Family Blessings

Looking outside as I type this, the snow is falling and the mercury has begun to plummet into double digits. This time of year I always find myself being a little conflicted.

The summer is my favourite season. The mosquitoes and bugs kinda suck but I'll take the warmth, golfing and time spent sharing campfires under the stars with Lee and the family all year round if I could. Something so simple brings me so much happiness. For this reason I despise winter because I don't like the cold, being stuck inside for months and the sun is rarely seen.

For as much as I can't stand the arrival of winter, I also appreciate that it brings the end of the year and a perfect opportunity to reflect on what has happened over the last 12 months and to appreciate the people in my life.

I am so blessed on several points. I have a loving, funny, beautiful and intelligent girlfriend who; despite my quirks and weird behaviour; embraces my faults and brings so much happiness into my life every day.

Her two beautiful daughters and their husbands have welcomed me into their lives from day one and I appreciate them very much. The year has been stressful at times but our support and love for each other grows every day. I love you Lee.

My parents are still alive, which in my father's case is a miracle. Over three years ago, in June 2014, dad was diagnosed with with Stage 4 Renal Cell Carcinoma. Cancer had formed in his only remaining kidney and had moved beyond it. The prognosis was not good and the Oncologist told us that Christmas 2014 would be his last.

My dad is my hero and I've never known a stronger, sweeter, more hard working or caring man. But he also showed me just how much of a fighter he is as well. The road hasn't been easy for him but he's still fighting hard and if all goes well he'll celebrate his 80th birthday in June.

Mom has faced her own battles as well, including surgery to have a defibrillator / pacemaker placed in her chest. The woman never stops going.

At 76 she still caters for the Lioness Club, canvasses for the Cancer Society and prevents dad from becoming a permanent part of the furniture by keeping him active. I don't say it enough but I love you mom and dad.

The year brought some fun moments along the way including a visit from my brother Scott, sister-in-law Erin and the kids who traveled from Florida to spend a couple of weeks here in the summer. We had so much fun and made some amazing memories.

Lee's daughter Addison got married to Conrad in October in Collingwood and we were so happy to be a part of their special day. Now we await the arrival of a baby girl due later this month. Lee's oldest daughter Jessyca and her husband Matt were here a few weeks ago and we all celebrated little Dax's first birthday.

I truly believe that family is always the most important thing in our lives and I have been blessed to have oodles of family moments this year. Life may throw you some curve-balls and challenges along the way but family is always the glue and support system you can count on.

Remembrance Day Myth

Halloween has come and gone and with it went my diet and craving for chocolate. I think I might have set a new record for most tiny Aero bars eaten in the time it took to hand out candy to the trick or treaters visiting the house.

No sooner does All Hallows' Eve pass and the annual controversy surrounding Remembrance Day and Christmas resurfaces with a passion and anger no other holiday can achieve.

I'm not sure what fueled this debate but I can guess that the world of retail sales likely had a lot to do with it.

How dare these stores start pumping Christmas carols out of their speakers before November 11th and the day we honour our veterans of past conflicts and wars. Why is this even controversial?

Is there some rule or bylaw that states celebrating the holiday season can't begin until we've officially recognized the sacrifices made by our brave men and women in uniform? Am I disrespecting their memory by listening to Jingle Bells on November 8th?

I consider myself lucky to have spent my entire life living in a military city. I have known many people who have served in dangerous places as peace keepers and in areas of brutal conflict. My uncle served in World War 2 and I knew a couple of men who landed on Juno Beach in Normandy on D-Day and survived. One man hit the beach and had friends on either side of him shot and killed as they moved forward.

These men I knew have since passed away but I asked one of them several years ago about this very subject. While he didn't like to talk about the war too much, he did feel strongly that he fought to preserve our freedom and way of life. Freedom means being able to celebrate whatever you want whenever you want and he had no issue or complaint with people celebrating Christmas prior to Remembrance Day.

He only asked that for that minute at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month you think about the sacrifices he and his fellow soldiers gave so that we may live as we do today.

I don't think that's too much to ask which is why I always try to attend the service at the cenotaph on November 11th or at the very least stop and silently remember them. I know for a fact that if I'm listening to Christmas music on the way to the service he'd be completely fine with that and that's good enough for me.

The Hap Hap Happiest Christmas

Traditionally I suppose Thanksgiving is the time to give thanks and be grateful for what you have but to be honest, this past Thanksgiving I wasn’t feeling particularly happy about what was happening in my life or the life of my family.

This year for the most part had been one hellish roller-coaster ride for me and my family. Perhaps I was just blinded by all the negative things to see the good stuff that happened in 2014 but to be honest, the bad news was so great that I didn’t feel much like smiling or enjoying the good times.

The most important man in my life, my father, has been dealing with a deadly form of cancer since the summer and the prognosis seemed bleak at best. I’m not a doctor but I suppose that’s still the case but luckily there has been some good news just in time for Christmas.

With cancer moving from his only remaining kidney into his lungs, you can imagine it was a very depressing summer and autumn. We did our best to put on a brave face and my father has done an amazing job of remaining positive and was willing to fight this bastard of a disease as best he could.

I’m not an overly religious person so I’m not going to say divine intervention has played a part in the latest results. I truly believe modern medicine has come a long way with advancements to prolong the lives of those stricken with this affliction. It was very welcome news a few weeks ago when my dad visited the doctor at the cancer clinic and was told that there were no new lesions or growth in his lungs and kidney. What was even more amazing was the fact the existing tumors had shrunk “significantly”. We knew full well going into the treatment with these expensive chemo pills that it wasn’t a cure. All we were hoping for was more time with my dad and to give him a chance. It appears as though that will be the case.

With any luck the pills will continue to do their job and keep the cancer in check for a while, thus allowing my father to enjoy more time on this earth and for those of us who love him, more time to irritate and annoy his grumpy ass. Any extra time and every day is a blessing.

On a personal level, the end of 2014 has also brought some unexpected but long sought after love into my life. That’s right, I met someone.

The funny thing is; I’ve known her for well over 30 years. We went to high school together and have always been friends.

We had touched base from time to time over the last few years and chatted online. I had dated several women this year with no love connection and perhaps with all that was happening with dad my heart really wasn’t into it. And then one day while chatting with her, something finally clicked in me. I realized that this woman and friend would be an amazing person to date and pursue a relationship with. Of course, that all depended on whether or not she had any interest in me. As it turns out, she was interested. 

Officially we’ve been dating for three weeks but since we’ve known each other for so long and been talking so much in recent years, it feels as though we’ve been together for much longer. We were able to skip that whole “getting to know each other” phase since we already knew each other so well. It’s safe to say she is my best friend and we get along so well. We are always laughing and having a good time together. We just click and are comfortable with each other. I know my family will grow to love her as much as I do.

So 2014 was bloody awful for the most part but some amazing news and events at the tail end of the year has turned the whole year around. This will truly be the happiest Christmas for me in a very long time.

Hello Again, I'm Not Dead

I wasn't lying on my last blog posting when I said I might be away for a bit. A month and a half since my last posting but you haven't missed a whole lot. Okay, that's not entirely true but certainly nothing earth shattering.

As planned, I spent Christmas in Florida with my brother and his family. I dragged my parents along with me as well to make it a real family Christmas. The first one in many years where we've all been together.

The "Unconditional Surrender" statue in downtown Sarasota, Florida.

I won't bore you with all of the details. Suffice it to say everyone got lots of presents from Santa and we ate way too much good food. It was a great three weeks in the Sunshine State.

Well, it wasn't entirely without incidence. My poor mother after just recovering from a broken ankle last Autumn, missed a step coming down the stairs and fell again two days before Christmas. Despite her intense pain she didn't let us take her to the hospital until Boxing Day where she was diagnosed with a bad sprain and pulled ligaments but no break. Of course anyone who's had an injury like this knows, sometimes you're better off just to break it. So as it turns out, mom spent most of the vacation on the couch resting although I did drag her out a few times shopping where she could ride the electric scooters around Walmart and Target and near the end of the trip she could walk a little better.

Of course mom's injury meant she wasn't able to go to Tampa to see the Montreal Canadiens play the Lightning. So in her place went my sister-in-laws sister along with my dad, brother and sis-in-law of course. We had a terrific time and Montreal won which was a bonus

Red-shouldered Hawk in Myakka River State Park.

During the trip I got a bit of sun which was nice but the one thing I did a lot  of was shop. I spent over $1200 on mostly new clothes. Having lost all my weight my old wardrobe was no good to me. All of my old clothes were several sizes too large. I had a good time shopping.

Weight loss and body changes continue to happen.

So how did my weight loss go while on vacation? Well, as expected I gained some weight because to be completely honest, I ate like a pig. I fully expected to come home and find I'd gained 30 pounds. But when I stepped on the scale after getting back I had only gained about 14 pounds. And I'm happy to say that within a week I had dropped every pound and was back to my pre-vacation weight. I think the main reason I didn't gain more likely had to do with the fact that most mornings I would go for a good long walk and do a couple laps of a local lake. Probably about 3 miles each time.

I did get a couple opportunities to practice my photography hobby as well. I took my camera on my walk one day and got some shots of some of the local water birds like Blue Herons, Ibis, Egrets and others. Another day dad and I loaded mom into the truck our way to Myakka River State Park near Sarasota. Here I got some nice photos of lots of Alligators and was lucky enough to spot a couple of Red-shouldered Hawks.

Ibis in Flight.

It was a good trip but I was not pleased at all to return home. While away there was a brutal ice storm. The tree damage was minimal but there had to be anywhere from two to six inches of ice in the driveway. I was three days chipping it clear and shovelling the heavy ice onto the yard. And if that isn't bad enough, I just got it cleared in time as we've had several snow storms since then and have more snow on the ground than I can recall in recent memory.

Oh, and to make matters worse, the temperatures have been bitterly cold. One night at work I was sitting in my car when all of a sudden my back window exploded. The heat inside and the minus 30 temps outside didn't agree with the tempered glass. That was a fun night.

So as you can see, it has been a somewhat interesting period since my last posting but life is funny that way. Never a dull moment.

Another Year Goes Bye Bye

Tis The Season
Originally uploaded by *Bundy*

Another holiday season has crept up on us quicker than usual. It still feels like just yesterday I was sitting in front of a campfire next to the lake swatting mosquitoes and swapping stories with friends and family.

Alas, that is not the case and Christmas lights on the houses, freezing cold temperatures and snow on the ground are a clear indication that Santa and his reindeer will be embarking on their annual journey very soon.

This also means another year has almost been completed and what a year it has been.

It seems only appropriate to take a moment to reflect on the year that has flown by in the blink of an eye.

I think we can all agree that 2013 has been interesting and quite a successful year for me personally. No I didn't get a big raise or change jobs although I won't lie, both of those things sound pretty good to me but in this economy, any year where I'm not standing in line waiting to be fed, out looking for a job or waiting for a government assistance cheque to arrive is a good one in my books. Sure things could always be better but they can also be a lot worse as well.

I could sit here and reminisce about all of the big news stories from 2013 but I'm sure others will delve into those things in greater detail. Certainly in Canada the big stories of the year were Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's admission of crack use and the Canadian Senate scandal. Both of those stories will continue into 2014 no doubt.

In sports I'm happy to see my Montreal Canadiens playing and competing much better this season. It has been a pleasant surprise. I wish I could have said the same for the Toronto Blue Jays who reached a level of disappointment usually only attained by the Leafs and Raptors. But as they say, there's always next year. My own golf game was equally depressing in 2013. I was tempted to call the cops to help me locate my missing golf swing but instead I just continued to struggle and work on my foul language vocabulary.

The world lost some pretty great and interesting people this year. Among those that left us were Nelson Mandela, Musician Lou Reed, Actor James Gandolfini, Canadian actor Cory Monteith, Annette Funicello, Roger Ebert, Margaret Thatcher, Jonathan Winters, David Frost and Tom Clancy just to name a few.

My own family had some issues this year with both my parents having visits to the hospital but fortunately they appear to have recovered nicely.

The rest of my family is doing well so I'm pretty blessed in that department.

By far the most enjoyable event of 2013 for me was my continued efforts to improve my health. In a little over a year I've lost 155 pounds through exercise and changes to my eating habits. Basically I'm getting off my ass a lot more and shoving food down my throat a lot less which seems to be working to this point.

I'm hitting the gym up to five times a week since joining a little over a month ago and I'm noticing a change to my appearance as my muscles which were ignored for so long start to bounce back into shape.

The best part for me is regaining my life and eliminating the aches and pains I struggled with on a daily basis. It's amazing the things that thin and healthy people take for granted that obese people struggle with every day. I'm happy to say a lot of those issues have been eliminated for me finally. Every day is a challenge but after years of failing, I now know that I have it in me to succeed.

I could go on and bore you to sleep (if I haven't already) but I wanted to make this quick. I'm going to be very busy over the next several weeks and likely won't be updating my blog again until later in January.

Most importantly I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has supported me over the last year and been so encouraging. From the people I talked to almost daily to old acquaintances I've passed in the street, every compliment and congratulation has meant a great deal and has been very much appreciated.

My hope is that all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year. See you in 2014!

My 2013 Christmas Wish List

I know the year's don't actually go by any faster but they sure seem that way as we get older. Such is the case this year as another holiday season looms upon us. The time of year when everyone seems more friendly and some of us tend to dream a little bigger.

This Christmas I've already received the best gifts I could have hoped for. Both of my parents are still around and in pretty good health overall. My brother, sister-in-law, nephew and niece are all doing well in the sunny south although it sure would be nice to see them more often.

For me personally the biggest gift I could have hoped for was actually having something taken away from me over the last year. That of course was my added weight and large frame. I'm still a big guy but being over 150 pounds lighter than I was a year ago is a gift that has given me back my life and freedom to be active. I think I'm probably smiling a lot more these days as well. Hopefully my continued weight loss efforts and gym membership will bring about an even svelter and happier version of myself a year from now.

But even though I've had all of these wonderful and personal gifts already, that isn't going to stop me from putting forth my annual and usually over the top Christmas Wish List. I'm a little early this year but if things don't change, this holiday season will be a busy one for me so I figured I'd better do this while I can. Sure the majority of the items on my list will not be found under the tree this year but it never hurts to give Santa Claus a little nudge. Perhaps an extra cookie and a shot of rum in his eggnog on Christmas Eve will help.

So without any further ado, lets have a little fun and see what I've jotted down on my list this year.

iPhone 5S 16GB

Cost: $800

(I already got this for myself)

Fitbit Force

Cost: $130

(I ended up buying the Flex instead)

Airport Extreme Time Capsule - 3TB

Cost: $400

Logitech Harmony Touch Remote

Cost: $250

Dyson Hot & Cool Fan

Cost: $400

Moxie Showerhead & Wireless Speaker

Cost: $200

Bose Soundlink Mini Speaker

Cost: $220

Xbox One

Cost: $500

Apple iMac 27 inch

Cost: $2050

Nikon D3x DSLR Camera

Cost: $8000

Sharp AQUOS 90 inch LED Smart 3D TV

Cost: $10-thousand

Mangusta 165' Yacht

Cost: $25 million

Rendezvous with Jennifer Lawrence or Kate Upton

Cost: My soul most likely.

 

2014 Chevy Impala 2LZ

Cost: $40-thousand

2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible

Cost: $260-thousand

Log Cabin Home in Canada

Cost: $2 Million

Waterfront Home in Florida

Cost: $4 Million

So there you go! Not an extensive list but certainly an expensive and delusional one for sure.

But of course, as I state every year, as long as my health and the health and happiness of my family and close friends remains, that's all I can truly hope for. That and Kate Upton.

To all of you who take the time to visit my blog regularly or to those of you who just stumbled upon it, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2014.

My 2012 Christmas Wish List

A quick check of the calendar has revealed to me that Christmas is upon all of us once again. Another year has crept passed us and 2013 is waiting to begin. That is of course if you don't believe the world is going to end as the Mayans predicted would happen this week.

Sadly this year has been very busy and my blog postings have dropped considerably because of this. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook then you can hear my mini rants and thoughts all year long but finding time to sit and write on my blog has suffered and it's my hope that I'll change that in the new year.

As I try to do every year I have compiled another Christmas Wish List. If past years are any indication, Santa obviously doesn’t have enough room in his sack for most things.

Traditionally the Bundy Wish List has included items of a more unrealistic or even humourous nature. These gifts range from a slight possibility of receiving to no chance in hell of seeing under my tree. It’s more of a “Not in Your Wildest Dreams Christmas List”. Of course there are a few which could legitimately find their way into my possession and in fact some on past lists have...just not the really really expensive items.

So, let’s have some fun shall we?

Apple Airport Express Base Station

Cost: $100 (already purchased)

Apple iPad 4 with Retina Display

Cost: $600 (32GB)

 

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display

Cost: $2800

Nikon D4 FX & lenses

Cost: $6000 (camera only)

Nikon AF-S 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

Cost: $900

Manfrotto Tripod

Cost: $700

 

Manfrottp Hydrostat Ball Head

Cost: $260 

Sharp AQUOS 80" 1080p 120Hz TV

Cost: $4500

 

Bose Lifestyle V35 Home Entertainment System

Cost: $3500

 

Rendezvous with Ashley Hinshaw & Rebecca Blumhagen 

Cost: A Guy Can Dream Right?

2013 Bugatti Veyron

Cost: $2.5 Million

 

2013 Bentley Continental

Cost: $200-thousand

 

Lakefront Home in Canada

Cost: $2.5 million est.

Waterfront Home in Florida

Cost: $4 million est.

So there you have it. Not an overly long list but certainly a costly one.

Of course as I say every year, as long as I have my health and my family is all healthy and happy I'll be very satisfied. But it's nice to dream from time time and there's no better time than at Christmas.

I hope all of your Christmas wishes come true.

Bring On Those Gifts!

With the big day only a few sleeps away I wanted to take a quick moment to wish all of my regular blog visitors, family, friends and anyone else who just happens to stumble across my little corner of the internet all the best for a safe and festive holiday season.

I love receiving gifts as much as the next guy but as I've gotten older I've learned to appreciate family more and spending time with the people I love is now the most important thing. I won't get to spend this special time of year with all of my family as some are just too far away to make it home or have other plans but hopefully we'll be together again soon.

Life is too short to take family for granted and if you don't enjoy the time you have with them now, you might regret it later in life.

So to everyone and especially my family and close friends I hope you have the Merriest of Christmas' and a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Now...someone pass me a holiday beverage.

My 2011 Christmas Wish List

It’s just not possible that we're coming to the end of another year. Sadly I have not kept up with my blog this year as much as I would have liked. Call it lack of creative juices if you like. Honestly, I think I’ll blame it on Twitter. That darned thing has become a mini blog for me as I share my thoughts on a daily basis there. If you’re on Twitter, feel free to follow me at bundyman and you’ll see more of my uncensored thoughts...along with a lot of Montreal Canadiens chatter.

But that’s not what this is about. As I have done the last couple of years, it is time once again for me to sit down and compile my annual list of items I would love to have on my Christmas Wish List. If past years are any indication, Santa obviously doesn’t have enough room in his sack for most things.


Traditionally the Bundy Wish List has included items of a more unrealistic or even humourous nature. These gifts range from a slight possibility of receiving to no chance in hell of seeing under my tree. It’s more of a “Not in Your Wildest Dreams Christmas List”. Of course there are a few which could legitimately find their way into my possession and in fact some on past lists have...just not the really really expensive items.

So, let’s have some fun shall we?

Western Digital Hard Drive - 2TB
Cost: $210


iPad 2 - 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G
Cost: $849


Photoshop CS5 (Mac)
Cost: $800


Nik Software Plugins Suite
Cost: $600


Apple Time Capsule - 2TB
Cost: $300


Nikon AF-S 105mm f/2.8 VR Macro Lens
Cost: $1000


Nikon 600mm f4.0 VR II Telephoto Lens
Cost: $11000


Bose Lifestyle V35 Home Entertainment System
Cost: $3800


Sharp AQUOS 80" 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV
Cost: $5000


Win $50 Million Lotto Max Jackpot
Cost: Price of a Ticket


Rendezvous with Blake Lively & Alice Eve
Cost: A Guy Can Dream Right?


2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sports
Cost: $2.5 Million


2012 Bentley Continental GT
Cost: $200 000


Lakefront Home in Canada
Cost: $2.5 Million est.


Waterfront Home in Florida
Cost: $4 Million est.

So there you go. Not everything made the list but I only have so much time and room to post it.

Of course, these are just things and the most important items are having a healthy and happy family and good friends. No price tag could be put on them.

I hope all of your Christmas Wishes come true and may you have a Merry Christmas.