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Christmas Letter 2002

Ho Ho Ho.... Santa’s watching…. And here’s my yearly tradition of a Christmas Letter for the year 2002. As usual, I’m trying to keep this in a semi-chronological order. All the names have been bolded so you can spot them easier. Some of you may have already heard these stories but it’s still nice to get it all in one shot. 

Hey! I’m a new woman for this year! I started off last year by quitting smoking, cut my hair really short, changed the colour of my hair to two toned (copper & blonde), had all my teeth removed (for health reasons), lost lots and lots of weight, started doing yoga and got a new wardrobe (had to since I lost so much weight!). Woo Hoo!  

Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep up with those changes. I started up smoking again over the summer, gained the weight back on, stopped yoga, but got a new wardrobe… hehehe! 

Started the year, in January, by having a baby shower for Lennon and Nikki. It was a small one but still fun. The best was watching Alain on Michel’s lap and drinking from a baby bottle! And I have that one on film! In February, Nikki gave birth to my first grandson! His name is Liam Andrew Marshall-Haddock. Born on February 24, 2002! Weighing 7 pounds and 3 ounces. And adorable, of course! And, yes, this means that I am now a Grandmother! 

Back up to January again… I had taken another trip to see my parents in Florida. It was very relaxing. It was nice to be spoiled again. Of course they made sure that I went to the beach each and every day that I was there. And shopping! Tons and tons of shopping! I now have a huge discount off my next purchase at Beal’s Outlet in Bonita Springs! Woo hoo! Both, Ma and Pa, had won trophies for shuffleboard! Next time I’m going will be in January 2004. I’m not going this coming January because I’m taking a vacation in Greece! Again…. Woo hoo! I’ll give you the details in next year’s letter. Ha! 

In February, I took a short weekend trip to see Carol for her birthday. Since my parents were in Florida, she was alone in the house with her two girls (Tara and Chantal). Besides, I had to deliver something to her all the way from Florida! (It was a dress from Ma.) 

On a very sad note, my aunt Bernadette (also my godmother), has past away this year. I’m thankful that I have many wonderful memories of her and her family. My heart goes out to my cousin, Guy, who has been through so much over the years. 

At Easter, it’s always a big ‘do’ for us. My parents have just arrived back from Florida and come up to London. This year, Michel and Martine were holding the ‘big’ Easter brunch. But, there was something even bigger than THAT! With most of the family there (including Martine’s parents), the big news was… Michel and Martine are engaged! Wow! I never thought I’d see the day that Michel would be tied down! But he nabbed a good one. Martine is so good for him. And puts him in his place! Ha! Way to go, you two! 

I started what I hope to be a yearly tradition… a chocolate decadence party! You got it! Chocolat-aholics unite! There was chocolate in every shape and size! I was in chocolate heaven! Can you believe that we actually got chocolated out!?! Yes, it was late in the evening and we ate tons of French fries… afterwards eating more chocolate… hehehe! 

Here’s another biggie! Michel turned 40 this year and we all wanted to get him real good! So, Martine had come up with an excellent idea. Since Michel does Tarzan-a-grams on the side for money, why not have him do one for his own surprise party! Got him good! You should have seen his face when he jumped in the room with only a loin cloth on! He started beating his chest and doing his gig until he started realizing that he knew people in the room. In fact, he knew EVERYONE in the room. Ha ha ha! Thank goodness that Carol got all of this on video tape! It was priceless to see it! 

On a different note… Craig and I have split up! I made sure that the boys (Adam and Mason) moved back to their mom’s before telling him it was over. We both signed a separation agreement. Bottom line is: I get this house, he gets a small lump sum towards his new house, we keep what we brought in and split the new stuff. No fighting over it. But, while he waits for his closing date to arrive (Sept. 15), he still got to live downstairs. He was supposed to pay half the bills (as stated in the agreement) but he didn’t. So now it’s up to the courts to decide how to deal with his breach of contract. I’m just so relieved that it’s over. Now I can live my life again. AND, I have a new start! Carol, Tara, and Chantal have now moved in with me! She doesn’t have to be alone in Fort Erie, and has more opportunities in London for both her and the girls! Plus it’ll do us both good to have each other for support. I won’t be all alone in this big house. I’m so happy she’s here with me. She’s been a big help as we renovate her new kitchen downstairs! We didn’t know what we were doing but we still got things done! We’ll be pros in no time! 

With the shade of the grapevines in my backyard, I held a Strawberry party! Similar to the Chocolate party where everyone brought something with strawberries. Yummy! The gang from work were the first bunch to arrive. Later on, we had another group to continue with strawberry wines. Dan Ebbs came but told us that he was leaving to go back out west again. Too bad, we’ll miss you Dan! 

Another biggie… Martine is PREGNANT! Yes, you heard me correctly! Michel has reproduced!  Due around Easter in 2003. Congratulations to you both! .... And LOOK-OUT world! 

I went to Liz’s bridal shower. Alain was very sweet showing up to give Liz a bouquet of roses. Then he proceeded to give, everyone attending, a single rose. Oh, what a guy! Liz is a lucky girl! Of course, this leads to their wedding… beautifully done at the country club. Riley (their dog) was the ring bearer. Troy, Erin, Stephan, Kevin, Liz’s brother, and another of Liz’s friends were all in the wedding party. This was great seeing some relatives I haven’t seen in awhile, including my cousin Ginette! We reminisced during the reception. Carol videotaped the wedding and part of the reception.  

It was nice to see all those who showed up to the GNO (Girl’s Night Out) reunion! We haven’t had one in almost two years so I thought it would be nice for a reunion for all who ever came to a GNO, plus new faces. Laura has such an infectious laugh! We loved having her join our little group. Darlene, Troy, Sunao, Veronica, Carol and myself, all attended. Small group but we still had fun! 

I had a chance to go to Quebec to see Guy and Vlad for a weekend. It was so nice to see them. Guy is a wonderful cook. He’s always getting me to try new things (make a wish!). I tried a couple of new drinks: a Cosmopolitan (Grand Marnier, vodka and cranberry juice), and butterscotch liqueur with Baileys! YUM! Not sure if it’s sold in Ontario yet. Had dinner at Uncle Roger and Aunt Jacqueline’s place. I tell you, my family are all great cooks! Roger made us a seafood feast! Uncle Andre and Aunt Nicole were there too! The next day, Guy took me on a ‘cruise’ before taking me to the biggest flea market that I’ve EVER seen! And I didn’t buy a thing! 

I hosted another ‘Murder Mystery’ dinner. I love these games where everyone dresses up in their character. Attendees were: Michel, Martine, Chuck, Sunao, Andrew, Pat, Carol and myself. If you noticed, there were too many women in the group… yes, I had to dress as a man for the occasion! It was hilarious! Everyone did a great job with costumes. 

It’s like a soap opera! And never a dull moment! Hope you enjoyed the recap of the year! I am so happy to have my family and friends to share these special times. And many more to come.... 

MERRY HO HO AND HAPPY (HIC!) NEW YEAR (HIC)!

Love from: Diane

 My website displays pictures of some of these tales.