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It Is Better In The Bahamas

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You may have heard that phrase, “It’s better in the Bahamas!”  Having visited recently I agree with a well known advertising slogan that continues to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Islands of the Bahamas that stretch like a “string-of-pearls”.

My family and I celebrated this past Christmas and New Years on the beautiful island of Freeport, Bahamas.  Freeport is just 1 of 700 islands in total that make up the archipelago special.

What makes these islands so special, below are 5 great reasons below to visit.

 

1.  The Swimming of Pigs of Exuma.  

The Bahamas has the most famous swimming with pigs  experience in the Caribbean.  We heard from families we spoke with how much fun they had on this day trip.  One women commented, “she never thought she would ever be swimming with pigs!”

2.  Fantastic scuba diving & snorkeling

The kids went snorkeling on Fortuna beach and it was awesome, we saw a stingray, fish, crabs, seashells and coral.  The most amazing part of the sea life was watching a baby conch shell move around on the beach, something I had never witnessed before.  We safely put the animal back into the water and it drifted away.

3.  Junkanoo Festival

Junkanoo is a real Caribbean party, with lots of partying and festivities.  It is held on Boxing Day and New Years Day annually.  Bahamas had finally celebrated their first Junkanoo since the Covid pandemic. There is a lot of music, bands, parades and floats which create lots of excitement.  We really wanted to attend the events in Town but an upset tummy prevented us from the festivities.

4.  Conch dishes & other Seafood

If you are a seafood lover you will enjoy a visit to the Bahamas.  I tried Snapper, Jonny Cakes, Crab and Lobster whilst I was there, all were truly delicious.

5. Pristine White Sandy Beaches & Turquoise Waters.

The colors where all shades of turquoise in the ocean, just a beautiful site while walking along the white sandy beaches.  Even on hot days the sand didn’t get hot to the touch.  The beaches were a little slice of heaven on earth.  It was a quiet oasis and we were ever so grateful to witness the beauty of this quaint island.

Amazing Sunset

One of my favorite things to do on the trip was early morning walks along the huge beach in front of our resort.  We stayed at the Viva Wyndham Resort in Freeport Bahamas. Here is a link to the property about the property, https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wyndham/freeport-bahamas/viva-wyndham-fortuna-beach-all-inclusive-resort/overview?CID=LC:HR::BING:RIO:National:16317&iata=00093796   We had beautiful ocean front rooms with views I dream of on cold winter days.  It is a nice property priced reasonably along with great amenities on one of the most stunning beaches in the Caribbean.

 

Sun Dog

I witnessed my first ever “Sun Dog” on our second last day.  A sundog is a concentrated patch of sunlight occasionally seen about 22 degrees to the left or right of the Sun.  It was a really special site, something I will never forget.  I had thought sun dogs were only in cold climates, but here is a photo I captured from my lounger.  I could not believe my eyes, It was like an amazing rainbow and the sun was in the middle and I sensed I had just experienced a very special gift to end my holiday from Mother Nature.

I hope you will get an opportunity to travel this bit of paradise.

Talk soon,

 

Nancy

 

 

 

Sea to Sky Highway Memories

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This beautiful highway is etched in my memory. So grateful last summer my family and I took a trip out west to BC. We landed in Vancouver spent a few amazing days exploring with a family member who toured us around the city. We saw beautiful gardens, hiked Lynn Canon Falls, Grouse Mountain, biked around Stanley Park and more.

We then took the ferry to Vancouver Island and stayed a week at the most quaint little place ever, Maple Bay. Our sundeck looked out on the scenic Maple Bay with Mountains and the ocean at our doorstep. Highlights included, sailboats, sun, mountains, ocean and the most amazing sunsets. We toured around up and down the magnificent mountains and toured a lot of the island.

We went to Victoria one day, I love that place it is so beautiful. We parked the car walked around a bit, took a cool little boat / ferry from the docks of the coolest little colorful water houses across the bay to the oldest China Town in Canada and had a memorable lunch.

We took a lot of day trips from our base of Maple Bay and toured the West coast of the Island, stunning scenery making stops along the way to visit Botanical Beach and so many other little places along the way. Lots of hiking and stops to take photos, we will never forget the many sights including a baby cub & deer walking along the remote highways.

We came back to Vancouver and were sad to fly out the next day. My kids and I still reminisce about what an amazing trip we had. We still cannot believe how much we saw & did whilst we were there.

More memories include whale watching, time spent in Whistler for a week, going up the gondolas and walking down part of the mountain as we found out we were fearful of taking the open air down.

This trip was definitely was one for the “memory bank”, as my Dad liked to say. So grateful for such a wonderful time with so many incredible memories to last a lifetime. The photo is an encaustic photo collage I created from my trip to remember the beautiful adventure on that famous Sea to Sky Highway.

Talk soon ~

Nancy

Adventure in My Backyard

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My son and I pretended we were tourists in Elora / Fergus today.  We are so blessed to live in Wellington County with so many wonderful places to explore.  There are so many fun adventures to do literally in our backyard.  

Today my son Noah and I got up early, ok not so early he slept in as it was a PD day.  I semi planned out day prior to our adventures with a prebooking of a  timeslot at the Fergus Tennis Club for 11:30.  We are newbies this year to the club, we rallied the ball, sweated and had lots of giggles.   I have to say we did okay and are looking forward to our next tee time, oh wait that is golf.  

Our next stop was a last minute reservation to the Lafontanna Elora restaurant.  My son is a bit of a picky eater and I thought perhaps he would like a wood oven fired pizza.  He didn’t like it, he loved it!  Yeah for Mom, he also loved sharing our sausage & pasta entree.  

We had an amazing view, I called it the million dollar view.  Together we watched the swans, baby geese and even a blue heron fly over the beautiful grand river.  We giggled together watching the robin who was flying over us and nesting on the canopy nearby.  My son wanted to tell the table of women next to us about the nest but they were too busy chatting and not paying attention, we then giggled more when he loudly said, “mom look at that nest!”, trying to get a response from the women.

Dessert was simply sinful when a 7 or 8 layered chocolate plate arrived in front of us, more giggling as we split yummiest chocolate ever.  

After watching a canoe and kayak floating in the river we decided we would end our date with a paddle on the grand river.  A new canoe rental business, Elora Paddle Co. two doors away from us was the perfect ending to our day.

This is the view of our restaurant from the canoe ride, the weather was perfect with a sprinkling of rain when we got out of the canoe.  We went to the waterfalls by Bissel Park and then paddled our way towards the main bridge in Elora.  

One of my most favorite moments of the day was when my son Noah held my hand crossing the street and said, “thanks for a great day I love you Mom!”  This absolutely melted my heart, he is 12 and still wants to hold my hand.  I know this will not last forever as my Daughter who is now a high schooler does not like to acknowledge me when I drop her off at school.

I am going to hold on to this memory for a very long time. My Dad would say, “this was one for the memory bank” – PA

 

Talk soon 

 

Nancy

 

Future Pilot

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My Father always told me from an early age, “find something you love and you will never work a day in your life!”

My Dad didn’t just say this, he lived it.  He started his own construction business in his early 20’s than later apprenticed and became an owner/operator of standard bred race horses in his mid 40’s.  He was lucky to have two passionate ventures in his life.

I have tried many career pathways in my lifetime and have never seemed to follow a traditional pathway both personally or professionally. I am a bit of a late bloomer, still trying new things and finding out my likes and dislikes along the way; striving for more happy days.

Thanks Dad for your wise words.  I shared this with your Granddaughter Megs yesterday while driving home from the “Girls Can Fly Event” which took place at the Waterloo Regional Airport. 

My 15 year old daughter recently took a career and civics course in grade 10 this year and had identified an interest in becoming a pilot.  Wow, honestly how cool is that at 15 to think you want to be a pilot. 

I commend all professional career persons who have had the dedication, ability and support it takes to turn a dream into a reality.  How does that happen? 

Perhaps this is what her great grandfather Len Ariss a pilot had felt his calling at such an early age. He later went on to build the Guelph airport, a small airport which he owned and operated for over 50 years in the community. Many successful pilots learned to fly on the two runways, one of my childhood friends Susie lived out on the airport strip of houses.  She always knew she would be a pilot from a very young age.

Susie later became a fighter pilot and a graduate of the Royal Military College.  I have fond memories of looking up at her bedroom ceiling during sleepovers watching the glow of a space galaxy.  I watched her take all of the necessary steps to do all of the things she needed to do to achieve her goals.  I admired her tenacity, hard work and knowing what she wanted to do when she grew up from a very early age.

I find it so interesting to see how people find their paths.

Whilst talking with one of the captain women pilots at the event yesterday she said one of the most valued skills in piloting is common sense.  I shook my head in agreement as I would certainly want my pilot flying my jet in the skies to be well equipped with common sense.  I thought she would have said the most important thing would have been strong math and sciences, important but not more important than a good head on your shoulders.

I have always wanted to take my daughter to the event.  What a thrill to see the big smile of hers when she put on the captains hat and coat and stood beside the big jet to have her proud Momma take a photo.  Perhaps one day she will fly that plane and take me as a passenger what a thrill that would be for our family. 

I would also be happy if she stayed on land and worked a local retail outlet or whatever occupation she chooses that pays the bills and puts a smile on her face.  I honestly get what my parents have said to me all along.  They just wanted me to be happy with whatever I did!

Another sage piece of advice my Dad gave me along the way was “happiness is an inside job!”

I pray my children will be happy and healthy and will find their happy in whatever they decide to do.  They have our 100% support with whatever they do, I just hope they choose wisely.  I am now sounding like my Mother, I know this is something she would have said to me.  Funny how when your growing up you never want to be like your parents, and now looking back I am truly honored to have pieces of them in me.

Sadly both my parents passed away last year, their memories, advice and love shine bright in the stars above.  I asked my Dad shortly before he passed how would I know he made it to my Mom.  He took a few moments to answer and then said, “dancing with the stars.”  I didn’t really understand what he meant. 

I know without a doubt it is my parents dancing in the stars, they are reunited and are now dancing in the stars together.  

I hope you will enjoy your day either flying the skies or with both feet firmly planted in the ground.

Talk soon 

Nancy ~

10 Things to Build Resilience

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  1.  Learn to relax – This thought sounds easier than it is.  My Dad gave me a reminder token which reads, “practice doing nothing is an artform”
  2. Practice thought awareness – My mind can be my greatest enemy.  I often struggle with making sure I treat myself the way a best friend would talk to you.  I try and practice positive thinking. 
  3. Choose your response –  Never respond when your angry.  I have done this in the past and it never works to your advantage.  I am now trying not to respond to things right away, trying to pause.  My Mom told me, “Don’t be angry”, I am trying to lighten up and not be so angry.  This has been a hard one for me.
  4. Clear your thoughts – I find going for a walk especially connecting with nature is a great way to clear the mind.
  5. Make Connections – Keep in touch with people that make you feel good about yourself.  Stay clear of negative people and negative influences.  I have let go of people that no longer fit in my life today.  I am realizing the old saying, “you are truly blessed if you have 1 true friend”.
  6. Should I take action to solve this fear – Understand fear and embrace it, name the fear.  Learning more about why I am fearful of something or someone helps.
  7. Make Everyday Meaningful – There is always something to be grateful for.  Start a gratitude list, always always there is something positive in a day!
  8. Remain Hopeful – Without hope we are nothing.  Hope keeps us going, always have hope in your future, I have found this to be most helpful in keeping going.
  9. Get to know yourself – Getting to know your strengths and weaknesses in your personality helps so much.  I try to embrace my weaknesses and try to find the positives in them.
  10. Be Present – I try to live in the now and in the day.  It is not always easy, but trying to stay present for yourself and others is a gift.  I try and stay off my phone when my children are talking to me.  I try and be more present with their day to day activities. I always ask them, “how their day went?”

 

Memories of Past Holidays!

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The Holidays are coming upon us and like many I am sitting her reflecting on this past year and what will the holidays be like this year. 

My parents both had the same type of lung cancer and passed within months of each other this year.  My Mom died on March 12th, 2021 and later my Dad on August 25th, 2021.  I was blessed to hold both of their hands when they took their last breath.

I had to keep as healthy as I could, (in a pandemic).  This included mind, body and spirit to deal with all of this on my own.  Sadly my Brother passed 15 years ago so I had to weather this storm with the help of friends and family.   Illness, and tragedies bring out the best and worst of people.  I have found out who could stand by me this year and who I had to leave behind.  This was a whole other lesson which presented itself this year.

As expected my life has been a rollercoaster of emotions.  One minute it seems I am laughing at something only I find funny, the next I am teary  over something silly, or angry at the weatherman on TV.

My kids and I moved into my parents house full time after my Mother died in March.  We had many wonderful days with my Dad and through all of our sadness we still managed to create a multitude of memories together and grew very close.  My Dad, kids and I watched many of his favorite gold tv series, business and survival shows along with our daily dose of nightly news. 

He loved the simple things in life, a bowl of hot oatmeal, coffee in the morning and talk of what was on the menu for lunch and dinner. He would always joke “lets see what the talking heads are saying today!” 

My Mom and I always marveled at how smart he and my Brother were.  We always said, “if we had a question about world events, your Dad or Brother would know the answer!”  My Mom was the entertainment queen, she had a knack about knowing about useless random entertainment information.  I really wished I could hear her talk to my Dad about some silly fact now.

She also knew the history of our family connections, better than my Dad and I.  We always joked, “what would we do without her, we will not know how extended family members are related to us or their names now.”  I now find myself  asking, “how am I related to them?” 

People have asked me how I found the strength to get through this past year?  When I look back I think often I was on autopilot going through the motions of sickness, doctors appointments, administering medications, cooking, and all of the caretaking duties. 

Each of their deaths was a very different experience, planning their funerals, selling my parents house, (they lived in the same house for 57 years), handling their estate matters whilst being a Mother to two young children.

It is funny how life can change in a heartbeat.  During the Covid-19 Pandemic I lost both part time jobs, however this gave me the gift of time.  Precious beautiful time to be with both my parents at the end of their lives. 

I reminisce one year ago today and I still had them both.  We were planning a special Christmas celebration as we knew their days were limited.  I remember decorating the fireplace mantel with decorations galore and beautiful twinkling lights for my Mom.  She sat on the chair directing me to place each light, decoration just so.  One of our favorite things about Christmas was filling the outdoor urns with greenery and the soft glow of white lights twinkling in the night.  She loved opening gifts too, my Daughter and I made special advent bags for each of my parent to open, they loved it.

Keeping with tradition I baked dozens of her Christmas squares, the ones with the green and pink icing, the peanut butter balls, Laura’s brownies and the butter tart squares. I learned her famous pie crust recipe and couldn’t stop baking pies, tarts and Mom’s secret crust leftover recipe.

Grateful for the time I had with my Mom, I learned many of her favorite recipes.  The one thing she told me was before she passed was, “feed your Dad well and he will be happy!”  She was so worried and rightfully so about what would happen to my Dad after she was gone.  I can still hear her saying, “What about Paul, what will he do?”  It was heartbreaking to witness the fragility of the human soul and to watch both my parents be robbed of their dignity with how cancer stole their health.

My Dad was a real trooper after Mom passed, he was so happy with all of her recipes I made him when she was gone. Near the end, it was difficult for him to swallow and eat certain things but I fed him till the very end his favorites, keeping my promise to my Mom!

I am ever so grateful I had started a family recipe book with many of my Mom’s recipes handwritten by her.  She would sit on the couch and watch me cook, and tell me a to add a little of this or a little of that.  She told me special things she did with her recipes, where to buy the best beef for ribs, how to thicken the gravy and more. 

Funny since they both passed, I haven’t made any of her recipes or done any baking.  I am sure once I feel like it again, it will bring back fond memories.

I created beautiful outdoor big winter greenery pots on her deck, she loved them.  She always made her own bows out of beautiful materials.   I used to laugh at them when I was younger, but now I cried when I put the on my greenery display and wreaths this year.  

I remember like it was yesterday standing outside on the deck in the cold asking her if this is here she wanted the pinecones, dogwood, holly or move it to the left a little.  I remember her appreciative beaming smile and her thumbs up! 

My Mom loved Christmas, like her Mother.  Her Mother lived all year for Christmas, last year sadly was the last year we put up my Grandmothers Christmas tree at my parents house.  It had broke when I took it down last year, I never told my Mom.  I knew in my heart that would be the last Christmas we would be having at their house.

Their beautiful house of 57 years sold this past November,  I wonder if the new family will be decorating the fireplace mantel or putting any outdoor lights up.  So many memories of Christmas’s gone by.

This year my family and I are going to be spending a different kind of Christmas.  We will be flying to the Caribbean in one week.  I thought it would be good to go somewhere completely different this year, the kids are excited.

It has been one year since I have made a blog post, if you have read this far I thank you.  I know my heart is filled with more thoughts, memories and stories to come, they say writing is therapeutic. 

Love you Mom & Dad I know you are with me every step of the way, miss you everyday…..Merry Christmas in Heaven!

 

Talk soon,

 

 

Nancy

Road Trip in the Pandemic

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WANDERING….

It is hard to venture far from home these days especially during a stay at home order announced by our Premier Mr. Ford recently.

These are strange times indeed when the Government tells you to stay home and announcements are made playgrounds are closed, (now re opened along with Police having the ability to pull you over and ask you why you are out and about).

The kids and I ventured out the day before the Premier announced such drastic measures would be taken.  These measures were removed a few days later when most of the Provincial Police areas announced they would not be randomly stopping cars. 

Phew……… I agree with these stay at home orders especially with this virus spreading like wildfire with the new unknown variants. But not sure I agree with certain parts of the shutdown.  Closing small businesses but keeping large box stores open?  

Everywhere you look people are up in arms over these measures, and social media is full of bickering over masks, shutdowns, and the imposed restrictions.  I try not to engage in any of these disputes as they seem to only throw fire onto peoples feelings of angst and unrest during these uncertain and scary times.

I wear my mask, social distance, and was so pleased to have gotten my first dose of the vaccine.  It was a very emotional experience, as I am hearing others are having when they get the shot. 

I listen to science and try to keep myself safe and others around me.  There I said it, these are my feelings, I try to respect others feelings are not the same as mine.  I hope we can just all get along for the sake of humanity.

Back to road tripping during a pandemic.  I suppose winning an online contest , thanks again to the #weathervane in #Erin for my new sporty spring watch I won on an online contest. 

Such a great day when you find out your a WINNER on a Contest especially during these difficult times. It sure put smile on my face.

It maybe wasn’t exactly a necessity to venture outside and travel a short distance, but it was reason enough for us get out of the house safely, masked 6ft apart for a curbside pickup.

Supporting our local economy by buying local and using curbside pickup during these times sure makes sense pandemic.  I just cannot imagine trying to run a small retail business, restaurants and others affected during these times.

After a long winter indoors, and now heading into spring with a year of lockdowns the kids and I sure enjoyed our little outing.

The kids and I took a trip this March Break (April Break), to Erin.  Yep, a trip to Erin was our March Break trip this year.  We were all so grateful just to get out of the house, go in the car and go on a road trip, if only for 25 minutes.  So funny the things you find gratitude in nowadays.  

A BIG thank you to a really cute little shop in @villageoferinbia, @the.weathervane.



I won a really cute pink watch, which is perfect as my other watch had just broke. Its the sweetest little Spring Bird watch a girl could want. My Daughter who is 14 has her eye on it!

My first trip to this cute little shop, but it will not be the last. Of course I had to pick up some other really nice pieces. Great curbside pickup it was very safe. We were thrilled to be a winner and support local.

The kids and I made an afternoon daytrip out of it, we walked up and down Main Street in Erin.  We found a lovely little park with some great public art, checkers table and a cute little pavilion which I am sure is filled with events when it would be safe to do so.  We peeked into some of the shop windows, stopping for some treats to take along with us of course.



A change of scenery and a feeling of a little normalcy if even for only half a day was a little bit of heaven on a gloomy Spring day.  

I am ever so grateful for all of the frontline workers, and healthcare teams keeping us safe.  Thankful, grateful are not big enough words to express my grateful heart during these times.

We will get back to normal, a new normal someday hopefully soon.  In the meantime we will stay home, wash our hands and prayer this gets better!  There are so many places to explore and adventures to be had in our backyard!

 

Talk soon and Be Safe~

 

Nancy

Spring Thoughts

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When we think of Spring we often think of renewal, new growth and new beginnings.  This new season upon us has got me thinking of a lot of new things.

My world as I know it has taken on new beginnings and new meaning as I recently lost my Mother to cancer just two weeks ago on March 12th in the early Morning hours of about 12:30 am at Hospice Wellington in Guelph.

I was with my Mom as she took her last breath of air, she had terrible problems breathing this past year as she had lung cancer along with severe COPD, and emphysema.  My heart broke that day she took her last breath as any Daughter would. Thankfully she was not gasping for air in her final days and she was kept very comfortable.  I lost my best friend, confidant and mostly my MOM.  I keep saying to myself, “OHHHHH MOMMM”. 

I don’t know how I am supposed to behave now, what to do or even some days what to think.  Honestly I am just going with the motions.  I thought before this happened I envisioned me with covers folded over my head not wanting to escape my bedroom.  This has been farther from the truth of my reality. 

I don’t think I have slept in one day, perhaps it has been a blessing being so busy and not having a lot of time to think about the magnitude of loosing one’s Mother.

My Dad also has stage 4 lung cancer and COPD which he had been fighting now for four years.  Like my Mom he too struggles daily just to breathe.  Having not been feeling well this past Month we just found out this week his lung has partially collapsed.  I had him at the hospital for his Monthly immunotherapy treatment when we found this out from an x-ray.  Luckily he is on some heavy duty medications to help with the coughing, and lack of breath.

I haven’t felt a need or a want to write about any of the terrible realities of my life, however on this Saturday Night hanging out with the kids I felt drawn to dust off my laptop and type a few words after nearly a year of not feeling like writing. I have to say it feels rather therapeutic, even if only what feels like venting or moaning about what is going on currently in my life. I suppose that is what we are supposed to write about, things from your heart. Even if it is broken.

I can hear my Dad coughing upstairs, and my Son is now telling me to shut off the TV. Before my Dad retires for the night I have to check in on him one last time to make sure he has taken all of his nightly medications and give him a ventolin treatment to hopefully help him sleep comfortably. I suppose that is a sign to wrap up the writing of this post and tend to my current needs of caretaking.

Cardinals have been flying around the house a lot this Spring, especially the red cardinal along with a mourning dove coming to visit outside my parents bedroom window.  Usually they come in pairs, as they mate for life however there is just one by itself Morning and Night found on the telephone wire.  The other day I happened to look out and found both a red cardinal and a mourning dove sitting side by side. 

Thank you Mom, you have shown many signs to me since you passed and it has been such a comfort.  Perhaps I will share some of the signs with you in the future.  Maybe you have signs to share from your loved ones who have passed to the other side.

Talk soon~

 

Nancy

Virtual Babysitting during COVID-19 Pandemic

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The Covid19 Pandemic has forever changed our World as we know it.  It has brought some positive changes such as slowing down the pace of our lives, creating more family time and has generated many creative entrepreneurial opportunities. 

One of these new ideas that has really made a positive impact in our house is my daughter has been virtual babysitting since the start of the pandemic in March.

A family friend reached out to us wanting to know if my 13 year old daughter Meaghan would be interested in virtual babysitting her 8 year old daughter while she worked from home.

My daughter shrugged her shoulders and then immediately said, “Mom, what do you think?”  Honestly I didn’t know what to think.  Four months later I can tell you it has been a blessing for everyone involved. 

With all of us home, in person school cancelled, and jobs on hold we found ourselves with more time.  My daughter’s been a busy bee, getting up early helping to create a new normal for our household.  She has been virtual babysitting Monday – Friday 2 hours a day, (9am-11am). 

This opportunity has created such a bond between these two young girls which never could have been imagined at the start of this new year.

You may be wondering how this could possibly work? 

Meaghan connects online with her little friend with all kinds of activities such as making bracelets, cards, pokemon, and reading.  Often they will do their hair and nails along with a lot of giggling and laughter.

My Daughter loves the feeling of being able to help out and looks forward to babysitting everyday.  She says, they have really gotten to know each other and feels a really special bond with this young girl!

Just last week they have implemented a social distant babysitting visit.  They may implement this once or twice weekly along with the online visits.  It was so wonderful to see them together sharing a fun filled afternoon together. 

We are so very proud of the young women my daughter is becoming and I love watching her grow and blossom with her new responsibilities.  I think she would make a wonderful teacher someday.

 

Talk soon ~

 

Nancy

 

 

 

The Guelph Box

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The COVID -19 Pandemic has changed our world and how we do business.  Not being able to visit my parents in Guelph I wanted to let them know I was thinking of them. 

I first heard about the Guelph Box from an article in a local newspaper.  Immediately I googled their website, https://guelphbox.ca/ and ordered my first box for my parents.  My daughter and I were so excited when we ordered, we both agreed it kinda of felt like Christmas Morning!

Their second box should be arriving any day now.  Again we are super excited, as this box is filled with a lot of my parent’s favorite vendors, it will sure to bring them a lot of cheer and joy in these uncertain times.

I have always loved giving and really LOVE, LOVE the GUELPH BOX business on so many levels.  It really makes me feel good to support local business, and to know every box you purchase $5 is going to support local charities is amazing.

My parents keep telling me to stop gifting things to them, (I say yeah OK….) but honestly it brings me so much joy, I don’t think I can.  We cannot wait  once again to hear they have received their latest Guelph Box full of goodies I know they will truly enjoy!

I chatted with owners of the Guelph Box Josh Gray, (19 yrs) and Genevieve Sutherns, (17 yrs).

What is your business? 

Guelph Box is a social enterprise designed to help support local small businesses and charities.  We purchase products from a variety of local Guelph vendors and assemble weekly boxes of goods that are delivered straight to your door.  With every box purchased, $5 gets donated to a local charity and 10 local vendors are supported each week.

How did you come up with the idea?

The idea rapidly transformed from a “grocery delivery service” to the Guelph Box over the course of a few days.  Genevieve was travelling in France and was forced to come home due to the pandemic and Josh was studying at Carleton University when he was also brought home due to the COVID-19.  During a layover in Montreal, Josh FaceTimed Genevieve with the idea of starting a grocery delivery service for those unable to leave their homes.  After a few more conversations this quickly shifted into what Guelph Box is today.  Our goal has always been to help others and we found a unique way to do so in these times.

What is your background?

We always laugh when asked this question as teenagers we don’t have as much formal education as an older person.  That being said, our background truly is our upbringing and the mindset of making things happen!  We were both raised in local minded homes where going to the local Farmers’ Market or getting bread from the bakery was part of our routine.  This love for supporting local definitely helped shape Guelph Box and is the reason we have such a passion for supporting small businesses.  We are both very “make it happen” people and truly believe this made all the difference in the start-up of this venture.  It went from an idea to a business in 36 hours and we have not looked back since!

Josh is currently studying International Business at Carleton University with a major in global financial systems and a minor in German.  Genevieve plans to begin her studies at UBC in neuroscience in the Fall.

What have you learned operating the business?

What have we not learned? Seriously the learning curve for both of us has been incredible over the past couple of Months and we are so thankful to everyone who has stepped in to help us on this journey.  I think that the main thing we’ve taken away from it so far (beyond all the specific skills I’ve had to pick up), is how important community truly is in our lives.  Without the community of Guelph, we would not be able to support these businesses and charities.  Guelph Box has also built a unique community in Guelph when it was needed most, which is something we never imagined when we first launched.  Community truly is everything.

How has the Community welcomed your idea?

The community has welcomed our idea in a way that we could never have imagined!  We have been so overwhelmed by the positive response that we’ve gotten.  In our first week of operating our phone was going off non stop with people calling and offering to help, everybody wanted to be involved and lend a hand.  I think we screamed, “WE LOVE GUELPH” more times than you can imagine!

How do you stay inspired?

It really is the little things that keep us going.  It’s the voicemail, the emails, the smiles and the thank yous that seem to come when we need it most.  Knowing that we are not only relieving some stress for business owners but also spreading joy to so many households across the City is something that we don’t take lightly and remind ourselves of when we get worn down.

What is something people do not know about you?

(Josh)  Before COVID-19 I had planned to live in Vienna, Austria for 10 Months starting this September.

(Gen)  I went skydiving when I was 14 in New Zealand because I wasn’t legally old enough to go in Canada yet!

What is something you would like to share about the Pre-COVID-19, that you miss, and what is something you do not miss?

(Gen)  I really miss coffee shops and being able to hug those around me.  I spend a lot of my time working and hanging out with friends in coffee shops and really miss that so I eagerly await the reopening of some of my favorite Downtown spots.  Something I do not miss is how little I saw my family, there are seven people currently living in my house and it sort of feels like Christmas vacation for Months!

(Josh)  I miss the events going on around the City.  I love walking through Royal City Park near the Boathouse and seeing the Park packed and the gazebo filled with dancers and small festivals or stumbling on Street parties.  I do not miss the daily rush that we found ourselves in.  The change of pace has been a real eye-opener!

How often do you deliver your boxes, how you do you arrange for your deliveries, (respecting social distancing and the new COVID-19 measures)?

We deliver our boxes on a weekly basis and all our delivery protocols are contact-free.  We take multiple safety precautions to ensure that our volunteer drivers, customers and ourselves are not a risk in any way by delivering boxes.  As we started during COVID-19, we used these procedures right out of the gate and all of our drivers wear PPE and ensure social distancing when dropping off boxes.

Do you have new box ideas?

We definitely are full of some new box ideas and plan on doing some sort of “feature box” every couple of weeks going forward.  Our current feature box is the “Fitness Box” and they have recently introduced a “GO Play Box” for young children to keep them busy.   Moving forward people can look forward to our Father’s Day Box too.

How frequently do the items change?

Every single week is a new box!  We keep things fresh as we have many repeat customers and want to ensure that they are always getting new things to try, also this supports a wider variety of businesses.  We do have some vendors which remain constant, however, the products are switched up and over 80% of the vendors switch week to week.  There is always something new to try!

Tell us about the surprise element of your boxes and do people like it?

All of the contents in our boxes are a surprise, however we always ensure over $100 of value.  We think that the surprise element adds so much fun to the whole thing and allows people to try products that they many not actually pick but will learn that they love!  We have had a very positive response about the surprise elements hear things weekly like, “it feels like Christmas Morning!”  “It’s even better than I could’ve imagined!”

Thank you Guelph Box for your time, we too believe; “The Guelph Box feels like Christmas Morning”  Order your box for you or someone special in your life, https://guelphbox.ca/.

Talk soon ~

 

Nancy