I know I have not made a post since December 1; therefore, I have some catching up to do. So here goes..
1. It was a different Christmas this year. Both of Linda's children, Scott from Calgary and Erin from Edmonton, were here for Christmas. Linda's grand dog, Otis ,was also here for Christmas. Linda, Scott, and Erin spent Christmas Day with Linda's sister's family in Prince Albert. Mary hosted the Christmas Eve party at her place rather than the usual Christmas Eve at my place. Haley hosted Christmas dinner. We were joined by Dustin's parents.
2. Linda and I snowshoed and cross country skied a fair amount this winter when we weren't holidaying or playing other sports. I bought Linda a pickle ball racket for Christmas and now she plays pickle ball twice a week. I play pickle ball once a week and play hockey twice a week.
3. Linda and I flew to Palm Springs in January for a week. We stayed with her sister, Chris, and her husband, Dwight. The weather was cooler than normal, but the temperature was ideal for hiking. We ate a lot of good food and played games every evening. Good times.
4. In February, Linda and I spent a week in Akumal, Mexico. A highlight of Akumal was meeting three other couples from Winnipeg and Toronto who were staying in the same condo complex. We had a lot of fun together going to the beaches and sharing meals together. Another highlight was snorkelling at a lagoon north of Akumal called Yal Ku. There was an amazing variety of tropical fish in very calm waters. We spent another week in Playa del Carmen with my girls, their spouses, and the two grandchildren. We had a beautiful villa rented with our own pool and huge patio area. The villa was only 5 minutes from the beach and 10 minutes from the tourist area. My gang loves to try out the various restaurants so they were in their glory. Luvisa and Gunnar loved the swimming pool. Luvisa spent hours swimming with Morgan while Gunnar threw stuff in the pool.
5. Since we have been back home, we have been busy painting the main floor of the house. Linda and I. painted all the trim and the doors, but we have a paint contractor painting the walls. We also finished installing a new vanity in the ensuite. We are not sure how we would build a house because installing a vanity with new fixtures has taken us nearly six months.
6. Since November, I have been meeting weekly with a group of adults who want to learn ukulele. We had our first performance on March 29 at Luther Heights for a group of Alzheimers patients. I have a regular gig performing at Luther Heights. I take my guitar/songbook and sing a few songs for the group. Having my ukulele group perform with me was a real treat.
7. The girls are doing well. Haley recruited me to teach ukulele for her grade 9 music class in Aberdeen School. I was surprised at how keen the students were to learn ukulele. We had a very productive session. Mary has been busy judging cheerleading over the last two months. She was judging a provincial competition in Moose Jaw in early February. On her way to Moose Jaw, she ran into a deer so her car is still in the body shop. Fortunately, her mother in law was kind enough to lend Mary and Morgan her second vehicle.
8. I have had a leased sight for my travel trailer at Shell Lake for the past 12 years, but I have given up my lease. We will be using our motor home instead. Dustin helped me retrieve the trailer from Shell Lake and now we are selling the travel trailer.
There are so many things I probably forgot to include in this blog entry. Suffice to say, our lives are busy in spite of the fact we are retired. Moreover, we are happy and thankful for a great relationship. April 1 marked our one year anniversary of living together. I am truly thankful for the companionship, conversation, support, laughter, compassion, and love. Linda gets along very well with my kids and grand kids. I also have enjoyed the loving support I receive from Linda's kids and her family. We are blessed.
