Very quick visit to Edmonton, La Vie En Rose

The plan was for our high school class to get together in June of 2021 to celebrate the fact that we had graduated 50 years prior. As we all know the pandemic shut that year down and most of the next year as well.

Denise, our class historian, record keeper, secretary and planner decided that September13th, 2023 was going to be the day of the big event. It just so happens that each one of us turns 70 in 2023.

We graduated in 1971 and then I did my nursing course and over the years worked at the Edmonton General Hospital and the University of Alberta Hospital. I slowly left working in a hospital and instead did nursing related jobs. One day I heard that Air Canada was looking for new employees and that the requirement was that you had to speak French. I went for an interview and the rest is history, I was accepted, worked for a bit in Edmonton and then transferred to Vancouver. I managed to get quite a bit of traveling in before I married Colin in 1987. Needless to say I mostly lost contact with my high school friends except for a very very few.

You might want to scroll to the end of this post and click on the You Tube video sung by Andrea Bocelli and Edith Piaf ( produced in 2013 ). It will put you in the right frame of mind, to read the rest of this post.

Denise ( front row centre  )was the one who kept organizing get togethers. This is one the first get togethers that I attended back in 2015. I have since been to quite few.

We all attended Grades 7 – 12 at Académie de l’Assomption. It was an all girls school run by nuns. For the first so many years we all had to wear a uniform. Of course the majority of the classes were in French. We were a small class and some have passed over the years, several are living in abroad, so it was a small group of twelve for this reunion, which is almost 50% of our graduating class. Plans for future get togethers are already in the works.

This is exactly how our reunion evolved. So much laughter, emotion and many many memories. Some of us remembered things about others and they about us.

A lovely happy hour, delicious luncheon and a few glasses of wine plus champagne all contributed to our smiles. It was beyond special to connect with all of these ladies who helped create who I am today.

Still some back burns happening. The fire rermains out of control.

Colin and the girls came face to face with a bear today directly on the other side of a chain link fence – in that purple oval area. Their very loud  barks sent the bear running east through the berry bushes. So glad that I was not walking with them.

Just a few days ago we began to reuse the snuffle mats. It makes the girls work to find their food, to hunt for it and a huge benefit is that it slows down their eating. This is Ciela.

Carlie loves the new dog food but at times still swallows it whole. Then it all comes back up again. Usually on a carpet. She is really enjoying the challenge of having to find her food. It also stimulates her brain and sense of smell.

I forgot to mention that I was up at 3:30AM this past Wednesday the 13th. The airline had changed my 10AM 🙂  flight to 6AM 😡  My good friend Carol picked me up and drove me to my chiropractic appointment and patiently waited in the car for me. We then drove to her home where I was spending the night. I unpacked a wee bit and changed for the festivities.Then we were off to the reunion, back to her home where we enjoyed a bit more vino and chatted until midnight. I believe that it was shortly after midnight that I went to bed. Such a very long day. I truly was tired. Next thing I knew Carol was waking me up. I had slept until 10AM and we had to leave in just under an hour. Yet another chiropractic appointment, I had spent the money to fly to Edmonton so I might as well make the most of it. Carol then very kindly drove me back to the airport. She went above and beyond to make my few hours in Edmonton special 😀 By the time I got back home Thursday and unpacked it was dark ( why does this happen so suddenly in the fall ). I was beyond tired and Colin had to get to bed as he was leaving at 5AM Friday morning to drive to and to work in Vancouver. More on that situation Saturday, my next post.

Prom 1971. La Vie en Rose was our class song. I was middle row, third from the left. We all had male dates but I don’t have any photos. I still swoon to this day thinking about my date. In 1970 he had asked me to accompany him to his sisters prom. I think I might need to have a chat with Colin before he reads this – oops.

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