Category - People Props

People Props, Yada, Yada, Yada

This picture was taken on my 40th birthday.

I should really remember more about this night because it wasn’t that long ago…was it? I know that Shan went hard to the paint planning this celebration. It was themed to be all of my favourite things and people all wrapped into one amazing night. Shan made cookies, there was a nacho bar, and everyone who showed up brought Jager or a gift card for Five Guys! It was heaven.

I remember at one point Gould and Shan did some kind of 80’s themed karaoke. I will have to search for that photo of them all dressed up and delivering the Bon Jovi! Joel and I did Humpty Dance on camera too and I remember talking to Evelina about it the next week at work! She was telling me how much she loved my friends.

Ratte came in for it and him, Al, and I went out looking for “snaps”. The day of any big night it wasn’t uncommon for us to go to Value Village and scour the racks for snaps (shirts with snap buttons). Drinking shirts basically. As you can tell by the photo on this particular day we were hugely successful. Ratte also spent like $80 on groceries to build Caesars that night. I remember they had veggies and wings hanging off them!

At the end of the night, close to when this picture was taken there was just a few of us left. Shan had taken the kids to her mom’s so it was just me and few guys. I remember she had made this Batman themed birthday cake that we devoured at 2am with our bare hands like animals.

Ah, to be 40 again.

Brahma Beer

April 7, 2020

I have gone through some photo albums in isolation and have decided that I am going to post some memories here.

I found this beauty from Ponch’s stag. I can’t even tell you the year but I do remember starting this night with BBQ, beers, and poker with friends. The rest is a little blurry.

From what I recall Drew chartered a bus (driven by his aunt) that picked us up at Ponch’s house. She took us on a bar tour and we able to drink on the bus and it was a gong show. I mean music, and guys dancing and yelling. Ponch was wearing some rubber breasts on top of his shirt. That kind of night.

This picture was taken at a bar downtown somewhere. I don’t know which one but at the time there was a salsa bar on the second floor. I know this because Tyler and I went up there and I remember dancing with a group of people up there and getting unnaturally sweaty.

I love this picture because:

Porter looks like Steve Fewster was there.
My “I love Humpday” shirt still fit.
I had a Brahama in my hand.
Timmy G, Gilles, Ponch, Tyler, Porter look as drunk as I do.
Tyler made it to this particular stop.

The last stop of the night was Teasers and I don’t remember much other than returning to the bus at closing time and realizing Tyler never even got off the bus. There he was sleeping in the idiot seat. A term I would soon come to learn as a bus driver.

What a great night.

Penny & Joon

April 4, 2019

People Props, Yada, Yada, Yada

See what we did there? A little Johnny Depp tribute.

So this is Joon, the latest addition to the Peever Zoo…I mean crew. She is a little boxer, sprig terrier cross we adopted from Winnipeg Giant Breed Rescue. She came to us a little bit sick so it was a bit of a rocky start but I was super impressed at how dedicated the rescue was to making sure we had everything we needed for Joon. I highly recommend WGBR to anyone looking for a new dog.

I have to admit I was dreading another puppy. It’s like having another baby in a lot of ways. Eat, sleep, poop, and constant supervision. Double the food, double the hair, double the poop. In fact Timmy D got a puppy last year and specifically told us not to do it. But when Shan sent me a picture of this one there was something telling me she belonged with us and we decided to go and see her.

We were so confident in this that we took the kids with us, which we would never do if we were on the fence. Even still we told them that we were going to look at a new couch! We said we were THINKING about buying a new couch and were just going to LOOK at it. It doesn’t mean we are coming home with it, we are just going to have a look. We went over this a couple times until the kids repeated after us “…just looking”. Curious as to why we were prepping them so hard for this couch they asked if they could see it and I showed them a picture of Joon. She arrived next week.

Except for a little tummy trouble at the beginning it’s been an awesome experience. She seemed to know to bathroom outside (mostly) and goes to the door to let us know. She can sit, shake a paw, and lie down when told. She of course walks on a leash better than Penny (not amazing). Speaking of Penny, she is love. She is so intentionally gentle and accommodating to Joon that you would think they were siblings. Whenever Penny lies down along comes Joon and snuggles right in. Sometimes right on top too!

We are working on independence. We are kennel training during the day but she won’t have it at night. We tried to let her cry it out but it’s relentless. She sleeps on her dog bed at the foot of our bed and knows she is not welcome up unless invited. I was amazed at how quickly she has adjusted to this sleeping arrangement and she is good through most nights.

Oh ya, and don’t get a puppy in the spring if your backyard is a swamp.

Joon Photos

Sylvia Taylor

January 23, 2019

Heaven is a better place today…

I met Sylvia when I was 18 years old when I moved out from home and got a job at the North West Company. We worked together in the same department and as I was drawn to her wit and personality it was her heart and love for her family that made me feel close to her and I lovingly referred to her as my work mom.

We spent many a day in the Warehouse ticketing items for “Soft Lines” and I got her hear all about her kids and family. She spoke of them often and it didn’t take long to realize what an important part of her life they were, and how important she was to them.

Soon her daughter Amber was working in the Warehouse too and it was as if I already knew her. Woven from the same cloth some might say. Just like Sylvia she was genuine and someone I became instant friends with.

Amber wasn’t with the Company for very long but Sylvia kept me in the loop on how she was doing. When Erin was born Sylvia was glowing at work like I had never seen her before. She showed me pictures of “the baby” like crazy and would often suggest I pop in and meet her.

Little did I know that visit would change my life forever.

I fell in love with that baby and have had the absolute pleasure of being a part of her life since she was just over a year old. During that time I was treated like family and Sylvia was a big part of that. Hanging out with Darryl and Amber made me feel like family. I used to stick around after bringing Erin home and Sylvia and I would chat and watch TV. I got to enjoy all the birthdays, the family dinners, and the holidays. I learned a lot about myself, about family, how to catch mice, how to move furniture in a truck, and Sylvia taught me how to build the best lasagna you will ever eat.

One of my favorite memories was hanging out with Erin the night Mackenzie was born. Bringing her singing and dancing to meet her baby sister. Seeing Sylvia glowing like the first time she told me about Erin.

I was lucky enough visit her in the early stages and got to see her in the hospital before she passed. I literally thanked her for my 20’s. For sharing her beautiful family with me, always sharing a laugh, and helping us all become the people we are today.

Sylvia, you will be missed.

JD

October 24, 2018

Shan says that she always knows when her Dad was on the phone because my voice would suddenly get deeper when I was talking to him. I guess I wanted him to know that she was taken care of in that way. I think he felt like I was putting it on for him just like when we were building stuff and I would measure once and cut twice…sometimes three times!

It didn’t take long for JD to make me feel like a part of his family. It started long before Shannon and I were even dating. Well before any of that, he was “Mike’s Dad” and revered among our group of friends like a God of Thunder, or maybe it was that he was revered at the Thunderbird, I can’t recall…but… “anyhoo” as he would always say.

Back in those days he provided for our group in many ways. He coached us in roller hockey, he provided a safe place for us to gather where we always felt welcome and safe, where bathing suits were optional in the hot tub, and in turn he helped us foster the friendships I hold most dear in my life to this day. Mike’s friends came over because of the welcoming home JD provided, and they stayed for the bacon and eggs at breakfast.

JD was a master sleeper and my admiration for him magnified one day when Mike and I came home for lunch. I thought we were home alone until JD came out of his bedroom, yawning and stretching out in his office clothes (likely from Mens Furnishings at the Bay where he once worked). Told us he was just home for his lunchtime “toes up”, like that was a thing! At the lake we would chat after dinner until JD would nod off in mid sentence and just for sport Shan and the boys would compete to see what kind of things they could dangle from his mouth without waking him up.

JD was a giver. He was true and loyal, and would do anything for his friends. He joked with me that he wouldn’t let himself pass in the summer months or his Royal Lake Gang might not make it in.

JD would do anything for his kids. Mike wrecked the truck, Shan wrecked the truck, and Tim…well he still wears sandals all winter.

He would go so far in fact that this one Christmas, Shannon was away from home all the way in Thailand. JD had asked her in an email what he would like for Christmas and she said “Tom”. He had me over for dinner that week and asked me if I would go. That he would send me there on his dime because that’s what Shannon wanted most for Christmas, and that he wanted to do this for us. Not knowing how I would ever be able to pay him back I joked about having to cut his lawn for the rest of my life…to which he replied without missing a beat…

“I like mine at a 45 degree angle.”

We watched almost every single playoff game together this year and when the Jets were out we watched Ovi raise the Cup for the first time. On October 9th, just a couple weeks ago, we watched what would be our last Jet game together at Jocelyn House. At one point he took my hand and told me that I was everything he could have asked for, for his daughter. I told him that Shan and I fell in love in Thailand and that I didn’t know how I could ever repay him for the life that he helped set in motion. Especially since he had gone so many years without a lawn to cut. He said that he always knew that one day he would need me to take care of his most “special” possession, and I intend to do just that.

It would be cliche to say that JD had a great life and it’s too soon for him to be gone. But I do admire his thirst for living. I don’t know much about heaven but if there is a lake there JD has already set up the tarps and should be out in the boat by now looking for someplace calm to float on his pool noodle.

He did what made him happiest and brought much happiness to those around him. I am so blessed that Lexi and Ashlyn got to have so many great memories of a man who wore his heart on his sleeve and loved his family to the fullest.

Here’s to breakfast JD!

Mo

October 22, 2017

Wicked mystery dancer.

Heaven Is A Better Place Today

October 18, 2017

People Props, Yada, Yada, Yada

I woke up this morning and after my shower instead of heading downstairs to find some underwear I went straight to my closet and put on my Hip shirt. I know that doesn’t sound like anything odd but I ALWAYS do shirt last, after a teeth brush and layer of deodorant so that I don’t get anything on the shirt. As I was looking through my shirts I also brushed past the shirt I had made for the last concert that reads “Here’s a glue guy, performance God…” and it was just enough to put it in my head. I walked back downstairs to brush singing “heaven is a better place today”.

I was in the movement room at work, alone, when my phone started blowing up. “Gord died…” was the first thing I read from Al and it hit me like a tonne of bricks. I just had trouble pulling it together. Then as other people started texting me it was just too much emotion. It was definitely a tough day working with kids. One woman I work with also loves the Hip and when I first met her we were both wearing Hip gear. I was the one who told her when she got in this morning and her eye’s just welled up and she went straight to the phone to call her husband. The impact of it all was just so HARD, HUGE, and HAUNTING.

I tried hard to compose myself throughout the day but it was hard. One text I received said:

“sad day – I was thinking of you this morning. Great memories – thank you for bringing the Hip into my life!”

Back to square one. I just kept telling myself that Tom Petty died just a few days ago and I don’t remember any grown men walking around the office all welled up. Pull it together man, I kept telling myself. Then I read the obituary on Maclean’s – that was a mistake.

What I realized was that it wasn’t just about the passing of an amazing man. A man I feel some kind of personal connection to that I have never met. I realized it’s about all of you. All of the people who share this music with me and the memories that pop into my head when I hear it. The concerts, the road trips, the parties, the clubs, the camping, the hockey, the socials, the weddings, the friendships…all of it.

It’s the knowledge that today is the day the music died. Literally. What I can only explain as the soundtrack to my life now has a beginning and an end. I know that the music lives on but it makes me sad to think about the flame that brought so much happiness to my life has gone dark. Knowing that I will never again sit in an arena and see Gord live weakens my will a little. I can clearly remember them all and never wanting that feeling to end. Even just sitting in my car alone and cranking it up – it could never get loud enough, no number on a dial could ever explain it.

So that’s what I did on my way to pick up the kids after school. Got lost in it.

When Shan got home we asked GOOGLE to play some HIP and opened up a bottle of wine I never thought there would be an occasion for. We drank for Gord – and then Al came over and we all drank for Gord, just as we have so many times before.

RIP Gord Downie – Thank you for everything.

Honker Boards

June 24, 2017

This morning I went to Steinbach to pick up a bike rack that Shan had found on Kijiji. We figure it will go nice with the new camper and bring our camping game up a couple notches.

I end up at this beauty house just on the outskirts of town and end up meeting this really cool guy and his family out working in the garage. They invite me in for a little look at what they are working on and I am blown away. They make long boards under the name “Honker Boards” and the craftsmanship and branding is incredible. Just looking at the few he has in the garage immediately makes me think I am cool enough to handle one of these things. Tenfold if they are being crafted locally in Steinbach by a guy in his garage, it really doesn’t get any better!

We talked for a bit about some of the ones he is currently working on and possibilities are endless. Custom trucks, colors, wood grain, etc. Anything you would like on it basically. If you think this is something you would be interested in let me know and I will put you in touch. When I get mine we can surf some pavement like it’s 1999.

Ashlyn is 6

June 13, 2017

Lexi & Ashlyn, People Props