Building Memories!

Sorry I'm Late!





Wow, what an incredible week and weekend!



It was another wonderfully busy week at the shop, we had another 6 trailers come through with smiling owners as they left the building.  It's such an incredible feeling to know that in our very small way, we are helping families make memories.



How was that for a clever segue?


Speaking of family memories....

Our week was topped off by finding out our newest grandbaby, who will be making their appearance in mid October, is a girl! It will be so fun, we haven't had an excuse to "put on the pink" for quite a while!


Then, as my daughter was so kind as to cover for me at the shop, I was able to attend our niece's high school graduation. She is such a sweet girl with a beautiful soul, so beautiful and bright, there will be nothing she can't do.


The following morning, marked the beginning of a great day. One that began with a few timid introductions to some new faces, but blossomed into an event, I think lived up to the moniker bestowed upon it by yours truly, "Sibfest 2013."

There were, of course some activities that were competitive in nature, as is the nature of our family beast. There were also a few cocktails, a ton of laughs, some dancing, some karaoke, and more than anything, memories built for a lifetime.

There were a few faces missing, some simply couldn't come because of other commitments, but a couple of others, because, well, because they've been gone for a while.

Our Dad would have loved yesterday. I could see his laughing blue eyes, with tongue firmly placed in his cheek, as his kids and grandkids gave each other a hard time during the games. He would have loved the laughter, the sunshine, the music and the dancing. Every time I hear a polka, I am sent back to when I'm twelve, and my Dad is twirling me around the dance floor so fast, my feet take flight. I hang on tight and look up, to those laughing blue eyes, tongue firmly in his cheek. Building funfilled memories.

Our sister Char would have loved yesterday. She would have been commenting on every shot taken, coaching as only Char knew how. She would have loved having water fights with the little ones, and watching her boys be men. She would have loved the singing. You know, there are still some songs I simply can't sing around my family, because it hurts too much not to sing them with her. Building heartfelt memories.

We might not have been able to hear Char holler from the cheap seats, or see Dad make the wee ones giggle, but that doesn't mean they weren't doing it, just the same.


Time is moving at a ridiculous pace. We need to take these days and sit in them, soak them in, let the memories take a stronghold on our hearts, so we can pass on the importance of family to the generations to come. Building memories to last lifetimes.


Now, as for the following week, being this weekend is Canada Day weekend, I think I might rest a bit tomorrow, relax, and try to do a whole lot of nothin'.

Monday, being said long weekend, maybe more of the same......

Tuesday, and for the rest of the week, we are back at the shop, doing our small part in helping other families build memories of their own.




Well folks, that about does it for this week, until next time I'll leave you with this wish.........


May you make opportunities to connect with the ones that have had a hand in who you are.
May you create time to spend with the ones who care the most about you, by far.

May you share and re-share family stories with even the youngest of your wee ones.
May you see the importance in this, without them, history gets lost, roots weakened.

May you see the advantage of a strong family tree, deep roots and strong branches.
May you witness the confidence that this can bring, unconditional love, willingness to take chances.

May you see that the oldest, healthiest trees survive by adapting, embracing, changing with the seasons.
May you see your tree is perfect, wild branches, sap and all, for it's own special reasons.


Until next time! www.margyreidbooks.com
And on FaceBook

Finding The Beauty

Hi,


There have been some ominous skies lately, and they have unleashed water, the likes of which hasn't been seen around here for a century.

Our neighbours to the west, a lovely place of majestic mountains, gorgeous lakes, and towering cities, was hit with the kind of flooding that inspires disaster movies. People were evacuated by any means necessary. And I do mean any means. There were combines, fork lifts, canoes and front end loaders all skillfully, and for the most part, successfully rescuing people and pets.

Some true tragedy did arise from the waters, as some lives were lost to it's torrent. Our hearts go to those suffering from this incredible loss. It speaks to the heroic efforts of the emergency personnel and citizens that there weren't more fatalities.

Other than these precious lives, the damage, though devastating, and heartbreaking, is to stuff. Treasured by those that held it dear, expensive to replace, and some completely irreplaceable, but stuff. We can live without a lot of stuff, buy more stuff, repair some stuff, replace some stuff with other stuff, but in the end it's stuff.

If we can walk away with a heartbeat, we can walk on. I'm saying "we" like I was there, I wasn't. We have lost a lot of stuff to flooding in the past, and it sucks. There is no real pretty way of putting it. It simply sucks. But, we walked away with a heartbeat.

Our thoughts and prayers are going out to all of those who have been displaced from home, school and work. Those who are dealing with a shocking loss that is as individual to each person as their lives before the rain.

I watched a very short video featuring the longest living survivor of the holocaust, in which she was asked what was her secret to doing so well at 109 years young. After living through unspeakable horror and going on to live a happy life, needless to say I was more than curious as to what her answer might be. Her secret? "See the beauty in everything." "I know about the bad", she says "but I choose to find the beauty."

Simple as that. Who am I to argue?

So out of this loss, we will find the beauty. The beauty in the kindness of strangers opening their homes to those who suddenly had nowhere to turn. The beauty of the fortitude of the citizens, watching, and knowing the magnitude of what the rebuild will entail. The beauty of being reminded  that no matter how much we think we are in control, Mother Nature is still driving this particular bus.

Compared to the week experienced by others, mine was pretty mellow. We had another great week at the shop, and continue to be so grateful for this opportunity.

We had a surprise visit  from my brother, and I was able to get a few more details worked out for "Sibfest 2013." This get together of my siblings, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and a smattering of the younger generation's significant others, will be so much fun. We tend to be a pretty goofy bunch, and aren't exactly shy about proving it without any real provocation.

Along with finalizing some things for "Sibfest" the upcoming week will see some more book keeping, some paperwork, some assisting in installing an awning, a toilet and repairing an axle on a 39ft flatdeck trailer. Oh, and lending a hand in repairing a camper that lost a fight with a fence in a big way.

Well folks, that about does it for another week, from this end. But, before I go, I'd like to leave you with this wish.


May all that is lost be found, especially joy, laughter and smiles that are not a mask for others.
May you see that now,life will look different, for this tragedy makes sisters and brothers.

May you see beyond the mud and muck, look past the destruction, see what can be from here.
May you strive forward with confidence and grace, letting go of anger and fear.

May you find the strength to do what is needed, for others, for yourself, do your duty.
May you, through the heartbreak, find the courage to know the bad, but choose the beauty.


Until next time,

www.margyreidbooks.com

Feel free to creep me on facebook! (Margy Robertson Reid)

Happy Father's Day!!!!!

Hi,

I just thought I'd give you an idea of the view from our shop this week! Needless to say it was a bit busy.



Now, just to be clear, they weren't ALL customers. They were, however,  participants in the Good Sam Samboree hosted in Rosetown, this week.

The folks taking part did provide a fair amount of  traffic to our shop, in both the retail and service. We had the opportunity to meet a lot of very nice people, with some pretty great camping stories to tell.

Besides the influx from the Samboree, and the trailers we had booked in, we also had some customers that landed on our doorstep from some unlikely happenstance.

First there was the young couple from Calgary, and their chocolate lab, Doug. They blew a tire, just outside of town, and after having a new tire put on, discovered water leaking from beneath their camper. They pulled up and asked if we might be able to take a look. I told them we could, if they were willing to wait for a bit.

You see, also that day, besides the two trailers we had booked in, we received a phone call from a man in St. Walburg. A town about 3.5 hours North of us. He and his wife were hoping to embark on a much anticipated, long awaited trip to Alaska, to witness it's most spectacular summer solstice. He had tried the dealers in his area and was turned down by all. One had agreed to take care of him, and then after he drove the 1.5 hours to get there, told him they couldn't do it.

He got our name from one of the dealers in the city, and gave us a call. When we told him to come on down, he was a bit apprehensive. "Are you going to fix it when I get there, or just look at it, and send me on my way?" After some reassurances, he made his way to us.  Randy was about an hour into finding out why the slide in his brand new camper would work one minute and not the next, when the Calgary couple showed up.

Well a long story short, Randy discovered that in the process of manufacturing this man's camper, the worker had driven a screw right through the drive of the slide. Yeah. Once diagnosed, the guy drove to get his own parts, with plans to return in the morning.

Once he was on his way, we moved on to the couple from Calgary, and Doug. After two more hours of replacing and repairing both plumbing and the underbelly of their camper, they then proceeded to their destination, no longer having to worry about how they were going to try to figure out how to fix it.

After everyone was on their way, and the time reading about 8:30pm (having started at 8am) we were now able to go to work on the jobs that had actually been planned for that day.

The next morning, the Alaskan bound man promptly showed up with his new slide motor, which Randy wrestled into place, and got his camper working as it should. This guy was so relieved, and so happy that he and his wife wouldn't have to cancel their trip.

What an awesome feeling it is to see relief in the eyes of your customers as the stress melts away.

To top off an incredible week, we had the pleasure of providing the music for a great wedding tonight.....or....this morning (it's 4:15am as I'm writing this)

Soooooo, for the upcoming week.

We are fully booked at the shop, and gratefully, so.

More planning and preparation for the get together of my sibs and kids, will also be in order.

Shopping for said festivities will need to happen at some point...

I need to see about getting my laptop looked at.....it's starting to do weird things.

Some sleep would be cool.


Well that about does it for me........

In honor of Father's Day, I'll leave you with this wish.......



May you be the man you'd want your son to be, the kind of man you'd want your daughter to marry.
May you see the honor in the sacrifice it takes, the privilege in the load you may carry.

May you know the joy of a child's smile, a smile put there by your time and attention.
May you see the importance of that time spent, for it'll speed by faster than I can mention.

May you bestow the very best of yourself upon them, carrying your regrets is not their load to bear.
May you insure every mark you put on their soul is positive, placed gently with love and care.


Until next time.....

www.margyreidbooks.com

Warning! Suppressing Your Goofy Can Be Hazardous To Your Health! Just Sayin'

Hi!


You know, in life, I think we are victims of society's expectations a lot of the time. We are expected to adjust our behavior to adhere to any given situation. Case in point: It would be frowned upon if one stood up and began doing a strip tease in church. Just sayin'.


For the most part, it is generally a good idea to co-operate with the rules of the road, so to speak, but now and again, you have to let your goofy flag fly!

I believe everyone has one, some just have put theirs in storage under copious amounts of moth balls.
Suppressing their goofy has become such a habit, they have forgotten it exists. It's sad.

I think that if this suppression is left unchecked, it can have adverse effects on your health. I believe that GSS (Goofy Suppression Syndrome) is responsible for most of the problems the world faces today. Can you imagine the kind of peace the world would experience if politicians and economists would just take a breath and make a few balloon animals? It is nearly impossible to declare war on someone who has just handed you a kick-ass balloon poodle hat. Just sayin'.


Back to the health issue, I apologize for getting so political.


Unchecked, I believe GSS can cause health issues such as, takelifetooseriouslyitis, can'tlaughatmyselfiosis, stickupbumfrombosis, and gas.


If continually forced to be internalized, the goofiness will find it's own means of escape, eventually. This may surface in ways unbeknownst to those who suffer most from GSS. They don't even realize the symptoms, as they become evident to others. These symptoms can vary in many ways. For some,  the symptoms may be quite mild, and reveal themselves through strange attire, "accidentally" mismatching socks, for example. Others may suffer more severe symptoms, such as becoming a flash mob of one, in the middle of the food court at the mall on a Saturday afternoon, or beginning to tap dance and laugh hysterically in the waiting room of the ICU.

These sudden bursts of inappropriate behavior can be avoided, if the GSS is caught in time. The prevention of GSS is quite simple. Laugh hard and laugh often, and every now and again, crank up the volume on your favorite Disney Soundtrack as you cruise the strip on a beautiful Summer Saturday night,  with the windows down, head boppin' and  your Goofy Flag Flyin' High!



Soooooooooooooo, yep it's pretty late.


It's now 2:15am. We got home from the shop a couple of hours ago, busy day.

This whole week has been busy at the shop, it's been awesome. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to do this. Yes, we are putting in some long, hard hours, but it really doesn't feel like "work" in the sense we are used to.

We are learning a lot, helping out some very nice people, and we get to hang out together while we do it. We are very grateful, indeed.



For the next week.......

Tomorrow, it's laundry and then off to the city to help our daughter move, and inevitably to a bit of shop stuff.

We have several more trailers coming in this week as well as doing a maintenance seminar for the Samboree. (sort of a Good Sam Club convention)

Next Saturday...we have a gig doing a wedding, and looking so forward to it!


That about does it for me for this week, folks! Until next time, I'll leave you with this wish........




May you, if you feel weary, be weary from doing the things you love to do.
May you feel the "good" kind of tired, the kind from accomplishing all that you wanted to.

May you feel the satisfaction of a job well done, seeing the results reflected in a client's smile.
May you know in your achy bones at the end of the day, it was a good day, definitely worthwhile.

May you remember to laugh hard and often, do something silly, give it a try!
May you remember to open your windows wide, cruise, and let your goofy flag fly!

Happy Hellos, and Sad Good-byes

Hi!


So, I believe there is a saying; something about variety being the spice of life, or something like that. Well, if it holds true, I had a very spicy week, indeed.


The photo gives you a pretty good idea of how my week began. It was a great day spent in Lloydminster with my best girlfriend, reading to kids (who made an incredibly beautiful welcome poster for me!), doing a little shopping, signing some books, all in all, a fantastic day!

The week ended with me, today, well, tonight really, maneuvering myself in, around, under and through a bed in an RV, helping my hubby fix a wiring problem. You know when a toddler tries to fit in a Barbie car? ..............ummmm.......yeah.


The rest of the week consisted of ordering parts, re-ordering parts (wrong ones sent....again!), taking care of some book keeping chores, prepping for the wedding we are playing for in 2 weeks,  running for parts, helping my hubby, baking a cake for a community event, and taking great satisfaction in watching happy customers take their RV's home.

I'm afraid that not a whole lot of writing took place, but that is my hope for tomorrow.

I did have the opportunity, however brief, to squish some grandbaby faces.


On to the upcoming week...


It has the potential to be pretty similar to the previous one, minus the adoring children, signing autographs, and posters made in my honor.


Beyond that? Well, I do need to finish putting the music together for that June 15 wedding....

I have yet to completely unpack from my adventure at the beginning of the week, and seeing as the unpacking fairies seem to be on strike along side the laundry, and housecleaning fairies, I guess I'll need to do that.




Well folks, that about covers it for another week.



As for my wishes this week, this one is for my sister and her hubby and all of us who have had to say goodbye to a faithful, four legged friend.




May you know how much we loved you, even when you chewed on everything in sight.
May you know how much we loved you, even when you would wake us in the middle of the night.

May you know how much we loved you, you brought pure joy to each and every day.
May you know how much we loved you, you were part of our family, in every way.

May you know how much we loved you, to watch you hurt broke our hearts in two.
May you how much we loved you, to let you have peace, was all that was left for us to do.


May you know how much I loved you, even though I chewed your stuff, and maybe peed where I shouldn't.
May you know how much I loved you, so I woke you, I couldn't wait til morning, I couldn't!

May you know how much I loved you, you kept me safe, scratched my belly, and threw my ball!
May you know how much I loved you, you were my family, my humans, after all.

May you know how much I loved you, I could see my pain reflected so deeply in your eyes.
May you know how much I loved you, I know this hurts, but thank you for my wonderful life.




Until next time,

www.margyreidbooks.com