Christmas Greetings 2023

It has been quite a year of adventures and challenges this year of 2023. This year brought us losses, injuries as well as new jobs and many travels near and far. We are grateful for our friends and family as always, but this year we are even more grateful.  We hope that this greeting finds you healthy and happy as we move into 2024. 

This year has had the family travelling more than ever before. The first half of the year was travelling back and forth from BC. Unfortunately, most were sad and necessary reasons as my Dad developed a serious heart condition that would not get better. He passed in April with his wonderful partner Lynn by his side in his home which was what he wanted. We celebrated his life in June with a party, music and a few funny stories from across the pond. 

In June, Heather went to Scotland and England with a friend from school. They stayed a few days with cousins in Inverness and then ventured to Edinburgh. On the way, they stopped in Alloa and placed some of the ashes from my dad who passed away in April. It was a lovely tribute. From Edinburgh, the girls took the train down to London for a few days before flying home. It was a great first adventure for Heather which was a very good thing, because she found out on that trip that she would be spending another four months in Europe later in the year. 

Vanessa made the Team Alberta for the North American Indigenous Games for basketball. It was almost a whole year process and Vanessa was doing so well getting back into her favorite sport from her meniscus injury. Unfortunately, a week before the games, she tore her ACL in a tournament. She was lucky that she was able to go to Halifax and see the games, but was devastated that she was not going to be able to play. She did enjoy hanging out with her friends from the team and seeing the Halifax Harbor.  

Todd, his parents and I went to the games as well and toured around Halifax, the province and a bit of New Brunswick in between the basketball games. It is such a pretty part of the country and we hope to return to see more as there are quite a few things I didn't get to check off my "must-see" list. 

The summer had both the girls working. Vanessa was working at the local optical store where she does reception work and preliminary testing. Heather met her goal of working at Fort Edmonton Park as a paid costumed interpreter. She enjoyed that a lot but it was cut short for another job that was a dream opportunity. Heather worked at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundlanders Memorial for four months is France. The government hires university students as guides so Heather and 15 others stayed in France, in the town of Arras, and worked at the site. On her days off, she was able to travel around France, but also to Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, The Netherlands and England. She had such a good experience that she would like to possibly do it again next year. She just returned home this past week and is readying herself for her third year of university.

Speaking of university, Vanessa graduates this upcoming June and has already been accepted to the U of A for Criminology. She is keeping busy with her studies and just recently had her ACL reconstruction surgery which involves a lot of rehab for it. It will be a long process, but hopefully she can go back to basketball for fun at some point. 

This fall saw Todd make another career change. He was able to become a full time firefighter for the county. His dream job since his early twenties so it just goes to show you that it is never too late to follow your dreams. 

Because of the new job, Todd was unable to go to France with me to visit Heather. His cousin, Lynn joined me, and we had a great time visiting with Heather, touring around, seeing the sites and even had the opportunity to visit and pay our respects at the grave and crash site of a Giles cousin from WWII. 

My 2023 year started off with the loss of a very close friend, fishing buddy and colleague. This year, I learned to live life to its fullest and not wait for someday to never come. Rodney had so many adventures in his life and so many plans for more. He took the time to enjoy life, friends and family. My family is still learning from his guidance to live life to the fullest and not wait for someday but do it today.

Love and Hugs to all of you this Christmas season and many happy adventures in 2024

Holiday Greetings 2022

Dear Friends and Family,

I haven't used this platform for a while to send my Christmas cards but I thought I might try again. I have found it useful myself to figure when we did one thing or another. It is definitely getting harder as the girls get older and grow up to keep track of the years.

I hope this letter finds you well and healthy. I know that some of you have had losses this year and some of you have not been well. This time of year is hard for some and I hope that our family can help make it brighter. 

In January, Vanessa turned 16. We celebrated by going to one of those restaurants with the outside domes. The food was excellent and it was a nice treat. 

At the end of last year, both Cosmo the dog and Vanessa had knee surgeries. Both of their surgeries went well, both have recovered and been able to go back to their activities. 

In March, Heather and I went to the "Flying Canoe" festival and actually got to watch the canoe races this year. They were a lot of fun to watch but it was very cold. 

Vanessa started her first job in March and is working at the same local optician's office as Heather. She was bored because of not being able to play sports, so this was a great distraction plus some money for her to start saving. 

Todd and I also got away for a weekend to Banff. I was very happy I was prepared this time to do Johnston Canyon. The girls and I tried a few years ago but the ice was still around and we needed cleats. Todd and I definitely needed them and it made the hike a lot more manageable. 

In April, Heather performed at the local music festival in both musical theatre and vocal. She did well by winning a medal, a bit of money and got to represent the community at the provincial music festival. 

Also in April, we encouraged Vanessa to find other interests as we were not sure if she would be allowed to return to sports. She got the lead role in one of her school's one acts called "Antigone Now". She didn't like her character but we thought she did a great job especially since she had not acted since she was very little. 

In April, the thaw came and Heather was almost finished her first year of  university so there was the chance to get outside more and go on more adventures as a family. 

In May, we sadly had to say goodbye to our beloved Jigs. He wasn't able to go on big walks anymore and in the end, he was unable to walk at all. He is very missed. He truly was the best dog.

In May, Heather left us to go work at a ranch in the foothills of the Rockies. She would do many things throughout the summer including working with horses, guiding horse rides into the mountains, teaching archery as well as medicine walks. She learned a lot from the experience including how to survive in a trappers tent for four months in all weather. She missed a tornado by only a mile while she was there but luckily she was unaware of the real danger she was near. I was watching it on tv and trying to call her but she was in the barn and cell phones did not work in there. They missed the warning that it was even coming. She came home on her days off every couple weeks to get some home time and do laundry. 

In the summer, we were out and about around the province. We had some new adventures and some family time. We went to a couple of baseball games this year. A new league full of college kids was here so it was nice to see some young talent. 

Todd and I went to Jasper at the end of June. We booked a glacier hike up the Athabasca Glacier. It was amazing and would definitely do it again. We were not able to rappel down any crevasses so if we go again, it will be later in the summer when they open up. 

In July, Vanessa started to get back to the sport she loves and played in a tournament to test the stability of her knee. She did pretty good but I was extremely nervous. I surprised Todd with an introduction to blacksmithing course. He and some friends got to make campfire poker sticks. 

July also involved a little further travel to Lethbridge and then on to Waterton National Park. Audrey flew in and we drove down together. It was great to get together to celebrate a family wedding and see parts of the province both of us have never seen before. We also stopped in to see Heather at the ranch before heading back home. 

August was a very busy month. Vanessa played both volleyball and basketball at the Alberta Indigenous Games. Her basketball team got second and her volleyball team came 6th out of 25 teams. It was great to see her get back at it and a good warm up for high school team tryouts. She was also asked to try out for Team Alberta at the North American Indigenous Games in Halifax next year. 

Also in August, we got to see the Aurora Borealis in our backyard and had a good time checking out the sunflower and corn mazes. 

At the end of August, Vanessa was invited to do a training session with the Women's National Basketball Team because of her participation in the Indigenous Games. Vanessa also got her driver's license just before school so she was finally able to drive the car we bought her this summer. 

September was even busier. Vanessa tried out for the Sr. Varsity Volleyball team and Heather started her second year of university. Before Heather started, she did a couple of highland games and was able to place and get promoted to being a Premier level highland dancer. She finally reached her goal after a long Covid delay. It was a very hot weekend to dance in wool and velvet. 

Heather and I also went to Spruce Meadows to watch the champion horse jumping. That was fantastic and I hope to do it again next year. 

Vanessa's school team won one of their tournaments in September and another in October. It was a very busy season. 

In October, we got to enjoy the fall of two river valleys. Vanessa had her final tryout for Team Alberta for the National Indigenous Games and made the team. It will be a great experience for her. 

Vanessa also got to train with one of Canada's National Basketball coaches at a Western ID camp. On our way home we stopped to check out the giant cheezie. 

Before we knew it, it was Halloween and Todd decided to scare all the kids in the neighborhood and Cosmo decided to do the same when they came to the door. 

Volleyball wrapped up in November with an upset loss in play-offs and the very next week it was basketball tryouts. Vanessa made the Sr. Varsity Basketball team and during our November Break, she was invited to go to Winnipeg for a basketball combine. It was a fun opportunity but 30 hours of driving there and back. You can really see that she enjoys the sport. She has a smile on her face when she plays most of the time. 

Now, we are into December. Basketball tournaments are starting but we are still waiting for league games to start. 

Heather is excited to almost be done her semester. She has worked hard and almost completed another five courses towards her degree. Her hard work has paid off and she was just notified that she has earned a number of academic scholarships that will help pay for her entire year and some of next year. We are very proud of her work ethic. 

Todd has been busy with the fire hall and will be out next week handing out Christmas hampers for the Christmas Elves. 

I am coaching one of my school's basketball teams although I just put my back out this week by putting a dish in the dishwasher. I guess that's to be expected as I start my last year of my forties. Sigh...

I might add some more stuff in December as it too is as busy as all the other months.

I look forward to hearing from you all this holiday season and we wish you all the best for 2023! 

Todd, Belinda, Heather and Vanessa.