7 Numbers Changed Everything

Some people call it fate, I call it the "Spirit of The BANFF Mountain Film Festival". The ticket (above) has changed our life.
Kristina and I went to the BANFF Mountain Film Festival Thursday night, and though I would love to put in words the synergy that came from this festival, I cannot. But you can partake a little bit of the magic through this clip.



Words? I think not. Priceless.
Here is where many would say that our experience of the Festival was Fate.
I went to purchase two tickets for the festival but they sold out that morning a week and half before. Disappointed? Yes. Discouraged to create a way to get tickets before the showing? No. My motivation to get the tickets propelled me all the way to the very night of the showing, even to the last hour before the festival began. Knowing that we would get our tickets, I went to the line where many people were waiting up to 2 hours for the festival to begin, and that is were I began to create our ticket miracle, and in two minutes I had two tickets in my hand. Fate? I think not. The "Spirit of the BANFF Film Festival"? Yes and Yes!
Once we sat down in our seats I knew this would be a Festival that would be etched in our minds for years to come. The Festival started a few minutes after we sat down and once it started I had to pick my jaw up off the floor countless times; like you may have from the clip that you just watched above. The films had everything, I got to the point to where I could smell and feel as if I were in the experiences they were displaying.
Intermission came, and it was short enough to get us primed for the second half. Just before the second half stared they had prizes to give away: backpacks, bike equipment, sleeping bags that go below zero, gift cards, unbreakable water bottles, it was a smorgasbord gift give away. I wanted to win. Something. Anything! But until they announced over the microphone, "we have a Cory Mon CD, a water bottle, and a one year membership to the Quarry". My mind exploded! If anyone knew me, they would know that I would polar plunge and swim across Utah Lake right now in the middle of winter to win a free year membership to the Quarry. Kristina even turned to me and said "this would be your dream gift" I nodded with a big grin. Just then they pulled out the winning ticket, it seemed as if time slowed down, I was getting inpatient I wanted them to read off the numbers on the ticket! The first numbers were "2...3....0" the crowed gasped, (pretty much everyone's tickets started with those number), so we were all in the running at that point. They continued "....0....3...." "yes those are my numbers", they paused to increase the suspense"6......3" I won, I really won. Being caught off guard I almost didn't yell to claim my prize. I really won! At that moment God could have taken me from this life as long as there was rock climbing in Heaven and soccer.
This event is what some people would call fate, they say that I was not suppose to buy tickets on the first attempt, but that it was my "calling" to go on a journey to buy that wining ticket off of a guy standing in line. I don't call that fate, I call that the "Spirit Of The BANFF Mountain Film Festival" and that same spirit lives on in all of us today, and we have a choice to listen or not to listen. Let the "Spirit of BANFF" live on :)
A little F.Y.I., I do believe that the winning ticket that I bought off the guy in line said that if I win anything that he wanted the prize, and after the showing he never came to claim his prize. I will take that as a second witness that the "BANFF Spirit" chose me to to win that membership.

Here is another look at the winning ticket, check out those winning number on the right side. That is beauty in of it's self.