Update: January 25-31

So, what else have I been up to during my week of skimpy blogging? Let's see if I can remember.

Friday, as I posted, I got my vacation approved for my Texas trip. Sunday I booked my flight TO Texas. I'm still trying to decide where I'm flying back to. Seattle, Vancouver, Bellingham? That decision affects which airline I use and where I fly OUT of in Dallas (DFW or Love Field). Right now I'm leaning towards DFW to BLI (Bellingham) because it seems to be the most normal times of the day (the Vancouver ones come in at quarter to midnight and I have to work the next day). I've printed out all the options and I'm going to show them to my mom because either she or my dad will probably be picking me up so I need to know what works best for them.

I'm constantly learning things about myself. Last week I was reminded that I need quiet "me" time at least once a week. I love being busy and having a ton of things scheduled but if I don't get down time I get cranky. Right now I dance twice a week (Monday and Thursday), go to church on Wednesday, Sunday and bible study on Saturday night. That leaves Tuesday and Friday evenings free. Those fill up REALLY fast when they are all you have. I realized last week that I haven't had a free Friday in weeks and my Tuesday's have been crazy too. Because of that I've given myself permission to take Thursday's off from dance if I'm feeling overwhelmed. For me it was a big decision and we'll see how it goes but it relaxes me just to think about it.

By last Friday I was *exhausted* Seth ended up taking me out for sushi since we were both too tired to cook and he had just gotten an extra big pay check from working so much overtime. Speaking of, he was on day shift for two weeks. It was nice to see him every evening and talk about the adventures he had doing deliveries in Western Washington. (Enumclaw to Port Angeles!) but we were both happy to have him go back to his regular shift. We need our space! Plus I've discovered that if he's around too much I 1. don't get anything accomplished 2. become a nag, about things like doing dishes.

Our living arrangement really is working well. We have similar "housekeeping" tendencies. In that we're okay with dishes piling up for a few days and with stuff left in the living room but every few days we both go through and clean up. I find that I typically do dishes a bit more frequently than him which can be a bit of a problem. To his credit he did do them today, mid week, which is unusual. I was impressed.

So, we went out for sushi at a new place in town. It was okay. It seemed expensive because I'm used to eating out for lunch but the portions were well sized. The best part? It's only two blocks from the apartment :) After that we hit Wal-mart and then I came home to pack.

This weekend I attended the ScrapShare Washington Crop III. That means that four years ago I joined, what was at the time called, StampinScrappin.com I found the site online while I was researching becoming a Creative Memories Consultant. Two years later (in January 2005) I attended my first ScrapShare Crop. It was hosted by my friend Darrcie and I carpooled down with Deb and Janis. That was actually the first time I met Deb. It's hard to believe that she and all the other wonderful people I have met, have only been "real life" friends for two years!!! In January 2006 we had our second crop. August 2005 we had "2.5" becasue Diane was out. This year was our third get together. It was wonderful to see old friends and meet new ones. Deb, Sue and I were the only ones down from BC. Shari and her friend came up from OR and the rest of the group (about 10) were all from Washington State.

I was so busy during the week leading up to the crop that I didn't get anything organized. Because of that I "completed" four whole pages. I put completed in quotations because it wasn't even technically that many. One page was done except for a title and sticking the pictures down, one I did from scratch (including very simple journalling) and one double page spread is stuck down but there's no journalling yet. I left the crop feeling frustrated with myself on that front but I had fun visiting with everyone and thats really what counts.

We spent the night at Darrcie's wonderful bed-and-we-took-her-out-for-breakfast :) I had "reserved" her oldest daughters bedroom, actually, it was designated for me which was great. I'm not sure why but I always sleep wonderfully there and that night was no exception. Sunday we did take Darrcie out for breakfast. We went for brunch at the Tulallip Casino. It was neat because they advertise incessantly on the stations I listen to so it was nice to experience it. The food was really good and plentiful and the best part was they gave us Lindt chocolates instead of after dinner mints!!!

Speaking of chocolate. Everyone on SS has been raving about the new Hershey Cherry Cordial Kisses. Someone (Darrcie?) put them in our goodie bag at the retreat and I've figured out why everyone is talking about them. They're delicous!!!

After brunch we did a Stampin' Up "Stamp a Stack" class. Five different cards, four of each, for a total of twenty cards for just $20 cash. Great deal! Darrcie's sister-in-law is an SU consultant and she always comes up with great designs so it was wonderful. From there Deb and I headed home. No trouble at the border and I got to use my new passport for the first time! Everyone asked if I got it stamped but you have to go in for that and I didn't want them asking any more questions. Maybe when I go to Texas ;)

Sunday evening I went out for dinner with my parents and "baby" brother Aaron. He's 16 already!!! Crazy. The day he was born is still one of my most vivid memories. He hasn't applied for his license yet but I don't expect that he'll wait too long.

Monday was back to work. I've been working on a huge batch of minutes and I finally got them cleaned up that day. It's a huge load off me but now I have to deal with all the other tasks I had put off in order to do those. Monday night was dance. Nothing too exciting to report there.

Tuesday I found out that my parents house got broken into. They entered through the kitchen window, took the computer (cpu) and monitor, went through my parents bedroom but didn't find anything, went downstairs took the tv, my brother's brand new PS2, and Robert's guitar and left through the front door. My parents had insurance so the tv and computer (which as *brand* new) are covered but the PS2 and guitar are not. I haven't actually talked to my parents about it since it happened but I know they're feeling pretty violated.

So that brings us to today. They're doing renovations on the foyer at church so service was cancelled. I've taken advantage of the "me" time, watched a bit of tv, uploaded some pictures, updated my blog and cut a few titles on Deb's sizzix which I'm borrowing for awhile. I'm ready for bed though. Thanks for reading!

~Heidi...who will TRY to not let things pile up so bad again.

Week One (and a few days) with Internet Access from Home

So it's been just over a week since I got internet and cable hooked up at home. How am I doing?

Am I staying offline at work?
There are good days and bad days. By checking emails/blogs from home I tend to initially spend less time online but I'm still an obsessive email checker.

Have I uploaded and organized photos like I said I would?
That would be a big fat no.

Have I blogged from home instead of from work?
How about, have I blogged at ALL? You're sorely neglected. I appologize for that. I'm working on it.

Have I been able to extend my internet addiction to all my waking hours instead of just my working hours?
Yep. Is that good? Not really LOL


On to cable. I'm proud to say that while I HAVE 59 channels, I really haven't sat and watched mindless tv. I've stuck to the habit of only turning the tv on when I know a show I want to watch is on. If I'm not sure, I'll check the listing online. If I don't see something that I want to watch listed, I won't even turn the tv on. Not having a remote helps with this (have you ever tried to scroll through 59 channels when you're only an arms length away?) But over all I'm proud of myself.

Having CMT has been nice but since it's CMT Canada, they only show sitcom re-runs during prime time. (Reba, Married with Children etc). It's rather pathetic programming but it has helped me limit my tv watching as well. They also list which videos are playing when on their website so before I go to bed I can check and see if it's worth getting up for. I caught Dierks' video for "Long Trip Alone" three times that way last week!!! NOW who's pathetic :D BTW I posted about that on the fan club message board and someone called me "Obsessively Dedicated". I quite like that thankyouverymuch :)

So there you go. My "window to the world" hasn't been all that bad.

~Heidi

Vacation is approved!

Next step? Flights!
~Heidi

Perky & Upbeat

My boss called while I was away for lunch. She left a message for me and commented that my answering machine recording was "perky and upbeat" (it's a good thing)
~Heidi

It smells like my boss is away

How can I tell? Someone made popcorn. My boss hates the smell of microwave popcorn so when she's out of the office staff take advantage of it and make popcorn. The smell permeates the whole office. I don't mind it. It makes me laugh.

It reminds me of my old job too. We shared the bottom floor of our building with a Youth Service group and they used to make popcorn every Friday. The smell would waft through the cooridor and all the way into our office. Good times.

~Heidi

Square Dancing Pictures

I promised you guys photos from Square Dancing awhile back. Since we're back in the "swing" of things, I thought it would be appropriate. The first three shots are from a lady that I met through dance. I went to Terri's Memoranza(?) and she happened to be there too. It was great! It's nice to actually have pictures of ME dancing too. Usually I'm behind the camera. These are from our Christmas dance. So just over a month ago.

Notice that not everyone wheres the big crinolines and stuff. I do because they're fun and so pretty but you don't HAVE to to participate.
This is my dance partner Ralph. His wife doesn't dance so we've kind of paired off. He's only been dancing for about a year longer then I so it's a good match. We've started learning round dancing lately too. That's a whole different ball of wax. For those of you familiar with it, I'm pretty good at the two step ones but the waltzes have me completely confused.
Here's a picture of rounds from Rally (the annual weekend dance that my club hosts). The difference between square dancing and round dancing is that with squares there are eight (four couples) in a "square" and you move in and around the square in a pattern. With rounds it's just you and your partner moving around the room. In rounds it's more about footwork and taking the right amount of steps. I find it takes a LOT more concentration. It's a lot of fun though.
Lastly, a shot of the floor at Rally. It kind of just looks like a bunch of people standing around but they are dancing!

~Heidi

Dinner Party!

Saturday was Mom's birthday. Sunday I had her, Dad and Aaron over for dinner after church. This was my first official "dinner party" I made a potatoe casserole dish, ham, creamed corn and bean salad. All staples that I've helped Mom make many times. It went really well. I also made a double layer chocolate cake. Dad was impressed that I made the cake from scratch. I'm not sure WHY. I *never* bake from a box. Anyways, hopefully I'll be brave enough to try having others over now.

Woohoo! We're LIVE!

I am connected to the world!

The cable guy gave us a four hour windown. Between 12 and 4. He arrived at 11. Figure that out :P Anyways, we're live and I'm loving it. He left the software for an email too. Uh, I already have four. Thanks though :P

So, look for lots more evening posts from me :D

~Heidi

Review of the Review

I'm posting this simply because it stokes my own ego :D I linked my review for the Vancouver concert on Dierks' fan club message board. There are reviews posted there ALL the time. Daily when he's on tour in fact. That's why some of these comments from my "peers" really mean a lot to me. (I didn't include the generic ones like "great review, thanks for sharing" etc.)

"Great review and pics Heidi! You're a great blogger"

"Your blog was great, I enjoyed the little bit of you that you put into it, I really felt like I was there living it with you ..it made me smile and laugh ... thanks for sharing!"

"Heidi, loved your review and loved your pics, you are too cute! Great blog, you didn't leave out any details, thanks!"

"Great blog/review Heidi. I read every word and you put such detail in that it felt like I was at that M&G and concert! ... I wish I was!"

"Great review! I liked the fact that you acknowledge Eric Church's perfomance even though you didn't know his songs. Eric's album is actually VERY GOOD and I hope this brings him more popularity."


Thank you to all my regular readers for your comments too. I can say "I blog for me" but seeing your comments really does make me smile :)

~Heidi

Talking to Myself II

Here's another reason why I'm going to quit talking to myself.

As you know we don't have cable or internet at home. When we moved in Seth hooked up the tv and it worked (up to channel 30) It worked up until just before Christmas. At that time I decided that I was okay not having cable. I could handle it. I'd get more done, get more sleep and really, did I need that stuff anyways?

With the internet I've gone through more ups and downs. First I told myself "having it at work is sufficient". Then I moved to "I NEED it at home. It's cutting into my work time". Then I looked into how much it would cost and I decided "ooookay, I'm okay with only having it at work and at Mom & Dad's. I'll just deal with it."

Monday I got home to a notice from the cable/internet company. Basic cable (up to channel 30) for $9.95 a month, expanded (up to channel 59 including CMT [for me] and the cartoon network [for Seth]) for $19.95 a month for six months.

Twenty bucks? Split by two? I can afford that!

So I called them to get details. It sounds good. No cacellation charge. No hook up charge. Alright, lets go with it. Oh, and "we have cable available for just $29.95 with the first two months free" Ooookay...so that's still only $25 a month (each) and I'll theoretically get more done at work because I don't have to worry about checking email. In fact I can WORK at home because I can transfer files! And I don't have to go to Mom & Dad's for photo management. I called Seth, he's on board.

So, after saying for so long "I don't need cable or internet at home" and coming to peace with that decision, we're getting it. The technician is scheduled for Sunday. (Did you know they come on Sunday's?)

See what I mean about talking to myself? I'm going to stop it. It doesn't do any good anyways.

~Heidi

Talking to Myself

I doubt I'm the only one who talks to myself, analyzes stuff, comes to conclusions etc. but I may do it more often then others. Lately though I've decided I need to stop it because it doesn't do any good anyways.

Case in point. The day after the concert in Vancouver I woke up and realized that for the first time in months, I didn't have another concert to go to. I decided I was okay with that. I had had a wonderful time the night before and I decided that I could live on the high from that concert for a long time. The problem was a little conversation I had with myself a few weeks ago, also about concerts. Can you tell I'm slightly addicted? I blame it ALL on Diane. Anyways, during that conversation a few weeks ago I was thinking about the concerts coming to the area in the next few months. George Strait at the Tacoma Dome in Washington, Randy Travis at a smaller venue in Vancouver, Rascal Flatts at GM Place in Vancouver. At that time I decided the only (ONLY) person I really wanted to see live was Brad Paisley. I've toyed around with the idea of joining his fan club for well over a year. I used to frequent his message board until he made it fan club only. He's got a great group of fans and I'd love to get back in touch with them. So, during that conversation I told myself that the only way I'd allow myself to join his fan club is if he announced a tour with a Vancouver date. That way I could apply for VIP tickets and/or M&G passes.

See where this is going?

The very day I decided that I was okay with not having a concert to go to. The day I decided I was OKAY with missing George, I was OKAY with not seeing Randy (because he's ridiculously expensive) I was OKAY not seeing Rascal Flatts (becasue I'm not *really* a fan anyway) THAT DAY, they announced the "Bonfires and Amplifiers" Tour. Brad on a 30-some date tour with a Vancouver stop scheduled for May 22nd.

::sigh::

I'm going to quit talking to myself.

I haven't decided if I want to actually try for tickets and stuff. Especially with the new developments of my Texas trip. I'm worried that if I don't I'll really regret it though. Seriously. The ONLY concert that I'd consider and it has to be the one they announce.

Maybe someone's listening to me talk to myself...

~Heidi

PS Today is exactly one year since I saw Brad in Vancouver. The concert was great, I'd just like to be closer!

Dierks in Vancouver

I'm sure some of you guys are sick of me talking about Dierks Bentley but, as I've said many times, I blog for me :D

The latest concert was on Monday, January 8th. It was a cold rainy evening. I met up with Janik, Katherine and Louise right after work and we headed straight into Vancouver. Katherine is Jenna's older sister. (Jenna's my regular concert buddy who had a baby at the beginning of the year) Louise is a friend of Katherine's. Both are country fans and love attending concerts. They are also friends of Janik's, through Jenna. It made for a fun group to go with. (Katherine and Louise took the tickets I won through the radio station)

Janik drove and we made fantastic time. We were in line just before 6 when the doors were supposed to open. Unfortunately someone was running overtime on their sound check so we had to stand outside in the wet, cold evening for about fifteen minutes. It was probably a good thing becuase it took me a few minutes to clue into the fact that I needed to go to the box office to pick up my Meet & Greet Pass. I got it though and all was good. The Pacific Coliseum has a "no camera" policy that they print on all their tickets but they let me in with mine with out even blinking. I think they mean no professional cameras. Janik and I hit the merchandise table where I got a picture of Dierks for him to sign and a picture of Doc Walker which was already signed! Then we headed downstairs where we jumped through a bunch of hoops to get into the General Admission area. We secured a spot *right* by the front part of the stage. It's funny, every time I go to a concert I seem to get closer and closer (not counting Qwest). This was by far the closest I've ever been though. You'll see in a second when I start uploading pictures :)

Speaking of pictures, I told myself that I wasn't going to bother taking that may but since I was *right there* some how I ended up with a bunch. If you want to see all of them, I've uploaded them to york photo. http://www.yorkphoto.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=151947355 If needed my user name is "agent713@hotmail.com" and the password is "concerts". I'll upload my favourite ones here though.

First up was newcomer Eric Church. Eric released his debut album in July 2006 and has had two top forty singles (I believe) "Sinners Like Me" and "Two Pink Lines" Because most people weren't familiar with his songs, he had a tough job on stage. He made a point of explaining a bit about each song which on one hand was good because we needed the background, but on the other wasn't great because he broke the flow of the music. You can tell he's new because he doesn't seem to feel all that comfortable on stage. I think he's got a lot of potential though. (LOLS, I act like I know what I'm talking about :P) Anyways, I only got to hear four or five of Eric's songs because I was clock watching. He came on stage at 7 and at 7:15 I headed back stage to MEET DIERKS!!!

I did have to wait in line for a few minutes. I probably could have stayed and caught a few more of Eric's songs but by leaving early I was first in line :) I killed time by chatting with a few other fan club members and at 7:30 two of Dierks "people" came and got us. One of them I later learned, was named Jay. I didn't catch the name of the girl. The funny part was later in the evening I saw Jay on stage helping with set up and tuning instruments!

As I suspected, meeting Dierks as a fan club member is a completely different experience from doing a radio sponsored M&G. First of all, actually, hang on, I need to share some quick background before I talk about the actual M&G.

Background: Vancouver was the first show of the Canadian leg of the "Locked & Loaded" Tour. Dierks had been off touring for a month by this time. He writes regular journal entries for his fan club so we've kept up with him on his time off (some would call it stalking, I call it paying attention :P) We (we being the fan club members) knew that he had taken a vacation in Hawaii and went to a U2 concert while he was there (he posted a review for us), and that he had been in Mexico (in Cuernavaca) filming the video for "Long Trip Alone" (which, by the way, if you haven't seen, you must. But not until you finish reading this blog entry ;)) Monday morning he had been up early updating his journal and of course I was reading the entries as soon as he posted them. One one of them he had PS which read "i did get a little bit of a haircut" Dierks curls are infamous. They vary in length but they're always there. This statement made me nervous but I was looking forward to seeing how much "a bit" was.

Okay, back to the meet & greet. As I said, a fan club M&G is totally different then a radio one. Dierks has a lot more time for you and the security guards don't herd you through like cattle. As I said, I was the first one through. Dierks was just as sweet as in Everett. He signed my picture and one for Janik, posed for a picture and we chatted for a bit. Since this time I knew I would be meeting him, I had a few questions to actually ask. A long time ago in an interview he made the comment that when he was on tour with George Strait, he made a point of watching George on stage each night. I asked if he had done the same thing with Kenny because, over the years, I've noticed that his stage show has increased in energy to be more like Kenny. He said that yes, he did watch Kenny most nights and that when you're on tour with someone, their style rubs off on you. I told him it was a good thing and that he was just getting better and better. He asked if I had a chance to see Eric preform. I told him that I had and that I thought he was a good fit as an opener for Dierks (which I do). He thanked me for the feedback and shared that he hadn't even seen him on stage yet but he hoped to. Being first in line, there were others waiting so I moved to the side to give them a few minutes with Dierks. When I did he said "Don't go okay? Just stick around for a bit" OMFSM! How cool was THAT to hear LOL. Of course he said it to everyone but that's what I mean about fan club M&G's being different then radio ones.
After Dierks had taken a few minutes with each of us (and there weren't a full 16 which was kind of nice) we stood around and chatted some more. Someone commented on his toque and asked him to take it off so that we could see his hair (or lack of) he refused claiming that it was "too cold out" He told us about flying up via Victoria, about his seat mate on the plane who hadn't hear of Dierks but had heard of "The Del McCoury Band" (Dierks is a HUGE, HUGE bluegrass fan and had the Del McCoury Band sing a song on two of his cd's). He told us exactly where he had filmed in Mexico and that he was excited for the video to come out and that the DVD release date had been pushed back to March 27th :( We asked if either of his dogs or his wife Cassidy were on tour with him (they weren't) and wished him a "Happy Anniversary". When we said that he was like "yeah, it was almost a month ago" and we replied "we know" He got a chuckle out of that. It was great. Nice and casual and I feel like I got to "hang out" with him even if it was only for about fifteen minutes. He also said that he liked my shirt. I was going to wear my "Dierks" one but I wore it in Everett and you know that he's seen it a million times. At least this one was unique. He also commented on my hair. It was funny when he saw how long it was. It really surprised him :)

Good grief. This is getting long. Sorry. This is the first time I have really taken the time to think about everything that happened though.

Once we were finished with the M&G myself and another girl *ran* back to the stage. Doc Walker was already on and neither of us wanted to miss them. I recognized a bunch of radio station people back stage but I didn't stop to say hi.

I got back to the General Admission area and wiggled my way back to Janik. I know I made at least one woman mad but I wanted to be with my friend! (and in my totally awesome spot LOL) Plus, it's not my fault she was short. :P

Doc Walker were awesome. I'm not sure how long it's been since they were on tour (awhile I suspect) but they did fantastic. Their voices blend so well together and the instrumentation gave me chills. Plus you can tell that they're having fun on stage which is really cool. They have a really fun website. If you check out the DWTV part, you can see a sound check from Edmonton (the show after Vancouver).

Left - Right: Lead Singer Chris Thorsteinson, Dave Wasyliw and Paul Yee.

They played a bunch of songs off their new cd and all the hits from their first two cd's including "Rocket Girl" (my personal favourite), "She Hasn't Always Been That Way", "The Show is Free", "Whoever Made Those Rules", "Lonsome On'ry and Mean" (a kick @$$ cover of the Waylon song), "Forgive Me For Giving a Damn", "Get Up" and others. They also announced that their next single will be "Driving with the Breaks On" which I am very excited about.

Seriously, if any of my Canadian readers ever have a chance to see these guys live, you NEED to take it. You won't be disappointed. In the meantime, go get their cd's. You'll love them :)

Doc Walker did an encore too which was cool. I think it's neat when opening acts have a chance to do that.

Okay, now for the main event...or should that be "mane" event? OMFSM! Remember how I mentioned that Dierks said he got "a bit" of a haircut? Well he took the touque off for the concert and this is what it revealed!!! His beautiful curls are ALL GONE!!! ALL gone. It was funny, as soon as the lights came on you could hear the chattering starting in the crowd. It was the first thing everyone noticed. Dierks was really good about it though. He knew there would be a big reaction. Later in the concert when he was introducing the band he mentioned that one of the guys "looks like he got a hair cut". You know it was a comment directed at himself though LOLThis is another decent shot of his head. This also gives you a good idea of how close we were. This is the first time I've ever actually been able to touch him onstage (I could have at the Commodore but like the good scrapbooker I am I took his picture instead). This time I got to hold his hand a few times :)

The good news is that a hair cut didn't affect his voice at. all. He was still a.m.a.z.i.n.g. The set list was basically the same as Everett as was a lot of his lead ins and stuff, like running up into the crowd at one point (a move which I'm sure gives his security guards heart attacks), making sure everyone is singing and clapping along, referencing Kenny and mentioning that last time he was in town the crowd was bigger but only because there was a guy named "George Strait" on tour with him. Stuff like that that makes me laugh. One of my favourite moments of the night was hearing "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". I got this series of photos during it which I love because the lighting is so cool. His voice was just superb though. Haunting almost. So controlled. It gave me chills.I think this is my favourite photo of the night. I love the lights in the background and how he is so totally caught up in the music.
As I mentioned, Dierks is a huge bluegrass fan. To feed this love and to mix the concert up a bit, he's been doing a short bluegrass set mid concert for awhile now. All the guys come out onto the front part of the stage (right where I was standing) and sing a bluegrass version of "My Last Name" and "Train Travelling". "Train Travelling" is one of the songs that Dierks had the Del McCoury Band join him on for his first cd for Capitol. It's also one of the only songs where Dierks has the sole writing credit. Most of the time he has a writing partner. It was really funny when he introduced this song. He said that one of the reasons he likes it is because it has his only guitar solo. And it does. Of course it only lasts a few seconds but he does a great job of it.
Okay, a few more of my favourite pictures. This is a "classic Dierks move" Up on the box, getting the crowd into the music.
The one where he's sitting, I *think* he's singing "Come A Little Closer" Gotta love how he's looking almost straight at me ;)

This shot is tied for one of my favourites. It was taken during the encore when he came back out to sing "Long Trip Alone" It didn't hit me quite as hard as in Everett because I knew what to expect but I still loved it.
As part of the encore Dierks had Eric Church come back out and sing. It was interesting. You could tell that Eric wasn't totally comfortable coming out but that's because it was his first show. After being on the road with Dierks for awhile he'll be ready for it. Dierks used to do it with Kenny all the time (he and John Rich came out and sang "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" in Seattle) and he had Miranda and Randy Rogers come out in Everett. Dierks said that Deric Ruttan was kicking around back stage too and he invited him to come out but he never did. That would have been cool. For those of you who don't remember, just after I started blogging last year I went to the Basics for Babies breakfast and met Derric. He's a co-writer on a few of Dierks songs including "Lot of Leaving Left to Do" and the new "That Don't Make it Easy Loving Me". I read on the message board that Derric was at the Grand Prarie show which means he might be travelling with him. That's awesome because it means they're writing together and I love their collaborations.

Back to the encore. I forget which Johnny Cash song they were singing (I *think* it was "Folsom Prison Blues") even though Eric had his hands in pockets half the time, when he stepped up to the mic he blew me away!!! He has a very strong voice and he knew the lyrics cold. That one verse during the encore impressed me more then his whole opening set. I was sad when the concert ended. I know it was my fifth time but at least in Everett I had this one to look forward to. Now who knows how long it will be until Dierks comes back to the Northwest. Whenever it is. I'll be there!!!

Oh I almost forgot, here's a picture I took of Janik and I while Dierks was at the other end of the stage.

Okay, I think I'm finally done. If you've stuck with me, thanks. If not, I guess I'm writing to myself :P

Last thing. If you have time, visit dierks.com and see the Long Trip Alone video. If you don't tear up when you see him all bald in that Mexican jail then you have no heart ;) Fan club members have access to an exclusive video which shows his actual hair cut. That alone is worth the measly $20/year we pay. Not to mention getting to meet him and stuff.

Yep. I'm a fan :)

~Heidi

Altered Canvas

Some of you may have seen this on the message boards I frequent but I'm posting it here because I do have other friends LOL I mentioned a few weeks back that a new scrapbook store opened down town. Last Saturday I took my first class there. We did an altered canvas. Basically it's an 8x10 canvas from the dollar store layered with paper, and ribbon that have been inked and stuff. The class was a lot of fun and I'm really happy with how the canvas turned out. I'll be giving it to my mom for her birthday which is on Saturday.

~Heidi

Stanley Park

This is totally old news now but I want to share pictures anyways. You may or may not have heard that Stanley Park, the "jewel of Vancouver" has suffered some pretty major devestation from wind storms this winter. It's been at the top of the news for awhile and now there are major benefit concerts being planned. Sunday, January 7th Dad, Mom, Seth, Aaron and I (along with half the lower mainland) took a drive out to see for ourselves exactly how bad the damage was.

If you've never seen an uprooted tree, this picture might not make a lot of sense. Basically what you're looking at is Seth and Dad standing in front of the root system of a cedar (I think) tree that was knocked over by the wind. The picture of me, is taken from the other side. You can see how big the tree was. There are lots of big ones like this down all over the park. Lots that are snapped in half too. It's very sad.

And, as a bonus, a picture of the beautiful sunset that we were treated to over English Bay :)

~Heidi

Sick, again!

Now this is getting old. I was sick yesterday. Like knocked out couldn't/didn't get out of bed sick. It was awful! I was sick last week (seems like so much longer ago then that) but this was WAY worse. I had a fever Wednesday night that left me practically delusional. I forced myself to get up Thursday morning but I didn't have enough energy to get ready. I was nauseous and switching between hot flashes and cold chills and I had a splitting head ache. Not good. I called work at eight and told them I was going to sleep for a bit. Yeah. A bit. I woke up around one when Seth got up and again at 2:30 when he left for work. I finally had enough energy to get out of bed at 5:45!!! I slept the entire day and I wasn't even hungry until six. Last week I was in bed most of the day but I also read a bunch and ate regularly. Yesterday I couldn't even lift my head off the pillow. I'm back at work today. My head's a bit fuzzy yet but at least I don't feel like crying everytime I stand up.
~Heidi

Gimme a T, gimme an E, gimmie and X-A-S!!!

Soooo...it looks like the stars are aligning and I might just be able to go to Texas for Easter!!!

Texas!

Finally. I have wanted to visit for what, fifteen years? At least. Since my parents went in 1990. I know a bunch of people down there. Lots through my church and many through the internet. I just got an email back from Naomi...if you remember, she came up from Texas last summer. I brought her up from the airport in Seattle and we hung out a bit. Anyways, she's agreed to put me up while I'm down there. She's in the Houston/Beaumont area.

I'm thinking that if I go ALL the way down there, I want to make it worth my while so I may try and get up to Dallas/Fort Worth too. Hey Sherilyn, is your offer still open? :D

I'll keep you up-to-date on the process of booking vacation/flights etc. I am SO excited!!!

~Heidi

This is getting old

It's snowing. Again. Hard. I got sent home from work. Again. Of course that's not hard :P but I'm getting tired of it. I can't work from home. I need to be in my office surrounded by my files and with all my supplies and stuff right at my finger tips.

I didn't sign up for weather like this. I live where I do for a reason. It's normally balmy and normal. Rain for days, weeks, months at a time. I'm good with that. This white stuff? Not so much. We already HAD a big dump of it this year. That should be sufficient.

And what's with the weather people being right all of a sudden? They've been talking about snow and flurries etc for awhile but I just ignored them. Today I woke up to three inches of snow. C.R.A.Z.Y!!!

Anyhow, it's a bit slushy so I'm hoping it will act like proper SW BC snow and MELT. Honestly. Go away already.

~Heidi...who is obviously NOT a snow fan...

quickly

The concert was fantastic as always. I'm swamped at work so I haven't had time to post a review. I'll get to it though. I promise. Along with my other adventures. Thanks for being patient :)
~Heidi

"You Get To Meet Dierks"

Have I mentioned this yet? One of perks of being in the fan club is that you can apply for Meet & Greet (M&G) passes. This will be the third(!) concert that I have attended since joining the fan club in May. This is the first time I have been successful in securing a M&G pass through them though. I haven't received the official email yet but the icon on the tour page says that I have been selected.

I've technically already met Dierks (as you all know) but a fan club M&G is special. Only 16 people are selected. From what I understand, you go in, get an autograph and a picture and then you actually get to hang out for a bit. You're not just herded through like with the radio M&G's. Apparently he spends a bit of time chatting and stuff. I'm really looking forward to it! It means, again, that I'll miss some of the opening acts but I'm okay with that.

Oh, and for those paying close attention, I didn't get the Doc Walker M&G. I'm okay with that too though.

~Heidi

First Baby of the New Year

Jenna had her baby! A little boy that they've named Grant Rudyard. Grant after her dad and Rudyard after Rudyard Kipling. (Will is a huge fan of his). Grant finally made his entry into the world by c-section on Tuesday, January 2nd just after 10 o'clock at night. He weighed in at a whopping 11 pounds 9 ounces!!! He's also 23 1/2 inches long though so he's not fat by any means. Just long. It's funny comparing him to Kingston (who was born in November). Grant is much bigger already! He looks exactly like his daddy too. I didn't stay very long because I'm still just getting over this cold. I didn't bother taking pictures either. I'll have plenty of opportunity to get them in the future. When I do, I'll share them with you.

Congratulations Jenna & Will!

~Heidi

New Mug

Look at the cute mug I got from Starbucks today. It was only $2.99!!! You can't pass that up!

I got a non-fat-sugar-free-Cinnamon-Dolce because Deb and I had been talking about it earlier. Cinnamon Dolce is her FAVOURITE drink and she was SO sad when they stopped making it earlier in the year. Now that it's back, she's had three already LOL

I didn't remember liking it but I figured I'd give it a chance. No go. It's way too sweet for me. That's okay. All the more for Deb :)

~Heidi

PS If anyone cares, I bought this with the last of the Starbucks card I got from my SS Secret Santa. This way I'll think of her everytime I use it!

Magic Show

Last night Mom, Dad and I had tickets to see magic show that was in town. We got them from a lady at church and when we got to the show we recognized probably two dozen people also from our church! The main magicians were the same people who did a show that Mom, Dad and I saw at the PNE this summer. They had a few guests though. Normally I'm not a huge fan of magic shows. I don't mind them but I'm too skeptical to be really "wowed" by them. Yesterday though we had two six year olds and a three year old sitting in front of us. (The older two were in my Sunday School class back when I taught it) Watching them watch the show was so fun. Childhood innocence is a wonderful thing :) The additional guests were a nice touch too. It was fun and I'm glad I went.

~Heidi

Update Jan 3, 2007

Eeek. So I’m *really* behind on my blogging. I’m going to blame it on being sick though. That and vacation. So lets see, where did I leave off? Sometime last week right? The past two weeks were full of holiday parties. Pretty much every second night I had something. Starting with dinner with my SS friends, then Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day (which I spent with Meredith as I posted) Wednesday, December 27th I had a dinner party with all of my Creative Memories sister consultants. I haven’t been a consultant for over a year now but they still included me in their holiday party. It was wonderful. They are a fantastic group of ladies. I’ve attended a few retreats with them so there is a special bond there. I can’t wait to see them again.

Friday, December 29th I had my high school friends over for a holiday party/games night. Melissa brought her brand new Scene-it DVD game so we played that and then Whoo-nu. I’m proud to say that I wasn’t last at Scene-it. I thought for sure that I’d do horribly but I managed to go with my gut on a few questions and actually score some points.

Saturday, December 30th I went shopping for scrapbooking supplies. I knew that a few of the LSS’s were planning major boxing week sales so I did a loop and hit three of them plus Michaels. At the last one I scored a bunch of Basic Grey paper at 40% off. Monday I took and did power layouts with my DC pictures. Now to sit down and scrapbook them!

Sunday, December 31st was New Years Eve. I had two parties to attend but since I was already not feeling that well, I didn’t head out until around 7:30. I stayed at the first party for an hour or two and then was at the second one through midnight. There was *lots* of food and friends at both so they were really fun.

Between the parties I talked to my friend Jenna. She’s due to have her first child any day now but the little guy is taking his sweet time in coming. During the course of our conversation I mentioned that I had won that second set of Dierks tickets. Jenna handed the phone to her sister Katherine and it looks like Katherine will be taking the tickets off my hands! She has a friend who will come with her and we’re all going to car pool together. That’s a huge load of my chest. Not knowing what was going on with those tickets was really bugging me. Now I just have to hear on the meet and greet passes I’ve applied for.

Monday I was supposed to go for dinner at a family friends but I called Mom around two and I could hardly form my words. My throat was so sore. Obviously I didn't go. Mom came over with some neo-citron and Halls and stayed for a round of Scrabble. I beat her 390-292. It was great :) Yesterday (Tuesday) I did come into work but I only lasted till about 10 o’clock when I had to go home and sleep. Seth is suffering from the same cold, which I caught from my boss. The benefit of catching a cold from your boss is she is the one convincing me to not push it if I’m not feeling well because she knows exactly how I feel. Yesterday I slept for most of the day but managed to squeeze in a couple rounds of Scrabble too. It doesn't take any physical exertion and it felt good to use my head rather then just laying there.

I’ve made it through today okay but I’m looking forward to going home and relaxing. I’ve got a quiet weekend planned and dance doesn’t start back up till next week so I’m enjoying the break.
I have done some scrapbooking over the past few days as well and that feels nice. I’ve been away from it for too long.

I hope everything is well with each of you. Thank you for the well wishes on my last post.

~Heidi

Sick :(

Sorry for not posting for forever. I'm not feeling well though. In fact I'm going home right now. No point in pushing it :(

I'll update when I'm feeling better.

~Heidi