Life of Shanks

Annie, Lals and I at the Mayan Ruins

So I guess I have a lot of catching up to do for the past 14 days of not blogging.
Guatemala was beyond awesome. 16 days, 14 people, hundreds of children, lots of chicken and 1 amazing volcano.

We came, we saw, we conquered. Or maybe the country conquered us- who knows… So- due to my lack of updates- I’ll give you the quick overview

Days 1-7: Arrived in Guatemala City, with 32 bags and suitcase- exhausted and excited, we fell into our beds. Next day we toured the cathedrals and National Palace in Guatemala City and headed off to Tatic- our home for the next 10 days. Painted a the Chicoy school, saw new land, visited catholic church in Tatic and witnessed a Mayan ceremony,

Sang in a sink hole and drove to the Island of Flores. Took a very ghettoized ferry across a pond, and took in the amazing Mayan Ruins. Witnessed amazing wildlife- cheetahs, monkeys, parrots, eagles, spiders- you name it, we saw it.
And the highlight? I got to meet my sponsor child Heidy ( pronounced Hay Dee) and her family

Oh the joys of war and terrorism. Normally I would join the millions who sit back and are silently curse those who feel like they need to make a point by plotting to kill thousands of innocent lives- while feeling sorry for those set to travel in the next few weeks.

And yes- yes, I do join in the silent cursing- but this time- its personal. While living in Toronto during 911, I felt the effects of the disaster more then some out West did. And yet- I still had the comfort of my cute little apartment on the corner of Bloor and Spadina. Not so much this time…

As 16 of us leave for Guatemala on Sunday afternoon- I can’t help but worry- just a bit, of the possible issues in air travel over the next few days. Of course- its not as bad as in the UK- ( no carry on baggage whatsoever... I couldn’t imagine a 7 hour flight without my ipod- they better have good entertainment on board) But absolutely no liquids. This means if any of our baggage gets lots…. Oops well… sorry! ( MY POOR CURLY HAIR WITHOUT MY PRODUCT… Be prepared for a scary picture) I just don’t understand what possesses people to harbour such sick and disturbing ideas. Well- At least my carry-on has been lightened by a few pounds, so much for being prepared if my luggage gets lost!.

SO- After a year of planning- and many hurdles, We will leave on Sunday. We have 900 pounds of “Stuff” ready to go- and that not even counting our personal luggage. I’m sure we will endure long lines at customs and very thorough bag checks. And yes- it’s all for our own good. and safety, but still- there is an element of worry. But hey- we’ve come this far right? Lets just hope the crazies are caught- at least for the time being!

That being said...

Guatemala or Bust!

Hello all-Sorry its been so long since I’ve updated. Been a little preoccupied- and well.. nothing exciting has really happened. That’s all about to change cuz I leave for Guatemala in 10 Days! Woo Hoo! I can’t believe that after a year of planning- we actually leave next week! Of course I’m already planning next summer’s trip. Europe anyone??
It’s a long weekend this weekend and lucky me I get both Friday and Monday off. I’m quite excited that I get to sleep in tomorrow ( it’s the only reason I was able to get up today)
Have a good weekend! I’ll try and write a bit more before I leave next week
Ciao!

You know that song... " If I could walk 500 miles..." Well- I think I did this past weekend. My calves at least think I did. New York was fabulous. I could totally live in that city. It made me miss living in Toronto. ( Sigh) BUT....after being away for 10 days and living out of a suitcase- I was definitely ready to come home. ( didn’t expect the extreme heat, but that’s another story) Anyways- we did a carriage ride thru central park- ( to cut down on the walking time)

I saw 2 plays- the 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee ( Funniest Musical ever) and The Producers ( also fabulous).

We also did the Sex and the City tour- in which a bus and tour guide takes you all around the city to different spots included in the show. We went to Miranda's Gym, Carrie's house, ate cupcakes in a well spotlighted park- way too much fun! We got to see even more of New York. I shopped way way too much. Actually I guess it wasn't that bad. I did good though- very good- I don't have plans to enter into any retail stores for awhile.

I'm here in the Big Apple.... finally! The trip began in Washington DC.... where I was sent for 4 days of the Alberta at the Smithsonian festival.


It rained for 3 of those 4 days. And my luggage was missing for almost 2 of the 4 days. Life is great. Shopping when you have no clothes is also great. The ESO Chamber players did a fabulous job in all of their performances and did everyone proud.

Now I'm in NYC with Tami, Robin and Anna..... I got here yesterday morning and explored the city by myself... also tried to figure out the subway system. Didn't get lost once- yay me!

Today we took a ferry to Staten Island, walked around China Town and Canal street- walked up to Times Square, shopped shopped shopped.. ate.. shopped. After 12 hours of walking I'm exhausted. Oh and Happy Canada Day everyone! We wore Canada gear to commemorate the occasion and attracted quite a few fellow Canadians throughout the day- so that was fun. Tommorow we're doing the Sex and The City Tour, walking thru Central Park and seeing a play. I think after all the walking I've done this week- I've lost a good 10 pounds.
ok... thats it for now!

This past weekend, Myla and Rob got hitched… Thursday began with the bachelorette party- entitled Myla’s Amazing Race to the Altar. Here’s me driving the Expedition we rented for the event.. I think I want one.

The whole weekend was full of food, laughter, friends and family. A lot of friends came from far away so it was nice to catch up with everyone!

The day was perfect…. The bride was gorgeous and now I’m tired! Congrats My and Rob... more pics to follow later.

My high school reunion was this past weekend. 10 years. nice. I went to a boarding school for highschool so for some reason they make a big deal about your class every 5 years. It was fun to see alot of people though... but most of my friends I keep in contact with and see often enough so it was just another excuse to get together. Only about 1/3rd of our class showed up anyway.



Other then that- life is beyond busy. The orchestra season is over as of this friday! yahooooooo! I will now have my weekends free for the next few months. Not that it makes a difference because I'm gone most of June and August. Let my summer madness begin.

Yes... I thought I'd be brave and try my hand at old-skool rollerskating. Our Guatemala team had a rollerskating party last night as a fundraiser. We had a blast. I was doing great on the skates until I fell- HARD. Today I have to sit on a pillow. Poor me. I decided that I would stick to blading after that.

Wow- the sounds and sights of a Western Conference victory. On Saturday evening- as I’m sure most of Canada and North America saw, The Oilers beat the Mighty Ducks and are heading to the Stanley Cup finals. Of course as the seconds ticked away to nothing in the 3rd period- fandemonium ensued on the Edmonton streets. I was over a friend’s house for the very exciting series finale. Afterwards we braved the streets of Whyte Avenue where thousands of crazy people wandered the streets high five'in everyone they walked past, shaking lampposts and lighting off fireworks.

I got out of there before the bonfires started- but it was fascinating to watch. That being said….people calm down. There’s no need to burn things and act psychotic on the streets. I love the Oilers too- but there’s a line that needs to be drawn between fan camaraderie and just plain stupidity. Unfortunately a few people on Saturday night crossed that line.

Ahh… so nice to have a long weekend once in awhile. May long weekend has always been one of my favorites. It always seems to come around just when you need a break. ( its also usually my birthday weekend) This year, my best girlfriends took me on a mini-break weekend getaway to beautiful Jasper. We went to the hot springs, saw lots of wildlife, saw beautiful waterfalls, walked on a glacier ate way too much food and just relaxed. It was a fabulous weekend! Happy Birthday to Me!

First Pic- Driving to Jasper; 2nd Pic- after the hotsprings, we saw some deer!; 3rd pic-The awesome glacier at the Columbia Icefields; 4th Pic- Athabasca Falls; 5th Pic- the Girls on the streets of Jasper

wow- aren't ya'll lucky. 3 posts in 2 days.
My coworker sent me a link to another cool Honda UK commerical... check it out!
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/honda.php

on another note.... my car got broken into AGAIN. I just got it back on Friday and I went down this morning and the glove compartment was open, the trunk was half open and things were everywhere! Oh well.. nothing stolen. At least the car was still there. Ahh... c'est la vie!

Oh- I forgot to mention that I’m heading to The U.S. of A at the end of June! Very exciting! Going on a business trip to Washington D.C. and then taking the train to New York City and meeting up with friends for 4 days of good times! I’m so excited!

The City of Edmonton is also in serious playoff mode- despite the Oilers loss yesterday….I’m getting prepared for another loud series! I hope we get to the next round- as i'm sure that 98% of the Edmonton population does as well. I'm really not a big hockey fan, but you really can't help catching a little Oilers fever when you live here...

Ahh to be a kid again. On Thursday, I had the pleasure of seeing Peter Pan at the Citadel Theatre- and I must say- very enchanting. When they started flying, I totally was taken back to the days when I used to daydream myself into fairy tale land... If only it was that easy- to think happy thoughts and fly!

My happy thoughts are good food, good friends and good music, and good shopping… mmmm shopping…… What are yours?

On Saturday night, I went with Lals and Rhett to see Zakir Hussien and the Masters of Percussion… all I can say is. WOW. Now, I play drums. Or at least I thought I played drums… these guys were crazeee. Considering this guy has been playing since he was 12… and he had lessons for 4 hours every day… I think I may have a bit of ways to catch up. It was very inspiring though. I think I sat there with my mouth open in awe for most of the show. Oh- I don’t think I mentioned, but I finally got a guitar! Yay for me! I start lessons tonight. Actually I think I’m doing quite well, considering I’ve never played one before, I’m surprised that its actually quite easy. I’m hoping the lessons will make me a pro in no time!

Well- I must say, after a very long, tiring week- I’m glad that I had a restful weekend. On Friday, Anna and I went down to Lacombe to visit some friends and have some much needed chill time. Friday we helped Myla set up for a garage sale on Sunday. As you can see by the picture, she’s collected a lot of stuff over her short lifetime. With her upcoming wedding, it was about time she got rid of some of her stuff. It was interesting that I found quite a few items of mine that I haven't seen for a number of years. Saturday was the day of food. Had a delightful breakfast with some friends at Lindsay's place

then had a fabulous lunch with some more friends, followed by an afternoon of relaxation and guitar playing- or in Darin's case, Ukulele playing.

tonight I'm going to see the Harlem Gospel Choir, which should be exciting! If it is... I'll be sure to fill you in on it. I think thats about it for now....

Yes, Its been awhile since you've all gotten the Shankel-update. Lots has been happenening the past few weeks.... friends having babies, stolen cars, friends having babies.... Ahhh. It hasn't seemed to slow down. Congrats Karri and Tash on the new loves of your lives! Besides the new additions in my friends lives... unfortunately an important part of my life got taken from me. On saturday morning I went down into my parkade in my apartment building to get something in my car ( who I've affectionately named Stella). Unfortunately Stella wasn't there....

Yes ladies and gents. stolen. I think i was a bit in shock for the first 2 minutes. I just stood there staring at my parking stall. Surprisingly I was very calm about the whole situation. It helped that my friend Anna stayed over the night before- so at least I had someone who could drive me around if needed. I spent most of the morning o the phone with my insurance company and the police. About 4 hours after I discovered it was gone I had a call saying that they had found her. She was parked in another parking stall somewhere. Anyways, I picked her up from the impound lot... and this is the amazing part.

( my car Stella.... parked back at home in her stall )

The guy only gutted the ignition- but Stella was still drivable with a screwdriver... ( car thief tip of the day) . So I drove her home. Second amazing part. I had probably about 20 cds in the car ... and a pair of running shoes ( worth about $80) and an ipod transmitter for my radio ( worth about $75) and 2 pairs of sunglasses ( worth about $40). The only thing the guy took was my sunglasses. Amazing huh? Nothing wrong with the outside of the vehicle- and he took my sunglasses. I feel very lucky and blessed. Things could have gone a lot worse for me! oh- and my landlord sliped a photo of the car thief under my door this morning. Seems that we have good surveillance system. Its rather freaky that I know who the guy is... still trying to figure out if thats a good thing or not.

That being said- It was a very exhausting weekend. Between baby showers and car thefts... I'm spent. I hope the week prooves to be less stressful!

Wow what a week. This pic is the outside of my second home- the Winspear Centre. Pretty ain't it? Its caused me nothing but stress the past four days. And now- a new week, a new day, the sun is shining and I'm attempting to forget about all the craziness in my life the past few days.
Yesterday I got home from work (yes, my job requires me to often work on the weekend) and I baked and baked for a few hours. I had a rough day. Some people eat, some people run, some people clean. I bake. Today my coworkers got to enjoy the results of my de-stressing.
I think I need to work out an extra hour today so I can burn off the calories that I baked last night.
It's such a vicious cycle.

Ahhh… Winter has finally arrived. Not of course in the month it should arrive in… and of course on the eve of Spring. C'est La Canada!

This is the view from my Window on the weekend. On Saturday, Edmonton got 20 centimeters of snow. Translation- A LOT.
The roads were crazy, buses were stuck, people were falling, tires were slipping….It was a sight to behold. What ever happened to a nice spread out of the snow over the winter months? We've had none up until now.
Oh well- it is a beautiful sight. And I did get to wear my new winter boots this weekend too... so I shouldn't really complain.

Of course being the crazy Canadians we are, guck-covered streets or not-myself and 15 other people still ventured out to celebrate our friend Anna’s birthday on Saturday night.
We headed to this wonderful little Indian restaurant in downtown Edmonton- one that I frequent regularly during the lunchtime hours at work.
Its not very often all of my friends can be together in the same room for an extended amount of time- so it was good to see everyone!

Congrats to my best friend who just got engaged on Saturday! Yahoo!
Check out her blog for the story- her fiancée was very creative with the whole engagement plan. The wedding is in 3 months so it’s a bit of a planning frenzy- but very possible!
www.mylocalgirl.blogspot.com

Refer back to my blog a few blogs ago- the pocket idiot guide to being a groom... um yeah. Same boy. I'd like to think we helped in the encouragement arena.

Life has definitely settled down the past few days…. Besides starting a serious diet- now that I’m in a wedding in 3 months, I have been trying to nurse my ankle back to its original shape. It was feeling great there for a few days- but then I realized I was on a wonderful dosage of advil that I’m not taking anymore. Suddenly I feel the hurt once again. Its ok. It just means I gotta take it easy!

On that note... I'm going to watch the season premiere of america's next top model- a guilty pleasure of mine. Crazy anorexic chicks fighting with each other. Pure entertainment.