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I'm baaaaaaack! +d Get ready for a lengthy post...


I don't know where to begin …
"like a mouse approaching a tall piece of cheddar, better start from the top."

Remember when I mentioned I initially bought two tickets to the Farewell Elton show and they were really great seats, but then a friend mentioned the VIP experience so I bought two. I had four tickets two in section 110 at Scotiabank Arena in the blue section only 7 rows up. Perfect few of Elton at the piano and he continuously turned to acknowledge those fans before the rest of us. Those seats went to my dad's neighbour and her friend who I've known for years. They were overjoyed with their seats and the thrill of it all; it was on one of their bucket lists. I only charged them the price of 1 ticket and gifted the second just to get them there.

From the beginning I knew who was going to share in the V.I.P. experience with me; my friend and co-worker who is always willing to dress up like me to make things more fun. I was driving so I told her she was the DJ. She went through my case of 20 CDs pre-chosen for the road trip. She is only turning 50 this July so her music of choice is more 80's than mine. I'm drawn to 60's & 70's with a touch of this and that on the side. We never got to hear any Christmas tunes, but the music we played provided back up vocals by two unknowns in the music world. Sherry and myself.

Elton John's Diamonds CD disc 1 started us off
Lady Gaga - that was for my husband who was a big fan
Bohemian Rhapsody
Took a break the Easy Listening compilation wasn't quite doing it and tune into 70's on 7 with Sirius - and hey there was Tiny Dancer playing.
The road trip home was similar, but contained … the Rocketman Soundtrack, David Bowie, Billy Joel and then the BLEND and 60's.

Got to the hotel, changed quickly into our outfits to honour Elton; grabbed an Uber and headed down to the arena. I was starting to freak out a bit because it was a 12 minute drive and we were nearing the deadline for checking in because the vehicles were only moving 4 cars at a time through the traffic lights. I suggested we get out and walk, but the driver kept saying, "You'll get there in time, it's only 5 minutes away, it's only 3 minutes away, it's one block away; there you are on the right." GEESH - the pressure. We made it.

Headed to the secret Premier entrance. Gave my name and ID and the PR assistants were delighted by our outfits.
Sherry was dressed in black and white with gloves, a great hat and diamonds all around the outside frame of her sunglasses.
I had gold pants and yellow-gold furry leggings with a navy top until I bought my Farewell Yellow Brick Road top to wear under my blue and silver BLING BLAZER and I had a white felt fedora style hat and blue sunglasses - including the lenses)and a sparkly E pin.

We got inside for the champagne and prelude to the back stage tour with Lindsay our tour guide. We studied the people around us a bit as we're both people watchers (in a good way, not a judgment way). There were only 7 of us dressed up, the rest were wearing semi-casual clothes and the odd Elton shirt from concerts past.

Having our photos taken at his piano (real bench, real piano) was one of the highlights. I ratted my friend out to our host and said, "My friend will have a hard time not touching the keys because she's a pianist." He posed her in such a fashion that she couldn't possibly touch the keys by accident. He gave posing suggestions to everyone except me. HAHA - I didn't need any coaching. I knew I wanted to look like I was tossing a lyric into the mic; my heart was pounding like a drum. Sherry managed to get through her photo without any wrongdoing. We watched and encouraged others. Met a big fan from Barrie who was attending his 5th Elton concert; he had on a great red and white tux with piano keys all over it. Very cool. A couple was very sparkly, but they didn't have hats or sunglasses.

As we listened to the sound and visual technician telling us all the ins and outs of things, we kept reacting to different things that excited us. The back drop surrounding the stage was dedicated to different periods of Elton's time. I turned to the couple beside me and apologized if we were being too loud for them to hear. The lady turned to me and said, "I was at the last concert, this isn't new to me. Keep at it; I'm having fun watching your reactions as first time concert goers." Nobody could believe it was our first Elton John concert and that we pulled off these awesome outfits to pay tribute to him.

Fast forward to our floor seats when I spotted my two friends in the stands where we would have been sitting if I had not bought the additional tickets. Sherry said she would have been fine with those seats, but now that we were part of the VIP experience she was glad to be closer. The VIPs were supposed to sit along the stage and sing and groove along to the music, but when SAD SONG started, more than the 28 of us advanced to the floor in front of the stage so we could only perform with him from the floor - still closer than others.

Then came the magic moment. Raise your hand if you remember me saying I wanted him to feel my vibes of appreciation! Well, when we were rocking out to Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting; Elton was walking and singing and pointing to fans in the crowd. He spotted Sherry and I; he pointed in our direction, Sherry was throwing one hand in the air and snapping a photo with the other. I tipped my hat and did a heart punch. He felt the THANK YOU we were going for with our outfits.

The concert was fantastic - nothing was disappointing. The fans made him tear up at one point (before or after) Your Song and then when he was singing Good Bye Yellow Brick Road, I could hardly sing along; I kept getting the words out and then a lump would get stuck and I couldn't sing and then, I'd join in again. It was all so bittersweet; totally amazing and yet sad that he's hanging up his tour schedule calendar, but so awesome that he's entertain folks for so long and his music (among others) have helped me coast through all the trying time in my life - the struggles, the losses and the triumphs.



We could hardly sleep, but we did. Didn't get up until 7:30; went to bed shortly after 1:00.

We went to the Senator Diner for brunch before heading out of Toronto. I knew that Elton sometimes frequented that establishment when he was in the city. Well, we missed him; he and the family were there on Monday and we were there on Thursday. Turns out that the waiter is good friends with David (Elton's Canadian husband).

We had a great chat, I told him about losing my husband in the spring an how music helped me navigate those delicate waters and that Elton's music in particular has kept me standing and strong. I used to call myself Super Auntie - now I'm Auntie Hercules Mistletoe Dear Merry One (but I won't change my user name).

I asked our waiter to thank David for sharing Elton with his fans for as long as he has and to enjoy their life together as a family. They have earned it.

After dropping Sherry off, I Swung by my favourite lunch spot BETWEEN THE BUN and was pleased there were no customers. This is one of the spots that catered the food for my husband's celebration of life. I have a spirited friendship with the owner. I walked in and turned around displaying my Yellow brick road zippered sweat shirt and of course was wearing the t-shirt as well. I told her about the concert and then as I was telling her about my message for David, I started to well up a bit and that got her all teary eyed. Soup was on the house.



Shortly, I'll be heading up to the Sub Place to chat with a fan and presenting him with a huge poster (I received two) of the Farewell concert on lithograph. He has done so much for mental health awareness in our community (because his dad committed suicide and nobody knew he was depressed) so I wanted to reward him with something special. He talked me into joining the committee to Defeat Depression; I've lost 5 people to suicide so I didn't hesitate to join.

I wonder if there's a word count on MMC forum pages - we'll find out when I hit "post reply".

Thanks for Listening/Reading -mistletoe-


 
I'm baaaaaaack! +d Get ready for a lengthy post...


I don't know where to begin …
"like a mouse approaching a tall piece of cheddar, better start from the top."

Remember when I mentioned I initially bought two tickets to the Farewell Elton show and they were really great seats, but then a friend mentioned the VIP experience so I bought two. I had four tickets two in section 110 at Scotiabank Arena in the blue section only 7 rows up. Perfect few of Elton at the piano and he continuously turned to acknowledge those fans before the rest of us. Those seats went to my dad's neighbour and her friend who I've known for years. They were overjoyed with their seats and the thrill of it all; it was on one of their bucket lists. I only charged them the price of 1 ticket and gifted the second just to get them there.

From the beginning I knew who was going to share in the V.I.P. experience with me; my friend and co-worker who is always willing to dress up like me to make things more fun. I was driving so I told her she was the DJ. She went through my case of 20 CDs pre-chosen for the road trip. She is only turning 50 this July so her music of choice is more 80's than mine. I'm drawn to 60's & 70's with a touch of this and that on the side. We never got to hear any Christmas tunes, but the music we played provided back up vocals by two unknowns in the music world. Sherry and myself.

Elton John's Diamonds CD disc 1 started us off
Lady Gaga - that was for my husband who was a big fan
Bohemian Rhapsody
Took a break the Easy Listening compilation wasn't quite doing it and tune into 70's on 7 with Sirius - and hey there was Tiny Dancer playing.
The road trip home was similar, but contained … the Rocketman Soundtrack, David Bowie, Billy Joel and then the BLEND and 60's.

Got to the hotel, changed quickly into our outfits to honour Elton; grabbed an Uber and headed down to the arena. I was starting to freak out a bit because it was a 12 minute drive and we were nearing the deadline for checking in because the vehicles were only moving 4 cars at a time through the traffic lights. I suggested we get out and walk, but the driver kept saying, "You'll get there in time, it's only 5 minutes away, it's only 3 minutes away, it's one block away; there you are on the right." GEESH - the pressure. We made it.

Headed to the secret Premier entrance. Gave my name and ID and the PR assistants were delighted by our outfits.
Sherry was dressed in black and white with gloves, a great hat and diamonds all around the outside frame of her sunglasses.
I had gold pants and yellow-gold furry leggings with a navy top until I bought my Farewell Yellow Brick Road top to wear under my blue and silver BLING BLAZER and I had a white felt fedora style hat and blue sunglasses - including the lenses)and a sparkly E pin.

We got inside for the champagne and prelude to the back stage tour with Lindsay our tour guide. We studied the people around us a bit as we're both people watchers (in a good way, not a judgment way). There were only 7 of us dressed up, the rest were wearing semi-casual clothes and the odd Elton shirt from concerts past.

Having our photos taken at his piano (real bench, real piano) was one of the highlights. I ratted my friend out to our host and said, "My friend will have a hard time not touching the keys because she's a pianist." He posed her in such a fashion that she couldn't possibly touch the keys by accident. He gave posing suggestions to everyone except me. HAHA - I didn't need any coaching. I knew I wanted to look like I was tossing a lyric into the mic; my heart was pounding like a drum. Sherry managed to get through her photo without any wrongdoing. We watched and encouraged others. Met a big fan from Barrie who was attending his 5th Elton concert; he had on a great red and white tux with piano keys all over it. Very cool. A couple was very sparkly, but they didn't have hats or sunglasses.

As we listened to the sound and visual technician telling us all the ins and outs of things, we kept reacting to different things that excited us. The back drop surrounding the stage was dedicated to different periods of Elton's time. I turned to the couple beside me and apologized if we were being too loud for them to hear. The lady turned to me and said, "I was at the last concert, this isn't new to me. Keep at it; I'm having fun watching your reactions as first time concert goers." Nobody could believe it was our first Elton John concert and that we pulled off these awesome outfits to pay tribute to him.

Fast forward to our floor seats when I spotted my two friends in the stands where we would have been sitting if I had not bought the additional tickets. Sherry said she would have been fine with those seats, but now that we were part of the VIP experience she was glad to be closer. The VIPs were supposed to sit along the stage and sing and groove along to the music, but when SAD SONG started, more than the 28 of us advanced to the floor in front of the stage so we could only perform with him from the floor - still closer than others.

Then came the magic moment. Raise your hand if you remember me saying I wanted him to feel my vibes of appreciation! Well, when we were rocking out to Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting; Elton was walking and singing and pointing to fans in the crowd. He spotted Sherry and I; he pointed in our direction, Sherry was throwing one hand in the air and snapping a photo with the other. I tipped my hat and did a heart punch. He felt the THANK YOU we were going for with our outfits.

The concert was fantastic - nothing was disappointing. The fans made him tear up at one point (before or after) Your Song and then when he was singing Good Bye Yellow Brick Road, I could hardly sing along; I kept getting the words out and then a lump would get stuck and I couldn't sing and then, I'd join in again. It was all so bittersweet; totally amazing and yet sad that he's hanging up his tour schedule calendar, but so awesome that he's entertain folks for so long and his music (among others) have helped me coast through all the trying time in my life - the struggles, the losses and the triumphs.



We could hardly sleep, but we did. Didn't get up until 7:30; went to bed shortly after 1:00.

We went to the Senator Diner for brunch before heading out of Toronto. I knew that Elton sometimes frequented that establishment when he was in the city. Well, we missed him; he and the family were there on Monday and we were there on Thursday. Turns out that the waiter is good friends with David (Elton's Canadian husband).

We had a great chat, I told him about losing my husband in the spring an how music helped me navigate those delicate waters and that Elton's music in particular has kept me standing and strong. I used to call myself Super Auntie - now I'm Auntie Hercules Mistletoe Dear Merry One (but I won't change my user name).

I asked our waiter to thank David for sharing Elton with his fans for as long as he has and to enjoy their life together as a family. They have earned it.

After dropping Sherry off, I Swung by my favourite lunch spot BETWEEN THE BUN and was pleased there were no customers. This is one of the spots that catered the food for my husband's celebration of life. I have a spirited friendship with the owner. I walked in and turned around displaying my Yellow brick road zippered sweat shirt and of course was wearing the t-shirt as well. I told her about the concert and then as I was telling her about my message for David, I started to well up a bit and that got her all teary eyed. Soup was on the house.



Shortly, I'll be heading up to the Sub Place to chat with a fan and presenting him with a huge poster (I received two) of the Farewell concert on lithograph. He has done so much for mental health awareness in our community (because his dad committed suicide and nobody knew he was depressed) so I wanted to reward him with something special. He talked me into joining the committee to Defeat Depression; I've lost 5 people to suicide so I didn't hesitate to join.

I wonder if there's a word count on MMC forum pages - we'll find out when I hit "post reply".

Thanks for Listening/Reading -mistletoe-



Wow. Thank you for sharing, Auntie. Much thanks for rewarding someone so deserving with a poster. That will be an amazing experience as well!
 
Congratulations on your running achievement. I have friends who made it to Boston a few times and the Goofy run in Disney World.

Heavily sedated posts can be rather jolly for the rest of us.

Take care.

That's great, Auntie! I am excited for the opportunity. I didn't think I would want to run another marathon outside of my qualifying one, but at the moment I can't stop thinking about how I can lower that time and improve before Boston...

I am sure it would have been jolly for me, too. Instead, it was completing uninfluenced.
 
Hi!

Now that we’re approaching November, I plan to visit the countdown thread more often. I hope everyone is doing fine. Christmas is almost around the corner and I look forward to counting down together with all of you!

I’m going to bake an apple pie this weekend. Can’t wait for the lovely smell that’s going to fill our house. Have a nice weekend everyone!
 
I'm baaaaaaack! +d Get ready for a lengthy post...


I don't know where to begin …
"like a mouse approaching a tall piece of cheddar, better start from the top."

Remember when I mentioned I initially bought two tickets to the Farewell Elton show and they were really great seats, but then a friend mentioned the VIP experience so I bought two. I had four tickets two in section 110 at Scotiabank Arena in the blue section only 7 rows up. Perfect few of Elton at the piano and he continuously turned to acknowledge those fans before the rest of us. Those seats went to my dad's neighbour and her friend who I've known for years. They were overjoyed with their seats and the thrill of it all; it was on one of their bucket lists. I only charged them the price of 1 ticket and gifted the second just to get them there.

From the beginning I knew who was going to share in the V.I.P. experience with me; my friend and co-worker who is always willing to dress up like me to make things more fun. I was driving so I told her she was the DJ. She went through my case of 20 CDs pre-chosen for the road trip. She is only turning 50 this July so her music of choice is more 80's than mine. I'm drawn to 60's & 70's with a touch of this and that on the side. We never got to hear any Christmas tunes, but the music we played provided back up vocals by two unknowns in the music world. Sherry and myself.

Elton John's Diamonds CD disc 1 started us off
Lady Gaga - that was for my husband who was a big fan
Bohemian Rhapsody
Took a break the Easy Listening compilation wasn't quite doing it and tune into 70's on 7 with Sirius - and hey there was Tiny Dancer playing.
The road trip home was similar, but contained … the Rocketman Soundtrack, David Bowie, Billy Joel and then the BLEND and 60's.

Got to the hotel, changed quickly into our outfits to honour Elton; grabbed an Uber and headed down to the arena. I was starting to freak out a bit because it was a 12 minute drive and we were nearing the deadline for checking in because the vehicles were only moving 4 cars at a time through the traffic lights. I suggested we get out and walk, but the driver kept saying, "You'll get there in time, it's only 5 minutes away, it's only 3 minutes away, it's one block away; there you are on the right." GEESH - the pressure. We made it.

Headed to the secret Premier entrance. Gave my name and ID and the PR assistants were delighted by our outfits.
Sherry was dressed in black and white with gloves, a great hat and diamonds all around the outside frame of her sunglasses.
I had gold pants and yellow-gold furry leggings with a navy top until I bought my Farewell Yellow Brick Road top to wear under my blue and silver BLING BLAZER and I had a white felt fedora style hat and blue sunglasses - including the lenses)and a sparkly E pin.

We got inside for the champagne and prelude to the back stage tour with Lindsay our tour guide. We studied the people around us a bit as we're both people watchers (in a good way, not a judgment way). There were only 7 of us dressed up, the rest were wearing semi-casual clothes and the odd Elton shirt from concerts past.

Having our photos taken at his piano (real bench, real piano) was one of the highlights. I ratted my friend out to our host and said, "My friend will have a hard time not touching the keys because she's a pianist." He posed her in such a fashion that she couldn't possibly touch the keys by accident. He gave posing suggestions to everyone except me. HAHA - I didn't need any coaching. I knew I wanted to look like I was tossing a lyric into the mic; my heart was pounding like a drum. Sherry managed to get through her photo without any wrongdoing. We watched and encouraged others. Met a big fan from Barrie who was attending his 5th Elton concert; he had on a great red and white tux with piano keys all over it. Very cool. A couple was very sparkly, but they didn't have hats or sunglasses.

As we listened to the sound and visual technician telling us all the ins and outs of things, we kept reacting to different things that excited us. The back drop surrounding the stage was dedicated to different periods of Elton's time. I turned to the couple beside me and apologized if we were being too loud for them to hear. The lady turned to me and said, "I was at the last concert, this isn't new to me. Keep at it; I'm having fun watching your reactions as first time concert goers." Nobody could believe it was our first Elton John concert and that we pulled off these awesome outfits to pay tribute to him.

Fast forward to our floor seats when I spotted my two friends in the stands where we would have been sitting if I had not bought the additional tickets. Sherry said she would have been fine with those seats, but now that we were part of the VIP experience she was glad to be closer. The VIPs were supposed to sit along the stage and sing and groove along to the music, but when SAD SONG started, more than the 28 of us advanced to the floor in front of the stage so we could only perform with him from the floor - still closer than others.

Then came the magic moment. Raise your hand if you remember me saying I wanted him to feel my vibes of appreciation! Well, when we were rocking out to Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting; Elton was walking and singing and pointing to fans in the crowd. He spotted Sherry and I; he pointed in our direction, Sherry was throwing one hand in the air and snapping a photo with the other. I tipped my hat and did a heart punch. He felt the THANK YOU we were going for with our outfits.

The concert was fantastic - nothing was disappointing. The fans made him tear up at one point (before or after) Your Song and then when he was singing Good Bye Yellow Brick Road, I could hardly sing along; I kept getting the words out and then a lump would get stuck and I couldn't sing and then, I'd join in again. It was all so bittersweet; totally amazing and yet sad that he's hanging up his tour schedule calendar, but so awesome that he's entertain folks for so long and his music (among others) have helped me coast through all the trying time in my life - the struggles, the losses and the triumphs.



We could hardly sleep, but we did. Didn't get up until 7:30; went to bed shortly after 1:00.

We went to the Senator Diner for brunch before heading out of Toronto. I knew that Elton sometimes frequented that establishment when he was in the city. Well, we missed him; he and the family were there on Monday and we were there on Thursday. Turns out that the waiter is good friends with David (Elton's Canadian husband).

We had a great chat, I told him about losing my husband in the spring an how music helped me navigate those delicate waters and that Elton's music in particular has kept me standing and strong. I used to call myself Super Auntie - now I'm Auntie Hercules Mistletoe Dear Merry One (but I won't change my user name).

I asked our waiter to thank David for sharing Elton with his fans for as long as he has and to enjoy their life together as a family. They have earned it.

After dropping Sherry off, I Swung by my favourite lunch spot BETWEEN THE BUN and was pleased there were no customers. This is one of the spots that catered the food for my husband's celebration of life. I have a spirited friendship with the owner. I walked in and turned around displaying my Yellow brick road zippered sweat shirt and of course was wearing the t-shirt as well. I told her about the concert and then as I was telling her about my message for David, I started to well up a bit and that got her all teary eyed. Soup was on the house.



Shortly, I'll be heading up to the Sub Place to chat with a fan and presenting him with a huge poster (I received two) of the Farewell concert on lithograph. He has done so much for mental health awareness in our community (because his dad committed suicide and nobody knew he was depressed) so I wanted to reward him with something special. He talked me into joining the committee to Defeat Depression; I've lost 5 people to suicide so I didn't hesitate to join.

I wonder if there's a word count on MMC forum pages - we'll find out when I hit "post reply".

Thanks for Listening/Reading -mistletoe-


I'm glad you had such a great time!!
 
Good evening, everyone!

It's been another busy week. My race went well on Sunday. For those that were wondering, I ran a marathon in Quebec, just north of Montreal. I ran it in 2 hours 55 minutes and 40 seconds, which means that I qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2021... I now just have to be accepted when registration opens again next year.

It feels weird to say this, but I have two days "off" starting tomorrow. Actually, I have surgery tomorrow. It's nothing serious, only a small procedure. Even so, I will be off my feet for 2-4 days. We'll see how it goes. I hope to get a lot of work/preparation done during the next few days.

Even though this is usually my favourite time to see everything blossoming in stores, I won't be able to go anywhere now until after Halloween. It's a real disappointment, but that's how it goes this year.

I hope you all had a wonderful 'Pines Day. I'll do my best to visit tomorrow although I likely will be heavily sedated.

Wow congratulations on your achievement!
I have alot of respect for people who run marathons. It’s one thing to finish it but it also takes alot of training, dedication and free time.

I feel a bit stupid to say I’m actually working towards finishing my first 5k. It will be a big deal for me since I never really liked running. Any tips from a pro? ;-)
 
I'm baaaaaaack! +d Get ready for a lengthy post...


I don't know where to begin …
"like a mouse approaching a tall piece of cheddar, better start from the top."

Remember when I mentioned I initially bought two tickets to the Farewell Elton show and they were really great seats, but then a friend mentioned the VIP experience so I bought two. I had four tickets two in section 110 at Scotiabank Arena in the blue section only 7 rows up. Perfect few of Elton at the piano and he continuously turned to acknowledge those fans before the rest of us. Those seats went to my dad's neighbour and her friend who I've known for years. They were overjoyed with their seats and the thrill of it all; it was on one of their bucket lists. I only charged them the price of 1 ticket and gifted the second just to get them there.

From the beginning I knew who was going to share in the V.I.P. experience with me; my friend and co-worker who is always willing to dress up like me to make things more fun. I was driving so I told her she was the DJ. She went through my case of 20 CDs pre-chosen for the road trip. She is only turning 50 this July so her music of choice is more 80's than mine. I'm drawn to 60's & 70's with a touch of this and that on the side. We never got to hear any Christmas tunes, but the music we played provided back up vocals by two unknowns in the music world. Sherry and myself.

Elton John's Diamonds CD disc 1 started us off
Lady Gaga - that was for my husband who was a big fan
Bohemian Rhapsody
Took a break the Easy Listening compilation wasn't quite doing it and tune into 70's on 7 with Sirius - and hey there was Tiny Dancer playing.
The road trip home was similar, but contained … the Rocketman Soundtrack, David Bowie, Billy Joel and then the BLEND and 60's.

Got to the hotel, changed quickly into our outfits to honour Elton; grabbed an Uber and headed down to the arena. I was starting to freak out a bit because it was a 12 minute drive and we were nearing the deadline for checking in because the vehicles were only moving 4 cars at a time through the traffic lights. I suggested we get out and walk, but the driver kept saying, "You'll get there in time, it's only 5 minutes away, it's only 3 minutes away, it's one block away; there you are on the right." GEESH - the pressure. We made it.

Headed to the secret Premier entrance. Gave my name and ID and the PR assistants were delighted by our outfits.
Sherry was dressed in black and white with gloves, a great hat and diamonds all around the outside frame of her sunglasses.
I had gold pants and yellow-gold furry leggings with a navy top until I bought my Farewell Yellow Brick Road top to wear under my blue and silver BLING BLAZER and I had a white felt fedora style hat and blue sunglasses - including the lenses)and a sparkly E pin.

We got inside for the champagne and prelude to the back stage tour with Lindsay our tour guide. We studied the people around us a bit as we're both people watchers (in a good way, not a judgment way). There were only 7 of us dressed up, the rest were wearing semi-casual clothes and the odd Elton shirt from concerts past.

Having our photos taken at his piano (real bench, real piano) was one of the highlights. I ratted my friend out to our host and said, "My friend will have a hard time not touching the keys because she's a pianist." He posed her in such a fashion that she couldn't possibly touch the keys by accident. He gave posing suggestions to everyone except me. HAHA - I didn't need any coaching. I knew I wanted to look like I was tossing a lyric into the mic; my heart was pounding like a drum. Sherry managed to get through her photo without any wrongdoing. We watched and encouraged others. Met a big fan from Barrie who was attending his 5th Elton concert; he had on a great red and white tux with piano keys all over it. Very cool. A couple was very sparkly, but they didn't have hats or sunglasses.

As we listened to the sound and visual technician telling us all the ins and outs of things, we kept reacting to different things that excited us. The back drop surrounding the stage was dedicated to different periods of Elton's time. I turned to the couple beside me and apologized if we were being too loud for them to hear. The lady turned to me and said, "I was at the last concert, this isn't new to me. Keep at it; I'm having fun watching your reactions as first time concert goers." Nobody could believe it was our first Elton John concert and that we pulled off these awesome outfits to pay tribute to him.

Fast forward to our floor seats when I spotted my two friends in the stands where we would have been sitting if I had not bought the additional tickets. Sherry said she would have been fine with those seats, but now that we were part of the VIP experience she was glad to be closer. The VIPs were supposed to sit along the stage and sing and groove along to the music, but when SAD SONG started, more than the 28 of us advanced to the floor in front of the stage so we could only perform with him from the floor - still closer than others.

Then came the magic moment. Raise your hand if you remember me saying I wanted him to feel my vibes of appreciation! Well, when we were rocking out to Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting; Elton was walking and singing and pointing to fans in the crowd. He spotted Sherry and I; he pointed in our direction, Sherry was throwing one hand in the air and snapping a photo with the other. I tipped my hat and did a heart punch. He felt the THANK YOU we were going for with our outfits.

The concert was fantastic - nothing was disappointing. The fans made him tear up at one point (before or after) Your Song and then when he was singing Good Bye Yellow Brick Road, I could hardly sing along; I kept getting the words out and then a lump would get stuck and I couldn't sing and then, I'd join in again. It was all so bittersweet; totally amazing and yet sad that he's hanging up his tour schedule calendar, but so awesome that he's entertain folks for so long and his music (among others) have helped me coast through all the trying time in my life - the struggles, the losses and the triumphs.



We could hardly sleep, but we did. Didn't get up until 7:30; went to bed shortly after 1:00.

We went to the Senator Diner for brunch before heading out of Toronto. I knew that Elton sometimes frequented that establishment when he was in the city. Well, we missed him; he and the family were there on Monday and we were there on Thursday. Turns out that the waiter is good friends with David (Elton's Canadian husband).

We had a great chat, I told him about losing my husband in the spring an how music helped me navigate those delicate waters and that Elton's music in particular has kept me standing and strong. I used to call myself Super Auntie - now I'm Auntie Hercules Mistletoe Dear Merry One (but I won't change my user name).

I asked our waiter to thank David for sharing Elton with his fans for as long as he has and to enjoy their life together as a family. They have earned it.

After dropping Sherry off, I Swung by my favourite lunch spot BETWEEN THE BUN and was pleased there were no customers. This is one of the spots that catered the food for my husband's celebration of life. I have a spirited friendship with the owner. I walked in and turned around displaying my Yellow brick road zippered sweat shirt and of course was wearing the t-shirt as well. I told her about the concert and then as I was telling her about my message for David, I started to well up a bit and that got her all teary eyed. Soup was on the house.



Shortly, I'll be heading up to the Sub Place to chat with a fan and presenting him with a huge poster (I received two) of the Farewell concert on lithograph. He has done so much for mental health awareness in our community (because his dad committed suicide and nobody knew he was depressed) so I wanted to reward him with something special. He talked me into joining the committee to Defeat Depression; I've lost 5 people to suicide so I didn't hesitate to join.

I wonder if there's a word count on MMC forum pages - we'll find out when I hit "post reply".

Thanks for Listening/Reading -mistletoe-



What a great story!
 
I'm baaaaaaack! +d Get ready for a lengthy post...


I don't know where to begin …
"like a mouse approaching a tall piece of cheddar, better start from the top."

Remember when I mentioned I initially bought two tickets to the Farewell Elton show and they were really great seats, but then a friend mentioned the VIP experience so I bought two. I had four tickets two in section 110 at Scotiabank Arena in the blue section only 7 rows up. Perfect few of Elton at the piano and he continuously turned to acknowledge those fans before the rest of us. Those seats went to my dad's neighbour and her friend who I've known for years. They were overjoyed with their seats and the thrill of it all; it was on one of their bucket lists. I only charged them the price of 1 ticket and gifted the second just to get them there.

From the beginning I knew who was going to share in the V.I.P. experience with me; my friend and co-worker who is always willing to dress up like me to make things more fun. I was driving so I told her she was the DJ. She went through my case of 20 CDs pre-chosen for the road trip. She is only turning 50 this July so her music of choice is more 80's than mine. I'm drawn to 60's & 70's with a touch of this and that on the side. We never got to hear any Christmas tunes, but the music we played provided back up vocals by two unknowns in the music world. Sherry and myself.

Elton John's Diamonds CD disc 1 started us off
Lady Gaga - that was for my husband who was a big fan
Bohemian Rhapsody
Took a break the Easy Listening compilation wasn't quite doing it and tune into 70's on 7 with Sirius - and hey there was Tiny Dancer playing.
The road trip home was similar, but contained … the Rocketman Soundtrack, David Bowie, Billy Joel and then the BLEND and 60's.

Got to the hotel, changed quickly into our outfits to honour Elton; grabbed an Uber and headed down to the arena. I was starting to freak out a bit because it was a 12 minute drive and we were nearing the deadline for checking in because the vehicles were only moving 4 cars at a time through the traffic lights. I suggested we get out and walk, but the driver kept saying, "You'll get there in time, it's only 5 minutes away, it's only 3 minutes away, it's one block away; there you are on the right." GEESH - the pressure. We made it.

Headed to the secret Premier entrance. Gave my name and ID and the PR assistants were delighted by our outfits.
Sherry was dressed in black and white with gloves, a great hat and diamonds all around the outside frame of her sunglasses.
I had gold pants and yellow-gold furry leggings with a navy top until I bought my Farewell Yellow Brick Road top to wear under my blue and silver BLING BLAZER and I had a white felt fedora style hat and blue sunglasses - including the lenses)and a sparkly E pin.

We got inside for the champagne and prelude to the back stage tour with Lindsay our tour guide. We studied the people around us a bit as we're both people watchers (in a good way, not a judgment way). There were only 7 of us dressed up, the rest were wearing semi-casual clothes and the odd Elton shirt from concerts past.

Having our photos taken at his piano (real bench, real piano) was one of the highlights. I ratted my friend out to our host and said, "My friend will have a hard time not touching the keys because she's a pianist." He posed her in such a fashion that she couldn't possibly touch the keys by accident. He gave posing suggestions to everyone except me. HAHA - I didn't need any coaching. I knew I wanted to look like I was tossing a lyric into the mic; my heart was pounding like a drum. Sherry managed to get through her photo without any wrongdoing. We watched and encouraged others. Met a big fan from Barrie who was attending his 5th Elton concert; he had on a great red and white tux with piano keys all over it. Very cool. A couple was very sparkly, but they didn't have hats or sunglasses.

As we listened to the sound and visual technician telling us all the ins and outs of things, we kept reacting to different things that excited us. The back drop surrounding the stage was dedicated to different periods of Elton's time. I turned to the couple beside me and apologized if we were being too loud for them to hear. The lady turned to me and said, "I was at the last concert, this isn't new to me. Keep at it; I'm having fun watching your reactions as first time concert goers." Nobody could believe it was our first Elton John concert and that we pulled off these awesome outfits to pay tribute to him.

Fast forward to our floor seats when I spotted my two friends in the stands where we would have been sitting if I had not bought the additional tickets. Sherry said she would have been fine with those seats, but now that we were part of the VIP experience she was glad to be closer. The VIPs were supposed to sit along the stage and sing and groove along to the music, but when SAD SONG started, more than the 28 of us advanced to the floor in front of the stage so we could only perform with him from the floor - still closer than others.

Then came the magic moment. Raise your hand if you remember me saying I wanted him to feel my vibes of appreciation! Well, when we were rocking out to Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting; Elton was walking and singing and pointing to fans in the crowd. He spotted Sherry and I; he pointed in our direction, Sherry was throwing one hand in the air and snapping a photo with the other. I tipped my hat and did a heart punch. He felt the THANK YOU we were going for with our outfits.

The concert was fantastic - nothing was disappointing. The fans made him tear up at one point (before or after) Your Song and then when he was singing Good Bye Yellow Brick Road, I could hardly sing along; I kept getting the words out and then a lump would get stuck and I couldn't sing and then, I'd join in again. It was all so bittersweet; totally amazing and yet sad that he's hanging up his tour schedule calendar, but so awesome that he's entertain folks for so long and his music (among others) have helped me coast through all the trying time in my life - the struggles, the losses and the triumphs.



We could hardly sleep, but we did. Didn't get up until 7:30; went to bed shortly after 1:00.

We went to the Senator Diner for brunch before heading out of Toronto. I knew that Elton sometimes frequented that establishment when he was in the city. Well, we missed him; he and the family were there on Monday and we were there on Thursday. Turns out that the waiter is good friends with David (Elton's Canadian husband).

We had a great chat, I told him about losing my husband in the spring an how music helped me navigate those delicate waters and that Elton's music in particular has kept me standing and strong. I used to call myself Super Auntie - now I'm Auntie Hercules Mistletoe Dear Merry One (but I won't change my user name).

I asked our waiter to thank David for sharing Elton with his fans for as long as he has and to enjoy their life together as a family. They have earned it.

After dropping Sherry off, I Swung by my favourite lunch spot BETWEEN THE BUN and was pleased there were no customers. This is one of the spots that catered the food for my husband's celebration of life. I have a spirited friendship with the owner. I walked in and turned around displaying my Yellow brick road zippered sweat shirt and of course was wearing the t-shirt as well. I told her about the concert and then as I was telling her about my message for David, I started to well up a bit and that got her all teary eyed. Soup was on the house.



Shortly, I'll be heading up to the Sub Place to chat with a fan and presenting him with a huge poster (I received two) of the Farewell concert on lithograph. He has done so much for mental health awareness in our community (because his dad committed suicide and nobody knew he was depressed) so I wanted to reward him with something special. He talked me into joining the committee to Defeat Depression; I've lost 5 people to suicide so I didn't hesitate to join.

I wonder if there's a word count on MMC forum pages - we'll find out when I hit "post reply".

Thanks for Listening/Reading -mistletoe-



I’m so happy you shared this Auntie, I’m glad you had an awesome time. Sending hugs!
 
I remember O'Malley's first Vet appointment. He was pretty young and was going in for a full check up as well as being neutered which I sometimes regret, but believe there are enough cats running around that need homes.

Anyway, the Vet tech's daughter had a sliver in her finger and she was crying when they were removing it. O'Malley started to let out a cry like a female in heat and all the staff could hear him and instantly fell in love with his compassionate kitty heart.

O'Malley was nearly flushed down a toilet by a toddler when before we rescued him. They had to give him 2.5 doses of earmite meds, but other than that he was purrfectly healthy.

Hope Chloe's appointment went well and she realizes what a lucky pup she is having you for a "mom".

Thank you for your kind words. I believe these animals walk in to our lives for a reason. We are blessed!
 
Merry Friday MMC ~
I’m heading out soon, I have a chiropractor appointment. I’m going to run a couple of quick errands afterward. Back home to work on chores and walk the dogs again. It’s going to be a nice day with highs near 65 degrees. I hope everyone is well and has a wonderful day!!!
xx
 
Have a great day everyone!
Funny, but I was trying to think of a costume I could work in comfortably all day at the office that would allow me to wear glasses, and I decided on a crazy cat lady! (I figure pajamas, a bathrobe covered with cartoons of cats, bedroom slippers, and some "props.") I only have two plush cats, but I have nearly a dozen books about cats at home, so I figure I'll bring the plush cats plus some cat figurines and pile the books around my desk to convey the idea. I may also make a crocheted cap with cat ears (but orange, not pink):
hat.jpg

This is the robe:
robe.jpg

Have a great Friday, and let us know how your costume goes!
 
My heart just fluttered and skipped at the memory. I remember one brother yelling at the other, "Get your greasy hands of the grooves of my record!" Rivalry at its finest.

I even enjoyed the slight motor noise of the arm readying for position and the needle touching down onto the vinyl. When the record was over it either got flipped or we'd do the stack and play thing and choose the sides we most wanted to hear from 3 or 4 different albums.

At Christmas, the crooners, Mario Lanza, etc. would get the most ear time.

My dad still has one, guess we could play some old vinyl music over Christmas.

Thanks for bringing that memory up front.
We have two turntables and almost never use them, in spite of four packed shelves of LPs and a few dozen 45s between us. Shame on us! When I do put on a "platter," I wonder why I don't do it more often.
 
Wow congratulations on your achievement!
I have alot of respect for people who run marathons. It’s one thing to finish it but it also takes alot of training, dedication and free time.

I feel a bit stupid to say I’m actually working towards finishing my first 5k. It will be a big deal for me since I never really liked running. Any tips from a pro? ;-)

I was running about 73 miles (118 KMs) for about three or four weeks during training. Mostly, however, I'd run about 60-65 miles per week.

Don't feel stupid about that. We all have to start somewhere. A 5K is a huge feat, too! I ran in high school and picked up again after I retired from competitive Ultimate Frisbee in 2014. I never thought I wanted to run a marathon until March of this year...!

My tip is to start small. Start at about 1.5 kms per day. Increase that by about 500 meters each time you run. At the end of the week, add your distance together and divide by the number of days you ran. Make that your hard run and try to run your fastest time for the week.

Otherwise, try to add in some pickups here and there where you would run about 200m hard, then jog for 200m.

Running workouts make actually make training more bearable and less repetitive.
 
Happy Halloween TGIF MMC! We may be changing our pizza plans for Halloween to steakburger/fries. Either way is a win huh? I think that I'll be getting some pizza tonight. It's been a busy week at work. I definitely was glad when the alarm went off and I realized it's Friday. Have a Happy Halloween TGIF!
The last Friday of the month is traditionally our order in pizza night, too. YUM!!!
 
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