ABOVE: I found this shot of the swans in flight online which I thought would be the perfect opening shot since I was about to physically take flight, and I was leaving home base of AC campus. :-) Not sure who the photo credits go to, but it is a great shot.
Here is my annual FoT journal for the family and friends who would like to view it.
It all begin Thursday morning bright and early on the AC campus. We are blessed at HQ to have the option of AC shuttle rides to and from the college to the airport. Thanks to Andy I. for driving Sarah B., Alexis C., and myself bright and early that day. It was a fun ride with the students to the airport.
ABOVE: Kayla wanted to take the pic above. This is definitely not a glamour shot; more like a "deglamouring" shot ....hair all pulled back in a 6th grade bun. :-) So we, by chance, were on the same plane from OKC to MSP and spent some lovely time together on our layover there. We both agreed that the flight attendant on our flight was the loveliest one we've ever had and we've both been blessed to travel around to different countries. It was fun to have some sister time together. Kayla is one of the loveliest gals I know. I remember loving her character from the time she first arrived at AC back when she was a Freshman. I remember telling her how mature and sweet she was. Now she is a graduate, and so genuinely sweet and a friend to just everyone. We both were going to attend the FoT in Invermere, but we had separate pre-feast trips planned at different spots in Canada so we said temporary goodbyes at MSP
Long story short....bad weather delayed my flight into YYC, so I ended up not getting to Canada until 1:30AM, and didn't actually get completely out of the airport and on the road until 2:30AM, and decided it wasn't worth getting a hotel room since I had already lost half of a day of touring in being stuck on a plane, so I made the decision to just drive the long drive to Banff then and there to stay with my schedule..arrived at Banff just after 5:00AM and stayed most of the morning..and then around noon drove the fair bit of a drive to Lake Louise, and then drove the super long drive from Alberta to British Columbia where Invermere site was....so I went 24 hours without sleep, but it was definitely the right thing to do, because I got everything in that I had planned...no sleep just had to be a plan B.
BELOW: Picking up vehicle rental at YYC.
ABOVE: Finally made it to pick up my car rental at around 2:00am. I was thankful to God they stayed open and waited on our super late flight. I was praying about that. As a single woman, it's not always safe getting into a taxi alone at night in the wee early hours of the morning, God worked it out. I was truly grateful to Him for that. Oh, above is my feast car rental. Happy to have a SUV to drive in Canada. Came in handy on my pre-feast trip up in the mountains where it was snowy and the roads were winding. Getting this vehicle was another blessing...free upgrade that I didn't ask for, but was just given by the agent that I considered to be a feast gift from God.....easiest and best vehicle rental experience ever.
BELOW: I don't understand why it's a Canadian thing to call the bathroom a washroom as shown below; (I remember when the wonderful Paulette and I were roomies, she would always say that, I was like huh)...and for that matter, why do American's call it a bathroom and restroom. Guess it sounds better than alternatives though. :-) Fun, yet pointless life trivia. :-)
Made it to Banff at about 5:14am to he exact I was so tired and had been praying for God to keep me awake as I decided since I left with my car rental and actually hit the road around 2:30AM, that it would be a waste of time and money to get a hotel, so I decided to drive the fair distance to Banff, and with God's help, I made it fine. Turns out it totally was the right move to make since my flight had knocked a half day of adventure from my trip, I had to compact everything into one day, and since I drove it overnight, I got to see everything. I was a bit tired, but my adrenaline and realizing where I was at kept me awake. Though that evening, I begin to have cold symptoms as well are a scratchy throat. Probably a combo of going for 24 hours with no sleep and being up in the mountains with cold snow and ice, as I had to hike a bit in the weather to see what I desired to see.
It was so foggy in Banff that I was disappointed as I couldn't see the tops of the mountains, so my pictures aren't anything special other than the fact that God opened the door for me to experience His beauty here in person, and I will say Canada is one of the most beautiful places I've seen, even when it is foggy and cloudy. Yeah for Canada!
Once I was satisfied with seeing Banff, I headed to Lake Louse which was a little bit of a drive out of the way from Banff, but I wanted to see it. It was also cloudy there, but still pretty. Still sad I couldn't see the tops of the mountains though.
I have noticed in Canada that French is the prominent second language to English as you can see on the sign in the below pic. This is so unusual to me because growing up in Texas, you had to take at least 2 or 3 years Spanish to even get a high school diploma, so I'm use to Spanish as a predominant second language even in Oklahoma. I feel like I am learning a wee bit of French on this trip by reading signs, and listening to town locals chat. Now because of the below picture, anyone reading this knows Lake in French is Lac! :-) It is just strange to me hearing people speak French. I guess the people from here would feel the same about Spanish. Oh, well, one day everyone will speak one pure language.
I have noticed in Canada that French is the prominent second language to English as you can see on the sign in the below pic. This is so unusual to me because growing up in Texas, you had to take at least 2 or 3 years Spanish to even get a high school diploma, so I'm use to Spanish as a predominant second language even in Oklahoma. I feel like I am learning a wee bit of French on this trip by reading signs, and listening to town locals chat. Now because of the below picture, anyone reading this knows Lake in French is Lac! :-) It is just strange to me hearing people speak French. I guess the people from here would feel the same about Spanish. Oh, well, one day everyone will speak one pure language.
All bundled up! Brrrr...it was snowing and freezing there at the lake. You had to walk carefully as the ground had a layer of ice on it.
Taking many pics at Lake Louise hoping that one would be less foggy, but oh well, there is still beauty in it with the fog. Looks fascinating though. Anyway, here is what I am able to share....fog and all. I think some others went to Lake Louise later, and tweeted their pictures and you can see the difference when it is not foggy too.
BELOW: Now it was time to head to Invermere, the feast site. Time to leave the province of Alberta and head to the province of British Columbia. Wow the drive was a whole lot longer than I expected, (It seemed so long that I pulled over at a view point and asked a super nice family if I was headed in the right direction, and they told me indeed I was, and that I was only about 10 minutes away from the road split leading to Invermere....funny that I got paranoid just a few minutes from arriving...but it gave me a great sense of peace knowing I was headed in the right direction......Canada doesn't have a ton of road signs along the way like the US
does..at least not the part of BC that I traveled through. I kept
looking for road signs to let me know what road I was on, and I never
saw any. Maybe I was just blind though.)...it was one of the most beautiful drives I've ever had and seen though. Was totally worth it.
FINALLY pulling up to feast hotel. Just gorgeous!
My suite is definitely fit for royalty. As an adult on my own, this is my second favorite FoT accommodation ever; only second to the swanky hospitality suite I was blessed to experience at the Indian Wells, CA feast site, on my blog, a few years ago. This resort in Invermere Canada is like a cottage. I will have to entertain to share and give back this blessing. Here are a few pictures of my suite that I took when I first arrived.
BELOW: living room
sofa, coffee table/bench, TV and fireplace in living room.
Happy with these accommodations! This picture was actually taken later on in the feast, but it fits right here in the blog best I think and breaks up the furniture pictures. :-)
dining table..guess I could have pulled chairs out for better picture, but oh well you can see them under the table.
full kitchen...even has a dishwasher...pots and pans, baking pans, large mixing bowls, plates, bowls, cutlery, cups, stove, frig, microwave, exhaust fan, ETC!!
bar and wine rack
master bedroom...nice comfy bed
master bedroom fireplace and TV
master bedroom doors leading to a patio with a full sized BBQ grill and patio furniture.
my gorgeous view from patio!
master bathroom
wow, even has a totally separate guest bathroom.
and a full laundry room all to myself inside the suite! Wow!
BELOW: Moving on....survived D-Day ,or should I say P-for piano day with the long 4 hour long choir practice. Shane G. was a kind and great director I don't think I'm the best at rehearsal type settings, as my training throughout life has been more on the concert side of things, but with God's help we survived and the choir sounded fab though my back hurt for a few hours from sitting upright at the piano. We performed at the opening night service. Sunday was a busy and nerve racking day for me There really was only a 30 minute window to eat all day for me to eat, and I chose to forgo eating as I can get an upset tummy easily when nervous. I also forgot my glasses at home, so I was half blind when trying to read the sheet music. Not a good thing at all, but did well w/Gods help and the performance on Opening Night went better than the rehearsal even and sounded great I thought. Whew! We had a Steinway!! Thanks CRO(Canadian Regional Office). I am definitely not worthy of it, but it was great for the congregation! :-)!!!
BELOW: An example of how everything here is English and French...one side of the cereal and almond milk is English and the other side is French I cannot get over this! :-) I know I'm a nerd!
BELOW: Aiden M has been great with the hymns Young talent!
Lovely Friends!
A few of my favorite married and dating couples..... So sweet, both of them!
BELOW: The wonderful newlyweds, Eric and Danielle F. They are both so nice, and I think they set such a wonderful example. It really has been a blessing to work and live at HQ......many friends have been made with students who are now graduates.....Danielle is one of them. I still remember her YA debut duet in the official feast video years ago when she and Ashley B. sang a duet with horses in the background. This lady has a lovely voice still today! She and her new husband did special music. He is a great guitarist.
This pic is to redeem Kayla and I from the airport pic that was shown at the beginning of this post and now you know K made it safely to the site as well; though b/c I had piano on this day, I had my hair pulled back in a ponytail to keep it out of my face while playing. but that is one step better than the airport bun.
BELOW: So happy that the Cooks from the land down under are here! Met Kirsten when I visited South Africa and she was visiting at the same FoT and we were tent mates on safari after the FoT, then reconnected with Kirsten when I visited Australia on her home turf, and she was so kind to me and totally looked out for me and showed me around Australia on a personal tour. Happy to see her married to a fabulous man now, and getting to spend a little time with them...who would have ever thought you could meet someone in South Africa, reconnect with them in Australia, and then reconnect with them in Canada! The abundant life for sure! Without God in life, I know I would be nowhere on my own. I am still no where.....everything good is definitely from God. Aside from that I have nothing on my own. I am very thankful.
The fabulous festival choir
BELOW: Long story short; while playing King All Glorious live during services on the first HD, in the middle of the song a draft or something blew my sheet music off the piano and this page flew away and it is the last page of the song. It was shocking, so I stopped playing for a few seconds to re-group in panic, until I heard the choir slowly trailing off key, and then I pulled it together, jumped back in where the choir was, and continued to play the rest of the song from memory It was rough in some spots, but with God's help we made it to the end, and everyone said it wasn't really that bad. To me it was a night mare, but it is done! I learned my lesson, secure that music!!
BELOW: Photos from the singles mixer.......I really liked how the mixer was just natural and relaxed and not formal......just new and old friends spending innocent time together....it was a serving each other atmosphere.....it was a great evening to make new friends and reconnect with old friends. Thanks to the really wonderful Jordan E. for being responsible for this activity. He had one rose for each single lady. Tulips and roses are the only two flowers that I am not allergic; so I was happy, and what a nice touch!
Kayla received THREE roses from a certain gentlemen. :-)!
BELOW: Zachary B. in a classic gentlemen s pose.
Adding some feminine classiness to the picture with the super lovely Arianne O. Another one of my favorite AC graduate dating couples. These two are wonderful and super service oriented. I really like that about them.
So happy Abigail is here We were at the same site last year in KY. Got to know this sweet and kind gal when she was an AC student. I had a get together with some of the students at my house back when she was a student, and we played a game where one person had to tell what their favorite character trait was about a person, and then everyone else had to guess who the person was according to the trait stated. I never forgot that her trait was said to be Proverbs 31ish by one of her classmates, and everyone there guessed it was her.
Thanks to Mr. Ozipko for letting me take a picture of his dessert. Swanky!
Mr. Oostendarp speaks. He is our wonderful F.E.and another great fruit of A.C.
The crowd.
My dessert.....I assumed the flower was an edible one...I am still alive after eating it, so I am thinking it must have been.
Family day was super relaxing at this Canadian site. I really liked it.
BELOW: The Chef came out to check on the buffet and agreed for me to take a picture of him with the fruits of his labor He did a great job for us. This resort has some great and professional staff.
New and old friends! This site is super "friendly". See what I did there :-)
Little princesses
BELOW: Newlyweds Dan and Laura W. Sweet couple and more AC fruit! :-)
BELOW: The lovely Paul/Shannon Kessler familia......oh wait....I cannot use Spanish in Canada...I need to learn how to say family in French! :-)
Buddies....Liam and Brendan
That's Ryan below getting photo bombed by his big bro Liam. Boys are fun!!...his mom Dawn is in the picture as well. I think she was or may have been in the first 4 year AC grad class. I can't remember! Uh, oh I am getting old! She has always been so sweet! Time flies!
BELOW: The super nice James/Reagan Ellis family with Zach and Arianne.
BELOW: An Australia family reunion! Part of the Rumler and Hudson family. Mr. Hudson is our assistant F.E. Brad and Mrs. Hudson are brother/sister! Of course Brad and his family reside at HQ now, but the Hudson's are still in Australia I think this family reunion is so sweet This is a great and caring family. Another family as a whole that treated me like royalty when I visited Australia.
ABOVE: Mr. Oostendarp and his eldest daughter who bit a perfect chunk out of her dad's watermelon that was totally a commercial worthy photography shot.
BELOW: Ms Arthur and I. Thanks to Danielle F. for taking this picture.
Canada is known for bears.....there is one right in the resort by the gift shop.....oh wait....it's dead and stuffed. :-) This is the closest encounter that I dare to have with a bear while I am here.
Pictures of the outside of the resort.
BELOW: Moving on to family day......fabulous food and fellowship.
BELOW: The Chef came out to check on the buffet and agreed for me to take a picture of him with the fruits of his labor He did a great job for us. This resort has some great and professional staff.
That's Ryan below getting photo bombed by his big bro Liam. Boys are fun!!...his mom Dawn is in the picture as well. I think she was or may have been in the first 4 year AC grad class. I can't remember! Uh, oh I am getting old! She has always been so sweet! Time flies!
BELOW: Ms Arthur and I. Thanks to Danielle F. for taking this picture.
Thanks to Eric and Danielle F. for getting a mountain hike going. This something I definitely had wanted to do, but would never do by myself with bears lurking around in Canada. It was a lot of fun!
Okay, so Abby's summit sign came out better than mine, so I snagged this one from her.
A few pictures of how this particular part of the Canadian Rockies looks like from the summit.
A visit to the business office for business and to see Matt and Tabitha B. Great to see them! More AC alumni friends serving here at the FoT. These two are so friendly.
More friends at services. Mr M....can't spell his whole name. I apparently need to work on my East Indian names,..Joel P...another old AC friend....this year I am really seeing the fruits of AC more than ever at this site it seems....and Ms. ?.... Shame on me!
Reagan E. with her 2 month old...
Jordan E. played the hymns today He always does an excellent job! I think he is a real life genius, and out of all colleges he could had chosen he chose AC.
With prayer and God's help, I didn't have any sheet music incidents in playing the song Creation will be at Peace for the festival choir today It went really well, the creation stayed in piece on the piano....see what I did there....., :-) and the choir did great!
I opted out of playing Rivers of Living Waters on the LGD though. There are tons of key changes in the song, and it is just super difficult to play with live singers though I have to admit, after I opted out of playing it, I felt bad because it was just my nerves as I could have played it fine when we had a technical glitch with the sound track they used in place, but it was done. Whenever I get nervous with the piano, I go blank and have trouble even reading the music under pressure...something for me to overcome.
Thanks also to Brad R for going and getting take out for his family and myself. Many of us didn't have time to eat in between after services and the activity, Brad was a hero! :-)
Above some kind of authentic Canadian food that Brad said was called poutine. We have it here in the States, but apparently, it is authentic to Canada, and he said it tasted different in it's authentic state, and we learned that we jazz it up in the States to where it is something different.
I opted out of playing Rivers of Living Waters on the LGD though. There are tons of key changes in the song, and it is just super difficult to play with live singers though I have to admit, after I opted out of playing it, I felt bad because it was just my nerves as I could have played it fine when we had a technical glitch with the sound track they used in place, but it was done. Whenever I get nervous with the piano, I go blank and have trouble even reading the music under pressure...something for me to overcome.
BELOW: Our wonderful and gifted choir director and music dept head; Shane G. with his lovely mother Ms. Arthur.
BELOW: The singles and teens had a combined activity which turned more into a family friendly activity. I wasn't feeling the best, so I didn't go zip lining, but I went to watch and support and cheer those on that went. They did great. The McCarty's, the Rumler's, and Mr. A Hudson were there which I really liked. I loved mixing the singles with families. It makes it feel more like family. I have to admit, I didn't go ziplining....I wasn't feeling the best that day healthwise, but it was fun cheering on those that did the course. It truly seemed like an extended family activity, and was super enjoyable.
That is Christy M. on the video zip lining.
BELOW: I snagged this pic from Ms. Elesia Weppler. She tweeted it. She is such a fun lady! This was one of the best pictures from the event! Glad she got this. I missed this shot and she is such a lovely lady too! It was a joy to spend time with her.
BELOW: Finally, some free time for a gals afternoon. Abby and I ate a quick lunch in the hotel restaurant. The food there is amazing, friendly service, big portions, and a 15% discount......pretty great! Having nice food to eat is something that we can take for granted in blessed nations. When you have traveled around the world I think you realize this even more.
BELOW: Royal Formal Dinner Dance!!! Thanks to Mr J. Macdonald and Mr T. Oostendarp for this, and thanks to James Ellis for pulling this together along with everyone on his team who helped. It was definitely a royal evening. It was mentioned that it was to be at least AC Grad Ball standard, and I think it definitely was...there were enough AC Alumni there to help too. The evening started off with an elegant meal catered by the resort restaurant, and then there was a short entertainment night evening portion, and then the dance begin. I noticed that most of the single men asked the single ladies to be their dates and escorted them to the dance too I noticed, so most of the singles had dates and were just about all included. The children were all included as well as the teens. I think everyone had fun, and it truly was a royal family evening. It was great to get around and fellowship with everyone in such a royal atmosphere, so I enjoyed it. Apparently, even the resort wait staff told those over it how impressed they were by our standard in everything from how people conducted themselves, and how we knew proper etiquette with the meal as well. A great evening to be remembered by all who attended I'm sure.
BELOW: Pictures from this regal event.
Finally got a picture of the Benedetti's!
Aiden M. plays piano.
Let the dance begin...
The children had their first choir practice today. It has been so busy that today was the first day that I could really have it, and I was as trying to be considerate of the parents schedules too. It is working well as they will perform tomorrow, so it will be fresh on their brains. Funniest moment from practice today was when one of the gals pointed out that I had ripped my dress at the bottom. I blew it off, but really was thinking, what, how did I do that, and then I wanted to laugh as children are so honest. LOL :-) Anyway, the children are super respectful and seem to be excited to be singing for the most part. I am looking forward to their performance tomorrow. Thanks to Aiden M. for playing piano for them as well He is a new and upcoming HQ great pianist!
BELOW: A picture of the children at their first practice.
BELOW: Moving on to the day of their performance...They did fantastic...sounded even better than the rehearsal....and thanks to Aiden M. for his fantastic piano playing skills who accompanied them. I think Mr Malone teaches him and I have to say, he is doing an excellent job! Going back to the choir though, they sung their little hearts out, and with bright smiles too singing praises to God. Their performance was definitely royal quality in their singing and how they behaved on stage. That credit has to go back to their "apparently", no pun intended, :-)...great parents.
BELOW: I have seen so many pictures of Whitney and Olivia, and I finally got to take one in person myself.
BELOW: Pics from this fun.
Enjoying the fireplace in my suite on the evening to the start of the LGD after a fun little dinner in my suite.
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LGD shots
It truly was a great FoT in Western Canada! God's creation is just beautiful there. Words cannot describe it. I always thought that the Sound of Music musical opening in Austria was so majestically beautiful, and I would put Western Canada in the running with that beauty. It is breathtaking! In fact, it is one of the most beautiful places that I've ever seen and I've been blessed to travel all over the world, so it is just gorgeous; and the people there were fantastic and super friendly which is even better! I am thankful that God gave me the opportunity to visit Canada and to meet some of the lovely people up there. I hope I was able to give them what I could there, because the people there sure gave to me, and God looked out for me every step of the way. It was also great seeing my parents again after getting home, and now just a few days before I see my brother, sister in law, and my favorite niece because she is my only niece, Sophia, again when they return from their post feast trip. Family!,... and it was truly great to have the opportunity to spend time with the Canadians! Thank you to all who made my time in Canada a time that I will not ever forget!
