News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been cooler, but warmed up a bit today. We've enjoyed a quiet week. I thought about doing a bit of bus driving, but they've given away my old route, and I'm not eager for the frustrations of subbing on several runs for the short time we have before heading south. The markets have continued to be very volatile and posted wide variations this week before settling for losses. I had a good day Friday and managed to turn in an overall gain for the week, but it has left me far short of my quota for the month and with only two market days left! On Friday, we learned of the passing of one of our long time Thunder Bay friends, so, that was a sad note. In curling, Mike McEwen won the Elite 10, and the Swiss beat Jennifer Jones to win the women's world championship. Today, the men's world championship began with Pat Simmons beating US in their opening draw—Go Canada, Go! Kansas lost out in NCAA basketball, so that eases that part of my schedule. I'll cheer for Gonzaga for so long as they last. Baseball is almost ready to start their season, while hockey is ending the regular season. It's a busy time of the year to be a sports fanatic! And, I have to give a nod to my friend Philip as his team faces the Aussies in the World Cup final in cricket! 

Eric/A and Haaken had a quiet week after returning Liam to school on Sunday. This weekend they're all together in Regina again. Liam is training for Young Friends/LST trip to Estonia; Eric is enjoying Spring Renewal; Erica and Haaken are along for the ride! They enjoyed a nice visit with Erin and Kristian today. There was good news and not-so-good news on Haaken's post-secondary applications. He has received acceptance into the Summer program at Capilano University, but he did not get early acceptance into the Fall 2D program. However, he can apply again during the next round in April. We pray he will find success there. 

Erin and Kristian are working to overcome his latest illness and make better progress on his school work. They had parent-teacher conferencing this week and are considering options for getting Kristian an improved placement for the rest of the year and next year. This weekend, they're enjoying Spring Renewal and the many family and friends who have gathered in Regina. 

Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew have returned from holidays and are back to their regular activities. Trav's hockey team lost the first two games of the semi-final series and are now on the comeback trail. Andrew had a wrestling tournament on Thursday where he won two matches. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued to be lovely, and the lawns are showing up once again. We did not have nearly as much snow here this winter, so I did not have to shovel off the trampoline, and it's now ready for action. The deck has cleared, and we celebrated the arrival of Spring with our first barbecue last evening. The markets have continued to be in turmoil. Our poor economic picture left the TSX down 2% for the month, while US indices are celebrating all time highs. It was a better week, and markets surged after the US Fed announcement on rates, so I had another good week, and am almost at quota. I'm having an overload of sports: World Curling is coming to an end with Canada (Jones) playing for gold tomorrow; March Madness is underway with Kansas getting a #2 seed, and winning their first game, while one of the #1 seeds has been knocked out; Elite 10 is running on the curling tour with Koe losing in the semi-final this evening up in Fort McMurray—McEwen plays Edin in the final. We've also been working on renovations. I've installed the electrical and water lines for the fridge downstairs and reinstalled the ceiling tiles. 

Haaken has begun work on another animation project. He is also preparing a production schedule for completing his school work and also looking for a job. Eric and Erica celebrated her birthday on Wednesday with a dinner at a local fancy restaurant. Then, they enjoyed a birthday cake back home with Haaken. Eric made a presentation to a class on arguing. He enjoyed it and thinks it went well. Liam made a surprise visit home on Friday. It is great to have the whole family under one roof! 

Kristian has suffered some more health issues as he took ill at school on Thursday and had to be taken home. He seems to be doing better this weekend and even recorded a song for us today. 

Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew have been away all week in the Toronto area. We expect them home tomorrow evening. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed, and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior where the women are strong, the men are handsome, and all the children are above average! After enjoying the generous hosting at Dad's, we set out on Thursday and drove across the prairies and into northern Ontario. The roads and weather were favourable, and we rolled into our own driveway about 1am Friday morning to a warm welcome from the family and menagerie here! There's a new bird since we left, a yellow budgie that chirps in a friendly manner—a marked contrast to the screeching of the scarlet conure when she wants our attention! The markets have continued to be volatile, and all North American indices are down 2% or worse this month. I was blessed with a great week, recovering from the mess of the first week of March, but I'm still below quota for the month. The Brier ended on Sunday, and I delighted in the win by Pat Simmons. Today, the women's world championships began with a win over Finland. I'll be following that this week. US college basketball teams were making their final pleas in conference tournaments. Sadly, my Jayhawks did not finish on a high note, losing the championship game to Iowa State. Now, I'll be watching to see how the brackets fill out. I'm expecting the Jayhawks to be a #3 seed. 

Eric/A, Haaken and Liam were with us on Sunday, but then headed out to deliver Liam to Caronport, and return home to Prince Albert. They're back at work and school now. Haaken continues to work on two on-line courses. 

We enjoyed spending time with Erin and Kristian while we were in Regina. This week, Kristian was back at school, but we still were able to enjoy evening visits. 

Trav, Joanna and the crew flew out Friday morning to spend time over the March break with family in the Toronto area. Trav's team won their opening round of the playoffs in straight games, so they have a bit of break now before the semi-final round. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

We started the week on the shore of Lake Okanagan with John & Marion—thanks again! We enjoyed reunion with several friends at church in Vernon, and then headed east. After stopping over night in Canmore, we completed the trip to Regina on Monday! The weather continually degraded as we journeyed east, and the highway was slippery in drifting snow between Swift Current and Regina. Several semis and other vehicles were in the ditches. We have endured sufficient winter weather already, and are glad to see it break and are enjoying above zero temperatures this weekend. We are also enjoying the warm hospitality of Uncle Dave and Dad—thanks a lot! Today marked Dad's 90th birthday, and there was a large family gathering to celebrate the occasion. We also noted Wendy's 65th birthday (Monday), and Erica's birthday (March 18th).  Strong economic data out of the US has convinced investors that the stimulus tap will be turned off, so the markets have been terrible this week. All indices are down, and so am I. Brier Curling has been running all week, and I've been enjoying that. My favourite, Kevin Koe, did not make the playoffs, but my sentimental favourite, Saskatchewan's Steve Laycock, did. He will play in the bronze medal game tomorrow morning, while another Saskatchewan native, Pat Simmons, playing as Team Canada, will tangle with Brad Jacobs in the final. I'll be cheering for Pat, but I expect Brad to win it all once again. 

We brought Haaken back with us from BC. Eric/A and Liam joined us here this weekend to take part in the birthday celebrations, so the family is together again. Tomorrow they will drop off Liam at Caronport and return with Haaken to Prince Albert. It has been good to spend these two months with Haaken. 

Kristian spent most of the week with us as he recovered from Chicken Pox. He has been vaccinated against it, but it seems a new strain is out there, so the Health people asked for him to come in and donate some blood so the could study this new variant. Erin got back to work after spending Monday at home with Kristian, and spent most of her off-work hours over here, so we've enjoyed catching up. 

Travis, Joanna and crew are definitely looking forward to the end of winter. The weather has broken there as well, and we hope it will continue to be mild and the snow will be melting away. This evening they joined in the birthday celebrations via FaceTime; it was good to talk with them. Trav's team ended the season tied for first place, and now begins the playoff run. We hope it goes well! Andrew is in wrestling now, and looks forward to his first tournament. 

And that's about enough for this week.