The Lehns Hit the Slopes

The past couple of weeks have been very busy at work for me. I was sent to Calgary to shoot some video of a new leasing group the credit union acquired in 2007. My video will introduce those employees to the rest of the organization. Somehow, my co-workers are under the impression that since I own a video camera and I have created a couple of photo-montage videos on Moviemaker, that I am expert enough to be let loose. I’m now responsible for 6 videos for the Awards night, to be held in 3 weeks. Calgary was -20° celsius. A little nippy, to be sure. But everything went well with the filming. One funny thing happened – I stepped onto the back balcony to film the Calgary skyline and set up my tripod in the calf-deep snow. Well, don’t you know it was too cold for the video camera to even work? So I turned around, shivering, to get back inside only to find myself locked out. In -20 weather. In dress clothes and loafers. After banging in futility on the window for a while, I waded through the snowy bush round the building to the front door. I stomped the snow off in the lobby as the receptionist innocently asked “What happened to you?” She may have chuckled too, or maybe that was my teeth chattering.
Calgary was a little adventure, anyway, and I got some good footage that is at this stage very close to a cool video, with a soundtrack and everything. I’ve also done a lot of filming around New Westminster and at some of our other branches, for other videos for the Awards night. Those are coming together, too, and I am anxiously looking forward to their debut on Feb 21st.
We’ve also been spending some time playing a little game called Rock Band (Mike's going to kill me for including this photo...) It attaches to the Xbox 360 and it comes with a drum kit, a guitar and a microphone. You listen and watch on the TV as you sing and play, and it rates how well you’re doing. We bought an extra Guitar Hero guitar so each of us would have an instrument! I am addicted to the mic and I have completed my first solo world tour as well as assisting in our band world tour. Remember that I really can’t sing, but apparently I can follow the guide and sing the right words! I rock at Red Hot Chili Peppers, if anyone’s interested.
25 Club this month was Martini night at Mar’s. We each made a special martini and sampled some great food while we looked at holiday photos everyone had brought. Three martinis later, I was done, and we retired for the evening. I had arrived late – silly because I was by myself all afternoon so I had all the time in the world to get ready. The boys had driven up to Whistler with Mike and Aaron just after lunch, and Mar and I were coming up together the next morning. The reason why I was late was that I was working on my solo tour, singing my little heart out all by myself in the basement, when all of a sudden I looked at the clock – oh no! I still hadn’t made my food, shopped for my martini ingredients, or packed for Whistler. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – I am a nerd. Now I am a nerd who is addicted to a video game.
Marzia and I drove up to Whistler the next morning (after her beautiful husky Siska woke me up with a big face whuffle that scared me half to death) and arrived to meet Mike and Aaron for lunch. I got all settled in the cabin while the boys were finishing their ski day, and then we had a relaxing evening. The boys were all tired out from their ski days – Jack had been in ski camp for the first time, and Ethan was skiing with Gramps for the first time. The next morning was awesome – the first time our whole family was on the mountain together! Jack was in kids’ camp again, and by the end of the day his instructor said he was a natural, with great balance, and that he should be bumped up to the next level despite being the smallest kid in camp. He’s not interested in any of the snow play they do between mini ski runs; he just wants to go go go. The faster, the better! He wears the smallest boots and the smallest skis they have and everywhere we go people just gush over the cutest kid on the slopes.
Ethan had mastered the Magic Chairlift runs by midday with Gramps. Mike and I got to ski the morning with Aaron and Mar, and met Ethan and Gramps for lunch before skiing together for the afternoon. Ethan has improved so much; we’re so proud! He skied from the gondola all the way down to the village – quite a way for those of you who don’t know Whistler Mountain. He had his entourage with him, of course, Mike skiing in front of him and Barry and I fanning out behind. Mike even skied backwards in front of him videotaping him – it’s jerky video, but so cute! You can see the secret service protection of Gramps and Mummy in behind, making sure no out-of-control punk plows into our boy. The “bestest” part of the day was how excited both boys were, and seeing their ear-to-ear grins as they each proclaimed, “I love skiing!” My sentiments exactly.
I’ll leave you this week with my new real-life definition of IRONY:
The boys pick the lock on the bathroom door and break in as I’m trying to steal 15 minutes to myself in the bath to read “The Hair-Raising Joys of Raising Boys”. Sigh.