Radiate

This is a prophetic piece of art created especially for me by my friend Joy. Unfortunately my photo doesn't do justice to the real life vibrant pastel drawing. I'm not entirely sure what it all means. Joy described some of the images to me and I know that it addresses a part of my heart that needs to see it because I feel absolutely encouraged when I look at it. The only word that comes to mind is "radiate" so that's what I titled it. How amazing is it that God would use His creativity through us to encourage, to heal and to inspire. Thanks Joy for giving me such a beautiful gift:)

A Christmas Wedding

Yesterday I had had the great pleasure of witnessing the most beautiful of weddings. Rachel and Mark were so in love and the joy that they radiated was so contagious. The wedding was such an amazing reflection of Christ's love for His bride.

It was truly an inspiring day.

CYNTHIA

This is my friend Cynthia.

She's funny, witty, smart, cute and petite.

She's also a great listener and a primo "packer".

Friends

In the past 10 months I've learned a lot about friends. I guess sometimes it takes a major life change to force you to look at something realistically. I've been able to really sit back and consider what a true friend is to me. I've realized that my perception of friendship has been skewed in the past few years. Coming here I've learned who my true friends are. It's been an interesting, yet difficult process, and at the same time I am all the more grateful to God for those true friends he has placed in my life. I've realized that some who I considered friends in the past are simply mere acquaintances. I've realized that there are some who will always be faithful and some who really don't care. There are some who have been more supportive than I ever could have imagined and some who have disappointed me and abandoned me. I have realized that some friendships can be encouraging and some can be damaging to me. In the process some friendships have ended and new ones have begun.

As I've learned about my friends I have examined myself as a friend and realize that I can be viewed in all the ways I have seen my friends. I am merely an acquaintance to some, I am a faithful friend to others , I have stopped caring for some and I have supported others. I have disappointed some and abandoned many. I have been an encouragement to some and damaging to others. Some of my friends have forgiven me and some don't want to have anything to do with me.

I have been blessed to have many types of friends and through those friendships both the ones that have grown stronger and the ones that have ended, I have learned a lot about who I am and who I want to be.

Most importantly, this process has forced me to take an intimate look at my greatest Friend and I have begun to truly comprehend that even if all my friends abandon me, He will never leave my side. He will not stop caring. He will never disappoint. He will never abandon me. He offers only encouragement and undeserved forgiveness. He is the reason I live and the reason I die. He is my hope and the greatest example I have of a friend. Through Him I can learn everything I need to know about who I am and who I can be.

Valentine's Eve

What does a house full of beautiful single women do on Valentine's Eve?

Why we sit and eat chocolate from little heart shaped boxes of course.

Tori

Last night the "club" got together to send Tori off to Thunder Bay for her year of teacher's college. We got to talking about how long we've known each other and how much we've seen each other change and grow since our first year of of music school. Lots of reminiscing about the crazy things we did in our University days. We can't believe that it's been nine years!!! Tori and I met in our 1st year musicianship tutorial. We were paired together to lead the first week of excercises and became friends instantly. I remember the first day we hung out, we met with the sole intention of planning the tutorial. For some odd reason, and I can't remember why, the 2 of us couldn't stop laughing. We giggled together for hours as we sat on the floor in the centre of Vari Hall. Giggling has always been for me a sure sign of a kindred spirit.

As Tori and I have grown and changed over the past nine years I think of what a constant she has been in my life. Even when she was in Korea for a year and a half, I knew that we'd never lose touch or drift from being friends. She's always been there. She's always been a listening ear, an honest voice, a word of encouragement, a crazy notion, and a giggle. She is one who was never been afraid to challenge me. And as I've seen her grow and change I can see in her a woman of strength. She's never shied away from a challenge, she has always been adventurous, she shares her pain openly and has remained true to herself through it all.

It was nice to spend time with close friends last night. It was the ideal reminder that there will always be a few in my life who will never fall out of touch. They are the ones who know me so well that they have no trouble adapting to the changes in me. We have experienced far too much together to fall prey to the out of sight out of mind syndrome.

Cooly McCool

"Cooly McCool"

THE BIG MAKEOVER
from Brian to Cooly McCool

SG this weekend

What a fantastic weekend retreat with the SG. (Andre and Marcel, as always much thanks for opening your beautiful cottage to us.)

I don't want to get all mushy but I'm gonna cause I seriously love my small group sooo much. This group is a true and awesome answer to prayer. When I chose to step up as a leader last year I did so with a heart that longed to see true Christ centered authentic, vulnerable relationships formed. I desired to see and be a part of a small group of people who learn to care for and understand each other so well that there would be no barriers and no reasons or excuses to hide one's true self. Last summer as I prepared to take over as leader from Tony, I remember sitting on the very dock that we played on this weekend, crying into the water as I prayed for the future of our group. I honestly thought that the group would disintegrate as we dwindled from a strong group of 12 to a modest 3. But oh how God has shown me what little faith I have. He not only answered the deep longings of my heart but has grown my faith as I've watched the group grow and develop into a real family.

I could go on and on about how you have each touched my life,taught me, encouraged me and made me laugh time and time again but that would call for much more than a jeeky:) blog entry. You are each so special to me and I praise God for you and the blessing that you are to me. I'm going miss you soo much while I'm away (even more than the mat man:) but I can't wait to hear about how God will continue to show His faithfulness and love through this very unique family.

I love you Rhanda, Nishant, Andre, Em, Catherine, Sarina, Brian, Lisa, and John.

It takes a real man to wear a tiara

Diva always says: "It takes a real man to wear a tiara!"

12 manly men proved this statement to be true as they helped

celebrate my birthday this weekend.

I wonder how many of them went home afterwards

and admired themselves in the mirror,

because they really did look ever so lovely in all that diva sparkle!

Thanks boys for being such good sports! You truly made this a birthday to remember :)

Diva kisses to you all. mmmmmmwa!!

The real diva in Stephen shines as he lets out a lovely operatic "ahhhhh!". Pretty!

Graham is a little bit timid about actually wearing the tiara on his head, but Brian and Keith sport theirs with a manly confidence. Beeeeautiful!!

Awww Nishant, that tiara will go so well with all your pretty scarves :) Stunning!!

Not only did Aaron enjoy the tiara but he also found great joy in accessorizing with candy necklaces and tacky prop jewelry. Radiant!!

Eric & Brian make tiara wearing look like an everyday thing. Gorgeous Dah-ling!!

Eric wore 2 tiaras that night!! The faux fur looks rather angelic I think. Sweet!!

Joel sparkles in his tiara designed exclusively by Mr. Dolla Rama. Ravishing!!

Cadence goes to the Junos

Last night was soooo much fun! Celebrating Cadence's Juno nominations was just great. The group's popularity has grown so much over the past couple of years and it's such a joy to watch it all happen. Those guys never fail to disappoint with their amazing talent and great humour.
What's really extra special is seeing Ross up on that stage living his dream. Ross was one of my buds in music school. He was always the class clown, the fun guy, the guy who knew how to make light of any serious moment. He was there through it all, cracking jokes in 1st year musicianship, making us die of laughter in harmony and counterpoint and constantly playing practical jokes on Virginia:) It was always nice to pass Ross in the hallway, cause he'd always give the most encouraging smile, and some days after sitting in a practice room for hours on end that was all I needed to brighten my day. As big of a ham as Ross was he loved his music and took learning seriously. He was always so talented and explored all the different music styles. At the time he never really had a vision for his music, he just knew that he loved it and wanted to pursue some kind of music career. I don't know if he ever saw himself where he is today, but now everytime I see him on stage performing with CADENCE it's so apparent that he has found his niche in acapella vocal jazz. He has even managed to incorporate his "class clown" personality as part of the show:) I just can't help but feel so proud of him. I see how far Ross has come and it gives me a bit of hope! It's cool to see that some people from those crazy undergrad days are actually making a living at the music thang, and now even being nominated for Juno's. Wow!! Very Inspiring.
http://www.cadence-unplugged.com

Recording Session #1

Last night was so exciting! I finally headed over to Jack's studio to do some recording. I was a little nervous about the process as I've never actually done any studio recording before. All recordings up till now have been done in a live acoustic with a live accompanist. I think I could really get used to this whole studio business though. There are so many perks to recording in a studio, it's like my eyes have been opened to a whole new art form. First there's the ability to completely be comfortable, no gowns or crowns required. (as much as I love the diva accessories it was nice to replace the gown with comfy clothes and the crown with the studio headphones. (I think I've already established that it never hurts to wear a tiara, but I really didn't want to overwhem Jack with too many of my diva quirks last night :) Not having to put on a show, yet still being able to create a performance with excellence can really be a great thing. With recording it's really all about the singing. I had the luxury of being able to pull out all of my technical tricks to enhance the sound and not have to worry about looking like a nutbar, cause there was no one watching. Well except Jack, and I'm sure he's seen it all. He did comment on the way in which I looked when attempting the high F in Der Holle Rache, it was something like "it looked as though I was attempting to "give birth" to my high F " :) Poor Jack having to witness that!!

There’s real beauty in being able to digitally manipulate the balance, acoustic and a few vocal issues in a piece. I am just so amazed at how much can be done in the studio. I'm even more amazed at how much Jack can do. I've always been wowed by what a super talented musician Jack is, but really it's insane how at home he is with all those buttons, cables and computers. You've got to know so much about music in order to edit like that. It really requires such attention to detail. It can be a lot of fun too. I'm really excited about the final product. I was concerned about doing any editing because I didn't want to lose the integrity or natural sound of my voice. The edit decisions that we made really just enhanced what was there, (or not there in a few cases :) Now I know why it's so hard to live up to the standards of some of the recordings that are out there, in the studio perfection can be attained, on stage it's impossible to attain perfection, even for a diva :) That's why I've concluded that they are two very different art forms -same talent- completely different executions.

Jack successfully gives birth to a super F:)

The best part of last night was just being able to spend time with Jack. Jack has always been such a blessing to me. He's always encouraging, last night being no exception. And even though he's never studied opera, he gets the struggles of being a musician which is really special just knowing that someone else gets it, especially another Christian. Jack has some great advice to give and I so value his experience and his complete willingness to help in whatever way he can. Jack is a man who truly models humility. With all his talent and musical knowledge he could just turn around and laugh in my face, but he has never made me feel inferior. He's a man who strives for excellence in all that He does and inspires the rest of us to do the same. Jack is such a blessing to me and to so many others. This week in particular as we've planned the recording session, God has used Jack to remind me of Christ's love. Jack's willingness to help me,to serve me and to encourage me with a joyful heart (even with my diva communication issues:) is just so incredible to me. I've been a little down lately, discouraged and just feeling really spiritually worn out. I praise God for the way in which He has revealed His love to me through Jack. This is why we need our brothers and sisters. God used Jack to make it so clear. I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving and praise, for how my Lord uses others to reveal Christ's unending Love for me. I can truly do nothing but praise God for Jack !

What an uplifting recording session. Soli Deo Gloria!

Elisabeth

Today I had a lesson with Elisabeth. It's been far too long since I've had a lesson with Diva Pomes :) She is definitely one of my favorite people. She is a true diva, not the horrid ego driven kind that are catty, demanding and ultimately insecure (the kind I tend to find so amusing :) No, Elisabeth is a real diva. A beautiful, strong, confident, yet humble woman - a woman who knows who she is and won't compromise that for anything or anyone. She's strong yet fully aware of her weaknesses. Not only have I learned a lot about singing from her, but she has been such an example and support system for me. It's funny how singers tend to bond with their teachers. Elisabeth has seen me at my very worst and at my very best. She knows me like noone else. She's seen my determination, my frustration, my vulnerability, my passion, my strengths and my weaknesses.
I feel so blessed to have Elisabeth in my life. She has always pushed me to my max, today being no exception. She's always been so honest about what she hears - we often laugh together at the horrid things I manage to do with my voice. The one thing she's always been is encouraging, even when I squawk and sound like a dying chicken. She has even encouraged me to move on and study with Steven and Darryl (both of whom have been great for different reasons). Elisabeth is different though in that she will always inspire me. We're what Anne of Green Gables would call "kindred spirits". For some reason Elisabeth gets me and all my craziness. After my lesson today, I know that I've got a ton of work to do for my upcoming auditions and performances, but I feel like I can now take on the world one aria at a time. Yaaaay Elisabeth!!