#23

TOM……

THANK YOU….

FOR BEING MY TRUE FRIEND…..

Photo by Stephen Attong

MARRIAGE CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT FRIENDSHIP……

photo by Stephen Attong

photo by Stephen Attong

photo by Stephen Attong

FRIENDSHIP GROWS DEEP ROOTS AND LOVE BLOOMS AS DOES TRUST, FAITH AND JOY. AND WITH YOU THERE IS SO MUCH JOY…..

SO MUCH LAUGHTER…..

SO MUCH NONSENSE, WEIRDNESS AND LUNACY ALL THE TIME….

….. ALL THE TIME…

Hockey Hall of Fame — Toronto

THANKS FOR KEEPING INSIDE JOKES ALIVE ….

the giant yellow bag

FOR ALWAYS PRETENDING TO BE A SHARK OR SOME RANDOM SEA CREATURE WHEN WE ARE IN A POOL…

AND FOR TRYING TO STEAL YOUR SONS’ THUNDER (medals…team gear…you really need to get on your own team)

IN SPITE OF THE INSANITY, WHAT AN HONOUR IT IS TO SPEND MY DAYS AND NIGHTS WITH YOU….

FROM DAWN ….

TO DUSK….

ANYTIME…..ANYWHERE….ANYHOW…..

THANK YOU FOR CREATING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING WITH ME…..

WE MADE THIS ONE……

newborn John-Adam

AND THIS OTHER ONE…..

newborn Logan

AND THEY ARE PERFECTLY OURS…..(even though they were really, really, big)

photo by Stephen Attong 2018

WE MADE NICE ONES, DIDN’T WE?… THEY ARE WELL MANNERED, GOOD, KIND AND GENEROUS YOUNG MEN…. WHO PUSH THE ENVELOPE AND DO NOT SLIP AWAY QUIETLY WHEN THEY SEE THAT THINGS ARE NOT RIGHT. THEY STAND UP FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE .

THANK YOU FOR COOKING WITH ME….

photo by Stephen Attong

photo by Stephen Attong

photos by Stephen Attong

AND FOR BAKING BECAUSE I WONT….(I’m not a baker)

THANK YOU FOR THE TECH AND THE MUSIC….OH, THE MUSIC…FLIPPIN FANTASTIC!

THEY ARE HOME COMFORTS THAT MEAN SO MUCH TO BOTH OF US.

THANK YOU FOR GOING ON THIS PARTICULAR JOURNEY….

FOR TRUSTING MY JUDGEMENT ALONG THE WAY — TRUSTING ME TO TAKE CARE OF THE MAJORITY OF IT, WHILE YOU WORKED. THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT SO EASY TO TRUST AND BELIEVE IN YOU WHEN YOU SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT.

THANK YOU FOR STAYING ON THE JOURNEY ….

AND ….

SEEING IT THROUGH!

IT DID TURN OUT ALRIGHT…

(to quote Fall Out Boy…yes Fall Out Boy)…. YOU DRAIN ALL THE FEAR FROM ME….

photo by Stephen Attong

I LOVE THAT YOU STILL REACH FOR MY HAND.

THANK YOU FOR TEACHING ME TO LIGHTEN UP AND UNLEASH MY INNER CRAY-CRAY…..

THANK YOU FOR WORKING SO HARD AND BEING SUCCESSFUL.

THANK YOU FOR FOR BEING THEIR FATHER ….

FOR TEACHING THEM, GUIDING THEM, COACHING THEM, BEING THERE FOR THEM AND LOVING THEM. THANK YOU FOR BEING THE EXAMPLE OF THE MAN THEY ARE EACH SUPPOSED TO BECOME

John-Adam’s second County Marathon

going to see the World Juniors

Gone Fishing

Rideau Canal

Coaching Ball Hockey

THANK YOU FOR CONCERTS ….

Budweiser Amphitheatre — waiting on One Republic

first concert for John-Adam at 15 — The Script — Massey Hall — Toronto

AND FOR MAKING A FLYERS CAKE FOR PENGUINS FAN ON HIS BIRTHDAY

THANK YOU FOR MY FRONT GARDEN ….

AND MY BACK GARDEN TOO.

THANK YOU FOR BEING ANNOYING, ODD AND STRANGE…

THANK YOU FOR HAVING SO MANY INTERESTS. YOU HAD A GOOD RUN AT BEING HAMMOCK MAN …

UNTIL YOU DECIDED TO BE GRIDDLE MAN, CONQUERING OUTDOOR COOKING.

THANK YOU FOR PERSISTING WHEN YOU ARE MOST TIRED, EVEN WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO STEAL A MOMENT TO RELAX (and have a lil’ lie down)

firs time father

the listening room

Logan stops crying for a momentwhen he sees hockey fot the first time

Haley with no regard for personal space

THANK YOU FOR MAKING MILESTONE BIRTHDAYS SPECIAL AND FOR THE ANNIVERSARY GETAWAYS, GREAT AND SMALL….THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A ROAD TRIP WITH YOU!

my 50th birthday -New York -2017

Christmas 2019

10th anniversary Maui, 2007

THANKS FOR THE VACATIONS AND ADVENTURES — YOU WORK SO HARD TO MAKE SURE YOU GIVE US ALL THESE WONDERFUL THINGS, YET THE TRUTH IS, YOU ONLY HAVE TO WAKE UP EACH MORNING AND SAY HI… BECAUSE YOU ARE ENOUGH FOR US AND WE LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU.

15 trips to GWL — for all 3 cubs in our wolf pack — John-Adam, Logan and cousin Luciano

THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME FEEL BEAUTIFUL AND CONFIDENT AND MAKING ME FEEL LIKE A WOMAN…A BETTER WOMAN.

YOU MAKE LIFE MORE INTERESTING AND SPECIAL…

how ironic….Harbour Front, Toronto — where it all kinda began

one of many road trips

THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME TO BE YOUR WIFE…

getting away

well this is not coffee….but the coffee thing is true when we are at home.

AND FOR THE HOMEBREWED COFFEE EVERY MORNING….

AND FOR SAYING I DO ALL OVER AGAIN.

FOR THE PATIENCE AND THE LOVE…. YES…I KNOW…

THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME AND US….

YOU ARE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE… I LOVE WHEN YOU WALK INTO A ROOM. I LOVE HEARING YOUR VOICE. I APPRECIATE YOU AND YOUR ARE (according to Phoebe) MY LOBSTER.

AND I BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT TO SAY THESE THINGS NOW AND EVERY DAY SO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I CARE AND HOW I FEEL ABOUT YOU.

MOST OF ALL, YOU ARE MY “BEST GOOD FRIEND”, (Bubba)

AND TO CONTINUE IN THE IMMORTAL WORDS OF FALL OUT BOY…(yes, them again)

YOU ARE THAT ULTRA-KIND OF LOVE YOU NEVER WALK AWAY FROM. YOU’RE JUST (one of ) THE LAST OF THE REAL ONES.

I’M INCREDIBLY LUCKY AND BLESSED TO HAVE FOUND YOU (under a plastic coconut tree) AND I AM TRULY HAPPY. I HAVE BEEN HAPPY FROM THE MOMENT WE MET. WE HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER MANY, MANY A HAIRSTYLE ….AND DURING ALL THOSE HAIRSTYLES, YOU’VE MADE AND STILL MAKE ME HAPPY AND I AM HONOURED YOU CHOSE ME TO LOVE. NOTHING COMES CLOSE TO THIS LOVE WE SHARE OR THIS FAMILY WE’VE RAISED. IT’S STILL AN INCREDIBLE RIDE. NEVER BORING. STILL SPICY. WORTH EVERY SECOND. HAPPY 23RD MY LOVE. I LOVE YOU. YOU ARE THE ONE. YOU ARE THE BEST. YOU ARE MINE. I AM YOURS. ~ “elephant shoes”

AND BECAUSE I AM CAPABLE OF A REAL QUOTE …..

LOVE YOU ~ YOUR DANIELLA