Christmas Blog 2004

Season’s Greetings to Friends and Family for 2004!!

As we enter the holiday season, we once again take stock of the year just past while we look forward to more good fortune in the year ahead. We eagerly anticipate hearing from those of you that also take this opportunity to update us on developments in your families. Now, settle into a comfortable chair and grab a stiff drink so you can handle the excitement of the past year in the Schwartz family.

Glenn and Celeste began the year with a very pleasant week in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic in February. It was so enjoyable that we are going south again this January, this time to Varadero, Cuba. This could become a habit!

In June, Glenn took a familiarization flight through work to visit the Air Traffic Control Tower in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Celeste came along, as planned, but somehow Carla and Laura wormed their way onto the trip. We were there for about four days and toured many of the sites. It is an interesting place to visit and a great time was had by all!

We also traveled to Vancouver in July to visit Darren and Sue for a few days. The weather was very hot while we were there. Just what you want for holidays. We went on an excellent hike through Lynn Canyon and along the Seymour River. On the way to and from Vancouver we squeezed in two very pleasant stops in Kelowna: one with Glenn’s Uncle Adam and Aunt Carol, and the other with Celeste’s Aunt Elaine and Uncle Al.

We still take our almost daily half-hour morning walk, depending on the weather and Glenn’s shifts. On days that we are both off, we stretch it to an hour or more and sometimes go elsewhere in the city to explore new territory. It is the best part of our day. If the stores are open, we sometimes stop in at the new Petland store to look at puppies. It has been five years since our Lucky passed away and it is sure tempting to have a dog in our home again, but we keep coming back to the reality that it just wouldn’t work for us in the near future, much to Laura’s disappointment.

From an occasional topic of conversation twenty months ago, retirement has become a constant subject of discussion. The closer it gets, the more real it becomes. For Glenn, there is a reminder almost every day that, "Next year at this time, I won’t need to worry about that." Whether it is a football game or social event conflicting with a working shift, or a seasonal event or activity at work, there are constant reminders that the time is approaching. When the guys are talking about taking summer holidays or events coming up in the new year, I just sit back and say, "I don’t care." It’s great! I have taken to counting down the months. It is surprising how quickly those numbers get smaller! Celeste is still undecided about her timing. She may go with Glenn. She may work until later in 2005 when she will have additional options in her pension plan. Or she may continue for some time. As Glenn gets more excited about being done, so does she. So I don’t think there will be too much separation.

Accutrak has morphed into a real business with real sales. We hired an experienced businessman to build the business and oversee the day-to-day operations. He has done a great job. Even though Glenn now has fewer duties, the volume of work within those duties has increased, so the overall work load is still high when combined with a full time job and the duties with the family history group. It is a lot of fun though, and we are even starting to get some of our investment back.

Carla and Tyler didn’t make it to the altar this year. With the planned trip to Japan imminent, they felt that they would not have time to plan and execute a wedding before they left. As time went by and nothing happened on the Japan front, it became apparent that they could have pulled it off if they had gone for it at the outset, but that now it was getting too late. In the end, they left for Japan September 28, still unmarried. They arrived in Japan in time to experience a few typhoons and an earthquake, but no harm done. In fact, they didn’t even notice the earthquake while they were in the karaoke club. I’m not sure if the floor shakes in there all the time or if they were so unsteady on their feet that they couldn’t tell. Tyler just landed a one year teaching job from March/05 to March/06. Carla is still part time, but is hopeful that opportunities will open up in the New Year as others finish their commitments and return home. You can follow their escapades at ctjapan.blogspot.com/.

Darren moved out of his bachelor pad and into an apartment with Sue when she returned from Africa. They have the top floor suite in an older three-storey house in the Kitsilano area with a park in the back yard and the beach just a stone’s throw away. It is not cheap, but it is very nice. They are an easy walk from grocery and produce stores and many restaurants. Darren is looking forward to finally graduating and has started his job search. It has been a long haul, but his detours have given him a lot of valuable experience, a solid resumé, and added academic credentials in his Commerce minor. We think he will do well. Sue returned to her previous job in Vancouver. She keeps busy hiking, biking, swimming, and training for a triathlon.

Laura has been doing very well in pharmacy. She has numerous complaints about the instruction of some of the professors and teaching assistants, but, I guess that is what you expect in university for your hard-earned money. She was home for the summer working at the Superstore pharmacy. At the end of the summer, she and Devin ended their relationship. She landed on her feet and now has another boyfriend, Brett, from Lumsden. Seems like a nice young man. She has suddenly become a hockey fan. Could be because Brett plays on the Lumsden team.

Pretty exciting, eh? But who needs excitement? We have been blessed with good fortune and no major bumps in the road. Who could ask for anything more? Here’s hoping that your year has been equally as good and that next year is even better.

Glenn, Celeste, Carla, Darren, & Laura