Last night DH and I celebrated an early Valentine's Day :o) At mid-day, we met up with our friends T and K, and drove into the Big City. We parked the car downtown and then set out on foot to find a place to eat. It didn't take long before we came upon a restaurant called The Economy Shoe Shop. I'm not kidding, that was the name of the place! LOL!
It was a pub-style restaurant with lots of charm and character. I'd have to say that the food was delicious because we were there for three hours! After a combination of Shoe Shop Nachos, Vic's Barcelona Bread, Smoked Meat Sandwich and NY Cheesecake, I was stuffed :o)
Now it was time to head over to the Halifax Metro Center for the main reason we were there -
I knew the concert wasn't sold out but was pleasantly surprised to see that it was approximately 90% full. We had a good view of the stage but unfortunately my phone didn't take great pictures and plus, I can't figure out how to get them off of it. LOL!
The girls opened with Cook With Fire and as soon as Ann began singing, one thing became apparent...that woman still has PIPES!!!! Wholly cow, can she ever belt out the tunes! It's been a 'long' time since I've been to a live concert but I have to say that Heart sounds just as amazing in person as they do on CD. If possible, maybe even better :o)
They were promoting their new album Red Velvet Car but preformed songs from all throughout their career; Dog & Butterfly, Dreamboat Annie, Magic Man and What About Love?. The most amazing part of the concert was the finale when they roared into Crazy For You and then right on to Barracuda! Just phenomenal! This will give you a taste of what we saw and heard (not my videos!) -
To end the show, Ann and Nancy came back out for two encores :o) Amazing! All in all, it was an awesome night...great friends, great food and great entertainment :o)
And it's completely finished finished to boot! This is 2004 Snowman Ornament by Mount Forest FrameWorks -
Of course I had to change the date to 2009. No brainer there ;o) And I used 32 count Santa Suit by R&R Reproductions instead of the recommended 28 count so the flakes are a little more crowded than they're supposed to be.
I wasn't really happy with this one at first but now I really like him. He came with the hanger so it was a pretty quick finish once he was stitched up. Those are the projects I like ;o)
Will he be my last finish for 2009? I'm not sure. I've got two more small projects kitted up and I've already started one. I guess you'll just have to wait and see...
Yesterday and today I did a quick clean through of the house while listening to Christmas music. Yes, I was singing along but you don't want to hear me sing. Even DH will back me up on that one ;o) Some of the songs brought back some great memories though. I love Snoopy's Christmas (Snoopy vs. The Red Baron).
I caught a little bit of The View one day and they were featuring new clothing designs based on those of the 80's but modernized for 2008. I didn't even think that was remotely possible. If you're my generation you'll no doubt remember the HUGE sweaters, leggings, wearing underwear as outerwear, neon, leather bomer jackets...shall I go on? I look at pictures taken back then and I just want to barf up wads of shoulder pads :oP
What was even worse were the hairstyles back then! The bigger the better :oD I wouldn't say that I ran with the popular crowd in HS but I knew a lot of people and they knew me. If they didn't, they knew me by my hair -
Okay, okay, are you done laughing now ;o) LOL! Yes, I had BIG hair. HUGE! I used so much hairspray that I'm sure I would have gone up in flames if someone came near me with a lit match.
I was in the library last week and I found myself reminiscing back to the music of my generation. I actually picked up a CD by Chilliwack! I wonder what happened to them. They've been "gone, gone, gone so long". Other bands have continued on and a good example of this would be Bon Jovi. They just keep getting better and better with age ;o) I saw Billy Idol on television recently. I used to love him! I'm sad to say that he's pretty much lost that Idol snarl :o( If I remember correctly, Loverboy tried to make a comeback. The only thing I can remember of them was their album jacket cover...a tight ass in red leather pants. LOL!
But who could ever forget Michael Jackson's release, Thriller. He was somewhat normal back then. I said somewhat ;o) I remember it was a huge thing when the video came out. I was sitting with my parents as we watched it debut on television. No one had ever spent that much money on a music video before and just watching Michael Jackson dance was mesmerising. The Guinness Book of World Records states that as of 2007, Thriller had sold 65 mil-lion copies! Wow!
The 80s produced some awesome movies I do have to admit. Of course we all know Return of the Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back :o) What about Flashdance and Footloose? Come on, I know you danced around the house trying to imitate all those moves. LOL! How could I forget Dirty Dancing! "No one puts Baby in a corner." Baby also showed up as the cranky sister in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I have to say, that movie is a classic! The release of Top Gun started a whole new fad and girls were swooning over Tom Cruise. Me personally, I would have called GHOSTBUSTERS!
I have to say that there were two underdogs that I really liked. Who Framed Roger Rabbit was an instant hit with me. Hey, he's a 'rabbit'! I used to have a Roger that sat in the passenger seat and drove around with me in my car :o) And then there was Freddie... Nightmare on Elm Street became the new horror movie of the time. Did you know that Johnny Depp starred in the first one? You might have to go back and check that out now ;o)
Every decade has its own lingo and the 80s were no exception. Thanks to The Valley Girl we were going around saying things like "Totally", "Fer Shur", "Awesome", "Party Hardy" and the infamous "Gag me with a spoon" ;o) At that time, you could at least guess what most of these things meant. If you listen to teens today, you almost need a whole new dictionary to be able to figure out what they're talking about. Maybe that's just a sign of me getting older :oS
I think the 80s will always have a spot in my heart, for it was the time that I was introduced to Frogger and Pac Man, Duran Duran, DOS, hair scrunchies and cassette tapes. If we managed to survive all of that, we proved that we are a strong generation that can accept almost anything ;o)
I'm sure most of you have either seen the trailer or the movie itself. If not, let me give you a quick explanation :o) The Bucket List is about two older gentlemen who write out a list of things that they want to do before they "kick the bucket", i.e. die. Some of the stuff is outlandish but hey, it is a movie after all. LOL!
I think we've all, at some point in our lives, kept hopes and dreams of some things that we'd like to do someday but how many of us have actually written these down on paper? After confronting my own possible mortality back in 2000 with my breast cancer (things were a little more complicated and frightening at the time with other unknowns that I have never written about), I decided that to get back into life, I would start to make small goals for myself and slowly work up to bigger ones. Thus, this was the beginning of my Bucket List :o)
As I stated, things started out small. My first goal was to stitch this pink ribbon piece before my surgery -
And I did :o) In case you're wondering what's written on the plaque, it's a quote by my DH and it reads "In honour of the spirit that all women possess when overcoming obstacles."
Not only did my Bucket List contain things that I wanted to do in my lifetime but it also contained the things that I had already managed to achieve, like marry my soul mate :o) As each goal was met, it would get transferred to this second part of the list. After a few years, I began to see this side grow and that does wonders for someone's soul.
So far I have managed to meet the smaller and more achievable goals for this time in my life but there are still many things on my list that have yet to be done. One of them was to see the Eagles in concert. I grew up with their music playing on the radio and I guess those tunes never escaped my head because I became a huge, HUGE fan. I have all their tapes/CDs, whatever you want to call them now. LOL!
Back in 1994 they were in Toronto for a concert and for some reason I couldn't make it :o( I thought for sure they'd never come together again. But then the news hit earlier this year that they were going to be the featured band to play in Moncton. I just about died! I probably would have walked over hot coals to get there but deep down I knew the reality of going to such a thing. A whole day venue, outside, with no chairs would not bode well with my Fibro :o( DH was more than willing to get me there but unfortunately I had to think of my health first.
Then something miraculous happened this week. I went to the mailbox and there was a bubbled envelope addressed to me from Moncton. As soon as I got in the house I ripped it open. At first I was a little confused as to the contents but once I pulled it all out, this is what I saw -
There ARE such things as Fairy Godmothers and I now have my very own!!!! To say that I was over the hill with happiness would be an understatement ;o) If this is as close as I could get to that concert, then that's good enough for me and I have Lori-Ann to thank for that! This is such a huge RAOK that I'm not sure I could ever repay but I will certainly try. You have provided me with a taste of the concert but in the comfort of my own home and what could be better. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the very bottom of my heart :o)
What an awesome night! What a delicious supper! What a fantastic show! If you can't already tell, my date night was a huge success :o)
For some reason, Saturday flew by and I don't recall getting much done. I know I slept most of the afternoon, preparing myself for a late night. DH and I usually go to bed around 9 or 10 pm so anything over that is considered past our bedtime. LOL! I did start on my PIF project and got halfway done :o) It seems I only have one taker so far because no one else has signed up yet :o( Maybe you are all scared about my artistic ability ;o) Trust me, you'll like what I create and plus, you get to put a smile on the face of five other people!
I don't have many nice clothes to wear out but luckily I can still squeeze into my black dress pants! Whew! I topped it off with a black turtleneck sweater and my lovely pashmina that I got at TJ Maxx. DH wore a dress shirt and tie and was handsome as always :o) Shortly after 6 pm, DH and I headed into town and decided to try Brewbakers for supper. Boy, was it ever busy but luckily they were able to get us a table for two. It's been awhile since we've seen it that busy. All the quaint little nooks and crannies were full! We started our meal with fresh warm bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yum! There is nothing simpler and nothing finer! For the appetizer, we both ordered the Mixed Green Salad. I went with the raspberry vinaigrette while DH decided on the sun dried tomato vinaigrette. For our main course, we decided to split one of their Shitake Mushroom and Brie brick oven pizzas. We weren't really too hungry so this was a perfect compromise and we were not disappointed either! I think I have found my new favorite dish :o) Because we were getting short on time, we had to skip dessert. That was okay because I don't think I could get much else to fit into those pants!
We had a nice brisk walk over to The Playhouse and arrived with about 10 minutes to spare. We quickly found our seats and settled in. DH got our seats at the back of the middle section and it was perfect viewing. The band of five (saxophone, guitar, piano, drums and bass) came out first and Matt Dusk soon followed. Now...I have to say that I was caught a little off guard. Okay, I was caught A LOT off guard. The Matt Dusk I pictured in my mind was not anywhere near what appeared on stage. He's a tiny guy! Handsome yes, but very slight. He had on quite a jazzy pinstriped suit, highlighted with purple and to everyone's amusement, bright blue socks! His explanation - they've been on the road a lot and he was he was at the end of his washing cycle ;o)
The band went right into the show and it was one song right after the other - A Million Kisses Late, Two Shots Of Happy And One Shot Of Sad, The Theme From Loaded Gun and a combo April Moon/Five. He belted out oldies from Frank Sinatra and Harry Connick Jr. His song Get Me To The Church On Time got new lyrics of "Get me to the bathroom on time" when one woman ran up the isle during the song :o) His attempt to convert modern music like Justin Timberlake's Sexyback into Swing was a comical attempt and I have to say that I much prefer the voice of Matt Dusk to that of Timberlake. I hate to compare Matt Dusk to those before him but he does have that smooth, buttery voice that can make any girl swoon.
The music was spectacular but so was the entertainment. Matt Dusk successfully combined his songs with humor and interaction with the audience. His band was amazing! They kept right up with the level of energy and talent. Luckily there was no underwear flying but two crazy ladies got up and danced with Matt on stage. If that were me, I would be flung right into the drums! Did I ever mention that I-cannot-dance? My one regret is that I did not bring a camera. I LOATH cell phones but that would have been the time to have one. Instead of candles or lighters being waved, there were dozen of cell phones being held up in the air, taking pictures. A brilliant invention but I still say it has its place. Before the encore, Matt ended the evening with his hit song All About Me :o) I just love that song!
DH and I were a little disappointed that it was not a sell out performance. If you ever get the chance to see Matt Dusk, we highly recommend it! It was well worth the money. We will definitely be keeping our eyes open for his return in the future. So, all in all, it was a fantastic evening and one DH and I hope to repeat again :o)
I had a wonderful surprise when DH came to visit me at work today :o) I thought he was just coming over to pick up his money and the phone bill so I was taken completely off guard when he asked me if I wanted to go on a date. He then produced an envelope for The Playhouse and there inside were two tickets to see Matt Dusk on November 18! Wow! Not only do I get a night of great music and great company but I also get some good eye candy as well! (Btw sweetie, I know you are going to read this ;o) ) For those of you not familiar with this artist, check out his website.
DH and I have been married for 11 years now. If you asked us, we'd both tell you that it feels more like 40 years ;o) If there is such a thing as a soul mate, he is mine. DH is my best friend and has been since day one. During the second month that we were going out, he told me that he was going to marry me. I doubt very much he knew what he was really getting himself into when he made that promise. LOL! When we got married, he promised me 70 years and then we could go our separate ways if we wanted to. That was fine with me. I still have 59 years ;o)
After being married this long, there are times when it's hard to come up with new things to keep the relationship hopping and us on our toes. Surprises are always good but I think Date Nights are even better :o) It's a chance to get away from the house and 'the kids'. We are so used to just sitting down in front of a television or computer but with a date night, it's just the two of us doing something together. This is a fairly new idea that we have started and I love it. It brings back some of that romance :o)
