Hello,
Sorry for yelling at you. I had a bunch of stuff I needed to do that Sunday and had planned on doing the SNL that evening. Then I discovered that I only had two SNL emails in my SNL folder in my inbox. I should have checked beforehand, but dagnabbit I was mad! Just saying that before you guys start to call Gord and get a "Care Home" lined up for me. I'm good.
This year has probably the hardest year in a long time. Up rooting from our family home to a new house, a new neighbourhood and all the things that can and will go wrong with a new built house. I could complain about a hundred things that went wrong......but guess what...we decided to build our own house ... not a cookie cutter one in a development. There are consequences. My only big complaint would be is the workmanship. On every level. I believe the trades are never given enough time to do the job right... meaning ..the company who has bid on the job tries to give the best quote to the contractor and they can't deliver and do it half assed. But...guess what ... they have all had to do it over again at their expense. It`s a good thing I am retired or there would never be anyone at home to let them in. Some of them have become my best friends because I have seen them here so often.
Most of you have seen the pics of the house.... or have been here. I don't have many outside pics because it was all a pile of dirt in front and in back. But we did manage to get the patio put in just before the frost. You can see the progress here: New House
We had the front yard done too...just as the frost was coming in....so I will have a busy spring planting stuff. I sure hope I make better choices than I did at Peacock Place some 25 years ago where I planted at least 15 huge willows( because I heard they were fast growers) who knew the mammoth proportions they would grow and at the slightest sign of wind... the branches broke and fell in our yard plus all the neighbours yards. We were not popular. Speaking of popular...I will forget the poplar tree that I planted on the left hand side of the deck for shade...whose huge roots would shift the deck from season to season. So, yeah I'm not much of a gardener. I'm thinking a few evergreens in the front yard because really ....we have a forest beside us...and they don't break and piss people off.
Health wise we have been doing good ...touch wood. Linda was telling me that now every cousin is 60 and up. Finally we are all on the same page. Seems pretty strange to be your parents age when they were older. I always laughed at my Dad when he went for the seniors discounts....well I got my last eye exam for half price....so there you go.
I am planning on a family get together this summer, with all of you guys plus Gord's family and some of the people who made this dream come true. Gord has family here and a nephew and family in BC who would like to come ... and I think Glen and Linda will coming this way to.. So I will have to get a time line so we can all meet up. It should be so much fun with all the new little kidlets and cousins and family.
Thanks for doing this again..
Tony:
Totally upside down....no internet just phone... On crutches, moving, baby coming . No time. Your threats are scary but ill just gamble.
Tony
Joan: thanks Tony... Break a leg whatever!
Frances:
I
really don’t have anything new to tell anyone. I guess I live a boring life.
Still doing all the same things; working, pottery, yoga, singing in Spirit’s
Call Choir, volunteering ushering at RMTC Mainstage and at the Warehouse,
walking my dog most days (but not when it’s -30c), playing Mah Jong with Evelyn
and her friends every couple of weeks, movies, concerts, theatre, and dining
out. Yes, yes I know – working, why are you still working? Because I like my
work and it’s work that is so worth doing. Next question – When are you going
to retire? I don’t know – when I want to – whenever that may be. My newest
activity is playing Mah Jong. It’s a difficult game to play and even more
difficult to learn. I’m lousy at it but I like it. If I was a competitive
person I probably wouldn’t play it because I never win. There are definite
advantages to being non-competitive – I’m willing to try all sorts of things
because I don’t worry about how good I am at whatever I’m
trying.
Murray
is still much the same too. He’s still single and childless. He doesn’t want
to send his genetic code for mental illness to a child. He loves to walk and
does tons of it when he has time. He started out doing it to improve his health
– i.e. getting sun and exercise and he still does it for those reasons, but he
also just really likes it. If he can walk somewhere instead of riding his bike
or using the car, he does. He’ll always be on medication; it helps him. He is
currently looking for a different apt. but apt. rental in this city is in a very
poor state and it isn’t easy to find something suitable and affordable.
Glen (with one N)
We will be in Winnipeg this summer- what week(s) I am not too sure yet.
Depends on a few other things but thinking it will be end of July/August?
We are busy working and running the kids around, between Jenna's horseback
riding and guitar lessons and Jeremy's hockey on sporadic days of the week, we
are entering a blitz right now where every night has 1 or 2 things. We will get
a break and go to Florida for the first time for 12 days at the end of Feb. and
come back to the playoffs.
Jeremy is a video junkie like his Dad and every kid under 20,, and one of
the biggest guys out there in most of his hockey games. Heis focusing more at
school and doing well there, grade 5 French Immersion. Jenna is grade 8 French
Immersion, loves all that nail art and girlie stuff and is now in the boy crazy
phase- I think it'll lead to my early grave...currently has a boyfriend, a
goalie I named Shmoopy-and is excited about Valentines Day more than ever. She
really only sees him at school, I think that the boys all are afraid of
me...
My work is fine, still have a job so far, and Michelle's work has built a
new clinic which was an interesting experience as you can imagine with about 6
doctors making the decisions as a group.
Looking forward to the end of winter although we have enjoyed skiing and
Jenna learned to snowboard at the local ski hill 10 minutes away. Summer
weekends will be spent boating on Slave Lake at our trailer in walleye/pickerel
heaven and of course the biannual Winnipeg trip.
That's all from the Craven family's life on the Edmonton hamster wheel,
Torwart
Clan:
Well
there really isn’t much news. Where should I begin—MMMM somewhere warm. Last
winter I went to Cuba with a group of girls to celebrate our 60th
birthday. Had a blast – weather was fabulous, people very friendly, good drinks
and the food was so so – you wouldn’t starve but nothing to brag about. The
beaches were beautiful. Brett is enjoying his home and his girlfriend, Rosie
will be graduating from U of M this year and she has decided to go and get her
masters in architectural design. In late summer Ian had to put his dog down and
we were all very sad for him. But on a happy note Ian and his girlfriend
Brittney have a new dog, Shay and Shay is some sort of Sheppard cross. Terry is
still teaching 2 half days at Red River College in Steinbach and is loving it.
His commute to Steinbach is often faster than mine to the Notre Dame Campus – go
figure! I am doing fine – I had knee surgery in September. This was my first
knee that I had done 14 years ago and this replacement was recalled – it was a
faulty model number – yeah go ahead and laugh – just like a car! The knee was
not bothering me what so ever but it needed to be replaced ASAP because
particles were breaking away and clearly cannot be absorbed by the body.
Anyways surgery went well and I came back to work in January.
Hope
all is well with the family – take care – Torwart’s
Greetings and Salutations to all!!!
Here is the update from Steve and I. As you can imagine 2012 was a pretty exciting, busy and memorable year for us. We kicked off the year with a wedding for my cousin Trevor and Jennie in Puerto Vallarta in January and it was wonderful, I figured if we can travel abroad and not kill each other we'll do just fine with getting hitched.
In may we had our social whitch was a smashing sucess, looking back on the night now it seems like such a blur but it was a small dose of what the wedding would be like.
Over the summer I had showers thrown for me by my Auntie's on my Mom's side, Steve's family and all of you lovely Schroeder ladies.. they were all so amazing I have never felt so loved and special. I am so lucky to have such amazing family!!
Even though we were busy with showers and weddings. Steve and I managed to get away and do some camping and fishing adventures (Steve did more fishing then I did.. ) I just want to say another thanks to everyone who was able to make it to the pre wedding gathering at my mom and dad's place this summer it was so great to see everyone and catch up, hope we can do it again soon!!!
September came on fast and furious with wedding madness, but it was a day we'll never forget and we loved every minute of it, we had a great wedding party, photographer, pastor. It was all amazing!!!! I have attached a few pics for you to peek at :) Like the showers we again felt so much love and felt so blessed to have amazing friends and family. People telling you how pretty you are all day doesn't hurt either
After the wedding we left for lake of the woods for a week of relaxation and again some fishing, more like sitting in the boat, we didn't catch much, Steve was convinced there is no fish in that lake.. Uncle Don, Uncle Tony.. little advice on this please :)
At the end of January Steve and I went back to mexico for our honeymoon/His cousin's wedding in the myan rivera it was beautiful and just nice to get out of the deep freeze here for a while..
Well I feel l have blabbed enough about us, my next SNL entry will not be this interesting lol.
Hope every one is happy and healthy and I hope we can have a family get together soon, We got to see all these babies before they get too big :)
All the Best and Lots of Love
Kelly and Steven
Warm greetings from the West Coast Cravens! What an interesting year it has been for the Schroeder family with new babies and brides! It’s a hard time to be living far away, when there is so much excitement back home. But I did get to see Kelly get married and had a good visit with Tim and Darlene in September.
Mostly good news from here. However two of our good friends lost their battle with cancer in the last 6 months, so we are more grateful than ever that our health continues to be good.
Some of the highlights of our year include a trip to the Maritimes with grandson Jeremy for his 10th birthday. Ron and I thoroughly enjoyed his enthusiasm and his great sense of humour. We also took a trip to Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) this summer with friends from Australia, where we caught some awesome salmon. Then our Edmonton family came for a visit in August and they brought warm sunny weather with them. We enjoyed the beach, especially the "Geo-ducks" squirting us. It’s hard to believe Jenna and Jeremy are already 13 and 10 years old!
We ended 2012 in Green Valley Arizona. Tony and Bonnie came for a visit for a few days, and we had such a good time together, as we always do with them.
Even though we are far away from Winnipeg, I do think of all of you often, and I love to reminisce about all the good times I had growing up with my cousins, especially Joan and Frances. I always look forward to a funny email, a joke from home and I have to admit to "creeping" on Facebook, to find out what’s happening in your lives. I love reading Joan Martin’s very witty Facebook messages.
We hope to be back in Winnipeg this summer, and would love to get together and see all the old and new family members. Do you realize this is the year that all of us cousins will be in our 60’s?? Where did those decades go!
Love, Linda and Ron
LISA AND JORDAN:
Hello everyone!!!
Things have been as crazy as ever in the Batchelor household! Summer 2012 started off with a bang...heh literally! When I found out I was pregnant (bad joke...sorry)
The summer kept us very busy with Jordan's brothers wedding as well as a wedding we attended in London Ontario which we made into our summer vacation east. We visited with much of Jordan's family that I hadn't got to spend a whole lot of time with as well as his grandfather who I hadn't met so that was pretty special. During that visit we also visited Niagara Falls and made our way to Toronto as well as Montreal.
Kalem kept us busy (as always!) with his soccer games as well as camping trips. This winter he also started skating lessons which he really enjoyed as well as many trips to the hill with the sled! He has been a great big brother so far and is a self proclaimed baby whisperer! I can't wait to watch the boys grow up together.
2013 is off to a great start with the arrival of our beautiful boy Rylan Taylor. He graced us with his presence a week late after I was induced on January 13, 2013 at 10:50 AM. He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 4 ounces and was 19 inches long. Labour lasted about 19 hours. He is doing great and we are blissfully exhausted!
MEAGHAN AND JASON:
When I was thinking of what to write, I kinda thought it was going to be a boring, uneventful update...but then I realized, so much has happened in such a short time, I can't believe its only been a year!
2012 started out on somewhat of a low note, we lost our canine leader and Jasons best friend of 9 years, J.D. to cancer in January. He passed with us at home.
We spent most of the winter dealing with the cold, non stop shovelling and cleaning the yard and cursing this horrible climate! Then off to Arizona we went, spent 3 weeks in Goodyear with mom and dad, which is always so amazing but not relaxing at all anymore with the addition of Bam Bam Bastien! (yes there is meaning behind the nickname)
We decided in April that we needed some more space inside our house, we have managed to outgrow it in the three years since moving in, so we began the process of building an addition. Plans were drawn up, funds in place all we needed was the time to start...then the worst happened.
On July 11th, Jason was riding his dirtbike in our yard with his brothers and cousins, a typical weekly occurrence in the summer.
But this was not an ordinary riding day, around 3 pm we had to call 911 for an ambulance to come get Jason out of the back acres of the yard, he'd had a horrific accident and wasn't able to get up. After 2 hospital stops (don't get me started on rural health care), a couple xrays and an MRI, it was determined he had broken his T8 in several places, a stress fracture of his spine. He spent a week in the hospital, then given a body brace to recover at home.
Now, although not 100% back to what he was, he is functioning and enjoying country life again!
We do have a huge garden in our back yard, last year was quite successful, especially since we have no friggin idea what we're doing! The cucumbers and pumpkins took over everything, and the peas ended up a huge tangled mess in the mud...but live and learn. We hope to have chickens this year, and maybe even a cow! How great would that be?! So if anyone has any suggestions on gardening or chicken rearing I'm all ears!
Portia is now in grade 7 in Gillis school in Tyndall, she is on the Volleyball team (grade 8 team) soccer team, and the captain of the Cheerleading squad. This last weekend, in fact, her cheer team won 2nd place at cheerfest at u of m.
Her grades are as high as can be, no really, her report card for first term was 100%!
Yup, she pretty much perfect....with a twist of grande-tude
Jewel (aka mini jason) has become a very different little person over the last few months. She started out very shy, very closed off to others outside our family, but since starting daycare she has really become more open and comfortable in big groups! She is a very intelligent child, and has physical abilities I've never seen before. She would spend hours a day running, on the treadmill, at about 3 or 4 mph. She can climb anything, upside down and is excelling is gymnastics and soccer. And nothing makes her happier than riding bike with her daddy.
Now Bam Bam. Yes, this is a name he is affectionately called by everyone who spends any amount of time with him. One thing you hear in our house a lot "If you weren't so cute!" Following in his sisters' footsteps with walking at a very early age, he has kept us on the brink of insanity for almost 2 yrs.
He is very loving and funny, and beyond adorable, but has a wicked temper and a fearless nature, so we're always waiting for the next injury or broken household item.
The next couple weeks are looking to be eventful ones with Bastiens second birthday on the 15th, and my sister due any second now with their 3rd baby!
Hopefully this coming year will be just as exciting as the last, maybe minus the broken spine;)
Maeghan Grande Kennedy
MELISSA AND HAL:
So it was a good year for us. We've been renovating our house now for a year and a half; it's going slow but steady. We got the kitchen done this year - it was quite the adventure, to go without a kitchen for a couple months. But it's beautiful now! Hal is a genius when it comes to renos; I love it!
In June, I ran a 10K race at the Manitoba Marathon, then we found out 3 days later that I was pregnant with our third baby! We were all thrilled :)
Kaedyn started kindergarten in the fall, which he is absolutely loving. I've been teaching him to read at home, which has been so rewarding. He's so smart. He's been really big into skating and hockey this year, and the boys go out whenever they can.
Teagan started preschool this year, and is constantly making us laugh; she's the funniest, quirkiest little girl I've ever known. She's still wearing her eye patches every day, and may need another surgery this year, but she's so tough, she can get through anything.
Now, we are anxiously awaiting the birth of our baby - any day now! The kids are already so in love with this baby, it's going to be so amazing to see them with their little brother or sister. We are all very excited for this next new chapter in our lives.
Halden, Melissa, Kaedyn, Teagan, and Baby Farrant
TED AND BECKY:
Adrian and Alison bought a house off Osborne St. It’s 100 years old house
and most of it has been re-done. They got possession of it at 5:00 and by 7:00
were painting, purple over the bright yellow walls. It’s a really nice
house.
Our family had a Pampered Chef shower for Adrian and Alison. They enjoyed
the cooking and look forward to all the great stuff they will receive for their
kitchen.
They are finishing plans for the wedding. We are really looking forward to
it.
Declan has enrolled at Red River College, Creative Communications, a joint
program with U of W.
His school has a hockey team this year and he is writing a page on face
book. Each game has 3 stars, interviews, game high lights and music. He is
really enjoying it.
Ted and I spend a lot of time walking, Kenny, our retired Grey Hound. The
walks are shorter on the cold days.
Love,
Cheri, Shane
