Fabulous Weekend in Jasper - Christmas in November at the JPL to celebrate AM's Significant Birthday!

This was a legendary weekend! I spent it in beautiful Jasper at the Jasper Park Lodge during Christmas in November.  I was there with 7 other wonderful women and we were all there to celebrate a significant birthday of my friend AM. I am still in recovery.  So much good food and drink, dancing, cooking and baking tips, mixology and make-up, shopping, silliness and great conversation.  Here are some highlights:

First, the women I was with were great people to be around! Here is a picture of some of them and one of the bears we had a lot of fun with.  I am going to scan our fancy photo with Santa, but I don't have it yet.

Second, the food was amazing!

Third, great sessions! My favorite was mixology with Micah Dew as he was very entertaining and we got samples of all the drinks he made and I found a few new favorites!

Fourth, JASPER - the Lodge itself is all about luxury, and the views are spectacular.  There is something in the air that revives you even after a late night of eating, drinking and dancing!

Fifth, Gangnam Style - our theme song of the weekend.  We were captured on film and it was tweeted by presenter Julie Van Rosendaal who was great fun and hung out with us following the dance at the after party.

This is a weekend of luxury and it isn't something that I can afford to do all the time, but if you have a special occasion, or want to have a fun weekend with some of your friends and want to enjoy the food and environment of the Jasper Park Lodge, I recommend.  You feel special all the time and if anything, you have to tell yourself to restrain yourself.  The Lodge does Christmas in November every year and there are three packages of varying length and it is so worth it!

Happy Birthday Me!

It's my birthday today.  I got to sleep in a little bit... Now I will be heading off to a Production Meeting for The Weir.  This afternoon I have plans to go to Hotel Transylvania with the boys and then I am angling for a nice steak supper (yes, in spite of the beef recall... I want steak).  First World Birthdays are kind of silly.  I don't need anything and most things I want I tend to get myself.  I would like an iPad, but might just save up for that in a few months.  I love birthdays now that FB is in the world as I woke up to many, many, many greetings and it feels good to read all the wishes from my friends.  I have never been one to hide a birthday. I like to celebrate them!

My birthday wish for you all is that I hope you have a lovely day and maybe get some cake!  Have a good one!

Done for now... Approaching Birthday Weekend!

This weekend is my birthday.  Gibson just had his.  It is also Thanksgiving.  I am not sure what will happen.  I don't know what I want (other than an iPad) or what I'd like to do (a movie - I haven't seen one in a long time that wasn't rated G).  I want to feel celebrated and thought of.   The next few weeks are jam-packed so I would love a little rest before I hit them.  I wish it were as easy to please me as it is Gibson.  All he needed was Lego and a DS game... oh, and cake. I don't even need the cake.

Today I finished the paint job on the set... well, I finished all I can do until I see it under the lights.  I am only worried about one wall (whether I need to do more breakdown on it) so I feel pretty relaxed right now.  I was touched to receive a phone call this morning from Joan Hawkins, who I consider my painting mentor.  She had been out of town until this week and had popped in for some other theatre business and peeked at the set.  She called me just to tell me how great it looked!  This is kind of what Walterdale can be about.  People will take the time to give you a pat on the back when you do good stuff! The only thing she 'mentioned' to me was the wall I had come in that morning to finish.  I will regard myself as a good student in that her checklist was the same as mine.  I am feeling pleased that she approved - she'd tell me if there were issues that I missed. When they do the Media Photos I will link any pictures that give you a good look at the set.  I tend to have a bad colour balance when I try to take a picture in the space.

Feeling Better... not 100%

This week was far more productive than last week. First of all I am feeling better so that helped. I still am a little froggy, but nothing like what was hitting my head last week so that's all good. Oliver's birthday meant that I had to get moving Monday to be ready for Tuesday. I also had to get some of my work done for Fringe (Pieces) since I had neglected to get it done the week before. I did Toys R Us and picked up the Dairy Queen Ice Cream cake and made up loot bags for Oliver's Drama Camp. That handled the birthday. I offered to have a party earlier in the month but Oliver said all his friends are away on holidays so I just took the two boys to Chuckie Cheese for game playing and pizza. They were fine with that. I know that Oliver might think about the fact he doesn't get the boat-load of toys that other kids do because his summer birthday has meant very few birthday parties, but I know my kids have a lot of stuff. They don't need much more and he seemed quite happy with what he got. I'd rather that than too much stuff!

I tackled the media stuff for Fringe. Brent finished the poster and I love it. I hope you do too! The media kit is massive - so massive that it won't send via email. So I made a decision just to send the Media Release and we will have hard copies of the Kit at the Fringe Media Launch on Tuesday. No use clogging up the in-boxes of all those reporters. I figure most of the information they need is in the release as well. It must be hard with all these shows for the media folk to sift through it all. I cannot imagine. The program is almost done. We are waiting on a section from the Alzheimer's Association. That will come in on Tuesday. I am out of my comfort zone with this stuff, but if you aren't stressed, you probably aren't learning, right? I also balanced this with painting on the sunny days. I have some more to do, but I am hoping tomorrow or Sunday will be sunny so I can finish. I have Wed and Thursday next week as well. I have a few little prop things to find and then we are good. We had a great meeting for tech with myself, Erin (Sound) and Kim (SM) and with those two I feel so relaxed about the tech, that it's all good there!

Now, let this all begin! Oh, and come see the show!!!!

A night out...

Last night I went to a friend's birthday party while Mark and the boys went to a Guy Fawkes party. I had fun. It was great chatting with friends I haven't seen in awhile. I stayed out too late and I am tired today, but that's okay.

I also stopped by the theatre on the way and checked in on Much Ado. I saw about a 1/3 of the show and it looks good. Some 'line' calling, but they are almost a month out (3 1/2 weeks) so I was pretty impressed. Not a script onstage! It is physical and fast but not frenetic. The cast is having fun and seem to know what they are doing. That's where I like to see a show 3 1/2 weeks out. I have some props work to get done, before we get too much closer. I need to steal a sword to build the scabbards so I will do that this weekend.

I have had to deal with some drama this week at the theatre. I knew things were running too smoothly. Sigh. I hope it is all resolved, but you never know. Cross your fingers for me. It's nothing major, but it takes my focus away from things I'd rather be doing. It also doesn't seem to be necessary drama - there is nothing to really fix, except hurt feelings and perceptions (which I perceive differently so that makes it even harder). Sigh. I think some people can't do a show without backstage drama. I prefer to leave the drama onstage. Anyhow, things are otherwise running smoothly. The set is almost done and looks lovely. The actors are almost there but for a few lines. The costumes are being sewn. I am working on the props. It will all come together. It always seems to.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I like birthdays! I always have. Maybe it was because I was one of 5 kids, and the middle child to boot. In a noisy, busy home with 5 kids and only 7 years separating the oldest and youngest it was great to have a day that was officially yours. A birthday meant a present in the morning - yay! And then the birthday kid would get to pick what we were having for dinner and then there would be cake. I usually wanted Spaghetti and meat sauce. I loved spaghetti! And when we were little, my mom would do these shaped cakes - Snoopy was her piece de resistance, but there were others. When I was a teenager I decided I liked Black Forest Cake and we would get that. It might have been a relief too, as my Mom was working then and making a cake would be a challenge time wise. My birthday also falls very near Thanksgiving, so even after I left for school, I was often home on or near my birthday so the celebrations continued and there was always cake. Good Times.

I like Birthdays! Bring 'em on!

Anxious and Excited about Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is a busy day. First of all, it is Gibson's 6th birthday so we are following up the grand dinner at BP's we had tonight by heading off to IKEA for breakfast. Mark will then drop me off at the theatre while he takes the boys elsewhere for whatever adventure they can handle. The three of them are all in various stages of sickness so they may just head back home to rest.

And THEN, I will see the first 3 of my Rabbit Hole auditioners. A few people contacted me and wanted to audition but were away for the Thanksgiving weekend. I anticipated this and had an extra session booked for this weekend to accommodate any requests. I am so excited. I have been wanting to do this project for almost 2 years and now it is finally beginning. Currently there are about 60 people signed up. It is the last week before auditions so I may get more this week that I will have to fit in somewhere. There are some spaces left, but technically only about 12 before it gets crunchy... I just want to get started.

Nine Years Ago Yesterday...

I became a Mom. Oliver turned 9 yesterday and we spent this entire weekend in birthday mode. My niece Ariana turned 3 last Monday but since my sis and her husband were in town this weekend the birthday party was held on Saturday afternoon (complete with bouncy castle and sprinkler). Sunday we celebrated Oliver's birthday at my Mom and Dad's. It was more low-key as we were expecting my brother and his family but they were held up at the lake. But the time they got there my nieces were wiped out. In any case, we played a new game (Quirkle - given to Oliver from Auntie Annie and Uncle Greg) which was a big hit. We also enjoyed the DQ Ice Cream Cake, which is a perennial favorite!

It is hard to really think that I can quantify my being a mother in time. It was easier to do that when I was newer to the job, but now it feels as though I have always been a Mom. I do enjoy the changes and evolutions in my children as they grow into different people. 9 seems like it will be an interesting year with Oliver.

I Love Hosting Parties!

Last night was my 3rd Annual 40th Birthday Party. I do not have it to prolong my youth, but rather because the 1st one was so fun, I decided to keep having that party, once a year, every year, until I hit 50! I was a month off the actual birth date, but Sweeney kind of ate up the month of October, so no worries! In any case, it was so much fun. I am blessed to know so many wonderful, fun and talented people. They kept the karaoke machine running all night long from 7:20 p.m. until 3:15 a.m. (I was pretty good in my assessment that the party would go to 3:00 a.m.). We had people ranging in age from 3 1/2 months to older than me (I am not outing anyone's age!). We had the Fuss Cupcakes that I love (I think I will invest in more minis and less full size ones next year - that way you can try more than one and not feel like a piggy!). I missed a few people that couldn't make it, or forgot, or got ill at the last minute, but the BEST was that my sister surprised me by flying in from Toronto for the party. Only my Mom knew she was coming. She was in the city for approximately 24 hours! How cool is that!?! I am pretty sure she had fun, so hopefully it was worth it for her - I definitely appreciated it!

Next year it will be just as much fun! I promise!

My Dad is 70 (well, almost, we celebrated early...)

This weekend we surprised my Dad with a Dinner party to celebrate his turning 70 (he will be 70 by the end of this week, but we had the dinner on Saturday night). My sister and her husband flew in from Toronto Friday night, my older brother and his clan drove down from Fort McMurray Friday evening, and my youngest brother and his son drove up from North Carolina on Saturday afternoon. Dad was not expecting any of them and I think he was pleasantly surprised. We had a nice family (and some close family friends) dinner on the Saturday evening at Gini's. Sunday morning we rounded off the weekend with a bit of brunch and gathering at Mom and Dad's. It was busy, jam-packed and accomplished the goal of the weekend. My older brother assembled a bit of a slide show for the dinner. He had a computer glitch and could not access any of the photos I sent him (from the last 6 years), but it came together well. We read stories from Dad's sisters and mother and people spontaneously shared stories as the pictures prompted one. It was a fun night.

Now I am tired... Feels like the last 3 weekends have left me longing for Monday. I am, like my father, getting old...

New Projects are Exciting!

So, two good friends of mine asked me to direct them in the show, The Last 5 Years. It will be a co-production between their 2 production companies and it will go up in March. We met yesterday to check in and discuss the project and see if I am on board. I am. Oh yeah! I am very excited about this. It is a beautiful musical for 2 with really great songs that are dramatic and compelling. Very much the stuff I like to do and see. Plus, the two of them are great for the roles so it is not one of those 'okay, I'll do it - yikes, how will I direct them?' kind of things. (And I am not just saying that because one of them reads this blog!) There are still a few pieces of the team to put together and we probably won't start actually working on it until late January, early February, but that is alright because it gives me time to plan and structure the work time. Finally, a musical to direct in Edmonton!

Great weekend over and done with. Friday was Halloween and the boys had a blast. Saturday I shipped them off to my Mom's and had my 2nd Annual 40th Birthday Party. Great turn-out and a lot of fun and wonderful people from my life came and sang and drank and ate and talked. Everything a party should be! Yesterday was crazy busy, but I survived a pre-production meeting in Sherwood Park, then a group project meeting at the University, then a rehearsal at Walterdale, dinner at the Act and then back to Walterdale for a Board Meeting! Whew! I was a little punchy at the end of the evening, but in a silly way not a cranky one...

Happy Birthday to Me!

So far, so good! I have been enjoying birthday wishes via Facebook all morning. I have such wonderful friends! Ah...

This morning I slept in a little bit, opened my presents (books and Heroes Season 1 - yay!), dropped Oliver at school, dropped Gibson at Pre-school, came home and made myself a real breakfast, and then read all my birthday wishes. Who could ask for anything more?!

Germ Soup...

Thus ends a week of illness. I am still not at 100% but I am getting there. Tuesday was the worst day. I actually 'called in sick' for class and after dropping Oliver at the bus stop I went home and slept 5 hours. I still felt tired when I woke up. That evening I had orientation for Artstart and a rehearsal for Black Hearts so it was good I got the rest. I figure if I didn't have so many things on the go it would be a lot more easy to get well again. Or maybe, if I wasn't so busy, being sick wouldn't be so hard to cope with. Each night I go to sleep with the hope that I will feel 100% upon waking. I haven't gotten there yet and I grab little naps when I can and I am married to a Pharmacist so I medicate a bit to ease my way through... Maybe by my birthday...

Gibson turned 4 yesterday. A nice little birthday morning and hot dogs for supper (a supper I knew he would like... he's a little young to pick dinner so I picked for him). I am avoiding the whole birthday party concept for my children. I figure I will have to have a few over the years, but I don't want it to be an assumed thing. For one thing, they get enough stuff without the party from us and relatives. Also, I think the whole party thing gets to be too much and for them to expect it would bother me. I want them to appreciate things, not take them for granted. It is hard to know how to do this.

I've been a Mother for 7 years... Seems longer... seems infinite...

Tomorrow Oliver turns 7. So, 7 years ago right now I was in labour. The pains were probably just starting to get painful. With each contraction Oliver's heart rate would drop. I could tell that I was not progressing and that it was likely that I would need a c-section for his sake. I hoped not, but I was mentally prepared for the inevitable. In about 2 - 3 hours, 7 years ago, they would tell me that for sure. When I had the actual c-section I was completely awake and making jokes. I could joke because once they gave me the spinal I was no longer feeling the contractions. When Oliver was presented to me, I smiled at him and said "Hey Baby" and he looked at me. I was sure he recognized my voice. I recognized him. So 7 years ago I became a Mother and it feels like I have always been one.

Family? Dynamics...

It was a weekend of Family Interactions. On Saturday I took the boys to my brother and sister-in-law's for a Birthday Brunch in honour of my niece's 1st Birthday. It was a nice little event and the boys played with their cousins and their cousin's cousins as there were kids from both sides of the family there. We did have to leave because Oliver and one of the cousin's cousin have a bit of a personality clash and I could tell he was not dealing with it well. I wanted to get out of there before he punched her in the face. As we drove home, Oliver fumed for a little while and then asked "Is _____ on my birthday party list?" to which I replied "No. Did you want to invite her?". Then he said "I want to write her name on the list and then I want to scribble it out.". Uninviting her would have more punch than not inviting her at all, I guess. I have a bit of a hard time at these gatherings because of my brother's mother-in-law. She has a habit of saying things to me that always leave me wondering if it was an insult. If she's joking, it's not really funny. I am worried that at the next thing I am going to snap and lose it. I also get a little mentally exhausted trying to figure out if I should be as offended as I feel.

On Sunday we went to the Oberholtzer Reunion for Mark's extended family. These are held every 2 years and are the descendants of Mark's great-great Grandparents. Mark's branch of the family is always in good attendance because many of them live close, but several branches have dropped off the tree. It was a good afternoon. The boys found several boy cousins of the same or similar age to play with. They didn't eat much but they ran around a lot and had a lot of fun. Mark is the Genealogist of the Family so he had put together a little slide show that went over very well. He really enjoyed the day and I visited with those I knew and a few I didn't really know. One afternoon for every 2 years makes it hard to get to know everyone. In any case, the day went well.

Milestones and Millstones

Today I am forty. I like it. I have been thinking about this birthday for most of the year and since I've had slightly over 9 months to think it has more weight than any of the birthdays I have had in recent years. I think it is exciting for me to be 40 because I don't look 40 (I don't think everyone is lying) and because I can say that I have done significant things in my life so that I feel this "milestone" has merit beyond just the counting of days and years. Over the years I have set goals for myself and reached them, or not, but I still reached for them. Things like having children (a challenging goal for me to achieve), getting lead roles on stage (so much fun and therapy all rolled up together), writing a play and having it produced (butterflies!), and many other things are the accomplishments I cherish.

My major goal this year was about weight loss. On January 1, 2007 I weighed myself and made a goal. My vow was to lose 40 lbs by my birthday (today). This was achievable, yet a big enough project that it would require a lot of work. I fell short. I have only lost 30 lbs, however, it is not a millstone worn around my neck. Failing to reach the goal was not a true failure. How can I be sad about losing 30 lbs? I can't. The thing is, it I had not made the goal, I would not have lost what I did. I would have been at least 20 lbs heavier. I guarantee that. The goal made me work harder than I would have without it. The goal made me get up and go to Weight Watchers. The goal got me to the YMCA and the Treadmill. So I will continue to set goals. And I will set goals that will challenge me, ones that aren't easy to accomplish.

My goal today. For the immediate, I want to celebrate this day and this year. I have been blessed with lots of Facebook greetings, many kisses from my boys, and a promised kidnapping tonight. For the long term? I want to be down another 20 lbs by New Years. That will be 50 lbs this year. That will be work since Halloween and Christmas and snowfalls are in the next three months. it is what I shall reach for.