As everyone in Canada recovers from Game 7, I’ll take you back to Game 1!
I am very thankful that the clocks turned back over the weekend – because I needed that illusion of extra sleep after that rollercoaster known as World Series Game 7. I am typically one of those sports fans that gets more interested as we get into the playoffs and championships, and when the “home team” is involved, it’s even more exciting! Not the outcome that we had hoped for though….
I had the opportunity to take part in the opening ceremony for Game One of the World Series in Toronto, and I am so grateful that I was able to say yes! (Thanks to having some job flexibility and supportive management – in my day job, as well as my side hustle here!). As a youth, I was a member of the Burlington Teen Tour Band, and the casting organization for the opening ceremonies reached out to the band to get participants. The catch was that participants had to be at least 18 years old, and since it’s the “Teen” Tour Band, many of the members were too young, so the invitation was sent to alumni of the band. My son and I both said yes, but in the end, he wasn’t able to participate due to a scheduling conflict. I was still able to participate, and met up with fellow alumni plus a whole bunch of other people with marching and performing experience for the event.
Porch selfie at 530am…. after our first rehearsal Wednesday evening, we had to be at the film studio (our home base) for 7am the next two days in a row. Thankfully I was able to carpool with a friend (thanks Brent!) who had a large vehicle and fit 7 of us in! Rehearsals were a lot of standing around while logistics and positioning were figured out, plus more waiting to get our costumes.
We practised and refined our positioning on Thursday, and then during the Friday dress rehearsal they decided to have us stand behind the Voices of Fire choir during their songs (and the player introductions!!). It was cool being up close, on the dirt in the infield and so close to where the players were going to be! It did require some extra rehearsal so that we could somewhat be in sync with the choir movements. We got to sing along (as much as we could) with the choir, but thankfully the mics were pointed at the choir members, not the wannabes!! I didn’t know much about Voices of Fire before the game, but I’ve become a fan – they’ve got incredible voices and energy.
Photo from dress rehearsal…because there was a LOT of waiting around
The jumbotron screen is a perfect backdrop! You can see the in ear monitors (not in my ears at the time….). They played the tracks through it plus they could give us instructions, like to hold our pose in the Canadian flag, and then when we could leave.
waiting on the ramps before our big entrance
By the time we actually got to game time, we were all pretty tired, but there is nothing like hearing and seeing a capacity crowd to help the energy levels!!
photo of the field before our entrance (courtesy of one of my other on field castmates)
My brother got a screen grab – that’s me in the red gown behind the choir members! We got to sing and dance along – that was a lot of fun.
Photo from a friend in the stands (Thanks Mary Anne!) dorky arrows pointing out me and Pharrell Williams!
More photos from MaryAnn with me pointed out 🙂
Being on the field hearing the cheers and the crowd singing O Canada is something that I won’t soon forget! I’ve seen videos of the opening ceremony since then and am amazed at how great it looks (we couldn’t really get a good feel when we were on the field)!
Before you ask, NO, we didn’t get to stay and watch the game. Once we finished, we were bused back to the film studio where they had some food for us. We wrapped up, got into our regular clothes and headed home. On the plus side – we listened to the game on the way home and there was NO traffic!! Home in time to watch the end of the game (just barely, I dropped into bed and fell asleep!).
Admittedly – I am a fan of both of the teams that were in the World Series….but the home team will always have the edge when they’re in head to head competition, so game 7 was a tough one. I am truly grateful that I had the chance to be part of this unique presentation! Since I am a paper crafter, at some point in time, I WILL get around to doing some scrapbooking/photo journalling of this whole experience!!
(and now, back to our regular programming…..watch for paper crafting entries next!!)
How I spent my summer vacation even though summer has just begun!
Hello! I’m here with my essay about how I spent my summer vacation….and a few photos to make it more interesting! (Also to apologize for the bit of blog silence….since lots of words take me lots of time – which is why I can keep up with the YamStamps Facebook Page a little more easily – less words!!).
You may or may not know that in addition to YamStamps, I work in healthcare and I also volunteer as a photographer with our city’s youth marching band, the Burlington Teen Tour Band. I was a member of the band when I was a teen (just a few years ago….*cough*), and then became involved again when my son joined the band. I did some chaperoning and then got to be one of the volunteer photographers. Five years later, my son left the band and went to university, and I stayed on as a photographer!!
My summer vacation was spent travelling with the band to England and France, since they were invited to be representatives of Canadian youth at the Juno Beach Ceremonies to mark the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. Such a meaningful tour and such an honour for the band to be able to perform for veterans, including Lieutenant General Richard Rohmer who recently turned 100 years old and is a patron of the band.
I have said it before and I’ll say it again….I can take photos….but I am not so good at selfies.
haha! This is a cheeky selfie I took quickly after taking the group photo. I can take photos….but I’m not so good at selfies!
Of course, we also had time to do some sightseeing and souvenir shopping… I am still working on editing photos from the trip but have managed to get some uploaded. You can find the Burlington Teen Tour Band website here and there’s links to the photo website on there as well.
However, it was lots of fun, and the “real” photos I took turned out pretty well I think.
This was a FANTASTIC crepe that I had while in France! Good thing we did so much walking while we were there!!! (For those keeping track, I usually avoid dairy and gluten, however I have some supplements that I can take that help me tolerate them on occasion, and this was an occasion!!).
I don’t know if you can read the sign on the shop front, but it’s “STAMP”! I have no clue what the shop sells, but I liked its name…even on vacation I can’t get away! It’s my reminder to get back to crafting! Come back to YamStamps.com to see some more crafty posts!
A bit overdue, but here’s my report! I think I was actually better at posting while I was away – because I worked at prescheduling so much – so maybe I need to plan my next trip so that I get back to all that prescheduling…
I had the privilege to travel with the Burlington Teen Tour Band to Ireland in March (actually a month ago this week!). They were invited to participate in the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade and had a number of other scheduled performances as well. I volunteer as one of the photographers for the band. It’s a great way to work on my photography and editing skills, give back to an organization that has meant a lot to me and my family, and hang out with my band friends (both young and not so young anymore).
Photo: Burlington Teen Tour Band – Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Festival Parade 2023
The Burlington Teen Tour Band is a city sponsored marching band of youth – aged 13-21. (Right now, they are a pretty “young” band, I think they are mostly around 15-16 years old??). The majority are from Burlington, but we also have teens who travel from nearby cities to participate. They march, but also perform concerts (sitting down…), and include a colour guard section (the ones who carry the flags and twirl the baton). I was a member when I was the right age…LOL, and later my son was also a member in his teens, which is how I got re-involved with the band. The parent group, the Burlington Teen Tour Band Boosters, do a lot of fundraising and also chaperone on trips and events with the band, and I actually reconnected with a lot of people that had been in the band at the same time as me! My son retired from band a few years ago, but I stuck around as one of the volunteer photographers.
(spot the band in red in the sea of green as they make their way along the parade route)
This tour had been delayed a couple of times due to COVID, so it was great to finally see it happen! Unfortunately, the band equipment was delayed in arriving in Ireland (despite being packed and at the airport for transport days in advance of the band’s actual departure/arrival), so a couple of performances had to be cancelled and schedules re-worked, including a last minute extra practice once the equipment DID arrive! In the end, it was all good – the band performed really well in the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Festival Parade and won Best Overall Band, topping a number of US college bands, which is quite a feat.
We did also get to do a bunch of site seeing, historical castles and building, farms (sheep and horses!) and cities. Number one most purchased item (besides the badges/pins for band jackets) – RAIN GEAR. It rained pretty much every day. One of the positives to so much rain (besides a very green landscape) though, is the number of rainbows we saw.
If you want to learn more about the Burlington Teen Tour Band, their website is https://teentourband.org . If you want to see more of the pictures from the trip and other activities taken by myself and Andrea, my fellow photographer (and also a fellow band alumna), you can go here.
Last but not least, you may have seen my attempt at a travel reel – I did one on Instagram, but I also did one on TikTok – and I think the TikTok editing was a little better….LOL. You can see that if you follow me on TikTok – or below! (yes, I usually post crafting videos, but had to commemorate my first time travelling internationally in 4 years!!).
Taking a moment to give thanks to those who served and sacrificed on this Remembrance Day.
Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, France
This year I travelled with the Burlington Teen Tour Band to England and France. The band was invited to take part in the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. Along with performances, the band also visited a number of museums and sites, including the Juno Beach Centre, and significantly, the Canadian War Cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer in Normandy, France.
Prior to the trip, each person was given a set of dogtags, which were fundraisers for the Juno Beach Centre. The dogtags included one engraved with our name, and one engraved with the name and information for a fallen soldier who was buried at Bény-sur-Mer. Band members were tasked with doing research on their fallen soldier ahead of the trip. This made it a bit more personal, and during our visit to the cemetery, you could hear band members talking about going to visit the grave of “their” soldier. Many left tokens or messages from themselves or family members of the soldiers themselves. We actually made two visits to the cemetery – once during an official commemoration ceremony, and then once again – because the band members really wanted the opportunity to spend more time there. They also had the opportunity to speak with a number of veterans and families who were visiting the cemetery at the same time who shared their personal stories of the war.
This was such a significant trip for everyone who was able to take part – and it truly helped us to know that “freedom is not free”. As one band member recently said – “We will always remember to never forget”. I am sure that going forward, Remembrance Day will have a particular significance for everyone involved.
OK so I know it’s technically not even summer yet…but here’s my “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” entry – or “why it’s been a little more quiet than usual in the YamStamps world”.
I have almost recovered now I think – I haven’t been overseas in a few years and I don’t remember the jetlag being this bad last time – but this was a busy trip and we came back to a full moon so maybe that’s part of it…?!
Burlington Teen Tour Band performing at Juno Beach Centre, Courseulles-sur-Mer France as part of the DDay 75 Ceremonies
I am privileged to be one of the photographers for the Burlington Teen Tour Band and the band recently returned from a trip to England and France. While in France, the band performed as representatives of Canadian youth during DDay 75 Commemoration events, including the above performance at the Juno Beach Centre.
photo of photographer courtesy of D VanClieaf!
This trip was a busy one! We started with an overnight flight to London, and a couple of days sightseeing before taking an overnight ferry to Normandy. While in Normandy (sleeping in a community gym for 4 nights!) the band practised and performed a number of times, including a fun performance in front of local school children, one of the highlights for me (and many of the band members!).
Before the trip, members (also chaperones and staff) received a dog tag – part of a fundraiser for the Juno Beach Centre. Each set of dog tags had a personalized one for the band member, and then the dog tag with information for a soldier buried at the Canadian Cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer. Band members were to research their soldier – you can find their research (still being uploaded) here on the Burlington Teen Tour Band site. We made a couple of visits to the cemetery – and it was one of the significant events for the band. Each member sought out “their” soldier and was able to pay tribute at the gravesite – with Canadian flags and mementos. Some members wrote letters, others carried messages from family members. These moments made this tour so much more significant for all of us.
Burlington Teen Tour Band at Beny sur Mer Canadian Cemetery
We capped off the trip with a day of sightseeing in Paris before heading home again. You can check out the tour photos here and the tour vlogs here.
This was not my first trip to Normandy – I actually participated in the DDay 40 band trip as a band member (stop doing the math in your head…). There were 4 of us who returned – 2 of us as chaperone/photographers and 2 as staff members. That’s not counting the number of second generation (well, technically there were also third generation) band members whose parents had been on that tour, and the staff members who had been on the 2nd tour 15 years ago (some as band members). I think that’s one of the things that I love about the Burlington Teen Tour Band – it’s such a positive experience and well run organization that generations will return to be involved in it.
Anyway – I returned home to the patience of the Monthly Class attendees who dealt with my jet lag (note to self – arriving home on a Monday evening from a country that is 6 hours ahead of your home time zone and having class on Wednesday may not be the best scheduling choice). I think I have recovered…kind of…and will be ready(ish) for the New Catalogue Open House and Retiring Product Sale this Saturday, June 22nd, running from 9am til 11am. Please RSVP and let me know if you need directions. I also apologize if you tried to contact me while I was away – connectivity was limited (you should have seen those kids with 5 days of no wifi…LOL).
I have this Stampin’ Up! set on order so can’t wait for it to arrive! It’s called Capture the Good. I think I’ll be able to come up with some ideas for using it…LOL.
OK back to the regularly scheduled programming – but hope you enjoyed the “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” entry (especially since I think that’s probably it for my vacation plans for the next few months!!). Otherwise you can check out some of my cheesy tourist selfies in the YamStamps Instagram “travel” highlights!
I am having a moment….(well, this is not a new thing really). I like to think that I’m organized, and I know that in certain situations I actually am….but that is not always the case!
My life:
Anyone else relate? And as a side note, the stock photos for “messy planner” are laughably NOT messy. (That being said, these ARE stock photos that I found…).
All this to say – HEY I updated the YamStamps Events page and corrected the date for the New Catalogue Open House & Retired Product Sale – oops! It is Saturday June 22nd from 9 am til 11 am. Hopefully you can make it! Please RSVP for directions and to reserve a copy of the catalogue!
We are into thefinal week for the current Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalogue before we say goodbye and move on to the 2019-2020 Annual Catalogue – be sure to place your final order well before June 3rd at yamstamps.com/shopto ensure availability of product (and avoid the last minute log jam on the site!). The new catalogue items will be available to order June 4th around 2pm Eastern. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!
