Seasons Greeting from the Reed / Boyle Clan – 2007

So the holiday season is quickly coming – and once again I do not appear to be near ready. Deb and Pat have most of their Christmas shopping done (and have had for some time) but it is December 9th and the decorations are just starting to go up, Deb has just started the Christmas baking (stuff to give away to co-workers – which means Dad has to steal a bite whenever he passes through the kitchen. We bought each other an exercise machine (Tone in Ten) a Whole Body Vibration Machine. We have been using the “jiggle” machine off and on for about half a year – and although I am not positive about all of the health benefits it espouses, it does help with toning and is very relaxing.

This has been a year of additions and losses with our pets. First let us start with our “family”. We went through the full life cycle with the Degus a few times. Legolass and the two additional “males” – Frodo and Gimli – proceeded to give Mickey several litters of little ones. Although this proved to be very exciting and came at times when we were just leaving or had left on holidays –it was not without its costs. The little ones are small enough that they can escape through the bars on the cage and therefore we had to re-enforce the cage with narrower gauge wire. Secondly when there was a new litter – the adults felt it was time for their colony to expand – and started to eat their way through the cage. After having to replace a couple of cages and giving the babies and all except 3 males to a pet store (or so we thought) – the Degus had another litter. Mickey came up the stairs, to announce the wondrous event – and emphatically state that he was “Done with Degus”. They all went to the pet store and since the beginning of November Mickey has been without a pet. Keelan has two Siberian Hamsters (Mini and Dub-Dub) as Chocolate passed away in the spring. He frequently brings them out for a little love and the dropping of wood chips all over the place. Daman continues to be Pat’s faithful companion on his twice-daily walks – and would go more often if the opportunity arises. Because of his gentle and friendly disposition (Daman not Pat), he has developed many people and dogs along the route that look forward to his visits. Daman has also developed a number of people who are more than willing to look after him should we be going somewhere that makes taking him awkward.

On the home reno front – we have a number of additions as well. Given the construction boom that is happening in Cranbrook / Kimberley it is hard to find trades people. We were able to get a contractor that Pat knows through his work – on the understanding that since his bread and butter was government contracts – he would work around this. This has both positive and negative points. Although the work was of good quality and he is very creative in his ideas, completions are slow and you are never sure when things are going to start or stop. That said we have made a lot of gains. The basement room where we had all the flood damage has been completed – and Keelan moved his room down there in the spring. Also completed was a basement “dungeon” and storage room that serves as the home of exercise equipment and Dad’s computer and office. Upstairs, Deb’s expanded kitchen is complete – with approximately double the counter space, new countertops, sinks and metal backsplashes. We have also had a back porch built onto the house and are waiting for it to be completed. Although it is roughed in – we are waiting for the flooring to be finished so that we can complete the closets and shoe / boot storage areas. This will then free up the closet in the kitchen area at which point it will undergo a transformation and become a pantry.   Still remaining on our list is redoing the laundry room and family room in the basement – and then installing new flooring throughout the basement. Also there are a number of windows that we want to replace and some stuccowork on the addition. We may try to get in on some of the eco-energy grants to help with some of the costs. The deck surface will also need to be replaced this coming year.

On the “wandering” front – we were able to partake in a number of activities this year. In the spring we used our accumulated air miles to take a trip to Disneyland. We managed to find a cheap motel across the street from the park – saving enough for us to enjoy a couple of better quality meals (2 times at the Blue Bayou; etc.). Also find a great dessert place on our last night that gave such big portions that the kids had apple crisp for breakfast and chocolate brownies in the airport. Deb brought home a pecan pie with caramel whiskey sauce – you should have seen her try to explain that to customs. Keelan was able to attend his first NHL hockey game with Dad and got to see the Anaheim Ducks beat the Minnesota Wild in the Stanley Cup Semi-finals. The tickets were cheap compared to what they would be in Calgary or Vancouver – and the atmosphere electric. Keelan was also able to get a couple of Duck “towels” which he brought home and had signed by the local Neidermeyer brothers when they brought the Stanley Cup back to Cranbrook.

Over the summer – the kids attended a number of camps. Mickey attended a computer game makers camp, and a palaeontology camp at the Tyrell Museum in Drumheller. Keelan attended a sports camp and a wizard’s camp. Both boys travelled with Mom to northern Saskatchewan for a week at Loon Lake. Deb also took the boys down to Dickey Lake in Montana for 10 days with Dad coming down on both weekends. Mickey took a road trip with Dad down to Idaho and went to see Petroglyph Caves and Lewis and Clark Caverns. Keelan and Dad went to Calaway Park and were supposed to do some daytrips in the mountains – but Keelan got sick so we had to cut the trip short. Our summer trip was relatively local for us – and we combined a wedding in Calgary with seeing some things that we often drive by and don’t have time to stop in. We went to Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump; the Remington Carriage Museum; Frank Slide and Writing on Stone Provincial Park. This year, Keelan was also invited to play on the under 11 developmental soccer team. Aside from regular games and practices this involved weekend travel to Sandpoint, Kalispell, and twice to Lethbridge. This tended to keep us busy and we did not have as much down time at the cabin as we usually do – but was enjoyable.

For Thanksgiving, Pat and his co-worker had booked a lodge outside of West Yellowstone for both families to use. This was the co-worker and her family’s first trip to the area – so we served as tour guides. The lodge was massive and completely outfitted – so the 4 boys had lots of room to play while the adults were able to carry on conversations, etc. It had snowed about 6 inches just before we arrived so everything was covered in a beautiful layer of white, giving the area a very different look. It was a very enjoyable time, and any worries about travelling with others were quickly allayed.

Mickey moved into middle school this year – and academically continues to do well – but had some challenges with the bigger school environment and larger class sizes (his core French classes all have 36 students. Keelan has now started French Immersion, and seems to be adjusting well to it – as it appears he has picked up a fair amount from Mickey. He continues to be the social butterfly and likes to be involved in lots of activities with friends. Keelan has just completed getting his orange belt in Tae Kwon Do. His progress is a bit slowed now due to getting his finger caught in a door resulting in the tip of being crushed –he’ll have to wear a metal splint until the New Year. Mickey continues to do his paper route with Keelan’s help – which keeps them both in spending money and allow them to buy some of the things they want.

Pat and Deb’s work continues to putter along – with no big exciting changes. Although things continue to get busier for both of them, they seem to be secure in their current positions and there is limited other opportunities for them if they want to stay in Cranbrook. Pat health continues on and there have been no major incidents. He received his 5 year clean bill of health from his bladder cancer and continues to deal with the heart stuff without getting too obsessive about it.

Hope this letter finds you health and well. From our family to your – Take care of yourself and the ones you love and stay healthy.