Category Archives: friendship

#Solo(Return)RoadTrip

30 Monday Aug 2021

Posted by in community, Family, friendship, Love, Travel

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Well the month of August flew by! Before I embark on my #Solo(Return)RoadTrip to 🇺🇸 … I thought I would share some of my highlights!

Celebrating my parents 54th wedding anniversary … and my sister’s um, 30th birthday 🙂

Another 50th birthday celebration with my wonderful high school girlfriends.

We all turn 50 this year and I’m so proud to say that out loud because I think we all look 25! Thanks Tanya, Tracy and Tamara for all of the great times together! It wasn’t easy but we pulled together a few gatherings .. not to mention the few quick beers 🍻 we snuck in from time to time as well!

Since I of course, had time on my hands, I took up golf lessons while I was home. And I went back to the very first place that I picked up a golf club … about 30 years ago. ⛳️ Thanks again, Mike, for introducing me to the game of golf. That, and moving to San Francisco, are two amazing gifts from our time together.

I experienced real progress (1% better is my motto!) after weekly golf lessons. Tannis and Z … I look forward to showing off my new skills at the HMB links! ha ha <grin>

I enjoyed a lot of walks .. some alone, some with friends, and some with a Saint in my back pocket.

I went back to my roots and had not one, but TWO nights of pickles with my family! And I’m so excited that I have a case in the back of my car to enjoy while I’m back in California.

We enjoyed some cool extended family time — we visited my 97 yo great aunt, as well as had an annual Fedeyko WE MEET reunion, virtual again this year but it was so much fun I think Amy and I are going to organize a WE MEET virtually more often. Except next time, we’ll send the link, Uncle D! LOL

Mom and me, of course, enjoyed some wine!! And on some nights, I enjoyed some Whisky! (I couldn’t let my fans down without sharing some of these moments, right?!)

The weather was absolutely drop-dead, gorgeous almost every day I was home. It was weather like I remember it growing up on the farm in High Level. I took advantage of the amazing backdrop + weather for an alternative to my normal office.

AND I got to meet an amazing group of Edmonton women that I’ve been working with over the last year. Thank you Cara, Anjali, Kennedy, Nicole, Noelle and Sabrina for your support, passion and collaboration! I’m excited for all the things we are doing together.

I am taking home a few gifts from my mom. She’s always asking if I would “use this” or “wear that” … and then next thing – poof – it’s mine to enjoy! 🙂 My mom was always so creative with crafts … from ceramics to cross stitch to knitting and painting .. she did it all – and beautifully!! Here is a gift I get to take home with me. Thanks, Mom! LOVE ❤️

I might update this post with additional memories, but as I embark on my #SoloReturnRoadTrip, I wanted to share a glimpse from the last month.

It’s always SO great to come home to 🇨🇦. Thank you to my family, friends and colleagues for making it memorable and fun!

And now … I look forward to the “Positive What If!” that awaits in San Francisco!

Oh and … NW 35 109 17 W5 … Which won’t mean anything to most of my readers right now, but it might show up in a future blog post. 😆

#SoloRoadTrip – Day 4

19 Monday Jul 2021

Posted by in friendship, Travel

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#OnTheRoadAgain …

I totally forgot about my Monday morning call with a group from London … but glad I remembered it … just in time!

So a little later-than-planned start, but I was on my way to an old ultra-running friend’s place in South Dakota with a jet-fueled gas station ☕️ in hand. I’ll let my readers guess who they mystery friend could be and I will give away the name later on in the post, or tomorrow. 🏃‍♂️

So …. I do weird things on solo road trips.

  • Like, keep track of the number of times I stop to use the “ladies room” (a phrase I stole from my friend Tannis, which just sounds better than “I stopped to go pee”).
  • I like taking photos of signs. It’s a little hard to do when driving solo and on roads that don’t have many turn-outs .. but I’ve been known to come to a screeching halt and make a quick u-turn to go back to take the snap. You’ll see one of those in my video below.
  • One thing I am doing is documenting the price of gas along the way. It was $4.89 a gallon in Burlingame when I left (this is for the Supreme leaded because that’s apparently what my precious car needs). And today it was $4.159 in Park City. So .. that’s a bit of useless information and a minute of your life you’ll never get back. #SorryNotSorry!!

News Alert: This blog post is on the longer side because who knew so much could happen on a 10-hour drive between Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota!  Well, allow me to share.

In Good Company

In 2019 when I took my first #SoloRoadTrip it was Oprah’s “Super Soul Sunday” Podcast that kept me fulfilled during my travels. I listened to episode after episode, and was eating up all of the “rah-rah, build your confidence, live your best life” blah blah on the airways. I frickin’ loved it!

This trip the Podcast that is keeping me going is Smartless …. OMGosh it’s laugh-out-loud, pee my pants, so f’en hilarious! Jason Bateman is SO funny. I love the connection to Canada with Will Arnett. And I feel like Sean Hayes pulls out the sarcastic humor that catches you off guard in a good way. Check it out. It cracks me up!

Complete Podcast Playlist:

  • Collisions/YYC – with Amanda Hall – who is #MakingAlbertaProud with the company she founded “Summit Nanotech”. One day I’m going to say … I knew Amanda when … Good luck w/ the Series A raise, lady! I know you’re going to ##CrushIt!
  • Smartless with Gwyneth Paltrow was awesome! SUPER funny and who doesn’t love her!
  • Smartless Reese Witherspoon – OMGosh, she’s so adorable and hot (regardless if you’re a man or a woman, who doesn’t have a crush on Reese!) Gotta watch that one.
  • Smartless with Amy Sedaris – who I didn’t know, but she is frickin’ hilarious! It’s A-mazing how many famous actors/actresses that these 3 guys have worked with over the years! 
  • Last Smartless episode of the day was with NASA Astronaut, Marine Biologist and Physiologist – Jessica Meir. Who I certainly didn’t know, but she’s not only wicked smart but funny!!
  • The Goop Podcast – “Realizing our Belonging” – because I still need a little rah-rah, feel good content. 😆

And now … Random Photos From The Trip ….

Continental Divide & Fences

For those that used to watch “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” … remember the 3 Lifelines that the person had?! Yeah, well, I had to use the “Phone a Friend” today when I kept seeing the Continental Divide signs driving through Wyoming.  Except I left my Dad and Sister and video recording (sort of the upgraded version of “phone a friend”). Thanks, Dad for being my source of all knowledge!

But here is another riddle and I need to use the “Poll the Audience” lifeline.

Can someone please tell me what these fences are, and why are they everyone along the Wyoming backroads?? I look forward to someone helping me solve the mystery! “Thanks in advance!”

For My Sister … Inside Joke

Edgerton

This video is for my Dad and all of the Oiler fans out there. This is the video I had to turn around for because the sign caught my eye. Thank goodness it didn’t also say “Home of Champions”. LOL

Entering South Dakota

The landscape changed as I was welcomed into South Dakota and I easily found my way to Mike’s place … in time to have a glass of wine (or three, sorry, Mike … I pushed you off the wagon!) … We have a good chit chat w/ Ron about days on the farm … and then enjoyed a delicious meal while we reminisced about the crazy ultra-running days (and yes, all of the old running peeps – we totally talked about you – Claire, Scott, Moselle, Leigh, Frank, Christine, Jon, Jane .. and of course, the crew support team of Rob and Kristin). ha ha!

Grateful for …

  • Safely getting to my destination
  • An awesome home-cooked meal; old friend and bed to crash on
  • Laughing out loud humo(u)r on the Smartless podcast
  • Enough cell coverage to listen in on two calls today, and one was with a group of kick-ass women in an executive coaching group that I love – thanks, Amy!
  • Lifelines!!

And the mystery friend is revealed. Thanks, Mike!!

And for those that might be wondering … this is the look of a LONG day folks … not the wine!

Day 3: Invest in Love

03 Monday Dec 2018

Posted by in friendship, Inspiration, Life's Lessons, Love, Writing Topics

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Elon Musk said it best.  All we need is love.

Ha! He might have gotten it from the Beatles but I figure if Elon Musk knows it to be true, then it must be. ❤️

Today’s writing topic is about love. But more so, how we can invest in love.

IMG_5204

Hand painted with love by my amazing Sister.

If we approach the day, and the people in it, with love, then we have a 1000% better shot at feeling good about ourselves, making others feel welcome and appreciated, and are in charge of creating more positivity and change for good in the world.

All because we simply invest in love ❤️.

  1. So take a moment to write about everyone that loves you, or have ever loved you. And as you do – enjoy the feelings and emotions that become present in your body.
  2. And then, write about the people that you love, or have loved. What did you learn from those that you loved before?  What are those that you love today teaching you? What are you teaching them?
  3. And lastly, think about who else you can love.  How you can give love to strangers? To your neighbors? Someone from your past? Someone that you will meet today? Make it a game and have fun with it!

Love is an investment. Not of money but something way more precious – our heart — our soul — and our time.

Some would tell you to be careful with how you give love away. I say the opposite. Give it away with reckless abandon. The world could use more love.

with love, 

 

love hands

Day 2: Friendships

03 Monday Dec 2018

Posted by in friendship, Inspiration, Life's Lessons, Writing Topics

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Today’s writing topic is around friendships and those relationships that are meaningful to you and why.

But it’s also about what type of friend you are being, or want to be.

friendship

It’s true the people come into our life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. And often there isn’t much we can do regarding the outcome. But we can always be conscious of those we have in our lives and how we are showing up for them.

Some questions to consider as you take a moment to reflect and write:

  1. What kind of friend are you to those most precious relationships in your life?
  2. Is there someone that you would like to have a deeper friendship with, and if so, what is one thing you can do to make that happen?
  3. What qualities resonate with you in friendships that you admire, and what can you do to emulate those traits?

Lastly, and you can consider this happy homework.  Reach out to a friend and tell them how much they mean to you. It can be a text or better yet a phone call. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated.  Just a simple random act of friendship.

freindship - to be understood