COLD FOR HERE

Well, Jim and I are certainly ready for our trip to Mexico. It seems like it's been winter for about 2 years, other than the August long weekend and Jamie and John's wedding. I can't wait!!! Zipper's Bar on the beach, HERE WE COME!!! We have to go there cause it's the best food in town, well, probably not but it's on the beach, not in town or in some hotel and the staff is great. But it's not just that we're going away, but we have so many different friends there this year! Doc and Diane are there (wouldn't go without them) but also Kathleen & Harold Leighton and Bill & Wendy Sherwood, all members of our yacht club so it should be a hoot. Harold and Kathleen are even staying at the same place as us so that should be fun.
It's going to be a little different this time because we're staying for 3 weeks (3 weeks!!!! no I'm not the least bit excited) but we couldn't get our place for the first 2 nights so we're staying down the beach at an all inclusive and it's right on the estuary, so my camera and I are going for a walk or ten, the birds are usually amazing there. Oh and definitely a little warmer than this poor little devil that was sitting on our fence. The only bad thing about the trip is leaving Calvin cause as most of you know the vet thinks he has a brain tumor and he tends to fall over a lot (Calvin not the the vet, teehee) .
The other news is that we've had Tanja, a Rotary Exchange student from Finland living here since Dec. 29th. Unfortunately she has to go to another family on the Feb. 5th cause we're leaving shortly thereafter but I've sure enjoyed having her here. She is just so sweet! It's taken 3 weeks to get her talking but now all is good. Her and I have some great laughs. Today her & I and Marg& Avril went down to the Kingfisher Spa for a day of fun. I have never done that before and neither had Tanja and it was so much FUN!! Tanja and I couldn't get 'treatments' until an hour and fifteen after Marg and Av so we just swam and swam and used the steam sauna and swam and swam. It was great! The only thing missing was Jamie, Heather and Lindsay (my fish).
Then Tan had a manicure and I had a pedicure. The best part was the estetician (I'm sure that isn't how you sell it) didn't scream when she saw my poor old scarred up feet. Okay, the other best part was that we stole Jim's 2 gift certificates that he'd been given by other dentists at Christmas!!!
I have to say though, to see the look on Tanja's face when we came out just absolutely made my day. She had a ball and she keeps staring at her nails and smiling, so cute! I am really going to miss her and I have to thank Heather and Paula for taking her boarding she loved that too.
Oh and let's face it Mexico is great, Tanja is great but WE'RE HAVIN' A BABY!!!! Okay, not us us but I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to get home, get to Victoria and drive Jamie and John crazy!!! Hey, let's face it being a grandma is the BEST!!

James Dean (JD) June 30, 2002 - December 22,2007

Here's to the World's Best Cat
I miss you with all my heart Little Jade

The Year in Review

Most of 2007 was pretty good. Mexico in February, Jamaica in March, Hawaii in April with Danny as a surprise (God, I loved that!!). Right foot fixed in June, wedding in September so everyone was home and then the announcement about little baby Whazit coming in April, absolutely fantastic!!! Then Nov. 28th I got my other foot done so I'm hoping that it will be as good as the first, no sure about that yet. Now looking back I shouldn't be the least bit sad but I am and I just need a good kick in the pants. I got really bummed because we couldn't sell the house, I had this dream of being able to have the whole family home and not to have anyone stay in a hotel (not that you guys get to all be home very often). Of having the grandkids being able to play out front without getting run over by some stupid teenager coming down the road at 80 mph. And then there were the chickens...Oh well, at least it was a fun pipe dream. I think Jim & I were both absolutely blown away that our house didn't sell but it's an old house and a lot of money. The good news is we really like it here and I love the ducks and the glacier.The worst part of 2007 was yet to come though. It started with losing our old cat Kona in October, sad but she'd had a good and long life with us. She'd been a stray that ran into my place about a week after I moved back to the valley so she was pushing 17. Not too long after that as you all know JD, our beautiful ragdoll cat, got terribly ill but he managed to pull himself through it along with a lot of help from our vet (and Jim's money). He was good for about a month and then he got sick again and he never made it. We tried everything but ended up bringing him home and few days later, Dec. 22nd, had the vet come in and put him down. I don't think I have ever been so upset. Even as I write this I am crying again. I just miss him so terribly much and so does Jim. He was just such a buddy.
So Christmas was a sad one and a lonely one but it all perked up when Jamie and Johnny showed up on the 26th complete with 'Baby Bump' and then Heathery arrived on the 27th. I hated to see everyone leave. We have inherited a new daughter though. Well, not really, but we do have a very sweet Rotary Exchange student living with us until Feb. 7th. Tania is 18 and is from Hamina, Finland. She is terribly quiet which after living with Danny and Jamie is really hard to get used to. Jamie was kind enough to tell her that the house was haunted and that her little sister was murdered in the bedroom she is staying in. Jamie you are such a brat and I love your guts!!!And now it's 2008, we are looking forward to 3 weeks in San Jose del Cabo in February and we are anxiously awaiting little Watzit. We've got plans for a few renos in the living room this summer and a lot of scraping and painting on that old boat. Lord knows we didn't get one thing done last year to the old girl.

So Happy New Year everyone, let it be healthy and safe.