Rev. Obadiah Holmes definitely has some Famous kin. I've covered President Lincoln & Amelia Earhart and now I'm covering my connection to comedic legend, John Ritter, best known as Jack Tripper. Another descendant of Rev. Holmes, is Willis Carrier, the inventor of air conditioning (I really love this guy on hot, sticky, humid days!) - …
Continue reading On Genealogy: John Ritter is my 9th Cousin, 2x removed!
My lineage just gets better and better! To date I have discovered a relation to a King of France, a US President, one of the Filles du Roi, an explorer, a colleague of Samuel de Champlain, a great Uncle who died in WWI in Flanders ... these are just some of my finds ... and …
Continue reading On Genealogy: Say What? I’m Connected To Amelia Earhart!
This is one of my MOST EXCITING ancestral finds to date! The connection, albeit extremely distant with the most impressive US Presidents of all time ... Honest Abe is my 6th cousin 5x removed. I said it was distant ... hehe! I posted yesterday on my connection to Obadiah Holmes, the important member of the …
Continue reading On Genealogy: My Connection to President Lincoln
Ok, it's safe to say we all know that I'm a genealogy NUT, I won't even try to deny it. I love learning and I love history, especially when it comes to MY OWN. They say to know where you're going, you've got to know where you've been. I believe in knowing the trials, tribulations …
Continue reading On Genealogy: Whipped for Baptist Beliefs – My Connection to Rev. Obadiah Holmes
Late last night, I couldn't sleep, I decided to do a bit of digging on some hew "hints" on my Ancestry.ca site and take closer look into my DNA profile. A while back I posted a blog called "On Genealogy: My Quaker Connection; Descendant of John Milk, British Colonial America, 1662" which traced my roots …
Continue reading On Genealogy: My Salem Witch Trial Connection
I actually wrote this last year ago but didn't post it because I wanted to respect my brother's privacy. I'm really trying to show how strong he is. This is a tribute to his grit and will power. We’ve all had a time in our lives that are beyond difficult to cope. When you wonder …
'We Are Less As A Country Without Gord Downie In It' - Prime Minister Trudeau I had to wait a few days to write this, I just watched the documentary Long Time Running two days ago ... so I needed to collect my thoughts and emotions before I got to it. I want the WORLD …
Continue reading no dress rehearsal this is our life: the passing of canadian legend – Gord Downie 😭
🎶 "In West Philadelphia not born nor raised, in Kdub is where I spent most of my days 🎶" which is why I decided to take my next trip to Philly. I love to travel, I love history - all kinds of history and Philadelphia is steeped deep in American history. The primary reason for our trip to …
Continue reading On Travel: Philadelphia, The City of Brotherly Love
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog called Wisdom Warrior: My Journey Toward Authenticy wherein I talked about perception, about reframing your mindset. "Perspective is a powerful thing isn’t it? When you can reframe an experience, you can often change what happens as a result". Have you ever wondered about how you perceive yourself …
Did you know that each year at least 600,000 dogs are euthanized in Canada, simply because too many pets come into shelters and too few people consider adoption when looking for a pet? I decided to write this blog as I sat here watching a bit of TV and looked over at Ellie, my 3 …
こんにちは - Kon'nichiwa Life can be so complicated at times can't it? My life in particular has been nutty as of late ... and at the spur of the moment, I made a decision - we all have choices and decisions to make each day of our lives in the betterment of ourselves, our lives, our …
I consider myself more of a spiritual person than a religious one. I meditate, chant and listen to Hindi mantras/vedas, started to re-practice Yoga, believe in Om Namah Shivaya (ॐ नमः शिवाय) which literally translates to “I honour the divinity that dwells within me, I bow to Shiva, my true identity” - I believe in …
Continue reading Wisdom Warrior: My Journey Toward Authenticity
Tours through Kingston Penitentiary offer a unique opportunity to go behind the walls of Canada’s oldest and most notorious maximum security prison. Its doors closed in 2013. And now offers guided tours which provide an up-close look at this historical building which predates Canadian confederation. The first time we went to Kingston in 2013, the …
Continue reading Kingston Penitentiary: Canada’s Alcatraz – MY TOUR
Pseudoscience: The study of and search for animals and especially legendary animals usually in order to evaluate the possibility of their existence. I've always been intrigued with folkloric creatures like Loch Ness, Sasquatch, Chupacabra, Abominable Snowman, Kraken, Sea Serpents, The Mothman, Thunderbirds and Jersey Devil, just to name a few. Today I am an acting cryptozoologist! …
Continue reading Monster Hunt: My Search for the Manipogo Monster
This iced coffee recipe is super easy to make and is loaded up with protein, so you’re getting your caffeine boost and protein all in one. My version uses vanilla-flavored protein powder and has a fairly strong coffee flavour. Gather Your Ingredients (makes 1 serving) 1 cup of ice 1 cup chilled strong-brewed coffee (using …
Continue reading Recipe: ‘Shake’ Off That Summer Heat: EASY Homemade Vanilla Coffee Protein Shake
Do you believe in the after life? Do you believe that your loved ones have a way of communicating with you after they've crossed? Has One of These Ever Happened to You? Have you ever come across a random dime in the oddest of places? Has a song ever come on the radio at the exact …
Continue reading Messages from Beyond: How My Dad Connects With Me
I know I already posted a blog today. But, as I was walking out the door, I got an email from Ancestry that my DNA results were in and I had to check them stat! If you've been a regular visitor to my blog, you'll likely know that I've been working hard on my family …
Continue reading On Genealogy: My Genetic Ancestry DNA Results Are In!
On Genealogy: My Quaker Connection; Descendant of John Milk, British Colonial America, 1662. Today's blog on genealogy #5 is on the lineage of the Milk family. This surname has long been associated with the county of Norfolk, England, where it appears about twenty-two times in proportion to each 10,000 of the population of that county. …
The photograph is one of the most well known photographs of this era. That of a little girl fleeing the horror - she is running naked on a road after being severely burned by the South Vietnamese napalm attack.On June 8, 1972, Kim's village of Trang Bang came under attack by South Vietnamese planes, which mistakenly dropped napalm on …
Looking back at events in your life now you can gain a whole new appreciation and sense of awe of things that you didn't truly understand back in the day. We had a split class when I was in the 7th grade, our class was made up of grades 7/8. I went to a …
Continue reading Up Close and Personal with The Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull
Hello and welcome to newest blog on genealogy! This story features my Grampa - Benjamin George Richards. I was able to obtain a copy of Grampa's war records from the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (Canadian Armed Forces) a few years ago, when I wrote out for them. WWII records are still not available online. Military …
Continue reading On Genealogy: Story of WWII Pte. Benjamin Richards
Welcome to story #2 of my family tree. Today, I'm going to share with you the story of my paternal grandmother's father's brother - my Great Grand Uncle, George Victor Lee who was killed in action (KIA) in The Great War. For this story you're going to have to stretch your memory all the way back to History class, …
Continue reading On Genealogy: Story of WWI Pte. George V. Lee – KIA
I can be quite obsessive at times. My latest past time is genealogy - I've been working on my family tree for years - but now I obsessively work on it, almost daily. My interest is both historical and philosophical: Where do I come from? How am I here? --- literally and figuratively. I think people have a …
Last year, the day every parent either can’t wait for or dreads happened, I became an empty nester. When my chids were just wee ones and I could barely grab a moment to myself, I had the age of 42 engrained in my mind. “42, you just gotta stay sane until 42, after that you …
Tenant problems plague landlords every day. Last month I learned my first real lesson as a landlord. I've been a landlord now for 14 months, I must admit I've had pretty decent tenants, but, these last tenants though have had me scratching my head and have me wondering what I got myself into 🤷🏻♀️. As …
It's been awhile since my last blog. I've started and stopped so many different blogs but for some reason or another never brought myself to finish them. Today, I invite you on a little journey ... Like so many of us, I started strong this past January with the New Years resolutions and the "2017, get …
I’ve really been embracing this journey. I’m on a quest for 2017 to drop this extra 15-20 lbs that I’ve put on over the past 15 months. Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean not having good food, enjoy the food and enjoy the journey. Today, I decided to make some healthy treats for my fiancé …
Have you ever wondered about having more with less? I have for a long while now. I wondered what it would be like to minimize stress, possessions, work, household responsibilities, financial obligations and in-turn having more time, energy, sleep, happiness. I’ve slowly been making some small and some big small changes to live my life on …
It's a week before Christmas, I'm not overly excited. It doesn't feel much like Christmas this year. For the first time in 23 years, I won't be with my chids ... chids is a Tinaism - my brain has this tendency of mixing like words and creating it's own new word. Chids is a mixture …
Continue reading 🎶It’s Not Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas🎶
I love home decor. I've owned 6 homes and with each one I’ve always wanted to make them "mine". Fortunately ... or unfortunately I've never been one to be ok with the status quo. I enjoy expressing myself through decor. We moved into our current home last November. A 3200 sq ft century home with …
I LOVE bananas, they're probably one of my favourite fruits taste wise (banana bread, banana pecan muffins, banana pancakes, banana strawberry smoothies, oh and of course banana mamas!). While on this weight loss journey, I didn't want to have to give up all of my favourite things and I wanted to make sure I …
Continue reading Recipe: Banana Oat Bran Protein Muffins [0 sugar, 0 flour]
It’s a basic necessity of life, we all need to do it, but, why does hearing you chew make me wanna jump out my skin? Each bite you take, each time you chew your food, or swallow bothers me. I’m crazy, right? It CANNOT be quiet when we eat. If we eat in front …
Continue reading Misophonia: Why Does Hearing You Chew Make My Skin Crawl?
I am frequently asked why I take so many pictures ... of everything! I always respond "cause I like to". But when push comes to shove, I don't only take pics cause I like to, I do it because they capture life moments of the things and people that I love. These are the main reasons I …
A few weeks ago I was out for a girls afternoon. I was chatting with a nice young lady, I was telling her how I was a bit sad, because my youngest had just left for University and I was now an empty nester. She was floored, she thought I was only 30! Well, thank …
A few years ago, I went through a period of transformation. A time where I was forced to do some intense soul searching and dig deep. I had always been Tina daughter, Tina sister, Tina wife, Tina mom, Tina worker. I had spent years defined by those roles, as many of us do, that I …
One of the best things about living in a small town, is the charm and quaintness of unique local shops. I have a few staple favourites, but my fave is most definitely Style Mercantile. This cozy ma and pa joint is owned and operated by Karen and her husband Derrick, who opened Style Mercantile in November …
Continue reading Let’s All Get Cozy With Our Local Shop Owners
One of the biggest decisions I made in the betterment of myself shaking up the status quo. Having grown up in a decent sized city in South Western Ontario all of my life, I decided to move to The Big Smoke (a.k.a. Toronto, TO, Tdot, The Six – ok well you get the point!), population …
This is the excerpt for your very first post.
My Better Life 