Loulou's views

On March 9th, I went away on a work trip to Toronto. I landed back in Ottawa the next day, March 10th, and the rest of the week was pretty normal, with some talk about things shutting down for two weeks because of the Coronavirus, and an increase number of cases in Ottawa. By then, we were all a little worried, especially for how bad the situation was in parts of Europe, like in Italy. On that Friday, our boys had their last day of school--grade 9 and grade 6--before March break began. Well, as we all now know, March break was just the beginning of kids being away from school, and for parents everywhere adapting to working from home, getting used to home schooling, zoom meetings, cooking, baking, and keeping busy at home while trying to not completely freak out with worry about the fact that we were living through a global pandemic. There was--and still is--so much uncertainty, and fear. But at the same time, we are slowly getting used to our new routines. And enjoying more family...

December was an incredibly busy month with so much going on—from hosting and going to parties, celebrating with family and friends, attending Christmas plays at school, volunteering, decorating, shopping, baking, and wrapping—but it was a wonderful holiday, and many new memories were made. One of the best parts of this holiday season is giving back, and this year, we gave back in a BIG way. After all, it is the season for giving, right? This December, my mom, artist Katerina Mertikas , and Ottawa's fabulous Catherine Landry along with the lovely Nella Zourntos from Big Rig Brewery had a fabulous idea to host a paint night at Big Rig to raise money for the Ottawa Food Bank, specifically, the Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard. Tickets to this incredible paint night sold out instantly, and everyone got ready to paint like Katerina, with some guidance, a lot of laughter, and yummy food and beer. We were lucky to have our wonderful Mayor Jim Watson stop by to say a few w...

Exactly one year ago today, a terrible event took place in Ottawa that shook us all. A young father, and a Canadian soldier, was shot and killed while he stood sentry at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Ottawa's War Memorial. As I mentioned last year, through darkness, comes light, and as Canadians (and decent humans) we came together in amazing ways—we went back to work the next day, we left flowers and letters of love at the War Memorial, and we wore red, while saluting our fallen soldier on the Highway of Heroes. We mourned the loss of this young man, because of all he represented; life, youth, a Canadian, a soldier, a father, a son, a friend. My mom, artist  Katerina Mertikas , created a painting that day, because she was so sad and overcome with emotion.  She had no idea this painting—the original which now hangs in our Mayor's boardroom— would cause such a buzz and would be so well-received. With the help of Koyman Galleries and The Ottawa Citizen, prints w...

Last Monday was a very special day for my family and I. My mother's painting, Honouring My Father, was unveiled in Mayor Jim Watson's boardroom at City Hall, where it will be on display next to original paintings by The Group of Seven. The painting will be seen by school groups, ambassadors and dignitaries who visit with the mayor at City Hall. An enhanced print will also be on display in City Hall for everyone to see. The best part is how much this painting has already given back to fallen soldier Nathan Cirillo's son, Marcus. The paining was made after the tragic shooting at the War Memorial  because like everyone that day, my mom was distraught at the news that a young man—a brave soldier—was tragically shot, especially because this man was a single dad, raising his young five year old son, Marcus. It was an incredibly sad day for Ottawa.  News of the painting travelled far and wide, and my mom received hundreds of emails, likes, requests, suggestions, and messa...

Last week, a terrible thing happened in Ottawa that affected us all. In the span of a week, we tragically lost two soldiers, one of whom was shot down as he stood sentry at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, at Ottawa's War Memorial. It was an incredibly difficult day , and week. However, through darkness, comes light. And as Canadians, and residents of this amazing capital city, we came together in beautiful ways. We went back to work the next day, in the downtown core. We payed respect by leaving flowers, notes, and stuffed animals at the War Memorial. We wore red, and we put on our poppies a little earlier. We saluted our fallen soldier on the Highway of Heroes. We mourned the loss of a young man, because of all he represented; life, joy, youth, and a proud love for his country. He was a also a single father, and now, he's left behind a young child, a little boy who will always know what a brave man his father was. My mom, artist Katerina Mertikas,  quickly got to work ...