A Perfect Weekend

This weekend was perfect. I could just leave it at that because perfect is probably the only way I could really sum it up. I went to the Rocky Mountain Music Festival in Banff with my choir, and what a trip it was. I left work an hour early on Friday and caught the choir bus. I was running late and definitely sweating, fearing I would miss the bus. Luckily (for me) the bus was late and so I got there right before it did. We were off, and made it just in time to catch rush hour traffic coming out of downtown. We got to the south side pick up spot and left Edmonton over an hour later than expected. The ride was lovely and I had lots of fun conversations getting to know people on the bus better. We drove into Banff just in time to make our 10:00 pm rehearsal. Kokopelli (the choir I used to be in, but am too old for now) is a big deal at this festival. Seriously, people recognize you on the street and ask for pictures and stuff. Anyways, Kokopelli always has multiple showcase concerts, and its pretty much tradition to rehearse late late into the night on the eve of the showcase concerts. Oran (the young adult choir I'm in now) was lucky to come to Banff this year and share a couple numbers with Koko in their showcases. So our rehearsal with Kokopelli began at 10, and it went until about 11:30 for Oran. We were lucky to leave once our numbers were done. And Koko of course stayed much longer I'm sure.

We headed back to the hotel. I roomed with three lovely ladies; Elise, Nathalie, and Sandra. We had a blast! And the room was awesome. Needless to say I slept quite well. We awoke to a full day of choir awesomeness ahead. But it started with the delicious continental breakfast. I stuffed my face. It was wonderful. Then up the mountain we went to watch choirs perform. Let me tell you, I was in heaven! Choirs from around the country brought their best and performed wonderful inspiring music. Emotion completely conveyed through their music, I learned so much and loved every minute of it. There is no doubt that I am a choir person through and through. One particular performance that I especially loved was Corazon from Nelson, BC. They were incredible. Every single song they sang completely enthralled me. Absolutely amazing. I wish everyone could have an opportunity to watch them. Words really cannot express the joy it was to watch their performance.

I could have sat and watched all day but sadly they stopped for lunch and then individual choir clinics. So we went out for a delicious lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Many funny moments ensued, thanks to a waiter who was perhaps a little bit too eager.

Back at the hotel there was time for a quick dip in the ultra nice hot tub at the hotel. Its like a cave, and even opens up outside. I didn't want to get my hair wet before our concert that night, mostly cause I'm lazy (or time efficient) and didn't want to redo it. So I wore a shower cap. I'm so glad they put those in hotel rooms. It totally worked too! Hair was saved.

We drove up to Rolston Hall for the three consecutive showcase concerts. I love performing! These were such fun concerts to do. There were a couple moments where I totally forgot I was in Oran and not Kokopelli. It was very gracious of Kokopelli to share their showcase concerts. I had many incredibly happy moments through all three shows. I think my favorite number was Heartlines, it's just so much fun! And of course the audiences were all just wonderful. Its nice knowing they love choir just as much as you do. Post concert our choirs had the African dance party outside as the audience left. And I definitely dance partied until I went to bed. You can't beat a post concert high!

Sunday morning we had our group pictures, which guest starred a unicorn. Very entertaining. Then we had our choir's individual festival performance. It was amazing!!! Honestly I am always amazed at how lucky I am to be part of such an amazing choir with so many incredibly talented musicians. We ended on a comical note and received two standing ovations during our set. It felt good.

We had a break before our clinic so I walked down to the town. It was a nice time to reflect on the weekend and my life in choir, which started when I was 7 years old. Being in the mountains was a perfect setting, it was so beautiful. It is such a testimony to me of how much God loves us, creating such a beautiful world for us to live in. I am pretty lucky living so close to these mountains. Can I just say Canada is amazing! Once down the mountain I spent some more time with friends. Good times. Our clinic was awesome. And I was sad when it ended because I knew this weekend was so close being done. I didn't want to go home. I wanted the weekend to keep going and maybe repeat at least once.

I went with Nathalie in her car back, she also drove Emily, Zach, and Javier. We had a good time. And even got some Peter's drive-in in Calgary.

And now I'm back in Edmonton. Missing the festival in Banff. But really happy it happened. A perfect weekend.

I bought Pink Pants

This has been a good week. Actually a really good week. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. And I guess for a lack of better ideas on how to post this week I just give you the highlights.

-On Tuesday on of the babies in my room started walking. She just stood up and started walking back and forth between my co-worker and I. It was amazing. Pretty much she was a marathon walker the whole afternoon. She was so happy and so was I. It was pretty darn cute.

-Shumayela rehearsal this week was awesome. They did so good. We had a blast choreographing one of their songs. Really it is going to be pretty epic! I can't wait for everyone to see it!

-Dinner with friends before choir. We made delicious spinach and artichoke grilled cheese. It was epic. And of course the company was delightful! Here is the recipe if you so desire to eat your weight in cheese. Which I recommend.
http://joythebaker.com/2013/04/spinach-and-artichoke-grilled-cheese-sandwich/

-Friday I got to hang out with my brother Dawson. Always a good time. I saw the movie Brave for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it.

-Saturday was a big day. In the morning I volunteered for the Run for Music. It was so much fun. The weather wasn't as nice as we would have hoped. So it was quite chilly. But I made for a very bright Marshall nonetheless. Jessica and I were excellent cheerleaders if I do say so myself. I had a blast!

Jessica and I on the running route. Note the fancy vests, awesome green shirts, and I even got a radio!

-Next I went to a baby shower for the oh so lovely Pearl, my friend and co-worker. I always enjoy getting together with the ladies from work. We have a good time, and definitely way too many good foods. I end up eating a ton. Its fabulous!

-Then off to babysitting. Fun times. We had a Pizza Party Picnic, which was also delicious and a blast.

-Today was church. I love it! It was a beautiful sunny day, now I just need to convince the temperature to agree and raise a couple degrees. Or like 10 or 20....

-Also this week I bought pink pants. I like them.

That is all. :)

Superhero

Its amazing how when I recover from being sick I feel like a super hero. Seriously it makes me appreciate the health I have. Life has been great. I had an awesome weekend. It involved going to Duchess bakery and sitting next to Alison Redford, Premier of Alberta. Also had some delicious treats. I also went and saw "The Host" which was pretty good. It had been a long time since I had read the book. And apparently I look like the main girl. Thoughts, feelings? I guess I can sort of see it.

Church was fabulous as always. I honestly don't know what I would do with out the Gospel. It really does get me through the week.

I worked on a video for my mom's birthday. It turned out pretty well. Mostly because she is awesome. I'll attach the link.

Today involved one of the babies at work just up and walking. She was practically running marathons by the end. It was amazing. Then I had blizzards with Bethany and Merrill after work. Last was Shumayela rehearsal, and they were amazing. Seriously can't wait for them to perform on May 4. They did some great work. I just love it!

Hopefully everyone else is having a wonderful week themselves!

Strep Throat: Ain't Nobody got time for that!

Warning: This entry probably isn't that interesting. Read at your own risk.

You know how you can have a pretty good week, but then something happens that completely erases your memory of the week leading up to that? Ok so that sort of happened to me. At least while I'm sitting here trying to think what to write about this week, the only thing that occupies my mind is Strep Throat. The vicious bacterial throat infection that feeds of the stalwart of heart and nobility of blood.......and perhaps those unfortunate enough to be exposed to it in a moment of weakness. Such was my run of luck. Thursday I really started to feel yucky but Friday it had hit full force. I didn't really sleep much Thursday night, at least not solid. When I woke up Friday morning I felt really terrible. But I knew we were a bit short staffed at work, so I thought I would give it a try. There were so many babies. Luckily they were pretty chill, or it would have been even worse. I wondered out loud how sick parents survived when they still had to watch their kids. My wise co-worker (mother of two) informed me the answer was TV. Now I feel like I have a head start when I have my own kids. Unfortunately TV was not an option at the day care. Though I work with great people who figured out a plan so I could leave early. And I was off, straight to the Medi-Centre. Note, this is the first sick day I have EVER taken from work. Big deal for me.

After a moderate wait at the clinic, with the Doctor certain of my prognosis (an extremely bad bacterial throat infection), I got drugs. Actually antibiotics....are those drugs? Bethany just confirmed for me that they are indeed. I went straight home and straight to bed. Good thing about not having kids right now is that I don't even have to worry about turning on the tv. I slept on and off until Saturday morning. It wasn't that great sleep though. Like, since I've been sick I keep having this reoccurring dream where I'm at a choir concert and I am not allowed to leave until I find all the pieces of this machine and put it together. Really random, and really annoying cause for some reason my sick dream self never releases its a dream until at least an hour. Lame. I did some fun random things in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep, like: facebook, shower, watch Ellen DeGeneres clips on youtube. Very productive. I was actually really lucky this weekend all I had going on was General Conference. Which can be viewed at home. There are four sessions, each two hours long. They were so good! I got a little groggy for some of it, but I look forward to going back and watching/listening again.

Saturday night I was feeling pretty good comparatively and so I went with a friend to the U of A Mixed Chorus concert. Since I didnt want to sleep more knowing it would contribute to another poor night. I thought sitting and listening to classical music should be alright. And it was wonderful. But I admit I did get pretty tired by the end, and it wasn't even a long concert!

Today was much the same. Now I am just anxiously awaiting the day I get my appetite back AND can actually swallow. I will never take it for granted again, I promise.  May you all have happy and very HEALTHY weeks!

Easter Weekend

If a picture is worth a thousand words then how many is a video worth? I had a great weekend. I think we should change every weekend to include three days. Then on every long weekend we could have include four days. Who's with me?

I spent lots of time with my family. Lots of food was consumed as well as chocolate. Copious amounts of chocolate. So I was very happy. I went out to my grandparents farm in Whitecourt and we had an excellent visit. A snow tunnel was built and then destroyed. That's what the video is of, the attempts to bring it down. And quite comical I might add. I think my favorite part is Evan's attempt (0:31). Web watched these videos over and over laughing our heads off. Its nice to feed off each other too. The weather was great too, I love playing in the snow with merely a sweater on. Its just dandy. :) Here is the video, let's hope this works!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtqq-6WuWBA

Magical Moments

This has been quite the week. And despite me feeling like Easter was supposed to be this weekend, it still seemed to go rather quickly. On Wednesday my roommates and I had our final Harry Potter movie night. We made it into quite the occasion. In fact I even bought licorice wands and made pumpkin pasties. Which actually turned out very well, for those non-magical folk pumpkin pasties are kind of like little pumpkin pies shaped like perogies. I donned my wizard robes and we concluded the series. Man I love those movies, and I love the books even more.

Thursday we had a huge blizzard. It seemed to be quite out of the blue, but it was furious. So much snow, I feel like its been a while since it was quite this bad. We got over 30 cm of snow in less than 24 hours, that's a lot! But I have found that snowstorms like this tend to bring out the best in people. My car got plowed in and three lovely strangers came to my rescue in minutes. I'm sure I will never see them again, but I hope they know how much I truly appreciate them. Since you can't really stop to say thank you once you get unstuck, you have to keep driving and shout 'thanks' out the window. I got home and decided it was best to stay parked. The blizzard made me crave a Blizzard from Dairy Queen, and as luck would have it we have one within walking distance of my house. Bethany and Merrill were on the same page so we ventured out into the snow to fetch ourselves some ice cream. It was quite the adventure. The snow banks were huge and since most sidewalks weren't shoveled yet we walked most of the way on the road. The streets were really deserted since we weren't the only ones who gave up driving for the night. The Blizzards were delicious! On the way back we played in the snow, well Bethany and I did. Merrill didn't have a coat on, just his suit, so he didn't make any snow angels. haha.

Friday I was in a pretty grumpy mood all morning and even into the afternoon. Which is unusual for me on a Friday since the excitement of the weekend usually puts me in a better mood. But this Friday just seemed to drag. Finally I made it through nap time for the kids (which was particularly brutal). Not like they did much napping, more screaming. The golden moment of the week came in the last half hour of my work day. One of the children was standing on her own and very proud of herself since she has yet to walk. I put my arms out to her and after one fall she got up again and took her first two steps into my arms. It completely changed my entire day. All the crumby became so worth it. I was so happy and she was so happy. We had a celebration right there on the floor. Moments like this remind me of how lucky I am to have such a wonderful job where I get to take care of beautiful little babies. They are so special, so innocent. I have so much to learn from them. That moment was real joy.

On Saturday I tried to sleep in but failed miserably. I was up by 7 and got lots accomplished. Dawson came to visit in the afternoon, and we had a nice time. We dined on Costco hot dogs and strawberries, is there a finer feast? I'd say not. That evening I went with Kaylee and a bunch of other people to play Laser Tag. I had no idea it would be so much fun. I wish it lasted a bit longer. In all I came in 28th out of 39. So I was not totally last. :)

Today I got to participate in two musical numbers in church. For one I accompanied on the piano. And the second one I sang, even soloed at the beginning. Which was pretty scary, I always get so nervous doing solos. But I made it through and we pulled it together pretty well. Yay! Tonight we went to a music Gala. So many talented people! I love music!

And that was my week. It was awesome. And now this week is actually Easter, lots to look forward to!

I thought I would include some pictures from the week. Here is Delphine, Bethany and I set to watch the final Harry Potter movie. Note I have a licorice wand and Delphine has a pumpkin pastie.

 Bethany and Merrill enjoying their Blizzards amidst the blizaard

 Bethany's attempt at a snow angel. I love this picture!

 Our front yard. So much snow!

Me with my blizzard!! Yeah!!

Barf.

This week I definitely had the messiest day of work I've ever. And it all happened on Monday, what a way to start. Monday itself was kind of crazy. It started with me waking up at 7:20, which would have been fine had it been a weekend. But seeing how I started work at 7:30, that was a problem. Luckily I live pretty close to work, so I made it amazingly only 10 minutes late. I pretty much just got dressed and ran out the door. I almost forgot to brush my teeth, but luckily I remembered before I left. This kind of put me behind for the day, I just felt a bit lethargic. The real 'excitement' happened after the kids woke up from their nap. One boy was not feeling well, and ended up throwing up all over the table. Note, I really dislike barf. Like a lot. So the fact that I was even in the same room was pushing comfort level. After things were cleaned up I was sitting with the boy in a rocking chair when he wanted to get in his crib. I obliged, but almost instantly when I put him down he started crying a lot. So I picked him back up. The problem being that he was facing me when I picked him up, rookie mistake. No sooner had I picked him up he got sick again. It was like a volcano erupting nasty chunks all over me. Sorry for the visual. Anyways, I was stunned since it was everywhere. The irony behind it all was that it was also all over the carpets that had been cleaned for the first time in years. Luckily it was right before my shift was over so I could go home and shower asap. While it was a bit of a gong show we made it through. That night Bethany and I finally finished Downton Abbey. Except I am really not happy with the last 30 seconds. I won't say anything for fear of spoilers, but it was not nice.

The rest of the week was quite nice, and a lot more clean. My brother, Stage, was passing through on Tuesday so we got to spend an hour or so together. It was wonderful, he is such a funny guy and always lifts my spirits. For some reason I still fall for some of his pranks. We were eating blizzards at Dairy Queen when he pointed out the window asking if there used to be a mall their. I totally fell for it, cause I looked and he stole all the whipped cream off the top of my blizzard. Will I ever learn? The thing about Stage is that he likes being caught. He can't handle merely getting away with it, he must make sure you know you just got fooled. Silly boy.

Wednesday I went to the Temple and had a very peaceful visit. That was exactly what I needed. Some peaceful renewing.
That evening Bethany, Merrill, and I watched Harry Potter 7 part 1. Man I love HP. We even made movie style popcorn, which looked pretty gross in the wrap but turned into buttery salty deliciousness!

Thursday was Pi Day! And in honor of the occasion I definitely ate pie. I went over to Kaitlyns house and we made an apple pie and a berry pie. While they were cooking I went to check on them. It was near the end of the baking time, but I determined that they needed a couple more minutes. Some juices may have leaked into the bottom of the oven because we soon saw smoke coming from the kitchen. I just assumed it was from the juice, but Nathalie insisted we check. As it turned out the bottom of the oven was literally on fire. Elise was the brains in the operation, all I could think to do was blow on it, but that was the wrong answer. The oven was turned off and luckily the pies were saved. Which obviously is the most important part. And despite the terrible burning smell that filled the apartment, we dined on excellent pies. Still a success! woot!

This weekend has been nice. I didn't have any big plans, just friend time. Friday night I went to a play with Kaylee. It was at the Capital Theatre in Fort Edmonton Park, which made me feel like I had taken a step back in time. We didn't have time to eat beforehand so we smuggled in our Oodle Noodle Box food and enjoyed the musical. They didn't say 'No Food or Drink' so I figure we were good.

Saturday I went to Wetaskawin with my friend Val and her little daughter Macy to see our old roommate Kari and her family. It was a nice visit. We just talked and talked. And there was a lot of cookie eating, just like the old days! That night I went to a 'Save the Redheads' party, which was excellent! And a worthy cause if I do say so myself. You'd be surprised how many famous gingers are out there. So this week I encourage everyone to take a minute a thank the gingers in your life for simply being there. Who knows how much longer we'll have that chance, since there are studies saying that eventually gingers will be extinct. Make sure to do your part in prolonging that terrible fate.

Well that's all for this week!