Twenty five years ago, when I joined my family business, I was tasked with implementing an effective safety program. Even though I had grown up around the industry (I remember doing payroll when I was in junior high school!!), it was still quite a task for someone new to construction in general and new toContinue reading “It’s official…”
Author Archives: Jo Ann Ortega
As Valentine’s Day Approaches…
I am the most cynical romantic that you will ever meet. I love sappy songs and sappy poetry and sappy movies. I can watch the movie Sweet Home Alabama with the volume off and speak every line! Sleepless in Seattle, too. My favourite childhood movie was Anne of Green Gables and that moment where AnneContinue reading “As Valentine’s Day Approaches…”
Thank You For Being A Friend
Like everyone else in the world, I recently mourned the loss of the iconic Betty White. She was talented. She was funny. She was a little bit ‘bad’ as we like to say in our family. I remember reading something she’d said, and of course I’m paraphrasing, but she talked about how she was soContinue reading “Thank You For Being A Friend”
Remembering my first Christmas in the Dominican Republic
I love Christmas. I say it without exclamation point because it’s not a shout or a burst of energy. It’s a plain ole fact. I love absolutely positively everything to do with Christmas. It’s hard when you’re married to someone “from away”, as we say in these parts, to decide where you spend the holidaysContinue reading “Remembering my first Christmas in the Dominican Republic”
Born to be Wild
Get your motor runnin’Head out on the highwayLooking for adventureIn whatever comes our wayYeah, darlin’ gonna make it happenTake the world in a love embraceFire all of your guns at onceAnd explode into spaceBorn to be wild…. Well, quite a lot has changed in such a short while! As regular readers know, I’ve been stuckContinue reading “Born to be Wild”
Dear Sean Fraser
In my blog post titled “Peut-etre En Septembre”, I told our devastating story of Joan being stuck in the Dominican Republic for almost six months due to the Trudeau government’s decision to cancel all direct-to-Canada flights from the Caribbean. I was baffled by the decision when it was announced and as I sit here, inContinue reading “Dear Sean Fraser”
I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends…
I was listening to a little Joe Cocker today and it really hit home. For those of you who have been around for a little while, you know that I have been incredibly blessed with some of the most amazing friends. And I am ever so grateful for all of them!! This week, I amContinue reading “I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends…”
Peut-etre en septembre…
Moi j’ai decide de t’attendre, peut-etre en septembre, tu seras la. That line comes from an old song from a teenybopper television show I used to watch when I lived in Belgium called Helene et les Garcons. I watched it faithfully…along with the rest of the 12-15 year old french-speaking kids in Europe. I wasContinue reading “Peut-etre en septembre…”
In My Life…I Loved You More
“And I know I’ll never lose affectionFor people and things that went beforeI know I’ll often stop and think about themIn my life I loved you more” The Beatles Phew, it has been a long time since I posted!! Please forgive my absence but I had a LOT on the go the last six weeks!Continue reading “In My Life…I Loved You More”
Big Brother
Bringing up the ‘family distancing’ earlier this week has me focusing on my family more than ever. It’s been rolling around in my brain for days! I have never understood siblings that stop speaking for years at a time or some such nonsense. I have been gifted only one sibling, a big brother, Brian…and asContinue reading “Big Brother”
Dandelion Wishes 