Happy New Year!

Another year has passed and we've enjoyed a remarkable journey along the way! We mourn the passing of loved ones who graduated to a higher existence during this year. It has been a remarkable treat for us to spend time with you along life's pathway. We are thankful for the blessings of being with so many precious friends at various times and in various places! We wish all people a peaceful and healthful 2017! We have spent this week in Regina. The weather has been mild, but we've been hit by a number of dumps of snow. I've managed to handle the shovel and snowblower as necessary, so it has not been too much of a struggle. Dad has continued to make great progress, and is mostly getting around with his crutches now. This is more convenient for him as the wheelchair makes maneuvering tedious sometimes. Wendy has provided great care for us all. Kristian has spent the week with us, so we've enjoyed time with him and extra time with Erin as she often joined us after work. The markets were only open for three days here, but they were very bad, no good days, so it's just as well. I did not manage to make quota for December or the year, but at least we gained more than we took out, so we're okay so far. The NHL season ended the year with the Penguins securing an overtime win, while the Oilers suffered an overtime loss. Both continue to do well, so I'm encouraged. The Jayhawks are retooling to make up for the loss of their starting centre, but their winning streak continues as they've moved into conference play. Rock Chalk! The World Junior Hockey Championships are underway in eastern Canada; we've been watching quite a bit of hockey as a result. The preliminaries are over, and the playoffs begin tomorrow. Canada has advanced to the medal round. I was also delighted to see Denmark advance to the medal round! 

The Baileys spent most of the holidays on Vancouver Island, and began the trip home today. They enjoyed Christmas with the Bailey family of Victoria. It was a good and relaxing day punctuated by good fellowship, turkey and ham! Eric/A celebrated their 23rd Anniversary on Tuesday taking in Passengers (movie) and dinner out at Montana's. They also scored a set of motorcycle bags on sale to add to their travelling utilities. They rounded out the week with an encounter at Victoria Escape Games. They tried to solve the puzzles, but ended up being killed by poison gas! They wish to give it another try, as it was a lot of fun—I guess, except for the dying part!

Time for another run! 

Erin was back at work for Wednesday through Friday, but still managed to spend time each evening with us, so that was great. Shawn has been suffering with back issues, but assures us that he's making progress on that, even while continuing to work! Astrid and Liam were also under the weather for part of the week, but seem much recovered today. Kristian got out sledding and skating several times this week. 

Trav, Joanna and crew are holding down the fort in Thunder Bay. Trav facetimed me one day to show me the snowfall that was accumulating and get some help with the snowblower. I hope it worked well for them, and that they can avoid too much snowfall. We're surely thankful to have them taking care of things while we're away. It gives us much freedom in our scheduling! Thanks! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Merry Christmas!

Digital Cosmetics courtesy of Travis! 

Merry Christmas! We are spending the festive season on the shore of Lake Wascana in Regina. We drove up here on Sunday, and have had a busy week here. The weather has been very nice, even above zero several days. It has turned colder this weekend, and we even got some fresh snow today. We drove over to Caronport on Tuesday to pick up Liam to begin his holidays. On Tuesday evening, it was Kristian's Christmas Concert at school; we enjoyed it a great deal. On Wednesday evening, we had our Christmas celebration with the Baileys, as they were heading west on Thursday. We took care of Kristian on Thursday and Friday as he was off school, and Erin was still working. The big news of the week here was that Dad was released from William Booth, and is now back home and getting on just fine here. It was a special Christmas present for all of us to have him home. On Friday morning, I was up early (4am) to drive Bern, Alicia and Logan to the airport and the beginning of their trip to Mexico. They arrived there Friday evening and are renewing acquaintances there—Feliz Navidad! Today has been fairly quiet, but Wendy has begun preparations for Christmas dinner that we're expecting tomorrow afternoon. The markets have been troubled this week. After a rally on Monday, they pretty much ran down the rest of the week. I was blessed with a good gain, and stand at quota so far this month, but only have three trading days left this year due to the market holidays on Monday and Tuesday next week. Kansas Jayhawks suffered a big loss as their young 7' centre experienced a season-ending injury. Still, they have continued their winning streak—Rock Chalk! The NHL is on Christmas break; Pittsburgh and Edmonton both sit one point out of first in their respective conferences. 

Kristian and group signing the ASL for their song!

Travis & Joanna are completing preparations and closing up shop for a holiday break. They were down to Minneapolis last weekend for a hockey tournament, and that was a good experience for all, even though they did not win the tournament. We enjoyed celebrating Christmas with them last week. Working life around everyone's schedules is complicated, but we're fortunate to have flexible schedules ourselves. 

And that's about enough for this week! 

News Update

Pretty much healed up—still no hair! 

We've had a cold week here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The cold weather is set to move out this weekend, and along with mild temperatures, they are predicting snow, so, they can at least have a white Christmas here. I'm sure Travis would cheerfully skip that! We're set to leave tomorrow, heading west, so it will be left to Trav and crew to take care of the place and keep the snow cleared. The markets were confusing this week. We've known for some time that there was going to be a rate increase by the US Feds, but somehow investors were still able to act surprised and all indices took a dive! I was able to clear a small gain, but not up to quota. Only two weeks are left in the year, and there are two market holidays after Christmas, so I will need to work harder! I was back to my doctor on Wednesday. My uric acid levels have dropped nicely, so she has reduced my dosage of allopurinol. The pathology report is not back from my surgery, so I'll have to keep waiting on that. In the meantime, I rely on the surgeon's analysis that it was squamous cell carcinoma and that he got all of it! My teams continue to do well in hockey, although Edmonton has fallen back a bit. Pittsburgh in at the top of their division, and the top of the league, although they dropped one tonight to the Leafs! The Jayhawks continue to thrive in NCAA basketball, rattling off another couple of wins this week. 

Erica started the week running Haaken back to Regina for his exams. He wrote Film Studies on Tuesday, and Math today. English and History exams are set for next Tuesday. He is looking forward to the break. Next semester he is only taking three courses, and plans to pick up 2 more over the summer. Liam finished classes this week. He turned in his assignments one day early, with one gift-wrapped for his teacher—literally! Erica picked him up Thursday night so he could make it to the specialist appointment on Friday in Saskatoon. Erica has not seen much of PA this week! The Baileys are planning to see Rogue One this weekend with friends in PA. Erica is dressing as Mon Mothma—that requires a white sheet with rope accents! There's no Han Solo in this one, so Eric is trying to figure out his costume. It appears the rebels all dress like Han Solo, so maybe he won't have to make much of an effort! 

Erin and Kristian have been busy with Christmas activities and preparations. Kristian has been shopping for gifts for his teachers. We look forward to seeing them soon! It has been a difficult week for Shawn; his mother is very ill in hospital and has now been diagnosed with cancer. We have not heard about any treatment options yet. It certainly adds pressure and emotion to a season many already find difficult.

Trav & Joanna have been extra busy trying to complete as many pre-Christmas projects and get the orders delivered. The whole crew is off to Minneapolis this weekend where Trav's hockey team has a tournament and the rest are enjoying the event and the shopping. We had Christmas with them last Sunday—thanks guys! This weekend we're watching over their house, and taking care of the bird and the dog—coulda done without the bird! 

That's about enough for this week! 

News Update

A heart tattoo will clean this up! 

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has turned colder, but we're still waiting for the snow. I got my stitches out on Friday, but there's still a bit of healing left to accomplish. I hope to get the pathology results from my own doctor next Wednesday. When I discussed it with the surgeon on Friday, he was pretty sure it was squamous cell carcinoma, which he's been consistently calling it, so, we'll see. I've been suffering with a cold this week, and it's not loosening its grip on me yet. We remain out of renovation mode, just enjoying living in the house for now. I did add a wireless doorbell for Travis to his office downstairs. The markets are back into rally mode, and I had a good week; I'm back on quota for the month. Wendy has continued to pile up the Christmas baking; I can hardly wait to get at it! I've been watching the National in curling this week. My guy, Kevin Koe, made the playoffs, but lost out. It'll be Reid Carruthers vs Brad Jacobs in the final tomorrow. On the women's side it'll be the Swiss team, Silvana Tirinzoni vs Kerri Einarson. Hockey situations have improved as Oilers and Penguins are back atop their divisions, but there are several other teams challenging them. 

Haaken completed his coursework, and rode home on the bus. He's been studying and preparing for exams which start next week. Liam's toe is improving. He's working through a bunch of assignments due at semester end. Eric continues with work, volunteer boards and busyness. He's feeling a little over committed. Friends are looking for ways to get him kicked off boards, but, so far, they've been unsuccessful! Erica continues to enjoy her work with Deloitte. There are many additional events to attend this time of year. She has been working on a proposal for work; now we're waiting to see if they win the contract. 

Kristian has been working very diligently at his school while he tries to convince his mom that he should get a special Christmas present. I hope he realizes what he's capable of doing all the time and keeps it up as the year progresses. He is having renewed problems evidenced by redness in his eye; we certainly hope that clears up quickly. Haaken has completed classes and is preparing for exams from home in PA. Erin has her work schedule for the holiday period, so we'll try to work our plans around that! Shawn's mom is not doing well, and is in the hospital. Erin is helping out where she can. 

Trav & Joanna are very busy with hockey team pictures and production related to that. This week they took photos of their 87th team of the season! We are planning our Christmas celebration with them tomorrow, featuring the traditional Chinese food dinner! During the week, we moved the treadmill over to the new house. That was quite an effort, but Gemma is now enjoying being able to work out. We're also celebrating Andrew's birthday tomorrow. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

My question!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We started the week with torrential rainfall (78mm on Monday alone) that washed the snow away—pretty strange way to end November! I have continued to convalesce with my post-surgery healing process. It is going well; I was back to the surgeon on Thursday for a follow-up. He thinks it's healing well, and has scheduled me for next Friday to remove the stitches. I have an appointment with my own doctor on the 14th, at which time, I hope to get the pathology results. We haven't really gotten back into the renovation groove. I have contracted a plumber to arrange for the replacement of our main shut-off valve on the water mainline. He's promised to get that done before we have to leave for Regina. We've also begun clearing out some extra furniture downstairs. Today, we hauled a couch to the Restore. The markets have been bad this week, and while I completed November on quota, I am in the red for December so far. Wendy has been working on a few small cleanup projects. We've thought about getting back into drywalling, but even the thought makes us tired! The week began with the Grey Cup game and Ottawa surprised most of the country, including me, and especially Calgary, by winning the game! This week has been the Canada Cup of curling, so I've been busy keeping track of that. My guy, Kevin Koe, did not make the playoffs. It'll be Gushue vs Carruthers on the men's side, and Jones vs Homan on the women's side. The championship games go tomorrow. The Jayhawks are playing some decent basketball in this early season and I expect them to be elevated to #2 in the NCAA rankings. NHL play is starting to create more interest, although Oilers and Penguins have both fallen back a bit in their divisional standings. 

Eric and Liam made a trip to the podiatrist on Monday. Liam's toe has now been fixed! Eric returned him to school on Monday. Erica had a trip to Toronto for training at Deloitte University. She took the opportunity to take in the Raptors game against the 76ers; the Raptors put on a good show. Erica had a good seat to enjoy it. Haaken is almost finished semester classes. He finishes on Tuesday, and then he'll need to prepare for exams. This weekend they're back in Regina to pick up Liam for the follow-up appointment on his toe. These folks do not spend much time at home!

Erin scored a new iPhone as well. Hers is a rose-gold colour, and Wendy is looking forward to the hand-me-down! Kristian is enjoying his bowling practice and games. He also scored a coup in Math this week, as he showed initiative, did the extra work, and was rewarded with a high grade—congratulations Kristian! 

Trav & Joanna continue to be very busy—too busy! They're trying to get caught up with all the pre-Christmas business; it's a good problem to have! The whole crew had us over for a pizza/birthday celebration on Sunday for Trav's birthday—that was nice! They've also made it out for a couple of movie nights with the whole crew; Wendy joined them to see Moana! 

And that's about enough for this week.