Whether you want to call it luck, blessings, hard work, fate or kismet, my life is full of it. I live in a city I love, I have an amazing family, a huge circle of great friends and I have been able to travel to some incredibly interesting parts of the world.

Lets start with my family. My childhood was idyllic, really! Thanks mom and dad. And although they are divorced, they have managed to stay friends knowing that they will always be linked by their children.

When I was 9 years old, mom and dad took us to Disneyland and had such a glorious time there that I took mom there when I was 37!

But what this did was instill a need to travel in me! Which I'm sure mom and dad regretted terribly when in 1976, during my Grade 10 year, I began the campaign to have them send me on the school trip to Paris. But I have to be honest; there were a couple of other reasons I wanted to go. I mean, I really did want to see Paris but my best friend was going, as was the boy that I had SUCH a crush on - Brad!!!

Well, I won the campaign and had an amazing time. And I got to sit beside Brad for most of the flight to Paris and he, being a gentleman even at 16 years old, carried my suitcases for me. I brought three suitcases. I have learned to pack much more efficiently these days, since Brad no longer carries my suitcases for me!

So, I moved to Calgary in 1979 and began teaching music. I worked for six years with Barb and Nancy, who took an innocent and inexperienced young girl and taught her all about business. They also taught me how to drink and swear! We worked right next to a travel agency and I used to read travel brochures on every break. Finally, I met someone who was going around the world, and on two occasions I got to meet him in Europe and do some of that traveling I had been dreaming about.

First, we started in Greece, stopped in Rhodes and Cyprus and the trip culminated with Christmas in Bethlehem and a two week tour of Israel. That was an amazing experience.

And then we spent a month touring England and Scotland.

About this time I changed careers and also took a part time job at the Centre for Performing Arts, only intending it to be a way to see all the shows for free. However, so many things happened, I met my best friend Carol, I got to meet many stars and incredibly talented performers and Kate Carpenter was born.

After working way too hard, writing and working two jobs, I decided I needed a break, so my friend Jane and I went to Paris but only for five days. The minute I got back, I started planning my next trip to Paris, and decided I would spend my fortieth birthday there. My mom and my best friend Carol came along and we had the best time ever! We also popped into England and Belgium for a day each, so got a three country tour!

There are many things we do in Calgary as well. The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede is ten days of western fun. We go to the parade every year, it's a tradition now, and we have pictures of everyone's kids from infants in arms to almost grown up. We also go to the rodeo or chuck wagon races almost every year. The rodeo is absolutely thrilling. I don't believe you realize how exciting it is until you see it live and in person.

The gal-pal group consists of myself, Carol and Ramona, us three single girls, who find lots of adventures. They're both very tall and I'm not.

We're big fans of the movies, we love trying new restaurants, and we love theatre. This year we went out to the Calgary Philharmonic's Orchestra's presentation of Mozart on the Mountain in Canmore. The day started out beautifully but it got a little wet - but it was worth every minute and every raindrop!

Also, I'm the picture taker in the group... lots of pictures of my friends and not so many of me!

We also paint ceramics, work in Carol's yard, people watch, take art classes, take language classes, and wander around Calgary. This city has some great walking paths and lots of green space, so no matter the season you can enjoy the outdoors.

And then another amazing thing happened in my life this year. Brad, that beautiful blond 16 year old boy with the tight jeans who carted my suitcases for me, found me on the Internet and contacted me! We have became dedicated pen pals and it is really interesting to find out what happened to some of the kids I went to school with. Plus, he is just an all around good guy and listens to all my rants and whines and was amazingly supportive when my uncle passed away from cancer this year, having been through it all when his dad passed away!

There is another person who is incredibly important in my life and that is Sandy. But she is so important, she is getting her own page! Please read about her, as none of this would be here if it weren't for her!