2009 was a busy year which took me in some wonderful directions.

The year started off with a community health fundraiser in Wainwright with the talented folks from Global Country.

In March I performed to a pack crowd at Angus Ridge Hall near Wetaskiwin.

One of the highlights of my year was a fundraiser that I played for "The Ride to Conquer Cancer". Myself and a team of 4 other people managed to raise over $2300 in one night and over $15,000 total in just a couple months. The wonderful and talented Kym Simon as appeared at our fundraiser - thank you Kym you are the best! We also rode 200km (each) through the foothills of theCanadian Rockies, along with 1500 other bikers we raised over 3 million dollars for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. We were treated to a concert by Duane Steele after our first day of riding!This is something my husband and I have been wanting to do since we lost his Father to Kidney Cancer in 2006. I am so overwhelmed and happy that our team was able to raise so much money and push ourselves physically to complete such a challenge, which is nothing compared to the challenge that a cancer patient faces on a daily basis.

Another highlight of my year was performing at the Canada Day celebrations for the town of Edson! Even with the rain a large crowd came out to enjoy all the entertainment. It was a fun-packed day! After this gig I rushed home to pack mine and the rest of the family's bags to head to Australia three days later, for 6 weeks. I enjoyed a little rest and relaxation during this time and hung out with my awesome family and caught up with some old friends! This was my first trip home in 4 1/2 years, what a amazing time we had. The girls and I got to go to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, what a cool place!

Right now I'm enjoying three dates at the Edmonton International Airport, a surprisingly fun feel-good gig, taking the stress out of travelling for people and putting a smile on their face is extremely rewarding.

I also focused a lot on songwriting in 2009 and I"m looking forward to doing a whole lot more in 2010.

I will also be returning to musical theatre in Feb/Mar 2010 performing as "Nancy" in OLIVER. Nancy is a fantastic role, she's fiesty, flirty, fun and affectionate, I am loving developing this character and getting my songs worked up. Please come out and see it!!

Stay tuned folks, lots of great things to come in 2010.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Everyone, keep smilin' - I am!
Joanne