Day 365

Day 365: About a year ago I posted a photo of this little pinwheel and began a personal journey to rediscover "Happy". About a year ago I was the lowest I've ever been: withdrawn, depressed, finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning, finding that feeling happy was almost impossible. My younger sister was working on this "100 Happy Days" project thing, and she gently encouraged me to give it a go. And so I did, one day at a time, I tried to find a single thing each day that I could be Happy about. At first it was really difficult. I felt like I was really reaching for the first bit. But then, it got a bit easier. And then it became fun. I began to quite enjoy looking for the perfect "Happy", and I enjoyed writing about it and sharing it with all of you even more. As you may know or have guessed I've stretched it well past the 100-day mark, and now find myself with an entire year's worth of journal entries that if ever I feel a bit blue I can go back and read and remember how lucky I am. And here we are, at Day 365, the final entry to complete this project. I think it's important to "complete" the project, but I think it's equally important to continue to try and find Happy in each day. Though I may not post every day, I promise to share when it really feels like it should be shared. Thank you all for coming on this journey with me. Thank you for your beautifully kind notes and words of encouragement. Thank you for reading and sharing with me. I would encourage anyone who feels that they could use a boost try this project out. Like this little faded pinwheel, I've changed over the course of this past year. I feel stronger, more centred, and of course, happier. So now with this one completed, I'll be looking for a new challenge: maybe "100 Days Of Health" or "100 Days Of Gratitude" or something to that effect. Thoughts? Thanks for reading everyone. Be Happy. #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 29, 2015 at 2:50pm PDT

Day 364

Day 364: Pardon the bug bites...I've been just eaten alive this year...but do you like m'new tat? Another Tuesday at the Keady Market with another awesome Friend, this one also a member of my beloved rock choir. Her idea to get the henna, my idea for the image we chose to go with. I love it. Represent TCTROS! Really looking forward to the next semester. That bunch sure makes me Happy. #youshouldsing #TCTROS #KeadyMarket #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 28, 2015 at 11:06am PDT

Day 363

Day 363: I'm not great with goodbyes. They aren't my favourite. If you have been reading and following this week, I have been hosting my dear long-distance-roommate "Tulip" (her nickname) at Lovely House for a week of adventures, good food, laughs and good times. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. And so it was today, this morning when I had to say farewell. She is continuing her Canadian holiday and I must return to my little world in OS. Happily, I'm leaving her in excellent care with another dear Friend, C, and I just know the pair of them will live it up properly this week before Tulip continues onwards to her next engagement. We three were all floor mates in residence in our first year: Lower Floor in Annesley Hall at U of T (which is more years ago now than I care to think about) and many of us who lived in that res that first year have stayed very close. We don't see one another nearly as often as we'd like due to time, distance, family and work commitments, but when we *do*, it's always wonderful. Last night we had another Annesley Girl join us for a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity (turns out Tulip is the least horrible among us), and today it was just we three for a leisurely visit and breakfast. When the time came to depart, I could feel myself getting emotional. I absolutely love where I live and what my life is like most days...but can't somebody invent a teleportation machine already? *le sigh* So with a couple of selfies, some hugs and promises to get together soon, I left. And I felt sad and pretty lonely. But again, the purpose of this project isn't to be sad, it's to find the Happy. And so in that spirit I must say how absolutely Happy it makes me to have such people in my life, how lucky I am to have picked that school and that residence, and how I know that it isn't "goodbye", it's a "see you later". It's going to be hard to wait for "later". Good thing this week was so great...lots of Happy stored up in reserves for when I miss everyone. Thanks for coming to visit, Tulip. Thanks for hosting me last night, C. Can't wait to do it again. See you both soon. Xo #luckyhotdog #goodtimesgoodtimes #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 27, 2015 at 6:49pm PDT

Day 362

Day 362: At this very moment I am at a dear Friend's house relaxing in the backyard. I'm on an "anti-gravity chair", reclined, listening to the sound of bugs buzzing softly in the flowers nearby, the sound of the summer wind as it makes its way through the trees, and an ice cream truck in the distance playing "Turkey In The Straw". I'm warm, comfortable, extremely relaxed, and Happy. I love summer. #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 26, 2015 at 2:42pm PDT

Day 361

Day 361: Happiness, for me, is rooted soundly with my family: my immediate, my extended, and my adopted. Today was our annual Thompson Family Reunion...and I can't tell you what number of annual it was because it's been going on as long as I can remember and possibly longer. It's always in the same place at roughly the same time of year, and most of the usual suspects show up, and...the food. Oh, the food. Let me tell you Friends: nobody goes home hungry from our family reunion. There are some favourites I try and make sure I get into: Tracy's salad, the red cabbage salad and the garlic potato salad...the pumpkin bars and those delicious delicious fudge brownies...oh man. And there's tennis, sometimes baseball, today bocce, and of course lots of visiting and catching up. It's such a lovely day, and though I sometimes don't feel like making the drive, I'm always so glad I did. Today my Happy is my whole Thompson clan, immediate and extended. Good to see those who were seen, and we missed those who couldn't attend. Hope to see you next year. I'll bring the bocce. #ThompsonFamilyReunion #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 25, 2015 at 9:14pm PDT

Day 360.5

Day 360.5: I hope you'll allow me the indulgence of a second one of these for today. I wasn't sure if it would happen, but then it did. Today I did something I have always wanted to do, but never really thought I'd have the courage to actually do it. Today I played guitar and sang at a local coffee house. And there were people there and everything. And it was terrifying and exhilarating all at once. When I was in grade one, I won the lead role in our class play, "The Little Red Hen". There were some singing lines in the show and, being in grade one, I was pretty open to whatever and gave it my all during my part. I will never forget it, what happened: the grade 8 boys at the back of the gym were laughing as I sang. They may have been laughing at something else, true, but I immediately assumed they were laughing at my singing and I have never quite been able to shake that memory. I've sung in public a few times since grade one, mostly in a group setting, but mostly the idea of it absolutely paralyzes me with fear. Funny...my occupation is primarily that of a public speaker...I have no problem talking in front of large audiences...but add music to that and I completely break down. Singing has always made me really Happy. I do it all the time when I'm alone, or when I'm with my peeps playing Rockband, and it's great fun. It's good for the soul. Lately I've been rediscovering my musical side. I sort of forgot about it for a long time, and it's quite thrilling to remember how fun it is. So thanks to some gentle encouragement from a good Friend, and Tulip's endless patience with me this week as I rehearsed daily, over and over, I did it. Plunged right into the deep end. I did three songs total: "People Get Ready", "Peaceful Easy Feeling", and "Puff The Magic Dragon" (Tulip picked that last one and harmonized with me!). I was so nervous before I went on that I was nearly sick, but I gritted my teeth and just went for it. And it was okay. I got through it. And most of all...I had a BLAST. What a rush!! I loved it, I'm so glad that I did it...it made me really really Happy. #goodtimesgoodtimes #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 24, 2015 at 9:09pm PDT

Day 360

Day 360: Today Tulip and I are exploring a gorgeous OS gem known as "Moreland Place". I highly recommend a Google to get the full history of the home, grounds and the man who runs it all, Barry More, but in short, this property is the dream of a single person who wanted to make something really fantastic. The home you see just behind us was, believe it or not, constructed in the last fifty years or so. It looks 300 years old, and is built to give off that impression. It isn't open for general tours as it is a private residence, but Mr More always makes it available for our annual "Doors Open" event in early June and as such I've seen the inside. Inside the home is even more beautiful than the exterior. The grounds, however, *are* open to the public seven days a week. And may I just say...they are WORTH seeing. In the wild style of English gardens, there are spectacles to be seen around every turn. He makes all his own stonework, and does his own grounds keeping, and there is even a maze. I'll post some more photos in a moment. Right now, however, I'm just reflecting on the beauty of the day, the gorgeous serene gardens, and how lucky I am to live here and get to share this with such a good Friend. Pretty Happy today, Friends. #goodtimesgoodtimes #luckyhotdog #Moreland #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 24, 2015 at 9:58am PDT

Day 359

Day 359: Oh, Friends, I'm just having the BEST week! So many wonderful things have happened, so many many lovely visitors. Tonight Tulip and I hosted another family of fabulous Friends for a family-style BBQ and a bonfire. On the menu was hamburgers, hotdogs, Uncle Tracy's salad, Laura's coleslaw, grilled zucchini drizzled in sesame seed oil and roasted corn on the cob. For dessert there was homemade rhrubarb cream pie (did I get that right??) brought by my lovely guests, buttertarts from Keady Market, ice cream, cheesies and, later, s'mores over the bonfire. Phew! Just writing it all out makes me sleepy. What a beautiful evening! Can't wait until you all come to visit again. #LovelyHouse #goodtimesgoodtimes #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 23, 2015 at 6:56pm PDT

Day 358

Day 358: Today Tulip and I are in Tobermory! It's a gorgeous blue sky day, warm breeze, and bright sunshine. I'll post some of those pics in a moment, but right now these signs at a little fish and chip shop made me laugh. I'd like to think one sign describes me more accurately than the other. #goodtimesgoodtimes #Tobermory #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 22, 2015 at 12:04pm PDT

Day 357

Day 357: Today we went to the Keady Market! Have you ever been? If not, picture this: a big farmers field with row upon row of booths selling fruit, vegetables, meat, baking, treats, antiques, sports equipment, musical instruments, DVDs and video cassettes, books, clothes, tools, trinkets and treasures of every kind, and buttertarts. Oh, the buttertarts. When I think of Keady Market I imagine it would be like "Portabello Road" in London, or at least the way Portabello Road is described in "Bedknobs and Broomsticks". I submit that you can find almost *anything* at the Keady Market. We sure made out well. Cauliflower, zucchini, peas, tomatoes, garlic, berries, pickled beans and asparagus, fudge, kettlecorn, Archie comics, buttertarts, and a game of bocci (which I'm SUPER pumped about...I love bocci). What a wonderful bright sunny warm summer morning with good Friends, good times, and very good eats. Happy. #goodtimesgoodtimes #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 21, 2015 at 12:00pm PDT

Day 356

Day 356: Happiness is hanging out with Friends IRL (in-real-life) as opposed to almost exclusively online. Facebook and other social media outlets offer us a chance to connect digitally with almost anyone anywhere, and sometimes I know I can get lazy about cultivating and maintaining connections and relationships in favour of a quick "Like". Days like today are great to reconnect in the real world and remember how wonderful real-life friendships can be. Thanks for stopping by, Friends! Wonderful to finally meet the kidlets. Come back again soon! #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 20, 2015 at 9:16pm PDT

Day 355

Day 355: Together again after WAY too long...and after the first hug it was as though no time had passed at all. Welcome home, Tulip. Having you at Lovely House, even if it's just to visit, makes me so very Happy. Can't wait for al the good times, high fives and all the laughs. #goodtimesgoodtimes #yogalaties #LovelyHouse #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 19, 2015 at 4:16pm PDT

Day 354.5

Day 354.5: Had to post this too. I love seeing these yellow fields this time of year...it looks like you could harvest sunshine. So pretty. #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 18, 2015 at 2:58pm PDT

Day 354

Day 354: How I'm spending my afternoon. You? #cottagelife #summer #HudsonsRock #luckyhotdog #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 18, 2015 at 10:14am PDT

Day 353

Day 353: What a day! Today was awesome. Today was full of good music...Leonard Cohen on iTunes, open mic at The Bleeding Carrot, and guitar singalong at Hudsons Rock tonight. Also, today I begin two beautiful weeks of holidays from work! What a great day!! #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 17, 2015 at 10:41pm PDT

Day 352

Day 352: For yesterday. Libraries! I've loved libraries for as long as I can remember. When my siblings and I were really small a favourite outing that my mom would take us on was to the local library in SoPo. We would be allowed to select a couple of books to take home and in the early days I was all about the "Little Miss" and "Little Mister" books. As I got older I discovered lifetime favourites in authors like Roald Dahl, Gordon Korman, and C.S. Lewis. There were some books I would check out over and over again (the Bruno and Boots series by Korman would fit that category) and some I would read once but the stories would stay with me forever (Henri Charrière's "Papillion"). I love the look of books, the smell of books, and how easily I can get lost in a good book and almost mourn it's ending when I'm done. In my university days at U of T I was lucky to have access to some of the best libraries in Canada. This is a shot of my local library here in OS, and it's a "Carnegie". If you don't understand how cool that is, I highly recommend a Google. It's stunning inside, well stocked, and has very friendly staff. I love going here, I love libraries...they make me really Happy! #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 17, 2015 at 7:57am PDT

Day 351

Day 351: Happiness is becoming reacquainted with my Martin. Trying to play for 15-20 mins at least, every day. Finger callouses in progress. I'm going to get there. #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 15, 2015 at 8:03pm PDT

Day 350

Day 350: I love Hot Black Coffee! Tonight I attended a concert put on by an OS duo (and a couple of Friends of mine) known as Hot Black Coffee! The venue was small and intimate, the mood relaxed, and the music fantastic. I am always so inspired by people who can make music come alive the way these two did. It makes me want to go home and practice my guitar. I'm a real beginner, but I'm beginning. Music makes me so Happy. #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 14, 2015 at 6:53pm PDT

Day 349

Day 349: Happiness is sugar pie!! Sugar pie is happiness!! It's also a major sugar rush!!! Whee!!! #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 13, 2015 at 8:41pm PDT

Day 348

Day 348: "I hope I die before I grow old!" How long has it been since you played on a swing set? It's been just over 24 hours for me now. Yesterday, as I referenced in my post, I spent the nicest morning with a wonderful Friend. Yesterday Soupy and I toured all around downtown South Porcupine, my old hometown. Born and raised in SoPo, I moved away at 19 to go to university. Though it's been many years since I've lived there the little town is very dear to my heart. Much has changed since the days I rode my bike to Guardian Drugs to go Christmas shopping or to Luxtons to get a treat, but much has remained the same. Pro Hardware has a new name but smells exactly the same. The school yard at Golden Avenue Public School has different equipment than it did when I went there, but it still has swings. They proved too tempting for me to resist...and though it's been years and years it came back pretty quick. And oh, the feeling...I'd forgotten. It feels like you are FLYING. I wish I could've gotten the photo while I was swinging...looking down at my toes as they pointed towards the sky was amazing. But a photo could never capture the rush of whooshing backwards and the thrill of swinging forwards again. Oh, did it ever make me Happy. What a beautiful morning. #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 12, 2015 at 7:44pm PDT

Day 347

Day 347: When I decided to extend the "100 Happy Days Project" to encompass an entire year, I realized that I would need to find something Happy to post about on this date, July 11th, and I really wasn't sure what would happen. One year ago on this date we lost our beloved Grammy P. At 98, living a full, active, beautiful and Happy life she slipped away in her sleep. We like to imagine that would have been exactly how she would have liked to go, could she have chosen, and to know that it was a very natural, peaceful passing has given our family much comfort in the days since. For me personally, I felt the loss keenly. I felt very close with her, I spent any time I could with her, and after she was gone I felt an immense void that at times felt impossible to fill. This project has helped, my beautiful Family and wonderful Friends have been my rocks...but even so, sometimes there are moments when there are no substitutes for her joyous laugh and cheerful greetings. In those moments I try to remember the things I learned from her and the fantastic memories we made. She approached life as though every day was the *best* day ever, and even if she may not have always felt 100% she hardly ever let on different. One of my most treasured possessions is a gold chain I wear around my neck. It is precious to me for three reasons: the chain was from my David, the small gold heart was given to me by my Gumpo P when I graduated from high school, and the ring was one of hers. Whenever I feel small or need to remember how lucky I am, I give the chain a squeeze. Today, even though the anniversary was a sad one, was a wonderful day. I am staying with one of my dearest Friends, spent the morning with another (I'll post about that one tomorrow, too much loveliness to post for today), the afternoon celebrating another and her impending nuptials, and the evening with Family. Tonight as I write I am reflecting on just how lucky I am, and how Happy she would be to know that things are moving on, life is beautiful and bright, and I am Happy. As she often said, "Aren't we having fun?" I miss you so much Grammy. I love you. #luckyhotdog #GrammyP #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 11, 2015 at 6:43pm PDT

Day 346

Day 346: Happiness is this: spending time with two people you dearly love and don't get to see nearly as often as you would like to. Tomorrow they celebrate their wedding anniversary, and the lovely restaurant we went to spoiled them with a delicious bit of cheesecake on the house. So very Happy to be able to be with them. #luckyhotdog #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 10, 2015 at 9:06pm PDT

Day 345

Day 345: Happiness is reconnecting with this guy after WAY too long. Funny...with some people you need to work at keeping in touch and being a part of each other's life...with others, people like this guy, two seconds in the same car and it's like no time has passed at all. You really can't make old Friends. Welcome home Soupy Pie! #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 9, 2015 at 8:54pm PDT

Day 344

Day 344: How lucky am I to live in a place where they do mini-concerts, admission-by-donation, at noon on Wednesday's? Pretty friggin lucky. This town, the musical vibe and the people in it make me pretty Happy. #luckyhotdog #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 8, 2015 at 8:01pm PDT

Day 343

Day 343: Have I mentioned how much I love candles, especially beeswax candles? They smell SO good, and I love how the light dances when they are lit. Tonight I had another one lit and I sort of forgot about it...thankfully I didn't burn Lovely House to the ground, but I did end up with wax drippings all over. Happily they were easily gathered and now I have the LOVELIEST smelling wax ball that I can play with. #itsthelittlethings #LovelyHouse #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 7, 2015 at 7:55pm PDT

Day 342

Day 342: Happiness is having access to a piano again! I grew up playing the piano but pretty well stopped when I moved away from home. It's been too long. I've forgotten almost everything I know. Time coupled with being down one fingertip has seriously hampered my piano playing abilities. I am determined to rediscover them. Apologies to anyone who has to listen in the meantime. #sorrynotsorry #pianosrule #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 6, 2015 at 8:46pm PDT

Day 341

Day 341: So this happened. I didn't think it could get any better...seeing him play live after thirty years of being a fan...but *meeting* him was an absolute dream come true. What a gracious, kind, lovely man. I, on the other hand, was a complete mess: shaking, trying not to cry, attempting to come across as *not* crazy, and I think I failed miserably. But he was just so lovely. I waited my turn to talk to him after his show this morning, and when it came up I pretty much fell apart. Fighting to keep my voice level and my hands steady as I handed him my CD to sign, I told him I'd been a fan my entire life, I told him how much his and Sharon and Lois' show meant to me, and I asked if I could possibly trouble him for an autograph *and* a picture. He smiled, put his hands on my shoulders and smiled as he said, "You can have whatever you like." And he laughed, pulled me into a hug, and then asked me my name and how old I was. I told him, and I told him I was indoctrinating my nieces and nephews into loving his music, and he told me to keep up the good work. Oh, Friends...I'm so Happy. #crossthatoffthebucketlist #SharonLoisandBram #MariposaLive #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 5, 2015 at 9:20am PDT

Day 340

Day 340: Today I fulfilled a childhood dream: I heard Bram Morrison play live. I've loved Sharon, Lois and Bram all of my life and to see and hear one member of that wonderful group in real life has been almost overwhelming. Fantastic. Just...fantastic. #MariposaLive #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 4, 2015 at 1:06pm PDT

Day 339

Day 339: Happiness is getting to live with someone that you really connect with: a person who has a beautiful soul and is a fantastic Friend. Thanks for the fun buddy. Miss ya already. #LovelyHouse #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 3, 2015 at 2:03pm PDT

Day 338

Day 338: CURLY FRIES! Who doesn't love curly fries? #itsthelittlethings #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 2, 2015 at 8:30pm PDT

Day 337

Day 337: Happiness is spending time with Family. Happiness is spending time with Friends. Happiness is fireworks, hot tubs, nieces and nephews, tasty food and lots of laughs. Most of all Happiness is living in an amazing country, a country that believes in tolerance, acceptance, freedom and a quiet but firm sense of patriotism. I was moved to see it all around me today. Happy Birthday Canada, you gorgeous beauty you. Happy Canada Day! #CanadaDay #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jul 1, 2015 at 8:16pm PDT

Day 336

Day 336: Happiness is binge-watching a good show, safe in the knowledge that you can sleep in the next day. :) #OITNB #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 30, 2015 at 10:22pm PDT

Day 335

Day 335: Happiness is birthday parties, cake, BBQ, Cards Against Humanity, and blueberry pie. Great day. #idoloveagoodparty #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 29, 2015 at 8:31pm PDT

Day 334

Day 334: I love hosting guests. Last night I threw a very small dinner party for three: my parents and myself were the attendees. Mom and Dad were in town just for the night, and I thought to myself: what better excuse will I have to use the Timmins things than this?? Why not! We used the fine china (the "Spode"), the tomato juice glasses, a salt cellar, crystal coasters, the Holtyre kool-aid pitcher, and even the real silverware. On the menu was "beer can chicken" cooked on the BBQ (made with club soda), sautéed brussel sprouts, and a red cabbage coleslaw. It was such fun! What I might have loved the most was how excited Mom was about the stuff we used...stories were told, memories shared, and it was just lovely. Looking forward to the next dinner party! #idoloveagoodparty #luckyhotdog #LovelyHouse #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 28, 2015 at 10:58am PDT

Day 333

Day 333: Thirty years ago today I became a big sister! Today's Happy is for my little sis who joins the "dirty thirty" club today! Can it really be thirty years? Why, it seems like only yesterday that we were sharing a bedroom and I was piling all of her stuff on her bed so it wouldn't be strewn about the floor, or when she would purposely play "Bone Sweet Bone" or "Lavender's Blue" over and over and over until I had to bribe her with chips to make her stop, or how she kept a journal detailing how much I would torment her which only fuelled me to want to do it more...she and I, like most sisters I dare say, had a disagreement or two in our youth. Both of us will say we got all our fights out by the time we were teenagers or so, and we've been the very best of friends ever since. One of my absolute favourite memories with her was the day we spent, just she and I, at Magic Kingdom together. We literally ran from ride to ride, we ate all the popcorn and turkey legs, we sang the songs and we left feeling like we won the day. Now that she's an old married mom (haha) we don't get to see each other as much as, well, *I* would like (wonder how she feels after that comment lol), but every time we DO get to see one another there is a shout of joy, hugs, and silliness that commences. Welcome to your thirties, @shopgirll. Jump in, the water is fine. We'll rock 'em together and make those twenties look like kids stuff. Time for to cake? La la!! Happy Birthday!! Xoxo #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 27, 2015 at 6:49am PDT

Day 332

Day 332: Today's "Happy" is one I share with mixed emotions. Today I am remembering my little Thomas Cat and, though the anniversary isn't a happy one, the little dude has been on my mind. Most of my memories with him are great, so today I kind of feel like I want to post about him. One year ago tomorrow he and I said goodnight for the last time. I adopted Thomas when I was living in TO during my second year of uni. I was living in an apt, the second floor of an old house just north of Chinatown with four other Ladies, and our home had mice. I'd always loved animals and so I was delighted when my roomies agreed we could get a cat. Down to the Humane Society we went and there we saw a lot of nice looking cats, and there were two that really caught my attention: a small orange kitten and this giant grey tabby named Tom. The kitten was adorable, and Tom looked like Tom from "Tom and Jerry". Humming and hawing between the two my Friend who was with me helped me decide by pointing out that lots of people would likely want a kitten, and fewer people would look at a 22lb adult. So Thomas I picked, and we lugged him home on the streetcar. That night began a mostly awesome/sometimes rocky 13 year relationship. We had our ups and our downs, he was extremely aloof and sometimes temperamental (he puked in my Friend's shoe once just to spite him), but in all I wouldn't have traded him for anything. He was my constant companion, my little buddy, and he was there for me through some high highs, and my lowest of lows. Watching his health degrade once he was diagnosed with pancreatitis and heart disease, watching my once robust and stocky boy shrink into a small old-man cat was hard. Saying goodbye was harder. I was with him through it all, holding his little head as he crossed the rainbow bridge, and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I miss him a lot, but I'm so Happy that I had him around all those years. My new little Friend, Ginger, is *nothing* like him at all. That's nice in a way. You can't "replace" someone like him. So today, Thomas, my Happy is for you. Thanks for the memories. #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 26, 2015 at 2:11pm PDT

Day 331

Day 331: Happiness is having a rice-making tutorial from my favourite Indian chef and then feasting on the results! I was SO sad when Taj Indian Restaurant closed here in OS. It was kind of like my "Golden Mile" of Indian food. Happily the restaurant owner is a wonderful man, and tonight he taught three of us how to make his amazing basmati rice! Oh, I'm SO happy! That stuff could be a food group all on its own! #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 25, 2015 at 6:31pm PDT

Day 330

Day 330: Might've got skunked on the 50/50 and our score may not have been right on par...but I can think of worse ways to spend an afternoon. Great day for some golf!! #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 24, 2015 at 9:04pm PDT

Day 329

Day 329: My Gumpo P used to say, "Time is a great healer." This is the wall clock that hung in the dining room of the Timmins house for as long as I can remember. I'm not completely sure of its origins, but I am sure that it has been a fixture in my life all of my life. When the house sold in March and we made ready to clear it out, I desperately wanted this clock. It hadn't worked in years...but if you haven't learned this by now I'm somewhat the sentimental sort. How many times I heard the gentle chimes of this very clock as we feasted at Christmas around that glorious table, or when we were little and watched the Disney Channel lying on our stomachs in front of the old TV on a Saturday afternoon, or when Grammy and I would sit and chat about life at the kitchen table while she "did her pills" or cared for the dogs. Yes, I'm definitely the sentimental type and I just *had* to have this clock. So home it came with me to OS after the last clear out, and then back to BA it went to be repaired at Voldi's Time Centre a week or so later. This was in early April. Voldi assured me it could be repaired, and I tried to be as patient as I could while I waited (I only called maybe three times lol). Well Friends: today is the day. Today it is ready to come home to Lovely House. I can't begin to express my joy...I may or may not have shed a few tears when Voldi turned the hands for me to play the chime...I could just imagine her excitement knowing that it was fixed and will chime again. Pieces like these have such souls and stories. Time might be a great healer, and though my grief remains I am so Happy to finally have this bit of Timmins at Home. #luckyhotdog #LovelyHouse #GrammyP #GumpoP #VoldisTimeCentre #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 23, 2015 at 7:55pm PDT

Day 328

Day 328: Today was awesome! A great day reconnecting with Friends and colleagues I don't get to see in real life very often. From a rousing Amazing Race competition to delicious delicious Indian food, to now lying in bed listening to a beast of a thunderstorm, today was pretty great. #TeamAwesome4Eva #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 22, 2015 at 7:40pm PDT

Day 327

Day 327: If we weren't regularly communicating two winters ago you may or may not be aware that Lovely House had a little ice problem. In my first year owning my own home we enjoyed a beast of a winter in the Land of OS. Coming from the North as I do, I wasn't scared of a little winter. Growing up where I did I figured I'd seen it all. Well. I know that OS doesn't get the worst winters known to man, but I also now know they are not to be taken lightly. Home ownership has a different set of responsibilities too...in some cases you must actually *defend* your home against Old Man Winter by doing such things as raking your roof clear of snow and ice, a task I didn't really consider too seriously. I mean, come on: this house has seen more than a hundred OS winters. Surely it can handle this, right? Well one boatload of ice and thousands of dollars in damage later, I learned a hard lesson. Assume nothing. Thank heaven for dads, and especially for my Dad. My superhero father who, after the disaster with the porch, came to my rescue the very next day and spent more than eight hours literally chopping my house out of winters icy grip. Eight hours of dealing with ice dams more than a foot thick around the entire circumference of my home...eight hours chopping, chipping, melting and peeling my poor roof free to prevent any further damage. My Dad is a rockstar for all kinds of reasons: he has the Dad Jokes thing down pat, he worked impossibly hard while we were growing up so we would never be without, he's one of the best tennis and racquetball players I know, and he's always there when I need him (like how often I would miss the bus home from TO and he'd STILL come down to the bus stop late at night so I wouldn't have to take a taxi). Happy Fathers Day Dad!! May it be full of BBQ, pies, hammocks and A&W Root Beer. See you soon xo #FathersDay #LovelyHouse #luckyhotdog #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 21, 2015 at 9:12am PDT

Day 326

Day 326: For yesterday (boy I am really failing at this lately...). So, yesterday was a busy day. I worked in the morning, performed two sets with my choir in the afternoon and evening, and spent the balance of the time with good people who make me Happy. It was a full day and I didn't once think to take a picture. This "Happy" thing, the way that I've been doing it, requires a photo to represent whatever thing I'm choosing to share for that particular day. I've run into this problem before where the "Happy" I wish to share is a feeling or a moment, rather than a tangible physical thing. Yesterday was one such day. There were all kinds of things that made me Happy but nothing that I could take a picture of to represent it. By midnight when I was debating sleep or fulfilling the requirements of this project to post, fatigue won out. While scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook this morning I saw this picture and I thought aha! That'll work. My circle of people that I find myself surrounded with seems to get richer by the day. I have some perfectly fantastic people in my world that, for one reason or another, seem to like to spend time with me. That makes me feel really good, and pretty Happy. It is so true, "life is too short to be anything but happy". Some days I have to work at it, some days it comes easy. Yesterday was an easy Happy day (well, I could have done with fewer zombies but the intentions were good lol). So thanks Friends, thanks for being awesome (that goes for all y'all). #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 21, 2015 at 8:51am PDT

Day 325

Day 325: I thought this was a fun shot: on stage at The Roxy for the very first time. It was for the dress rehearsal for the show tomorrow that my choir is doing a couple of songs in, not for anything I personally am doing, but I kinda liked this shot of a single mic facing a darkened theatre. Easy to imagine something more. Maybe someday. The idea made me kind of Happy! #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 19, 2015 at 9:12pm PDT

Day 324

Day 324: I was too tired to post yesterday, and I'm not doing a ton better tonight (it's midnight) so this'll be short. Happiness is seeing a photo of a young, bearded Harrison Ford. *le swoon* #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 19, 2015 at 9:08pm PDT

Day 323

Day 323: I love this table. I love how many memories have been made around it in the past, and continue to be made on nights like tonight. Tonight I had a small gathering to officially christen my recently repaired record player and speakers. Such a lovely time...and we even used the fancy glasses. Next party we break out the tomato juice glasses and the Spode. #partylikearockstar #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 17, 2015 at 8:15pm PDT

Day 322

Day 322: Anybody who I am friends with on Facebook saw this coming I'm sure. I've been laughing all afternoon. So, two Saturdays ago I attended a wedding for two great people. These people are FUN people, and I knew the wedding would be amazing. Normally I'm not one to really get up and groove at a wedding. I can be fairly self-conscious and, believe it or not don't often like to "put myself out there" a ton, but for this wedding, with these Friends I said: Yes. This is happening. Life is short, make a memory, dance like nobody is watching. And so I did. Except it turns out that a few people WERE watching and were taking photos. Even when I saw some of the pics I was super reluctant to let myself be "tagged" in them...but then I saw this one. The one in the upper left corner. I guess I was really into whatever song was on and I grabbed the nearest available bubble wand and I gave'r. And seeing that photo today made ME laugh, so I figured I'd share the fun. Well. What fun Friends I have haha. My dear Angie has decided to turn this into a few photoshop masterpieces and, well...when I saw the first Harry Potter one I laughed so hard I almost choked. Today's Happy is all about good times and good laughs, and about enjoying how fantastic my Friends are haha. Thanks for the smiles! #partylikearockstar #365happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Jun 16, 2015 at 2:17pm PDT