Hello Again, Vancouver.

It's always nice to get away. Whether it's exploring a new area of your city, or hopping a plane to another city. Taking a vacation is nice - from everyday life and your problems.

Now, I have to say my last 10 days of living can easily be described as interesting, frustrating, and stressful. Amongst the hustle and bustle of work and how hectic it can get sometimes, I was also in a nasty fender bender and have been dealing with auto body shops and insurance companies ever since. What a headache! On top of that, my car decided to stop starting early last week and it remains a mystery to me why this happened and how come it's working fine now. Not going to complain, but I did have a few choice words for my car before she (yes, I've concluded that my baby is a girl) smartened up! I joked with my family and friends that this was life's way of "screwing me over" because I decided to take a week off of work and go away for some me time. I got through, and though the car hasn't been fixed yet and the insurance companies will be contacting me while I'm away - I'm excited to put my Calgary life on pause this week and enjoy some relaxing moments in Vancouver with me, myself, and I (and of course my wonderful Uncle David who I am so excited to see and catch up with again!!)

On the agenda for Vancouver:

- check out the Vancouver Aquarium

- explore China Town

- Easter Dinner with Uncle David and friends

- reading on the beach

- bike Stanley Park (again...)

- shopping!!

- check out the food scene (on my list: The American Cheesesteak Company (restaurant owned by celebrity chef, the late Anthony Sedlak), Cactus Club Cafe (restaurant owned by celebrity chef Rob Feenie), Belgian Fries (featured on the Food Network show "You Gotta Eat Here")) - I'm a nerd!

- so many much needed conversations with Uncle David

- explore, explore, explore!

I'm already breathing deeper and feeling more relaxed thinking about this much needed vacation!

Music Fills My Heart and Soul.

I love music. I love listening to it, I love dancing to it, and I love singing along to it (even if I'm off key!). Everyone has a song (or several) that they connect to. A song for every feeling and occasion. Many of my memories of the past are formed around a song or take place in the presence of music. Parties at 860, road trips to Vermont, sleepovers in high school at Sara's, battling the loss of a loved one, nights out on the town, the list could go on forever. Listening to music is one thing, but being there to hear it live is another. 

Two weeks ago one of my favourite bands of ALL TIME were in Calgary. Tegan and Sara have a special place in my heart. My best friend, Sara, introduced them to me in high school. So many of their songs resonate with me. "Walking with a Ghost" was the first song I heard by them back when I was 16. I always think of Sara when I hear this song. "Where does the good go" reminds me of Grey's Anatomy and how Sara and I spent many an evening watching episode after episode of Grey's in my basement. The whole Sainthood makes me feel nostalgic for my university days and living in Holy Cross. This was when I first saw them live at the Playhouse in Fredericton with Sara and KP. So, when I heard they were coming to Calgary, I asked literally ALL of my friends here if they were interested in going. Thank you, Mollie!

They were amazing. Their quick banter back and forth was the cherry on top of some amazing music. They played ever song I wanted to hear, and man did I ever sing loudly! I danced, I got choked up, and I smiled a lot. I was extremely tired at work the next day, but I didn't care one little bit.

Then, only a short week later, I went to see Maroon 5 with my good friend Jenny. The thought of being in the same place as Adam Levine made me very excited (no one can deny that this man is very beautiful!) I've only ever been to one other big stadium concert, so I didn't really know what to expect. What I didn't know was that there would be a lot of people and a lot of screaming! And I was very right! But that certainly didn't take away from the fun that I had. The concert was at the Saddledome - the big arena that the Calgary Flames play in. Jenny and I were seated at the back way up in the nosebleeds. Thank goodness for Jumbotron's! As soon as the band came out on stage, Jenny and I were on our feet dancing. And there I stayed for the remainder of the night. My voice was so horse and dry and sore for the rest of the night and into the next day. The band played every song I wanted to hear and I had such a good time. Worth every penny and dime. 

I took lots of videos from both concerts and attempted to share them on here, however, my computer doesn't seem to want upload them. Or maybe Blogger is being stubborn. And my pictures aren't that great as it's hard to capture a good shot with the lighting of a concert. But I have the memories...

I'm Still Here.

Hello ladies and gentlemen!

Consider this my formal apology for neglecting my blog as of lately. Life has been a little hectic, to say the least. Changes are around the corner, and I've been preparing myself for them. As well, I've been off having adventures and creating memories - my favourite pass times.

I promise a longer post later about the following things:

- Tegan and Sara concert

- Maroon 5 concert (TOMORROW!!)

- Weekend getaway to Banff

- Upcoming adventure to Vancouver

- Life...

I hope this post finds all of my family and friends well and happy.

In the mean time...my thoughts: