Tag: dailyprompt

What is your favorite place to go in your city?

My favorite place to go to in my home town is Butchart Gardens. I love how it changes each season so it’s like it’s always new everytime you go.

” With a former quarry as a canvas, Jennie Butchart envisioned transforming this space into a beautiful garden haven, overflowing with lush greens and colourful blooms. The result of her vision is The Gardens, which are still family run to this day.”

It’s so peaceful there and I love the sunken garden . Every detail is spectacular. There is a bench in the other side of the pond that is private so I love sitting and watching the people go by.

In the summer there are fireworks and music and in the winter the whole gardens are lit up with lights. They have skating and carols and it’s amazing.

Can’t wait to see it lit up again this season. 🌲

Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?

Lady Diana came to Canada and to my city and I got to shake hands with her as she was coming through the crowd. She’s ever bit as beautiful as she was portrayed. Her heart was massive and she greeted so many people. I also got to see her when her and Charles and their crew went on a Royal Cruise up to the Sunshine coast. My dad was part of the ferries so as his family I got to meet them all.

That was really amazing for me. I still remember she wore a blue spotted dress with a hat. Simple but elegant. What an honor this was for me so get death came as a huge shock. This past summer I watched the documentary on her on Netflix. She lead a tough life but I see where her children have taken up where she’s left off. It was hard to watch. ❤️

What was your favorite subject in school?

When I lived in Ireland and went to school I never did well. I had great street smarts but did so poorly in school. My only saving grace was the school librarian. I discovered the love of reading, a way to escape my horrific home life. I would read about all these adventures and imagine myself in them. I’m sure that is one of the reasons I was able to survive .

I loved music as well. Music even today brings me that peace. It helped me deal with things at home that I couldn’t control. 😊

Describe a family member.

This is my beloved Labradoodle Zeke. He is 7 and a half years old. He is a very unique dog. He’s super protective of me and he’s high strung which I find crazy because I’m so laid back. I have seen Labradoodles that are easy going and so laid back or highly wound like Zeke. He’s mellow at home with me. He loves balls and the very first time I went to visit the dogs all his siblings were sleeping together and Zeke was playing with a ball. His favorite game is hiding a tennis ball under his blankets and then he has to find it. It’s halarious how one dog can entertain himself for so long.

Zeke is amazing company and I love hanging out with him. It’s nice that dogs don’t answer back. He often will come up for a scritch or just to say hello. Dogs are amazing company. They seem to know exactly what you need. Those of you who have dogs know exactly what I’m saying. He’s an amazing family member to have.

What are you most proud of in your life?

One of the greatest things in my life is that I stand in the gap for others. It can be children but adults as well. Being a voice for those that can’t speak out for themselves. I was that child that couldn’t defend myself from the trauma’s in my life. When I got out of that situation I made a promise to myself that I would speak out for those that had no voice.

It’s not an easy task to do in fact people who know me know that I hate conflict. I’ve had to stand alone many times defending children from abuse,  because people don’t want to stand up to what is happening. People were worried about losing their jobs. So they stood and watched and never said a word. I wondered how those people slept at night.

God has given me a heart that understands and knows first hand what that pain feels like. I see the children that are picked on or sit by themselves hoping that a hole would just suck them up. I notice the children that walk with their heads down. They feel defeat often.

I have been able to make a difference in the school I work at. I have developed relationships with children that people don’t understand. Those are the same children who come up to me in the playground and give me a massive hug everyday they see me. That is worth so much more than anything else. ❤️

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I lived in Ireland for 12 years and grew up there as a child in the 80’s. I went to a private school for children from all different nominations. People from all over the world came to bring their children there. Boys were the only boarders at the school. I met a range of people from every corner of the world.

Life in Ireland at that time was hard. Our family was poor with 7 children and we often lived in homes that weren’t built property so we often had no heat. It was very drafty with the wind that whistled between the walls. I walked a mile and a half from my home with my younger sister to school each day. We took the train or the bus. I remember the old trains that moved slowly along the tracks. One of the places we crossed it was so steep down the cliff into the ocean. There was a tunnel that the train had no lights on and so it was pitch black I’m the train so we would jump on your friends unexpectedly and run back to your seat. They had no idea who jumped them.

I went to an Irish camp where you only had to speak Gaelic at. I went because my brother was supposed to keep an eye on me. That never happened so I was bullied by all the older girls. The camp was in Galway which is an amazing scenic part of Ireland. People there still speak only Gaelic. When you would go on a store you were expected to speak Gaelic. We would just point what we wanted and dumped our money on the counter. During meal times at the camp you had to only speak Gaelic. I learned the few odd words like im for butter. I remember camp was a long time but I learned more words. We took Gaelic in school also French and Latin. 😊

Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?

I love lazy days because yes I feel more rested. I have a very busy job and my downtime is so important to me. I love being able to stay in my PJ’s with a pumpkin spice and sit and read a good book. I love doing puzzles or sit and watch a good movie. I love that there is no schedule so you can plan whatever you want to do.

My favorite is hanging out with friends at my favorite coffee shop catching up with life and sitting and watching the swirls on the lake at people paddle by. So the flip side of that is yes it can be very unproductive but that can wait. It can when it’s only you at home. Lazy days are the best.

Why do you blog?

I started blogging at a time when I really wanted to write and I realized what I had to share was what needed to be said. I needed people to know that no matter what they have been through in their lives that there was always Hope out there.

I’ve written my memoirs on my blog because my story needed a voice. When your not allowed to speak out it up for what you’re going through, it’s so nice to write about things. I love blogging is like breathing for me.

I love reading what others write about and I love being part of this amazing blogging community. I think more people should write.

How are you feeling right now?

This is the last weekend before school starts for the year. I am looking forward to another year with an amazing teacher and seeing who will be in my kindergarten class this year. Last year was awesome. Such an amazing group of children and their families.

I’m looking forward to being back in a routine and being able to help the children in my classroom. I feel blessed to work where I do and I’m surrounded by amazing people. I don’t know what this year will bring but I will know soon enough. 😊

What daily habit do you do that improves your quality of life?

I get up everyday and write down all the things that I’m grateful for. It’s helped me have a better mindset and helps me know that I have so many blessings in my life. So when I feel stressed those blessings are things in my life that I can control. I can’t control things in my life that spin out of control. Then I’m able to rest easy and tackle whatever is put in front of me.