I’ve been off the radar for the last 30 days….no blog posts, no events, no movies, no parties, and very little facebook posts or tweets. My life has changed as my dad passed away on October 28th. I know my blog isn’t a ‘Personal Blog” but I feel like I need to write about my dad and how fortunate I was to have a dad like him.

I truly had a wonderful childhood and was raised by an amazing mom and dad who taught me how to enjoy life. People often wonder where I get my “sense of adventure”. Well – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. My parents worked hard but spent Sundays roaming around the country side going to every fair outside Ottawa, known to man kind (Carp, Navan and Perth to name just a few). We went to Provincial Parks for picnics and to swim, and to local parks to attend Greek Festivals and Rib Festivals. Not to mention, every winter we went to visit some Ice Fishing Competition!

Ive often blogged how I go to the Maple Syrup Festival every year. Again – it’s because my dad took us every year to this Festival for pancakes and maple syrup and I wanted to give my kids that same type of experience!!

Yes – life was not boring in the Gosewich family.

My dad owned a sports store called Ritchie’s  Sport Shop for 45 years and this store was also a major part of my life. I would get on a bus every Saturday (like clockwork) with a friend and visit his store to flirt with the cute staff and visit my dad. Ok – I shopped too!!

His store received PLENTY of media as he was right downtown as well as an independent retailer. Not to mention he was well liked. When he turned 70 I put together this collage of the press clippings that my mom saved over the years.

When I went away to university, my dad wrote me many letters and I was fortunate to keep many of them and read them to him this past year. Those letters are so special and SO funny. For a quiet man that stood 6 ft 4 – he certainly had a great sense of humour. See that press clipping on the right? Well that’s the soap opera column (Feb 22, 1985) so I could keep up with my soap operas while attending Tel Aviv University. My dad was so thoughtful!!

Friends often ask me, “How did I become such a foodie”. I always reply that it was my dad who introduced me to great food. For some reason, it was my dad who did the grocery shopping. He would often come back with unusual fruit or rye bread (with the seeds of course) or some Laura Secord Bark for my mom. He exposed me to oysters at a young age, sushi in the early 1980’s, and kumquats when I was a teenager!

My trips to Ottawa won’t be the same anymore. My mom and my sister and I will miss his presence. However I have many (many) happy memories and he will always be remembered.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post!!

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I grew up watching a lot of sports as my dad owned Ritchie’s Sports Shop in Ottawa for 43 years. I attended many live events and watched a lot of sports on TV, but had never been to an opening ceremony before. This all changed on Friday night.

I finally attended an Opening Ceremony. It was a big deal for me to attend on a Friday night but I made sure it happened as it was a once in a lifetime experience.

No matter how many photos I took, I simply could not capture the moment but I certainly did try.

It was inspirational to watch so many dedicated athletes walk into the venue! Of course, the ceremonies included spectacular performances as well. Sorry – no photos. Please forgive me!!

As mentioned in previous posts, I attended the opening ceremonies as a guest of McKesson Canada. At their cocktail party, (before the opening ceremony), I came across this sign and was impressed with this message: GET OUT THERE. GET ACTIVE.

atoma products help you get the most out of your day, even in the most demanding situations. Whether you’re on the field or at home, atoma products help you perform at your peak.That’s why atoma is proud to support athletes and be the Official Pharmacy to the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.

See these atoma products? Well I will be using them throughout the summer. I know that these high quality products have the same ingredients as national brands but at lower prices. You gotta love it. They actually guarantee your satisfaction or you will get your money back.

Please visit this website to meet the athletes that atoma is supporting and to learn more about atoma products….www.teamatoma.ca.

Disclosure: This blog post was sponsored, however all opinions are my own

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True Story:

In 1977,  I was 12 years old and was going to a new camp that summer called “Wabikon“.  Seeing as my dad owned a sports store in Ottawa called “Ritchies Sports Store“, I was decked out in a lot of clothes from Nike, Adidas, and Puma. In fact, one could say ALL my summer clothes came from my dad’s store.

But then I went to Wabikon and my entire cabin was wearing polo shirts with a little alligator on it. I soon learned the word: Lacoste!!

When I returned home, I started to slowly collect Lacoste tshirts and this trend continued till I was 16. I was a HUGE prep and was proud of it. Througout high school, I wore Lacoste tshirts, Levis jeans and Converse running shoes. Period.

Fast Forward to 2013!

A few weeks ago I received an invitation to attend a media night at the Lacoste store at Yorkdale and I quickly sent a reply back that I would love to attend.  At the event, there was a preview of “the Annivesary Capsule Collection – “Edition and Unexpected”. Did you know that Lacoste is celebrating their 80th Anniversary? I loved walking around the store saying to myself “want” “want” “need” “want”!!

I was all too happy to celebrate with them. It was like going down memory lane but so much better. I can’t remember owning Lacoste shoes – but now I own a a pair and I can’t stop wearing them!!

Happy Anniversary Lacoste! Thanks for including me.

P.S. A huge thank you to the store manager who really demonstrated amazing customer service skills.

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