The Road to Happiness ~ Inspirational Friday

THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS – BEAUTIFUL AND INSPIRING MOVIE

A quote from the book, “The Road to Happiness”, by Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher: “I believe that happiness is an attitude of gratitude; and I commit to giving thanks.” 

                          Enjoy the video further down…

“Happiness depends on ourselves.” More than anybody else, Aristotle enshrines happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. As a result he devotes more space to the topic of happiness than any thinker prior to the modern era.

“Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.”  ~ Thoreau

“Being happy doesn’t always mean that everything is perfect.  It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.”   ~ Unknown

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.” ~
Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948), Indian leader and politician

“The summit of happiness is reached when a person is ready to be what he is.” ~ Desiderius Erasmus (1466 – 1536), Dutch humanist

“Happiness depends on yourselves.” ~
Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC), Greek philosopher

 

   
Let us all strive to travel  our own road to happiness
with “The Happiness Creed”.

Here in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada we have a long weekend to look forward to. Labour Day is also celebrated in the USA this weekend.  Were looking forward to some glorious sunny and warm weather – hope you are also, wherever home is for you and that you have been inspired by the video and plan to share with others.

 

NatureCanada Photo Contest 2015 ~ Enter Now

O.K. Canada ~ It’s time once again to enjoy the great outdoors and start snapping your outstanding shots of Canadian nature with your favorite camera and enter this contest.  Make sure to check out the fabulous prizes!

Get your cameras ready… Nature Canada is happy to announce the
launch of its 2015 Photo Contest!

Last year’s 75th Anniversary Photo Contest was a huge hit. We received over 3,000 entries and the top photos were featured in our 75^th Anniversary Calendar as well as at the Canadian Museum of Nature!

Starting May 19th and running until August 14th, we will be accepting photo entries which capture the beauty of Canadian nature all around us. Special prizes from our generous supporters are available for the winners who will be announced.

In case you were looking for inspiration, we’ve created a variety of categories into which you can submit your photo(s)!

• Canadian Landscape
• People in Nature
• Nature in Action
• Fauna & Flora
• Nature Nearby
• Favorite Memory in Nature

There will be Early Bird draws, so get your submissions in early! See our rules and regulations for more information.

It is our hope that by spending time in nature you will experience and learn about the natural beauty our country has to offer. So get up, get outside, and enjoy the great outdoors!

Contest link ~

http://naturecanada.ca/2015-photo-contest/

We wish you all the best of luck!

OMG! My heart just jumped up to my throat!

Hold on to your your favorite squeeze and/or whatever furniture you can grab and you might also want to take your heart medicine if necessary – you’re not going to believe this!
O.k. so my collage above is not what you’d expect for this post’s topic, but I didn’t want to give away the secret too soon!)

“You won’t get much closer to Skylining than this!…
We left winter behind and headed to the sun to try and turn our latest dream into reality…

All of the Skyliners team was excited to put their skills to the test on such an amazing line…

Thanks to the talent of the pilots, we came really close…
We’ll be going back again very soon to make it happen – watch this space!”

Youtube video, “The Balloon Highline” published on Feb 6, 2014 

Published on Feb 7, 2014 Globus Kon Tiki s’ajunta amb Skyliners per assolir un nou repte: passar per una cinta (Slack Line), d’un globus a un altre des de una alçada de 600 metres. L’event va tenir lloc a la comarca de la Noguera a Catalunya el 31 de gener de 2014. Translation: Globus Kon Tiki meets Skyliners to achieve a new challenge: to spend a tape (Slack Line), a balloon one other from from a height of 600 meters. The event took place in the region of Catalonia in Walnut January 31, 2014

O.K. Now breathe………….
Ah-h-h – this is more my style – magnificent and breathtaking panoramic videography,  colourful balloons, and gentle calming music – Enjoy! ~ Youtube video, “Hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, Turkey”, published on 5 Nov 2013 by GaborVids ~

Support our team by watching our feature documentaryhttps://www.reelhouse.org/seb.montaz/…

http://www.facebook.com/theSkyliners
http://www.globuskontiki.com
http://www.sebmontaz.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HILARIOUS CHRISTMAS CHUCKLES – HO!HO!HO!

Chuckles For You

Just In Time For Christmas

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HA! HA! HA! ~ HO! HO! HO!

DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL ~ TEAM SHOWBOAT ~ “UNDER THE BIG TOP”

 

YouTube promotional video for Ottawa‘s upcoming 20th annual Dragon Boat Festival – June 22-24, 2013, published on Jun 7, 2012 by CTVOttawaMorningLive – A dragon boat comes rowing down the street outside of the CTV Morning Live studio, so Jeff Hopper heads out to chat with them!

The Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, now North America’s largest festival, began in 1994. Four years later, a charitable component was added to raise funds for local charities. To date, the Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation has raised over $2.5 million for local charities.

For several years, under several different names, the members of Showboat have pledged and paddled in the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival.  Sponsored by the Chinatown BIA, Showboat, under the direction of Rick Martin, Kevin Reichstein, Mealanie St. Jean and Stephanie Mayer, consists of 20 paddlers, a few alternates, a steersperson and a drummer. This dynamic Dragon Boat team draws a lot of attention, year after year, as the whole day is spent in themed costumes – obviously this year’s theme is “Under The Big Top”.

​The vast majority of the teams attending the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival are there for competitive reasons, paddling in various heats in a quest for medals.  Chinatown’s Showboat concentrates on fundraising activities throughout the year to support charities that benefit from the Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation.  So far this year Team Showboat has already raised $17,000 in fundraising events such as:

Karaoke Night

Zumba in the park  

Great Glebe Garage Sale 

VIP Gala Launch Party       

​Drawing from the immense talent that exists in the community, events at various venues around town and the generosity of many Showboat supporters, the team has raised considerable funds. Since 2005, the team raised $82,752.38.

For 2005 through 2007 and again in 2010, the team was recognized by the Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival through the Team Spirit Cup award.

I just had to include the following inspirational video I found on YouTube, “Must Watch Dragon Boat Clip!!!”, taken from various dragon boat events in Singapore.  This video was created to show that the sport, dragon boating, is not just about training hard to win, but to enjoy and embrace all the elements that it encompasses ~ Love ~ Pride ~ Unity ~

Dip, dip and swing your paddles

              Flashing with silver

              Follow the wild goose flight

            Dip, dip and swing…

Good luck Team Showboat!

CANADIAN ROMANCING THE WIND ~ VIDEO GONE VIRAL!!!

When I began work on this blog I had a link to an absolutely fantastic YouTube video that I received in an e-mail, but unfortunately I can’t use it in this blog in Canada.  I hope that some of you in other countries may be more fortunate and will be able to watch it ~

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=nr9KrqN_lIg

The second video features the World Multiple Kite Flying Champion – Canadian Vancouverite Ray Bethell.
You will be amazed by his mesmerizing and seemingly impossible art of bringing life to his kites.

In the following video Ray Bethell shares a very personal insight into his life from approximately 60 years to the present.

Life in a Day – Bob and Ray in Vancouver – Ray’s favorite practice park

 

HOW AWESOME IS THIS?! SEADRAGONS PART 2

LEAFY SEADRAGONS, AN ENDANGERED SPECIES, ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO SEAHORSES AND WEEDY SEADRAGONS 

Exotic

   Exquisite

      Enchanting

        Extraordinary

Seadragons are some of the most ornately camouflaged creatures on the planet. Their spectacular gossamer, leaf-shaped appendages over their entire bodies enable them to blend in perfectly in their habitat of seaweed and kelp found in water to the south and east of Australia’s coast.

Seadragon males are responsible for childbearing. The male dragons have a spongy brood patch on the underside of the tail where females deposit their bright-pink eggs during mating. The eggs are fertilized during the transfer from the female to the male. The males incubate the eggs and release miniature sea dragons into the water after about four to six weeks (as seen in the video).

Seadragons survive on tiny crustaceans such as mysids, or sea lice. They are frequently captured by divers hoping to keep them as pets. In fact, such takings shrank their numbers so critically by the early 1990s that the Australian government placed a complete protection on both species. Pollution and habitat loss have also hurt their numbers, and they are currently listed as near threatened.

Leafy seadragon documentary film “The Vanishing Dragon”,   uploaded to YouTube by madge1964 on Jan 5, 2009, was filmed in South Australia. The complete documentary DVD can be purchased at www.abysspictures.com

“Leafy Sea Dragon Compilation” YouTube video, uploaded by combisoft on Sep 23, 2006, is filmed in South Australia under the jetties at Rapid Bay and Wool Bay

Exhibits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  ~ Leafy Sea Dragon HD SlowMix, Leafy Sea Dragon, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey California, USA, Uploaded on Mar 21, 2010 by jimg944

Orlando SeaWorld breeds rare seadragons ~ “We see people come up to this (seadragon) exhibit every day, and they’re just amazed to see that there’s something so unusual-looking. They’re a beautiful representation of the marine life of the ocean,” said Teryl Nolan Hesse, assistant curator for aquariums at SeaWorld Orlando. “They come here, see this, and they get excited about it. And when they’re excited about something, they want to learn more.”

http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2018993230_seadragons26.html?syndication=rss

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafy_sea_dragon

T.G.I.F. ~ HILARIOUS ANIMAL HIJINKS

YouTube video ~ Try not to laugh. Best Animals Fail & Wins Compilation Ever !!, Funny Hahaha!!, uploaded by KarmaloopOffical

It’s not surprising to see that this video has had over three and a half million hits just in the last year alone!!!

Thought you might appreciate something really hilarious before you head off for your weekend activities.

Rainsoft Ottawa staff hopes you have a great weekend.

~ See you back here next week. ~

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM RAINSOFT OTTAWA

 

     

The following 2 YouTube videos feature the Holman Christmas Lights.  They have been creating these remarkable animated displays for 7 years and for the past 5 years they’ve donated the proceeds to the Utah chapter of Make-a-Wish Foundation.  

“2007 was our 2nd year doing an animated display. We had around 50,000 lights and 180 channels of LOR. This display was located in Pleasant Grove, Utah but had to be moved to Lindon, Utah because of the HOA.”  More info at www.holdman.com Music: Carol of the Bells by Monique Danielle

“Holdman Christmas Lights 2010 – Complete Show” ~ Uploaded on Dec. 23, 2010. Visit us at http://www.holdman.com/christmas

Music:  Winter Wonderland – Alexia Phillips
Carol of the Bells – Monique Daniell
Jingle Bells – Master Tone
Music Box Dancer – DJ Schwed
Wizards in Winter – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Mister Sandman – Pomplamoose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfz1pyq3EhE

“100% of the money collected will go to the Utah chapter of Make-aWish foundation.  This is our 5th year helping Make-a-Wish and we have raised $30,000 so far.  Help us to make a few more wishes come true this year, by clicking on the link below ~ http://www.holdman.com/christmas/donate.asp

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY, HEALTHY & PROSPEROUS 2013

FROM MARTIN, DAVE, LOUISE
RAINSOFT OTTAWA

 ETERNALLY PURE
WATER SYSTEMS, INC.

      

HO! HO! HO! ~ CHRISTMAS ~ HA! HA! HA!

 

CHUCKLES FOR YOU

JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS

***Note the new names for Santa’s reindeer!…

 

 

HA! HA! HA! ~ HO! HO! HO!

SEE YOU RIGHT BACK HERE

DURING CHRISTMAS WEEK

FOR MORE  CHUCKLES

     
Animation

Animation