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Christmas Letter 2004

December 2004

Santa’s watching…. He’s waiting…. Some of you have been naughty…. Some have been nice… and I’ve got my letter to prove it all…. MmWwaAhahahaha…. I’ll have you know that I DO take bribes in case you don’t want Santa to know about your naughty escapades….  All the names have been bolded so you can spot the naughty ones easier. Some of you may have already heard these stories but it’s still nice to get it all in one shot. 

Last Christmas Carol got the movie that starred duo hunks… Orlando Bloom & Johnny Depp – in The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. Between the two of us, always watching, we watched that movie EVERY SINGLE DAY for months…. YUM! Her two girls, Chantal & Tara, got ‘Finding Nemo’ and they were watching it quite often. Mind you, I think I also got them hooked on the ‘Pirates’. Hehehe. 

Directly after Christmas, Lennon had decided to move to Calgary, Alberta. That was a major distance. I was devastated! My baby was moving far away! What was I to do? Well, I gave him the opportunity I wished I had when I went to live out there 25 years ago. I told him that when he’s down and out and wanted to come back home, I would pay for his one-way (one-time only) bus ticket back home. He seemed to be doing good out there. Found that cigarettes were more expensive in Alberta. Found a job and lived with friends he knew before moving there. Out went all my hopes of seeing Lennon again. I thought for sure that he would love it out there but not be able to afford to come back for visits. 

The sad news for this year…. Lennon’s dad, Garry, died. He was buried the same day that Liam had his second birthday in February. Lennon was devastated. He was so far away and couldn’t be around for either event. It really crushed him that he couldn’t come back. 

Here’s a story you probably have heard before…. This year, I’ve lost 50 lbs. Carol and I had both wanted to lose weight. And both did! I’ll let Carol tell you just how much she lost…. She did real good…. Her secret was…. Ready for this?.... switching cream to milk and sugar to sweetener in her Tim Horton’s coffee… and she REALLY loves her Timmy’s! Had quit smoking last year in November but started up again in the summer (very stressful at one point). Now that it’s off, and lots of it, I was able to fit into a wardrobe that I’ve been hanging onto since… like…  FOREVER!!!! But I now fit into most of it…. Oh what a wonderful feeling! I feel great about it… have lots more energy…. And my knees don’t hurt as bad anymore…. Woo hoo!!! I feel like a new woman! My hair’s getting long again so the new look really works! 

I’ve been very busy around the house…. Building, crafting, renovating…. One of the first things I did this year was building a custom headboard for my bedroom. Quite unique. Made of wood and faux fur with gold painted African animals and decorative bamboo. Looks awesome! See the pictures on my website in the Photo Gallery! 

I knew that I really wanted to impress everyone who came for my Chocolate party. So, the next item to keep me out of trouble was renovating my bathroom. I changed the flooring, had the tub painted, new tub surround installed, new taps/shower fixtures, painstakingly nailed bamboo on all the walls, and had my wonderful and talented friend Trevor come in to paint a mural on the remaining walls and ceiling. Complete with my personal scuba diver named Raoul in the shower area…. Hehehe…. People are now booking their vacations in my bathroom….  (btw... Trevor is now a dad too! - Congrats!)

Well, I thought I’d try for something different this year. I decided to go to a Peace rally in Victoria Park. Chuck & Sunao came with me. It was a very cold and rainy day. There were quite a few people there. We heard from some speakers and sang some songs. It was all very interesting. We toughed it out for awhile. Then had to make a mad dash to get warm. 

Now for a few quickies…. Elric had his very first birthday. Michel and Martine are expecting another baby… woo hoo! I’ll be an aunt again! Participated in the Corporate Challenge through the University. Chantal and Tara both had a Dance Recital. Chantal’s group was asked to dance at the Children’s Festival. They were both so very cute in their dance outfits! Lennon came back from Calgary and lived with me until he got back on his feet. Now he lives in Pat’s old apartment on Adelaide Street. Speaking of Pat, she kept saying that she was going to win something big…. Well…. She did! She was one of the women from Merry Mount that went in on a ticket and won London’s Dream Home Lottery! Way to go, Girl! Guy and his gorgeous dog named Magik came from Montreal to visit us for a while. This past summer’s project was building a privacy fence all around my backyard. We built it ourselves. Lennon had put in a lot of the work, as did Carol, my dad, Tristen, myself and Paul. It extended the area and looks fantastic. Just wait till you see how it’ll look next summer when we create our Japanese styled backyard! I sure am looking forward to that one! Ma and Pa finished their basement so now they are ready to take in visitors for a lovely stay in London.  

Took a 4 day trip to New York city on a bus tour. Went with Jen and Laurie from work. Renee had also come on this trip. Renee and I were bunk buddies. Did a lot of power walking, power shopping, and power site seeing. Went on a city tour (Central Park, Dakota Apt., Ground Zero, Trump Towers, Tiffany’s, 5^th Ave, Rockefeller centre, Times Square, Twilight cruise to see the statue of Liberty, went to see the stage production of our favourite movie: Chicago, shopped, dined out, went to Central Park again, ‘the village’, China Town, flea markets, bars, and picture taking. Amazing how much you can cram in 2.5 days (1.5 days on the bus getting there and back)! As soon as I got back from New York, Carol, Chantal, and Tara came with me for a visit to Montreal. We visited Roger and Jaqueline, Yvonne, Jean-Guy, and Guy. It wasn’t a long visit but we did lots and had tons of fun! 

Carol celebrated two… yes, count ‘em… TWO birthdays…. Since she turned 40 in February (shhhhh….don’t tell anyone)… she wanted to do something a bit different and celebrated her 40^th in style…. In August! So, we had a summer birthday party with a tropical theme and both Carol and I commemorated it by each getting a tattoo done (butterfly on the outer thigh). Now we’re tough chicks! …and ‘ya don’t wanna mess wid us’….  hehehe 

There were two separate weddings this year: Stephan Couture’s and Brenda Wong’s. Congratulations to each of you and your new life partner! At Stephan’s wedding, I got to see some familiar faces that I haven’t seen in years: Sylvain and Roger Martel! Great to see you both again. Don’t be strangers and come by for a visit in London with your families. We have lots of room (Ma & Pa’s basement…. hahaha). We need another excuse to have a party! Woo hoo! 

Now for the big news of the year…. I finally found the love of my life! Really and truly! Chemistry kicked in BIG TIME and we both knew right away that THIS was meant to be! His name is Paul. He has a 14 yr old daughter, Tristen and both had moved in with me. He works in St. Thomas (close to Joe’s). He also has two older sons, Gord and Stevie.  Paul and I are engaged but haven’t set a date yet. We’ll keep you posted… come drop by to meet them anytime. (Carol’s already given her stamp of approval so you know he’s a ‘good one’)

 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

(I’ve been nice this year – my name’s not bolded… hahaha) 

I have a website that displays pictures of all these tales and more details.