Stampede 2009

Well, another year, another Stampede. The Calgary Stampede is referred to as the greatest outdoor show on earth and kicks off with a parade on Friday morning and runs for 10 days. The Salvation Army band is the longest running marching band in the parade and I've been marching with them for 12 or 13 years now and loving every minute of it. I started marching with them holding the banner, then moved up to the timbrels and now I march with the band itself. I still enjoy marching no matter how wiped I am at the end. To see the crowds of people, all the kids waving and having fun, and the fact that my weirdest friends are the ones who call my name out when I march :). I don't know where I'll be next summer but I know if I'm not marching I'll feel the loss but I'll be thinking of the group as they go down and I know I won't miss the blisters I always get.

Friday night of course it was down to the grounds to hang out, watch the chuckwagon races which are very exciting, and the grandstand show. This year as I headed down to the grounds from the train station the police were stopping everyone and there were a whole bunch of official looking black vehicles and media. I was very curious as to who was arriving and low and behold it was Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper...very exciting. After that we were allowed to go ahead and I met up with the band and we went into the grounds. I loved the chuckwagon races and even managed to pick the team featuring a Calgary Flame for my pick in one of the heats and the grandstand show was fabulous. Although, I didn't like one particular set of stunts where it just looked like they were going to die, and die horribly.

Saturday afternoon and evening was the carnival, BBQ and concert. There was a HUGE number of people there for the carnival and that was fantastic. I was thrilled to see such a response for a church event. The food was as always excellent, and the program was very entertaining. After the program a whole bunch of us went out for something to eat and to catch up with each other. Fred and Wendy were down from Edmonton, and it's always good to see Wendy unfortunately she brought Fred but what are you going to do? I'm kidding, of course it was great to see both of them.

Well, today ends another stampede weekend and my last as a member of the band (possibly, one never knows), but it definitely ends out my year before heading to college, and it ended on a great note.

Ruthlessly Sorted

As I am getting ready to move I am going through boxes, bags and other assorted storage items that I haven't gone through in a very long time if ever. When I first moved into my apartment my mother dropped off a large load of things that she'd kept for me and I never went into them. So now I am taking the opportunity and going through all the boxes and I find I am getting rid of as much as I can stand. I am pushing aside that thin streak of sentimentality and tossing aside what doesn't mean the most to me. Now of course I am nothing if not practical, so, I will be having a yard sale, be donating any useful items to the Salvation Army etc...

I have enjoyed seeing some of them items though. I found my grade 6 year book and it still burns me that I didn't press hard enough on the paper so you can only read about 3 words :). I also discovered the reasons behind why I am not allowed to have a library card anymore, and the remnants of my obsession with finding items that had my name on them. What I really love to find are the pictures - which are not going anywhere. Pictures of my dad with...HAIR, and I don't actually ever remember him with hair so it's a big revelation. Pictures of my various uncles weddings, and pictures of me growing up - apparently the attitude was there from day 1.

Now I will go continue to sort, and hopefully toss, but thoroughly enjoy some walks down memory lane.

Here I go

Well, I may be writing in my blog more often over the next couple of months, but it's hard to say. This month I am obviously because for some reason I find myself compelled to write in my blog and that almost never goes well :).

I am feeling a little tugged both ways right now because there's this massive to do list but I don't want to start some things now because it's too early and at the same time I feel like I'm leaving in no time at all. The best I can do is keep plugging away at the items and the fact of the matter is what is done is done, and what isn't isn't. I can't change that nor would I if I could. The deadline helps me stay focussed.

I've started to come to the realization that oh my goodness I'm leaving this city that I've lived in for my entire life. Leaving a routine that is firmly established and centred around a church that I've been attending since I was 7 years old. No matter how often I reassure myself that I'll see my friends and family for vacation and online it just won't be the same. No more phone calls from people saying they are ont their way to pick me up for a night out...no more "we're going to BP's" and knowing which one cause it's the only one we go to. So, I'm a little sad in and around the thrill of moving forward and doing what I'm meant to do.

Someone asked me once "What do you think when I say home", and I answered Calgary, and they were a bit surprised, but I know that no matter what changes happen in my life, and no matter where I end up this will always be home. Even if it isn't my first answer. I don't think you can ever forget the first place that was truly home.

Now, does the person who asked me that remember that conversation?

Busy

One of the comments I quite often get from people I socialize with that I met through work is "Wow, you're so busy". I always respond "No, not really" and in the past couple of years that statement was especially true. I was only out generally 2 sometimes 3 nights a week and of course Sundays. This was a huge slow down from someone who growing up considered less then 4 nights a week out a vacation. However, since my acceptance to training college my schedule has completely gotten away from me. Ah well, it is good to be reminded of how to live a filled life and I figure it's good preparation for what will be in my books and everyone elses a very busy lifestyle in a few months.

On the practical side of things I'm going around my apartment cleaning and sorting. I haven't started packing yet although that will come soon enough. The big thing for me is that I haven't cleaned out my stuff in over 5 years. The one thing about moving around every couple of months like I did when I was younger was that I didn't have that much stuff to worry about. Now I'm going to get much closer to that then I have been in awhile.

In other news, my birthday passed just recently and I always enjoy that. This year I headed to Edmonton and enjoyed being a little bit spoiled up there. Of course they do that every time I'm up there so I don't need a birthday but this time I got presents.

Now to reorganize my life and figure out how I'm going to fit in a trip to BC for my cat, packing, moving, moving again and getting to Winnipeg. Not to mention all the smaller yet no less vital things like the fact that I still have to do my day-to-day items like get groceries, go to work and make it to band practice.

Wish me luck, pray for me and stay away the minimum safe distance :)

Who'da Thunk?!?!

I found out very recently that I was accepted into the 2009 session for Canada's College for Officers Training. I am and will probably continue to walk around in a slight daze wondering if it's real.

I have been talking about going to training college for as long as I can possibly remember so the fact that it's finally here seems odd. I am excited and terrified about the challenge ahead of me as I move forward.

Everyone around me has been wonderfully supportive and I know they will continue to be so and I am always thankful for that. This support makes the challenges ahead seem surmountable instead of insurmountable.

Seattle

Well, I'm home from a trip across the border. This weekend I went to Seattle for 3 or 4 days to sightsee, shop and relax. I flew to Vancouver, B.C. to meet my mother and then we drove across the border which I have not done for a long time. We stopped at a mall for some shopping and headed into the city to check in and figure out our game plan for the weekend.

I got to see the fish fly at Pike Place market and a couple of those huge US stores that we don't have here. The selection at Bed, Bath and Beyond was something else. I enjoyed some fabulous and incredibly fresh seafood right on the pier and hit up my two fav. stores Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works. I sucked up my fear of heights and went to the top of the Space Needle which was windy enough that I was glad everything was fenced around, but the view was amazing and totally worth it.

I did manage to be sick (and still am as I write this), and of course being me I fell and scraped mself up some. I am now back home and still on holidays for another week or so and am planning on just lying low and getting completely healthy.

Tough Questions

I've been asked a lot of questions lately that have really made me focus on my faith and where I'm at with it, my life and how I got to where I am, and where I'd like to go. The ones about my life are in a lot of ways very easy. It's not a problem for me to look back and see my pitfalls, my successes and exactly how I ended up where I am in turns of money, jobs, and everything else.

The ones about my faith and where I'd like to go slow me up a little. Not that I don't know the answers but I haven't really had to explain that before and putting it into words has been something of a challenge. Those questions have been good for me though. I have been forced to evaluate myself on many levels and admittedly have not always come out showing well.

Some of the questions have been about timing too and that's not a question I feel I can answer except to say that I believe this is when God has called me to take the steps I'm taking, and ya know even if things don't happen this year that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm wrong. Maybe I do need to do the paperwork, and have the process done this year regardless of whether or not it happens right off the bat.

Well enough about that...I have a busy month in March and I am excited for it. I look forward to seeing some old friends, gaining some more experience in ministry and having some time off of work. I do love vacation even if I don't go anywhere.