Bluebird's Nest

As I wrote about in this post, the tweenager made it to the provincial level for competing in the Concours d’art oratoire on Saturday.

We had a huge day. We awoke at 5:10am and were out the door by 6. Onto the 7am we went and hit the buffet. Delish! Thanks mom for springing for this. Off the ferry and first stop was the new Ikea. It looks way more massive than the original Ikea but once you get inside, it’s really just a maze isn’t it? I’m going to write about my trip as it definitely wasn’t as stellar as I had expected but I’m not going to taint this blog post with my unhappiness.

After that visit, we were off to SFU at the campus in Surrey. I adore this campus. The architecture, the mall underneath the university, the ambiance… it’s wonderful.

Cool lost and found!

SFU architecture

SFU architecture

We had a couple of hours to kill so we grabbed a drink and the tweenager and my hubby hit the mall while myself, the wee babe and my mom hung around in the main area.

The wee babe had had a nap on the way to Ikea but it was really only a half hour so she was a bit owly but FULL of steam. She didn’t stop moving except to eat and sleep. Seriously.

Getting ready for opening ceremonies

The opening ceremonies started at 1:30pm and then we were released to our rooms. One of the students that competed with the tweenager was there last year too. We all took a seat (except for the wee babe and my hubby who was pushing her around in the stroller trying to get her to fall asleep so he could bring her into the room and watch the tween’s speech).

My big girl was #5. After 2 people had gone, my hubby returned with a sleeping baby. As the competitors went up one by one, I couldn’t help feeling a little more and more nervous for my tween. Eventually, it was her turn. She killed it! All the practice, blood, sweat and tears paid off. There was only one moment where she forgot where she was in the speech but other than that, it was perfectly presented. Nice and slow, a beautiful accent and confidently delivered.

The competitors

Shortly after that, it was finished and not a moment too soon. The wee babe promptly woke up the exact moment we were released from the room.

Then we had an hour to wait and figure out amongst the other presenters if our girl had a fighting chance at winning. We were sure that she would place within the top 3 and even confident that she could bring us back the gold medal.

Waiting...

Around 4:10 the start the awards ceremonies commenced. First grade 6 (luckily we didn’t have long to wait to find out!). Then grade 7. 3rd place went to Ryan on “Is there life out there with us in the solar system?” The anticipation builds. 2nd place goes to Alexander on “The Northern Gateway Project”. We begin to squirm… is it going to be her? And then “First place goes to ‘the tweenager’ for “Mon adventure en Suisse”"!! Yaaa whooooo!!!! Up she goes to receive her medal, get a photo and receive her envelope filled with $50!!

First place winner in 7th grade francophone category!

And so that’s it. She’s done it! We’re over the moon with pride, she’s smiling from ear to ear and all that work, and dedication has paid off big time!

Once it’s over, we head back to the ferry and catch the 7pm home. It’s been a looooong day, but so so so worth every minute of it. We celebrate as best as we can on the ferry, congratulating over and over again. We’re all so incredibly proud of our little girl.

I look forward to what next year has to hold.

Good job my tweenager.

Proud girl!