Season’s Greeting for 2011
Although fewer and fewer people send Christmas letters anymore., we hold this old tradition as a way to touch base with you. This year was, as is usual, full of changes and challenges for our family. All in all, it was a good 365 days !
We had a lovely Christmas last year with Dave’s family in Charlottetown, PEI. We went to hockey games, shopping trips and enjoyed a blizzard! Jim’s niece Ann came from NB to spent a day with us. It was so nice to see her. Dave is now a relief supervisor with Canada Post. He is enjoying the variety of work in his job. Colleen is busy with her quilting business and does some marketing on the weekends. She also volunteers at the kids’ school. Kylie is in Grade 4. She has a creative spirit and excels at school. Jake is our logical one. He is now in Grade 2 and has discovered his skating legs. He plays hockey and is developing some great skills. He, too, enjoys school. Math seems to be his forte!
Viv and Rick are at their same places of work. Rick is still very busy with his community club offices. Viv still battles her migraines. Matthew is going to high school now. He is enjoying his new classes. His transition was easy as he already knew some of his teachers. As he reaches puberty, his eczema has improved immensely.. He is now able to function so much easier. Yesterday he said, “Now, if only we could fix my heart!” He will need to have a valve replaced but hopefully not yet. He had a stress test done this year and he is now waiting for an invasive procedure.
Lisa changed her workplace this year. She is now an accounts receivable clerk for a trucking company. She has a new fellow in her life. She reconnected with Ed on face book. They were friends in Grade school. Ed’s sister is one of Laurie’s best friends. Alyssa is now in Grade 10, has her learner’s license and is a joy to be with. She still has aspirations to be a doctor. Amanda is living on a farm near Quill Lake with her fellow. She is taking some correspondence courses she needs in order to get back into a nursing program next year. She is working part time in a group home in Humbolt. Dustin is still in the oil servicing industry, He is 26. Imagine! Our oldest grandchild is midway through his twenties.
Laurie and Rod bought a home in Parksville, BC. They moved in early January. I visited them in April. Oh my, they truly are living in the Riviera of Canada! Rod is a mortgage specialist with Scotia Bank. Laurie was contacted by a head hunter and is now the bank manager of the HSBC bank in Nanaimo. Jenna received her master’s degree in geology and is employed by The Athabasca Oil Company. She is now living in Calgary, She is curling out of the Calgary Curling Club and thinks she has found heaven.
In October Laurie, our cousin Elaine and I went to Ireland for a few days. It was an early 70th birthday gift for me, Yep, I turn 70 in June of 2012. We had a wonderful holiday. I especially enjoyed visiting Trinity College in Dublin. This was the school our ancestor Thomas Duke went to about 1820. Then we went to Leitrim where he was born. It was a dream come true for me. I shall never forget it. Of course, the company I kept added to the ambience. There really are many shades of green in Ireland. It is a country of contrasts -grays and greens.
Jim, a very youthful 81 still climbs ladders, gardens, does the lawn work and snow blows our driveway as well as the neighbours. He doesn’t know he supposed to be elderly. LOL He does get tired a little more quickly, imagine that! His leukemia hasn’t progressed. He does have to get regular blood tests though. He keeps threatening not to go as it is a waste of his time!
Jim spends his spare time doing jigsaw puzzles and listening to his country music. I spend mine scrap booking, making cards, genealogy and reading. We will have been married 50 years come April. Jim still drinks tea and I, coffee. We surely aren’t bookends.
We send you our very best wishes for a year full of blessings and good health.
Merry Christmas !
No comments:
Post a Comment