The holiday season is upon us and as I sit down to type our
annual letter, I think back over 2017 and all that the year has brought.
My Grandma Kelley passed away in February. We were very lucky
to have her in Edmonton for the past few years and are grateful we got to spend
a lot of time together, most especially during the holidays. We miss her dearly
but know she is in a better place, no longer suffering from any pain. Although
hard to say goodbye, we were glad to attend Grandma’s celebration of life in
the spring. Many hilarious and wonderful memories were shared and it was great
to see our extended family.
In November we had to say goodbye to our beloved Heidi. As
anyone who has had a dog knows, they become family members. Heidi was twelve
years old and the loss was quite unexpected. It’s been hard adjusting to no
longer having our fluffy friend around and I’m not sure we’ll ever really get
used it. The kids have learned a lot about loss this year which is always hard
but unfortunately part of life. Emerson cheered us up a bit when she commented
that she thinks Heidi is keeping Jazz (our cat who we lost last year) and
Grandma Kelley company in heaven. Sometimes kids just know the right thing to
say.
Together with the sad times there have also been wonderful
memories in 2017. The top of our list would be our summer vacation. We visited
many spots in AB, BC and the USA and loved every minute! We had such a fabulous
time, I think we could have stayed ‘on the road’ for another few weeks!
Throughout our vacation we camped with my parents, with Cal’s brother and his
family and visited friends and Cal’s Aunt and cousin while we were in
Penticton. Some other highlights of our 3 weeks away were: Silverwood Theme
Park and Boulder Beach in Idaho, watching the Seattle Mariners play and the
kids running the bases and beach days in Penticton! I could go on and on, it
was just such a fabulous trip! I swear we didn’t see a day below +28 until the
last few days of our holiday when we were back in Alberta.
We took on downhill skiing as a family this year, getting
Reese on skis and Cal back on ski’s after a long hiatus!! Blake took some ski
lessons this year and has decided he will ski and snowboard! We all loved our
trip to Jasper and look forward to more mountain skiing in our future!!
We visited Tisdale, SK this fall for my cousins wedding and were
so happy to see our Smith family. We hadn’t been to Tisdale in a few years so
it was a long overdue trip and great to visit my Grandpa, Grandma, Aunts,
Uncles and cousins.
The kids are all growing and changing! Still in the French
Immersion program at the same school, Blake is in the double digits now, in
grade 5 and almost taller than both his grandmas!! Emerson is in grade 3 and 8
years old and Reese is in grade 2 and 7 years old. They all love their
teachers, Blake and Reese are in split classes this year and Blake actually has
three teachers which is different for him but he is enjoying the change of
scenery throughout the day. Blake is filling his spare time right now with
hockey and guitar lessons. He loves his sports games on his Xbox and hanging
out with his hockey and school buds. Emerson is currently filling her spare
time with ringette, guitar lessons and Ukrainian dance. She loves her cooking
and baking shows and lots of crafting and reading as well!! Reese is keeping busy with ringette and piano
lessons and still loves her Lego, American Girl doll and lots of art work and
drawing!
Cal and I are good, still at our same careers. I’m still
working part-time and Cal is still working from home on most days. Cal ran in
the Sinister 7 Race again this year but took the year off from marathons. He’s
playing hockey once a week and is head coach of Blake’s Atom AA hockey team. I
am co-managing Blake’s team and assistant coach on Reese’s ringette team and
head cheer leader on Emerson’s ringette team J Obviously
we enjoy the rinks in the winters!!! Blake played lacrosse again this spring
and Emerson played 3 on 3 ringette, so we were in the rinks for the spring too!
Our schedules are crazy but we try to stay very organized! It
takes a village and we are very lucky to have great help from my parents and
school and sports friends.
Christmas holidays will be here before we know it and we’re
looking forward to the slower pace for a few weeks and all being home together.
We hope this letter finds you all in good health and spirits. We are sending lots
of love and wishing you a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2018!
Cal, Tracy, Blake, Emerson and Reese
