Happy New Year! Was that a week ago already?

Time certainly flies around here. Boxing Day was filled, as expected, with no work and all play. After lazing about for a good long while, indulging in the books, magazines and taking a stab at a new puzzle for me, Jeff and girls geared up to head down to the pond for a bit of a skate. I was still babysitting some of the turkey dinner bits, but found my way down after a while to assume the role of photographer. The bull was nowhere to be seen this time, so there was a bit less anxiety about being in his space. The ice was much better, although the cracking was a bit unsettling and there was still some unfrozen bits on either end where the water still flowed in and out of the pond. Max, terrified of the ice, stuck to the sides, being coaxed only once or twice onto the ice and then heading quickly back to the shore, much preferring to indulge in rolling in the snow. Gus was a bit braver, but being lighter on his toes, he seemed to fair a bit better and didn’t slide quite as much as Max. Gus still tapped out early, resorting to shivering until Lizzie gave up her coat and toque to try to keep him warm.

Mom’s 76th birthday dinner was a great success with a better than ever Turkey (thanks mom for “choosing” turkey for your birthday dinner!) and a simple cake. We cheered the day and enjoyed a hybrid of Christmas and Boxing Day and Birthday all in one. Mom, always being a bit on the cold side in our less than hospitable climate, was given a new coat to keep her warm. Just in time for a visit to Airdrie!

Auntie Dari and Uncle Donn made the drive to fetch Mom the day after her Birthday, stealing her away for four days of visiting with family in Alberta, but not without a quick visit on this end first. We had a couple of hours of chatting and tea (and rest for weary travelers) before they turned again for home, this time with Mom riding shotgun. A nice, but too short, visit. There are plans for more, and with Lizzie traveling to Calgary and Edmonton to attend volleyball premiers through the spring we’ll get more chances to visit, even if its on a bench in a busy arena!

The four days away for Mom were great. It was definitely a nice break and change of scenery for her with winter temperatures and icy roads making trips out of the house few and far between. She got in some time with Marci, Bryan, Christina, Steph and Aaron as well, rounding out the time with another long car ride back to deliver her home to us on New Year’s Eve. Despite threats of a winter storm, the weather was cooperating and the trip was uneventful. Bonus for us, we got a quick visit in with Marci and Christina before they too turned around for home.

While Mom was away, I made good on one of our advent “misses” this year. We had skipped the spa day that had landed during Papa’s visit, and having promised to find another day to make it happen I declared that the day before New Year’s was the day. Facials, manicures, pedicures and some soothing music turned our kitchen, living room, and dining room into a spa for a few hours. Always a good time – and I was having a bit of fun picking Penguin face masks for the facials – I enjoyed some much needed time with the girls. Jeff, of course, booked it with Max and headed to the farm to do some work there. Spa days are not his jam. We had planned to reconvene for a fancy dinner out for a change and I had booked us a table at a Mediterranean restaurant in Cranbrook that evening. For the first time since leaving Vancouver, we felt like we had eaten food worthy of the bill at the end of the meal. If you’re in Cranbrook, book a table at Allegra. You’ll need a reservation though, there are only about 6 tables in the whole restaurant.

With visiting and advent make up days behind us, we settled in to celebrate New Year’s Eve. We, being fairly isolated, tend to throw ourselves a party rather than venture into the wild. This year was no different, setting out appetizers and planning our evening was as exciting as it got. It was games and a movie this year, getting all six of us at the table for some cards and then settling in for a screening of one of the Harry Potter movies (Mary’s been on a mission to get us to see all of the movies) and Grandma is on board, so this became our New Year’s Eve celebration. I don’t know if anyone made it to midnight…I certainly didn’t, but it was fun just the same.

New Year’s Day dawned a bit overcast and blah, but we force-marched the family and dogs on a walk with the dogs. There was not enough snow, love/hating the slow start to the winter, but the walk was lovely and we snapped what I’m sure will be our Christmas card photo next year.

Jeff army crawled under a fence that blocked our path as we got close to the end and took Max on an extended hike around the ranch meeting us back at the house. The rest of the day was pretty lazy, not usual for this crew, but it gave me some time to look at calendars and tidy up some organization that needed to happen around the house. We also spent a considerable amount of time going over appliance and plumbing orders for the new house but it was time well spent. We took advantage of some Boxing Day sales that were still happening and saved a few pennies by putting in some orders well ahead of time. Good thing about buying appliance packages is that they store it all for you until you’re ready to take delivery. I wasn’t looking forward to trying to find storage for a kitchen’s worth of appliances!

The sports schedule for January is packed as usual with the overlap between the start of volleyball season and the wind up of basketball making for a lot of taxi service. Adding a bit more complexity is the split between Fernie and Cranbrook…and now Kimberley. We got the practice schedule up to March break for volleyball and since the East Kootenay team that Lizzie is playing on this year reaches a bit farther afield, we have a few practices that are happening in the Selkirk High School gym. We also have a few tight turnarounds trying to get her from Fernie to Cranbrook when basketball and volleyball fall on the same night…I’ll be happy when the overlap is done and we can settled into just one sport again. I just keep reminding myself that it is only about 4 weeks of crazy and then we’ll be on the other side of things. When I showed Margaret, she said “and now aren’t you glad I’m not in a sport?”. I am truly grateful.

Today is the kickoff for the season and there is a 4 hour orientation and activity session scheduled at the College of the Rockies. All a bit nerve wracking for Lizzie as she tries to get to know her new teammates and a new club, but good for her to stretch a bit. This year will be a different experience and can only make her a better player.

Wishing everyone good health and much happiness in 2024!