TAP into FUN CELEBRATIONS!

"There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate."
-Robert Brault

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap the source, you truly have defeated age."

"We didn't realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun."
-Author Unknown

What's better than CELEBRATING a BIRTHDAY on the BEACH!?…
Extra FUN with cousins!
Here are Beau, and Mariah, with their cousins, Linnea, and Lars
on Sunday at Waskesiu on Mariah's 9th Birthday…
getting some little pre-party treat bags!!!

Add two crazy Grandmas… and the party becomes even more FUN!!!
Grandma Nancy organized a fun party  later with more relatives…
FUN and GAMES… Party Hats, Cupcakes and Gifts…
FUN CELEBRATIONS!

Grandmas and Grandpas love to have FUN…
sharing it together is even better…
Grandpa Arvid and Grandpa Brian on the beach with their birthday girl,
...The Grandmas setting up the party FUN!
We truly were all here for the fun!
 

Our weekend had many family celebrations from dining out,
to just plain having FUN!

These two peas in a pod… cousins… Mariah and Linnea…
were so cute together and inseparable all weekend.
I know they made many FUN memories to last a lifetime!

The girls got along great…
and Lars was such a good cousin watching out for Beau all weekend, too.
Cousins love when they can connect for FUN always .

From Mariah's 9th Birthday… we went to a very special Celebration
to honour Nancy and Arvid and their relatives, Brian and Darlene,
as they celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversaries,
at the Town Hall
in Waskesiu…
a fabulous milestone celebration for all who came!

The little ones at the party were not only entertained
 by all the costume accessories
for the photo booth opportunities…
but they kept the entire audience entertained all night
with their on going little parades of fashions!
Unfortunately, my photos do not do them justice…
but a fun time was had by all!

The little boys had more fun playing out doors at the party…
and the scooters
were a big hit!

Mariah and her cousin, Linnea were the greeters at the door
at the anniversary celebration.
Their Auntie Ingrid was the party MC and did a nice tribute
to the two honoured Anniversary families..
Erica  and Ingrid with their Molberg cousins…
did a fine job of party preps.
Jana enjoyed her times with the sisters-in-law.

I managed to capture some of the Pedersons here…
Nels, with Jana… as well as with his parents.
and his two sisters, Erica and Ingrid here with my hubby!

And here is their brother,  Jens, outside with the little guys…
as he showed off his surf board.
The party had many entertaining moments and chances to
TAP into lots of FUN!

Some extra special moments of the night were
a performance of
"Please Mr. Postman" sung by Darlene's four sisters who were bridesmaids
40 years ago… they wore green and yellow and their look alike bridesmaid hats!
Nancy's one Bridesmaid in attendance at the party, Mim, was wearing her Bridesmaid
dress from forty years ago… cute both weddings had the same colours of Green and Yellow!
Both grooms got up and said some very nice things about their years of marriage…
with a little super man(Beau) racing across the stage out front!
Many cherished memories were recalled…
and a few tears and giggles along the way, too!

I do love every chance I get to craft a card… or do up a party treat bag,
so here are some of those from the weekend.
We really did TAP into FUN CELEBRATIONS
on many levels.

Yesterday before leaving Waskesiu, we met up with Nancy and Arvid
when they were out walking their dog JETER.
Upon arriving home yesterday we got our dog, SHUFFLE, from
doggie daycare where she spent her weekend.

We were barely home and were invited to yet another fun celebration,
a little Happy Hour Gathering at our friend, Ella's, for refreshments in
her backyard with friend, Vern. 

A week ago I TAPPED into another FUN CELEBRATION…
with friends… Vanessa, Claudette and Julie.
We were outTAPPING on Vanessa's deck… with our famous lead in …
"Five, Six, SO We've GOT!"
Thanks for the fun times, gals!!!…
we've literally TAPPED into so many in our lives along the way.



What a week of FUN CELEBRATIONS I have had.
I had hoped to TAP into my blog yesterday on
"International Tap Dance Day"…
but ended up not getting a chance to…
so here
I am today instead!


A week ago on the long weekend Monday, I was invited to a dance friend's house for some fun celebrations together…
Former dance teacher, Vanessa, and friends, adult tappers, and dance moms, Claudette and Julie met for  a few refreshments and just a little catch up time.
We always have fun when ever we
TAP into that opportunity!


This past weekend, Brian and I went to Waskesiu for a
 little get away and many FUN CELEBRATIONS.
The photos above depict the fun we had… but I captured many more as well. Anyone who knows me, knows I do like to capture the moments as they happen!!! I figure you can never go back and recapture them so you have to
TAP into that chance as you get it!


Our sweet grand daughter, Mariah turned 9 on the 24th… hard to believe she is that old already… I still remember the day she was born in Edmonton weighing in at the very tiny birth weight of 4 pounds 11 ounces!…
She has brought such joy and happiness to our lives ever since. She lived the first 2 years of her life in Edmonton and we were so grateful when her family moved here just before her 2nd birthday. Her other grandparents live in Edmonton… but we feel so lucky to to have the grandkids
close to us, now.


Also this weekend was a special
40th Wedding Anniversary Celebration
for Nancy and Arvid
who were married on May 31st, 1975
 as well as relatives of theirs',
Brian and Darlene…
who got married on May 24th, 1975.
The event was so well organized and planned out by the children of the two families and many friends and relatives were in attendance for the wonderful
dinner and dance celebration.
We couldn't have asked for a better forecast  for a lake celebration… the weather was absolutely perfect!
Thanks to both those families for including us in their fun celebrations … we felt honoured to be a part of that!


When arriving home from Waskesiu yesterday we got our happy doggie, Shuffle, from doggie daycare, and no sooner got home and were invited for a little happy hour celebration with friends, Ella and Vern … such a nice warm welcome home from our weekend away.


Later today we are invited out again to friends,
Bob and Jacquie's… and the fun celebrations continue!
In between I will get Mariah to her dance lessons today, too… always something to TAP into!!!


This weekend I look forward to the BSOBAD annual year end show which this year is entitled…
"THE STORY OF MY LIFE"
I know it will be an awesome show,
Brenda does a great job of co-ordinating her dancers and twirlers into a theme related show…
always a FUN CELEBRATION, for sure!
I usually help wrap up her gifts for staff, too, so will be on that project this week leading up to her year end…
I do love to TAP into a WRAPPING project!!!


Happy CELEBRATIONS to anyone who is CELEBRATING any events in their life… just today I noticed 8 of my Facebook friends have birthdays… that is a big CELEBRATION day … so Birthday wishes to all!


As mentioned earlier, yesterday was
"International Tap Dance Day"
… a day close to my heart being a
TAP DANCE LOVER...
Tappiness always brings me Happines,
and is always worth CELEBRATING!



On that note here is my rhyme of the day…


I'm the kind of girl who loves fun celebrations
Whether it's with friends ...or with family relations.
From birthdays, to anniversaries or parties of some kind,
I love to be a part of it , in any way I find!
Life is way too short to not make the time…
To celebrate the fun, through parties and or rhyme.
Life is like a party… from the very start,
It's about just what you do, when following your heart.
Tap into the fun things, the things that make you smile,
Make a happy memory to last a real long while.
On the in-between days just keep your feet a tappin'
That's the way to celebrate the fun things as they happen!

It's A JOURNEY!

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
-Confucius

"It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it's the journey that matters in the end."
-Ursula Le Guin

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. "
-Greg Anderson

I am on a mini journey of activities with Beau every time I babysit him.
Here he is yesterday when we went to Dollarama…
and he spotted the cars
outside the store!
He is quite the little guy…
he managed to talk me into two treats there yesterday!

Yesterday morning we met the grandkids at Fuddruckers for
our Sunday breakfast, then the kids came back here.
Mariah loves to stretch while watching tv!!!
She ended up spending her afternoon with a friend at a movie, while
Beau stayed us for the day.

It is truly a journey from one activity to the next when I have Beau here.
Don't let that innocent little face fool you… he is a busy busy little rascal!
We made banana muffins yesterday… he built houses
out of the jenga blocks… and he did many other fun things, too!

Last tuesday I picked up both kids on Tuesday…
Beau always likes snacks in the car for the journey…
and because we were asked on
short notice… I just grabbed the fruit loops on my way out!
Yesterday Beau had his bike here, so did a bit of biking
but it was pretty cold and windy for that!

Last night ended in a supper at Montana's with Jana, Nels and the kids.
Always fun but not exactly relaxing!!! hehehe

Last week we had our good buddy, Ella over for a little impromptu
BBQ supper.
Ella and I began our journey as friends when
I met her at the gym about 4 years ago or so.
We have been such good buddies ever since….
And we do lots together now… so grateful for her friendship.

I managed to fit in a lunch outing with my dancing buddy,
Brenda. She is so so busy at this time of year.
We began our journey as friends… when we both lost our fathers
in early 2000. We became such good friends that we joined forces
with our two dance studios in 2002.
She continues to teach and is celebrating her 32nd year
at her studio BSOBAD… with her year end show
coming up on May 30th.
She always puts on an amazing show!

This is a very fond memory of a little journey we took
to Humboldt last May with my father-in-law, Greg, when his
photo exhibit of Grain Elevators was on display at the museum there.
Soon there will be no more elevators…
so they are becoming a piece of history.
We miss my father-in-law, Greg… what a wonderful man.
I love this photo, too, for the 4 generations of family in it…
represents the journey of life!

Another little throw back, to when Mariah was only 2…
next weekend she will kick it up a notch when she turns 9 !
WOW… what a journey her little life has taken us on already,
and look how much she has changed… but still the same sweet
grand daughter she always was right from the start!

Here is a throw back to my last year as a dance teacher…
 here with some TAP soloists at a festival in Edmonton,
when Jana and Mariah came to watch.
MAY 25th is International TAP DANCE DAY…
so in honour of that and my TAPPINESS Journey in life
I chose to share this photo from my final year of teaching
back in 2008.

One more throw back photo for this JOURNEY related THEME
today… this photo was taken exactly 2 years ago today…
on May 18th, 2013.
This signifies a JOURNEY we began then in our lives.
This is Mariah and Beau at the Zoo…
but it is a reminder of the news we received
just the day before this was taken…
Life really is a journey on many levels…
and it is all what one makes it where the journey takes us.



Happy Monday to all my blog readers… and thanks for following my little blog journey in life! My blog is really a record of my positive moments in time…
like a JOURNAL of my JOURNEY!


I have been thinking a lot of the journey our family is on, lately. We were given news 2 years ago… and as we hit the 2 year mark, it is a reminder to me just what a journey it has been on so many levels. I am hoping this journey will continue for many more years to come!


Life really is like a journey… like the above quotes stated… it's not so much about the end destination as it is about the journey and fun along the way. It is all about making the most of the moments as they happen.


Jana has been doing some renos on her store this past couple of weeks, so we have helped a bit more with pick ups and drop offs of her kids and some babysitting, too! Her store has had a successful jounery in it's almost 6 year run of SWANK SHOE LOUNGE.


I feel so grateful that I get to spend lots of times with both my grandkids, Mariah and Beau. But I am not going to lie… Beau is busy… being a four year old boy… he is very energetic, too… so I am tired out after a day full of fun with him! Last night after a day of babysitting… I had a crazy dream that I adopted 4 kids… yikes… I know that is not going to happen in my journey for sure!!!
Good thing I woke up to reality!!!


Beau was funny yesterday going from one thing to the next. He told me about his neighbour… he said he spoke French, because he was Chinese! hehehe
He loves to help to bake and he makes many set ups and watches lots of little shows on TV… has a big appetite , likes to play and have fun. I babysat Beau his first year of his life and we have a special grammie/ grandson bond…
with his little journey of life so far.


I can hardly believe Mariah is coming up to her 9th birthday this weekend… her journey of life has been so special, too.
I still remember the day she was born and we drove to Edmonton to welcome our first grandchild… and she was a tiny one, too, weighing in at 4 pounds 11 ounces …
she has had a fun little journey. I love the things we can share together as well such as her passion of dancing and crafting together when she is with me.
She is such a sweet kid!


This coming weekend we hope to journey to Waskesiu for a special little anniversary for Mariah and Beau's other Grandparents, Nancy and Arvid.
The family is gathering there to celebrate their journey of 40 years of marriage… and what a milestone that is for them.
I'm sure it will be a fun filled celebration for all who come!
It will be a weekend of family bonding for sure and celebrations of special anniversaries, and birthdays
and just family fun times all round!



Brian and I are excited for our annual journey we plan to take this summer to Montreal. We have made it tradition to go there during Jazz Festival time for the past several years. We look forward to another bonding time with
our son, Colin and his girlfriend, Caro, too.
We love that trip year after year!


I have sure enjoyed the shows of journeys on TV… last week the American Idol wrapped up for the 14th season.
I love watching the journeys of the singers on that show.
I have watched every single season, too.


This week the journey will be over for the DWTS and
The Voice as they crown the winners of this season, too.
It is so fun to watch the performers as they journey through the season with all their hard work from week to week.
This season has been exceptional, I think.
I have truly enjoyed all those competitive shows.


Soon the new version of So You Think You Can Dance will begin and more journeys will start. This year they have a new format for that show dividing it into street and stage… with a couple new judges for this season too.
I do enjoy the performance type shows a lot… and love watching all the journeys as they unfold.


Later today I am invited to a friend's house. This gal and I go way back to my studio days… Her name is Vanessa… and she was the longest time student/teacher next to me in my Diane Will Dance Studio journey.
I look forward to a fun visit and catch up with her today,
I am sure we will reminisce  some of the journey we shared together at my studio back in the day!


Also this week I am excited to meet my newest little
GREAT NIECE, Brielle.
She was born on Mother's Day to
my nephew, Brad and his wife, Janelle.
I know they are enjoying their new little
parenthood journey already after just one week of it!


To all the family members who have had birthdays and celebrations that I have missed along the way in my blog…
I say HAPPY CELEBRATIONS to all of you
in this journey of your life!


On that note…
 here is my long winded rhyme of the day…


Everyone has one… and it's a life story,
From all of one's sadness, to all of our glory.
Life is a journey and that is for sure,
We cross many paths, both phoney and pure.
But life's what we make it, and it's all that we do,
And just what we make it… is how it comes true.
We have to believe that the road that we choose,
Is filled with such strength, and positive views.
Sometimes the journeys have twists and turns,
We have little set backs and also some burns.
We go round and round as if we're on horses,
And we go up and down  along life's courses.
Life is a journey… like a merry go round,
Depends much on attitude, I have sure found.
We can choose to get down and kinda feel blue,
Or keep right on climbing and carry on through.
Our stories of life are different as we look,
Just like the chapters of every good book.
It's all what we make it, how our story turns out,
It's all in belief, I would say without doubt.
Each story is different… some black and some white,
Each one is different, no wrong and/or right.
You create your own story, with just what you do,
And how you create it... is all up to you!

MOTHER = Unconditional LOVE!

"God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers."
-Rudyard Kipling

"A mother is she who can take the place of others, but whose place no one else can take."
-Author Unknown

"Unconditional Love - To give and expect nothing in return, that is what lies at the heart of love."
-Oscar Wilde

Here are some of the first photos taken with me and my family.
My parents were the best parents I could ever hope for,
and although they are missed, their unconditional love has
stood the test of time.

What is more precious than a mother and her newborn child?

I know I have shared this memory  a few times over time in my blog.
This is likely one of my most precious photos of all time…
This is the very last photo captured of my mom
here with my kids,  grandkids and me,
only 10 days before she passed away at City Hospital
back in October of 2010.

Beau was born that year to continue the circle of life!

I shared this photo in my previous blog, but it went with today's theme
so I decided to include it again.
This is my mom and me back in 2008 or so at a Jazz festival,
which is a memory my mom and I enjoyed sharing together a lot.
The photo of Jana with me and the ice cream cake is one
from last year on Mother's day…
we had ice cream cake in my mom's honour as she
always loved ice cream!

Some special memories from this year's Mother's Day…
We shared a lovely brunch with my dear mother in law, Blanche,
and lots of family was there… here are the moms …
Jana, Sister-in-law, Bev, and myself along with Blanche.
I received a beautiful heartfelt card and chocolates from my hubby,
who is famous for his unconditional love always!
I also received flowers and a giving key from Jana, Nels and kids.
I did my traditional tribute to my mom, too, by getting
a Sundae from DQ in her honour…
Hot fudge and marshmallow …mom's favourite flavour.

Yesterday from our brunch family gathering…
I got a photo of Jana, Nels and Mariah…
(Beau was a at a birthday party, so he missed the brunch!)
I love my new giving key necklace with the word "LOVE" on it,
it goes well with my bracelet they gave me for my birthday that
says "GIVE" on it!

I love any chance I can get to craft a card… and here a couple I did yesterday
… one for my mother-in-law, Blanche, and one for my daughter, Jana,
both very special moms in my world from two different generations!

I also watched the Ellen MOTHER'S DAY special
yesterday on TV, too… where they gave away tons of gifts
to the audience who was made up entirely of
moms  pregnant with their first babies.

This week I spent some time with some good friends who are also mothers!
Saturday my good buddy, Linda from Lanigan was in town
and we shared a traditional Starbucks together at Lawson Heights Mall.
Yesterday morning we shared our traditional sunday morning
outing with friends at Fuddruckers…
Here are good friends, Ella and Jacquie.

Also yesterday I had a visit at my good friend, Heather's.
Friday I popped by good friend, Gailene's for a visit as well…

all these friends are moms, too… who give love unconditionally.

Friday night Brian and I joined my brother Bob and his wife  Arleen,
for a yummy meal out at St. Tropez Bistro… in honour of Bob's recent retirement.

Bob and Arleen… give love unconditionally always to their families.
Just yesterday they became grandparents for the 2nd time…
to another
darling baby girl…BRIELLE.

Here are two photos taken just yesterday,
when my nephew Brad and his wife, Janelle
gave birth to their first child, BRIELLE!
How special is it that they had their first baby on Mother's Day?
I know they will make excellent parents and will have an over flow of
unconditional love to give as seen already in this photo.

I am pretty excited to welcome my second "GREAT NIECE" , too!

Friday Jana needed to put together an 80's look for a girl's night out.
I do love a theme!!!… and I did have some 80's stuff kicking around, too.
... and apparently she had fun…
not sure which look she chose to wear!
We had fun and a few laughs getting her outfitted…
Hard to believe I wore that outfit when I was around Jana's age…
but I didn't look that good in it… she is in pretty good shape
for a mom of two now…must be all her dancing from years gone by!





Happy Monday everyone… and to all the moms reading this blog… HAPPY BELATED MOTHER'S DAY!
Yesterday was such a reminder of just how special
all the moms in our world really are.


Although my mom has been gone now for nearly 5 years, 
I still hold her very close and especially on Mother's day. She is the one who gave me my life … and she is the one who made my life special every year she was still with me.
It doesn't seem to get any easier to have her gone on that day of the year. My mom, MARiLOU, who many of you know, was a unique lady. There was no one quite like her.
She had a heart of gold and always wore it on her sleeve.
You knew where you stood with my mom… she would share her thoughts openly whether she liked something or not!
She was truly my biggest fan… no one was more supportive of me my entire life than her. She was so proud of me always. She loved my dancing and my dance studio and took great pride in all the things I was involved in and with. We also shared a love of Jazz music. She always attended the local jazz festival with me annually. We would go daily to the free concerts in the park to hear the local bands playing jazz music. That is a very fond memory for me, and now I continue to carry on the Jazz tradition… and often feel the spirit of both my parents with me while enjoying the music.
Although my mom had a few little quirky traits… that is what made her the lady she was… 
us kids like to refer to them as "Marilou-isms!"
Mom loved ice cream…
especially the hot fudge and marshmallow sundaes
from Dairy Queen...
so I have made it a tradition  to have one in
her honour on Mother's Day.
Anything my mom did… she did it with all her heart,
from selling AVON for 28 years, to her collections of dolls, plates, pianos, and more… to her love of garage sales… both hosting and attending. Her and dad were such a great couple… I truly have never seen a couple more dedicated to one another…and they set such a wonderful example of unconditional love for us kids growing up.
Even though they are both missed daily…
their spirits both live on in my heart always.


I am very lucky to be a mom, too. It is a title I am honoured to have. Our two kids, Colin and Jana have brought so much joy and love to our lives. In addition to them we are so very lucky to have both their life partners now …
Colin's girlfriend, Caro, and Jana's Nels.
What has been extra special is being the Grandparents to our two adorable grandkids, Mariah and Beau,
who we have nothing but unconditional love for!



I am so very fortunate to have a dear MOTHER-IN LAW, 
Blanche, as well. She is still living and so loving always.
Just yesterday family gathered to be with her for a nice
MOTHER'S DAY  brunch held at her home where she has lived now since last November. All family in town and available to go were there, and although I wasn't able to capture many pictures, we had nice visits
and a good buffet of food, too.
Blanche is a lady of a whole lot of unconditional
 love for her family always.
We are all so lucky to still have her in our lives.


I was thrilled to get an early morning phone call from my brother, Brian,  to wish me Happy Mother's Day yesterday. I think, he, too was missing our mom! Sweet of him to call.
I got a very nice call from my son, Colin, who never misses calling me on the special occasions. His girlfriend sent me the sweetest message in my inbox on Facebook as well.
Things like that just make my day!



I knew my friend and neighbour, Heather would be missing her mom yesterday. This is her first year of having a
Mother's Day without her,
so I popped by to have a visit with her.
I just remember the void on my first Mother's Day
without my mom.
Moms really do hold your hand for a while
and your hearts forever!


My hubby is always so kind and generous.
He bought such a sweet and loving card and our very favourite chocolates called Harden and Hyusse. I do love chocolates…and a sentimental card… 
in fact I love cards of all kinds…
and still love to craft them as well.
It means a lot when words are put into a card
to express people's feelings.
I am lucky to have all Brian's unconditional love always.


We sure enjoyed our outing with my brother, Bob and his wife, Arleen, on Friday. Bob has retired… or should I say semi retired!!! He is having a hard time letting go of work entirely !!! He and Arleen are sure enjoying their grand parenthood, too. Their youngest son, Jeff and his wife, Savannah, had baby Jorja in December and just yesterday, their oldest son, Brad and his wife, Janelle, had baby Brielle.
(The name is like a mix of the parents… clever!)
I can say first hand, that there is nothing like being parents … until you become grand parents… then everything just becomes a whole lot GRANDER!
Congrats to their family on all the wonderful additions 
to it this past year.


Today when sitting down to do up my weekly blog, I glanced back at Mother's day blogs from the past 4 years.
I am so glad I have those memories all recored and photos to go with them, too!
Capturing the memories is important to me.
Those blog posts can be visited over and over and I can take a trip down memory lane from time to time.


I am ever grateful for all the love we receive from family and friends near and far… and it is truly what makes our lives extra special for sure.
For all the love... I say thank you!


On that note… here is my rhyme of the day…

Unconditional love is what moms are all about,
They go above and beyond, without a doubt.
One can never know  how far her love has shone,
Of course until the day, that mother is gone.
It's after she has gone, a person knows,
How truly far a mother's love grows.
Moms share life and their unconditional love,
While here on earth, then sprinkled from above.

A-MAY-ZING!

"MAY the 4th be with you!"
-Author Unknown

"If you believe you will do great things, don't be surprised by the amazing things you can do."
-Altoplayer

"The best thing in life is finding someone who knows all your mistakes and weaknesses, and still thinks you're completely amazing."
-Author Unknown

  aMazing
   lOvely
 inTelligent
    Happy
  bEautiful
maRvellous
(mothers are amazing!)

Here is Mariah with her AMAZING Identity fair project on DANCE…
this took place at her school May 1st… and later that day she performed
inThe Performer… (which is what she has curlers in her hair!)

Below some AMAZING live jazz on Broadway last Thursday,
which just happened to be International Jazz Day…
and the end to April, which was JAZZ appreciation month...
I snapped this pic out of the car window  driving by!

The past 5 days I enjoyed some AMAZING dancing at a local
Dance competition called "THE PERFORMER"
I had really wanted photos of Mariah in all 3 of her costumes from the
dances she competed in… but only captured her Hip Hop !

Also got a photo of former student, Kelly, who was a teacher
with some students in this competition.
He broke his foot… but soon to get his cast off!

Jana, Nels and Beau are waiting here in the lobby of TCU place
for Mariah's final performance Saturday!!!

Above are my two AMAZING brothers…
the photo of brother Bob and me is a throw back from 2010…
but is here to honour his retirement this past weekend.

Brother Brian stopped by our house yesterday
and hadn't seen my grandkids in a while...
Beau was so happy to see him, so I got a pic of the two together!
Beau is modelling some doll sunglasses, too!!!

I liked the saying on my little MAY calendar yesterday…

"Your feet can take you in many directions,
but only your heart can tell what direction that is."
-Nishan Panwar

We had an amazing but busy day of babysitting the grandkids yesterday,
while I went to watch some dance in the morning, Brian bought the kids
new hats and treats… then in the afternoon… we had lots of activities
from basement hockey in tap shoes… to dancing in Jana's old costumes,
this basement has endless fun for the kids…and lots of mess, too!
So many AMAZING memories have taken place in this basement.

Beau and I went grocery shopping together…
then he went from being in the shopping cart basket to the little toy basket…
a little basket case!!!... he is a character!!!
He also wanted to make cupcakes, too and took the job quite seriously …
including eating way to many after they were done…
oh what a kid!

Mariah took Shuffle for a little walk…
and then created some dances
in the basement in her mom's lyrical solo costume
 from around1994!
She loves to create dances… she was so into it…
she must have been inspired by all the AMAZING
dances she saw last week at The Performer.

SWANK SHOE LOUNGE is relocating temporarily
for some new AMAZING renovations in the store.
Above is Jana and store owner partner, Melissa, with Brian from last fall.
This morning we visited the new location in the basement next door to
their current address, and already renos have begun.

Last week I got two new pairs of sandals from her store…
and I am ready for some AMAZING summer weather to begin!

In honour of MOTHER'S DAY this coming Sunday…
here are a couple of throwback MOM photos…

My mom and me at a Jazz festival about 6 or 7 years ago…
hard to believe mom has been gone nearly 5 years now…
I sure miss her.

And the picture with Jana last Mother's Day
with our SUPER MOM ice cream cake in mom's honour.
I am proud of the SUPER MOM Jana has become,
in fact in many ways she reminds me of my mom…
a very strong AMAZING woman.



I look forward to Monday-blog day…
to me it is an AMAZING day in my week,
and today we got some amazing news, too…
so even better!
As the saying goes for today a quote from Star Wars
"MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU"…
or I could say "4th"…
or even "FORTH" as we move
FORWARD on this journey of life!


This past week was truly amazing as we said good bye to April and hello to MAY!… April was Jazz Appreciation month… and the 30th was declared International JAZZ DAY.
Last Wednesday, April 29th was
International DANCE DAY…
and what better way to spend it, than to be at a
DANCE COMPETITION watching the many dance talents strut their stuff. I truly love to watch dancing … and when there is as much talent around as there is in our province,
it is so AMAZING to just be a spectator and enjoy.


The Performer Dance Competition is run by a couple of amazing young dancers from Saskatoon,
Sarah Rassmussen, who grew up competing with
Jana in her dance years…
and Shauna Engdahl. These gals put on a very classy competition very well run, too. They had an AMAZING judging  panel as well…all dance mentors I  know from my years as a dancer and teacher…
Kevin Tookey, Sally Ogden, and Susan Mensinger, shared their AMAZING knowledge, expertise and positive constructive advice with the dancers and teachers from the 16 dance studios entered in the competition.


My 8 year old grand daughter, Mariah,
 danced in 3 group numbers…
her Jazz Group called "Cha Cha Heels"
her Hip Hop Group called "Ice"
and her Character ballet group called "Grand Hotel"
Because the dancers ages are combined with the groups…
her groups all competed in the 9-11 AGE category.
She was happy to receive medals in each number.
Some competitions … all dancers receive medals for their mark standing, however this competition is one where a
1st, 2nd and 3rd placement are given in each category.
Thanks to Mariah's AMAZING teachers,
Mrs. Erickson, Mrs. Stark and Miss Danielle
for their hard work leading up this event.
I was a very proud Grandma.
Next year I hope she can compete in TAP, too!!!



I was proud on a few other levels as well…
it is now fun for me to watch dancers I once taught  who have gone on to teach dancing...sharing their knowledge with a new generation of dancers.
I also had former dancers I taught who now have their children now competing as well. Mariah actually dances with a young dancer, Jordyn, whose mom, Jennifer,
danced with Jana growing up.
Mariah also dances with a gal named Payton, who is the daughter of another dancer, Kathy, who I taught...
so a little history repeating there.
I had so wanted to capture a photo of those kids and post one with their moms back in the day…
but my thought didn't work out!!!
Mariah was funny about letting me get photos
of her in costume, for some reason!


I was so pleased that my nephew, Alec, also came to watch Mariah in her Hip Hop performance… so AMAZING of him to make the effort on his Saturday to come out
and watch her on his way to work. I know it not only meant a lot  to me, but to Mariah as well.


My good buddy, Ella, and I were able to share our enthusiasm and pride together watching The Performer.
Ella's niece, Amy, from North Battleford, performed in 11 dances total… so we were able to enjoy watching lots of AMAZING dancing together,
while watching our special relatives dance.


On Friday, my oldest brother, Bob retired from his job.
He is such a hard worker and now he will be able to devote his spare time to his hobby of golf… and enjoy his little grand daughter, Jorja … who will be 6 months tomorrow already… and soon Bob has another grand daughter to come this month as well. I know both he and his wife, Arleen, find being GRANDPARENTS just as AMAZING
 as Brian and I do with our grandkids.


I am pretty proud of Jana on her store success
of nearly 6 years. Her and her store partner and
co-owner, Melissa, are renovating their current location to make better use of the space they have for more
AMAZING shoes at their store called
SWANK SHOE LOUNGE!
They will be temporarily located in the basement
between their store and "Ten Thousand Villages"
in the basement at 141 2nd Ave. North,
while they make their store more AMAZING!


While they moved their complete contents of their store yesterday… Brian and I babysat Jana's kids.
They are pretty AMAZING kids…
but they do tire me out…
I am not going to lie!
Mariah spent much of her day watching shows she likes on the Family channel on TV… but during a spurt of energy she  took my dog, Shuffle for a walk, then made up some dances in the basement… she was inspired by the dancing she watched last week, but she always loves to dance!
Beau is bored if not entertained every minute!
So we did several things throughout the day including making cupcakes… which in hind sight seemed like a good idea at the time until he had too many and was extremely hyper for the remainder of the day. I took him for some groceries and while loading my stuff into the car, he decided to moon the people in the parking lot!!!!
He can be quite the character.
He was so excited to see my brother, Brian,
when he stopped by yesterday… it was cute.
I think it meant a lot to my brother too!
I was grateful to hubby, Brian…  for taking a shift with the kids in the morning so I could see one last morning of dancing at The Performer.
He is such an AMAZING GRANDPA!


I couldn't let this blog go by without mentioning my mom,
in view of Mother's Day coming up this Sunday.
My mom was so AMAZING… she was very interested in all 3 of her kids and took on such an enthusiastic role
for each one of us in all of our personal interests.
She was always my biggest cheerleader with all my dance passions, and loved to watch dance competitions with me always. We also shared a special bond each year at
Jazz Festival time when we would attend a lot of the free concerts in the park together. She was very quirky but fun… she was very strong minded, but she wore her heart on her sleeve always. A person always knew what she thought of things… whether it was good or bad! I love her dearly and although she has been gone nearly 5 years… she lives on in my heart and I feel her spirit with me always, especially at things like Dance and Jazz Festivals !
"Happy Mother's Day in Heaven, MOM…
 I hope it is as AMAZING as you always were to me!"
xo your loving daughter


Tonight I will look forward to all my favourite TV shows…
I do enjoy the competitive shows…
DWTS and The Voice and later in the week, American Idol.
I think there are lots of AMAZING talents
on those shows this season.

I love MAY for the warmer weather it brings
and soon we will be sitting on our deck
enjoying Happy Hours
in the great outdoors again…maybe even later today
as we celebrate the AMAZING things to come.


Congrats to the royal couple on the birth of their
AMAZING new daughter…
 CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH DIANA.

Tomorrow is "Cinco de Mayo":
which is Spanish for 5th of MAY...
so put on your "CHA CHA HEELS"
 and make it AMAZING!

On that note… here is my rhyme of the day!


A-MAY-ZING is what this month will be…
I feel it in my bones, and I can just see,
Things shaping up right from the start,
I've lots of great feelings in my heart.
MAY it be a very special month of the year,
Celebrating moms and those close and dear.
It will be amazing each and every day,
Dancing through the journey along the way!