Another year draws to a close

I just re-read my last post and time now seems to be flying exponentially, getting faster and faster. The last 3 months have been a blur. French exchange student, Sam Doiron, has come and gone and was a great addition to our family. He was very social and made lots of friends. It helped that his English was almost as good as most Anglophone students. Vicki just got her report card back and her average is 87%. Dan is also doing well in school with his average just shy of 90%.

Andrew celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday. Once again, it is amazing how fast time flies. The past 21 years seems like a blur to me. From living at 597 Queen Street with the guys, to moving to the basement of 597 Queen Street to be with Cheryl, moving to the family wing of Blanchard Hall, scrambling like mad to complete our degrees while raising a child, to buying a house at 23 Corrigan Court, and then moving to Candlelight Park. So many great memories. I have said it to various people over the years, but I believe that parenthood is a long process of slowly letting go. Gradually allowing your kids more and more freedom and independence until they are ready to let go and do their own thing. At 21, I think Andrew is pretty much ready. Although he doesn't do things the way that I would, he has certainly proven that he is prepared to face the world. He found out last night (on his birthday) that Holland College has received his application and they are reviewing it for entry into the computer networking program in September. Fingers crossed.

The next few months should be interesting as Cheryl & prepare to celebrate our 20th anniversary with a trip south with friends. Dan leaves february 1 to go to Quebec for 3 months, and Vicki will be heading to Montreal & Ottawa with a school trip in June.

Time Flies....

Well, that seems to be my new mantra.. "time flies". I think its one of those sayings that I have always brushed off as banter in the same way that we say "How are you?", "I'm fine". But lately, I am starting to see the depth of this statement. On a basic level, I can't believe it's been almost 3 months since I have written here, but on a deeper level, I am starting to realize that the older I get, the faster time seems to go. When I was young I used to dread long days in classes, and long work days that never seemed to end, but lately I find the hours in a day, the days in the week, and even the months seem to fly by. I am really trying to enjoy the present as I realize that the kids are growing fast and are now at an age where they have their own lives, their own agendas and their own priorities. All part of the natural process, but disconcerting nonetheless.

Ok, enough philosophizing. Here is my take on the last 3 months. The summer was a blur, with Dan gone to cadet camp for 6 weeks and Vicki babysitting and volunteering at camp seggie for much of the summer. Overall, it was a quiet summer with Cheryl and I having a lot of time with just the 2 of us. The cottage with Mark & Cathy, Rob & Andrea was fun, but a little different this year. It's great having friends to travel and hang with, but it is tough that our kids are not the same age. I'm thinking that maybe next summer we will look at taking a family vacation of our own so that we can do older kid things with our kids such as hiking and kayaking. Very interested in heading up to Fundy sometime. The cottage was great this year though, with a great games room in the basement with a pool table, ping pong table and dart board. We took Vicki on a pontoon boat ride for her birthday and went to Oak Lawn zoo. What a great value for the money at Oak Lawn Zoo. We also attended both Paul & Alanna, and Greg & Karen's weddings. It was a good trip, but very busy. In retrospect, bookending the trip with the 2 weddings was an awful lot to try to cram in to one big trip. We were exhausted when we landed home, travelling home in a major thunderstorm.

So the school year has started back up and things are busy here, including our new exchange student Sam. He is a very social guy and he and Dan seem to be getting along great as they are both interested in drama and improv. So far we have taken Sam to Green Gables House, Basin Head, Popalopalots improv comedy, and we have plans to attend a few more events. He is here until November 30th and it is hard to believe his time is almost half gone. Again, time flies. Andrew has decided not to go back to UPEI, but instead to work for a year and head to Holland College next fall for a computer networking technology course. I hope all works out for him, but I am nervous that he will squander this year as he is not into any activities outside of the house. Vicki is back into bluephins swimming and is doing well as she has been bumped up to TAG this year. Dan is into cadets, and is trying for his glider's licence. He will also be heading to Quebec for 3 months in February. Should be a quiet winter for us.

Quiet Summer

Wow... it's hard to believe that it's been over 4 months since I posted here.  The time has just flown by.  It has been a very quiet and relaxing summer so far.  Daniel is away at cadet camp for 6 weeks, Andrew is working full-time, and Vicki is babysitting and volunteering at Camp Seggie, so it has been a very quiet summer for Cheryl & I.  Watching friends and family as they deal with young children, I am reminded of how far we have come over the past 20 years.  It is so nice to be through that stage of life.  Overall, my kids are well-adjusted and seem to be heading in positive directions which leaves time for Cheryl & I to reconnect and enjoy some alone time.  It is strange to think that as for pretty much as long as Cheryl & I have been together we have had kids around.  That time is changing fast as the kids get older and blaze their own trails.  I love the kids, but it is so nice to be able to go for a drive, or go to dinner and not have to worry about them.  I am really looking forward to this next stage of life where we can focus on our own interests. 

With Dan away and Andrew working, it has been a nice summer with Vicki.  We have been to the beach several times this summer and I am trying to make every effort to be there for Vicki as I realize that she, too, is growing up and will be wanting to work full-time soon enough.  Our "family time" has become rarer so whenever we have the 5 of us around, I am trying to make every effort to have family dinners, family trips, outings etc. 

I'm looking forward to our cottage week at the end of the summer with Mark & Cathy. It's so nice to have this annual tradition to look forward to each summer and something to look forward to on those long days at work when the sun is shining and I would rather be at the beach. 

Ya mon....

Well, it's over.  It was an amazing, much-needed week.  But now it's over.  Highlights of the week included climbing Dunns River Falls, the Catamaran Tour, Snorkling, the amazing jerk chicken, the great restaurants, the rum, rum cream, and of course the great friends that made it out with us this year.  Jason, Beth, Willy, Kelly, Martin, Nadine, and Martin's friends Eugene & Brynne made it out for a few days.

At some point during the week I commented to Cheryl that you get out of the trip what you need to get out of it.  In previous years we have partied hard, but this year for us it was more about rest and relaxation and re-connecting.  Don't get me wrong, we still partied, but I really felt older somehow this year.  Not in a bad way, but I just felt that what I needed this year was a bit different.  Not sure what this means, but wanted to note it here.

Already looking forward to next year!  (Oh yeah, the pic above is the view from our room 16509)

240 hours to go....

240 hours until we leave for Jamaica.  I can't wait.  I don't think I have ever been this antsy to travel south.   2012 was a pretty crazy year and we didn't end up travelling south, which makes the buildup that much greater this year.  I have come to realize that it's not just about the 7 days away from everything, but it's about the 2-3 months of planning and reading reviews and thinking about the trip when I am having a bad day.  It's also about the stories that I will tell for months after the trip.  But most of all it's about getting away and re-connecting with Cheryl.  I find that we get so wrapped up in our day-to-day routine that we don't have time to relax.  I mean, really relax, not just vegging at home.  I know that we only have a few more years of the kids being kids, but I am finding things extremely busy lately with activities, sports, dentist appointments, plays, clubs and chauffeuring.  It has been great that Cheryl can work from home and handle many of the pick-ups and drop-offs.  It seems like every day is a constant barrage of logistics as we try to cram more events into a tight schedule. 

On a more positive note, the plays that Daniel & I are performing in have been a huge success.  2 sold out shows and 1 more re-scheduled show remains on friday.  There was a great article in The Guardian about Dan & I acting together.  http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Arts/Entertainment/2013-02-08/article-3173322/Acting-out-together/1.

Also, I survived my booze-free January and managed to drop a few pounds over the course of the month.  I am hoping to run the freeze your gizzard half marathon in a few days, weather pending. 

New Year

Well, it's my first post of the new year and things are going well.  Our New Year's Eve Party was a great success will smaller numbers this year.  Roughly 20-25 people showed up and we had a great time.  As I get older, it is becoming quality over quanity at our New Year's party and I enjoy having time to talk to everyone during the course of the evening. 

I started the new year out by Shaving my head and going booze-free.... just for January this year.  I am also running regularly and I'm hoping to run the Freeze your Gizzard Half Marathon in February.  I am also hoping to be in good shape for my 40th birthday as well as our trip to Jamaica on February 22.  Looking forward to our trip to the Grand Bahia Principe in Runaway Bay, Jamaica.  So far Cheryl & I, Jason & Beth, and Willy & Kelly have booked and it looks like Martin & Nadine might join us.  I really noticed how much it affected me skipping our trip in 2012.  It is as much the 2-3 month build-up to the trip and the 2 months of telling stories after the trip that I missed as much as the trip itself.  This will be our 10th trip down south and it is shaping up to be a great crew.  I love travelling with 6-8 people as the group dynamic seems to work out well. 

Still looking forward to acting with Dan in our plays on February 7-9.  It is going to be a pretty busy month with rehearsals.

One major negative is that Mom is not doing well.  Her COPD is getting worse and she is having trouble moving around.  Her energy levels are low and she is on oxygen 24/7.  I don't know what this means or if she will recover, but I am struggling with how to be there to support her.  In talks with Jackie, we are all trying to be there as much as we can for mom and are trying to organize some family dinners to get everyone together.  Fingers crossed that Mom is able to fight through this.