Knock Knock. Doors Open!

Doors Open Waterloo Region 2014

From Left: AirBoss Rubber Compounding (former Dominion Tire/Uniroyal Goodrich Plant) in Kitchener, School of Optometry in Waterloo, School of Architecture in Cambrdige and School of Pharmacy in Kitchener.
All images kindly provided by Doors Open Waterloo Region 
except School of Pharmacy image taken from @UWPharmacy on twitter

In an earlier blog post, I wrote about how I grew up with very little. No money was budgeted for entertainment in the community. My family never attended the local fair, rib-fest, busker-fest or whatever other kind of festival was going on in my hometown of London, Ontario Canada that involved money.

I didn't feel like I was missing out on too much because if there was something FREE happening in the community, my Dad seemed to know about it and we were there. Church events were FREE! Canada day events were FREE! The beach was FREE! Springbank park was FREE! The wading pool was FREE! (Are you hearing Adam Sandler from "Bedtime stories" say FREE?! I can clearly imagine my kids quoting that movie as they read my blog.) Visiting Santa was FREE! Skating at Victoria Park in the winter was FREE! The opening event of a new grocery store, or any other kind of grand-opening event was FREE! Hanging out with amateur astronomers and watching Halley's comet whiz by earth was FREEEEE! 

I know, you get it!

If there was a "Doors Open" back in the day, I gaurantee you, my Dad would be taking me to these events because you guessed it, Doors Open events are FREEEEE!!

From Left: Sun Life Financial in Waterloo, Floralane Produce in Woolwhich Township, Quarry in St. Jacobs and Martin's Family Fruit Farm in Woolwhich Township.

All images kindly provided by Doors Open Waterloo Region

What is Doors Open?

I remember a Doctor telling me that a cup of yogurt had more culture in it than he had.

Well, Doors Open would be the prescription for him.

The diversity of doors that open during this event is enough to fill your culture cravings.

If you're new to Doors Open, you might want to follow the following "5 Steps Up to Open the Door" advice. If you've attended Doors Open in the past, read on any ways because if you're anything like me, I need this advice every year.

5 Steps Up to Open the Door

#1. Get your hands on a Doors Open Waterloo Region Event Map & Guide. You can find one at your local library or check out the online version here. If you haven't recycled your Saturday, Sept. 13th Waterloo Region Record, there's one in there too.

#2. Read thoroughly.

#3. Don't fall into the temptation to visit every single site that looks interesting to you. This will be hard. 2-3 sites can easily be a full day depending on the locations. It's really, really easy to lose time at one site and before you know it, 2 hours has flown by. This is the beauty of Doors Open. Embrace it!

#4. Scrap my advice and do whatever the heck you want. I've already picked out 5 sites (which are in 3 different cities and 1 village) and I'm just going for it. You can't stop me!

#5. If you feel the anxiety attack coming on, go back to steps 1-3 and have yourself a great morning, afternoon or day.

Here's a small taste of recent Doors Open events that my family has attended:

When my husband worked at Cannon Design, Toronto, his office participated in Doors Open. They have a creative office with stunning views of the city! This was also an opportunity for Cannon Design to showcase their work to the greater community and my kids enjoyed imagining working there too.

We stopped at the 19th century St. Andrew's Church in Toronto - A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. We were serenaded by the accomplished organist and also explored The 48th Highlanders Museum  downstairs.

Our Doors Open Toronto adventures also took us to the Architectural offices of Diamond Schmitt Architects but we did not take any photos there because their office was bursting at the seams with people admiring their work and listening to on-site lectures by the architects. The mini workshop in their office stood out to me. Diamond Schmitt Architects continue to make hand-made models of their buildings for their clients. We had to hurry the kids away from that exciting little workshop with so many fun looking toys tools.

My son Rémi loves films, so, off we went to the Open Doors of TIFF! We got some behind the scenes tours (no photos allowed) and learned that we could go into the community resource area anytime and watch pretty much any movie that has ever existed. For FREEEE! (not on big screen. nice computer screen. with headphones. research area.) Just Wow! Lovely historical exhibitions there too. An enlightening visit!

Last years Doors Open Waterloo Region took us down the street from our house to Creative Enterprise Initiative (CEI) where local artists rent out studios. These artists showcased their work for us and it was enriching to see what kind of magic was happening just up the street from our home.
Left to Right: Fun lego homes by Artist Dan Schumacher, CEI's sign - taken from their Facebook page - and gorgeous wood sculpturing by local artist Nicole Waddick.

Last years Doors Open in Waterloo Region also took us to the new Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum Nano-Centre that houses Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo. The architecture is stunning and is as intelligent as the scientists it houses. My kids were enamoured by the Engineering Science Quest team where they were actively engaged with fun science experiments. Doors Open Waterloo Region was also the perfect place to bring a visiting friend. We even got FREEEE yo-yo's!

A Pre-Doors Open Event  in my family goes something like this:

Kids: What are we doing today?

Us: We're going to Doors Open!! Yay!!!

Kids: AWWWWWWW!! This SUCKS! It sounds SO BORING!! 

Us: Well, we're all going as a family outing and we want you guys to be careful because you just might have fun!

**We leave and attend a Doors Open site**

Kids: THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!!!

(Perhaps this is a conversation some of us have with our inner-child sometimes?!)

You're going to Love Doors Open Waterloo Region. Whether you're a local resident, or coming in from out of town, there's lots to do and see and there's something for all ages. You will see all kinds of people playing "tourist" for the day, peeling through the map & guide and wondering what door to open next. All you need to bring with you is your curiosity and expect to walk away with new stories to add to your very own. 

The doors open this Saturday, September 20th, 2014 all across Waterloo Region. 
Most doors are open from 10am - 5pm. The weather looks perfect!

If you're participating in #livelocalkw here in Waterloo Region, this event will definitely put a notch or two on your local belt. 

As a special treat, my husband was voluntold to fill in for local Architect and Chair of the Grand Valley Society of Architects (GVSA), David Thompson, who is currently under one of those tight architecture deadlines. André Arseneault, executive member & tweeter of the GVSA, is honoured to share a few words with you about the value of Doors Open to this region: 

"Doors Open allows us the opportunity to fully experience Architecture in an intimate way. Typically, only the architect and the occupants of the architect's design get to fully enjoy and celebrate the spacial experience of the finished product. When architects begin the design process, the hope is that people that inhabit the space or experience the building from the street, will feel those special moments that were orchestrated to embrace the unique architectural narrative that was customized by the place and people that the building was planned to host. When you attend Doors Open Waterloo Region, pay particular attention to the way the light shapes the spaces, how the materials evoke feelings within you, the way the building frames the outdoor views from the interior and how the building connects to it's exterior surroundings. I wish you all the very best in your Doors Open adventures and hope the "common threads" of this year's thematic studies help to create strong memories for you to carry forward in the year to come. Until our next Doors Open in 2015, enjoy!"   

 ~ André Arseneault, B.A.S, MArch, MRAIC 

I guarantee you one thing about Doors Open: Doors Open will surprise you!

Left to Right: Independent Living Center of Waterloo Region, Schnurr's Hall in Linwood, Desire to Learn in Lang Tannery and West Montrose Covered Bridge, 
"The Kissing Bridge".

** Potential Door (Open?!) Prize! **

If you choose to visit "The Kissing Bridge", you may be lucky enough to spot Dee Brun/Cocktail Deeva on her riverside home patio beside the Grand River. Be sure to wave! Also, take an outside peek at her new Bed & Breakfast, "Olde Bridge Place" right beside the bridge. If you like what you see, you just might be invited to spend two FREEEE nights at this darling little country retreat. All you have to do is enter Dee's AMAZING contest and if you win, the FREEEE continues with more first class prizes that add up to total $1585.00. In other words, if you like FREEEE, you're going to like DEE! This historic bridge has a special place in my heart and I'm enjoying watching Dee showcase it's charming beauty through "Olde Bridge Place". Good luck to you if you enter!

Cute as a Button

I've been home-schooling two of my children for the past two years. Well, Unschooling would be the most appropriate term to describe my Education philosophy.

My oldest joined us after he had a serious concussion but had a shorter stint - a year and a half - and then he went back in the early spring of this year, 2014.

After the privilege of educating my kids for two years, they were ready to go back to school and we felt the timing was good for all of us. Because of the strong foundation of Education through Unschooling that we've built in our home, we see their return to public education as simply another "educational experience."

From this moment forward, we plan to be partners and mentors in our children's education and help them to learn about the public education system they're in, what to take from it as they move forward in life and what to honour as a method of the industrial past. We see this incredible modern, creative information age as an opportunity for our children to decide for themselves how they want to be educated for their future based on their individual talents and abilities. They will have options that I couldn't even imagine. In this global market of Education at their fingertips, their futures are evolving as they grow and I want to ensure that they evolve with the future, armed with the lessons of the past.

In my journey of Educating my children, I've been inspired by the following:

The book:
Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less
by child psychologists, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.D., and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Ph.D., with Diane Eyer, Ph.D.

The most popular Ted Talker ever is Ken Robinson. One of his talks (I love them all! I recommend watching them all!):  Do Schools Kill Creativity? & Changing Education Paradigms
Just watch them. They're amazing!

And most recently, a video from The Agenda with Steve Paikin: Learning 2030 - a conversation of what Education might look like in 2030. 
(Filmed at a local gem of a building here in Waterloo, Ontario, The Perimeter Institute - an Institute for Theoretical Physics (a place for smart people or smart people wannabes like me!): 
Learning 2030: Without Teachers
Watch this too. It's enlightening...and amazing!

What does this have to do with buttons? I'm getting there.

You see, something I learned about my daughter after she began home-schooling with me was that she was incredibly shy. "Introverted" would be the more modern, politically correct term. An introverted girl was a new idea and experience for me. My sons and I are both the opposite - we're the classic extroverts. Thankfully, I married an introvert that knew how to interpret his fellow introvert-of-a-daughter.

I learned that the school environment was toxic to my daughter. Her individual introverted ability to learn was not being acknowledged or validated in the classroom and her desire to learn diminished. It took a while to infuse the love of learning in her again but when it came back, she excelled - as I always knew she would. 

However, going back to the public school environment loomed over her as summer was coming to a close. It began to disrupt her sleep and caused her great anxiety during the day when she thought about it. We knew we needed to arm her with new strategies to go back to public school. Strategies that would empower her, calm her and help her cope with whatever she might experience. 

There are three things in particular that we choose to do:

#1. Prayer.

One sleepless night, my husband felt impressed to pray with my daughter. He let her know that she was never alone at school. He let her know that she could say a silent prayer during school - whenever she needed strength to do whatever she needed to do and he reminded her that she could pray right there and then at the side of her bed until she felt she was ready to sleep again. He even stayed on his knees with her as she said her own personal prayer to the point where she was ready to sleep. Since that night, there has never been a sleepless night filled with school anxiety.

#2. Communicate.

The communication door is always open. You never know when a child is ready to talk about their thoughts on school but when they are, that's the time to talk about it. It comes up every now and then. One day it came up in the form of "bullying". We talked about what the kids might do if a "bully" began to bug them in whatever way. My son - who thinks in movie lines - recalled the movie, "Despicable Me", when Gru continually tries to impress his Mother and she consistently responds, "meh", un-phased by Gru's attempts to impress her. My son decided that this would be a good reaction to his "bullies" in order to diffuse a bully's attempts. My daughter had the opportunity to try this recently with perfect success. We talked about it and we'll continue to talk about each important thought to them.

#3. Creative strategies.

I recalled one of my best friends telling me about a strategy that she used for her son when he started school. She sewed a button on a piece of fabric and let him know that he could keep this button in his little pocket. When he missed her or felt that he needed her, he could reach into his pocket and touch the button and feel closer to her and be reminded of the Love that she has for him.

*Lightbulb!*

That gave me an idea! Yep. The Buttons! 

My friend's idea stuck with me because I've always had a love and fascination for buttons. When I was a child, I recall going into my Mom's sewing shelf and pulling out her jar of buttons. I was fascinated by these buttons! They were exciting! Each one was individual. Different patterns, shapes, textures and designs. It was fun imagining the clothing that they came from. It was therapeutic to run my hands through the pile of buttons and soak in the varied tactile experiences. I loved buttons! 

So, I decided to get my creative hat on and create something. I'm not the crafty or artsy type. It's not my strength. It's my daughter's strength. However, I created a simple idea. I used one of my daughter's hair elastics that was slightly lose and fit on her arm comfortably, versus tightly. I then sewed on several buttons and voila! A fun, button bracelet that she can wear or just hold when she needs a little Mamma-Love at school.

It's not perfectly stitched. It's not complicated. It took a few hours but in the end, it's Love and she loves it and I love it!

Ironically, I live in Uptown Waterloo just a hop, skip and a jump from an old Button Factory. Yep. Pretty awesome! It's an Uptown Waterloo architectural gem of our local history:

In the history of our local Button Factory, the irony continues! To make buttons, natural materials, such as shells and wood were stamped to create the buttons. So, each button was unique. (These are the buttons that I adore!) This button factory died as the manufacturing of plastic buttons evolved and it was cheaper to make plastic buttons that looked identical. 

Just like our Education system needs to evolve from the plastic industrial age from which it was created, this old button factory has evolved into a creative hub of artistic exploration. There's creative juices bursting out the windows of this modern factory of creativity.

As we head back to school this season, I feel more ready than ever to home-school my kids despite the choice of enrolling them in the public education system. 

It will be another new journey and we're ready to experience it and learn from it.

I send my very best to you and yours as school starts this season. Let the learning continue!
daisy

p.s. This post needs some music. I'd like to dedicate this song to all the kids going back to school - wherever that may be. Isn't this song "Cute as a Button" too?!
p.s.s. I LOVE Diana Krall & Yo Yo Ma!

Daughter of an Architect

I'm sure there's all kinds of offspring of architects. I have 3 different kinds. My darling daughter just happens to be exactly what I would imagine a daughter of an architect to be - you know, if I was the generalizing type.

For example, allow me to introduce you to her desk in her room:

(this desk is an old closet door, from our 100 yr. old home, turned into a desk by her Pappa when he was an architecture student. Note: this picture could only fit her entire desk because I used the "panoramic" feature. It's a large desk!)

Now before you think this blog is #MyFail as a parent, allow me to explain...

Think back...waaaaaaaay back, like back to when God created the earth (if you're a non-believer, stay with me for a moment more!). In Genesis 1:2 it says, "And the earth was without form...", after which God organized and created the heavens and this beautiful earth and all magnificent things that are here on earth.

I like to think of Melaia's desk as the stage right before the organization and creation happened. We have a desk here without clear form. A whole lot of "un-order". A heck of a lot of CRAZINESS! However, I can't wait to share a bit of order that comes out of my daughter's chaos.

Before we do that, for complete fun, allow me to attempt to label this physical representation of what's in her little head:

Anything not labelled could be put into one of 4 categories:

1. misc.

2. It's so pretty

3. It's so cute

4. Hasn't made it to the garbage yet

When Melaia was a toddler, she was like most toddlers - if she was quiet, you knew there was trouble. Like the day I left her for two minutes and she peeled the keys off of my husbands brand new Macintosh laptop and proceeded to insert them into the disc drive. I came back just in time to save that laptop. Minimal damage thanks to the engineering side of my husband's brain.

Nowadays, if she's quiet for hours on end, I don't worry - as much.

On one of those wonderful days that she disappeared into her creative dome of complete bliss, she re-appeared with "hand lotion". It looked like creamy, white hand lotion. It smelt like creamy, white hand lotion but it felt like creamy soup.

How did you do this Melaia?

"Easy!" 

She preceded to tell me how she took a bar of soap, shredded it down with her "tools". (On her desk are random pencil crayons. She uses the unshaven side to peel/shred apart the soap into tiny shavings of soap.) She then adds water and mixes until she gets her desired consistency after which she adds bath salts to enhance the scent.

The shredding process.
Next time I buy a bar of soap, I now know to hide them as this was her third bar in two days.

In Melaia's world, she has perfected her consistency and has turned my favourite bar of soap (above) into a liquid hand soap. She then finds a cute bottle, steals my real hand soap pumps and tries to sell me her finished product. Are you ready for her first official product unveiling?  

< drum roll pleeeeeeease >

Funny story about this particular batch of hand soap: 

Melaia had created this batch of soap with a couple of friends who came over to play for the day. I thought Melaia was sharing her fun discovery with these lovely little girls. It turns out my daughter was "employing them" in the making of her soap. She simply "supervised"! I told Melaia that she was like a "boss" to these girls - just like her Pappa has a boss at work. She then asked me if being a boss meant that you had to help your workers get along because her friends (who are also sisters) didn't always get along and Melaia felt that this didn't help them to produce the amount of hand soap that she wanted them to produce. She confessed that it was very hard to be the "boss" and help your workers to get along. I proceeded to laugh. Out loud!

In Melaia's world, creativity isn't limited to a desk. The world is her studio! On a recent trip to Bluffer's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, we explored a lovely beach filled with copious amounts of clay. Melaia couldn't help herself. She HAD to bring some home. I tried to convince her out of it by saying that I didn't want to carry it all the way back to the van and it would be so dirty travelling home in our van but how can you say 'no' to her when she had discovered it AND agreed to carry it back to the van? I was trapped, in a good way, as I knew that her passion was carrying her and I knew that I needed to support her passion and ideas. You could tell that every step of the way back to the van, her head was stirring with ideas and thoughts about this clay. I even offered to carry it for her (guilt poked at me) but she only let me carry it for a few steps. She was fuelled with passion for that walk back. I was a proud Mamma.

Toronto, ON to Waterloo, ON
Clay

Over several days, she worked away on our front porch experimenting with this natural element. Again, occupied for hours. Even though it's messy, I love these projects where she losses herself in her creations. It all began with play but her play evolved beyond the typical clay bowl.

I briefly perused on the internet how to prepare natural clay in order to make true clay sculptures. This wasn't a process built for me. It was too long and complicated for my impatient brain. So, I let Melaia just discover on her own how to work with this clay and we would watch how it dried out in the natural elements.

After experimenting in this way, she then found a huge Canadian Maple Leaf and began painting it with layers and layers of clay. You know where this is going, don't you?!! After many days of drying, somehow she managed to peal off this leaf to reveal a clay patterned leaf without breaking it. Confession: I broke it after attempting a second round of photography. She forgave me and liked my suggestion of painting it!

She has yet to initiate painting her sculptures, so, here's what we have today:

Remember her desk? "Without form". Even her creative process seems completely "without form" or in "chaos". Now look again at her creations. Order. Beauty. Form. "It was good."

It is SO good!

Clay sculptures.
by Melaia

Take Time to Reflect

Remember that message that comes up at the heightened moment of a T.V. show or website?....

"We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. 

Our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause."

That's the message that I feel I owe all of you who have been reading the story of my car accident and have been stuck in the ambulance with me.

Allow me to explain what has been going on...

TECHNICALLY, I didn't expect to re-live my story emotionally which manifested physically. Muscles painfully tensed and ached, anxiety overwhelmed me (via panic attacks) and disturbed sleep exhausted me. Wow! What a shock for me and my system. Nevertheless, an important learning curve.

TECHNICALLY, I needed some healing time. I sought out massage therapy for the first time since my car accident (I wish I did that a lot sooner!) and I did a lot of self-talk and reflection about how I am a survivor of a serious traumatic experience and how I'm O.K. now. I'm no longer in the throws of trauma. My husband and close friends have been incredible sounding boards during this time. I'm in love with them.

TECHNICALLY, I've had some wonderful visits from overseas family which was also incredibly healing. I love my New Zealand and Australia family members too. Our feelings run deep for each other (they've known me since my birth in New Zealand) and they soothed my aching wounds with their unconditional love.

TECHNICALLY, I've been involved in some fun and engaging community projects that allowed me to remember that I'm a grown and capable women (vs.trapped in a hospital bed) with an exciting present and future.

TECHNICALLY, my family is going through some exciting life changes that I look forward to sharing with you a little later.

TECHNICALLY, I'm on the hunt for some incredible material from my hospital days that I know you'll want to see. It involves pictures and other memorabilia related to my hospital stay.

TECHNICALLY, I had no idea what re-telling this story would do to me and how long it would take to tell you. This may take some unknown amount of time to tell and you may experience similar technical difficulties in the future.

TECHNICALLY, I know you'll love what's coming and want to come back.

HOWEVER, I'm very much enjoying the journey and having you along with me certainly makes this journey a lot lighter. Thanks for being there and sharing this with me.

"To be continued..."

Janes Walk 2014 - Kid Perspective

About a month and a half ago I was kindly asked by Kae Elgie and Juanita Metzger, both engaged community builders, if I would be interested in leading a Janes Walk in Waterloo. I was unsure if my back would be well enough to participate, so, I kindly asked my husband, André, if he would be interested. Or, as André would say, I "voluntold" him to do it!

Community is very important to me. I'm passionate about it because community is a big part of my Samoan culture. Community is about people. We believe in supporting each other as we live life together. It's so innate in me to support my community. I loved the opportunity!

Having said this, it was both André and I's first Janes Walk. We haven't even gone on a Janes Walk before. I had heard of the movement through twitter but had not yet participated. I was definitely excited about this movement though and was happy for the opportunity to participate.

What's a Janes Walk? In a nutshell, it's a walk/tour, in honour of Jane Jacobs - a writer and activist who supported community friendly urban development. These walks/tours celebrate neighbourhoods in which the tour-guides live. Definitely check out the website for more information and be inspired to lead a walk in your neighbourhood next year!

Our walk was on Saturday, May 3rd at 1:30pm. The weather was threatening rain. It rained before our walk and right after but thankfully, we had no rain during the walk (minus a few light drops). I prayed for this little miracle all week as I don't like to get wet! Having said this, we don't think the weather encouraged people to come out on our walk (or perhaps it was a boring topic or perhaps we're just terrible at marketing!). However, because I told my kids they HAD to come on their Pappa's walk, they invited a pile of their friends who enthusiastically came! Even a parent came along too, so, we had a very excited and energetic little crowd and thankfully, André was quick on his feet and was able to adapt his walk to a mostly 9-12yr. old group!

We live in Uptown Waterloo, Ontario and what André and I love about this area is the new Architecture popping up in Uptown that seems to frame the history of this area while looking ahead to the future. When André and I first moved to the area, the Uptown was not much of a destination. It was a place that you passed through but was not too interested in spending time. It's industrial roots were the prominent voice but it's transformation has an educational overtone that André and I embrace and are inspired by. Our Janes Walk is in walking distance of our home and we have walked this area before meeting each other as students, as a couple (still students) and as a family (as students and finally finished being students!). We love it and I'm SO happy to share it with you!

One of the kids on our walk, an intelligent and spunky 10 year old girl, brought her iPad on the walk and asked if she could take pictures as we went. We were SO excited to see the walk from her perspective and then we were SO inspired by her photos when we saw them, that I asked her and her Father if I could post her pictures on my blog. This is a such a treat and I hope you enjoy these as much as I have enjoyed putting them together.

Note: None of her pictures were Photoshop'd. I just compiled them - mostly in the order that she took them - and added the titles along with my website. They are as pure as she is! Enjoy!!

We began our walk at Barrel Warehouse Park, an incredibly designed Urban park right in the heart of Uptown Waterloo. This park is part of the Seagram Lofts - an award winning revitalization of an industrial building. I love that there is a park right in the heart of our city!

Green space!! Yes! This is our downtown!

Moving along to the CIGI building across the quiet street of Father David Bauer Dr. 

André talked to the kids about courtyards - I think she took a stunning picture of this gorgeous garden - still trying to come back to life! The bell takes us around the corner to the Erb St. face of CIGI. 

The 4 corners revealed! Perimeter Institute, The Canadian Clay and Class Gallery,
Knox Presbyterian Church and CIGI (where we were standing!).

The photo up top of my daughter looking into CIGI was the first time her friend showed me her photos. This was their favourite photo! At the bottom, my daughter's taking notes of the materials that she noticed were being used in the buildings. André had asked the kids to take notice of all the different materials being used - she took the exercise one step further! You can imagine how proud that made her Pappa feel!

The kids were soon distracted by the train that came into the historical Waterloo Central Railway Station. Great pic of the old mixed with the new! (Perimeter Institute in the background)

There's lots of public space/exploring space for the kids here, so, lots of great photo ops from
our young friend! An interesting point, we didn't walk over to the more public space area of Knox Presbyterian church, our next stop. There were no photos taken from our young friend there. The kids enjoyed looking into the church and you'll see more pics of them when I put up my perspective of our Janes Walk.

Over to The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, where there's ample public space,
the train is a fun distraction once again! In addition to the train, concrete posts were also a playful distraction for the kids and no more pictures are taken here as they were SO engaged in play. You'll see that on my perspective of our Janes Walk as well!

The kids were evidently intrigued by the architectural canopies at each building and they were always wanting to look inside each building. I thought these "looking inside" shots were so playful and perfectly reflective of how the kids experienced each building on our Janes Walk.

Nature seemed to always matter to these kids and
I would imagine, to all kids!

We began at The Barrel Warehouse Park and ended at Waterloo Park. Sandwiched in between were buildings that inspire and cause you to reflect on your life - where you are in life and where you're going as a person. This is what I love about Uptown Waterloo - it's a place for people to discover great things while they have the opportunity to discover the same greatness in themselves.

Looking Back to Move Forward – Part IV

*Warning: This particular part of my story contains information that maybe disturbing to some. I'm a “tell it like it is” type of person/personality and plan to describe, in full, the details that live in my head of my survival of a near fatal car accident. In doing this, I hope to relieve my mind of this nightmare that is my past and hope some greater good will come to someone as a result.

Missed Part I, Part II or Part III?

Click on the part you missed to catch yourself up.

Survival

The sirens came! Oh did they ever come!

It was the most joyous sound that I have ever heard – the whirling of sirens in the distance getting closer every second. The sound was like a chorus of Angels singing. I know. Cheesy. But it truly was! It was the sweetest sound of relief in contrast to the feeling of being buried alive in this cramped, dirt-filled car. I worried though. I knew the emergency crews were rushing to save us and I worried that they would crash too. I worried that they would crash into us. Hypersensitivity to car accidents kicked in early and has never left me since. Calm. Stay calm. They know what they're doing. They have done this before. Breathe. Breathe.

As the sound got closer, it pierced my ears. It was too loud now. No more Angels! It ignited the ringing of the post again. It's possible the sounds knocked me in and out of blackness again. I tried to stay calm and just breathe. Breathe.

The dirt had settled quite a bit inside the car but I was still spitting out dirt. I couldn't get it all out. I couldn't feel everything or utilize my mouth properly. This scared me, so I stopped. Stay calm. Just breathe. Any action or thought that scared me, I had to put it aside and focus on being calm. Breathe. Breathe.

It was getting harder to breath though and as happy as I was to hear the sirens, I was losing my focus on staying calm - knowing that help was in arms reach. I HAD to stay calm though. Our air felt limited between the amount of dirt in the car and the enclosed space that we were in. Breathe in the little air. There's no other choice. Breathe. Breathe.

Every now and then I tried to look around. I couldn't see much. Light in the distance but darkness surrounding me. My brother's face was the most visible in my flashes of sight. He was trying SO hard to keep us both calm but he looked like he was in pain too. His eyes were alert but his face seemed pale. With each passing minute, we were struggling more and more. Breathe. Breathe.

Given the injuries that I had, I don't remember feeling too much pain. My body was helping me. I'm grateful I couldn't feel the pain of all the injuries I endured. I was VERY uncomfortable though but I had to look past that. My brother had to look past it as well and as much as he was coaching me to hang on, I'm sure he was coaching himself at the same time.

My brother played the “big brother” role very well this day. He was 18 yrs. old. He took care of me in this traumatic situation the best that he knew how. Stay calm Daisy. Breathe. Breathe.

He spoke for us when emergency crews finally reached our vehicle. He told them our conditions but focused on how difficult it was to breathe. He said everything that I could not. Even though there was relief from having the emergency crews so close, my brother knew that each passing minute was critical and he wanted me out. I have no doubt that he wanted out too but he could see the blood and he wanted me out even more. The worry in his voice was growing. Breathe. Breathe.

I think it was at this moment that the crew member suggested sending in oxygen. My brother and I lit up at the thought. We needed it. We needed it very bad. Stay calm though. It's not here yet. Breathe. Breathe.

Getting out took time. Emergency crews buzzed about the car. I was losing my ability to focus. There was so much talking – even shouting of commands. It was too much to take in. I was losing my ability to process all the information that was surrounding me. 

My brother. Just focus on him. I believe my brother was told that it would take some time to get us out but they were doing everything they could. They tried to speak confidently. They tried SO hard but I heard worry in their heroic voices as they looked in. Calm. Stay calm. 

I wondered why they couldn't just open the darn door and get us out! I was confused. I must have passed in and out of consciousness at this time as I don't remember this stage taking as long as it actually took. Breathe. Breathe. 

Their voices sounded strong. Much stronger than I felt. Even though there was worry hidden in their voices, their voices were re-assuring as they had strength on their side. Their bodies weren't broken like mine. They had physical strength. They also knew that help was right here. They had the people power and the tools. They had the training and the knowledge. This was the source of reassurance in their voices. I knew that all they needed me to do was to do my part and just breathe. Breathe. Stay calm. Breathe. Breathe.

I opened my eyes to a glorious sight. An oxygen mask! My brother put it on immediately and breathed in the sweet air of life. This was survival. I didn't hold back my desire for air. I wanted that mask and let my brother know with all the garble and hand signals that I could muster. I wasn't at all worried about him as I knew they would probably get another one. A crew member was on my brother's side of the car, staying right beside him and assessing, talking and assisting. I don't remember much of what was said, it's a jumbled memory, I was fully focused on breathing. With air within my reach, I was focused on getting that mask and I let my brother know it! Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe!!

My poor brother. He needed that air too but he passed the mask over to me – a little annoyed – it may have even been a bit of a “throw” to me but I didn't care. I needed that air. I needed to breathe. I needed air!! I picked up that mask and breathed in the cool, sweet air. BREATHE!!!!! Ahhh! BREATHE!!!!! Ahhh! BREATHE!!!! Ahh! BREATHE!!!! Ahhhh!! Relief!! I took that mask and I let it cool my face but I never let it wander too far from my mouth and nose. BREATHE!!!! Ahh! BREATHE!!!! Ahh! BREATHE!!!! Ahh!

I don't even remember my brother receiving another mask. I'm sure he must have. I was too busy BREATHING!!! Ahhh! BREATHE!! BREATHE!! BREATHE!! The power of breathing only reveals itself when one begins to lose it. BREATHE!!! BREATHE!! BREATHE!!

I overheard that they needed to cut the door open to rescue us. I worried again. Cutting sounded invasive. I was getting very protective of my cradled body. Cutting a car sounded like it was going to hurt. Not the car. Me! I didn't want the car to be jostled around. I knew it would hurt me. Oxygen. BREATHE! BREATHE!

Miraculously, I don't recall feeling a thing. Before I knew it, my brother was being moved and they were coming for me.

I'm a nice girl. I like to be helpful, so, when they reached for me, I wanted to help them to pull me out. I was now on my belly and planned to use my hands to pull me forward, out of the car. My hands were secured on the flooring but as I tried to push my body forward,

< PAIN >

stabbed my upper back. OK! There's something wrong with my back. Another injury to add to my list. Tongue, teeth, something on my face and now back. OK. I can handle this...is what I tried to convince myself. There was really, no time to even think of what I could or couldn't handle as I was being rescued. I was being pulled out of that car. Emergency crews were doing for me what I couldn't do for myself.

I tried to apologize to them and tell them about my pain. They couldn't understand. Being in the open air, the open light! It felt so wonderful!! Kind of. Perfectly orchestrated, they turned my body over onto a flat, hard board.

1-2-3!

< PAIN >

I hadn't even been out of that cramped car for 30 seconds and I was ready to go back in. That board was a whole new level of discomfort and the light of day was blinding to my eyes. I tried to keep them closed.

Everything was happening SO fast around me. I tried to be helpful and talk to them, they were too busy talking with each other to listen to gibberish-sounding me. I was embarrassed. I felt ashamed. They were doing all of this work because of a stupid decision. They were all here because of a stupid decision. They were trying to save my life because of a stupid decision and I was connected to that stupid decision. I was SO embarrassed to be there, beside that car, bloodied face, crying in pain and unable to speak. This couldn't get worse.

< Snip, Snip >

What? What the? Whaaaaaa? It got worse!!! It got WAY worse!!!

THEY BEGAN TO CUT MY TOP OFF!!!!!!!

Was I wearing one of my good bras?!? Was I even WEARING a bra?!? I tried not to worry about it but I was a sixteen year old virgin! I WAS WORRIED ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!! I'm the only person who has ever seen me naked in the privacy of my own room. Not my Mother, certainly not my Father or brothers, I had no sisters and not my friends. Well, girls-camp has come pretty close during some, ahem, adventurous swimming activities but THIS WAS NOT GIRLS-CAMP! These were grown men and thankfully, I think I heard the voice of a women.

Stop. I had to stop worrying about this. The rescue crew were obviously NOT worried about my freshly exposed chest and thankfully, they kept my jeans on. They were VERY focused. I have NO clue what they were doing but actually, I started to feel pretty good in the exposed, cool air compared to the hot, cramped car. If it wasn't for all the back pain, not being able to see or talk, I would think I was some kind of Goddess being catered to. Obviously, the oxygen had done some good to me and I had a little too much brain power to worry about things that I didn't need to worry about.

Straps were attached. I felt secure on this horrifyingly, uncomfortablely flat board. They were ready to transfer me, giving each other commands. I felt fairly calm. I had air, I had heroes but they didn't sound calm. There was panic in their voices. They wanted me out of there as fast and as safe as possible. I was in full support of their mission but I had a new worry.

They had to lift me. I was dead weight and I knew that I was no light weight. I had a solid polynesian build and I felt very self-conscious of them lifting me. Once again, I believe that I was more worried than they were, but I'm sixteen years old. I'm worried about them lifting me.

1 – 2 – 3!

Up I went. I felt secure in my straps but I also felt every single movement in my body. The pain was getting old. The worry was getting old. Next, I worried about them dropping me as apparently they needed to maneuver up a bit of a hill to reach the ambulance. This journey sucked. Being rescued in the movies looked A LOT smoother than what I was experiencing at this moment. It felt like obstacle after obstacle was in my way of getting to the next step. Patience. Patience.

I must've blacked out again as I was now in the ambulance. I've NEVER been in an ambulance before! I was captivated! I tried to look around so that I could SEE what it looked like inside but I had difficulty seeing. I felt relief from the light of the day but I still was unable to see very much.

I believe it was a women that was riding with me. She was busy getting everything ready. I tried to talk to her. I wanted to be helpful!! She finally gave into my interest in communicating and asked me how old I was.

She asked,

“Are you 21?”

WOW!!!! My breasts must've looked better than I thought! And I must've been wearing my GOOD bra! I tried to tell the attendant that I was 16. It took a few tries but she understood me! For a moment, I was happy!!

The attendant was busy. The driver was ready and she called to the driver to avoid all speed limits. I thought three things,

1. Don't they ALWAYS avoid all speed limits?
2. There was an urgency in her voice. Why?
3. We just crashed on this road. I hope the driver is careful!!

I looked forward to the ride to the hospital. I knew the way there and planned to point out where I live and give them my Dad's information so that they could tell him to meet us there.

They turned on the siren.

< PAIN >

A siren is even louder from the inside of an ambulance.

I don't think my body could handle all of this very well because that was the last thing I remembered about my very first ambulance ride.

When Anna Nalick came out with this song, I burst into tears. She perfectly described the breathing that helped to save my life this day. Like her, I feel naked sharing my story, but it feels like the right time and place. It's also SO true when she says, you can't 'jump the track' and though I craved for a rewind button this day, there was none. Breathe. Just Breathe.