| Guestbook |
Hello friends,
My guestbook seemed to not be working so I got a new one -- which I'm not too fond of, but it'll do. I've left the old one up incase it gets back in business. So for now you can comment using the ugly flashing guestbook icon. Thanks. |
|
|
|
| Photos from the concert |
| The CD release concert in Abbotsford was a great success. Lots of people came out (200+), Lance and the band had a great time - as did all others present I would venture. I had a lovely evening as well -- very proud of my husband. Here are some photos of the evening. |
|
|
|
| Stage from Balcony |
Here is a view from the stage from the balcony. We were pleasantly surprised that there was a man from the venue to run the lights for us. It really warmed the stage up. |
|
|
|
| Nelson on Keys |
Nelson added a lot to the evening with his music as well as some antics in response to Lance's goofiness with the concertmate. Lance had this to say about Nelson: Nelson was originally a teacher of mine at Columbia Bible College. Since that time he has become a good friend who is a welcome influence for good in my life. We share a love for jazz (Nelson makes and plays jazz music -- check out his CD Keeping Time), coffee, movies, and good God discussion. Tonight he will be playing Wurlitzer and piano. |
|
|
|
| Frances |
Frances Loewen made sure eveything sounded it's best. Lance wrote the following about her in the program:Frances is mixing tonight. And it's a good thing. She is a very competent, gracious, detail oriented, sound woman. She is also a very loving and elegant person in my opinion. |
|
|
|
| Classic Jonathan |
Jonathan was often seen with a smile like this on Sunday night. Here's what Lance wrote about him:Jonathan is playing banjo, lap steel, electric guitar, and tambourine. Not only does Jonathan write and record his own songs (see Jonathaninc.com), he helps others do it with great skill and sensitivity, in his studio (see buenavistaaudio.com). Jonathan is a very intuitive musician and has really good ears (and a beard). He also helped mix the album with Steve Klassen. |
|
|
|
| Crowd laughs at Concertmate |
Lance unveils the "Concertmate" and the crowd has a good laugh. Don't those people look like they're having a good time laughing at my husband? |
|
|
|
| The Concertmate |
Lance unveiled the astonishing "Concertmate" keyboard which was a definite highlight of the evening. The crowd - and band - were in stitches as Lance used the many and varied rhythms and sounds housed withing the Concertmate to add significant flair to "Breezy St Francis". To the crowds delight Nelson and Lance exchanged looks as they dueled back and forth throughout the song. Lance tried to steal the show but we all know that Nelson really is quite good at playing the piano. :) |
|
|
|
| Bruce |
Bruce and the Telecaster are a wonderful combination. I'd listen to them anytime. Lance had some words to say about Bruce in the program: Bruce is a friend from Bow Island, Alberta (after meeting him, I think the whole band wishes he would move to BC). He is one of the most genuine persons I have ever met, and he plays the guitar okay too. Actually, he rules (Bruce and his brother have a bluegrass band -- see rawlingbrothers.com, buy a CD and thank me later). Tonight he is playing acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano and singing. |
|
|
|
| beautiful Mel |
It was a pleasure to have Mel join us, as usual she brought her incredible voice, her heart and her antics. Here's what Lance had to say about Mel:Mel is helping out in the vocal department. She has a keen sense of harmony and humour. She's also really, really funny and also one of my very favourite worship leaders. Tonight Mel will be doing a lot of singing, which is a good thing for all of us. |
|
|
|
| Kenton |
Kenton was great to have as a part of this celebratory evening, we look forward to working with him anytime again in the future. Here's what Lance wrote about him in the program:Kenton Wiens is many things all at once. He is hospitable, extremely generous, intelligent, good at baking, tells great stories and has fantastic rhythm. It was a real pleasure to record with Kenton. Tonight he will be keeping things solid and full of feel on the drums and cymbals. |
|
|
|
| Steven Smiles |
Big little brother Steven played bass and added a lot to the concert - he's quite the character on stage. Great to have there. He, as you know, played many important roles in the creation of the CD. We're more than grateful. Here's what Lance wrote in the program: Steve is playing bass guitar tonight. Steve has played a key part in every stage of the recording – I could not have done this without him. He engineered, co-produced, mixed and has worked really hard at getting the CD duplicated for this evening’s concert. Simply put, Steve is way, way too good at what he does for being only 21 (go to steveklassen.ca and record your next CD with him) and he is also a super fun brother-in-law – I love this guy. |
|
|
|
| Today |
Some things that happened today:
1. Fire drill early this morning. I laid in bed from 5am - 6am waiting for the alarm to go off. I knew it was coming but it happened later than planned. Got to go back to bed which helped with sleep, also had a lovely nap later in the afternoon. I'm not in the office on Wednesdays so that is nice.
2. I painted. Yesterday and today have been good as far as art making. I'm learning to be disciplined and just do it, instead of waiting till I feel like it. I did a quick sketch type tempera painting and began an acrylic on canvas. I've discovered that I love to paint in the kitchen. I have an art room set up as a studio but never like painting there. It's on the north side of our apartment so it's dark. I like the sunny kitchen, this may be my new spot -- as long as I clean up after myself.
3. We had an outdoor adventure with our discipleship group. We went to a near by park and started off with a relay which Lance invented. We got into pairs. One person from each pair had to roll down this HUGE hill (either log roll or somersault) and then run up it and tag their partner. The partner would then run down and back up the hill backwards. Lance and I were a team. I knew that if I rolled down the hill I would feel very sick for a long time, so Lance rolled. Turned out that by the time he ran up the hill to tag me all the other teams were totally done, so I didn't end up running at all. Lance felt so sick. After that we played a calmer game. We then huddled on picnic table benches and shared our highs and lows - this has become a habit for us (thanks Abarbanels for introducing us to this idea). Then we opened the huge backpack we brought and unloaded blankets and toques to keep people warm. We also enjoyed a delicious snack. Lance had made hot chocolate -- FROM SCRATCH -- and I had baked gingersnaps which were still soft and warm. While we enjoyed the snack we read from the book "Waking the Dead" by John Eldredge. The first chapter is very good. I haven't read beyond that but if it continues on this track, I would recommend it. Following reading we had an excellent discussion in which everyone but one person shared thoughtful insights (clarification, it wasn't that one person's insights weren't thoughtful, they just didn't share anything). We arrived back at the school not long ago, and my feet are beginning to thaw. It is 3 degrees tonight!
4. Confession. You may have noticed I used "we" when writing about enjoying a delicious snack. Yes, I am included in that we. When I was baking the cookies I thought, I will cheat and eat a sugar laden cookie tonight. That wouldn't have been bad. But, truth be told, I ate two and a half cookies and a cup of hot chocolate. Yikes, and that's not counting the half a cookie I ate before we left to make sure they were good. A disappointing thing about the cookies I made (we also had peanut butter cookies brought by a student - his grandma had made them) was that they weren't very zippy. I wonder if my ginger is too old. When I cheat and eat sugar I like to make it worthwhile. The peanut butter cookie dipped in hot chocolate was definately worth while. yum. Hopefully I will sleep off this sugar overdose and not have to face the consequences, we'll see.
5. Really enjoyed being a part of CLBI today.
6. Today I read the details about the latest addition to the Engler family (Al & Denise). They had a little girl on Monday and she is beautiful. New life is a miracle and I thank God for adding her to their family. Her name is Cherith and you can see pictures of her on their blog.
Well, that's all for now, I think.
Aimee |
|
|
|
| Me |
For some reason I felt like posting a picture of me. So here I am enjoying my first slurpee in years. This summer 7-Eleven came out with Crystal Lite slurpees. I was really excited about them. They taste okay, but really way too sweet and too red. Maybe one a summer will be fine for me. This was on our trip back from Winnipeg this summer. I was very hot and a slurpee was perfect. |
|
|
|
| My Weekly post |
Since I've committed to one post a week I better stick to it -- it's not that big of a goal. Hmmm. The other day I thought of something to blog about and at the beginning of this sentence I forgot it but now I remember. That being said, I could've just deleted that sentence but I've left it there for your reading pleasure.
If you frequent Platinum Blonde you will have read that she and Denise met at church on Sunday. World's colliding. I think that's fun. Odd too. This reminded me that we almost had another blog world collision of sorts a month or so ago. Melanie was visiting my Abbotsford church with Zoe (who may or may not read the blogs, either way she is sneaky) the second last Sunday Lance and I were there. That same week, as you may recall if you frequent Canadian Califoria Girl, Kristal and her husband Shaun were up from California and also present at church. I talked to Kristal the following Sunday and she said she had seen me last week and Platinum Blonde too - we giggled realizing that she didn't even know Platinum Blonde's name. Anyways, had I thought about it the week we were all there I could have arranged an introduction. It is unlikely that this possibility will ever arise again. Oh well.
A confession. I read a lot of blogs -- even when they are really distantly connected to me. Okay, maybe not a lot of blogs compared to some people, I just know that I am sometimes embarassed if I think about telling Lance about the blogs I read. I must not be truly embarrassed because I told Lance about this one blog I read. I told him because I knew he would get a good laugh out of it. And right now I am debating telling all of you. Now here's the thing. It is possible, though highly unlikely, that the writers of this blog read my blog too. Should I reveal myself? Perhaps I won't be very specific... yet, I know that anything I write will clue certain readers into the blog I've been reading. You must promise not to tell the writers of this blog, I feel a little silly. Well here it goes.
I read the blog of the parents of a girl I attended grade 3 and 4 with, whom I have not seen nor been in contact with for many years.
Maybe that's not so bad. Strange though. Lance thought it was quite something.
Moving, on. I am almost through the box of delicious sugar free "oreos" I bought. I must not buy another box for quite some time. A question about your cookie eating habits. How many cookies do you usually eat at a time? I don't eat cookies often and want to know what other people consider normal.
Hmmm. My mom has a birthday coming up and I have an idea for a gift. I better get going.
Aimee
ps. please continue to pray for Lance and I as we prepare for the CD release concert on Sunday. Pray to that we would receive the CD with time to spare.
pps. today is my niece's birthday. I remember last year how we kept waiting to hear if Cara and Andy had had their baby. I can't believe we didn't know if she would be a girl or a boy. Now we know her and have loved watching her grow. What a treat to get to be around her this summer. She is beautiful and precious. |
|
|
|
| Introducing LANCE ODEGARD |
Lance's website is up and running. Take a look and let us know what you think. There is opportunity to comment and interact in the "top 5s" section.
www.lanceodegard.com
I said to Lance today that when I was typing in the website I thought, "Wow, he has his own website, this is big". Which is actually kind of funny because anyone who wants to can get a website made and name it after themselves. Anyways, this is not just any website. I think you'll like it. |
|
|
|
| To blog or not to blog |
Reasons for blogging today. Denise is 9 months pregnant and enjoys reading blogs as she waits for the baby. Lance is out. I don't really feel like going to bed yet. It's been awhile (again). Karen is wondering about the invasion of students...
We just got back from the kickoff outdoor trip 7 days canoeing and hiking. I joined the girls late, driving down (5hrs to Lundbreck AB) with Jenna (a great friend and my roommate from bibleschool). We were so glad to have gotten to be a part of the trip even though we were late. We were also very glad to not have been on the whole trip. The first three days of the trip were canoeing and the girls had horrible weather and were so cold from all of the rain and not being able to keep dry. There were multiple setbacks and tons of unpredictable events. I used to consider myself quite tough and extreme. I now have a more accurate appraisal of myself - I could have done it, but I certainly wouldn't have chosen it. I don't seek out challenges, and I am glad to have missed out on this one.
The "invasion" of students went well. Busy registration day turned out to be not too busy and I even enjoyed a lovely, lengthy nap in the middle of it! Please pray for the student body. We have many students that could be referred to as "fringers". They have a more difficult time making friends and feeling like they belong. Pray that our students would have the same attitude of Christ Jesus (philippians 2).
I really enjoy some of the students and am liking getting to know them.
Having a hard time getting back into the swing of work after a couple of days out of the office. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
Recent discovery: Sugar free Voortman cookies that taste just like Oreos - to me anyways. A great treat with a glass of milk. Unfortunately I am beginning to suspect that the aspartame in them is giving me headaches. Noooo! I generally try to stay away from aspartame, but Oreos -- what a special treat.
Weather: Rainy like BC. The heat is not on in the dorms yet. Before I turned on our little heater it was 16 or so degrees in our apartment. Now it is warmer. I have bought a hot water bottle and have taken to using it to warm me up, while reading and napping -- this wise purchase sure beats the bottle full of hot water method I was using before.
Prayer request: please pray for God's truth to reign at our school and for lies to be banished. Often the struggles students face are because they believe satan's lies. Truth does set people free. Pray that we at CLBI know our part in helping the students know the truth. Thanks.
Upcoming Adventures: My dear husband is about to release his second CD. Hooray. Believe me, it is going to be great. I am so excited about it. The CD release in Abbotsford is set for Sunday Sept 25 at 7:30. Please pray with us that the CD is printed before that time. Pray that people will come and God will work through Lance's music. If you are in the area please come -- I think you will really enjoy it. More info to come.
Okay that's it for now. I remember now that I enjoy blogging. Will try to somewhat regularly. I'll shoot for once a week and perhaps increase from there.
Have a good sleep.
aimee |
|
|
|
| been awhile |
Here I am again. How did I decide to blog after 18 days? Well, I was driven to it. My kitchen is relatively clean (besides the floor which looks like we have numerous children and large slobbery dogs living here), my husband is out, I'm not reading a novel right now, I've read the other blogs, I've made snacks for our canoe trip next week (I can't believe I'm ahead of schedule in this area, I usually make my snacks the night before we leave -- and this has nothing to do with desiring freshness and everything to do with procrastination)... I was driven to blogging by - dare I say the word - boredom.
Now really, I'm not sure if I actually reached the boredom stage. Perhaps I saw it coming and have averted it (I don't think I've ever written the word "averted" it looks awfully strange, please let me know if I've used and spelled it correctly). The major, and somewhat embarassing red flag that indicated impending boredom was the fact that I was visiting CLBI's website and about to read through the list of alumni that are what we call "missing in action".
WHAT!!! I was going to spend Friday night reading through a list of names compiled from the 70 plus years of the schools existence? People I for the most part will not know. What's next? Would I be googling their names so I could pass on their contact information to one of my colleagues? Oh boy.
I'm enjoying writing this blog much more than that alternative.
So where am I and what have I been doing?
Working like crazy I guess. Lance and I spent many late late nights (or should I say early mornings) working on the graphic design for his album. A huge project and one that is almost done. We have sent it away and are now waiting for our third set of proofs to make sure that they will actually print what we want. We are so looking forward to being able to say "everything looks good, go ahead and print". And after that we will be excited to get our hands on the actual finished product.
We have been somewhat tense (somewhat being an average of Lance's high tension and my medium concern) about the possiblity of the CD not being done by the date we've booked for the CD release concert. Yikes. My brother Steven has way more experience in this area than us and has been good to encourage us that everything will be done in time. The concert is on Sept 25 in Abbotsford. We are also planning an Alberta concert for the 16th of October.
A few last thing for now -- I think I've got whatever you get from typing to much. I really don't want it. But typing this blog has been causing it to act up. Hmmm. I could use that as my excuse for not blogging in weeks. No, that is not the reason.
School here is about the be in full swing. The second years have been here for a week and the first years arrive tomorrow. It will be a hectic day and one I have a love hater relationship with. For the most part I do not like beginnings. They are times of change and uncertainty. Tomorrow I will meet 30 people that I don't know. A redeeming feature of tomorrow is that I havae a concrete role and just have to sit behind a table, be friendly, hand out keys and give room assignments. I'll probably even get a break for a nap - or just so I don't have a people overload melt-down. Tomorrow evening is the opening service - where I have felt out of place, I will try to sit with Lance's folks, I am at home with them.
On Thursday we leave for the all school canoe and hiking trip. On the trip we teach a class on Godly character. I have been busy (and at times overwhelmed) preparing this. I had an excellent meeting today with some other female staff about the course (topics to cover and what they thought of the material I had gathered) -- they were very encouraging and I was given a new burst of strength. One of the ladies offered to do all the photocopying of materials and put everything in the duotangs (this is usually another thing I do the night before we leave). This is a huge gift. It is also a huge motivator to be efficient. She would like all the material by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. Oh, I think I can do it.
Lance, in all this busyness, had been good to remind me of whose strength I should be running on. Melanie has been consistant - as always - with emails and calls that say, "I'm concerned about you", "take care of yourself", "it sounds like you're not getting enough rest". Yesterday Jena came over and instead of going for our walk as planned said, "How about we clean your kitchen?" Whoo hooo! Another gift.
I hope this email hasn't made it sound like I'm overwhelmed and in the depths of despair. I'm feeling quite good right now. Like what needs to get done will get done. I'm even considering getting up early to go to the Farmer's market before registration begins -- I'm itching for some carrots that taste like candy. We'll see.
Well folks, thanks for reading. Hope you are well. I'm sure glad that being able to read and enjoy others blogs doesn't require that you've written on your own blog -- I've been faithfully reading this whole time.
Okay, that's all for now.
Aimee |
|
|
|
|
|
posted by Aimee at 
