Cat Fight

So we just finished our run of "cat fight", one of 4 plays that Rob MacDonald wrote and directed.  It was a lot of fun and it was great to see how another director operates.  It was interesting in this show as Rob was very close to the material, having written and directed it.

It has been a crazy November so far with lots of snow and already 3 storms.  Supposedly, it is going to be a long storm-filled winter.  Good thing we are looking at heading south for our 25th anniversary in February.  We haven't booked it yet, but we are looking at heading back to Puerto Plata village which was the first trip south that we took 15 years ago.  Reviews show it as being a bit run down and outdated, but we are hoping that the nostalgic feelings might compensate for that.

Different Seasons....

And now it is fall.  I can't believe that I haven't posted since July.  It was a pretty quiet summer over all with the kids working and Cheryl and I doing our own thing.  We made it out to Point Prim Chowder House and had lots of beach walks with Molly.   The highlight of the summer for me was seeing Jesus Christ Superstar at Confed Centre.  It was brilliant. 

So it is fall now and the kids are back in school and Cheryl is teaching as well as back at UPEI.  We have tickets to see Trevor Noah in Halifax in November and I am acting in a one-act play that Rob MacDonald wrote.  Should be a fund fall/winter.

It will be our 25th anniversary in February.  Hard to believe.  We had talked about hosting an open house to celebrate, but I think we might look at a trip south instead.

Happy Canada Day

What a whirlwind few weeks it has been since I last posted.  We hosted our annual Canada Day Party and Washer Toss tournament with our biggest crowds yet.  16 teams of doubles plus many others who didn't play in the tournament.  New additions this year to the event were Nancy & Alan who had never been to our house, Donna & Jack, Chris & Aislinn and kids and a few of Cheryl's knitting crowd as well.

Bob & Wade beat Vicki & I in the final of the tournament again this year to reclaim the green jackets. 

We also hosted a Wartman family jam on July 7th which turned out amazing.  Lots of good music and food and we filmed much of the day so that it can be passed down to the next generation.  I am hoping to compile the entire series of video clips and have it ready for everyone for Christmas.  Olivia was a big help for this with her great video skills and probing questions.  The video should turn out well. 

I took some time off and just spent some time by myself at home doing some cleaning including cleaning out the barn which was a big chore.  Thank god for the van as I took one massive load of garbage to the dump.

On July 14, we had a mini-reunion in Summerside with Kilby, Randy & Jamie, Randy Burrows and Cynthia and Ross.  It was nice to connect with everyone but it is really interesting to see the different directions we all headed since high school.

The rest of the summer will be busy as I will be acting Manager for 5 weeks and will be off for a week and a half which will take us to the end of the summer.

Dan & Vicki are having a good summer.  We hardly see Dan as he is in Georgetown all week and only home on weekends.  Vicki is learning the pitfalls of being middle management having to deal with both her boss and the staff at the Cornwall pool. 

Country Roads.... take me home

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOJvp6_TYm4

It has been a busy few weeks.  Dad and I finally recorded Country Roads after getting bumped a few times.  The result was spectacular.  Jon Matthews is an amazing engineer able to tweak the vocals and the guitar and make it all sound great.  The only problem, as I said to Dad, is we will never sound this good again :)

Dan finished up an a few week engineering job on the bypass near our house, he bought a 2006 Pontiac g6 and starts another job with eastern fabricators in Georgetown today.  He will be staying with Joan while he is working there for the summer, but plans to be home on weekends.

Vicki is still working at the CARI pool but also starts soon as head lifeguard at the cornwall pool for the summer. 

Cheryl and I went for a drive yesterday and met Sean Nason in Moncton for lunch and drinks while he was down east doing work.  Had a great time with him and also visited Steve & Debbie at their new apartment.

We also made it out to the Dunk on the Dixon Road with Bruce & Gloria and Bruce's brother Mark.  Overall, it was a pretty busy weekend.

The summer is looking quiet but good.  We are heading away this weekend on a winery tour of the Annapolis with Gerard & Rhea, Kelly & Willy, Jason & Beth and some other friends of Rhea's.  Should be fun.   We also have our Canada Day party coming up as well as the "Wartman Party" where Dad and I plan to play a bunch of the old songs we used to sing.

Do you want to build a snowman?

Just realized I haven't posted in a while.  It has been a crazy few weeks.  I was acting Atlantic manager for my department and we have a new boss who is much more demanding than our previous boss.  All that to say, I have been busier at work than I can ever remember. 

That said, we have a busy week ahead socially.  We are going to see the British Comedian Jimmy Carr tomorrow night, taking the kids to burger love at mavors, hosting a bbq at our place on Saturday, going to see Keir's play Skin Flick Friday night and going out to Willy & Kelly's parents farm on Saturday night.  On top of that, Dad and I are recording Country Road with Jon Matthews on Tuesday night.  Lots going on.

First, though I have to get through the next 2 days.  The new boss is coming to PEI and we are touring around meeting key stakeholders.

The semester ended for Dan & Vicki and they are just waiting for their marks.  Although it was not a bad winter weather-wise, the winter seemed to drag on up until the last few days.  We are finally getting into double digits.

Overall, things are going well with plans for our new years party and a special July 7 party to try to re-create the old wartman parties we used to have when Dad and I would play guitar and the kids would sing and dance on Osborne St. 

So far we don't have plans for the summer.  Just a quiet and relaxing time at this point.

Keep on truckin...

It has been a busy couple of months.  My play went well and got great reviews.  It is a lot of fun.  So much so, that I am thinking about directing a piece if they do it again.  Possible shows include WKRP, Cheers, Simpsons, or others. 

I have been exercising regularly and attending my exercise class for blood pressure. It has been a great support and my blood pressure is down significantly and I feel much better. Bill Courtney is also in the group and we have agreed to go walking/biking after the course is over.

Cheryl and I celebrated our 24th anniversary by going out to dinner and then to a private Amanda Jackson concert at a homestead in Stratford.  It was really nice.  It would be great to do something special next year for 25.

Not much else going on right now.  Just plugging away at work and waiting for the weather to warm up.  All in all, it has been a pretty good winter so far.  Which is good considering we are not going south this year.

New Year.... new plans....

Well, we had a great Christmas and new years as always.  Things were a bit different this year as Andrew didn't come home for Christmas and both Dan & Vicki were busy with their significant others.  It was still really nice, but very quiet. 

Our New Years party went well with approximately 25 people in attendance.  Jason & Beth made it over from Halifax this  year as a surprise.

With the dawning of the new year, I have a couple of projects on the horizon.  I booked Dad & I a session with Jon Matthews to record Country Road, so I am trying to get back to playing a bit more guitar to prepare for this.  Dad was pretty excited to received this gift.  Looking forward to the recording.  I am also part of Raised on TV again.  This year I am playing Cousin Larry from the show Perfect Strangers.  I loved this show growing up, so this is going to be fun.  I am also part of a study at UPEI on high blood pressure and exercise.  I have been going to sessions for the past couple of weeks and I am hoping that it is the kick in the butt I need to get back to the gym more regularly. 

Here's to a great 2018!