something to do, something to love, something to hope for."
-Allan K. Chalmers
"The expert in anything was once a beginner."
-author unknown
"Simple memories with your grandchildren become priceless memories."
-Pam Baron
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| Here are a couple of photos Jana took in North Battleford last week when Mariah competed there. The left is a darling photo of her and the boy, Kelden, in her HIP HOP group… called "ICE" which won first place last week. The photo on the right is a GRANDE Battement… (which is a large kick) and here Mariah is holding it and stretching… I see GRAND improvement in her dancing and flexibility this year. I made some GRAND MEMORIES this past week being a proud GRANDma!!! |
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| Mariah and Beau made many MEMORIES playing in the Theatre lobby at the Dekker Centre For The Performing Arts in North Battleford. I bought Mariah some nice flowers in celebration of her dance performances in NB… along with crafting a quick congrats card. |
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| Because we somehow did not capture Mariah in her Ballet or Jazz costumes at NB… here are some photos of her in them at Christmas time when she got her costumes from the studio to take home. Her ballet is called "GRAND HOTEL" and her Jazz is called "CHA CHA HEELS" These photos are missing all the trims… but they give the main look! She did a GRAND job of performing both of these dances, I loved her little animated face in the character ballet number, especially!!! |
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| This was the 35th Annual Battleford Dance Festival… and the first one held in the brand new Dekker Centre, which was a GRAND place to hold it! All 3 adjudicators were excellent, and I continue to learn as I listen to their feed back even as a spectator now! |
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| Here is a GRAND MEMORY for me… it is a photo of Jana in her jazz group called "LOCOMOTION" which performed in North Battleford when Jana was Mariah's age, 8 years old. It is fun to watch history repeat as we dance through each generation. Oh the MEMORIES!!!! |
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| My good buddy, Linda from Lanigan, was with her darling GRAND daughter, Cadence … who performed in a festival in Edmonton on the weekend… called Terpsichore. I taught many Lanigan dance summer schools which is how I met Linda back in the nineties when our girls were 8 and 9. So I once taught Cadence's mom, Teresa dance, too… so another GRAND MEMORY of history repeating. I know Linda was a proud GRANDma… or GRANNY as she refers to her self on the weekend… and she was busy texting photos to me along the way… I believe, her tap was SUGAR & SPICE, her jazz was ITSY BITSY SPIDER and her ballet was a production type number to WHOOVILLE… all these dances did well, each earning a high mark and medal. |
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| Some more GRAND memories for me this past week… Brian and I went for supper and sat in my nephew, Alec's section at Mano's where he works now. Later in the week we met friends Ella and Vern for a foursome Starbucks outing… we have made many of those grand memories along the way! |
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| Friday was international SIBLING DAY… so I am sharing this photo taken last fall, with my wonderful big bros… Brian and Bob. I have many GRAND MEMORIES of growing up with them, too… they are the best brothers a girl could ask for! |
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| It is always a GRAND MEMORY when the weather warms up enough to sit on our deck for a Happy Hour! Brian and I shared our very first one of 2015 this past Friday… Hip Hop Hooray for happy hours on the deck… and the warmer weather! |
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| We made a GRAND little road trip to Regina this weekend, to visit these very dear friends… once our next door neighbours… Lynne and Mike… We had a GRAND time for sure, from shopping ...to game playing, from kaiser cards to scrabble ... to the delicious meals…and just Rockin On! |
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| Mike and Lynne are truly the hosts with the most… and Mike out did himself with the yummy meals he prepared for us, too. Thanks to these GRAND FRIENDS for making our weekend one full of fond MEMORIES, to add to the many we have shared together along the way! |
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| Last night I went to a little jazz concert here in the city and made a very GRAND MEMORY. Although I went on my own… I truly felt the spirit of my parents with me at the show. They instilled my love of Jazz music in the first place! |
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| Here are some more GRAND MEMORIES from April 2014, just one year ago. My dear father-in-law, GREG, passed away in August of 2014, but this weekend he would be celebrating his 90th Birthday if he were still here. He was a wonderful man… husband, father, GRANDPA and GREAT GRANDPA…. and friend to so many people, too. Here are the GRAND MEMORIES of him at the time of his 89th Birthday with his two only GREAT GRANDKIDS, BEAU and MARIAH… who refer to him as "POPS"! We made many GRAND MEMORIES with GREG… and now he lives on in all of our hearts. Hip Hop Hooray for MONDAYS… It has recently become a favourite day in my week when I do my blog and sum up all my happy and grand memories from the week previous and some throwback memories as well!!! This past week was very full of GRAND MEMORIES on many levels. Not only did my Grand daughter, Mariah, dance in the North Battleford Festival, showing GRAND improvements… it brought back so many memories of the days I took my dancers to compete in that same festival. Some of my happiest competition memories of that are the years, my daughter, Jana grew up competing in it. Regardless of how the medals and awards came out, the memories live on forever. It was at North Battleford Festival in 1990 that my friend, Linda from Lanigan approached me to teach a summer school out there. I went on to teach 9 of those almost consecutively each summer in Lanigan . Most years I stayed at Linda's house and we have remained grand buddies since! Her daughters, Teresa and Kim also danced… and now Teresa's daughters dance in St. Albert at a studio called "Zero Gravity"… one I am not familiar with, but according to Linda they are a GRAND studio after watching them this past weekend on the Meyer Horowitz stage in Edmonton… a stage where we have shared many GRAND MEMORIES together over the years, together, as well. Our GRAND friends… Lynne and Mike, who now live in Regina… go way back, too…and not only do we share a GRAND friendship… dancing was a big part of our lives as well. Their daughters grew up dancing and their paths crossed at many dance festivals, competitions, workshops, and summer schools etc. with my daughter Jana as they grew up. Now Lynne and Mike are proud GRAND parents to 3 grand daughters and one grandson… I am quite sure history is soon to repeat with all those little girls in dancing, too! Mike and Lynne are always gracious hosts when ever we are able to fit in a little road trip to our schedule. We shared a lot of fun with them just this past weekend… and I send them a GRAND THANK YOU for the great times! I am so passionate about dancing and pretty much have loved it all my life. I grew up as a little beginner who started out at 4… and carried on through high school until I began teaching for parks and recreation and later opened a studio, which I had for 28 years. When I chose to close and amalgamate with "Brenda's School Of Baton and Dance", I taught for 6 more years until becoming a social director for that studio. I loved teaching and have many GRAND memories from those days… but when I TAPPED OUT from teaching… I moved to the next chapter in my dance life… and it is one of the proud GRANDMA! I still enjoy watching dancing at many festivals, competitions recitals, etc. throughout our province and beyond. I do still get asked to adjudicate, too, but have chosen to take a break from that chapter lately. My parents installed a love for not only dance in my life, but were a big influence on the styles of music I loved. One of those styles of music is "Jazz"… particularly Big Band and Standards which lend themselves so well to Tap dancing, which is my favourite dance genre to this day! Last night I went to a GRAND concert at our Broadway Theatre here in the city. It was an impromptu decision once I knew there were still a few tickets available. So I went by myself to the DENZAL SINCLAIRE concert, and felt my parent's spirit with me. They too would have loved that show. But somehow I feel like they enjoyed it along with me from the seats up in the clouds! I will quote parts of the review in the program from that show… "Denzal Sinclaire is one of Canada's most popular jazz vocalists and is ranked among the finest jazz singers of his generation. A graduate of McGill University's Jazz Performance program (Montreal, Canada), he possesses that rare ability to achieve, from the moment he steps on stage, a profound interaction with his audience." The review did share much more about his skills… but I will add to that, by saying he not only has a very warm quality and quick sense of wit and charm, his long lean build and animated face just add a lot to the performance. I first saw him perform at a Saskatoon Jazz festival years ago with my mom… and we loved the show then, too. I next saw him as a warm up act to another Jazz great I love, Holly Cole! I truly felt I got full value for my JAZZ LOVING and ENTERTAINMENT dollar last night at that show. Also on Friday I went to the BASSMENT in the city and enjoyed some local entertainment there by Martin Janovsky. I was joined there by my gym buddy, Ella… we had a fun time together as we always do! I will look forward to the shows I love on TV again this week… all pertaining to DANCE and MUSIC… two of my GRAND PASSIONS… Tonight "DWTS" is doing a DISNEY THEME… and also this week, I'll enjoy "THE VOICE" and "AMERICAN IDOL." I have watched each one of these shows since they began years ago… and now I am so into it, I find myself practicing my adjudicating skills by scoring them all in a note book, myself, too, as I watch. So I now have many grand memories in writing to go with those shows, as well!!! I will look forward to watching Mariah dance again soon when she competes in a festival here in the city called THE PERFORMER from April 29th- May 3rd. I feel badly I missed seeing Mariah's HIP HOP GROUP in NB, so I hope to catch each of her dance numbers here in the city… and I know it is open to the public, too, for any other dance enthusiasts to come out and watch and cheer them on HIP HOP HOORAY! Some festivals give medals to all dancers and others have a 1st, 2nd, 3rd format… which is what Mariah was exposed to this last week. Although she only placed in her HipHop… I saw GRAND improvement…and she looked so adorable in her Jazz and Character ballet, numbers I thought. I may be biased, but I see GRAND things in her dance future!!! hehehe This coming weekend, we will be recalling my dear father -in-law, GREG, on April 18th. This is the date he would have turned 90 years old. Instead he will be having his very first birthday in Heaven this year… and although we miss him dearly… he will always hold a very GRAND spot in our hearts, and his memories will definitely live on. He was not only special to me, but also to everyone who knew him… GREG was such a wonderful and well loved man. On that note… here is my rhyme of the day… I love to keep my memories close at heart and hand, Remembering the details from the little to the grand! When I get a reason... or even get a chance, To share these special memories of people, song and dance, I love all the passions that fill space up in my heart, And hold a special spot there, from the very start. Memories earned their early spots, from our families, dear. Although our loved ones can't all be here, I know they're always near. The things we love and pass along right until the end, Can always be made way more grand, when shared with a good friend. Grand memories just continue to grow from day to day. And thanks to those grand memories, I say… "HIP HOP HOORAY!" |
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