LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

a doozie from failblog... Awesome.

how I spent my summer vacation

With only one week left to go, I have to say, it's been a good summer. Aside from spending some quality time with family & friends, achieving an A+ in Introduction to Educational Research, and moving the boyfriend home, there were a lot of changes in my house. And they are all good changes!! Not all of them have photographic evidence, but here are a few:

This is what my bedroom looked like before (pictures were taken 3 years ago):





Unfortunately, what you can't see is the pink carpet. But here's another one that shows the hideous pink bows that had been stencilled around the top of the walls.



And now, the "after" pictures:








Then there's the office.... I have no before pictures of it, but let's just say that some training in acrobatics might have come in handy when navigating from one part of the room to the other... and my Dad has now actually noticed the big beautiful office desk I've had in there for the past two years. :-) Here's the end result (walls were previously white, carpet was a speckled orange/brown combo...where you could see it, that is!)





Finally, there's the kitchen. The only thing new there is the flooring, so I won't bother with the before pictures. It had white linoleum before (with all sorts of permanent marks and nicks in it.) Here's what it looks like now:



I also spent some time weeding my garden after the house was more or less done... It's been a good year for long-lasting blossoms, it seems:




And, if you don't mind my saying so, I think it's quite possible that at this time of year I have the prettiest tree on my street:



And while we're on the subject of summer vacation and home renos, I might as well also post the living room before and after pics from summer 2007 (pre- the existence of this blog). The living room remains one of my favorite rooms now...

Before:
Note the grey deep pile carpet, the shabby sectional couch, the fibre-wall behind the piano, and the pink vertical blinds...







After: (with blue walls, laminate flooring, chocolate brown curtains and teal blue accents here and there... You can't see it except for a little corner in one of these pics, but the couch has also been replaced by a big comfy leather sectional.) The "extras" are me, my dad, and my grandpa. :-)








Oh yes, and THANKS to my dad for spending a day installing a pump in my basement... Hopefully it won't be needed from hereon in, but it was yet another home improvement for the summer of 2009!

LOL

My latest favorite discoveries on "Fail Blog"... Enjoy some giggles!

art

I wonder if someone told this girl she could do anything she wanted. If they did, she seems to have come up with something completely new - and amazing! Moving, too... enjoy.

WOW!

This is too cool. Pretty inspiring what nature can do...Thanks to Andrew for posting it on Facebook, where I found it.

giggles

http://icanhascheezburger.com remains one of my favorite sites of all time... And now a friend has me hooked on also checking the other links across the top of the page... LOLdogs, LOLcelebs, LOLnews, fail blog, etc.

Anyway, I just had to share this very cute picture, because it makes me smile pretty consistently every time I see it!! The giggles are almost contagious, it seems!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

musical humour

A colleague shared this with us at work today... Very fun...


Or how about this spoof of "Jesus Take the Wheel"?


Then there's his take on the song, "I Can Only Imagine"


They just keep coming...


More on Youtube... Enjoy!

worth the wait

My "birthday present" from my parents - a note-by-note keyboard Billy Joel book - arrived in the mail today. (My birthday was months ago, but that's a whole other story, right Mom?) :-)

In it, there were a couple of songs I hadn't heard before. Presumably they were all hits at some point, but let's face it, I was pretty little when most of his stuff was REALLY big. At any rate, this is the song that nearly brought me to tears while I was playing & singing it through for the first time... It's been a while since a song did that to me, so I had to share it.

And as I played through it on the piano for about the 10th time tonight, I thought two things mainly - how beautiful it is to open ourselves up to the risk of loving someone (as per the lyrics), and that I think I "do music" in my life because it opens me up - to new ideas, new melodies, new richness. Incidentally, the guest speaker at the high school grad I attended today spoke of music's power - so a little "synchronicity" happening for me today, I suppose.

At any rate, two things I want to be grateful for tonight - among many others. 1) For Billy Joel for doing what he does so well. 2) For my parents, and the generations of family before them, for sharing the gift of music...

Life List

So, I think I added something to my life list today: Being a part of something like this...


Not necessarily dancing, though - just something that is unexpected, but brings people together, puts a smile on people's faces, brightens their day and gives them a great story to tell... How fun!! (Thanks for showing me this, Shauna!)

Here's another example:


Of course, it could also be a lot simpler...

Doggie's Delight

So I came across this video today. Apparently this is how one engineer has chosen to keep his very active dog occupied... Brilliant if you ask me. :-)

Awesome

My friend Adam blogged about this. It really fits with my "little things that count theme" so I thought I'd blog about it too... enjoy.

http://1000awesomethings.com/

In the Presence of Greatness...

I have been a fan of Elton John and Billy Joel for almost as long as I can remember. To see them in concert this past weekend was nothing short of a dream come true. And with 2 full months from the time of the purchase of the tickets to the time of the concert to anticipate, I was a little worried they wouldn't live up to my expectations. I was right. They exceeded my expectations. Four hours straight of their biggest hits mixed in with some very impressive improvisation, and a few witty remarks on the part of Billy Joel makes for a VERY entertaining evening!! (And I think the 25000 or so other people there that night would agree!)

One of the friends I went with put it like this: Everyone knows they're famous. Everyone can hum along with a few of their songs. And they're good songs. But then you see them perform live and you realize WHY they're so famous. It's because they're geniuses. I sat listening, soaking it in, and trying to absorb the fact that it was all really happening. That I really was lucky enough to be there. And that they've been playing some of these songs for longer than I've been alive!!

Here are a few samples of what we heard - the light show was the same, so I'm thinking this was just elsewhere on the same tour.

Pianoman (the finale to the 9-song encore)... Sorry - the videographer insisted on singing along... :-(



My Life - approximately the same distance from the stage that we were.

carnegie mellon professor strikes again

I think I blogged a while back about the late Randy Pausch, and posted a couple of versions of his "last lecture."

In need of some inspiration today, I simply went to youtube and typed "inspire" in the search engine. Here's what I found. Caution - you may need some kleenex nearby!

quote

Just what I needed to be reminded of today:

"The road to success is always under construction." - Lily Tomlin

and another one!

Britain's Got Talent's latest discovery:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4mB94ejivU

WOW!

90

My maternal grandmother turned 90 on Friday. We had family home from BC, Alberta, Ontario and all over southern Manitoba to celebrate. It was chaotic with 48 people in one house, but it was also great fun! And my grandma continues to amaze me. After raising 6 kids during a time when maternity leave from her job as a nurse was NOT a year per baby, she has continued to stay active and spry enough to thoroughly enjoy her 20ish grandkids (and their significant others) and 10 great-grandkids.

I stood back a few minutes after the cake cutting and just watched the busy-ness of the place as my cousins and aunts started dishing up cake and ice cream. I thought about how lucky we are, to have so many people to support us.

How lucky we are, to have no one in the family who's gotten into any significant trouble, like drugs or teen pregnancy (that we know of!)....

How lucky we are, that every grandchild has at LEAST a high school education (except for the youngest who's still working on hers!)

How lucky we are that the vast majority of us have been able to go on to post-secondary and finish at least one degree.

How lucky we are to have so many people to call family who really get what family is about, and who love to just spend time together. One memory that someone mentioned on Friday at our gathering was of the day that most of our extended family went rafting down the Assiniboine river one summer about 20 years ago. We had lawn chairs and snacks on the make-shift rafts (plywood over empty oil drums if I recall), and a couple of canoes and inner tubes for those that were tired of the rafts. I think it's my all-time favorite memory of our family because it's such a significant image of us just being together, laughing and having a great time in the process!

And then I thought that all of that stuff is learned. Passed down through generations. And we are so blessed to have a grandmother who's still with it enough to continue to teach us about patience, love, wisdom and laughter.

Happy birthday, Grandma - we all love you!!

PS - welcome to the world, Gabriel Arthur!

*giggle*

Just had a good, engaging day of professional development. This was part of it. I laughed really hard, so I wanted to share it.

3 more reasons

Here are 3 more reasons I wish my TV stations aired "Britain's Got Talent"....Enjoy

Andrew Johnston


Paul Potts


Connie Talbot

Early morning inspiration

So I got up extra early this morning (6:30 is REALLY early for me) to get ready for a class I have to teach in a couple of hours... But to ease into the pain of having to think that early, I couldn't resist a quick visit to Facebook to see what was up. There, I found, a friend had posted this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

I've watched it three times and it still gives me goosebumps (the good kind!)... I especially like the little smirk she gives as she's waiting for the intro to finish - it's like she knows something the judges don't! :-) The more clips I see from this show, the more I wish it was a show I got on my "peasant vision" TV.....

Peripheral Visions

I'm reading a book that a friend lent to me. She gave it to me a few years ago - I think probably while I was doing my certificate in Adult Ed. At the time, I was pretty overwhelmed with the other reading I had to do, and when I started reading this book, called "Peripheral Visions: learning along the way," by Mary Catherine Bateson, it was, quite frankly, too cerebral for "extra-curricular reading" - at least for my taste.

But I picked it up again a week or two ago, and it really is quite fascinating. Among many other really cool insights about how learning happens, and cultural differences, etc, here are a couple of my favorite nuggets so far:

"Insight, I believe, refers to that depth of understanding that comes by setting experiences, yours and mine, familiar and exotic, new and old, side by side, learning by letting them speak to one another." (page14)

"Community, like the sacred, is an idea that becomes reality because we believe in it, not vice versa." (page 42)

I also just finished reading a really interesting chapter about change and continuity. Basically, the idea is that depending on how you look at your life, you can focus on everything that's changed or on everything that stays the same:

"Everything I have ever done has been heading me for where I am today" is one version of the truth, but most adults can say as well, "It is only after many surprises and choices, interruptions and disappointments, that I have arrived somewhere I could never have anticipated." (pages 83-84)

I'm not even half done the book yet, so maybe I'll be back with more. :-)

Games night

What a fun time I had last night! I took my Little Sister to a games night at my church that the Fellowship and Outreach committee (of which I'm a member) was hosting. The timing of the evening was bad, with curling and parent teacher interviews taking up a large portion of potential participants, but those of us that were there (all 8 of us!) didn't let that stop us!

We ranged in age from 14 to... I would guess 70-something. My Little Sister didn't know anyone there but me. But the other people there did a great job of making her feel right at home. We laughed, we snacked, we took turns kicking each others' butts at the games we were playing, and then we laughed some more.

The magic in it for me, I think, was partly in watching my Little Sister interact with these older folks (and them with her). I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of older people in her life are very no-nonsense, strict, traditional people. Those are not words I would use to describe the people we spent time with last night. In fact I think I would describe them as kind, open, and fun-loving.

So thanks again to my church community for reminding me of what it really means to be "in community" with others. It's a night I'll not soon forget!

Angel Neighbour

I'm sure my across-the-street neighbour will never read my blog, but I just want to tell the world how much I appreciate him. At random times throughout the last 3 winters (all the time I've lived in this house), he has cleared the snow from my driveway in winter. He has almost always done this while I was away from home, or sleeping, so it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I finally confirmed who this everyday angel was.

Since I didn't know who was doing it for sure, I have tried instead to "pay it forward" in other ways to other people who need a hand. But now I can pay it back - I got a gift certificate for a local restaurant so he and his wife can go on a date. :-) I just can't describe what a pleasant surprise it is to come home from work and find a nice clean driveway. Here's to the angels in our lives who never ask for anything in return, but work to make their little corner of the world a better place to be.

A Friendship Renewed

So a number of years ago, I became friends with a couple who were very close with my boyfriend at the time. I loved hanging out at their place, and getting to know their little girl who was then 2 years old and just starting to talk. I was very excited to learn that they were expecting twins. We spent quite a bit of time with them, and I really connected with them. And then said boyfriend and I broke up.

Honestly, there were times when I think I missed this couple more than the boyfriend. But I didn't want to invite myself in to what I perceived to be "his territory." I was excited for them when when I heard the twins were born, but being unsure of the appropriate way to get into contact with them, I did nothing.

Well yesterday the mom and the 3 little girls (including the twins whose third birthday happened to be yesterday!) and two of their friends were on an "adventure" exploring the town, and ended up at our school. When R (the mom) recognized me, I took a second to figure out who she was - I didn't recognize her from far away without my glasses on, and she had a toque on! She right away told me that they had missed me, and I got all choked up when I told her the feeling was mutual... As we talked some more, she said the ex tends not to be around as much and she thinks it would be fine to have me over for a visit again sometime soon. I am so looking forward to that call.

you go girl!

Sad that this video is 17 years old, and things are likely worse now than they were... But what an inspiration on a day when I really needed it!

birthday fun

My birthday is coming up this week. I'll be 31. Last year, I threw a big birthday party for myself and invited friends and family from all over to join me. It was fun, and I felt very loved just by the number of people that drove distances in awful weather. But I also was reminded that I am an introvert at heart, and prefer to be in smaller groups where I can feel like I really connected with people.

This year was the exact opposite of last year. Friday night I went out with a great friend, for dinner, shopping, and a movie. We had great fun - especially since most of our connecting recently has been in a work context.

Then Saturday I headed out to my parents' place, where I think I had officially my smallest birthday party yet. I blew out the candles with just my mom and my dad present. Since we were celebrating early, my mom hadn't had time to get my gift yet, so there weren't any gifts to open. And still, I couldn't have felt more special.

I don't remember many occasions in my childhood (ie, before I left home) that I got quality time with both my parents and no one else. My mom went to the trouble of baking a cake even though she couldn't eat it. My dad and I got to talk guitar (the lessons are going well enough that I was excited to show him what I've learned) and we all watched a few hilarious youtube videos... And we have photographic evidence of me crying from laughing so hard. Something about blowing out the candles - I don't remember what - got us all laughing so hard I couldn't stop.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a great evening... It felt good to come home.

funny with a cause

Big Daddy Tazz came to our little town on Wednesday to do his thing - making people laugh. The event was to raise awareness of mental illness, which is Tazz's "cause." He had us laughing about his suicide attempts, his bi-polar diagnosis, and his son's ADD. I know, sounds a little lacking in taste, but we were laughing so hard we had sore bellies and sore cheeks later. He encourages people to talk about these things by making them funny, you see.

I've seen Tazz perform before at a couple of different venues, and on TV. This particular time he was only performing for about 80 people, and I think his act still gets better every time. Afterwards he had a bit of a Q & A for those that wanted to ask him questions about his experiences. I was struck by how this is a person who, like Nick from the previous post, has learned to use his personal challenges to make other people's lives better. He responded to all the questions with humour, respect, and a gentle manner that made it feel like all questions were good questions. You could sense that he'd worked really hard to get where he is, and that he didn't take it for granted. In fact he talked about some of the struggles he still has, and how making other people laugh is a form of medication for him. So thanks, Tazz, for an evening of inspired laughter... and for saying my singing was "phenomenal." ;-)

Finishing Strong

When you think you've got it pretty rough, watch this for a little inspiration. Thanks, Bev, for the forward.


And for a more "holy" version...


There's lots more on Youtube if you want it. Just search for Nick Vujicic.

hope

I learned how to set my VCR on the morning of January 20, 2009. Yep. I've had the thing for 8 years, and I've never used it to tape anything. Until now. Mr. President, here's hoping you live up to the expectations. The world is watching.

Right Where I Need to Be

Hmmmm... over a month since my last post. Ya. Sorry about that.

Ever feel like the universe is speaking to you? Like all signs are pointing to go, and there's nothing to do but seize the opportunity in front of you? Last month I heard about some beginner guitar classes happening in my community. Group adult classes, guitars provided, once-a-week, for a reasonable length of time, at a reasonable price (ie, low commitment required).

Now, if I had an official "Life List" or "Bucket List" as some call it, learning to play guitar would be on it...near the top, actually. But the hold up has been that "guitar" isn't high enough up my list of upcoming somewhat-major purchases to warrant having been purchased yet. So the "guitars provided" bit was what clinched it for me. So I signed up.

And I've been excited about it ever since. But we had our first lesson tonight, and ... I'm even more excited now! It came pretty easily, which I attribute mostly to my background in music. But I knew I was right where I needed to be when one of the songs the instructor had us start learning was one of my favorite songs - and one that I've had to have other people play for me when I've performed it. Turns out, it can be played with only 3 chords... not like the recording exactly, mind you, but it got me way more excited about the idea of practicing in between lessons! Okay, Universe, I get it already!! I'll buy a guitar!! :-)

But until I get time to shop around a little, anyone got one I could borrow?? ;-)