Blog #7

Sledding is probably one of the best winter sports ever! My friend lives close to Lake Bonavista so we always go sledding down that giant hill in the winter after a fresh snowfall. My mom lets us borrow her old toboggan which makes the experience even more exciting because of its efficient shape makes it go really fast and it’s hard to turn which makes the ride unpredictable. Tobogganing is like going down a winter roller coaster as you have to swerve around trees and sometimes you fly off jumps that people have built. One of my favourite things about sledding is racing your friends to see who can get to the bottom first and watching them fall off as they go over bumps. It’s always funny to see your friend’s crash into trees and other racers. Sadly you can't go sledding all year so in the summer my passion is tubing behind my uncle’s boat. I love racing down the lake like a jet plane and going over giant waves that feel similar to a rollercoaster. Before it was illegal was uncle used to have a kite tube which actually flies in the air like a kite when the boat gets going fast enough. My cousins tell me stories of how they used to have competitions with their friends to see who could stay in the air the longest and the injures they got when they fell off. Sadly lots of people died from kite tubing so I never got to try it. Luckily I have been able to participate in tube wars which thankfully for parents everywhere are much safer. Tube wars are when you tie two tubes to the back of the boat and see which team can stay on the longest or knock the other players off their tube. It’s always fun to try and jump on the other teams tube and try and push the other players off yourself. Tubing is an awesome way to get an adrenaline rush and have fun with family and friends.

Blog # 6

I love  little kids they say things that no one ever thinks about and they can just make your day. I love how kids come up with the cutest and funniest things and how they blurt out the first thing that comes to their mind. One of the funniest things I have ever heard from a little kid was at my sisters ballet performance. It was Christmas time and she was playing the Nutcracker so she had to wear a wig. We had brought our good family friends to see it and when my sister came out on stage our friend's youngest son ( probably like 7 at the time ) said " Where did all her hair go !!!". He was horrified and we had to explain to him that she was wearing a wig. To this day we always tease him about what he said that day and I don't don't think anyone will forget that moment for a long time. The cutest kids are probably the ones in my choir because they always make me smile. During the summer me and my friend were helping little kids do some musicianship worksheets at our choir's workshop and this little boy walks up us and says " There should be a day when everyone brings a coat hanger to school and hangs it on random stuff". Me and my friend didn't know what to say and laughed, kids come up with most interesting ideas. My favourite quote about things kids say is about why dogs live shorter lives than people. The parents of a 6 year old asked their son this question after they had to put their sick dog down and he said “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life – like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” and then continued “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.” I thought this was one of the cutest things I have ever heard and I was amazed at how deep this quote was. Usually when kids say things its usually just something cute or silly but this came right from the heart. I never said anything like this when I was kid but my sister always reminds me of funny things I did when I was younger. She told me story about how how when I was little I had to dress up as my favourite fairytale character for preschool. Apparently my mom was looking forward to making me a princess costume but I told her that I wanted to be the big bad wolf. When she asked why I told her that " princesses just wait to be rescued".  I have seen pictures of me in the wolf costume and it sounds like something I would say because I wasn't your typical kid. I have always loved animals all my life and my sister also told me that I wanted to be a polar bear when I was younger and that I would go around the house growling.  This is picture shows my all time favourite story about things little kids do and say I literally laughed for 5 minutes when I read this !!! I hope when I have a kid in the future they will be this awesome: 

Blog # 5

One of my favourites thing about christmas is spending time with my sisters and my friends. I love making houses out of graham crackers , candy and icy and making sugar cookies. Sugar cookies are probably my favourite cookies because they taste like heaven and I think I'm addicted to icing. Christmas baking is the best but there is more to christmas than that. At night I love sitting in front of our fireplace with a big bowl of popcorn and watching classic christmas movies like how the grinch stole christmas and rudolph the red nose reindeer. These movies remind me of my childhood and when I used to believe in Santa Clause and when I used to wonder how reindeer flied. But one of my most memorable parts of christmas is my choir concert. It always starts the same way, we walk down the aisles of the dark church and we sing a song that the everyone in the audience knows called " O beautiful yuletide" and I can always see the alumni in the audience singing along. This concert is special to everyone because it remind the older kids of their choir days and the current ones of the true meaning of christmas. During the christmas season our choir also has a christmas party for the highschool kids and the alumni which everyone loves after seeing them at the concert. We all sit around the piano and sing songs the everyone loves and that we miss singing together. Its a chance to see those rolemodels that taught you the ropes and what it means to be a leader. I love this party because most of those kids are in university so you don't get to see them very often. There are so many things I love about christmas I don't think I could choose just one thing.  Merry Christmas !!!

Blog # 4

Sometimes I am the stereotypical  blonde and I have had many experiences in my life where me and my friends have laughed so hard we stopped making sound.  For example one time I went with my friends family and another family to the Kannanaskis resort. We were going to the restaurant for dinner and the teens all sat at one table.  They were joking around and one of my friends was reading blonde jokes on her phone saying how clumsy I was.  I was trying to defend myself when I spilt everyone’s water and we all burst out laughing.  A nearby waiter had saw what happened and he was laughing too as he cleaned up the mess. Another time me and my friend were sitting in math class and one of my guy friends had asked to borrow my math sheet so I said yes and left to go get something from my locker. When I came back I couldn't remember where I but my math sheet and i was freaking  out when my guy friend pointed out that I lended it to him. The tacher had been out of the room and when she came back she saw me and my friend dying on the flour laughing and she gave as a confused face. When ever I do something stupid now my friend says " Family channel have a blonde moment."  People never seem to forget the silly things I do and they never let me live them down.

Blog # 3

This picture really caught my eye when I saw it, I thought it was beautiful and unique. I love the clouds and the shadows the sun creates. The contrast between light and dark is perfect, and the sense of life this picture has. Each balloon has a story to tell, I bet some of these balloons have been all over the world and the people in them have seen amazing things. All the hot air balloons in the sky reminds me of the lantern festival in the movie Tangled. The various colours of the hot air balloons are stunning, no two are the same and I love how you can see the fire burning in the big red ballon on the right, it really adds to the picture and makes that balloon stand out. Someday I hope to go on a hot air balloon ride in an exotic place especially at sunrise or sunset. You could experience the world in a different way and see sights you don't usually see. Think of all the cool pictures you could take ( like this one) and I think it would be really peaceful just to fly around in one for an hour. I wonder how skilled you have to be to operate a hot air balloon and what famous people have been in one?

Here is a poem I found about hot air balloons that I thought was cute:

Hot Air Balloons

As a child we often dream of flying
In the air so welcome and free
Just like a bird we will become
Floating like a cloud above the trees

And that is what the folks must experience
As they are up in a hot air balloon
I can just imagine the peacefulness
As carefree as the smiling moon

Colorful and joyful balloons look up there
Their passengers in a box below
Oh, I think they are a different breed
It’s a place I would so love to go

Have you ever been in a hot air balloon?
I know there are many amazing stories
I hope someday I too can be amongst
Those that feel that hot air balloon glory! 

Marilyn Lott

Blog #2

Finding money you didn't know you had is one of the best feelings in the world. It's like an unexpected gift that just makes your day. I have had many experiences in my life where I found money out of nowhere. For example I always find money when I'm cleaning my room, usually its hidden in my bookshelf or in my dresser draws. One time I found 100 bucks while cleaning my room which was obviously awesome because I was going to the mall with friends that day. Like most people I also always find money I forgot about in my winter coat. In junior high I was running to catch the bus one day so I grabbed the first jacket I could find, my friend was coming over to my house that after noon so as we were walking home I put my hands in my pockets and found 20 bucks. I was super excited becuase it was hot that afternoon and my friend and I could buy slurpees.Another time my sister and I were at Dairy Queen and she asked me to hold on to her change for her because she had no pockets,I forgot about it and years later I found it when she asked to borrow money from me. I thought was funny because she was actually using her own money. I also frequently find money in purses I haven't used in a while, I found 5 gift cards and some coupons once when I was cleaning out my purses.  Finding money is awesome especially if you didn't know it was there. These little surprises can make your day and put a smile on your face.

Blog #1

My name is Shae Solinger and the main thing you need to know about me is that I love to sing and that choir is my life. I sing in the Cantare Childrens Choir which is one of the best choirs in Calgary. We get invited to many places each year like events for the mayor and organizations like Child Find. Being in this choir has also provided me with many amazing opportunities. Our choir has gotten many chances to sing with the CPO, for example I have sung the Lord of the Rings Symphony once, St Matthews Passion once, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony 4 times . This year we get to premiere a piece called the Afghanistan Requiem which is about the war in Afghanistan. This piece has been specially written for our choir and I'm very excited to sing it. But probably the most exciting experience I have had while being in the choir is singing for Queen Elizabeth II at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, that was truely a once in a life time opportunity. I am also known as an animal lover. I have always liked animals and someday I hope to work with panda's or other exotic animals. I loved swimming with seas turtles in the Caribbean and someday I hope to swim with dolphins. One of my favourite memories is going to Harry Potter World and Disney World in Florida, the rides were awesome and the Harry Potter ride was probably the best ride there.  Choir is pretty much my life and when I have the time I get to do other amazing things too.