Welcome
to our little bubble....
|
Christmas
Letter 1997
Season’s Greetings!! December
17, 1997
Well, another year has
gone by... alittle too quick for me! Thought I’d try and start another new tradition. A friend
from work had given me this idea and I thought I could use it too. An overall
look at the happenings of the whole year. What a concept! This is like having a
synopsis from a diary. Now YOU get a sneak peek! Ha! Well.... here
goes.... Since dating Craig over a year
ago, in chronological order, here’s what has happened...
Major family disruption
between Craig & I with Sue & Mark - no details to be provided... you
probably already have heard bits and pieces of it anyways
Had a new driveway put
in. Now people (up to 5 can fit) can park in our driveway without the fear of
getting mud all over their car or scraping the bottom of their car on the ‘roller coaster’.
Darlene moved in with us
during March Break. She and the boys had begged to come live with us. We said
it would be OK by us but that we were NOT going to be playing any games - such
as - the Yo-yo effect (moving back & forth between parents). This was to be
a one shot deal and there was no going back. Unfortunately, Darlene wants to
move back with her mom (to get away from her brothers). This is still in the
works. Not sure how it’s going to end up.
Craig bought me an
engagement ring before Easter. Big and beautiful. First time I really ever got
one! I guess he’s
really THAT serious about me.... and I’m nuts about him too! Oh, and Chuck’s going to be my Best
Man or Maid of Honour (whichever way you want to look at it!) tee hee...
Craig’s boys, Adam (10) and
Mason (6) had moved in with us in mid June. They got Lennon’s old bedroom downstairs
and we put their bunk beds in the corner. Now they’ve got lots of room.
Just needs a nightlite so they can see going up the stairs in the middle of the
night.
Went on a summer
holiday... The whole family! Dropped off Lennon to his Dad’s in Toronto, dropped
off Darlene, Adam, & Mason in Tweed at Craig’s parent’s place. Then Craig & I went to see the sights
in Ottawa. We stayed at Carlton University and spent lots of time with my
friend Dorothy. Some of these sights she had never been to before. We went to
Parliament Hill (also saw the Cat sanctuary), the Royal Canadian Mint, the War
museum, the museum of Science & Technology. Went to the Rideau Centre and
found a really unique restaurant that caters to your every need. Then we went
to Montreal. We had a fantastic time there too! We stayed at Guy’s and Bernadette’s place while Guy took
us around town. We saw the ‘Just for Laughs’ festival, went to a female impersonator’s night club show, have
fun in Old Montreal watching the street performers (especially enjoyed the
human statues), and had dinner at Roger’s & Jacqueline’s place in Anjoue. We had a lot of fun! ‘Make a Wish!’...
Registered all the kids
in school for September: Lennon at Catholic Central High School (Gr.11),
Darlene at Central High School (Gr.9), Adam & Mason at Lorne Ave. Public
School. Darlene is even in the school band! Went to see her in concert in Dec.
(she plays the saxophone) (she also plays guitar at home)
Darlene’s graduation was a lot
of fun for her.... she bought a new dress, had her hair done up nice, her aunts
rented her, and some cousins & friends, a limo to show up in, and later
they all went out for dinner at Samuel’s. Lennon & I went to the ceremony. (all this
for only great 8’s!)
- 1 -
Bought a truck! Wow...
now we have two vehicles!! All we need is to get plates & insurance on
it.... that’s
all.... sounds simple enough! Unfortunately, it’s been sitting in the driveway for about 3
weeks... ‘come-on
Craig.... get moving.... now we’ll be able to cart home all that lumber and
drywall for all the work we intend on doing to the house... can hardly wait for
that second bathroom, the new deck with sliding patio doors, the new shed,
finishing the rec room, among other things... this place will look GREAT by the
time we finish everything.... it just takes time.... AND MONEY!!!
Talking about home
improvements.... we had four new windows put in (3 in basement & 1 in
kitchen). They look great and now there’s no draft coming through them. YIPPEEE!! We also
had some insulation put in the attic (there was none!). Took the guys only 20
minutes and they were DONE! I’ve been checking out heating bills and with the
programmable thermostat we put in last year, our bills have been cut down to
over 1/3 since last year!! Amazing what the difference is. It has already paid
for itself....
As a lot of you know,
Craig & I are getting married July 18/98. We’ve been very busy getting things organized for
this... Just another excuse for a major party!! anyways, we now have the hall
booked at the German/Canadian Club, the church is booked at CPRI’s St.Luke’s in the Garden Chapel,
and it’s
still in the works for a Stag & Doe. Time seems to be going so fast that
the BIG day will be upon us in no time flat!
With all the extra
curricular activities that I organize at work, it finally paid off. Most of
what I had done was for the United Way.
I’ve been doing this for
four years now and I have just received
a very nice plaque from them stating that they appreciate all the work that I’ve done.... it’s so nice to be
appreciated!
Carol (my sister) had
done a marvelous job organizing our parents’ 40th
anniversary. She, of course, had gotten ideas from all of us as to what we
should do for them. Well, it was decided to hold a surprise party for them
after they had come back from the horse and carriage ride in Niagara Falls,
then, take them to a medieval feast in Niagara-on-the-lake. It was a lot of
fun. Of course, as you might expect, I had mentioned to the King & Queen of
the feast that it was our parents’s anniversary, so, they had to be put to the test.
My dad was blind folded and was sitting in a chair. All the women in the
audience had to get lined up and kiss my dad on the cheek. The test was... he
had to guess which one was my mom! That could be very difficult to do when you
can’t see anything! But, as
true love always prevails, my dad picked correctly... twice!! My mom had gotten
into line two times to throw him off but it didn’t. We had
such fun!
One sad note for the
year.... My cat, Gandalf, a member of the family for 13 years, had been hit by
a car and died. It was a very traumatic incident for myself. To this day, I
still have dreams of him cuddling up next to me or imagining that I’ve gotten a glimpse of
him from the corner of my eye. I miss him terribly.
On a lighter note, I had
gotten Craig 2 budgies for Christmas this year. It was an early present but the whole family is enjoying them
already. Next June we are planning on getting a dog. (hopefully a golden lab
mix).
Found out who our East
side neighbour is.... the owner of that house rents it out but shows up once in
awhile. His name is Mr. Banks... yes,
you guessed it... Craig’s old public school teacher.... the one he couldn’t stand as a kid AND
now... Luckily, he didn’t recognize Craig with a
beard on.... pheewww!!
Well, hope you enjoyed
your ‘little’ update on the past
year.... As I said, this may well turn out to be a traditional outlet for us at
this time of year... From all of us to all of you... we wish you the best for
the holiday season!!! MERRY
CHRISTMAS!!!! From: Diane,Craig,Lennon,Darlene,Adam,Mason xoxoxox
2 -
