sarah's blog

Last week we went to the U2 360 Tour in Edmonton. This is our second time seeing this tour except the first time we were super close on the floor of an indoor venue and this time we had nosebleed section seats in an outdoor one. While the experience was not as intense as the first time (the best concert I have ever seen) it was still amazing to see the show from a new vantage point, and get some good shots o my iPhone too.

If you’re going to see this tour I highly recommend you spring for floor seats – if you like the intensity of being caught up in it all. There is nothing like seeing that giant spider/spaceship towering over you with the sound of Bono all around you. There were moments I forgot where I was, it was that all-consuming. If that doesn’t make you want to go out and buy tickets close enough that maybe Bono will touch you and you’ll never wash that arm again, at least go for the lowest level of seating, it’s well worth it.

Both J and I said we’d see them again. In an indoor venue. With floor tickets. Maybe we can even get in that inner ring…

I was going to write three. But it seems life has picked up where it left off before I took an Olympic timeout, and has even sped up a bit maybe.

I’m not saying I have a super busy life, I don’t, it’s just that things are moving along and new stuff is happening and I can’t be two weeks behind on blog posting or I’ll never catch up.

All that being said, let’s do one last post about my Olympic experience and move on. If I posted about more I’d just end up rehashing everything you already read elsewhere and blabbing on about identity and national pride and the like.

However, for a really beautiful description of an Olympic experience, by a self-described non-sports fan (my friend Claire) this is a must-read. Reading her short post made me live it all over again. Go there just to see the picture if nothing else.

As for what else I have left to say about the Olympics, it’s really about the extracurriculars. (more…)

There’s a new album out by an artist I love, Matisyahu. If you’ve never heard of him he’s “an American Hasidic Jewish reggae superstar” who writes songs about his passion for his faith and for God. Yep.

He sings from the Psalms a lot, or (and I might get the spelling wrong so blame Wikipedia) Tehillim‎, תְהִלִּים, or “praises”. I like to imagine that if King David was born today his songs might have sounded like this. Don’t say no right away, just think about it.

This is what Matisyahu says about King David at once of his concerts before he sang the Tehillim, Refuge. (more…)

I hate when I don’t blog for awhile and I start to get behind so that I think “I should really blog about this” so many times that it keeps me from wanting to blog at all. It’s too much pressure, trying to remember everything I wanted to mention and just the thought of all that writing keeps me procrastinating. Ya, procrastinating from my hobby.

Let’s see, I’ll just hit the highlight: the Concert.

John gave me tickets to see Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge in Washington and we went last Sunday night. I have been a long-time die hard fan but had never been able to see them live. Needless to say I was crazy excited.

We drove the 4 1/2 hours down to George, Washington (seriously) and by the time we had traveled through forests, hills, cliffs and cornfields we were wondering if we’d fallen down the rabbit hole. As we came up to the parking lot we still couldn’t see anything resembling a “gorge” but we did know we were in the right place by the thousands of campers filling the campsite, the sound of Dave from open car windows and the wafting scent of mary jane. I know that stuff’s not legal in BC but you wouldn’t know it that night!

We parked and followed the herd through the gauntlet of ticket checks, pat-downs and “you can have alcohol” bracelets, then up over the hill where the gorge itself comes into view for the first time. It was amazing. The stage was massive but the cliffs of the gorge and the lake that filled it came up behind the stage and dwarfed it. The sun was setting and the scene was beautiful. We found a nice patch of grass on the steep natural amphitheatre and spread out our sleeping bag. Over the next hour as we waited for the opening act the grass filled up. By the time Dave actually stepped onto the stage the sun had set and we were blown away by the amount of people.

Dave played for 3 hours, including a slide show between the set and the encore in tribute to the saxophone player who had passed away 2 weeks earlier. It was cold outside but I hardly remember. I was totally sucked in to what was happening on the stage and on the huge screens behind and above it. I had been looking forward to this concert for longer than we had the tickets yet somehow it exceeded my expectations. Even John, who’s not a big fan, said he has never heard a band whose members were each so individually talented.

It’s a long story but after the concert we gave a random university student a ride to the Seattle airport (he wasn’t exactly a planner, let’s just say that) and crashed into our beds around 5am. So worth it.

John said next year I can by tickets for the whole weekend and camp out at The Gorge. Friday, Saturday and Sunday night concerts. Wow.

I don’t have any good pictures because we couldn’t take our camera but we did make sure we got the proof on the cellphone.

As promised, John had a romantic surprise up his sleeve to celebrate our anniversary. Since it fell on a Monday this year and we were moving that weekend he planned it for the next Friday.

After work we went out to dinner at Joey’s in Coquitlam. We had an appetizer of chicken lettuce wraps, then John got the lobster ravioli and I ordered the quesadillas. The menu items seemed kind of boring at first but once our food arrived and we sampled their unique twist on the usual we were really impressed. My quesadillas were made with roasted red peppers, feta and Mediterranean styler chicken.

So after an impressive dinner John finally let me in on the big surprise: we were going to see Amos Lee at the Commodore Ballroom! Neither one of us have ever seen him live or been to that venue. I was completely surprised and instantly so excited.

We drove home, got changed and hopped on the skytrain. The Commodore is a really cool venue: an old ballroom with tables around the perimeter, a huge dance floor in the middle where we sat on the floor and a stage about as big and high as your high school gym. We caught the opening act, singer-song writer Lucy Wainwright Roach (yes Rufus’ sister).

Amos is just so cool. He came out on stage with his band and he started to play and he just took those songs from his albums and brought them alive. I have so much respect for artists who can seemingly adapt to the moment and perform the songs in ways I’ve never heard them before. I was utterly impressed by his abilities, stage presence and personality – none of which you’ll be able to experience fully from a studio recording. The man looks Jewish, with his curly hair, beard and glasses, and he wears a hat. He doesn’t say too much but you can’t keep your eyes off him.

He played 3 encores, 2 songs each time and he ended with a cover of Queen’s Fat Bottom Girls. But my favorite one of the many memories I’ll have was when he played When You’re Gone, a song John put on a cd he made me when we were dating long distance over 2 years ago.

It was the perfect anniversary celebration and we’re both looking forward to Amos’ next visit.

Today is my 26th birthday. I have officially completed a quarter century on this earth and I am feelin’ good. I think every birthday after 21 has been really good. I don’t know why but it seems like the birthdays before 22, or maybe between about 13 and 22, are just lame. I mean you either feel too young for stuff you wish you could do or too old for stuff you secretly still like to do.

Then you get to 16 and you can drive, or if you were like me you were always grounded in high school so you didn’t get to drive. Then 17 hits and you aren’t 18 yet so you can’t vote or sign yourself out of school without a parent or legal guardian.

Then you’re finally 18 so you can vote and buy cigarettes and porn, but you find out your vote doesn’t do much, cigarettes get lame and you’re a girl so the porn purchasing power is kind of lost on you. 19 Is okay because you’re out of high school and can legally drink in some Canadian provinces – but not in the US.

I liked 20 because I wasn’t a teenager anymore and there was something cool about being able to say I was in my twenties.

21 Gets old real fast because every time you say how old you are in the States people have to comment on how you can drink now. La dee freakin da we’d been doing that since we were 15. Now we can do it in public and pay 5 times more.

Which brings me to 22. No more comments about milestone birthdays but you’re still far away from the days when people will remark about being over the hill and give you birthday cards about menopause, false teeth and the Grim Reaper. As I said before, I have enjoyed each year after 22 more than maybe any before. Probably also because between then and now I met my husband, moved back to Canada, got engaged, got married, started ministry, moved to BC, watched my little sister get married and my little brother start to become the guy I knew he could be… with stuff like that happening who wouldn’t enjoy life?

I am excited about 26. Granted, I’m still in my twenties so anyone over 30 will roll their eyes if I say anything about feeling older, and 30 is the new 20 so I guess to some people I’m like a 16 year old. But too me it means a few things: I can rent a car without the extra daily fee, I can adopt a child in most countries except China, I am closer to 30 than 20 so the 30-somethings might cut me some slack, and no matter how old I get I think I might always look like a little kid so I’ve got that on my side.

What did I do to celebrate the big 2-6? On Sunday my mother-in-law was in town so I went out to lunch after church with her, John and my sisters-in-law Janna and Adrianne and her husband Gordie. I got a chocolate ganache with a sparkler in it but as the tradition from last year continues, no camera worked in time to capture the moment (sad story, ask me some time). Adrianne and Gordie gave me a bar of cool lemon soap and a giftcard from Lush and John gave me like the best birthday present ever: he has fulfilled my lifelong dream of seeing Dave Matthews Band live at The Gorge in Washington State. It is Dave’s favorite venue so it is guaranteed to be sweet. We’ve got to 2 tickets for August 31st and I almost peed my pants when he told me.

Today, the official anniversary of my birth, was filled with a regular work day, broken up with opening cards from Grandma Harder, Uncle Paul and Aunt Marlene and my co-workers. Claire bought me a coke and then Janna surprised me by showing up at the end of the day with a chocolate cupcake and cards from her and my in-laws. The one from Mom and Dad Hau has Michael from The Office in it saying something about reverse psychology and it told me not to have a happy birthday. Hilarious.

On the way home I treated myself to a Starbucks honey frappuccino and got my nails filled (got a manicure for Charity’s wedding, decided to keep it for awhile because I’m 26 now and need mature looking hands). I got home to find a bouquet of gerber daisies, chocolate and a new scarf from John. He has to be away from today until Friday and he felt bad for missing my birthday for the second year in a row. He is so sweet, he totally made me feel thought of even though he couldn’t be around.

So now I am enjoying the quiet of our apartment and a chance to catch up on things. At this crazy point in our lives a night home alone is exactly what I want, and need.

I find birthdays feel a bit bittersweet to me. I think about how past memories are getting further away and some things will never be the same. But right now I’m seeing the sweet so I’ll just enjoy that. 26. Happy birthday to me!