You realize how fragile life is and that there are so many things to still be thankful for.
Adam Grant
Growing up in Winnipeg, a hockey community, road trips were something everyone looked forward to. I still remember each and every one of my out of town ringette/baseball experiences. The Girls that were on my team… we bonded on those long drives. Never once did I think we wouldn’t make it to the game.
As fans we drove out to Portage la Prairie to watch the Wheat Kings on a regular basis. Not once did we think the team wouldn’t show up. My friends played Juniors and were on buses for the majority of the winter. We knew they would always come home. In Canada, sometimes you have to travel long scary highways to get to your closest games, that’s just a fact. I was a timekeeper for high school hockey and met amazing people who had travelled from different provinces to our tournaments. They always got to the games and back home after the tourney. They are bonded by those tournaments. The road to each game tied them closer, every time they packed their hockey bags and headed to the next game.
Now a days I live in Penticton, home of the Penticton Vees, our Junior A team in the BCHL. The Vees are an intrinsic part of our community. The young players volunteer at the toy drive, come out to local fundraisers and donate their time, tickets and signed jerseys to schools and sick children around the Valley. They are kids that are billeted by families in the neighbourhood and they become part of our community, they go to school with our kids, and live in our homes. They travel all over BC in snow and rain. They travel on the dreaded Coquihalla and through icy mountain passes. All in the name of the game and “paying their dues”.
On Friday night I read the horrible news 💔.
A Junior A team from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, The Humboldt Broncos, were on their way to their 5th playoff game and their bus got T-Boned by a semi.
I had trouble sleeping all night.
All of a sudden I saw those road trips through different eyes. Whereas, in the past I thought about the game at the end of the drive, the fun I would have with my teammates, the songs we would sing along the way and the hilarious stories that we would tell our friends at school on Monday. Now, as a parent I see things so differently. I think of all those parents that sent their boys off on that bus. All of those parents and billet parents that were waiting to hear if they won. Wondering if their team would make it to fight in the next round of playoffs. Some were actually waiting to cheer them on at the arena.
Waiting for them but they would never come.
In the morning, as I rubbed my eyes awake I grabbed my phone. I was hoping to read that there were just minor injuries. I was devastated to read the horrible reality. I couldn’t stop the tears. In the end, there were 29 people on the team bus, 15 died and 14 are in the hospital starting the healing process 💚.
Photo taken by @RJpatter
So many people have been affected by this tragedy. The hockey community is such a part of our landscape, it is a part of who we are and this accident is felt in nearly every hockey town in Western Canada and beyond. Everyone has a personal tie to this story. One of our Penticton boys was on his way home from his new team (he was on the Broncos but had been traded recently) and stopped in Humboldt to wish the guys good luck at the game that evening. A couple hours later he heard the news while on route home. One of the victims was drafted by the same team my Cousin’s son plays for. The radio broadcaster (also a victim) was mentored by my friend in Winnipeg who is from Humboldt. A family in Humboldt billeted 3 players and ALL 3 of them were lost in the accident! 2 days later they realized 1 of their billeted sons had been misidentified and actually survived the crash. It was very difficult to identify the kids because they were so very injured PLUS they were in playoffs. In the Junior league the boys dye their hair blond and grow beards during playoffs. Joy for 1 family and complete sorrow for another. What a rollercoaster of emotions!
Every story resonates. Every story brings me to tears. 3 days later and when I think about it I am still brought to tears. Yesterday, SBean came home from school and asked, “What else can make you die? I know cancer can make you die and bus accidents. What else?” 😢
In a few years it will be the boys in my daughter’s classes on those busses. Those boys will be childhood friends and my friend’s sons. Actually, we live far away from all of the other teams. Swimming, dance, girl’s hockey, lacrosse, baseball… they will all have to travel.
The entire hockey community has been rocked by this tragedy. On the last night of the NHL 2017/2018 year, many of the teams took a minute to reflect on what happened. I guarantee EVERY single one of those players recalled their MANY long days on the road, in the bus that left them with millions of fantastic memories, that bonded them with their team-mates for life. The Winnipeg Jets and the Chicago Blackhawks all wore jerseys with Broncos on their nameplates. It was very special to watch 💚.
Photo taken by CBC
Coaches Corner put together a great video with the names and faces of the people on the bus. They will be remembered. My heart goes out to all of Canada. This tragedy will be a lump in my throat forever. I watched a sportscaster on TSN show pictures and tell us each of the victim’s names and she had trouble. She had to stop and collect herself. It was so honest, so what we are all feeling.
I’m not one to pray but today… I pray.
I pray for the Moms, the Dads, the siblings, the teammates, the billet families, the community, the first responders, the Doctors in the emergency room, the driver of the semi, the stolen futures and perhaps I pray the most for the survivors.
I pray they find meaning from this tragedy. I pray they live life to the fullest. I pray they keep playing the game they love so much. I pray they are thankful for surviving. I pray they make the most of of their lives in honour of their fallen teammates. I pray they feel gratitude and not guilt. I pray that they appreciate life that much more now. I pray that when their physical wounds are healed that they get up and… they get back on the bus. #HumboldtStrong 💚
It is SPRING! No really… it’s spring. You would never know it by looking out the window though. What miserable weather we have been having across the country! Brutal! I decided on 1 particularlyrainy and cold day to make chicken pot pie. My kids HATE chicken pot pie. So, I thought I would make it with noodles because everything is better when you add pasta! I was right! This was comforting, warm, easy to make and tasted like chicken noodle soup AND chicken pot pie all wrapped up in a steaming hot bowl! I added fresh croissants to our meal instead of pie crust and it was AMAZEBALLS! One-Pot Chicken Pot Pie Pasta
2 tablespoons butter 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded 1 cup mushrooms, sliced ½ small yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 2 carrots, diced 4 cloves garlic, pressed 6 cups chicken broth 3 cups half and half ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ t teaspoon dried thyme ½ t teaspoon ground sage ¼ teaspoon paprika 1 package egg noodles 1 can corn 1 cup frozen peas, thawed 2 tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
Add the mushrooms, onion, celery and carrots into a large pot and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Pour in the chicken stock along with the half and half, whisk, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil.
Add shredded chicken to the pot. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, sage and paprika. When the mixture begins to boil, add the pasta and reduce heat to medium.
Cook for 10-15 minutes, then add the corn, peas and parsley.
Cook until the pasta is tender and the sauce is thick, about 6-8 minutes.
This week was pretty girly. I promised to paint the Girl’s nails and they held me to it 💕.
SBean made a superhero mask at school and I was SUPERMastersMommy ⛳️ Working hard cheering on my favourite golfers at my favourite tournament of the year… The Masters!
HBear had a sleepover at her Gr2Besty’s house!
While I attempted to do a Cardio Flow on my Sister’s 80 Day Challenge (Beach Body). OMG! It was 31 minutes and I slammed the computer shut at 22 minutes 😂. That shit is ridiculous!
The next day I could barely move. Which sucked because it was dance photo day 😳!
As I have mentioned before, somehow in the past few years I have officially morphed into a Dance Mom 😳. I’m not sure how it happened, but it did. On Saturday the Girl’s had 5 photos… 5 different hairstyles… 5 different makeup faces, 5 different costumes including tights, hairpieces, gloves and shoes. It was insanity! PLUS SBean’s MBesty was having his birthday party!!! We totally did it and I feel AMAZING! My LunchBesty helped with the hair but I didn’t forget anything this time, I got them to each photo on time, didn’t poke their eyes out with a mascara wand, nailed the buns, didn’t rip 1 pair of stockings, AND I didn’t have to raise my voice once!
DANCEMOM WIN! 💃🏻🍻
On Sunday we watched the last NHL game of the year. My WREBesty and I were in a SUPER close race to the finish line in our annual hockey pool! It came down to the last second of the game and I ended up in 2nd place by 1 point! Congrats to my worthy opponent! I look forward to redemption next year!
On Sunday we watched the last round at Augusta and worked on Easter Lego sets!
Spring FINALLY appeared yesterday! It was sunny ☀️ and blue skies and it was bitter sweet. The temperatures were amazing,
The sun gave me a renewed energy and I cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed the house, changed all the linens, did all the laundry, went grocery shopping, ran 3 kms, and got a new Fitbit badge!
The whole time I thought about all the families that were shook with loss and sadness. It reminded me of my favourite quote,
“If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.” ― Rabindranath Tagore
On Monday we wore green in support of the Humboldt Broncos. Our thoughts and prayers are with you 💚🙏.
Having Multiple Sclerosis is like trying to drive a car with a broken steering wheel and faulty brakes. You never know what’s going to happen next — Jamie-Lynn Sigler
