Frosty Fun Newsletter 2009

It's been another long year, and as usual I have made a family newsletter. This year I returned to Smilebox for some fun :) Happy Holidays and a Bright Shiny New Year to all our Family and Friends.

Hugs, Dave, Kim, Alec and Dana

Make a Smilebox photobook

Creative Pursuits

After Kim finished her last comprehensive exam in the summer, she decided to add some of her favourite creative pursuits back into her schedule, and try a couple she had never tried before. She is now crocheting and knitting, and she got a sewing machine for her birthday that she plans on breaking in some time in 2010. As if this weren't enough, Kim is singing with another band called Swimming to Vegas. They had their first gig in late November, just after Kim defended her dissertation proposal defence to become Ph.D. A.B.D. (all but dissertation). It was a big week!

Landscaping "Reveal"

Believe it or not, Dave just finished laying the last three stones in the front step today. His saw broke and it took a while to get it fixed. Earlier in the season he finished enlarging the back deck and laying a patio. I helped a little with the stone work, more than a little with the creative design, and a lot with the gardens, but Dave did most of the technical designing and work. He's pretty amazing, and I am SO happy that it's finished.

Alec's 11th Birthday

Alec turned 11 on 25 September 2009. He loves constantly checking to see how tall he is getting, and soon he will be taller than Kim. In fact, he is now taller than his Aunt Quyen and almost taller than his grandmother. His birthday celebration this year was low key, but we still had some fun, especially with Uncle Jay :)

A New School Year

Alec is starting a new school in a gifted class this year. Dana is not happy about going to her French Immersion school alone, but she understands that this is so much better for Alec. He is almost 11 years old and he is starting to become such an amazing young man. He helps take care of the animals, and when Dave is away Alec steps up to help out around the house even more with carrying groceries and garbage. Dana is so creative and smart; she is going to try to find the joy in being more independent at school. We are so proud of both of them!

Summertime, and the livin' is easy(-ish).

Our summer didn't really start until mid-July when Kim was finished with her final comprehensive exam for her doctoral degree. Once past that we could begin to enjoy some time together as a family. Alec and Dana attended our local community centre day camps for a couple of weeks and also got to spend a week of day camp at McMaster University's renowned science Camp Venture. They were turning into mad scientists by the end of the week. As well, every year we try to go to at least one venue in Ontario. This year we went to Stoney Creek's Battlefield House Museum and we also went to Ontario Place for a day. It was a nice way to spend a gorgeous, hot day during summer 09.

Now we are looking forward to a new school year. Alec is going to attend a new school in order to take part in a gifted class. Dana is still happy at her French Immersion school. I am sure they wish that summer could last forever.

Disney World 2009 Part I

For the third year in a row we went to Disney World for our family vacation. This year we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge Resort Villas. The Resort itself was fantastic, but the weather for the trip was horrendous. It rained so hard that there were flooding warnings, and our time in the parks was wet and cold for four of our six days. Still, we managed to have some fun. Check out the video of Alec's rant about the weather.

Disney World 2009 Part II

Dana had a lot of fun at Disney World this year! Here is a video of Dana frolicking around with the Disney Fairy Dawn. So funny!

Disney World 2009 Part III

All of our fun Disney World pics for 2009 are on Flickr, here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/voxi

Spring 2009

The winter this year seemed so very long with far too much wet, heavy snow to shovel. By the time spring hinted at arriving, I wanted to get away. Fortunately, Dave had an upcoming business trip to Madrid and Munich, and the free Aeroplan miles to take me with him. So off we went while Dave's parents watched the kids for us.

Madrid was a lovely city that managed to blend together the contemporary vibe of a modern metropolis while maintaining pride in its history. Dave and I got to tour the Palacio Real, a working palace that hosts heads of state in Madrid. I got a chance to practice some broken Spanish when ordering food that was so fresh and healthy, and the wine. . .well, it was all scrumptious.

Munich was so much more than I expected. Even though the city has an historical feel to it, I found the people worldly, warm and friendly, or at least very used to tourists. After getting lost in the middle of the city I realized that I had actually wandered to the Residenz, which I had been looking for! I loved the way the city was set up so that even when you got lost there was something interesting to see. Although I don't suppose the city planners did that on purpose, just for me.

On my way back to the hotel I stopped into a chocolate shop in Marienplatz to pick up some European chocolate. Inside the chocolate shop was a huge, old, coffee grinder. When I got to the counter, there was a German lady grinding coffee for a German customer. The cashier looked at both of us customers and explained the grinding process, in German. The German customer looked at me and said, in German, something like "it all sounds very complicated, doesn't it?" I replied, in English, "It's even more complicated when you don't speak German!" We all laughed at our combined ability to share a pleasant moment in different languages.

That evening Dave's work friends in Germany took us to the Hofbrau House for some traditional Bavarian fair. The place was packed with the traditional oom-pah band, women wandering around in Bavarian garb, and lots of pretzels and beer. I even managed to drink my first full beer ever. . .well, o.k., it was a whole liter so I think I drank most of it but it took me forever.

On the last full day of our trip, Dave and I drove to see Schloss Neuschwanstein. This is the castle on which Walt Disney based early renderings of Cinderella's castle. We spent an entire day in this Alpine area, walking, touring, taking in some Bavarian history, and walking some more. It was absolutely gorgeous. We had so much fun, and the best part of the trip was that, except for the cost of my meals, it was free!!

Dana's Birthday - Now She Is Eight!