Alan Jackson

Nothing like a last minute decision. Doc Walker was scheduled to come to town this coming Wednesday. This is the second time they've been scheduled and it's cancelled. It sucks big time but what can you do? Friday night I was at Mom & Dad's after the board meeting and I casually asked Mom if she would be interested in seeing Alan Jackson in concert. She seemed open to the idea. We asked my dad and he flatly refused (the concert scene is SO not his thing) So, Saturday morning before my last shift at the store, I returned my Doc Walker ticket and purchased two for Alan Jackson. That concert was Saturday night! I can safely say that I have NEVER bought tickets to a big event, the day of but I am SO glad I did.

I've been trying to be all fiscally responsible lately. Picking and chosing my concerts (because they are my biggest weakness) and only going to the ones I really wanted to see, or the ones that are cheaper. That's what I learned in Texas. Go for local musicians. You get a great show for half the price. I had talked myself out of seeing Alan because I just went to the Deric Ruttan show and Doc Walker was supposed to be on Wednesday. Plus Alan's opening acts were Johnny Reid (who I'm not a huge fan of) and Miranda Lambert (who opened for Dierks in Everett. I like her but I don't LOVE her. Once would have been enough).

Anyways, we drove in and stopped for a high class meal at Ikea on the way. Hey, it's good food and it's cheap! :) When we arrived at the Pacific Coliseum "The Johnny" (as they like to call him on CMT) was already on stage. We must not have missed too many of his songs because we were able to hear him sing quite a few including "Darlin'" (my personal favourite) and "Thank You". Thank You is a song that I don't particularly like but I have to admit, listening to those lyrics with my mom there beside me, I cried :)

One of the drawbacks of buying tickets at the last minute is that all the good seats are gone. We were WAY up in the nosebleed section but, it wasn't really that bad. I was further away when I saw Kenny at Qwest! I did employ my not-so-wonderful-digital-zoom but I also limited the number of photos I took. Especially during Miranda's set. I only have a couple of her.

It was really interesting to see Miranda again. It's been what, 14 months since I saw her last? Well in that time I can definitely see a progression in her performance. She seems a lot more comfortable on stage and in her skin. Mom and I both thought that she could have dressed better (her outfit was pretty blah) but she looked good. Very subtle make up and I didn't think she did as much head banging as last time. I was comparing concert notes with my co-worker this morning and she said she definitely wasn't impressed with Miranda. I guess I knew what to expect so she didn't bother me that much. She is more of a "rocker" though and I just think she's fun.
She sang all of her singles like "Kerosene", "New Strings", "Famous in a Small Town", "Gunpowder & Lead" and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend", which she explained was dedicated to bringing attention to domestic abuse.

She also sang my personal favourite "Dry Town", as well as "What About Georgia" and acoustic "Desperation" and a fantastic version of "I Can't Be Bothered" which she introduced as "real country".

This is Mom and I waiting for Alan to come on stage :)
And this is the countdown for the last two minutes.

After I saw George Strait in 2005 I made a mental list of the top five acts that I wanted to see live. George and Dierks topped that list. Next was Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney and lastly Alan Jackson. I confess though, I hadn't heard great things about his live show so I didn't *really* try to get tickets. I am SO glad that I did though (even if I did leave it to the last minute) and I encourage anyone who is even slightly a fan of his music, to attend a show if you can. He is a VERY "low key" entertainer but he has a way of drawing you in and really engaging the audience. My coworker said it was because he opens the show with pictures from the "Jackson Family Album" so you really feel like you know him. I'm not positive how he does it but he does it well. I think it comes from being Hall of Fame maaterial and in that "superstar" category. He just has "it". I didn't time his set list but it went by fast. He has fine tuned the art of balancing up tempo songs with ballads and giving both their due. The up tempo songs are a blast but the ballads still get the reverence they deserve. He opened with Gone Country and, in no particular order, sang:
- I Don't Even Know Your Name
- Chasin' That Neon Rainbow
- Livin' On Love
- A Woman's Love
- Little Bitty (Mom's favourite)
- Small Town Southern Man
- Love's Got a Hold on You
- Good Time (the new single)
- Like Red on a Rose
- Pop a Top
- It's Five O'clock Somewhere
- Don't Rock the Jukebox
- Remember When
- Drive
- Chatahootche

For most of the songs he had either snippets of the music videos playing, or other images that reflected the themes of the songs. During "Little Bitty" the camera focused in on children in the crowd. It was so sweet.
He closed with "Where I Come From" and they played a montage of "Vancouver Views". They had shots of everything from Science World and Stanley Park to local theatres, eateries, construction workers, army personnel, hockey teams and many images of the flag. He got a huge response and rightly so. It was pretty cool that a "Small Town Southern Man" like Alan could make ME feel patriotic :)

For an encore he sang "Mercury Blues" and then signed probably two dozen cowboy hats and shirts from the stage. His last number was "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning). The simple image of the candles flickering on the screens was really impactful.

All in all, the concert was amazing. I am so glad I didn't pass up this chance. I asked Mom what she thought (since this was her first major concert) and she said "It was fun. He did a great job. I don't think I'd want to make a habit of going to something like this though." Not making a habit of it was referring more to being around some of the people that make concert experiences NOT as fun. We witnessed a drunken brawl during one set change and we were treated to some nasty cigar smoke. Plus there was the regular issues of people standing up and dancing when the people behind them want to sit. It's par for the course though. I've gotten to the place where I can block it out but yeah, it can be a pain. Anyways, I'm glad we went. I'm glad I could share it with her. Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Wordy Wednesday

The calendar says it's Wednesday. I'm not exactly sure how it got to be Wednesday already but my co-workers assure me that the calendar is right. So, what have I been up to lately? Here's a quick run down.

Thursday, May 1st
I had in my planner that I was scheduled to work at the store so after a mind-numbing day of filing with my boss, I ran home, at a quick dinner and arrived at the mall to find two of my co-workers looking at me with a puzzled expression.

"Uh...am I not on tonight?"

"No, your on tomorrow"

"Oh, uh, okay then"

So I wandered around the mall for awhile, went to the library and then went home and vegged.

Friday, May 2nd
I did work at the store. Busy night...until 8pm when traffic absolutely died. I had lots to do though so the shift flew by.

Saturday, May 3rd
Leisurely morning at home. I slept in to after 10am. When I got up I took my time getting ready and having breakfast and then I called my mom and we went for a drive. Stopped in at Terri's Croptoberfest to say hi. Visited a used book store that I kept meaning to go to when I worked out there and finally was able to locate. It's really neat. Stuffed full of books and other neat things. We found a couple of books to complete some of the series that Mom is collecting too. Next stop was an LSS to check out their National Scrapbook Day sales. I walked out with two (TWO!) pieces of paper. I was very proud of me :D Last stop was another used bookstore where we found more books. It was fun.

Oh, I forgot our FIRST stop. At Zellars! A few weeks ago was Administrative Professionals Day (or whatever it's called now). Everyone in the office got $50 HBC gift cards. HBC (Hudson's Bay Company) means that they are good at The Bay (big Canadian department store like Sears), Zellars (like Target), Home Outfitters (like...what? Linen's and Things I guess) and another store.

Now, those of you who know me, know that I am the worst decision maker on the planet. Especially when it comes to spending gift cards. It's HARD. Do I buy something fun? Something useful? Something that is $50? Something more? Something for work? What do I want? What do I NEED? These are all the thoughts that I have to fight with when spending a gift card. (Don't get me wrong. I love them. Feel free to send them to me ;) But be aware that they'll send me into a state of mental gymnastics).

My wandering in the mall on Thursday mostly consisted of making my rounds in The Bay to see if there was anything there that I would want. I started in the clothing section.

"A nice new blazer for work would be good..." Didn't find any.

Shoes? None that I liked.

Purses? "LOVE this red one...it's FOSSIL...it's $200" Not going to happen.

Upstairs. Furniture...nothing for $50.

Electronics. Appliances. Kitchenware. Crystal. Pictures. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

So Saturday I dragged my wonderful mother to Zellars. Same deal. New bedding? Nope. They only have horrid colours. Kitchen stuff? Nothing I NEED (this was right after I had picked up the microwave so I was feeling pretty good on the kitchen front). Foot stools? End tables? Nothing I liked. All of a sudden, BRAINWAVE! LUGGAGE I NEED luggage. I WANT luggage. Can I find a decent set for $50ish? First one? $200. Next? $150 for a set. Deeper and deeper into the jungle that is the luggage section of Zellars.
Do you KNOW how many different kinds of bags there are? Black, blue, red, green, black, purple, camo, orange, black and on and on. I was down on my knees looking at one set when a kindly older gentleman drew my attention to a sale set. I think he regretted it afterwards because I pounced. It's awesome (I took a picture for you) 60% off so it was EXACTLY $50. Teal (not black!) And, four pieces. Probably not super awesome quality but it will be sufficient for the amount of travelling I do. Isn't it pretty? :D

That was pretty much the best part of my weekend. Saturday night was bible study which rocked as always.

Sunday, May 4th
Church in the morning. Lunch with friends afterwards. Then I went to Mom & Dad's typed up minutes for the committee I volunteer on and then we went for a walk. I got a nasty blister from that but it was nice to be outside anyways.
I went home and tried to clean one of my tables off...three hours and six cards later I had a bigger mess then when I started!

Monday, May 5th
We were supposed to start the day with a conference call but it got postponed.
Worked on board meeting prep all day.
Stayed home that night. Actually got that table cleared off! Now I don't have to eat on the couch anymore :D

Tuesday, May 6th
Had that conference call. Got really stressed out about the board meeting. Ended up staying an hour later to get prepared.
Mom came over and dropped off/picked up some stuff and stayed and chatted for awhile.
Took a bath, went to bed early.

There. You're up to date on my life :) Hopefully I'll have something more interesting than luggage to report on in the future.

Storytime :)

Have you ever heard the story about the new guy who arrives in town? He wanders over to an old timer sitting in front of the general store and asks "So, what are the people like in this town" The old timer looks the new guy over and asks "Well, what were they like where you came from?" The new guy sniffs and shakes his head. "Horrible. They were gossipy, back biting, un-neighbourly and grouchy." The old timer frowns and says "Well, I'm sorry to say, you'll find them much the same here".

The next day the old timer is again warming the bench when a different new guy arrives. He asks the same question "what are the people like around here?" and get's the same question in reply, "What were they like where you came from?". His answer is different though. "In my old town they were wonderful, caring, thoughtful, friendly and loyal. I'll miss them." The old timer grins and says "Welcome to town, you'll find that our citizens are much like the friends you left behind."

The moral of the story is that if you go somewhere expecting people to be ornery and surly, they probably will be. If you arrive expecting them to be open and fun, and you portray that attitude yourself, you'll probably fit right in and make some wonderful friends.

I am very happy to say that, especially in professional environments, I have been very lucky to find a lot of the second group of people. I haven't worked very many places but I am still in contact with many of my co-workers and my life is richer for having known them.

Last night I worked at the store and afterwards my boss, one of the other key holders, and I went out to a restaurant. We had a really nice time just chatting about different things. They're both sad that I'm moving on but they understand and they've promised to call me the next time they get together. Sounds good to me!

Okay, so I didn't last a month

Is anyone surprised? I stopped by the store today and gave my two weeks notice. It was way harder emotionally then I had expected but I'm happy with my decision. I'll miss a lot of aspects of it. I enjoyed working in a store, using my knowledge of the product to help people with their purchases. I enjoyed the paper work side of it, processing transactions and tracking sales. I liked working in the mall and never knowing who I'd run in to. And the money was certainly nice but, I finally decided that I can't "balance" a second job with my personal commitments and stay sane. Work was winning out way too often and it wasn't healthy.

I am looking forward to having my weekends back though. I considered just giving up the key but then I'd still have to work weekends, and most definitely Sunday's and that's what I wasn't willing to do. I'm also looking forward to being able to plan ahead. I'm naturally a planner and I'm tired of saying "Yes, I'll be there" or "We can do that, **IF** I don't have to work". No more if's.

I have to write a letter to officially state that I'm quitting and I'll submit that this evening. My final day will be May 10th. That's over six months already. I'm ready for a break though.

Deric Ruttan & Kristal Barret

I finally got some pictures uploaded so I`m re-posting this with more detail.

Wonderfully intimate. That's how I'd describe the concert on Friday night. It was a small crowd in a smallish venue but those of us who made the effort to come out on a cold windy, wet night were rewarded with a first rate show.

The lovely and talented Kristal Barett opened the show. It’s been so fun watching Kristal grow and mature as an artist. She did a fantastic job even though her set was too short.
I attended this concert alone because I couldn't be bothered to try and find someone to go with. I was really tired Friday night but I went anyways and I'm glad I did. I ran into Edie again and we hung out together in the line.
In the auditorium I sat beside a really great English couple and the guy told me all about the awesome rock concerts he's attended (everyone from the Beatles before anyone knew who they were to Queen).

Kristal was so cute on stage. The lights were bright but she kept recognizing voices from the audience and wanted to see who had come to hear her perform!
After Kristal was a group called the “Little Brother Band”. I’m not familiar with their music and while it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t my style so I was really glad when Deric took the stage. I had positioned myself in the front row so I had an unobstructed view of the performance. It was a great show. Deric is really funny and very laid back. He has a small band. The lead guitarist, a bass player, fiddle/mandolin player and a drummer.

The drummer, Chris Sutherland was a drummer for Doc Walker! (among other people) I recognized him just a few songs into the set.

It was a 90 minute set so Deric was able to sing most of his songs. He opened with `When You Come Around` and, in no particular order, sang:
Take The Wheel

I Saved Everything

Unbeatable

Invisible

Shine

First Time in a Long Time (the current single)

Good Time (the duet with Dierks Bentley)

Atlanta

California Plates (my personal favourite)

Almost Beautiful

and the new single, Lovin`You is Killing Me.


About midway through the show the band left the stage and he did an acoustic set which included Maggie and On the Inside.

Deric also did covers of Dierks' "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do" and "What Was I Thinking", the CCMA Song of the Year, Aaron Pritchett's "Hold My Beer", and Eric Church's "Guys Like Me" all of which he is a co-writer on. For more details on Deric's Songwriting credits, click here. It was really neat to hear his versions of these familiar songs.

He also did...a smokin' version of Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road" and, for an encore, came back and did Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues". In between songs he shared little stories of being on the road with Dierks, Doc Walker and Eric Church last winter, living in Nashville (as compared to Ontario) writing with Chris & Dave from Doc Walker and the time Jimmy Rankin called him up and invited him to "Pen a tune" (said with a thick Cape Breton accent).

After the concert he signed autographs and posed for pictures with everyone. I only had a minute or so to talk to him but I got to tell him "thanks for not being an idiot", "good job on the songs and on writing with such awesome people" and about how I blogged about him the day he was journalling for the cd.

This was a special concert for me because a lot of the names and stuff associated with it has a lot of meaning to me. It may not for anyone else but I thought it was pretty cool.

"What's for your ego and what's for your soul"

I've been trying to get to this entry for a week now.

From an email to Deb last week:

I talked to my boss at the store yesterday [Thursday]. We'll see if she listened. I told her I don't want to work any more Sunday's or Wednesday's and if it means giving up my keys, I'm okay with that. Of course she already had me booked for Sunday but hopefully it will be the last one. I told Mom that if I find myself getting scheduled for more shifts, I'll just quit. It's not fair to the store to limit myself so badly and it's stressing me out to work so much.

So I worked Sunday and I wasn't scheduled to work again until next Thursday (May 1) I did accept a shift this Saturday from 11-3 to cover for someone but at least I don't have to miss church to do it.

I was surprised after my shift on Sunday how free I felt. Almost like being on vacation...which is weird because I'm still working full time at my day job. I'm finding that working two jobs, especially when they interfer with church, is burning me out. I've kind of been ignoring it for awhile but The lyrics from this song really hit me and inspired me to change.

Slow Down
by Kristal Barrett

Running through red lights,
Pushing through a long line,
Trying to stay ahead of it all,
Deadlines hanging over you,
Worrying won’t get you through,
Time isn’t always on your side

What does it mean?
When will it end?

Slow down, it doesn’t have to get done now,
Get out there and enjoy yourself,
Life is only once around,
Slow down, slow down.

If you could just get past this week,
Maybe then you’d get some sleep,
Living life ahead of it’s time,
What does it mean, when will it end?

Slow down, it doesn’t have to get done now,
Get out there and enjoy yourself,
Life is only once around,
Slow down, slow down.

Why are you spinning, so out of control?
What’s for your ego and what’s for your soul?

Slow down, it doesn’t have to get done now,
Get out there and enjoy yourself,
Life is only once around,

Slow down, it doesn’t have to get done now,
Get out there and enjoy yourself,
Life is only once around,
Slow down, slow down.

I'm going to try this new schdule for a month and see how it goes. Like I told Deb and my mom, if it gets to be too much again, I'll quit. Money is nice but it's not worth as much as my mental health. I'll keep you posted.

You don't have to want to, you just have to do it

Jenna shared this bit of wisdom from Dr. Phil yesterday. I googled it and came up with a direct quote:

You don't have to like it. You just have to do it. You don't have to want to go to school or work every day. You just do it. And pretty soon, you start getting some rewards from it.

I really like that.

I have two other quotes on my bulletin board here at work. One says

When in doubt, ACT

and the other

Begin Anywhere

All the same concept. You don't have to like it. You don't have to want to do it. You don't even have to understand it (this is a big one for me). You just have to do it. Be it a project, exercise, diet, anything that doesn't seem appealing.

Like Nike says, "Just do it!"

There. That's my thought of the day :)

Intelligent Blogging

I feel like I haven't blogged anything intelligent in forever. Well, maybe intelligent isn't the right word. Important maybe? Lately I've been reading a lot of older entries because I'm scrapbooking early 2006. It's nice to have blog posts that relate to the pictures I am working on but I admit, I get frustrated if I DON'T have anything recorded. So, with that in mind, what's been up with me?

Last weekend I was at Stillwood Camp & Conference Centre for a retreat with Deb. I attended my first one with her in 2006 and missed last year because I was in Texas. This year we had 13 people total. It was fun. I didn't stay up super late at night and I was up in time for breakfast. I got a fair bit accomplished but of course, this week I haven't been able to get back to it which is annoying.

I got my tax return over the weekend too. A portion of it will buy my ticket to Diane's wedding. The rest is in savings. My car gave me a scare last week. On Wednesday the "check engine" light came on. I couldn't get it in to the shop until Friday but they looked at it, ran the computer to clear the codes and came up with "the gas cap is loose". It was actually more technical than that. Something about "Evaporation" but that's what it came down to. There was another code about the actual gas line. The stupid thing is AFTER my light came on on Wednesday, I put gas in. I guess once the sensor is tripped, only a mechanic an clear the code.

Anyways, the point is, I now have a healthy, accesible savings in case my car DOES do something stupid. It's something I've been trying to build up for awhile but now it's there.

The other thing I did with a portion of my return was invest in Sizzix. I'm kind of late to the party because everyone is getting rid of their's, including Deb. I debated long and hard about taking it and even posted on one of my message boards. In the end, I decided I just needed to do it. The thing is, even though the Sizzix belonged to Deb, I've always been the one that's used it. I've gotten a ton of use out of it over the years and truthfully, I've gotten used to having access to it. When it came time for her to part with it, it was just logical, and right, that I would take it. So, I am now the proud owner of a Sizzix Sidekick and six fonts (Fruit Smoothie, Funky Brush, Girls are Weird, Nouveau, Script and Rat-a-Tat) Girls are Weird, Nouveau and Funky Brush have been living at my house since, gosh, September? Maybe even before that. Anyways, I'm happy to welcome the other three to my house as well LOL

Okay, back to the retreat. I left early on Sunday to fill in for my co-worker at the store. I worked there from noon to three and then ran home and changed for church. I stopped by Mom and Dad's on the way for a quick dinner and then we went to church. Afterwards I went out with my friend Christa who is out visiting from Ontario. I haven't seen her since Texas last year so it was nice to catch up.

Monday was my last night of dance for the season. Can you believe that it's over already?! Crazy.

Tuesday I ran errands. First I stopped at Meredith's parents and picked up her Grandma's old microwave. See? I knew it would work out! I haven't even had a chance to use it yet but it looks good on my counter. I also had a nice chat with her mom and got to go "shopping". Mrs. K has always been good about sending her kids home with food when they visit. Since both of them are living abroad she hasn't hand anyone to give stuff to so she unloaded a bit on me. It was great :) Next stop was the library, my parents house briefly and then to Walmart.

Wednesday night I worked, tonight (Thursday) I work, tomorrow is the Kristal Barrett/Deric Ruttan concert and then the weekend is here again.

There, it's a bit of a brain dump but at least it's here and I don't have to keep reminding myself to blog stuff!

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the changing seasons :)

Blog Challenge: Act Your Age

If you could go back to any age again, how old would you want to be and why?
What age would you least like to be and why?

Easy peasy. What age would I want to be? 7. What age could you not pay me to be again? 15.

Seven was a great age. If I had to go be a kid again, or if I got to be one for just one day, I'd be seven. I was in grade two that year with Miss Sharpe. I had lots of friends. Meredith and Rachel & Lisa lived a few houses away and I had lots of school and church friends. Seth was five and Robert was three so we could do some stuff together. Seven was a wonderful carefree year. Play, play, play and play some more. Outside in our big yard, at the park, inside in our huge playroom it didn't matter. There were no worries and any concerns we did have were brushed off.

I even remember very clearly the day I TURNED seven. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday and I was wearing my best dress and feeling on top of the world. One of the ladies told me "Seven is a very special number" and she's right. It was a great year.

In contrast, fifteen was a horrible year. I only had a handful of friends and I was in the middle of the very akward teen years. To this day I feel sorry for fifteen year old girls because I know how hard it can be. School seemed like it would *never* end, horomones are out of wack and every single small detail seems like an unsurmountable obstacle. I hated being fifteen.

The truth is though, I would never want to go "back". Maybe for one day but I have "been there done that" with many good memories and I have no desire to repeat my childhood.

Sweet Tea vs. Iced Coffee

Diane blogged about how in Michigan, McDonald's just debuted sweet tea. In Canada...Vancouver to be specific, they have iced coffee. Gotta love regional differences.

And for the record, I won't be ordering this either. If I want cold coffee it must be blended. That's the Starbucks influence in me.

Second Visitation

According to my trusty blog it's been a full year since my last visitation with Dance. Last night a number of us visited the club in my hometown. It was an interesting experience. The hall is only about five blocks from my house. I still drove because it was dark by the time we got out and if my dad heard that I was walking through downtown alone he'd have my head.

Most of the members there seem to be older. I mean, I know that square dancing generally attracts seniors but these were...senior, seniors LOL All very sweet people. I didn't have a partner with me but the president of the club stepped in and we danced well together. It was billed as a Plus Level dance (Basic/Mainstream/Plus). I've been dancing for 3.5 years now and I kind of naturally progressed into Plus. I was really happy with how I did last night though. A different caller is always an adventure but this one was quite good. Very easy going.

I had to laugh at one point. There was this one sweet older guy who can't have been all of five feet tall. Dancing with him was like dancing with a child. At one point he spun me around and he kept my hand (over my head) through the whole move. After I completed it he said "Hey, I did it!" Like it was a big accomplishment LOL

Monday night is our last night of dance for the season and then we're done again until September. It's hard to believe we're finished so soon!

Billy Bob's Texas Two

Going back to Billy Bob's was really neat. I already had the "insider's" view of it, now I got to see more of the "public" view. We learned all of the history of Billy Bob's. How it was orignially used as a barn, how during the Second World War it was used as an airplane factory and how in the fifties it was used as a department store that was so big, the stock boys wore roller skates to get around.
Inside we were shown memrobilia that I had missed the night before. Like Reba's dress from one of the awards shows and the saddle from...I forget. A movie? Possibly Urban Cowboy but I don't remember.

I'm sure the girls got tired of me saying "And Marty said this, and Marty said that" but I had fun sharing all my new triva knowledge :D



Blake Shelton's hands are bigger than mine. Surprise! LOL
In front of the bull riding ring. The point of this picture was to capture the chewing tobacco sign behind me. It currently doesn't have a warning from the Surgeon General because it was put up before that. It's also WAY bigger than regulation. The cool thing is that it's grandfathered and as long as the sign isn't altered, it can still be displayed. It can be touched up but only with original colours. Gotta love loopholes :)

After we finished at Billy Bob's we went back around to the front of the Live Stock Exchange building where I got to hold a real live armadillo! The little bugger had sharp, strong claws so the big industrial orange gloves came in handy.

Fort Worth Stock Yards

Wow. It's been a whole YEAR since my trip to Texas. That is hard to believe. You know what is sad? I haven't even finished BLOGGING the trip, never mind scrapbooking it. Oi.

Okay, I started this entry (and a few others) many, many months ago. What say we finish it up?

It was kind of funny to be BACK at the Stockyards so soon after leaving the night before but this was a very different experience. We started off outside watching the cattle drive. Stacy prepared me by telling about the time she brought Debbie (PPD) there. Apparently Debbie had her camera set on "fast action" and when the cattle came down the street she was very disappointed. Instead of the "cattle stampede" she expected, it turned out more like "cattle mosey". We got a good laugh out of that. It was still neat to see them coming down the streets though and it helped me picture what it might have been like back in the heydays of the Stock Yards.

We did the touristy thing and took a guided walking tour of the Stock Yards. Our tour started with a video in the visitors center called "The Spirt of the West" which gave us the background of how and why Fort Worth was settled.

Fort Worth was a stop on the Chisholm Trail and the last major point for food and supplies. With the arrival of the railroad it also became a major shipping point and necessitated the construction of the stock yards.

It was a bit of a production to get me up on "Pecos Bill" but I made it. In front of me are Stacy and Tonya.

This statue is of Quanah Parker, the last cheif of the Comanche nation. It turns out Sherilyn is distanly related to him!

The cowboy church is located in the Stockyards Station, along with a bunch of shops and restaurants. This area was the former hog and sheep pens.

I won't bore my readers with the history of the Stock Yards but I will say that I found it fascinating. It will be hard to scrapbook because I'm going to want to include so many details!

This was our guide. Here he is showing us the Fort Worth brand.

This is the parking lot where Sherilyn, Corey and I parked the night before :D

Looking across the street to the Cowtown Coliseum. Inside the Coliseum was dark and quiet. I can imagine that it must be a pretty exciting place when there is an event going on. One thing I did notice was that the seats were TINY. You can tell they're old! The Coliseum holds the distinction of being the home of the world's first indoor rodeo.

Okay, now we're getting to why I'm inspired to pos this today (other than the fact that I'm reminiscing and it's woefully over due). Karin blogged about attending a bull sale for her anniversary. After our stop in the Coliseum we went next door to the Historic Livestock Exchange Building. We got to step inside and hear a live broadcast of an auction. There were cattle being shown on the tv and the people were bidding. It was very fast paced.

We walked through the Exchange building to the back where we got to walk along "Cattlemen’s Catwalk" which provides a "panoramic view of the cattle pens" We actually hooked up with ShariT from Oregon at this point as well. Somehow she avoided my camera though.
I should note as well that it was COLD that day. Very overcast and the wind was blowing. Our tour took us inside and out and in again which was good because we were able to warm up between stops. Going across the catwalk was windy and cold because we were totally exposed.
I believe this picture shows the abandon packing plants that are featured prominently in the history of the Stockyards. A few weeks before I was there they were used for filming an episode of Prison Break!

We walked along the catwalk to Billy Bob's. On the way our guide gave us the history of it. I'll put those pictures in a separate post.

Deric Ruttan: First Time in a Long Time

I love having a blog. There are little things that would never make it into a scrapbook, or even a day planner, that, when you go back and read them, are so cool! My organized nature loves being able to link back to previous entries (as you well know). I think my most linked entry is this one: Dierks in Vancouver Someday I'm going to take the time to make a top ten list for my sidebar and that one will be at the top. Anyways, enough rambling. I'm linking it today for this paragraph:

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.

(The Basics for Babies Breakfast would be the second most linked entry LOL This picture is Deric and I that day)

So, why am I linking to so many previous posts? Well, because I can and because I have info to add. I bought Deric's new cd "First Time in a Long Time" on Friday and I've been listening to it almost non-stop since (I do that with new cd's but this one is especially good). I actually had to go to two different stores before I found it and then when I did get it, I had to go to work at the store immediately.

I wanted to read the liner notes to see who Deric's co-writer's had been. Luckily we had another associate on so I actually got a break (I don't normally when I work evenings). On my break I finally sat down and read the liner and when I did, I laughed. No wonder I like Deric and his music!!! First of all, this record was produced by Brett Beavers who is Dierks' producer as well. Brett is also a co-writer on a few of the tracks. Other co-writers include Jimmy Rankin (I'll put the significance of a Rankin in another post, for now, for those of you who don't recognize the name, he's a fairly well known Canadian musician) and Chris Thorsteinson and Dave Wasyliw of Doc Walker!!!

Also in the liner notes (this is why I'm not in favour of cd's going away but that's another post as well) was a note from Deric. I don't know if it's kosher to type it up but I'm going to anyways since I doubt many of my readers will actually buy the cd (you should though. You're missing out ;))

On January 11, 2007, backstage at Rexall Place in Edmonton, I sat watching my friend Eric Church eat supper out of a styrofoam box. It was the fourth night of Dierks Bentley's "Locked & Loaded Canadian Tour, Eric and Doc Walker were opening, I was writing with Eric, and most nights getting up with Dierks to sing. Eric had invited me out on the road to write songs for his new record. Seemed like I'd been writing a lot lately, writing for a lot of people's records -- except mine. Most days on tour Eric would visit radio, and most days he'd come back on the bus and tell me someone there had said to tell me 'hello'. Every night Dierks was calling me up on the stage to sing, "That Don't Make It Easy Loving Me", and then he'd join me on one of mine -- "When You Come Around". The crowds were loving it. Eric and I sat there in relative silence, listening as 3,000 people roared on the other side of the cinder block wall. Eric paused between chews, "Are you going to make another record?" "Yep" I said. "Good," he said starting to chew again, "Because you'd be an idiot not to".

So, going back to my previous quote, I was wrong on who Deric was out writing with. It was Eric not Dierks. It doesn't mean that Deric and Dierks DIDN'T write together but we won' know for sure until Dierks' new cd is released late this year.

Anyways, I just love how Deric wrote that paragraph. I want to tell him "thanks for not being an idiot!" I have tickets to see him in a few weeks...that's where this is going. I'll be talking about him a lot more in the next little while LOL

And, AND (yes, there's more) Most of the cd's have a little insert in them now. Advertising other cd's, ring tones/music downloads and coming shows. The little slip in Deric's cd has a list of his probable tour dates. Guess what the last one is? July 12th at the Calgary Stampede!!! That's the same day Dierks is scheduled to perform! So, like I said, you'll be hearing a lot more about these guys :D

Karin Called Me a Rat

Well, not ME but, if the shoe fits...

Dirt Road Scrapper

Seems to me that everyone is running around at warped speed and most of them are running in circles. Reminds me of one of those rodent wheels. DD's hamster just scurries for hours at a time on her wheel and when she steps off, she's right where she started, albeit, she got a good workout.

This is SO me right now. Remember those Family Circus cartoons where you can track the kids path all over the house and yard? Well that's how I feel. Except I go:
To work in the morning
Run errands at lunch
Straight to other job in the evening
Out for drinks with co-workers
Home
To work in the morning
Run errands at lunch
Home for dinner
Over to Mom & Dad's
To Costco
Back to Mom & Dad's
Home (to watch Idol)
Back to work
Errands at lunch
Home for dinner
To Mom & Dad's
To church
Drop Mom off at her house
Home
Back to work
Errands at lunch
Home for dinner
WALK to the scrapbook store/gas station
Home
Down to my car
Home to watch more tv and scrapbook
Back to work
Lunch
Home for dinner
Work at the store
Home
(That's been my week, Monday-Friday)

and it repeats, over and over and over! Like a hamster on a wheel.

The problems arise when you are expected to be two places at once. I'm scheduled for a scrapbook retreat with Deb next weekend. That Saturday I also have a baby shower and a concert that I would like to go to. I realized today that I haven't bought tickets because deep down I KNEW I wasn't available.

At some point I suppose it's the whole "learning to say 'no' thing" but I don't want to say no. I "don't want to miss a thing" LOL

And it's not like I'm ALWAYS busy. Thursday was a night off. I had dinner, went for a walk and then watched tv and scrapbooked until bedtime. Very relaxing. Same with Sunday evening. I was home from about 5pm on. I'm not complaining because as someone said, if you didn't like it, you wouldn't do it. Which is true.

It's just interesting when someone nails exactly how your life is progressing and you realize there ARE other ways. Maybe I need to live at the end of a dirt road...how long do you think I'd last? ;)

Wordless Wednesday: What it means to be a "key holder"

Diana only blogs on Tuesday's. I don't know how she does it. I can't even remember to post a simple picture on just one day of the week. Anyways, here's my weekly offering titled "What it means to be a 'key holder'"

Mystery Solved

Although it's not exactly the outcome I would have liked at least I (mostly) understand it now. One of the reasons I answered a call from a strange number in the middle of the night in the first place was a few weeks before that my brother Aaron had called. He was at a friends house so the number showed up on call display. It turned out that he just dialed my number accidently but I recognized his voice, he appologized and that was that.

Yesterday Mom, Aaron, his girlfriend Carly and I went to Costco. While we were walking through the store I was telling Mom about these strange phone calls I keep getting. Aaron got a funny look on his face and asked what the number was. I whipped out my phone and scrolled through the "received calls" and read it to him. He rolled his eyes and said "That's Beau" (a friend of his). "Oh" I said, "well, please tell him that your sister can NOT help him get 'a twenty bag of bud'"

So, mystery solved. Hopefully that will be the end of my midnight calls.

It probably shouldn't, but it makes me laugh!

Remember this guy from a few weeks ago? Well he called back this weekend.

11:35pm Friday "Hey, can I get a twenty bag"
Me: "Dude, you've got the wrong number. You've called before (I recognized the number) I can't help you. Delete this number please." AND LET ME SLEEP! Uggh.

Last night (Monday) I worked at the store. We were doing a major layout which means changing the whole store around and moving most of the product. Almost all of the staff were on. Afterwards we left together. We were walking through the parking lot and this kid in a hoodie cut right in front of us. The smell of pot hit us all at the same time and we just disolved into laughter.

I shouldn't laugh but it's funny!

Okay, okay, okay

I really should wait until I've been tagged by 7 people but this is so much more interesting than writing minutes. :D

I've been tagged in the past by Ashley and Veronica and now by Tonya
Link to the person that tagged you. √
Post the rules on your blog √
Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog. √
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. √
Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven Random Facts about me…

1. I was scared of my maternal Great-Grandma. I'm really sad about this now. I was looking at pictures over Christmas and while we have a few of me with her I am NEVER smiling. I think it's because she had a thick German accent and I had a hard time understanding her. Plus, she had a stroke when I was quite young and her left arm was pretty useless. As a kid I guess that scared me. She died when I was 17 so I'll never really know.


2. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. One of the questions on our annual review form is "What are your career goals or interests" and "What sort of training/experience do you consider would benefit you in the next year?" I don't know! I would like to take a basic accounting course because I feel I'm lacking in that area but whenever I go online to research courses I invariably end up some where other than the Business Admin section. Usually history...


3. I have a toonie (Canadian two dollar coin) stuck in my steering wheel. I dropped it in there over a month ago and I haven't been able to get it out yet. It's not a big deal except that once in awhile it connects with my horn and makes it blare randomly...usually when I'm going through intersections.


4. I have zero idea how to change headers or colours on Blogger or MySpace. I'm sure it can't be that difficult but I haven't figured it out. (If anyone would like to teach me, I'd be forever grateful)


5. I always use a blue highlighter to track responses. When I started this job, blue was all I had and I like to be consistent.


6. My computer passwords can always be typed with only one hand, usually my left. It comes from working reception for many years and inevitably having the phone ring while I was trying to boot up my computer. This way it's easier to multitask!


7. I love changing the bottle on the water cooler. I love emptying bottles, any bottle, because it gives me a sense of fulfillment. This is just an ultimate bottle. Weird, I know.

TAG YOU ARE IT: anyone who hasn't been tagged before