Greetings to all for Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.
Our 2008 newsletter actually begins on November 30, 2007. We were curling at the Accutrak company Christmas party when Glenn took a tumble, breaking his collar bone and cracking his wrist. The orthopaedic surgeon who looked at the collar bone recommended surgery to tie the pieces of the broken bone together because he thought they were too separated to heal properly otherwise. Six weeks in a cast and sling was followed by several more weeks of regaining the strength and range of motion. They were not close to normal until spring and there are still occasions when it is apparent that they are not quite 100%. Glenn is done with Accutrak now. The big equipment dealers shut us out of their dealerships and we had no way to distribute any more.
The highlight of our year was our July houseboating trip on Shuswap Lake in B.C. The whole gang was able to make it for a week of reconnecting and relaxing. Darren has been away from home for ten years now. (Can it really be that long?) Over the last six years, Carla and Tyler spent a year in Australia and New Zealand and almost four years in Japan. Although we have all been together on various occasions, such as holidays and weddings, the occasion itself dominated our time together. On this occasion, the focus was just hanging out together, and we had a blast. We usually began the day with a refreshing dip in the lake. Reading seemed to be the favourite morning activity. We spent the afternoons in the water. In the evenings we usually played cards or board games. You could find us in the hot tub at any given time on any given day. Despite occasional motion sickness for Laura and Carla and a broken finger for Tyler (Don’t ask!), we all had a great time.
We had not planned to do a winter holiday this year, partly because of Glenn’s injury, and partly because Glenn was arranging another group tour to Serbia and Romania in May and June. But Glenn’s sister Gail and her husband Dale invited us along on a trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica at Easter. We enjoyed a very pleasant and relaxing week in the sun. Soon after returning, we visited Darren and Sue in Vancouver for a few days.
Our 2008 newsletter actually begins on November 30, 2007. We were curling at the Accutrak company Christmas party when Glenn took a tumble, breaking his collar bone and cracking his wrist. The orthopaedic surgeon who looked at the collar bone recommended surgery to tie the pieces of the broken bone together because he thought they were too separated to heal properly otherwise. Six weeks in a cast and sling was followed by several more weeks of regaining the strength and range of motion. They were not close to normal until spring and there are still occasions when it is apparent that they are not quite 100%. Glenn is done with Accutrak now. The big equipment dealers shut us out of their dealerships and we had no way to distribute any more.
The highlight of our year was our July houseboating trip on Shuswap Lake in B.C. The whole gang was able to make it for a week of reconnecting and relaxing. Darren has been away from home for ten years now. (Can it really be that long?) Over the last six years, Carla and Tyler spent a year in Australia and New Zealand and almost four years in Japan. Although we have all been together on various occasions, such as holidays and weddings, the occasion itself dominated our time together. On this occasion, the focus was just hanging out together, and we had a blast. We usually began the day with a refreshing dip in the lake. Reading seemed to be the favourite morning activity. We spent the afternoons in the water. In the evenings we usually played cards or board games. You could find us in the hot tub at any given time on any given day. Despite occasional motion sickness for Laura and Carla and a broken finger for Tyler (Don’t ask!), we all had a great time.
We had not planned to do a winter holiday this year, partly because of Glenn’s injury, and partly because Glenn was arranging another group tour to Serbia and Romania in May and June. But Glenn’s sister Gail and her husband Dale invited us along on a trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica at Easter. We enjoyed a very pleasant and relaxing week in the sun. Soon after returning, we visited Darren and Sue in Vancouver for a few days. 
At the end of May, we were off on the group tour. Celeste came along on this trip, bringing the total participants to thirteen. We had great weather and a lot of fun getting to know the rest of the group on the three week bus tour. The highlight was attending Mass in the church of our forefathers. They could never have imagined that their descendants would gather there 100 years after they had left forever. In September, Glenn reported on the trip at a genealogy conference in Oregon.Celeste flew to Ottawa for the last week of November to visit her sister, Angie, and family. Then Angie and the kids flew back with her for an early Kuntz Christmas celebration and a week of visiting. Angie now has two kids under two, so she needs some help to travel. Nephew Daniel Hebert will fly back to Ottawa with them. Frank stayed home to finish up a bunch of renovation projects. Our last event of the year will be a short trip to Vancouver in early December to visit Darren and Sue.
Laura had plenty to report in 2008! In January, she and Brett took a holiday in Orlando. In May she adopted a puppy (Charlie) from a farm near Lemberg. We all spent the summer enjoying its antics and coping with its learning curve. In September, Laura and Brett went to New York and came back engaged. They have planned the wedding for October 10, 2009. And, finally, on October 25 they moved into the house that Laura put a down payment on in March, 2007. We have spent a fair bit of time in the last few weeks helping them to get settled. We will sure miss Charlie…, and Laura and Brett too. They are only a few blocks away, so I am sure we will see a lot of them.
Darren and Sue had big news this year – they are going to make us grandparents in early February, 2009!! We may be more excited than they are! They remodelled their condo during the spring and summer, moving the kitchen, among other things. We are looking forward to seeing the results in person.
Darren was away in Brazil for much of the year helping to oversee implementation of Cominco’s refining process in a new plant in the middle of the jungle. He was there for six weeks before our Shuswap trip and returned immediately after for another six week tour. During his next break, Sue joined him and they travelled around Brazil for three or four weeks. Then Darren did another six week tour, returning on Remembrance Day. He returned to an empty home, however, as Sue earned an assignment in New Zealand, leaving almost immediately upon returning from Brazil. She will be back in early December. That is one busy couple!
Tyler finished his teaching contract in Japan in March and Carla left her job in April. They then toured around Japan for several weeks, arriving home on June 19. They took the summer off to acclimatize. Carla is still acclimatizing, although she has been accepted into a SIAST program about managing computer networks that starts next fall. Tyler started working at Global TV in September on the production side of the local news, but his job will be transferred to Calgary in March. He is planning to attend SIAST in Moose Jaw to become an electrician. We have very much enjoyed having them around the last few months after they had been away so long. With Laura now gone, it would be pretty lonely here without them. We hope we can help them get back on their feet back here in Canada.
Glenn’s Mom and Dad bought a condo under construction. It will probably be ready in January. We have been helping to clean out fifty years of accumulated stuff from the house and garage. I am a bit surprised that they bought into the idea, but they are excited about it now.
That about does it for our year. Once again, best wishes to all for Christmas and the New Year.
Glenn, Celeste, and family
No comments:
Post a Comment