Jennifer Rowsell
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- Jan 30, 12
Today started off quite terrible I must say. It all started when I stayed up until 2:30 last night. I was tired enough for sleep by 12 but got caught up in looking at tweets of the weekend Hanson concerts in AB, playing with Facebook's timeline, and some other things. Then I was too tired to go to bed. Ugh.... So I did the lite version of getting ready and don't even remember my head hitting the pillow. Fast forward to 2pm. I wake up. Great. See, even though I know these late nights and late days are bad for my emotional health, I continue to do it!!! Why???? The spirit is willing (smart) but the flesh is weak (stupid)????
Despite every emotional bone in my body, I got up and showered fast, ate cereal, and took off. I knew if I didn't leave my house, my mood would get worse and this day off would be ruined.
Back in September I got a really bad hair cut (hooray for moving and not knowing where to go!) and I've been meaning to get it fixed for a month now. So I went to First Choice down the road. It only cost $15!!!! Why do I go elsewhere when my hair is cut so simply? Anyway, my hair was a mess and so the nice lady cut a fair amount off so it doesn't look like I have clip in extensions anymore! It feels quite short compared to before but whatever. It's hair, it'll grow. I haven't had a chance to put my own brush through it yet... Stay tuned...
I was in and out of there in 20min (what????? 2 hours is my normal!). Next step was drive thru McDonalds. I ate my chicken nugget happy meal while listening to Hanson in my car (ie my feel-good music). Then it was off to Second Cup! 2 friends are here which is fun. I dove right into "Purpose Driven Youth Ministry." Initially I wanted it read by tomorrow... That isn't going to happen, but I did get another chapter in. I then spent some time mapping out where all the NextGen Ministries at my church currently sit in terms of their purpose and their intended audience, making a note of the "holes". Then I thought about where it all could go in the next 3 years!! Exciting, yes!! I did all this because it's a good thing to do, but also because tomorrow our Senior Team is having a prayer/planning retreat. And I wanted to go in with at least some pre-thought put in. I am so pumped. In the daily grind it's sometimes difficult to take time out to look at the big picture, and dream with God about where things could go with our church. Tomorrow it's on all of our schedules to do just that! It's going to be awesome.
So, the Monday funk has been redeemed. I'm feeling in a much better place. You can't plan your days on feelings, because they are all over the place and based on a whole series of factors. Pushing through them and doing what you know is right despite your feelings, that is the better way. And in the end your silly mood will come around.
That's it for now! - Jan 16, 12
Oh my word. I could write a novel of all my dentist adventures. For some back history, I've had to have fillings in the back corners of my mouth, because flossing with braces is hard and I never got back there enough. I believe I got them all when I was at Acadia. My orthodontist never spoke that highly of my dentist down there... I probably should have heeded his concern. But I got fillings and everything looked and felt okay. Good times.
But a couple weeks ago I started getting pain where my lower retainer locks on to my back tooth. So I found a new dentist here in Moncton (one that my orthodontist recommended!) to get it checked out. He said the filling didn't look quite as safe as the others, so we should probably do a re-do. Even after an x-ray, he and I both thought it'd be a minor job. So I made an appointment for this morning.
I have to tell you I just returned from an hour of intensive drilling and rooting around. Neither of us could believe what was lying underneath the surface of that tooth! Safe to say the last filling was not done properly and there was decay all up in there. I thought I was gonna lose it. Never mind the fact I still have a fear of dentists, even after all I've been through, but the dentist still wanted to show me what it looked like once it was all cleaned out. He then left for a minute and the room started to spin. Yes, I almost passed out while lying down in the chair. Ugh. So let this be a lesson kiddies: if something hurts, get it checked out!!! I don't even want to think about what this may have turned into if we didn't catch it when we did. I've never had a root canal and I'd rather keep it that way!!
This whole ordeal kind of reminded me how sin can fester in our lives. We think we've already dealt with it and it's all taken care of, yet sometimes it continues to fester under the surface. Just a little exploratory drilling could reveal a whole new world of hurt. It's so important to be consistently connected to God and other believers so we can keep each other accountable and clean up the mess when we have to. It results in a healthier faith walk that can endure the long haul... without a root canal.
So anyway. So much for my relaxing day off :P The hygienist said I may need Advil for a few days since it was such an intense filling. I'm home now waiting for my face to thaw... I really wanted to go to Damascus, and to a fitness class, but I don't know if I'll be up for it now. We'll see how the day progresses. I may be better off curled up with a good book on my couch and movies on Netflix. Whine. - Jan 12, 12
So it's 7:30pm and I am sitting in an office at church waiting for movies to import to iMovie. Note to self: creating your own children's video curriculum sounds like a great way to save money, but may not always play out well in execution. Sigh. Anyway! Since I'm sitting around listening to the electrician guys, I thought I'd write a blog!
To wrap up my last blog, Christmas was indeed quite different this year. I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the experience at The Journey Church (especially the part where I played in our first ever iBand). The weather played nice and I got to my family in Fredericton just in time for "lunch" and new pyjamas. Most of that week was spent lazing around the house, watching our new DVDs and eating way too much junk. It was nice to connect with my family and have that time of rest. I came back to Moncton on the 30th to prepare for New Years Eve. I had the privilege of preaching with one of our grade 9 students. He was absolutely fantastic!!! Definitely has a gift of teaching. After the service we had a Youth Bash until 1:00am. Fun was had by all.
So now it's 2012!!! The office has been a bit insane since coming back. All fall I've been working out of Dave's office or a desk in the Communications office. It's actually been really great for getting to know everyone else, but I am so ready for my own organized space. I'm sitting in what's going to be my new office... blue and brown walls, bookshelves, a nice little desk for my Macbook to sit in, maybe a lamp... it's going to be so awesome. So tomorrow is the last day "in the office" for 2 weeks. Then we are all scattered. I'll probably work out of my apartment or any of the various coffee shops around town. It's going to be a time.
Anyway... this video processing is going to take a really long time. I think I'm gonna go home and finish it tomorrow. Happy New Year!! - Jan 09, 12
I make one of these posts every year, so here we are!
January: Michelle & Ben at Martock. Can't remember if this is the time we ended up at the ER or not...
February: I flew home and surprised Mom for her 60th Birthday :)
March: Mexico for Jocelyn's & Jason's Wedding!!!!
April: Mandy & I hosted our first barefoot walk for TakeTheWalk.net in conjunction with TOMS One Day Without Shoes
May: Graduated with my MDiv!!
June: Jill's & Hugo's Wedding!
July: Camp
August: City & Colour Concert
September: Maple Noise Concert
October: the Hanson concert that was cut short
November: Spoke at Women's event at my old church
December: First Christmas @TJC
I don't take as many pictures as I used to, but still have at least something from each month... it's been an AMAZING year!!! - Dec 12, 11
Survey says: I'm not good at blogging. Partially because I rarely feel I have anything amazing to say, partially because I am too lazy, and partially because I have an iPad. Vicky Beeching is right: iPads are good for consuming things while you really do need a laptop to create something. I don't like typing a lot on my iPad, and since I only ever have my Macbook home on weekends, I don't have the desire to blog. Anyway. Enough of that.
I'm sitting in my "home office" having my sleepytime tea, surrounded by other people's presents and wrapping paper (I need to get on that...). I've been thinking a lot lately about Christmas and how traditions change. When my brother & I were young Christmas was always the same. Christmas Eve service at 6:30 with parents and grandparents, home for "lunch", open new (matching) pyjamas, put on said pyjamas, open grandparent stockings, watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, go to bed, wake up at 6am, wait for Dad to turn everything on and get all adults downstairs, kids run down and open presents. I could go on and on. I remember the first year I wanted to sleep in, or the first year everyone didn't watch the movie because grandparents wanted to go to bed. Jonathan got angry. He said it "wasn't Christmas" unless all of our traditions happened in a certain way at a certain time.
The picture above is a sight I saw every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. The candlelight service at the Salvation Army on 101 Torbay Rd. Over the years some traditions have changed. For the last 5 years I've had to board a plane to get home for Christmas. Jon's wife (and her brothers) have been around some. My Aunt & Uncle have joined us. Last year we watched Mr. Bean instead of National Lampoon's. We sleep in a little later. But there were lots of constants. Like the church service on Christmas Eve, the grandparents being around, the house.
This year everything is going to change drastically. Mom & Dad live in Fredericton in a brand new house. I only live 90min down the road, and it's Jon & Seritha that have to fly. There will be no grandparents here. It is not the same house. I won't even be at church with my family; I'll be at my church and then drive to them late on Christmas Eve. Lots of change.
It makes me a little uneasy. I am sure my brother is feeling even more this way. But life is about change and different seasons. I am not sad about this Christmas. It's time to make new traditions in a new place. It's going to feel weird, but Christmas isn't about traditions. In some respects, I feel like this new Christmas is an opportunity to look at things a new way, to put perspective on what Christmas is all about, and to be thankful for all I have and all the people who love me. It's gonna be weird... but I'm excited to see what it's like!
I'll find out in about 12 days. :)
PS - we showed this video at church last weekend. - Nov 14, 11
Lately God's been talking to me about my dependence on Him, both personally and professionally. I am embarrassed to admit how easily it is for me to slump into a time where I don't pray enough. I mean, I'm a Pastor. I'm supposed to have my act together, right? I feel like in the busyness of "doing ministry" we forget to take the time to stop and BE STILL with God and ask Him what His plan is. It's His church after all.
Last Monday I went to a park and found a bench that was far enough away from people going on walks that I wouldn't be disturbed. I sat there for about half an hour [our fall weather has been amazing!!] and just listened. All the creatures in the woods started getting close because I wasn't making any noise. I had a squirrel and a blue jay to hang out with. The squirrel was on a mission - combing the ground for food and then hiding it in a tree stump. Getting ready for winter I'm guessing. He was hyper [as squirrels tend to be], but he was methodical, and he always had his ears open to listen for anyone that was nearby. I'm sure if I threw my keys at him he would have sensed it and been gone quicker than I can blink.
I think sometimes I can get so wrapped up in the moving and doing of life that I forget to stop and open my ears. And then I wonder why I feel down, or alone, or inadequate, or frustrated. I mean, it's my JOB to bring people to Christ - I better be getting there myself!!! In those 30min with the squirrel I thought through my life up to this point... where I was a year ago and how I've gotten to where I am now [hint: God did that]. I thought about how I'm 26 and still single and how I feel lonely some of the time. I thought about when/if I will have a family and what that would be like.
I've come to the conclusion that God isn't through teaching me about patience yet. The year of 2011 was the year of patience learning for me. Wanting to know where God was going to send me after school was keeping me up at night and causing panic sometimes. But here I am, sitting in my apartment, working at a church that is BEYOND perfect for me. [I actually can't wait for Senior Team tomorrow!] So now I'm in a new season of patience-learning when it comes to some personal stuff. I realized that I don't want to take the reins and do it myself. If I did that vocationally... well, I'm not even going to think about that. God knows what's best for me... He's already proven it several times. And His timing is perfect. So I just have to WAIT. Chill out. Grab a latte and take in the scenery.
So that's what God told me last Monday at the park. What has He been telling you lately? Should you maybe go for a walk? [Leave your digital paraphernalia in the car].
PS - this book is a great wakeup call for people who try and do a lot for God instead of doing it with Him. - Oct 27, 11
I am loving living in Moncton. So many bands come to me and I can literally leave my house and be at the show in 5 minutes. I found out Avril was coming here back in August and felt I wanted to go. I had seen her once before back in 2005, right at the start of my concert obsession (I hadn't even seen Hanson live at that point). The show was pretty fun. I love Avril's first two albums. I really dislike her third, so I never bothered seeing her on that tour. Her latest (Goodbye Lullabye) actually is pretty decent. So I thought why not?
I'm kind of over general admission standing room, especially when I am alone and it's not my favorite band, so I got seats right on the side of the stage. I kind of wish now I went a little farther back as I was RIGHT on the side of the stage. Those arena maps lie. I got to the show shortly after 8, having been at Youth Group for awhile. It started at 8 and I didn't like the opener all that much. At least, the one who was advertised... when I came in and found my seat there was a dude with an acoustic guitar playing. I was like "that's not Evan, is it???" and sure enough IT WAS! Evan used to be in Avril's band (along with Charlie & Matt) and in my mind Avril went down hill when the 3 of them left. They were the band in 2005 and I loved them. So it was REAL NICE to hear him play again. After his set he was signing out at the merch booth but it was far too crazy to try and get near. So I did the stalker thing and just watched, then wandered back inside for The New Cities. I heard them once before, opening for Hedley, and they're actually not bad. They have a lot of fun on stage, lots of energy.
Avril came on around 9:20 or so I believe. She played 12 songs + an encore which included an acoustic one with Evan and 2 more full band. Typical show length for her (I laughed at how it wasn't much longer than Hanson's half-show in Portland!). It started in the most corny/tacky way imaginable... the band did the "black star" intro from her album, she came out with one of her green glow in the dark stars that all the little girls had, waved it around and sang the words to the intro, then walked off again. It was super funny.
All in all I was super happy with the set. Half of it was from her first two albums!!! I was somewhat surprised and thought she would have done much more newer stuff. Some of the little kids around me didn't know some of it. I was in my GLEE and it was basically a time warp back to University days. Her 2nd album is the summer of 2004 at Camp Starrigan. So many memories. She even played "I Always Get What I Want" which is like a B-side from her 1st or 2nd album. She only played 2 (I think) from her 3rd album. Maybe she shares my sentiment that the album is not up to par with the others. I honestly think she gave in to pressures from the music industry to be a certain way.
She sang the chorus of "Airplanes" for a minute which was so random, going into My Happy Ending. The BIGGEST ANNOYANCE OF THE NIGHT: she went offstage and the band started doing the instrumental to "Unwanted" (a particularly angry song from her first album). I LOST IT because I LOVE that song and thought it was going to happen. Then they played into "Losing Grip" - another first album song I would LOVE to hear. But then Avril came back out and they whipped into "Girlfriend." REALLY??! I was so bummed out I was legit sat for the rest of that song. I have to say she has improved her performance since I saw her 6 years ago. She was running around a lot more, and she seemed not nearly as flat (although on my videos it kinda sounds like she is...).
The lighting didn't seem that good but maybe it's because of where I was sitting. My camera was not happy. I also felt so old at this show. I say the average age was about 15. I saw way too many Avril lookalikes, about 9 years old, complete with heavy eyeliner and green/pink hair. It was all very unsettling.
So that's that, my 2nd Avril concert. I say it was worth it. So glad the set had so much older stuff in it. It made it that much more enjoyable. And I still remembered most of the words :) I hope Avril continues to mature professionally and doesn't have to continue to be the rebel as she approaches 30. I mean really, how long can the teenage rebellious phase last?Photos - Oct 17, 11
Evidently I'm not really the blogging type, no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise. I find especially with twitter I never feel the need to write out big long paragraphs of what's on my mind, because it's come out in spurts all week long.
I love my life right now. It's not perfect (not that I am expecting it to ever be) but I'm really feeling like I am exactly where God wants me to be right now. Being the NGP at The Journey Church is such a unique ministry compared to what I've done before, compared to what most Youth Pastors do. Last weekend we had Vernon & Charlene Armitage visit and hold a conference on equipping. It's something I was hearing about during interviews and nonstop since day 1. I've been reading through "Me to We" by Alan Nelson and trying to get my head around the paradigm shift and how I participate in it as the NGP. This weekend brought a lot of clarity on all of that. I am so excited to get moving on it before the Armitage's return in a few months. I have no idea why this was not taught at seminary. There should be a whole course on this. There is so much real learning that does not start until you're out of school. God has been teaching me so much and I am so thankful for where He's placed me and the people He's surrounded me with. I work with a lovely group of people! Senior Team is having breakfast tomorrow to debrief on the Global Leadership Summit and I actually can't wait!
Anyway, this is getting rambly. Welcome to the inside of my head. Tonight I'm heading to my first ever Zumba class. Should be a time! - Oct 27, 11
So last night I went to the weirdest Hanson show I've ever been to. I'm sure fans know by now that Taylor (and Zac I think) is not well and the show was cut short, to be rescheduled later. I'll get to all that in a minute... still want to do my normal post-show blog!!
So when the dates for the Musical Ride Tour were announced, and I saw they were going to Portland ME, I decided I would try to go. Since I've lived on the "main land" (not the island of Newfoundland) they had never come that close to me. Plus Portland is where my family has vacationed practically every year for 25 years. I couldn't commit to it right away since I was on the brink of starting a new job, but once I got the OK from them (WOOT I LOVE MY JOB) I planned to go down with my parents. My Hanson friends were originally planning 3 shows which I knew I couldn't do giving finances and new job, so Mom & Dad offered to take me down since they love that area so much. So it was like a mini family vacation with Hanson thrown in :)
We left New Brunswick on Monday morning and took our time driving down, stopping in Freeport to shop the outlets and the Maine Mall. We also went by the venue to size things up in daylight. There were already people in line! People camped from 9:30am the morning before to get front row. I admire their dedication! (Personally I am just as happy a little farther back but to each her own!). We stayed at the Hampton Inn down in Old Orchard Beach because it was the cheapest and it's the area we know best. On Tuesday we got up and went down to the beach area... my parents are looking to rent a condo for a month next summer (they're retired) so their family can come down for holidays whenever is convenient for them (HECK YES). After lunch we went back to the hotel and got ready to head to the State Theatre. Dad dropped Mom & I off. This was Mom's second Hanson show... she brought me to my first in Toronto back in 2005 :) For me, this is show #15.
We got there around 5pm I think. The venue is right in downtown Portland. It kind of reminded me of Northampton MA but more squish. There was a Starbucks right by the venue (joy!). As soon as we got out of the car we saw Zac on his phone over by the buses, and about 50 people in line. I found Krista & Sarah and said hello, and then we went over to Starbucks to get a coffee and just kind of watch the venue/bus/whatever. Apparently Isaac was in Starbucks 20min before we got there. Sad days. After having some coffee and talking to a really nice local guy, we went over to the box office and got our tickets. I saw some more Hanson friends, one who had a M&G! I can't believe it was her first one, it seems like she's seen them live way more than me. Mom & I walked to Rite Aid because I forgot to bring a sharpie with me (in case I needed one if an autograph opportunity arose). Then we went back and got in line about 45min before doors. We chatted with some really nice girls from northern Maine. It was their first Hanson show :)
Doors opened pretty much on time and I loved what I saw inside. The venue is GORGEOUS. It is a perfect blend of GA floor, bar dancing space, and theatre seats. Because I had Mom with me we went for seats, and got front row of them right in front of Isaac. Decent. I went and bought some merch (the tour shirt and the calendar) and got some supper for Mom & I. We were sitting next to 2 really nice girls, one who was at her 2nd Hanson show and the other at her first. I love meeting new people :) Around 8pm the show started with Charlie Mars. He was OK I guess... he was trying to hard to be edgy and "inappropriate" or whatever. I tuned out most of it to be completely honest. Mom was not impressed, hahaha.
I think Hanson got on stage right about 9:00. From the very beginning the show felt off to me. I wasn't sure why... it didn't seem like the band was giving out as much positive energy as usual. The crowd seemed dead. Maybe it's because I could see the whole floor and wasn't up inside the mob. I have no idea what the crowd looks like from behind because I'm usually in it. But I think the band and crowd usually feed off one another. Of course, this was also show 15, I was with my Mom, and I wasn't in the crowd, so maybe that's why I felt the way I did. Anyway. After 2 songs things got weird. The 3 of them kept having group talks by the drums. Their manager was side-stage the whole time connecting with either Taylor or Zac. She came out a couple of times. Taylor kept getting the crowd to sing, or asked Zac or Isaac to take the lead. Once Zac mouthed at him "I don't know it!" It was all just really off. Zac was even messing up the drums because of the lack of focus/everything going on. After 5 songs they left the stage. Usually this is to switch over to the acoustic set. But they were gone way too long. I started to worry... Taylor had mentioned earlier in the show that we had voted for an album to win tonight, but because he wasn't feeling well they had to change plans.
They came back and Taylor said "we have to cut this short" and my heart fell to the floor. They started doing all Isaac & Zac leads, except for MMMBop and Thinking bout Somethin. Then they told us that they were feeling really under the weather, and they didn't want to give us a crappy show. So they told us to keep our tickets, they'll reschedule as soon as they can, and we can use our tickets to get in to that new show and they can give us 100%. One more song or two, and it was done. 45min or so in all.
It was SO WEIRD. I usually leave Hanson shows feeling like I'm on a cloud, so filled up from the music and performance. And this time I left with the anticipation feeling still inside of me. Now, I'm not mad that the show was cut short. Taylor was very obviously SICK. He was super pale... I was afraid he was going to faint. And I know the only other time they cancelled was when Isaac had a blood clot that was a life-or-death situation. This was much harder for them than it was for any of the fans. It's just the built-up excitement I've had in me the past couple weeks still wasn't deflated. I just plain felt funny.
After the show Mom & I went out to the bus. Only Isaac came out but there were a lot of people and I wasn't aggressive enough getting over to the other side of the street so I never got an autograph or picture. But it was fun to just be there anyway. Plus Dad wasn't there yet since the show had ended so early. Once we got picked up we had a late snack at Denny's and went back to the hotel. And today we woke up and drove the 7 hours back home.
So my 15th show was a weird one. I definitely got the most bogus setlist of any show I've ever seen (Musical Ride, Waiting for This,Where's the Love, Thinking bout Somethin, And I Waited, A Minute Without You, Running Man, Deeper, MMMBop, Man from Milwaukee). But I'm glad I saw those. I mean the show could have been cancelled entirely. And it was nice for me to see that venue. I really hope I can get back there when this show is rescheduled. We'll have to wait and see!Photos - Jan 09, 12
Well it's been a few days since this show, but I have been under the weather and sleeping any chance I can get. On Wednesday TobyMac came through Moncton and I knew I had to see him again. At Soulfest last summer he blew me away, him and his band. Their energy on stage and their ability to draw the crowd in is enough to have me dancing, even though normally this isn't my preferred style of music. I bought just one ticket in the 2nd row since when they went on sale I didn't know anybody here yet. It turned out I was right next to one of my high school students!
Jamie Grace opened. She is 19 and really sweet, and has a phenomenal voice. I do wish she had a band though and didn't use loops/tracks to back herself up. The acoustic guitar only ones were nice. At this show, unlike Maple Noise, they let people crowd the front. So even though I was 2nd row in chairs there were a ton of people in front of me. I didn't mind though. I'm tall and I liked having the room in our row.
TobyMac played what I think was an exact replica of 2010's Soulfest setlist. Complete with the acoustic part in the middle of the crowd and Jesus Freak at the end. The difference this time is that I own his latest album so I knew many more of the songs than I did before. I LOVE the Diverse City band. I think if he came without them it wouldn't even be worth it. I love the animation and choreography on stage. It's not over-done but just enough to get you excited.
The concert was SUPER loud but I had my ear plugs with me. I think they played at least 90min. It was sold out at over 2,000 people in attendance. Part of the fun was getting to see so many people I know from other places, particularly New Minas and Fredericton. I had a couple friends from New Minas stay over to my place for the night so that was fun :) We stayed up until 1am talking and watching Youtube videos... Oops!
So that was concert 75! It was a great one. Blew Maple Noise out of the water, in my opinion. 2 bands > 10. Concert 76 is in 3 days... my 15th Hanson concert!!! I am sitting on my couch now watching a 5of5 DVD... probably not a wise idea. My excitement meter has increased 100%. I'll have pics/video of TobyMac up soon!Photos - Sep 27, 11
I really want to update this thing. I will, soon. Not now though. I am in Dartmouth at the Youth Pastors Summit! It's a free event the Baptist Convention holds annually for all the Youth Pastors in Atlantic Canada. It's awesome. It's been nice to connect with familiar faces and meet some new ones. I also had the privilege of meeting my friends new baby!!! New life is such an awe-inspiring miracle. Seeing two of my friends combined into this new person is really really cool. God is so artistic in how He chose to give us life.
I am tired. I fail at keeping a good sleeping schedule. After only 5 hours sleep last night (and not much more than that for all the other nights lately) I drove down here. I'm at Starbucks, just finishing up a sermon outline and youth preparations. Technically I didn't have time to come to this summit, but I really wanted to, and decided to suck it up and go through a week of crazy :) But now the work is done, and it's definitely time for bed. I'll do a proper update on my AWESOME CRAZY NEW AWESOME MINISTRY POSITION soon :)
Also... I'm seeing Hanson live [again] in 15 days. Excited.
PS - my blog is now www.jenrowsell.ca!! :) I did that on one of my late nights up... - Oct 27, 11
Wow, it's been almost a week since the Newsboys concert and I have yet to blog about it! You know you've been busy when. Anyway. Living in Moncton is pretty fantastic. There are so many bands that come here! I was planning to go to Maple Noise for a long time, even before I knew I was going to be working at Journey. So I had a ticket bought. But when I came on here, and 30 of my new friends wanted to go to, I decided to buy a 2nd ticket so I could party with everyone else! It was so much fun.
The show was a bit of a marathon. I think 10 bands in 6 hours is a little overkill. 5 bands would have been just lovely. This isn't Warped Tour. I got there at 5 to get everyone's tickets and spent a bit of time hanging outside the church. I got in just as Manic Drive was starting their set. I went up front and jumped around with a bunch of students, got some pictures. It was super loud, and they had bass with no bass player. Interesting indeed. Moving on.
The next act I remember is Jodi King. I liked her. I knew one of her songs from the radio, and it was pop piano music. I'll take it. I also remember Jonny Diaz. He was really great, just an acoustic guitar and a cahon! I decided I'd let myself buy one CD, and since I enjoyed his set so much, and his CD's were $10, I picked him. It's great so far. Then came another lovely act, Greg Sczebel. He reminded me of a cross between Elton John and Ben Folds. Very blues-like. The bass player was my favorite.
I believe it was after Greg Sczebel that the concert hosts did a talk about World Vision and sponsoring a child. Some of our students asked if they could sponsor a child as a group! Cool! So we sponsored Tanjina, a little girl from Bangladesh. It was a pretty cool moment. Consequently, we now have a free Greg Sczebel CD to give our at Youth Group. Ouuuuu.
Manafest were next. I know lots of people like them but it is just not my style of music, I cannot get into them at all. This was my 2nd time seeing them. Still nothing. After Manafest it was Thousand Foot Crutch, or TFK [I can't call them that after all those years of saying it the long way]. Again, it was loud, and... loud. Highlights included the spine mic stand and the guy with the dreads.
Finally, at close to 10pm (seriously?) Newsboys came on and the entire mood of the room changed. It was obvious lots of people were there for them and weren't too sure about the earlier bands. I've heard a few people have written off the Newsboys because of Michael Tait, so they just sound like DC Talk now. Well maybe, but who cares, they were still good. There were lots of lights and elevated platforms, and lots of songs we all knew and could be excited about. The best part was the worship. Looking behind me and seeing a row of my grade 9's enveloped in the presence of God is pretty awesome. I also work with the coolest bunch of Pastors I know. Almost all of us were there, it was so much fun! The epic encore featured a brand new song, Jesus Freak (EEEEEEEEE) and a spinning drum set! It was pretty spectacular.
The next morning came way too early and we were all pretty groggy at work. So worth it though :)Photos - Sep 23, 11Even though what I write may not be that coherent or meaningful. The rest of my summer was just wonderful. I spent a few days back in the Annapolis Valley with Mom & Dad, going blueberry picking and visiting with friends. I now have enough blueberries in my freezer to have some every day from now until Christmas! They're a nice treat in the morning cereal. This past week I went to Cape Breton to visit Jolene & Rob! They are such great friends, it's a shame we now have to live so far away from one another. But I do like to drive and it was definitely worth the trip. This weekend I became a pro sleeper again... which I am not proud of and do not even know how my body does that. I must have finally given in to camp exhaustion. Anyway I awoke on Sunday at 5am bright and eager for the day! The Schriver's came up from Fredericton to go to church with me and to spend the afternoon at Crystal Palace. Well, actually, Mary & I spent most of our time perusing the mall and drinking Starbucks. Which is fine by me :) I am very blessed to have such wonderful lifelong friends!
So today was Labour Day which meant a nice day of reading, house cleaning, and walking. I feel like a rat in a cage ready to burst out but I can't yet. Tomorrow I start my new ministry position at The Journey Church, and believe me when I tell you that I. CANNOT. WAIT. When I started at ADC 3 years ago (to the day!) I wondered why God had brought me there then. The only thing I could conclude is that there must be something 3 years from now that He wants me to do, somewhere He wants me to go, and if I didn't start fulltime studies in 2008, I wouldn't be ready for fulltime ministry in 2011. For over a year I've been wondering, praying, asking God where He was going to place me after school. I know that His plan is better than mine, but I am a planner, and not having one as graduation neared was freaking me out! And then the job postings, and the resume sending, and the interviews... and then, what happens when you have to CHOOSE? My faith and patience was tested so much in the last few months!! I mean, what if I chose wrong? What if I thought I heard God speaking to me but it was my own sinful self? What then? I could mess up EVERYTHING.
Anyway, all that to say that along this journey, I continually felt more and more confident that TJC was the place for me. For those of you that know me well, if you had to think up a perfect church for Jen to work in, what would it be like? You are probably thinking of The Journey Church (except no, Hanson are not the worship band, but other than that it's all there, haha). I mean, they even have a countdown to tomorrow at 9am when I start! THAT IS SUCH A ME THING!!! I am overwhelming myself as I type this.
For those of you that want to know what my position is... I'm the Next Generations Pastor (or the Next Gen Jen as is already my nickname!). I'm responsible for the NextGens (ages 0-29). So there's childrens ministries, youth ministries, and young adult ministries. Equipping leaders will be a big part, as well as casting vision and pastoring people. And lots of other things that I have no idea about yet :) I'll fill you in as I find out!
So tomorrow I am a Pastor!!! I have so much to learn, so much to do, so much to discover. God's been teaching me so much these last 5 years but I have a feeling that that's been nothing in comparison to what's going to happen starting tomorrow. I can't wait. I can't wait to read this blog entry 10 years from now and reflect on where God has brought me and TJC! It's gonna be EPIC.
So the biggest question remains: how on EARTH am I gonna sleep tonight?? I think there may be gravol in my cupboard... I am so not beyond that. Good night!! :) - Dec 16, 11
So I got treated to a free concert at the end of this summer thanks to my friend Mitchell! City & Colour were playing a free show at the Moncton Coliseum thanks to someone from Sussex who won a contest with Sirius satellite radio. So once Camp Mission Team was over on August 19, Mitchell and I (along with his friend and brother) took in this show. Dallas Green is insanely talented. His vocal range is impressive and the tone of his voice is just so wonderful. I knew it would be a pretty chill show. I got there just before doors but because Mitchell is from Sussex we got to be in a separate line that went in first! We ended up 2nd row on the floor.
K-os opened the show, which don't try and figure out the sense in that one cause I have no idea. Having a hip hop artist open for a hippie rocker crowd was amusing to say the least. Most of us endured it as best we could. I guess he was okay but I can't really take anyone seriously who feels the need to swear and drink from a flask on stage. We could smell the liquor from the 2nd row.
K-os soon left and we waited about 30min for City & Colour. I was pretty hot, and exhausted from the whole summer at Camp that just ended, so I decided to stay in the crowd for 5 or 6 songs, then I left to get a slushie and popcorn, and juice (I was mega thirsty). You weren't allowed to bring drinks down on the floor so I got a nice seat sidestage and watched the rest of the show from there. Dallas Green is my kind of artist. He's sososo talented. I especially enjoyed the acoustic set in the middle. His band was really solid too. It was one of those shows that's just about the music, only about the music, and that's my kind of show. For one song he asked everyone to put their cellphones & cameras away. He said that we are so consumed with trying to capture the moment that we forget to actually enjoy it. Which I know first-hand... it's why I couple of concerts I've attended lately I hardly have any pictures or videos, because I want to make sure I actually experience what I went to experience! It was a nice treat to have no little lights in the crowd; everyone was focussed on the stage and the music. Even if it was just for one song.
For the encore I went back onto the floor, which actually wasn't that crowded. Met up with Mitchell & his brother, went to McDonalds, and went home. So that was that! I've since bought his latest album, and while I haven't had a whole lot of time to listen to it, I'm excited to do so on my drive this Wednesday. If you like chill acoustic guitar music I suggest you check him out.Photos - Aug 27, 11
Before I say anything can I just say that there was an east coast earthquake today that was felt in Fredericton. Watch my parents get scared and move back to Newfoundland. Lol. I am back in the Annapolis Valley for a few days of rest and relaxation after my summer at Camp. The mission team week in Sussex went very well, the church was so appreciative of all we did. It has opened doors for them to invest more deeply into youth and children's ministries which is awesome!!!! Planting seeds that go beyond your week there is always a good thing.
Our final week was in Moncton. On Sunday I preached from my iPad for the first time! I think it was okay except for I am too tall/the podium was too short. I still have not found my niche of how much manuscript vs. notes to have in a sermon. Because I had little prep time I went with a full manuscript this time. Anyways, my parents were there as was the Camp Director which was nice :) After lunch we had our staff evaluations and a pool party/BBQ! A great start to the week I say.
VBS went well. We had over 20 kids each day and many were familiar faces from Camp. I always get super nostalgic on the last week. Last time singing those songs. Last time hearing those Bible stories. I was excited to be done, as 3 months of work at Camp is very tiring and I'm super excited for this fall!!! But it was also a fantastic summer that is sad to see end. Each afternoon we spent time with the teens, doing fun activities or service projects. We also got interviewed for salvationist.ca.... I should look for that link and share it. I think the most fun day was Tuesday when we went to Treego!!! Crazy climbing across bridges and logs with harnesses and stuff. I am afraid of heights so this was a big deal. Once or twice I thought I was going to be paralyzed by fear, but I made it!
So Camp is over. Logan left on Thursday and the rest of us parted on Friday after the community BBQ. Now I am enjoying 2 weeks of vacation. Hanging with Mom and Dad this week, then they head to Ontario to see my brother. I am trying to rest as much as possible. This fall is going to be AMAZING. But first I have to do some annoying things like buy groceries and get my license changed over to NB!
Until next time! - Aug 27, 11
Well, camp has happened! I guess I am not that good at blogging throughout the summer. If you're
not running around like a crazy person you are grasping for every bit of R&R you can find. I've also been trying to read a few books this summer. Anyway, camp was fantastic! We had over 400 children come through our gates for Son Surf Beach Bash. The summer had its hiccups, as all summers do, but the staff worked really hard and I felt blessed to be part of such a great team. This was my second time being Program Director but I can't remember much of what it was like back in 2004. It was great to put into practice things ive learned over the last few years, and be able to get constructive feedback from the camp director. I also loved being able to feed into the other staff there. I got to know the bible director quite well. He did a fantastic job and really grew into his role. It's so cool to watch young people start at one place at the beginning of the summer and then grow and develop into an amazing leader. A lot of growth happened at Camp this year. And a lot of fun, too :)
Ater the 4 holiday camps the mission team left. But I stayed behind to do Moms & Tots. It is such a different camp than holiday camp. It's a little less physically draining, but mentally and emotionally it's just as tiresome. It's a whole new dymanic when Moms are present, and you can't deal with camper discipline the same way. We had an overload of younger kids which was a strain in our staff. I never got into the nursery but I heard it was chaos. The climax of calamity was definitely the picnic supper, without moms, that happened inside because of rain. Actually, the weather in general was a low point of the summer. Camp is not fun for kids or staff when you can't be outside. Some days it was 14 degrees!!! What is that!!!!
Anyway. I am officially done my 6th summer at Camp. I'm now on mission team in Sussex, and next week we are in Moncton. This week has gone really well s far. We had 24 kids at VBS today! The team is great. This afternoon was a bit of a write off due to weather, bowling alleys being closed, and movies being sold out. However it has led to me writing this blog in Starbucks in St. John, so really I can't complain. I know the rest of mission team will be great, but I am getting more and more anxious about the fall!!! I live in Moncton for good on Saturday :D I'm also preaching on Sunday, on trust. Psalm 40.
The rest of the team just arrived so I think we're going to watch a movie at the church. I'll try to blog sooner rather than later... - Oct 27, 11
Well last night I definitely saw the biggest concert I'll ever see, so I thought I needed to blog about it, even though I'm currently sitting at Camp with no internet connection. I'll publish once I have internet again :)
Saturday morning I left Camp to meet up with Jolene & Rob in Truro. There was crazy traffic the whole way to Moncton because the biggest band in the world was coming! I heard upwards of 100,000 people attended, making it the biggest concert in Atlantic Canada. That's the entire population of St. John's in a field! It was madness. Anyway, we got into town around 2pm and the traffic was surprisingly not that bad. I first went and got the keys to my new apartment, ran an errand or two, and then we had supper at Montanas. It was raining pretty hard all day but THANKFULLY it stopped as we were eating!!! YAY!! We might have lined up earlier if it was nice out but I didn't really want to be wet.
Trying to park for this thing was a challenge. The Maritimes are not equipped to handle shows of this size so it's honestly a bit frustrating when we do it anyway. We tried two "park and go" places but both were sold out (apparently you had to buy them in advance… if I was not at Camp I might have researched this better.) Eventually we just decided to tackle Mountain Road head on. There was a paved lane behind Home Hardware that had parking spaces (and no one was charging!) so we parked there. We definitely lucked out as we saw $20 lots of mud that people got stuck in later that night. I saw it was only a 15-20min walk to the concert grounds. It wasn't so bad until we got inside the gates. It was grass, but with rain and 100,000 people it was mud soup. I was so happy I wore chucks on my feet instead of toms. Jolene had crocs on and almost lost them. Newbies :)
Anyway. We got into the grounds just as Arcade Fire were starting. We got about 10 feet behind a barricade, just inside of where all the spot lights and things were set up. We could set the whole "claw". We probably could have gotten closer but Rob was content where we were, and I'm not insane about U2 or anything so I was cool there. Arcade Fire don't really play a concert… they put on a theatrical performance. It's almost ludicrous actually, haha. I kept watching the gold sparkles and the people running around banging drums. I guess they played an hour or so. Then we waited for U2 while jets blew our ear drums off and the bleachers did the wave. Being in a crowd of 100,000 people is a bit of an experience. Most people are happy and nice, but there's always a few dumb people. So many people were trying to weave, only to find the barricade where we were. It got annoying but no one was SUPER aggressive. They all just went right and I guess hoped to get around the edge. I have to say that security did a good job avoiding chaos.
U2 came on at about 9:20 and played for 2 and a half hours. I was surprised by how many songs I knew. I guess with a band this big you just know stuff even when you don't realize. Some songs I remember them doing… Beautiful Day, Where the Streets Have No Name, Vertigo, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Elevation, Still Haven't Found what I'm Looking For, Stuck in a Moment, Pride (in the name of love), One, With or Without You. And like a million more. They are so good live that it honestly could be a CD. There was one moment I noticed Bono's voice sounded tired or strained, but other than that it was flawless. You can tell they are bonified rock stars. They walk the walk and pull off a great show to watch.
The stage setup was intense. In some ways I'm glad we were as far back as we were because we could see the entire claw and all the lights and effects to go with it. At one point the screen extended right down over the band and it looked like they were inside a tornado. I really liked the video clips they had as well. Before the show even started they had random facts up there about the tour (18 babies born within the crew!), how many tweets have happened today, number of abortions this year (broke my heart), etc. There were some "Jesus moments" too. I didn't expect anything less from Bono, but there were calls to action and information given on things like AIDS, slavery, green peace, etc. My favorite part of the night was when Bono said "We are all works in progress. I am definitely a work in progress… and You know it Lord!" as he looks up. haha
So yeah. It was fun. Real muddy. And a really huge crowd. It felt like herding cattle trying to get out of there (a couple of drunk people were even mooing, haha). I say it took a better part of an hour for us to return to the car. I am so glad we did that though… I was speaking to a lady in church today who said for the last concert at Magnetic Hill she did the bus thing, and was still no where near getting shuttled back by 2am! That would have sucked. Poor Jolene almost didn't make it out of the grounds alive. There was mud and crocs and rocks and blood. But she survived and we all got out! Once we got to the car and removed the muddy shoes, we drove to McDonalds and then went back to my brand new apartment and broke it in by muddying the bath tub and sleeping on air mattresses. Definitely won't forget my first night there :) I loved hanging with Jolene & Rob again. I don't have enough of them in my life!!
So that was U2. Pretty epic. Not sure if I would do it again. Maybe I'd get seats next time. But it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm glad I did it! :) Concert #72 in the life of Jen: check!Photos - Jun 26, 11This weekend has been a busy but beautiful one!! I flew away from Camp on Wednesday to come home to Newfoundland. This is the last time my entire family will be in Newfoundland together for a long time, so it's been special. But kind of sad, especially saying goodbye to grandparents. On Thursday I started off with breakfast at Cora's with Nan & Ruby :) Then I went to Mom's Work for her Retirement Party Luau - a lot of fun. Then was Jill's and Hugo's Wedding Rehearsal! That's right, for the fourth time in my life I was a bridesmaid. It is so wonderful to stand for someone whom you've been friends with for almost 20 years. The wedding was FANTASTIC. So much fun. It's so amazing to know that your friend has found her perfect mate :)
Yesterday there was a gift opening, then I came back home for a family dinner. This morning I went to the Temple for the last time for awhile! While I was there the "big news" got announced in Moncton so now I can tell you! In September I am going to be the Next Generations Pastor at The Journey Church! I am soooooooo excited. After months of prayer and weeks of being anxious, it's finally done and in the open :) I can't wait to start!!!
And that's it from my end. I honestly haven't been in the mood to blog much but I figured I should post something. Tomorrow I fly back to Camp! Prep has been going swell and I am anxious for it all to get going for real this week! Life is good :) - Jun 08, 11It's been awhile. So much has happened I'm not even sure where to start! I guess the biggest news is that I graduated with my MDiv from Acadia. That feels awesome. I am going to miss my time at school but I can't wait for full-time ministry again. For graduation I got a new iPad 2 (which I am now blogging on for the first time... We'll see how this goes). The Apple fangirl in me is thrilled. Mom Dad and Nan were up for a couple weeks in May. In addition to convocation festivities we went to Fredericton so they could go house hunting!!! I also was in a flurry of ministry interviews. There is some exciting news on the horizon that I'll share as soon as I'm able :)
This summer I am Program Director at Scoian Glen Camp! After not working there for 5 years it's good to be back. I've been working with Thomas (bible director) for a couple weeks now and things are coming along nicely. Holiday Camp will be here in just a few short weeks! I am trying to sleep well now while I still can :)
And that's all the major news for now. Life's been a bit nuts but has finally started to calm down again. These transition periods are always difficult but I am super pumped about where life is headed. Stay tuned :) - Oct 27, 11
So last night I went to my 8th Starfield concert! I am an old pro, been seeing those guys since they started back in 2001. A student in my youth group went to see them with me last summer and really loved it, so I figured I'd take her this time, especially since I am moving away like, tomorrow. I'm pretty convinced she is the 13 year old version of me :) Anyway, the concert was at Stoneridge Fellowship in their youth sanctuary, which looked small but apparently could fit about 600 people. Jon Bryant opened with people I knew playing on stage :)
For Starfield we were front row center, and it was very reminiscent of my Rocket Summer shows, and the first time I saw Paramore. Super intimate, and close! Looking around, I realized I am getting so old. The crowd seemed super young for the most part. The setlist was a lot of fun. They threw in a couple oldies like "Alive in this Moment" and "My Generation". My request on Facebook was "Rediscover You" which they did play. I loooooove that song. And during "Revolution" Tim was all over the stage, got into my face and gave me the mic for a second, haha. It's on video so it'll be here soon. They did remember me still which I am always impressed by. I mean, they see a lot of people. When it was over we checked out the merch and then waited for an autograph and picture. Then a quick pit stop into Tim Hortons and back on the highway!
My favorite part of Starfield shows is that it is so worship-filled. There were several times I had my eyes closed and was just focussed on God. I know their songs so well that they're just the same as any worship songs we sing at church. There were definitely lots of God moments. I'll end with the chorus for "Rediscover You" (best. song. ever.) This has been the prayer of my heart lately, especially as I'm preparing to leave Wolfville and go on to the next chapter(s) God has for me!
You told me look for You and I will find
So I'm here like I'm searching for the first time
Revive me, Jesus make this cold heart start to move
I wanna burn for You
Bring me back to life
Jesus help me rediscover You
- StarfieldPhotos - Apr 14, 11
I have 19 blog followers now. How does that even happen? Thank you to all who follow me :) I hope my mundane life is some source of inspiration or hilarity for you.
Trying to get caught up on life events on this thing... I only like blogging sometimes. Anyway... on Tuesday April 5 myself and Mandy (another RA in Rojo) hosted a one mile barefoot walk through TakeTheWalk.net! This initiative was started by Hanson; I have done 6 other walks before this one, all while on Hanson tour. I have thought about hosting my own walk since they gave fans that ability back in 2008... but for some reason the idea seemed too grandiose, too complicated, or too scary, so I never did anything about it. But this semester Mandy was insistent we do one, and what better day than TOMS "One Day Without Shoes"? So on a whim late one night I went online and ordered a walk kit, and got us registered.
I honestly didn't know what to expect. I was thinking if we had 10 people I'd be happy. And I know that lots of small walks, together, do make an impact (Hanson donate $1 to a cause of your choice for every person that walks.... we chose TOMS shoes, of course). Since Hanson started walking and encouraging fans to host their own, over 54,000 miles have been walked, which is pretty stellar. So I thought, it'd be fun to put in our small contribution from rural Nova Scotia.
As the event started getting closer though, people took interest. I was given the opportunity to talk about it at Solid Rock Youth. We sent it out to all the Acadia residences and people showed interest. It went into our school's e-mail blasts. We connected with 2 other girls doing "One Day Without Shoes" events all over campus, and we helped promote each other. Mandy posted about it on Magic 94.9's Facebook page, and they asked for a live interview on the radio's morning show! I was interviewed by our school's newspaper, and even CBC Radio from Halifax contacted me. The night before the big day I could hardly sleep.
The weather was a little annoying on walk day. It almost rained (but not quite) and was WINDY. Mandy and I went into the quad 30min before start time and almost blew away, as did our signup sheets, posters, seriously I wouldn't have been surprised if the table took off! Our first people showed up around 3:40, and by 4pm we had quite a crew! There were a ton of University students I didn't even know, which was cool. Many heard about it through Facebook! A few families and youth from my church came out, and some friends as well :) We didn't count the signup sheets until the end - we had 70 walkers!!!!! Soooooooooo happy. I was truly overwhelmed almost to the point of tears.
The walk was not easy. It was cold, and the pavement was very painful. I led the way (I even had a megaphone thanks to Chipman House Council!) around the block of Campus, which we guessed was about a mile. Every time I was like "ow... I can't go on" I thought about how hard it would be to NEVER have shoes, and how this simple action was going to help children get a pair of shoes. It was inspiring.
So that was our walk! I want to say a big thank you to everybody who came out, to everyone who helped promo the event, and to Mandy for making me finally take this step (haha) and do a walk! I definitely want to do one in the future :) Since I won't be at Acadia next year, if anyone reading this wants to host their own, just go to TakeTheWalk.net and register to host!! You can read about all the causes and decide what you want to walk for. It's good to be aware of needs but it's even better when you can do something simple to help. - Apr 11, 11
In a flurry I was going to try and write about my entire week in Mexico in one post. I soon realized that was impossible. I actually didn't do the trip justice in that one post as it was. Of course, the main reason we were all in Mexico was to celebrate the marriage of Jocelyn & Jason! So I thought I should give it due space in the ol blog :)
I met Jocelyn at Acadia almost 3 years ago; we were suitemates! We got close real fast, I call her my big sister. It was just one of those things, as Joc says, we are "lifers". I am totally OK with that because she is one of the best friends I have ever had!! When she asked me two years ago if I would consider going to Mexico to video her wedding, I said OF COURSE!!! It seemed to take forever to get here but finally it was March 2011 and we were going! :)
The wedding day, looking back, was hilarious. The professional photographer wasn't available until the ceremony so in addition to video all day (and all week!) I was also responsible for the "getting ready" pictures, so I was up, showered and dressed by 8am. I enjoyed breakfast with Joc, her sister, and her Mom. Then it was off to the hair salon for nails, hair, and makeup!
I left the girls around 1pm to go check on the guys. The wedding was at 2pm, so of course the guys weren't even in their room yet. ha. Eventually Joc's Dad got them all round up and they proceeded to put socks on and get ready. I swear they were ready to rock in about 15 minutes! Guys are so impressive. I took some pictures of them, including some with Maple Leafs stickers on their foreheads, then I was given a gift to deliver to Jocelyn from Jason, and I took off back to the girls room!
When I got there, they weren't there yet! Nothing like cutting it to the wire! :P When they did arrive, everyone started to get ready. Joc opened her gift and had a good cry :) It was really beautiful. She also got a beautiful gift from her parents. Awww :') While Jen was getting her bridesmaid dress on, the zipper broke!!!! Apparently this dress has had a hard history with zippers. We could have panicked, but instead we just kind of laughed about it and tried to find a solution. After trying on a couple other dresses, and Jen falling down the stairs (ouch!!!) we finally decided to sew her in with the help of their parents and the wedding planner. Jen is such a trooper!!! During most of this chaos I spent my time buttoning all 40 or how many buttons were on Joc's dress! Everyone looked STUNNING and I was so excited for this wedding to get moving!
I left ahead of the girls to inform everyone at the wedding why we were so late. Jason was wearing a wool jacket and was just a little sweaty ;) Finally the wedding began! They only had their siblings stand in the bridal party, it was small and intimate and beautiful. They asked for a Christian-based wedding and I thought the minister did an excellent job. The ceremony itself was pretty short, about 15min or so is my guess. I was so honored to be able to watch one of my best friends marry the man of her dreams!!
As soon as the wedding ended, it was time for a toast! Then pictures on the beach. For destination weddings they always do a photo with everyone who came, which I think is awesome. Then they did every possible pairing they could think of, before Joc & Jason were taken away by the photographer for some couple pictures along the beach (gorgeous doesn't even begin to describe!). I of course creeped them for some of my own pics and video.
At 4pm there was cocktail hour on the terrace - so lovely! We had some music, some drinks, and some snacks. And I think I saw the guys with some celebratory cigars. After cocktail hour we headed to the adult pool bar - our favorite bartender Ulysies wanted to treat us to a very special drink - all 21 of us! What a guy. While we were there a few of us (including Joc) put our feet in the pool to ease the pain. haha. Later, Joc showed up to the reception in runners! I love it.
After a quick "break" it was time for the reception, which was held on the beach!!! The palm trees were decorated with white Christmas lights! So beautiful. I felt like I was in a movie... I was just waiting for Tom Cruise to appear and for guns to start going off. Dinner included salad, shrimp, steak, and a to-die-for chocolate cake! We were so stuffed we couldn't even eat the wedding cake! (That's OK though cause they saved it for us to eat the next night at dinner).
During the reception there were mushy speeches and kisses from the newlyweds and neat little gifts on the table for all who were in attendance. After the reception, the party really got going when the miriachi band arrived! :D Having a personal miriachi band play to you for an hour or so is pretty epic. There was lots of crazy dancing, and singing Spanish words we did not understand. It was a wonderful party :) The night was ended by Jocelyn serenating Jason with a song she had prepared!! It was sooooo beautiful.
After all this, we went home to change, and a few of us returned to the lobby to bid farewell to some people who had to leave :( All in all, it was a fantastic wedding day! Looking back, all the havoc that happened pre-ceremony is just funny. And besides, how could you be stressed in a place as beautiful as this? I am so honored Joc & Jason included me in their special day... I can't wait to give them their DVD of the trip! - Apr 09, 11
Well, the last week of March I had a pretty fantastic vacation! My friends Jocelyn & Jason were getting married at this resort and asked me to come do video for them. Um, yes please!! I have never vacationed at a resort before, and this first experience was an amazing one. I only knew Jocelyn before I left but quickly became friends with the 20 others that were there. It was just a fantastic experience, both because Mexico is like paradise, and the people I was with were incredible. I don't think I'll ever find another friend like Joc - she is one of a kind and I love her to death!!!
K so I flew out of Halifax on a Friday evening with 10 others. We flew on "Air Transat" a dedicated airline to people going on vacation. I spent the 5 hour trip watching the newest Harry Potter movie and reading. We had free food which was nice :) It was crazy that when we left it was snowing, and when we arrived it was 25 degrees! I am down with that! We got in late and found our transportation to the resort. It was about a 45min drive on the highway to get to Riviera Maya.
My jaw dropped when we got to the resort and didn't come up until about 3 days in when the initial shock of the splendor of the resort wore off. It is hard to explain unless you were there... the lobby is huge, and nothing is closed - it's all open to the outside because it is just so warm! We checked in and walked "the yellow brick road" to get to our rooms. I roomed with 2 of Joc's friends from Calgary who are absolute sweethearts! They were already asleep when I arrived so I got into bed pretty quickly.
Most of the week was spent having breakfast around 9, sitting on the beach until 2, going to lunch and spending the afternoon at the pool, then getting cleaned up for supper. After supper we basically were dead and went to bed. One night there was karaoke in the lobby bar but other than that I don't remember anything special. The beach was glorious. The water was warm and clear, and the breeze was the exact perfect temperature. There are suntanning chairs for everyone. The beach is lined with various bars and snack stations, which is all included. Around the pools there are more chairs, and hammocks, and at the adult pools there are cabanas which are lovely for napping. There are also pool bars that you can swim up to. Water fountains, palm trees, bridges. There are plenty of activities and things to do if you tend to get bored easily, but I enjoyed the time of sitting around not doing much. Conversations with others, reading (for fun - I was on a strict no-school diet), and sleeping! My biggest concern in life was "I should reapply sunscreen" or "I think I have to pee soon". Or "this is funny, I should be taking video". haha. I have over 200gb of video :| I guess I did my job well?!
The food. is to die for. The buffets were out of this world with different food options. Breakfast was my favorite. I always had yogurt with granolla and oats and almonds, and pancakes and melon with chocolate on top! :) YUM! The coffee in Mexico is also fantastic. And supper - you could go to a buffet or to one of the specialty restaurants. There was Caribean, French, Japanese, and one called the Rotizzo (I think). Hands down my favorite was the Japanese!!! Each of these restaurants had a four course meal (all inclusive!) and you ordered from a menu. Very fancy, dress code, just wonderful.
The only two days that weren't like all the others were wedding day (which I'm going to blog about later because it's late and I'm tired) and the day we went to Xplor! This is an adventure park that has ziplining, river rafting, and an off-roading vehicle thing! All the ladies went on Wednesday and man, did we have a blast. It was tiring out in the heat, and I wish we had a bit more time there, but it was sooooo much fun.
I was super sad when this trip was over, both because I loved Mexico/the resort, and because I loved spending time with Joc again and meeting all her friends and family. It was an amazing trip. What a way to finish up my Masters! :) One thing I know, when I get married I would looooove to have my honeymoon at this exact spot. It's great!!! - Apr 04, 11
I need to blog about Mexico... it was an epic trip. And I will soon... hopefully before Thursday. I was just interviewed at Just Us by Vanessa from the Athanaeum, my school's newspaper, about the walk we're doing tomorrow! I figured I'd write a little blog about it as a final push in promo :)
Tomorrow is "One Day Without Shoes" sponsored by TOMS shoes. The deal basically is to go around all day without shoes, to raise awareness (both personally and to those around you) how needed shoes actually are, and what it must be like to not have the option to wear a pair of shoes.
Take The Walk is an initiative started by Hanson. In 2006 they went to Africa and saw first-hand the poverty of some of the kids there. So they sold a song and donated the money to a hospital. Then they partnered with TOMS shoes, did one mile barefoot walks with their fans at tour stops in 2007, sold 50,000 pairs of shoes, and went with TOMS to South Africa to deliver the other 50,000. (TOMS is one for one - every time you buy a pair, you give a pair!)
From there, in 2008, Hanson wanted to "walk around the world" - 27,902 miles - and raise money for a host of causes. They decided to donate $1 for every person who walked, whether it was at a Hanson tour walk, or a fan hosted one. And so TakeTheWalk.net was born. As of today, we are almost done walking around the world TWICE - over 54,000 people have walked, over $54,000 has been donated for shoes, water, education, healthcare!
So tomorrow myself and Mandy are doing our own one mile barefoot walk. 4pm in the Acadia Quad. Every person who walks will be donating $1 to TOMS shoes. All the information is on our Facebook event. If you want to give more than your one mile walking, please go to TakeTheWalk.net and see other ways you can give! Hope to see you out!! Regardless of how many people are at this specific walk, know that your simple action makes a difference. There are 8 other walks happening on this day, and there have been over 54,000 people who have walked so far. Be one of them!
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Posts
- Feb 08, 12
Well, tonight I went to my first classic rock concert. Unless you count U2... but they're like, legends. Anyway, it wasn't long before all my new Moncton friends learned I am a concert nut, so when one of my youth leaders was looking for a concert buddy, he asked me. As if I could say no.
I've never been inside the new Casino here before but knew they've hosted many shows. It was much bigger inside than I had imagined. Looked like 1200 easy. We got there after doors opened, and Jerry went and got merch before we went inside. Our seats were in the back dead center, which was fabulous because we were on risers. We noticed on Facebook that Rocco from church was gonna be there too, so we found him and said hey! After waiting around a little bit the opening band came on. I forget their name but they are local, and they were quite good. I especially thought the drummer was really good. They played for 30min, then a set change for Deep Purple.
Deep Purple played for about 2 hours and were stellar. This is sooooo not my style of music, but I can't argue with good technical work and a good performance. The drummer was SICK. He played so effortlessly, when you looked at him you hardly knew he was doing anything. The bass player was a lot of fun too. The keyboard guy was a bit deafening from time to time but hey. And the guitarist.... yeah. Nailed it. The singer guy was fun to watch, didn't do a whole lot but walk around and sing (and play the tambourine!) but I mean they're all pretty old. :) That was the funniest part. The average Hanson show everybody is my age, and at many other shows I attend they are filled with teenagers. But this crowd was OLD. I mean there were a few younger people, but most were men in their 50s and 60s. And they were loving life! There was one guy sitting over from us who had this look of wide-eyed amazement on his face the whole night. And the bald guy in the front row, he was epic.
Seated shows can sometimes be so incredibly awkward, especially when security enforces the sitting down. Personally I was fine with it... if it's not one of my top bands I am okay to sit. But I pitied the hardcore fans. They so wanted to be up, fist-pumping and head-banging and doing what old guys do at rock shows. But they weren't allowed. The second someone got up security asked them to sit back down. What a shame. For the encore nobody cared and swarmed the stage anyway. Then some dude broke onto stage! Security rushed on and got him, and the lead singer punched the security!!!! I thought it was because he was mad at them for taking the fan away... but maybe it was because they let the fan on in the first place... The whole thing was rather funny.
So yeah. It was a fun show. A lot of flashing lights, a lot of keyboard effects, a lot of crazy solos on electric guitar and drums, and a lot of old men fist-pumping with all their hearts. I'm glad I went. No doubt there was a ton of talent on that stage and it's pretty cool I got to experience it. I mean, when will I ever be able to see Deep Purple live again??Photos - Feb 06, 12
I had absolutely no idea what I was in for when I told a student in my youth ministry that I'd go with her to see Shania Fillmore on January 6th. All I knew was that she is a country singer. What I didn't know is that she is 15, from Moncton, and was one of the top 6 on last summer's The Next Star on YTV. It's sort of like Canadian Idol for kids. While I was at the show I researched the show on my iPhone, and I actually found a couple episodes to watch online over the weekend. Neat show idea. The kids on there were all cute as buttons.
So anyway. The Capitol was full of young children and their parents, or middle-aged people (I'm assuming friends of the family). I would say 90% of the concert was Shania and JD (another Next Star finalist from Ontario) singing to back-up tracks [kind of karaoke style]. JD did bring out his guitar (affectionately named Kevin) for a few songs which I was excited about. But vocally Shania can sing far far better than him. I was quite impressed with the vocal power of Shania; for 15 she has a pretty decent set of pipes. You can tell they are just beginning though and have much to learn and experience... It honestly felt like we were in the room with the judges on the TV show, with the lack of band and everything. But it was cute to see all the kids so excited about them, and it was a completely harmless night of fun. Since they only have one original song each, the night was mostly covers. Some I was less excited about (...Bieber...) but then Adele & Lady Antebellum happened and I was happy.
The student I was with was on cloud 9, and that's what truly matters :) We met Shania & JD after the show and she was so excited she could hardly stand still! It reminded me of my first Hanson show. :) I was joking around that I'm going to try and get Shania to come to our youth group/church... I mean she's in grade 10 and goes to the same school as some of my students. Just doing my job :)
So, yep, my first YTV star experience. Will it be my last? Probably. But I enjoyed the company I was with. :) - Oct 23, 11
I am loving living in Moncton. So many bands come to me and I can literally leave my house and be at the show in 5 minutes. I found out Avril was coming here back in August and felt I wanted to go. I had seen her once before back in 2005, right at the start of my concert obsession (I hadn't even seen Hanson live at that point). The show was pretty fun. I love Avril's first two albums. I really dislike her third, so I never bothered seeing her on that tour. Her latest (Goodbye Lullabye) actually is pretty decent. So I thought why not?
I'm kind of over general admission standing room, especially when I am alone and it's not my favorite band, so I got seats right on the side of the stage. I kind of wish now I went a little farther back as I was RIGHT on the side of the stage. Those arena maps lie. I got to the show shortly after 8, having been at Youth Group for awhile. It started at 8 and I didn't like the opener all that much. At least, the one who was advertised... when I came in and found my seat there was a dude with an acoustic guitar playing. I was like "that's not Evan, is it???" and sure enough IT WAS! Evan used to be in Avril's band (along with Charlie & Matt) and in my mind Avril went down hill when the 3 of them left. They were the band in 2005 and I loved them. So it was REAL NICE to hear him play again. After his set he was signing out at the merch booth but it was far too crazy to try and get near. So I did the stalker thing and just watched, then wandered back inside for The New Cities. I heard them once before, opening for Hedley, and they're actually not bad. They have a lot of fun on stage, lots of energy.
Avril came on around 9:20 or so I believe. She played 12 songs + an encore which included an acoustic one with Evan and 2 more full band. Typical show length for her (I laughed at how it wasn't much longer than Hanson's half-show in Portland!). It started in the most corny/tacky way imaginable... the band did the "black star" intro from her album, she came out with one of her green glow in the dark stars that all the little girls had, waved it around and sang the words to the intro, then walked off again. It was super funny.
All in all I was super happy with the set. Half of it was from her first two albums!!! I was somewhat surprised and thought she would have done much more newer stuff. Some of the little kids around me didn't know some of it. I was in my GLEE and it was basically a time warp back to University days. Her 2nd album is the summer of 2004 at Camp Starrigan. So many memories. She even played "I Always Get What I Want" which is like a B-side from her 1st or 2nd album. She only played 2 (I think) from her 3rd album. Maybe she shares my sentiment that the album is not up to par with the others. I honestly think she gave in to pressures from the music industry to be a certain way.
She sang the chorus of "Airplanes" for a minute which was so random, going into My Happy Ending. The BIGGEST ANNOYANCE OF THE NIGHT: she went offstage and the band started doing the instrumental to "Unwanted" (a particularly angry song from her first album). I LOST IT because I LOVE that song and thought it was going to happen. Then they played into "Losing Grip" - another first album song I would LOVE to hear. But then Avril came back out and they whipped into "Girlfriend." REALLY??! I was so bummed out I was legit sat for the rest of that song. I have to say she has improved her performance since I saw her 6 years ago. She was running around a lot more, and she seemed not nearly as flat (although on my videos it kinda sounds like she is...).
The lighting didn't seem that good but maybe it's because of where I was sitting. My camera was not happy. I also felt so old at this show. I say the average age was about 15. I saw way too many Avril lookalikes, about 9 years old, complete with heavy eyeliner and green/pink hair. It was all very unsettling.
So that's that, my 2nd Avril concert. I say it was worth it. So glad the set had so much older stuff in it. It made it that much more enjoyable. And I still remembered most of the words :) I hope Avril continues to mature professionally and doesn't have to continue to be the rebel as she approaches 30. I mean really, how long can the teenage rebellious phase last?Photos - Oct 16, 11
So last night I went to the weirdest Hanson show I've ever been to. I'm sure fans know by now that Taylor (and Zac I think) is not well and the show was cut short, to be rescheduled later. I'll get to all that in a minute... still want to do my normal post-show blog!!
So when the dates for the Musical Ride Tour were announced, and I saw they were going to Portland ME, I decided I would try to go. Since I've lived on the "main land" (not the island of Newfoundland) they had never come that close to me. Plus Portland is where my family has vacationed practically every year for 25 years. I couldn't commit to it right away since I was on the brink of starting a new job, but once I got the OK from them (WOOT I LOVE MY JOB) I planned to go down with my parents. My Hanson friends were originally planning 3 shows which I knew I couldn't do giving finances and new job, so Mom & Dad offered to take me down since they love that area so much. So it was like a mini family vacation with Hanson thrown in :)
We left New Brunswick on Monday morning and took our time driving down, stopping in Freeport to shop the outlets and the Maine Mall. We also went by the venue to size things up in daylight. There were already people in line! People camped from 9:30am the morning before to get front row. I admire their dedication! (Personally I am just as happy a little farther back but to each her own!). We stayed at the Hampton Inn down in Old Orchard Beach because it was the cheapest and it's the area we know best. On Tuesday we got up and went down to the beach area... my parents are looking to rent a condo for a month next summer (they're retired) so their family can come down for holidays whenever is convenient for them (HECK YES). After lunch we went back to the hotel and got ready to head to the State Theatre. Dad dropped Mom & I off. This was Mom's second Hanson show... she brought me to my first in Toronto back in 2005 :) For me, this is show #15.
We got there around 5pm I think. The venue is right in downtown Portland. It kind of reminded me of Northampton MA but more squish. There was a Starbucks right by the venue (joy!). As soon as we got out of the car we saw Zac on his phone over by the buses, and about 50 people in line. I found Krista & Sarah and said hello, and then we went over to Starbucks to get a coffee and just kind of watch the venue/bus/whatever. Apparently Isaac was in Starbucks 20min before we got there. Sad days. After having some coffee and talking to a really nice local guy, we went over to the box office and got our tickets. I saw some more Hanson friends, one who had a M&G! I can't believe it was her first one, it seems like she's seen them live way more than me. Mom & I walked to Rite Aid because I forgot to bring a sharpie with me (in case I needed one if an autograph opportunity arose). Then we went back and got in line about 45min before doors. We chatted with some really nice girls from northern Maine. It was their first Hanson show :)
Doors opened pretty much on time and I loved what I saw inside. The venue is GORGEOUS. It is a perfect blend of GA floor, bar dancing space, and theatre seats. Because I had Mom with me we went for seats, and got front row of them right in front of Isaac. Decent. I went and bought some merch (the tour shirt and the calendar) and got some supper for Mom & I. We were sitting next to 2 really nice girls, one who was at her 2nd Hanson show and the other at her first. I love meeting new people :) Around 8pm the show started with Charlie Mars. He was OK I guess... he was trying to hard to be edgy and "inappropriate" or whatever. I tuned out most of it to be completely honest. Mom was not impressed, hahaha.
I think Hanson got on stage right about 9:00. From the very beginning the show felt off to me. I wasn't sure why... it didn't seem like the band was giving out as much positive energy as usual. The crowd seemed dead. Maybe it's because I could see the whole floor and wasn't up inside the mob. I have no idea what the crowd looks like from behind because I'm usually in it. But I think the band and crowd usually feed off one another. Of course, this was also show 15, I was with my Mom, and I wasn't in the crowd, so maybe that's why I felt the way I did. Anyway. After 2 songs things got weird. The 3 of them kept having group talks by the drums. Their manager was side-stage the whole time connecting with either Taylor or Zac. She came out a couple of times. Taylor kept getting the crowd to sing, or asked Zac or Isaac to take the lead. Once Zac mouthed at him "I don't know it!" It was all just really off. Zac was even messing up the drums because of the lack of focus/everything going on. After 5 songs they left the stage. Usually this is to switch over to the acoustic set. But they were gone way too long. I started to worry... Taylor had mentioned earlier in the show that we had voted for an album to win tonight, but because he wasn't feeling well they had to change plans.
They came back and Taylor said "we have to cut this short" and my heart fell to the floor. They started doing all Isaac & Zac leads, except for MMMBop and Thinking bout Somethin. Then they told us that they were feeling really under the weather, and they didn't want to give us a crappy show. So they told us to keep our tickets, they'll reschedule as soon as they can, and we can use our tickets to get in to that new show and they can give us 100%. One more song or two, and it was done. 45min or so in all.
It was SO WEIRD. I usually leave Hanson shows feeling like I'm on a cloud, so filled up from the music and performance. And this time I left with the anticipation feeling still inside of me. Now, I'm not mad that the show was cut short. Taylor was very obviously SICK. He was super pale... I was afraid he was going to faint. And I know the only other time they cancelled was when Isaac had a blood clot that was a life-or-death situation. This was much harder for them than it was for any of the fans. It's just the built-up excitement I've had in me the past couple weeks still wasn't deflated. I just plain felt funny.
After the show Mom & I went out to the bus. Only Isaac came out but there were a lot of people and I wasn't aggressive enough getting over to the other side of the street so I never got an autograph or picture. But it was fun to just be there anyway. Plus Dad wasn't there yet since the show had ended so early. Once we got picked up we had a late snack at Denny's and went back to the hotel. And today we woke up and drove the 7 hours back home.
So my 15th show was a weird one. I definitely got the most bogus setlist of any show I've ever seen (Musical Ride, Waiting for This,Where's the Love, Thinking bout Somethin, And I Waited, A Minute Without You, Running Man, Deeper, MMMBop, Man from Milwaukee). But I'm glad I saw those. I mean the show could have been cancelled entirely. And it was nice for me to see that venue. I really hope I can get back there when this show is rescheduled. We'll have to wait and see!Photos - Jan 09, 12
Well it's been a few days since this show, but I have been under the weather and sleeping any chance I can get. On Wednesday TobyMac came through Moncton and I knew I had to see him again. At Soulfest last summer he blew me away, him and his band. Their energy on stage and their ability to draw the crowd in is enough to have me dancing, even though normally this isn't my preferred style of music. I bought just one ticket in the 2nd row since when they went on sale I didn't know anybody here yet. It turned out I was right next to one of my high school students!
Jamie Grace opened. She is 19 and really sweet, and has a phenomenal voice. I do wish she had a band though and didn't use loops/tracks to back herself up. The acoustic guitar only ones were nice. At this show, unlike Maple Noise, they let people crowd the front. So even though I was 2nd row in chairs there were a ton of people in front of me. I didn't mind though. I'm tall and I liked having the room in our row.
TobyMac played what I think was an exact replica of 2010's Soulfest setlist. Complete with the acoustic part in the middle of the crowd and Jesus Freak at the end. The difference this time is that I own his latest album so I knew many more of the songs than I did before. I LOVE the Diverse City band. I think if he came without them it wouldn't even be worth it. I love the animation and choreography on stage. It's not over-done but just enough to get you excited.
The concert was SUPER loud but I had my ear plugs with me. I think they played at least 90min. It was sold out at over 2,000 people in attendance. Part of the fun was getting to see so many people I know from other places, particularly New Minas and Fredericton. I had a couple friends from New Minas stay over to my place for the night so that was fun :) We stayed up until 1am talking and watching Youtube videos... Oops!
So that was concert 75! It was a great one. Blew Maple Noise out of the water, in my opinion. 2 bands > 10. Concert 76 is in 3 days... my 15th Hanson concert!!! I am sitting on my couch now watching a 5of5 DVD... probably not a wise idea. My excitement meter has increased 100%. I'll have pics/video of TobyMac up soon!Photos - Oct 09, 11
Wow, it's been almost a week since the Newsboys concert and I have yet to blog about it! You know you've been busy when. Anyway. Living in Moncton is pretty fantastic. There are so many bands that come here! I was planning to go to Maple Noise for a long time, even before I knew I was going to be working at Journey. So I had a ticket bought. But when I came on here, and 30 of my new friends wanted to go to, I decided to buy a 2nd ticket so I could party with everyone else! It was so much fun.
The show was a bit of a marathon. I think 10 bands in 6 hours is a little overkill. 5 bands would have been just lovely. This isn't Warped Tour. I got there at 5 to get everyone's tickets and spent a bit of time hanging outside the church. I got in just as Manic Drive was starting their set. I went up front and jumped around with a bunch of students, got some pictures. It was super loud, and they had bass with no bass player. Interesting indeed. Moving on.
The next act I remember is Jodi King. I liked her. I knew one of her songs from the radio, and it was pop piano music. I'll take it. I also remember Jonny Diaz. He was really great, just an acoustic guitar and a cahon! I decided I'd let myself buy one CD, and since I enjoyed his set so much, and his CD's were $10, I picked him. It's great so far. Then came another lovely act, Greg Sczebel. He reminded me of a cross between Elton John and Ben Folds. Very blues-like. The bass player was my favorite.
I believe it was after Greg Sczebel that the concert hosts did a talk about World Vision and sponsoring a child. Some of our students asked if they could sponsor a child as a group! Cool! So we sponsored Tanjina, a little girl from Bangladesh. It was a pretty cool moment. Consequently, we now have a free Greg Sczebel CD to give our at Youth Group. Ouuuuu.
Manafest were next. I know lots of people like them but it is just not my style of music, I cannot get into them at all. This was my 2nd time seeing them. Still nothing. After Manafest it was Thousand Foot Crutch, or TFK [I can't call them that after all those years of saying it the long way]. Again, it was loud, and... loud. Highlights included the spine mic stand and the guy with the dreads.
Finally, at close to 10pm (seriously?) Newsboys came on and the entire mood of the room changed. It was obvious lots of people were there for them and weren't too sure about the earlier bands. I've heard a few people have written off the Newsboys because of Michael Tait, so they just sound like DC Talk now. Well maybe, but who cares, they were still good. There were lots of lights and elevated platforms, and lots of songs we all knew and could be excited about. The best part was the worship. Looking behind me and seeing a row of my grade 9's enveloped in the presence of God is pretty awesome. I also work with the coolest bunch of Pastors I know. Almost all of us were there, it was so much fun! The epic encore featured a brand new song, Jesus Freak (EEEEEEEEE) and a spinning drum set! It was pretty spectacular.
The next morning came way too early and we were all pretty groggy at work. So worth it though :)Photos - Dec 16, 11
So I got treated to a free concert at the end of this summer thanks to my friend Mitchell! City & Colour were playing a free show at the Moncton Coliseum thanks to someone from Sussex who won a contest with Sirius satellite radio. So once Camp Mission Team was over on August 19, Mitchell and I (along with his friend and brother) took in this show. Dallas Green is insanely talented. His vocal range is impressive and the tone of his voice is just so wonderful. I knew it would be a pretty chill show. I got there just before doors but because Mitchell is from Sussex we got to be in a separate line that went in first! We ended up 2nd row on the floor.
K-os opened the show, which don't try and figure out the sense in that one cause I have no idea. Having a hip hop artist open for a hippie rocker crowd was amusing to say the least. Most of us endured it as best we could. I guess he was okay but I can't really take anyone seriously who feels the need to swear and drink from a flask on stage. We could smell the liquor from the 2nd row.
K-os soon left and we waited about 30min for City & Colour. I was pretty hot, and exhausted from the whole summer at Camp that just ended, so I decided to stay in the crowd for 5 or 6 songs, then I left to get a slushie and popcorn, and juice (I was mega thirsty). You weren't allowed to bring drinks down on the floor so I got a nice seat sidestage and watched the rest of the show from there. Dallas Green is my kind of artist. He's sososo talented. I especially enjoyed the acoustic set in the middle. His band was really solid too. It was one of those shows that's just about the music, only about the music, and that's my kind of show. For one song he asked everyone to put their cellphones & cameras away. He said that we are so consumed with trying to capture the moment that we forget to actually enjoy it. Which I know first-hand... it's why I couple of concerts I've attended lately I hardly have any pictures or videos, because I want to make sure I actually experience what I went to experience! It was a nice treat to have no little lights in the crowd; everyone was focussed on the stage and the music. Even if it was just for one song.
For the encore I went back onto the floor, which actually wasn't that crowded. Met up with Mitchell & his brother, went to McDonalds, and went home. So that was that! I've since bought his latest album, and while I haven't had a whole lot of time to listen to it, I'm excited to do so on my drive this Wednesday. If you like chill acoustic guitar music I suggest you check him out. City & Colour.Photos - Aug 26, 11
Well last night I definitely saw the biggest concert I'll ever see, so I thought I needed to blog about it, even though I'm currently sitting at Camp with no internet connection. I'll publish once I have internet again :)
Saturday morning I left Camp to meet up with Jolene & Rob in Truro. There was crazy traffic the whole way to Moncton because the biggest band in the world was coming! I heard upwards of 100,000 people attended, making it the biggest concert in Atlantic Canada. That's the entire population of St. John's in a field! It was madness. Anyway, we got into town around 2pm and the traffic was surprisingly not that bad. I first went and got the keys to my new apartment, ran an errand or two, and then we had supper at Montanas. It was raining pretty hard all day but THANKFULLY it stopped as we were eating!!! YAY!! We might have lined up earlier if it was nice out but I didn't really want to be wet.
Trying to park for this thing was a challenge. The Maritimes are not equipped to handle shows of this size so it's honestly a bit frustrating when we do it anyway. We tried two "park and go" places but both were sold out (apparently you had to buy them in advance… if I was not at Camp I might have researched this better.) Eventually we just decided to tackle Mountain Road head on. There was a paved lane behind Home Hardware that had parking spaces (and no one was charging!) so we parked there. We definitely lucked out as we saw $20 lots of mud that people got stuck in later that night. I saw it was only a 15-20min walk to the concert grounds. It wasn't so bad until we got inside the gates. It was grass, but with rain and 100,000 people it was mud soup. I was so happy I wore chucks on my feet instead of toms. Jolene had crocs on and almost lost them. Newbies :)
Anyway. We got into the grounds just as Arcade Fire were starting. We got about 10 feet behind a barricade, just inside of where all the spot lights and things were set up. We could set the whole "claw". We probably could have gotten closer but Rob was content where we were, and I'm not insane about U2 or anything so I was cool there. Arcade Fire don't really play a concert… they put on a theatrical performance. It's almost ludicrous actually, haha. I kept watching the gold sparkles and the people running around banging drums. I guess they played an hour or so. Then we waited for U2 while jets blew our ear drums off and the bleachers did the wave. Being in a crowd of 100,000 people is a bit of an experience. Most people are happy and nice, but there's always a few dumb people. So many people were trying to weave, only to find the barricade where we were. It got annoying but no one was SUPER aggressive. They all just went right and I guess hoped to get around the edge. I have to say that security did a good job avoiding chaos.
U2 came on at about 9:20 and played for 2 and a half hours. I was surprised by how many songs I knew. I guess with a band this big you just know stuff even when you don't realize. Some songs I remember them doing… Beautiful Day, Where the Streets Have No Name, Vertigo, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Elevation, Still Haven't Found what I'm Looking For, Stuck in a Moment, Pride (in the name of love), One, With or Without You. And like a million more. They are so good live that it honestly could be a CD. There was one moment I noticed Bono's voice sounded tired or strained, but other than that it was flawless. You can tell they are bonified rock stars. They walk the walk and pull off a great show to watch.
The stage setup was intense. In some ways I'm glad we were as far back as we were because we could see the entire claw and all the lights and effects to go with it. At one point the screen extended right down over the band and it looked like they were inside a tornado. I really liked the video clips they had as well. Before the show even started they had random facts up there about the tour (18 babies born within the crew!), how many tweets have happened today, number of abortions this year (broke my heart), etc. There were some "Jesus moments" too. I didn't expect anything less from Bono, but there were calls to action and information given on things like AIDS, slavery, green peace, etc. My favorite part of the night was when Bono said "We are all works in progress. I am definitely a work in progress… and You know it Lord!" as he looks up. haha
So yeah. It was fun. Real muddy. And a really huge crowd. It felt like herding cattle trying to get out of there (a couple of drunk people were even mooing, haha). I say it took a better part of an hour for us to return to the car. I am so glad we did that though… I was speaking to a lady in church today who said for the last concert at Magnetic Hill she did the bus thing, and was still no where near getting shuttled back by 2am! That would have sucked. Poor Jolene almost didn't make it out of the grounds alive. There was mud and crocs and rocks and blood. But she survived and we all got out! Once we got to the car and removed the muddy shoes, we drove to McDonalds and then went back to my brand new apartment and broke it in by muddying the bath tub and sleeping on air mattresses. Definitely won't forget my first night there :) I loved hanging with Jolene & Rob again. I don't have enough of them in my life!!
So that was U2. Pretty epic. Not sure if I would do it again. Maybe I'd get seats next time. But it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm glad I did it! :) Concert #72 in the life of Jen: check!Photos - Jun 14, 11
So last night I went to my 8th Starfield concert! I am an old pro, been seeing those guys since they started back in 2001. A student in my youth group went to see them with me last summer and really loved it, so I figured I'd take her this time, especially since I am moving away like, tomorrow. I'm pretty convinced she is the 13 year old version of me :) Anyway, the concert was at Stoneridge Fellowship in their youth sanctuary, which looked small but apparently could fit about 600 people. Jon Bryant opened with people I knew playing on stage :)
For Starfield we were front row center, and it was very reminiscent of my Rocket Summer shows, and the first time I saw Paramore. Super intimate, and close! Looking around, I realized I am getting so old. The crowd seemed super young for the most part. The setlist was a lot of fun. They threw in a couple oldies like "Alive in this Moment" and "My Generation". My request on Facebook was "Rediscover You" which they did play. I loooooove that song. And during "Revolution" Tim was all over the stage, got into my face and gave me the mic for a second, haha. It's on video so it'll be here soon. They did remember me still which I am always impressed by. I mean, they see a lot of people. When it was over we checked out the merch and then waited for an autograph and picture. Then a quick pit stop into Tim Hortons and back on the highway!
My favorite part of Starfield shows is that it is so worship-filled. There were several times I had my eyes closed and was just focussed on God. I know their songs so well that they're just the same as any worship songs we sing at church. There were definitely lots of God moments. I'll end with the chorus for "Rediscover You" (best. song. ever.) This has been the prayer of my heart lately, especially as I'm preparing to leave Wolfville and go on to the next chapter(s) God has for me!
You told me look for You and I will find
So I'm here like I'm searching for the first time
Revive me, Jesus make this cold heart start to move
I wanna burn for You
Bring me back to life
Jesus help me rediscover You
- StarfieldPhotos - Oct 27, 11
So last night I saw Steven Curtis Chapman in concert for the first time! I got his album "Speechless" in 1999 and absolutely loved it. I bought "Declaration" in 2001, listened to it a bit but didn't really connect with it as much as the previous album. Anyway, when I heard he was coming through I thought why not, I love concerts!
I went with my friends Susan, Elaine, Emelia, and Joanna. The church was PACKED - definitely sold out. We ended up being close to the back on the floor, but we moved up to the front "standing room" once it started. It wasn't your typical "everyone crowd the front" show... most of it was spent sitting down (we lay back on the floor in the front, it was sweet). The average age at the show was probably about 40. Opening the show was a band "Caleb" made up of SCC's sons and a friend. I really liked them! Bought one of their EP's during intermission.
The rest of the show was organized a bit odd... SCC came out and did a few songs, and was then joined by Geoff Moore. They're good friends and have co-written many songs. Eventually SCC left and Geoff sang a few on his own. Then was intermission. They gave us some info about adoption options for Canadians. Even though I'm definitely not in the life position yet to adopt, it is still something I'd like to do once I'm in a career and am married (if that ever happens... ha). So I picked up all the pamphlet things for future reference!
The show continued till a little after 10pm. I knew some (most?) of the songs. Throughout the night SCC shared a lot about the huge tragedy his family went through 3 years ago when their daughter was taken from them tragically in an accident. It was very moving (though... dare I say it... it seemed a tiny bit overkill? Don't hate, I have a heart and feel DEEPLY for the huge burden they must carry, and of course we all go through deep heartache from time to time... but it was definitely the overarching theme of the whole night, which got a little overwhelming after the 6th or 7th mention). But I will say a definite highlight was when he took some time to play some well-known worship choruses on piano and we all sang along. Hearing a man like him, who has gone through so much, sing "You give and take away, You give and take away, my heart will choose to say Lord blessed be Your name" is HUGE. It was definitely a "moment" for me.
So yeah, concert was fun. Musically it was super interesting. They didn't have a "normal" kit, there were lots of bells and whistles. Glock, cajon, cymbal with a chain on it, etc. I liked that a lot. It was much more relaxed than say Starfield or David Crowder, but I liked the change of pace. The calibre of music was superb - I always like good live music!
Once it was over Emelia was basically falling asleep :) She is not a night person! So we grabbed some Timmies and drove home. Very glad I went! If you have a chance to check out this Canadian tour, you should.Photos - Mar 07, 11
Last Thursday evening I was treated to my second Craig Cardiff acoustic show. He apparently comes to Acadia every single year because he likes us so much. I'm down with that. I was a little late arriving due to another commitment, I thought it didn't start until 8pm and there was an opener, but turns out he started playing before 8, and the "opener" played in the middle. Unfortunate. So it wasn't as long as I would have liked but I enjoyed what I heard. His music is almost hypnotic; I feel so relaxed and at peace when he plays. I really don't know where he comes from, or how he can make a living playing to a hundred University students at only $8 a ticket, but I truly loved and appreciated his performance. I could have sat there all night.
I didn't take any pictures because the room was incredibly dark, but here's a tune of his you might enjoy. - Nov 22, 10
Welp, I made it home, a day later than I expected! Here is what I have learned on this trip:- Northampton is 9.5 hours from Fredericton when you account for pee/gas stops and supper.
- I can get from Houlton ME to Northampton MA and back for about $92 including all gas and tolls.
- seated Hanson shows are really nice and relaxed
- 21 is a better legal drinking age than 18
- Forever 21 has really cheap and awesome clothes in it
- whenever I travel overnight on a train I MUST get a sleeper
- Montreal is kind of dirty, and incredibly sketchy around Club Soda
- it feels weird to not be able to speak the preferred language of a city
- St. Hubert's is a lot like Swiss Chalet
- Some Montreal Hanson fans still think it's 1997
- Front row really is the best, but it's not so much better than being somewhere else in the venue that I'd be willing to line up all day for it
- The best thing you could ever do at a GA show is make friends with the people around you
- Most Hanson fans are really sweet, really awesome people
- Siobhan Magnus is a little full of herself
- When I am freezing cold and look like crap, I do not want my picture taken with a Hanson
I had the sleep of my life at Nathalie's house after the Montreal concert. Woke up around 11 I think. We had breakfast and watched Strong Enough to Break, then we dropped my luggage off at the train station and went for a walk around Old Montreal. It was pretty and a nice walk, although it was quite cold out. We took a subway from there to the shopping district. If I had money I definitely would have done some shopping. We went to a HUGE HMV - 3 floors of music and video! Oh yes, we also got Starbucks which I was DYING for. I went the whole of the day before without a single cup of coffee. It was sad (but not that sad cause that day was awesome).
Nathalie then brought me to the train station and I met up with Brigette and her Mom, my new friends I met on the way there :) We sat together on the train ride home. The train takes 17 hours to go from Montreal to Moncton, which seems a bit excessive. At one point, after we had stopped at a station, we started going backwards at a pretty quick pace for quite awhile. I had visions of the train getting hijacked and making it come off the tracks or something. Eventually we started going the right way again. Weeeiiirrrrdd. I have to say this. I cannot sleep in a chair. I just can't do it. Not getting a cabin on the way home was the stupidest thing I've ever done. It was SO horrible to be so tired but to not be able to sleep :( I gave up around 3:30am and just worked on editing pictures and videos. At least I got all my pics done before I even got home. But yeah... pulling an unwanted allnighter at the end of a week-long trip is not recommended.
Once we got to Moncton I said goodbye to Brigette and her Mom and met up with Jim who brought me back to his house to get cleaned up and get my car back :) Then I met with a prof at Starbucks, and started the drive back to Wolfville. It was snowing a little, but I wasn't too concerned cause I didn't think the weather forecast was calling for anything too bad... boy was I wrong. By the time I got to the Cobequid Pass it was an all-out snow storm. Plows going, people driving 30, etc. Can I just say that if you have to go 40 because you are too scared, DON'T DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY. I swear most winter accidents are because people are trying to pass those who should not even be on the highway. It's insane. I had one issue with this, but otherwise I was okay.
Once I passed Truro everything got good again so I thought I'd be alright. It was getting dark though. I stopped in Enfield for the bathroom and coffee, and as soon as I got on the 101 the snow and freezing rain started again, and this time it was dark. Keep in mind I had also been awake for 2 days and was alone in my car. Jon was texting me advising of the conditions as he was a couple hours ahead of me on the road. So after pulling off the highway at exit 3 I decided the best idea was to stay there for the evening. So I called Uncle Gord and Madonna and they were nice enough to let me stay the night! So I went there, had supper, watched the hockey game, and slept. Got up this morning in time for church. So yeah! I made it, but not without a fight!
I want to again say thank you to all of my friends who helped me out on this trip. Mary & Mark for housing and feeding me for 2 days, Daniel for giving up his bedroom for me, Sarah & Kyle for a fun trip to the USA, Jim & Tash for housing me and taking me to and from the train station, Mom & Dad for the train ticket, Nathalie for the place to stay and for being my tour gide, and Uncle Gord and Madonna for giving me a place to stay and food to eat last night. Seriously, this trip would have sucked without all of these awesome people! So THANKS :D This trip was kind of epic. But now it's back to the real world! - Northampton is 9.5 hours from Fredericton when you account for pee/gas stops and supper.
- Nov 24, 10
Sleeping on a train is not easy. I was "asleep" for 9 hours but I kept waking up because of stopping and starting or a bumpy patch. But all in all it was a neat way to travel. I ate breakfast before I got off and was greeted by Nathalie and a big sign! :) I am so glad she came to get me because Montreal is big and scary and I would not want to maneuver it alone. I never really looked into anything at all this time so I would have been very lost. We took 2 subways and a bus to get to her apartment. I needed a shower after the night on the train. Then we went down to the venue. It is in a SKETCH place of town. Seriously out of all the venues I have seen Hanson in this was definitely in the sketchiest area. And to top it all off the blocks all around it are under major construction. Not ideal. When we got there there were a few people already in line. We went to St Hubert's and had lunch. It was yummy; reminded me of Swiss Chalet. Then we went back, and the bus was there! :) No Hanson though, haha. They were flying in from Oklahoma.
We waited in the front and talked to the growing number of fans. Around 3 their tour manager came for me and Caroline to set up walk registration. Thankfully they let us do it inside the lobby because it was FREEZING outside! We had 94 people register for the walk. Hanson went out to everyone from where our table was, so we got to chat briefly with them before they started walking. It seemed to take a bit longer than Northampton... I think they got lost. When they came back Zac signed my CD for me and said thanks for doing the registration :) Then they went in for soundcheck. We took down the table and gave all the stuff back to the tour manager, and chatted with the venue staff. Nobody kicked us out or asked us to leave... and soundcheck was happening... so we just kind of stayed and watched. It was really nice. Especially since they did 2 Christmas songs :) We didn't hear them at the show though.
After soundcheck was M&G which I watched from afar since I knew 3 of the girls in there :) So excited for them! Then doors opened and the party started. I was right next to Nathalie in front row on Taylor's side. I have never ever been front row for a Hanson concert before, and I doubt I ever will be again (unless fate treats me as well as it did today). But man, it was nice. I figured I would take advantage of it this one time and live it up a little. There was no barricade so we were literally resting on the stage. Saweeeeet. Jarrod Gorbel played and once again I enjoyed his set. A little chill for starting off a Hanson show but I liked it. I also made friends with all the people around me (this is fun to do anyway but also important when you are going to be real close for a couple hours).
Just after 9:15 Hanson came on and played for over 2 hours. A 23-song set, even longer than Northampton! The highlight of the show for me was how close I was. It was just... nice. The crowd was dancy and there was no pushing. The set was identical to Northampton, except they added Something Going Round in the encore, and they did "Let's Get it On" with If Only!!!! I have NEVER heard that before so I was PUMPED! During "Can't Stop" I was feeling some pushing behind me, and I turned around and saw a girl that was WAY too drunk, or high, or something. She was causing grief to all those around her. Apparently a man pushed her to the ground to make her stop. Anyway, Isaac noticed it, told the crew on stage, who had the drunk girl removed. Isaac then proceeded, once the song was over, to tell off the guy, use a few choice words, and got him kicked out of the show. It was kind of epic. He didn't even get the hint right away, so Hanson's guitar tech and tour manager jumped into the crowd and got him out. Seriously. It was just epic. I am happy my band looks out for their fans. I wonder if the drinking age of 18 has anything to do with the insane number of obnoxious drunks at this show? It was a bit ridiculous.
Other things... there was birthday cake! No smash in the face though :( And I got a setlist.
After the show we went to the bus. I knew that they wouldn't be long since they have to be in PA by 8am. Isaac came out and signed for everyone, and Taylor came out briefly and went down the line before the bus pulled away at 12:15. So I managed to get Shout it Out signed by all 3 on this trip :) And Isaac signed the setlist I got. One thing that was nuts by the bus... well actually 2 things. Like I said, the area is sketchy, and there were homeless/drunk/nonsensical people behind the venue that kept bothering fans and the band/crew. At one point, someone left the bus door open, and I thought one of them was going to get on!! We yelled for the door to be closed and some fans pushed it to. Scary. The other thing is, tonight I felt like it was 1997 again. Maybe it's because Hanson haven't been in Montreal for 10 years, maybe it's because kids were drunk and weren't using common sense and courtesy, but seriously. Rather than stay in a line on the sidewalk like you're supposed to do, when a Hanson came out people swarmed them. For the first time in my LIFE I witnessed a girl chasing after Taylor as he was walking towards the bus. I couldn't even believe what I was seeing. Like seriously. It's not 1997 anymore, and you are doing the #1 thing to ensure they DON'T come out and sign. Gah. It is weird to be here where people don't know how to act or behave at the bus, or at the show. It's awesome more newer fans are able to go to shows now, but I kind of missed being where everyone knew the drill. And it wasn't everyone... most of the new people were awesome! But it only takes a couple ya know?
Anyway... haha, it was a fun day all in all. Nathalie and I were starving after the bus left so we got some Subway before coming home. My pictures are SWEET. I can't wait to edit them and get them up! The show was also amazing. Definitely glad I made the trek. Can't believe I got to see Hanson live 8 times this year! Nuts!!!
Photos - Nov 22, 10
So after I posted my last blog I got about 4 hours sleep, then it was time to Get Up and Go! (ha, ha). We had our free breakfast at our hotel before leaving. Since travelling with Jolene this past summer, and learning that the US puts high fructose corn syrup in almost everything (Canada does not) I have been much more careful in what I choose to eat. I usually always go for yogurt at breakfast but wouldn't you know it... US yogurt has high fructose corn syrup in it!! Bah. So I stuck with raisin bran and an egg sandwich (which probably was full of other junk too but tasted better at least). We weren't on the highway 15min before finding a Starbucks. I needed coffee in a big way! The drive home was nice. Somehow the drive home is always much faster than the drive down... it seemed like we were back in Portland in no time. About an hour outside of Portland we stopped for gas. When we left the gas station and were driving back up the highway... Sarah says "what's THAT?!" I look back at the gas station we just left and it is being encompassed by this white smoke/mist that seems like it was coming from a tank truck. I have no idea what it was or if anyone was injured or anything.... I am just really thankful it didn't happen 5 minutes earlier when I was standing outside my car pumping gas!
In Portland we looked around the mall for about an hour. I bought a hat! I didn't think I could ever pull off this kind of hat, but I love the look of them, and Hot Topic had them in 2 different sizes, so the large one actually fit me! Hooray! I've bought two hats on this trip. I guess I'm a hat person now?
We also looked inside of Forever 21. I love this store and there were so many cheap and awesome things. If I hadn't already spent all my money in Northampton I may have gotten some things, but I don't "need" anything right now so I resisted the urge. Sarah & Kyle looked around H&M a bit (which I also love but did not want to buy anything) so I went to the Apple Store and played with the new 11" Macbook Airs and iPads until they were ready to leave. I'm glad they came to find me when they did or else I may have walked out with an iPad! Those darn little things are so awesome, but I definitely don't need one. And I shouldn't put myself farther in debt for a toy I don't need. Be sensible, self!
We left Portland and pushed our hungry tummies onward to Bangor for a late lunch/early supper at Applebees. I actually ate junky this time - cheeseburger sliders. So good. Then we took off to Houlton and filled up the car one last time before the border. Can I just say that my car can go from Houlton ME to Northampton MA roundtrip, all gas and all toll booth charges, for about $92 US? That is pretty flippin fantastic. All 3 of us got $20 back from the gas money. Sweet. The border crossing was semi-smooth.... the dude was young and scanned our passports. I think he thought we were lying or something. He kept asking random questions and he was making me nervous. I thought for sure we were getting pulled over but we weren't. I think he thought we were lying that Hanson still play shows. The drive from the border to Fredericton was NOT fun. By this time it was long past dark, and it was FOGGY. There were times I had to slow down to 80km or so because I literally could only see 3 feet in front of the car. We finally got back to the Salvation Army church by around 9pm, and I said goodbye to Sarah & Kyle. They are so great to travel with - best Hanson tour buddies ever!
After I dropped them off I still had almost 2 hours of driving to do, alone, to get to Jim and Tash's house in Moncton. It also was quite foggy and I was not a happy camper. My GPS did not lead me astray and by 11:00pm I was at their house! I have to thank them SO MUCH for letting me stay there overnight. I had an awesome sleep and cuddle with their cat :) Watched some "19 kids and counting", got a super long shower, checked the internets, and ate breakfast. It was a super break in between legs 2 and 3 of my vacation. My car is now hanging out in their driveway - Tash was nice enough to drive me to the train station! THANKS TASH :)
So now I am on the VIA Train on the way to Montreal!!! If you know my family at all you know my Dad LOVES trains (like I love Hanson, and my brother loves his Tuba). Because of this I have been on dozens of tourist trains, some lasting 8 or 9 hours roundtrip. But I have never taken a train to GET somewhere. When Hanson announced the Montreal date I felt like I had to go, since they haven't played this far East in Canada in 10 years, and I'd like them to not take that long next time (or maybe even come FARTHER east??) I didn't want to drive it because a) I'd be going alone, b) the highway to Montreal from NB sucks, and c) I don't have enough miles left on my car lease. I've wanted to take the train somewhere for awhile, and said I'd try to do it for a show. The train is expensive (still not as much as flying though). I talked to Mom & Dad who thought a train ticket would make a lovely Christmas gift for me (thanks, parents!). So that was that!
It's been nice so far. I have a berth, which is like a couch-type seat that turns into a bunk bed. It's a 17 hour train ride. I stayed at my seat and edited pictures until my supper time which was 6:30. I had a great supper (chicken, potatoes, and veggies, and chocolate truffle cake for dessert!). The food on board is a bit pricey... but it was nice. To avoid my late-night munchies costing me an arm and a leg I walked to Sobeys before the train got to the station and bought some things for later. The only weird thing about this train (maybe because it's the older cars?) is that there is no internet and no power outlets by my bed! This is unfortunate since my only source of entertainment is my laptop, and I need to charge my phone. Luckily in the dome car there is a lounge area that has an outlet. So I've been sitting here since supper ended, editing concert pictures and writing this blog while charging everything. A little while ago a Mom & Daughter walked by, saw my Hanson shirt, and told me they're going to the show too! They are both big fans and it is their first concert!!!! The Mom (Pierrette) bought the daughter (Brigette) a fanclub membership as a surprise for Christmas, but then she won a M&G so she had to break the news haha. We had a nice chat and I filled them in a bit on what tomorrow's going to be like. They are both SO excited. There are going to be a lot of first-time concert people at this show, it makes me so happy! Now I am the veteran haha. This is one of the reasons I am so glad Hanson are coming to Montreal again :)
So the show tomorrow should be sick. I can't wait. I'll be in Montreal in 13 hours... Until then, I may edit some pics from the last show, watch a movie, or perhaps even get some sleep :) Vacation is still awesome. - Nov 23, 10
I feel like I may have just seen my best Hanson concert to date. It is 2:45am and I kind of just want to go to bed but this will all be a blur in the morning!
Northampton is a cute little town that we explored a little today. It was bizarre to go to the venue at 11am and see not a soul outside. Hooray for assigned seating! We spent an hour in Starbucks and then did some shopping. I found this awesome store called "Faces" where I got a matching mitten and toque set (and the toque has ear flaps!), purple tights, and a dressy pair of boots! FINALLY! I've been looking for 3 years :) I was soooo happy. We came back to the hotel to hang out for a bit and meet up with some friends who had arrived. 2pm or so Sarah & I went back to the venue as we were doing walk registration. The bus was there by then. Meetup time came and went and nobody came to get us. We got to talking to a man that works at the venue who was super nice. He went backstage and got their tour manager for us. We were told what to do, and I slipped Isaac's birthday card to him :) So then we sat outside in the cold for 2 hours cause we're that awesome! Fans began to gather and we got most of the walkers registered... The walk was shortly after 4. Unfortunately they started and ended the walk away from where we were, so we never saw Hanson at all. We didn't get to walk since we were doing registration. Once it was done more people came to register... in total there were 140 walkers! Sweet!
Once the walk was all wrapped up Sarah & I went to Friendly's for supper. Then it was only 6 and I was still cold so we went to Starbucks to warm up. Got back to the venue about 10min before doors. It was easy getting in... our seats were in 5th row center, pretty decent! As soon as we got our seats I went to get merch... t-shirt and sunglasses. There was only one opener, Jarrod Gorbel. I knew I was going to like him because I bought his album on iTunes the day it came out! It streamed on AP.net ahead of time and I really liked it. He was also pretty hilarious... called out a girl ahead of us for being on her phone for his entire set, haha. After Jarrod's set I got some snacks from the bar, and within no time Hanson were on!
I definitely feel different at a Hanson show now compared to my first couple. I'm "used" to it. I still LOVE it; it's just different. They were all very happy and sounded spot on (even though apparently a couple of them have colds). 5th row was nice and close. This show brought back a lot of memories from 5 of 5, especially since most songs from Shout it Out I heard for the first time there :) Isaac was especially dancy and silly tonight. Taylor was wearing the Hanson tshirt I almost bought. Zac had the Elvis lip curl going all night long. In fact... I sort of wondered if he may have something happening that's making the right side of his mouth droop. But perhaps I'm over-sensitive and it is just his "face" for when he's concentrating. I just noticed it a lot more than in April.
Setlist highlights... Madeline, Underneath acoustic, Give A Little... probably more. I'll get back to you on that haha. Everything was tight. I don't know how many songs they played but the show was actually 2 hours long! They went on right at 9:15 and when they were playing the last song it was 11:15. The encore was "It's a Long Way to the Top" with Stephen Kellogg and Goose. That was pretty fun.
After the show Sarah & I went out to the buses and waited for 90min at least... Isaac came out and signed for people briefly. I got my Shout it Out CD signed. Shortly after the bus left. Sad we waited all that time and never got to see Zac or Taylor but I will survive. It was really cold anyway. Now we're all warm and cozy in our hotel, leaving here in about 5 hours to drive 9.5 hours back to NB! Oh man. I'm gonna need an extra shot of somethin in my Starbucks tomorrow. I do love driving though and am actually looking forward to the trip. Plus, in a few days I'll be at another show :)Photos - Nov 22, 10
Since I woke up this morning I entered a new country and travelled through 2 states. Pretty impressive hey? :) This morning I was a complete seminary/pastor nerd and went to 2 churches. I have been wanting to check out Crosspoint for quite some time so I got to go there this morning! It was great, similar to NMBC in several ways yet different in several others. I spoke briefly to Mark & Tim who I follow on Twitter. The message was powerful, and 3 people came to Christ! That always gets me so excited. I took off fairly quickly after that service as I only had 15min to make it to The Salvation Army for church 2! It is always nice to visit with old friends. It was Community Care Sunday and the guest speaker was great. So I guess with 2 services this morning I was doubly blessed? :)
After church I said my goodbye's and then Sarah & Kyle arrived, and we took off for the USA! We left Fredericton around 1pm and got to Northampton MA at 9:30pm. It was a great drive down, nice and sunny and no crazy traffic to report. I am starting to know this stretch of highway a little too well. I really enjoy travelling with Sarah & Kyle. We had some great conversations and listened to every single Hanson CD (the latest one twice!). Got some Starbucks, had Ruby Tuesday's in Portland for supper. I just love driving so much. The adventure of the Interstate Highway System down here is a thrill in and of itself. I'd love to explore more of them someday. We felt like it was really late in the night when we were driving but it wasn't really... it got dark at like 4:30pm! Anywho, great drive, lots of fun. I am addicted to this life.
We are now at our hotel in Northampton, all ready to go for the walk and show tomorrow. The hotel is decent... it's a Quality Inn. There's nothing awe-inspiring but it's clean and has free breakfast and free internet. And that's all you need really. We haven't checked out the venue yet or how close it is. We are hoping to walk there. I am so excited tomorrow's show is seated! No lining up or sore backs or anything. I am really excited for tomorrow's show... show #13... but I will say I am beginning to feel seasoned at this :) Like I am still excited but I am actually going to sleep tonight. That usually doesn't happen the night before a show. haha. Anyway. My buddies are already in bed so I'm gonna join them! Hanson tomorrow :) - Nov 22, 10
Well, this November vacation is off to an absolutely fantastic start! I left Wolfville lunchtime on Friday and got to Fredericton by suppertime. I am staying at the Schriver's home. They are an AMAZING family with huge hearts and an amazing gift of hospitality :) I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for all the food, conversation, the use of Daniel's room (thanks Daniel!) and everything else. When I arrived we had a big chicken dinner! YUM!!! After supper I went into the city to meet up with a dear friend who I haven't seen in a couple of years. It was awesome to reconnect and chat over a Starbucks chai latte :)
This morning I was so relaxed it was like I was drugged. Mary & I stayed up until 1am last night watching What Not to Wear so I slept until 9 when Joshua came and woke me up :) I got a shower and then we went to the Sour Grape for a coffee and lunch. It is a cute little cafe place in Oromocto that has great espresso drinks and is reasonably priced. They also have tons of baked goods and sandwiches for cheap! As a side-note I should say that I only learned today that espresso has no X in it. haha. Anyway, after coffee I came home and had a nap for almost 3 hours!!! Seriously it's like I am drugged. I am so relaxed and carefree. The schoolwork I have to do when I go home is so faint in my head I can truly relax and just rest, physically and mentally! I LOVE VACATION. Why can't I do this for a living??? Anyway after my nap we had a yummy supper and then Mary & I, along with the 2 boys, went into Fredericton for the Mercy Me concert!
The show was at Sunset Church and was sold out at over 1200 people. It felt way bigger than David Crowder but I think that's because of the different setup of the church. We got 2nd row on the right side. Phil Wickham opened the night. I didn't know anything about him except for a friend of mine likes him, and someone I follow on twitter tweeted about listening to his music. He was quite good! Only 26 years old (but married, darnit, haha) and had a great energy on stage. After his set was over we went out to buy some merch, and Mary & I got a pic with Phil. The line wasn't too long but when we got back to the sanctuary Mercy Me had already started!
Mercy Me were great. I honestly wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it... based on their CDs alone they're a little lighter than what I normally like at concerts. But they definitely kick things up a knotch in the live setting. They did several songs that I knew, including "Homesick" and "So Long Self". All the guys seemed really genuine. They took time to share stories and tell us the origins of songs. The lead guy just glowed with a deep-set joy. They pulled out a Tom Petty cover and ended the night with "Where the Streets have No Name" by U2! Of course the "last song" (before the encore) was "I Can Only Imagine" which got everyone to their feet. There was lots of crowd participation, from learning choruses so we could sing them, to singing some old church songs like Amazing Grace and I Love You Lord. The crowd was REALLY engaged. There was an old guy about halfway back that never sat down or took his arms down for the whole show! And he knew every word to every song. He had to be at least 85 years old, and the joy of the Lord was in him! I was overwhelmed/surprised at the volume of the crowd in the singing and the yelling/applause. There were 1200 people there but it felt more like 2000. Just an awesome place to meet with God with an awesome Band leading the way. One more note about Mercy Me... they are quite the snappy dressers :) OH! And the drumset GLOWED IN THE DARK!!!!!!
So yup, I definitely don't regret coming to this show. It was awesome. We came home and I had quite a substantive snack... concerts make me so hungry. I am still pretty tired despite my nap today. Starting tomorrow vacation kicks into high gear... I am going to not one but two churches tomorrow morning. Then I meet up with Sarah & Kyle and drive to Northampton! 1 concert down, 2 to go :) Loving life. I am so blessed.Photos - Oct 11, 10
I gotta say, the Maritimes have been stepping up their game lately for getting good Christian bands to come to the area. Last night over 1200 people got their faces rocked off by the David Crowder Band. The concert was at the Rock Church, just outside of Halifax NS. I drove in with a few friends and arrived at the church around 5pm I think. Doors weren't scheduled to open for another 90min and there was already a good 30-40 people there! And it was not warm outside. I decided I valued warmth and food over front so a few of us went to A&W! I love me some onion rings and root beer. We got back around 6 and the line was much longer, 150 people at least! So we parked the car and got in line. The doors opened just after 6:30, hooray for heat! Jon is awesome and had some spaces saved in the 5th and 6th rows so I snagged one of those :) I normally am one to run up to the front in the thick of it all, but my energy level was quite low so I was content to remain in my seat. So many people came from my church... probably 40 at least. It was fun to sit with some of the women from church :) And with Jon - we kept showing each other the pics we were taking!
The show opened with The Contact, a band from Halifax that I have heard a lot about but I don't think I've ever seen live before. They were good, sounded tight. I didn't know most of what they sang but I appreciated that they ended their set with "Hungry", a worship song we could all sing along with. I am really glad I had my ear plugs in my purse - I think this show was probably even louder than Starfield was. I'm not a fan of ringing ears - I go to so many concerts, and music is so important to me, I gotta keep my hearing! Also it sounds better with ear plugs in. So partway through The Contact's set I decided I was getting them out, much to the jealousy of some seated around me :)
The Contact's set wasn't too dragged out, and before we knew it the lights were down and everyone was screaming for the band of the night. Their show was really great... entertaining, fun, worship-filled, and just all around enjoyable. I knew more songs than I thought I was going to... apparently some songs done by other bands I know are actually David Crowder songs (like this one). Crowder has a little more electronic/keyboardy sounds than I normally like in my music, but it was all so fun that it didn't really matter, especially in the live environment. Hands down my favorite part of the night was "I Saw the Light/I'll Fly Away"! I played this song with a Band I was in a few years ago, and it was fun to hear the original CD version live! It was big ol party.
So yeah. Great show. Would definitely recommend you check both these bands out if you ever get the chance. I didn't hang around much after it was over. A quick stop at Tim Hortons and it was back to the Valley. Next show coming up is Mercy Me in Fredericton on November 13 :)Photos - Aug 13, 10
Another long and super fun day today! We got up for breakfast and then Life Support hit the road for Toronto. It was sad to see them go... I teared up a little bit. Jolene and I came back and got ready to shop. We went back to the outlets, got some Starbucks, and made our rounds. It was a good day to shop because it was raining. I bought a nice load of stuff at Gap, Rue 21, and Dress Barn. Weeeee. $3 t-shirts FTW.
After shopping we ate salads at Applebees, then came back to the hotel. At that point the sun was out so we decided to head to our hotel's beach. We went to the beach bar and enjoyed a strawberry daiquiri. Sitting on the beach, with the sun setting, Lake Winnepesaukee and mountains all around us, boats, people swimming and suntanning, and acoustic guitar music playing.... I'm telling ya, that was relaxed vacation at its finest. It was so wonderful!
While we were on the beach, Chelsea texted Jolene and said she had 2 free passes to Soulfest.... so we pretty quickly decided we were going again! We didn't get back to Gunstock until close onto 8, and I had thrown away our VIP parking pass (d'oh!), so we had to park in a faraway land and get bussed in. We met up with the girls and headed for the main stage. We caught the end of Sanctus Real - they were really great! I enjoyed their worshipful spirit. When they came offstage we learned a bit about the "Not for Sale" campaign to abolish slavery in Peru. It was powerful. They took up an offering to help build the second story of Victoria's house. Then after a little bit Toby Mac came on!
I didn't know what to expect really... I mean I knew they were kind of dancy/rap/hip hop so I wasn't expecting to actually enjoy it much... but I did! They were animated on stage, and they did a really good job with getting the crowd involved. Lots of dancing and fist pumping. They did a couple songs I knew. In the middle of the set Toby and a couple others went to a mini stage halfway up the mountain and did some songs acoustically, including "In the Light" by DC Talk which I was super pumped about. For the encore they played JESUS FREAK! I completely lost it and went nuts. hahaha. We danced, we partied, it was a good time! Toby Mac quote of the day: "We're gonna have a God-sized party up in hurrrrr." hahaha.
After Toby Mac we headed partway downhill to get some food, then to Mercy St Cafe to catch some of Paper Route. They are not my favorite band in the world, but the few songs we caught were good. They had a nice sized crowd to play to. For a band I don't like that much it's funny I've now seen them live twice. Thank you, Paramore concerts. So once Jolene & I felt done with Paper Route we took the bus back to our car and came on home. Then we did devotions which was really awesome. And now it's sleep time. Tomorrow we head off to Old Orchard Beach! This has been an insane 72 hours of concerts and I LOVE IT. So tired, so sore, so happy.Photos - Aug 09, 10
Today has been so long, I can hardly remember it all. After breakfast this morning the 4 of us went to an outlet center for Rob to buy sneakers and for all of us to get Starbucks. We saw Phil Joel there which was fun. Then we headed to the hotel for Life Support practice/meeting. It was a bit long so Jolene and I left partway through to get some snacks at the grocery store... the rest of the time I played on phones and looked at pictures. After all that we headed to Gunstock for Soulfest!
Arriving there was a little chaotic, as I am learning it is for all (non-main-stage) artists who play festivals. Apparently someone had already checked in as Life Support... meaning, someone pretended to be them and took all the passes. Like who does that? So after waiting for awhile they got it sorted out, the band got their wristbands and the bus went to unload. Jolene and I had to hang around a bit for a parking pass, and we ended up being given meal cards and I got a bracelet. So basically, $70 spent on tickets I didn't need. D'oh. Oh well, at least I was there right? We got led to the VIP parking area, parked the car, and met up with the band at Mercy St Cafe. I watched free food flee before my eyes (we gave the cards to the band) and then we had supper. Asian chicken salad. I approve of (good) salads at festivals. Then we went back to Mercy St and the Band got ready to go.
I've never seen Life Support live before but man, they rocked it. They all came alive on stage. It was fun watching Rob & Pale. Andrew was AMAZING on drums, and Alex and Deanna were in hardcore worship mode, I just loved it. They were tight and energetic. Yep. Good show. I really hope they keep pushing with this band, they will go really far.
After Life Support got off stage we sat and chatted a bit; I was feeling really out of place, and really anxious to get to Switchfoot. Eventually I was like "why am I sitting here feeling crappy when I am at Soulfest???" so I left everybody and took off to the main stage. When I got there Maeve was finishing their set and they were great! 3 girls, a guy playing a cajon, and a 2 year old girl running around on stage haha. I'm assuming one of the girls is married to the cajon player and the 2 year old is their daughter. Maybe. Anyway they played acoustically and it was basically just percussion and 3-part harmonies. It was really nice :) I started off about 16 rows back center. I started chatting with 2 guys next to me about how many people we thought were there. My guess was 12,000 (found out later it was actually 13,000). They were really sweet; I ended up being with them for the whole show and they even looked out for me when a crowd surfer almost fell on me.
Eventually Switchfoot took to the stage and my sour mood left. They were amazing! Switchfoot aren't a band I ever really wanted to see live, but I realized tonight they really should have been on my list! I've been buying their CDs for a long time, and I know so much of their stuff. Their energy was awesome. I never expected them to jump off of things and run around as much as they did. They played a bunch of great songs... my favorites were probably "Gone" and "Mess of Me". The crowd was energetic for sure, I had a blast right up in the middle of it. The 2 guys I made friends with weaved up to 8th row, so I followed behind them. Partway through the set, Jon Foreman jumped down into the crowd and everyone went left towards him... so I took the opportunity to move up to 4th row center. So I had a great view. Energy was great, I had fun. When I was in 4th row there were guys in front of me that were jumping a lot and didn't have much of a concept of personal space... so I got stepped on a bit. And there was one single crowd surfer in the whole place, haha. He almost went down so I got under and helped push him forward... but he fell down like a row or two ahead, haha. The guys I was with were like "are you okay? Did you get hurt?" I was like no haha I'm used to this stuff. Anyway.... two days of rock shows. So much fun. Sad it's over.
After Switchfoot I found everybody else and we headed back to Mercy St Cafe to catch a tiny bit of John Reuben... a rapper who came out dressed in tin foil despite the insanely hot weather. It was so hot in there I only stayed a bit... eventually we got out of there, came back to the hotel and I practically ran to the shower. It looked like I had a tan but it was dust, and I blew my nose and dust definitely came out.... rock n roll is gross. Anyway, GREAT show. It's been a great trip for concerts!
Tomorrow the guys leave with Life Support to head to Toronto. I'm actually looking forward to low-key shopping with Jolene and hanging out with her parents in Maine. It's been super fun with the group of us but it'll be nice to not feel like a 3rd wheel for awhile. Home late Saturday night.Photos - Aug 12, 10
Well, I just saw my 6th Paramore show and it was a blast! I haven't blogged yet on this roadtrip... I'm going to try to recap the last 2 days or so....
First of all, there are 2 Rob's on this trip, so one is nicknamed Pale. Just sayin.
So Sunday night Pale and I drove into Halifax to meet up with Jolene & Rob. After having some AMAZING gluten free cookies we went to bed... I did not sleep a wink. Too excited. I kind of thought Jolene was also awake and so around 4:30 I asked her and she wasn't haha. So we talked until about 6am and then we got up and got the show on the road. After showers, breakfast, Starbucks, and bringing Rob's car to Dartmouth, we were on the highway by 8:30am. The drive yesterday was good... Pale is a crazy guy with a crazy heart for Jesus. It's been cool getting to know him, and everyone else, better. I drove most of the way minus a couple hours where Rob took over for me. Tried to sleep but that wasn't happening in the car. We got over the border without a hitch, and by 5:30 we were in Portland! We checked into our slightly sketchy, smoking hotel room (EW EW EW) and then we went to Old Orchard Beach to go to the Salvation Army New York Staff Band Concert. It was awesome, lots of variety and talent. At intermission I said hello to the bandmaster (family friend) and some other Nova Scotians that were there. Then we left and met up with Jolene's parents, who are also vacationing in the area! Got some food with them, then went back to their condo... WHICH IS THE SAME PLACE I STAYED WHEN I WAS A KID! Ocean Park Meadows!! haha. I was soooo nostalgic. Anyway the parents and friends are hilarious and we had a good laugh, then we went back to Portland to sleep.
This morning we got up at 8 I think. After breakfast and showers we checked out of the hotel, got some guitar strings for Rob and Starbucks (obviously), and then we hit the road for the final 2 hours of the trip, to Gilford NH. We passed the concert venue on the way to the hotel... it was an exciting moment. We checked in, then went to Friendly's for a late lunch. I was dyin for a salad, needed something healthy. At 3:30 my crowd dropped me off at the venue - I had to go early because of the M&G I won! :) On the way in there were a bunch of guys on bikes going down the road, and Jolene was like "hey look it's the band!" totally joking. But it WAS. hahahaha. I'm pretty sure it was Taylor, Zac, Josh, and Brandon. So funny.
I got there and met up with some other fanclub people, including Chriss who I've known online for quite awhile but have never met in person. After about a half hour they came and got us and gave us these (really cool longterm) bracelets. We then went through the gates and got led backstage under a tent, and got put in a line. Then Paramore came :) M&G's are so awkward haha but it was fun. Everybody was friendly. Taylor introduced himself to everyone ("hi, I'm Taylor") and shook our hands. I asked Zac about playing drums to Careful... he was like "dude I would love that but I dunno if it's possible" and we chatted about click tracks and in-ears and how I don't have any of that haha. When Hayley came through I reminded her about my drum cover and she was like "yeah! I watched that again the other day!" I dunno, it makes me awfully happy to know she's watched that, more than once :D Anyway, similar to Zac, she said she'd love to make it happen but it's complicated. Oh, and when she first got to me she said "I love your hair!" Thank you Jolene for doin me up today or else I would have had a bun haha. I also had a gift for the band that I gave to Hayley/their assistant person... it was my version of a tour bus survival kit. Hayley especially appreciated the air freshener hahaha. Once Zac & Josh were done signing they went a little ways away and played basketball. Taylor came back over to me and Chriss and talked to some people about Paper Route. I piped in that I am seeing them on Thursday at Soulfest. Taylor asked who else was going.... so we had a chat about that, I mentioned Switchfoot and I'm pretty sure he said he's seen them recently and they're quite on their game these days (which makes me excited for tomorrow's show!).
Anyway once all the signing was done we all took our turn getting our group picture. I love this band. I dunno, they're just all so nice and personable and I feel like I could be friends with them. My pic came out good, I mentioned the drum thing one more time and they said they'll see if they can make it happen but I assured them it's not the end of the world and I'll love the show no matter what. Hayley asked where I was sitting. I didn't hear this, but my friend Chriss was next in line and apparently as I was walking away Hayley said to the guys "man, she's so cool." Or something to that effect. Again, if Paramore thinks I'm awesome, I'm happy!
Alright. So after the M&G we got led out of backstage, and the doors hadn't opened yet. I bummed around with Chriss and her friends. We went and got merch and spray-on tattoos, and played Rock Band before the doors really opened. No lines, no crowds. Fun times. I grabbed a water and some Reeses Pieces and then we all went into the bar and hung out for a bit. I went in to my seat for the first band, Kadawatha, and they were pretty good! Josh (Farro, of Paramore) played a song with them. They played for about 30min, then I went out to the gate to wait for my crew to get there. Jolene was sitting with me up in 9th row center and the guys were back farther. We hung out around the outskirts during New Found Glory, and then Jolene and I went in for Tegan & Sara.
BREAK. I forgot to talk about the venue! The Meadowbrook Pavillion is proabably the best concert venue I have ever been in. Here are but a few reasons why. It has landscaping. It is IMPECCABLY clean. Prices are reasonable for food and beverages. You could do things like photos and Rock Band for free. People were NICE. The bathrooms have a staff member in there for the whole time with cleaning stuff, so the bathrooms are always like it was just cleaned. It was MAGICAL. I was so afraid to pee at a concert, I usually don't but it was a dire situation, but this was awesome! So clean. Um what else, the venue just rocks. Great view everywhere. I want to come back to this venue again. Love love love. Meadowbrook Pavillion, Gilford NH. You should go.
Alright, back to the timeline. So Jolene & I went in for Tegan and Sara. They were pretty good, but somehow not as good as I remember from Halifax. I don't know if maybe where they were opening they didn't have as much time to interact and play more of their repertoire. There were a couple songs I really didn't like... but most were cool. It was chill. The calm before the storm? :)
After Tegan & Sara we met up with some more friends who were there, and ran to the bathroom before going back for the main course! Paramore, as usual, NAILED IT. I think this might be my favorite show out of the 6 I have now seen. They are just so fun, and so GOOD. I love watching them run around, all the energy. And I love singing along and dancing. My goal tonight was to spend more time having fun and less time trying to get good pictures. Even though I LOVE concert photography, I need to learn to enjoy the moment and not watch the whole thing through a screen. The setlist I am pretty sure was a new one compared to earlier dates.... we got Misguided Ghosts, and For a Pessimist, and Playing God. We did not get Turn it Off. Highlights of the show.... Hayley recognizing me partway through the show and waving at me :) Let the Flames Begin with outro, You Aint Woman Enough, Misguided Ghosts, Careful.... oh heck the whole show!!! hahaha. Loved the acoustic set on the couch. And I just love the energy! Pressure flip.... and the fans getting on stage at the end :) That's always fun. The drum thing never happened but I TOTALLY understand. Drums are not an easy thing to sub in on, and it could seriously destroy the end of the show if it didn't go right. But, the show was AWESOME. I think Jolene really liked it too. Every time I looked over to check on her she was mezmerized, watching what was happening on stage :) And the guys had all great things to say! So yeah, good show, great time, loved it, etc etc etc.
I am now suffering the usual concert hangover. 2 nights of no-to-little sleep and 13 hours of driving has finally kicked in since the anticipation is now gone. It's like somebody let the air ouf of my tire. I love these kinds of hangovers though :) Sign of a good time!! We're all back at the hotel now, wiped... except Pale is practicing bass. Rob & Pale are in a Band called Life Support who are playing Soulfest tomorrow, so Pale is practicing. This is a week of music for sure. Vacation is AWESOME and I love that I get to spend it with these people.Photos - Feb 06, 12
I've been asked this a lot, and I honestly don't know. I just spent almost an hour trying to recall every concert I've ever seen, and I have landed at 61. I'm not even sure I believe I remembered everything. It is especially hard to remember pre-digital camera. My blog that's been going for 10 years helped a bit, but I think I'd need my oldschool photo albums from home to double check I didn't forget any. Anyways, here they are... I'll just keep updating this as I go...
1) Great Big Sea/Blue Rodeo: July 1999
2) The Moffatts/McMaster & James: July 2000
3) YCNL (Capstone, Paul Oakley): October 6-8, 2000
4) Steve Bell: September 29, 2001
5) YCNL (Starfield, Sheryl Stacey, Surreal, Capstone, Phatfish): October 7-9, 2001
6) Starfield: April 6, 2002
7) Starfield: April 12, 2002
8) YCNL (Tim Hughes, Phatfish, Paul Oakley): October 2002
9) Starfield/Jake: October 23, 2002
10) Capstone: February 24, 2003
11) YCNL (Steve Fee, Jeff Deyo): October 2003
12) Starfield: March 6, 2004
13) YCNL (Reuben Morgan, Candi Pearson, Charlie Hall): October 2004
14) Sum 41: February 10, 2005
15) Avril Lavigne/Butch Walker: August 31, 2005
16) YCNL (Jeff Deyo, Reuben Morgan, Vicky Beeching, Salvador): October 2005
17) Ignition (Joy Williams, Salvador, Tree63): October 2005
18) Hanson/Pat McGee Band: November 10, 2005
19) Rex Goudie/Melissa O'Neil: March 23, 2006
20) The Rocket Summer/Paramore: May 24, 2006
21) Starfield: October 9, 2006
22) Rex Goudie/Melanie Doane: March 26, 2007
23) The Rocket Summer/Melee/Nothing Ever Stays: April 12, 2007
24) The Wilkinsons: July 11, 2007
25) Hanson: July 21, 2007
26) The Keats: August 30, 2007
27) Worship in the Square (The LaPointes, Jeff Deyo): August 2007
28) YCNL (Vicky Beeching, Amanda Falk, Krystal Meyers, Salvador, Sonic Flood, Geoff Moore, Manafest): October 2007
29) The Keats: October 16, 2007
30) The Keats: October 23, 2007
31) Paramore/The Starting Line/The Almost: November 24, 2007
32) The LaPointes: December 2007
33) Hedley: February 9, 2008
34) The Keats: March 27, 2008
35) The Keats: March 28, 2008
36) Hanson/Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers/Kate Voegele: April 22, 2008
37) Hanson/Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers/Kate Voegele: April 23, 2008
38) Hedley: June 18, 2008
39) The Silent: June 19, 2008
40) Ignition (Barlow Girl, Kutless): June 22, 2008
41) Paramore/Jacks Mannequin: August 17, 2008
42) Worship in the Square (the LaPointes): August 2008
43) Melanie Doane: August 29, 2008
44) YCNL (Bluetree, Vicky Beeching, Paul Baloche): October 2008
45) The Keats: October 2008
46) Paramore/Paper Route/The Swellers: October 10, 2009
47) Hanson/Hellogoodbye/Steel Train: October 11, 2009
48) Hanson/Hellogoodbye: October 12, 2009
49) Craig Cardiff: January 21, 2010
50) Tegan & Sara: January 27, 2010
51) The Keats: January 30, 2010
52) Martina McBride: March 17, 2010
53) Hanson: April 26, 2010
54) Hanson: April 27, 2010
55) Hanson: April 28, 2010
56) Hanson: April 29, 2010
57) Hanson: April 30, 2010
58) Bamboozle: (Relient K, Hanson, Something Corporate, Paramore): May 1, 2010
59) The Keats: June 19, 2010
60) Cavendish Beach Music Festival (Tara Oram, Taylor Swift, Jason Blaine, The Keats): July 10, 2010
61) Starfield: July 17, 2010
62) Paramore/Tegan & Sara/Kadawatha: August 3, 2010
63) Switchfoot/Life Support: August 4, 2010
64) Toby Mac/Paper Route: August 5, 2010
65) David Crowder: October 10, 2010
66) Mercy Me/Phil Wickham: November 13, 2010
67) Hanson/Jarrod Gorbel: November 15, 2010
68) Hanson/Jarrod Gorbel: November 18, 2010
69) Craig Cardiff: March 3, 2011
70)Steven Curtis Chapman: March 22, 2011
71) Starfield: April 30, 2011
72) U2/Arcade Fire: July 30, 2011
73) City & Colour: August 19, 2011
74) Maple Noise (Newsboys/TFK/Manafest/Greg Sczebel/Jonny Diaz/Jodi King): September 13, 2011
75) Toby Mac/Jamie Grace: October 5, 2011
76) Hanson/Charlie Mars: October 11, 2011
77) Avril Lavigne/The New Cities/Evan Taubenfeld: October 19, 2011
78) Shania Fillmore & JD: January 6, 2012
79) Deep Purple: February 6, 2012
80) City & Colour: February 22, 2012
81) Chris Tomlin: March 7, 2012
82) Hedley: March 10, 2012
83) Michael W Smith: May 3, 2012
84) Mercy Me: May 5, 2012 - Jul 28, 10
So last Saturday I went to what I believe was my 6th Starfield concert... I was trying to add them up. I've seen them several times since YC 2001, when they were just starting and didn't have a record deal yet. I love their concerts because they are more like worship services, and this show was no exception. 10 of us drove into the Rock Church from New Minas and managed to get 4th row center. Of course, as soon as the band came on stage several of us went to the front anyway :) This tour was The Saving One CD Release Tour, but they only played 3 songs from that new album. It was kind of okay though, because I haven't seen them live since 4 years ago, and they have released 2 albums since then. We got a nice few from "I Will Go" as well. The songs were great, the energy was great, I definitely connected with God, and we had a lot of fun! After the show we stuck around to get some autographs and pictures. Tim & Jon remembered me vaguely which was pretty impressive, considering it's been 4 years and they keep seeing me in different cities (Moncton, and Newfoundland). When it was all over the girls went to Dairy Queen and then headed home. A fun trip for sure!
I should say that some of my photos and video are credited to Meghan Levy. She asked to use my camera during the concert so I figured why not :) Good job Meghan!Photos - Jul 28, 10
After a leisurely morning and breakfast at Cora's, it was back to Cavendish for day 2 of my first country music festival experience. It was pouring rain; luckily since The Keats were playing today we got to park close. The grounds had turned into a huge mud slide. It was crazy gross but you just kind of have to go with it. When we first got there Krista & I went and caught the end of Jason Blaine's set. I wish we were there for more of it, it was quite good!!! He is a cutie and the band was super talented. I don't understand how it was packed last night with mediocre music, and had minimal people there today with insane talent on stage. This is why I have issues with fame. Anyways, once Jason was off stage we had to boot it to the Kitchen Party for The Keats! They played a 30min set and did great. Rob is playing with them now... the second guitar really added a lot of rhythm and energy to the mix. Besides some feedback and an overly loud keyboard the sound was great. The girls were right on, great harmonies! AND there is a new song about a girl with a fishing rod in Newfoundland and I LOVE IT.
After their first set we had an hour or so before they went on again. Krista & I went to get coffee for everyone, I met some new people, and we had a good chat. Then at 5:15 they played again to a larger crowd. Thank goodness this stage was under a tent, cause it was really pouring rain. The second set was definitely tighter than the first and I really enjoyed listening and singing along :) And taking pictures of course. There were a couple of hardcore Keats fans to be seen, and a couple of REALLY sweet kids that asked for autographs and pictures :) It's so cute that my heart melted.
After the girls were finished meeting & greeting their adoring fans, we left and went to the Sandbox for supper. Then I said goodbye and drove 4 hours back to the Valley. I have to say, that 30 hour mini-vacation was a ton of fun. I LOVE going to shows and taking pictures and hanging out with friends. I do it so much already but I still wish I could do it more.
So that's a couple more summer concerts knocked off the ol calendar.... next up is Starfield on Saturday!!Photos - Jul 12, 10
Yesterday I left a Youth Group Camping trip at 7:30am to drive to PEI to take in a day of the Cavendish Beach Music Festival - Taylor Swift was headlining! :) It took me about 4 hours to get here and the traffic wasn't too bad. After getting to Charlottetown and eating brunch with friends we all headed to Cavendish. It was a bit crazy getting around.... there were 35,000 people at the show last night and PEI is full of tiny 2-lane roads. Not such a good time. Before the show we went to Sandspitt and rode a few rides. That was fun but the adrenaline rush of the roller coaster + go karts probably didn't help my excitement level haha. I always get pumped up before shows... what can I say, I like them :)
We got into the Festival just before Tara Oram took the stage and I was super surprised at how close we got to the stage. I guess they have designated areas for sitting in lawn chairs or standing, and so the back of the standing area wasn't even that full. I was pretty happy with where we ended up. I probably wouldn't have minded weaving a bit closer, but staying with my friends > getting closer. I don't know any of Tara's songs, but she did a cover or two that I thought was pretty good. As far as country music goes it wasn't that bad, haha :) She talked a lot between songs which got a little annoying after awhile, and for a good portion of the set the crowd was just kind of sitting there (minus the teenies trying to push through the crowd as close as they could for TSwift). But by the end of her set the crowd was pretty into it.
Taylor came on at about 9:30 in a silver sparkly dress (that she changed a couple times into other colors of the same sparkly dress) and started with "You Belong With Me". I had no idea what to expect out of a show from her... never seen one. I guess for what it was it was good. I mean, I do like her "Fearless" album, but she is a 19 year old who had a ton of young kids in the crowd loving every second, and so it was great for them. I felt too old to be there which I guess was expected :) From beginning to end Troy couldn't stop talking about how bad/too quiet the sound was. He was right to a point, although I like shows at a reasonable level as supposed to blasting, it could have been a tad louder (the girls yelling the lyrics next to us drowned out the stage sometimes). It was really bad/noticeable during "Love Story" because there was a (loud) computerized drum beat during the verses that cut out in the chorus. You couldn't even hear the real drums in the verse and then in the chorus it sounded like the bottom fell out of her. I dunno what the sound guys were doing.... anyways. I heard pretty much all the songs I wanted to hear. Her stage presence was.... interesting. I felt like everything she said in between songs was scripted, like someone wrote it out for her and she memorized it. I thought she was going to break down and cry 3 or 4 times (from being overwhelmed, or something) and during "angry about love" songs Rebekah was sure she was going to kill us all. Evil stare (I have a picture!). But, for what it was, it was fun and I had a laugh.
After the show we walked to a little restaurant to grab some food, came back to the hotel in Charlottetown and I got to sleep as soon as possible. Today is day 2... I'm seeing my friends The Keats play two sets at the sidestage today and then it's back home!Photos
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Reading
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Photos
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Recent Tracks
- God Is Good by Group Publishing
- Forever by Group Publishing
- Oh, Great Love of God by David Crowder Band
- There Is a Sound by David Crowder Band
- The Great Amen by David Crowder Band
- After All (Holy) by David Crowder Band
- I Am a Seed by David Crowder Band
- Oh My God by David Crowder Band
- Reprise #2 by David Crowder Band
- Sequence 7 by David Crowder Band
Point Of GraceDavid Crowder BandHansonGlee CastSt. John's Temple BandParamoreHillsong UNITEDGreg SczebelNeedToBreatheTobyMacAvril LavigneGabe DixonAdeleKate VoegeleJonny DiazLady AntebellumThe KeatsRelient KSleeping At LastMatthew MayfieldChris TomlinTaylor SwiftPaper RouteAndrew DostAndy McKeeJon SchmidtStarfieldVicky BeechingBeing EricaPaper Route / Aaron RocheGroup PublishingTegan and SaraDave BarnesThe DecemberistsMichael BubléHedleyFeePhil WickhamFlyleafFuturesfun.Jonathan Rowsell -
Info
- Experience
- Sept 2011 - PresentNext Generations Pastor / The Journey Church MonctonI oversee ministries for everyone ages 0-29. Best job ever!
- Aug 2006 - Aug 2008Youth Pastor / The Salvation Army Fredericton Community Church
Education-
2008 - 2011Acadia Divinity CollegeMasters of Divinity in Youth Ministry
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2002 - 2006Memorial University of NewfoundlandBachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, Philosophy
Activities: Salvation Army Student Fellowship, CHMR Radio
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Honors:2010 at Acadia Divinity College: Dean’s Achievement Award, B.D. Stevens Scholarship, John Lovett Scholarship, Edward Manning Saunders Prize in Theology 2009: First Aid Certification, St. John Ambulance 2009 at Acadia Divinity College: Dean’s Achievement Award, Emma Porter Perkins Scholarship, Dr. Evan M. Whidden Scholarship, Henry Todd DeWolfe Prize in Greek, Edward Manning Saunders Prize in Theology 2004: Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) certification (large group and individual intervention)
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Interests:youth ministry, theology, music, travel
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Posts
Brand New Interview on @Hansonmusic’s Tourbus!!! RT “Our family’s not on the tourbus either” *Bully from Simpsons Voice* HA-HA
I wonder if 20:12 is 20 songs in 12 months, since they hinted at not releasing full albums anymore?Awesome, awesome, awesome :)
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D:D :D
Finally opened my Hanson 2012 calendar. October is a particularly beautiful month. ;) (Taken with instagram)
My thoughts exactly. I don’t need a cup of coffee larger than my bladder thx.ohno, were turning into america… :(
This whole thing makes no football sense, of course. Most NFL players hardly talk to teammatesbefore a game, much less visit with the sick and dying.
Isn’t that a huge distraction?
“Just the opposite,” Tebow says. “It’s by far the best thing I do to get myself ready. Here…
These ads are amazing…the 90’s were awesome!
20 Dated Celebrity Endorsements From Over A Decade Ago
Good one, Whitney!
There’s plenty more where that came from :)
THIS is brilliant
Remember when Britney was so innocent and sweet?
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Tweets
- Oh man!!!! @hansonmusic is really changing up the setlist. Jealous of all my friends in Ottawa tonight! #ShoutItOutWorldTour
- @shadowdancer18 you can buy "follow your lead" on the ttw ep, www.takethewalk.net :)
- @endless_highway you got mad skills. Enjoy!
- @endless_highway wow great spot!!!! How long did u line up for? Enjoy!
- Staff eval time! I'm a super nerd and get excited about these things.
- @eisenhomer ahaha I'll prob come around 530 or so
- @eisenhomer What time is supper?
- @youthworkconf Friday night - Middle School sleepover! And I plan to SLEEP. hahaha [yeah right??]
- @brigcorm The US and Britain, actually. Canadians go back and forth between the 2. Rule of thumb: US is lazy and uses less letters.
- I am SO HAPPY I bought myself a nice air mattress. Necessity for Youth Pastors!
- Ticket bought for concert 85 :) Hey Rosetta!
- @esfc137 I hate that.
- Having office space again feels like coming off vacation. Ready to be so productive tomorrow! #excited #ilovemyjob
- @EllenMary14 no permission slip, centennial park pond :) Pickup at church
- @esfc137 surgery is worse than a spacer; I had both. Especially if you react to meds and throw up :| #beentheretoo
- @EllenMary14 hooray! Skating!
- @esfc137 hang in there. Those now mean no jaw breaking later! #beenthere
- @EllenMary14 where have Kyle and Derek been? I miss them at amp!
- @sarahsawesome54 oh sweet, yay!
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