My Endless Love

Although Valentine’s day is meant to be a celebration for couples, to me, it’s always been more of a family celebration.  I have fond memories of family dinners with Serge and my girls over the years.  I recall decorating the table with garlands of cardboard hearts cut out of pink and red file folders.  I always baked and decorated a heart-shaped Duncan Hines cake (it had to be pink cerisette) and we would eat dinner in the dining room with a red tablecloth and candles.  It may seem tacky, but it was great fun.   I also liked helping the girls write valentine cards for their class mates.  I remember writting and receiving valentines in my class and how much I loved the images depicted on the cards....I thought they were so beautiful. 

Some will say that Valentine’s day has become very commercial, just like Christmas and Easter.  But one can look beyond this and take advantage of the opportunity to slow down, show your love and appreciation to the special people in your life.  

I learned early on that it’s important to express one’s love, not just on Valentines day, but every day of the year, as life is short and can be taken away in the blink of an eye. 

I remember my mom telling me, when I was 11 or 12, “you’re never too old to tell your dad that you love him”.  This has stayed with me and I always make a point to tell him often that I love him.  It’s not always easy to actually say the words, especially for older men like my dad, but since my daughters tell their pépère they love him every time they see him, he also freely expresses his love for his grand-daughters and for me.  I am always touched when he writes little messages of love in our birthday cards, he is a very sentimental man.

Of course, saying “I love you” is but one of the ways to share your love.  Showing someone you love them is also just as important, if not more.  This is done in small gestures, which may sometimes seem trivial but can mean a lot to the person on the receiving end.

How do I love thee, let me count the ways!

My most memorable Valentine’s Day has to be the year before Serge and I got married.  I remember coming over to his apartment after work and he had prepared a nice meal for me.  He had followed a recipe and made baked chicken in a wine sauce and even made devilled eggs as an entrée J  His gift to me that year was a record (45 rpm): “My endless love” and he asked me to dance.  That song became our wedding song.  He did not have to give me expensive jewelry; his gesture was priceless to me and much more memorable!  On a funny note, I also remember the doorbell ringing and a delivery guy handing me flowers.  Serge had to explain to me that it was a mistake and that he had not ordered flowers.  The flowers were intended for someone else in another apartment. 

After 30 years of being together, I have come to realize that the things I love and appreciate most about my dear Serge, are the everyday things and gestures he does.

He takes care of me and is always looking out for my wellbeing.  He opens doors, drives me everywhere, spends hours going from store to store looking for décor items for our home and does not complain.  He willingly carries all our luggage when we travel, brings in the grocery bags and does all the laundry (which I hate to do).  He wakes me up every morning, often with a song and he forever tries to seduce me…he’s like a guppy, he never gives up J

In the last few years, he has become my faithful assistant and carries my camera gear.  He rarely complains when I have him stop so I can take a photo (even after the 100^th photo) and readily agrees to be my model when I ask.

He is more than my love, he is my friend!  He supports me in my projects, helps me fulfill my dreams and most important, he takes care of my girls and he loves and cares for my dad.  He is a kind soul, and I am lucky to have him. 

I truly think that I had a guardian angel looking out for me when I met him.  Je t’aime à la folie mon beau chou!

Out of our love came two beautiful cherubs…our wonderful daughters.  You both are my life and I love you to the moon and back my darlings.  I cannot imagine my life without you.

In closing, I would like to wish all my readers a Happy Valentine’s day and would like to thank you for your support.

And if by chance, your loved one forgets that it’s Valentine’s day, don’t despair, tomorrow you can go out and buy your own chocolates…half price J

xoxo

 

Waiting for winter to end!!

I know this is only February 1st but I’m already getting antsy. 

With the weather climbing to the plus teens last Wednesday, it’s given me a taste of Spring to come.

Aviation Parkway - January 30th

On our drive to work on Wednesday on the Aviation Parkway, we were amazed to see so much grass uncovered by the quick thaw.  And already the pot holes were everywhere causing havoc for unsuspecting drivers.

Weather-wise, this winter has been a smorgasbord of precipitation; one with lots of snow (mostly in December), freezing rain, quick change of temperature (highs and low lows) and lots of rain.  I guess that’s what one gets for living in this part of Canada.

I have a special reason for anticipating spring and then summer this year.  As we bought the cottage in October 2012, full blown into Fall (and it was beautiful), we have not had the pleasure of “living” through Spring and Summer, and all the joys this will bring, at the cottage.

Lac St-Émile in the Fall

I am like a little kid.  I have not enjoyed Winter, as I have this year, in like forever.  Going to the cottage, and seeing the beauty of nature in the Laurentides has been an eye opener for me.  Usually in winter, I don’t go out, or very little.  Being afraid of icy and snow-covered roads and being afraid of falling on icy sidewalks (because of my experience with my broken knee), I tend to hibernate like a bear and only do the home to work and work to home route.  I even refrain from going to IKEA in winter as it is too far.

Lac St-Émile in Winter

But this year, the pull of being at the cottage has made me come out of my cave.  We’ve done the Orléans to St-Émile drive several times, driven in snow covered roads, and on icy roads to Chénéville and St-Jovite, and even driven at night to  “run” to the cottage many times (a big deal for me).

But now that I’ve experienced Fall and Winter at the cottage, I can’t wait to experience Spring and Summer.

As nature wakes up after its long sleep, we will be able to see what kinds of plants and flowers are waiting to bloom.  It will be fun to “move” our garden from Orléans to St-Émile as we are planning to do.  Serge has big plans to “beautify” the land around the cottage and I can’t wait to trim some trees (not cut as we are bound by the “la conservation des rives et des rivières”.

Serge is even talking about maybe doing a vegetable garden.  Like I said…big plans J

And I can’t wait for summer, hot and lazy days on the deck, swimming in the lake, BBQs with family and friends, etc.  It will also be interesting to see the activity around the cottage.  I am hoping that it’s as quiet as it has been since we got it but nothing is perfect, so we will just have to live with whatever surprises cottage life brings.

The one thing I am not looking forward to are the bugs.  Being a city girl, I have very little patience for black flies, mosquitoes and horse flies….I hear the bug repellent industry is gearing up for its best year since I’ll be buying a big supply!!

Of course, there will be lots of painting, trimming, gardening, caulking, building to do, so I wonder how soon the lure of the empty lawn chair is going to take before Serge and I decide we’ve done enough and it’s time for some horizontal time on the long chair with a good book and something refreshing to drink. 

In any case, we hopefully have many years to come to get everything done…after all, this is a work in progress and since retirement is fast approaching for both of us, we will have nothing but time to take care of the cottage in the years to come.

But for now, back to boots, mittens, coats and icy roads….maudite hiver!!