, she felt that ‘Be nicer’ had to be stated twice.

But be nicer didn’t have to be stated at all. They brought a bottle of wine.

And wine always makes me nicer.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

What did you do for the Easter weekend? What makes you nicer?

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

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Alberta, Calgary, Canada, daughter, Diana Schwenk, family, Hump Day Chronicles, living in the moment, selfies

Normally, I like painting pictures with words. So what do I do when I’m short on words? Well, I share pictures with you. Pictures are worth a thousand words, right?

So here’s a glimpse into my stomping grounds over the last two or so months. You’ve seen this one somewhere before, haven’t you? Do you remember where?

Scroll up. See my banner photo? Well this is the original photo I cropped for use up top. When I’m out and about, I like to take photos of things that catch my eye. I snapped this one, pointing my phone kitty corner from where I stood waiting for the pedestrian light to change. That’s the Calgary Tower and when it was built in the late 60’s it was the tallest structure around. Now when you go to the top, instead of just looking down on everything, you can look up into offices.

I took this photo at my Thinking Spot on the Elbow River. Well actually the couple in the photo were sitting on my bench, so I snapped it from a bench on higher ground. I felt kind of guilty taking it, because they were sharing an intimate moment, laughing, being affectionate – ahh young love!

I snapped this photo on 4th Street, heading north and cropped it so you could see red-cap-guy better.

Everywhere I walk, there’s construction. That pile of wood there was once the outdoor swimming pool at the Glencoe Club. I hope they’re just building it anew as it’s operational all year-round. It’s weird to walk by on a cold winter day and see people swimming in the outdoor heated pool.

Here’s another shot of the Calgary Tower taken from the Central Memorial Park entrance from 4th Street.

I shot this picture on 10th Avenue because even in construction, there is beauty to be found. It also showcases our beautiful Alberta skies.

This is the same crane I captured in the previous photo, I love the reflection of it in the building. Isn’t it cool?

Speaking of photos being worth a thousand words. Check out these goofy selfies I took a few nights ago and texted to my daughter.

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These types of texts always result in a one-word response from my daughter

“WEIRDO”

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Do you send goofy texts to your kids? Do you think I’m a weirdo? What words come to mind when looking at my pictures?

What are you most proud of?

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accomplishments, daughter, Diana Schwenk, dignity, family, Hump Day Chronicles, integrity, mission, passion, proud, Purpose, Single parent, vision

Michaela, 8 months old, playing piano at Oma and Opa’s house

That’s what she asked me when she called on Monday.

What are you most proud of…what is your greatest accomplishment?

Rebecca was calling me in response to a short-term job I had applied for. Something that I might enjoy doing and would allow me to make some extra cash.

The phone interview was the first screening.

What AM I most proud of, I wondered.

So used to being at the other end of an interview – being the one asking the questions.

So used to selling a cause and not necessarily selling myself.

My mind went straight to my professional accomplishments:

• my work on the GNA committee
• the 90-day plan I developed to win people over so that they no longer feared affordable housing for the homeless in the downtown core
• helping that other small non-profit get a better understanding of their fund development history and working with them to develop strategies to move forward.

And other such things…

No. That’s not what Rebecca was looking for, so she rephrased the question. What are you passionate about?

“Well I guess I’m most passionate about being true to myself,” I began. “Of standing up for what I believe, even when I have to stand alone.

I’m proud of raising my daughter as a single parent. And intentionally not speaking ill of her dad while she was growing up – I’d seen too many times what kind of damage that does to children.

I’m proud that when I left a job I had loved for many years, that had turned ugly during a leadership change, I did it with my integrity and dignity intact.

I’m passionate about following my heart, even when I am afraid. And I am determined to ensure that my word is better than a signed contract.

~

So used to selling a cause and not necessarily selling myself…

Nevertheless, a valuable experience for me and a second interview is scheduled!

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

What are you most proud of? What is your greatest accomplishment? What are you passionate about?

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

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200 words, Canada, daughter, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, family, friends, Gratitude, happy, Oma, parents, Relationships, thank you, thankful, Thanksgiving

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
― Meister Eckhart

This weekend Canada is celebrating Thanksgiving.

What better day than today to talk about thankfulness?

And what better way to do that than list off some of the things that I am thankful for?

I am thankful for my parents who immigrated to Canada and worked hard their whole lives to build a better life for our family.

I am thankful for my daughter, my future son-in-law and his beautiful 3-month old daughter – I’m an Oma!

I am thankful for my brother who is also my friend and for a while in my early teens, my only friend. I am also grateful for my sister-in-law and my amazing nephew.

I am thankful for my life-long friends who are like family to me.

I am thankful for all the opportunities I have had and continue to have in this beautiful country.

And I am thankful for you, my beautiful readers and writers. ❤

It’s not happy people who are thankful, it’s thankful people who are happy

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

What are you thankful for?

Related article: 10 Reasons Why Gratitude is Healthy