Saturday, January 19th, 2008 -- evening

Hey Bloggy,

I told you I'd be back! It's now 10pm HST on a Saturday night and can you believe it? I'm actually about to go to bed!! Too much sun and surf today!! Yes, today I went into the water against all my fears of falling or losing my balance while walking on the sand, I DID it! Oh sure, my wonderful friends are around me and would be there to help me in or give support with the walking if I needed it, but I wanted to do it on my own and I not only walked on the sand without the aid of the cane, I got in and out of the water on my own steam :) :)

Ok... now I'm not really sure where I left off, both in days and in pictures, so what the heck.... I'm just going to throw up a few photos that I've taken over the last week. There are others, but hey... this is just a taste of the past week...

This is the daily scene on the beach where you can find our group every day. I'm not exactly sure of our set up, but something to do with the beach boys that we've known for years store our umbrellas and chairs, then a couple of our guys come down early in the morning and set them up... the rest of us toddle down throughout the morning. These last few days, I've been the last one to get there in the mornings!

I thought this was one of those photo opportunities. Not far from where I get off the bus, on my way to the Hale Koa beach, these palm trees were blowing in unison against the blue sky... so of course I felt I had to take a picture. Especially since we've been hearing reports of wind, rain, snow and cold temps back at home... I figured I'd put this one up so everyone back at home could show sympathy that we are getting winds too :D Of course, ours are called the "Trade Winds" :)

Now, you may very well be asking what we do to keep ourselves amused while we spend every day down at the beach. A good question!! We get into competitive rounds of the card game, Quiddler!!! :)

I never get tired of seeing the Hibiscus growing outside. They grow everywhere... sort of like the daffodil or tulip back at home. These gorgeous flowers come in all sorts of colours, although this red/orange and a yellow one are probably the most common.

Oh, now how did this one get in here?? Yes, this is some of us up at Chuck's Steakhouse bar... where our favourite bartender, Bob Melton works. This was us AFTER having had dinner and now were having a few after dinner drinks.

Speaking of Bob... here he is! Peg is holding up the sign that announces, for the second year in a row, Bob is the winning bartender on the whole island for the new drink he made up. I forget the name of it, but he did make one for me and it was wonderful!

Ok, we are all getting ready to go to a Puu-Puu Party last night at Curt's house. A bunch of us met at the front of Peggy, Chris and my hotel and while we were waiting, had this picture taken ... just some of the gals ready to party :)

Hmmm... I thought I took more pictures at the party, but I guess I don't have them downloaded yet.

Today, we just sort of vegged out down at the beach, which is no different than what we do every day (grin). Ok, it's now going on 10:30pm and I'm sleepy so I'm heading to bed. The tops of my feet are peeling big time and are very burnt on the new skin. Ooops! Time to take it a bit easier :)

Alooooooooha!

Cheryl

Saturday, January 19th, 2008 -- morning

Hiya Bloggy,

Sorry to everyone who has written to voice their concern, wondering how I was doing since my blog has not been updated since last Saturday. Yikes! Where does the time go??

Nothing wrong here... just a lack of time, it seems! I just can't seem to get ready on time in the morning to get down to the beach in the morning ... and that's just getting showered, changed and out the door. I usually have to wait until my meds have kicked in because my one huge whine here is that the joint pain has not gotten better... if anything it's gotten worse, but that could have to do with the antibiotics (Cipro) I've been on for the past 10 days. I didn't notice until I was throwing the bottle out yesterday that there was a big neon warning to not be exposed to the sun for any prolonged periods. Ooops. Sun exposure with these antibiotics could cause serious sunburning and joint stiffness... uh... yes, well, I got both :)

Anywho... I'm finished them now so we'll see if the second 2 weeks goes better. Meanwhile, it is 9am and I still have to get dressed and head out to get some breakfast before joining the gang at the beach. So, this is just going to be a short morning, "Hello!" and I will try to catch up more with pictures tonight.

Is it true there are places in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland that are getting snow today??? Brrrrrrr!

Aloooooha!

Cheryl

Saturday, January 12, 2008 -- Low Energy Report

Hiya Bloggy,

This will be a quick entry since I don't really have too much to report on this one and I haven't taken any new pictures :)

This is, I guess, the end of my first week here... well, first week and a day or two. The beginning of the week was jam-packed with catching up with friends, the beach, the walks to/from the beach, etc. and before you knew it, I was really tired. At home, I know that I plan appts./lunches, etc. in the early afternoon or earlier because it usually takes me most of the morning just to get up and get the joints working, etc. I have no idea why I thought it would be any different here. I guess I just figured that since it was warmer here that my body would adapt faster and be ready and raring to go in the morning.

Duh! Not true! I have found that the walk to the beach from the hotel (3-4 blocks) is doable in the late morning, but very slowly. Then, after spending the afternoon at the beach, even though I spend it under the shade of a beach umbrella, I have no energy left in the late afternoon so it is a real challenge to walk the 3-4 blocks back to the hotel. There is no bus that goes back to the hotel, short of me walking through the International Market place and down a block... by which time I would be only short 1 block to the hotel. But, by the time I walk back to the hotel, I am so hot and so out of energy that doing anything in the evening is pretty much impossible. Weird, huh?? Here I was so sure that when I got here, I would be totally back to my old self once I felt the warm weather. Boy, have I ever been in for a rude awakening!

Anywho... I have send a quick email to my oncologist (Sharlene Gill) just to get verification that what I am experiencing is totally normal and to be expected. I'm pretty sure it is, but I just want to hear it from her... and I guess I will have to rethink my plans for this trip (IE: a day at the beach, then a day here at the hotel by the small pool... or it may even be a day at the beach and then 2 days at the hotel).

I do feel better this evening, so I do know that if I don't over exert myself (and at this speed, walking 3-4 blocks to the beach and then back is considered over-exerting myself), then I can handle it. But when I overdo it, then all I can do is nap... I can't even get the energy to eat! Go figure??

But, since I am rested now, I am planning on going to the beach tomorrow :)

Alooooha!

Cheryl

Tuesday, January 8, 2008 -- I'm baaaack!

Hiya Bloggy,

Well, it's been a couple of days since I've written an entry and, voila! I have solved my problem about uploading pictures!! Yippeeee!! I have picked up one of those little memory card disk readers (the one I have can read 15 different cards, one of them being the itty bitty san disk memory cards that I have for my camera. Sooooo... sit back because there are a ton of pictures that I have. I'm not sure I'll be able to upload all of the ones I've taken so far, but I will upload a bunch :)

Let's start with the little diva who is not here in Hawaii, but is back at home, staying with Stephanie and Tony in Tsawwassen. Yes, it is good to see that she is living in the spoilt lifestyle that she has become accustomed to at home. From the sounds of things, she has Stephanie at her beck and call!! LOL!! Because their dog, Reagan, loves to play with balls, Bridget now insists that she loves to play with balls... as long as someone (Stephanie) is there to throw them for her... which in turn drives Reagan crazy!! But, when it's bed time, then Bridget loves to snuggle in her blankie. Check out these two pictures that Tony took of her:







Isn't she just the cutest??? Ok... moving on... let's go across the Pacific Ocean to the islands of Hawaii. I happen to be on the island of O'hau! Yes, this is the island that Waikiki is on and Waikiki is where my friends and I make our home during the month of January. Now, I'm not sure where to start with the pictures! Hmmmm... let's see...

Here's Peggy, one of my bestest friends. She is in the stretch limo that we (7 of us) took to get to Bob's house which is on the backside of Diamond Head. We were on our way there to celebrate Sheila's birthday (her birthday is the day before mine):



Hehehe... now the party gets rolling and as the night goes on, well, we all get a little crazy! This picture is of me and Sheila... we are celebrating Sheila's birthday which is the day before mine...



And this is a picture of Doug and I. Doug and Marilyn are married and live in Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island. Just before Christmas, I went over to Vancouver Island to attend a work meeting/lunch and I stayed at Doug and Marilyn's in their gorgeous house right on the lake. Now, here we all are in Hawaii :)



Hmmm... here's a picture of Peg and Marilyn (Doug's wife)...



And then there's me with two of my favourite guys, Doug and Ron (Doug on the left and Ron on the right)...



As the night went on, well, I'm not sure I can explain this. There must be a simple explanation for it but hmmmm... give me a few minutes and I'm sure I can come up with one (grin):




(AHEM!) Ok... let's move on. Remember in the last blog entry I mentioned about being a little bit leery about going on the catamaran? I was just not sure of my footing or balance and whether I could do it or not. Even with all the guys in our gang and the guys who sail the catamaran, I just wasn't sure if I would be able to do it. The "stairs" up from the water to the boat are a combination of "stairs" and "ladder". The stairs themselves are not bad, but the boat is moving the whole time because of the waves that come into the shore. Which is another problem... the waves cover the first 2 or 3 stairs when they come into shore, so if you are on those stairs at that time, AND you don't have good balance, they could push you off. So I was just not sure if I could overcome all of this. But, surprise, surprise... I DID IT!! I am soooo pleased with myself for having accomplished this. Sailing on the catamaran has been something I've done every year... so to not be able to do it was just another example of what I'm limited in doing. But, I DID manage to get up by myself even though Bob was in front of me and Doug behind me should I need help. Likewise, when I got off, the catamaran guys were there to help, with my guys behind me. So here are a few pictures I took while on the catamaran...



This has got to be a familiar picture... the Waikiki shoreline taken as the catamaran is sailing out over the reef. We didn't see any dolphins or whales on this sail, but they are everywhere in the vicinity because they are heading towards Maui... before they turn around and head to Alaska in the summer.



Ok... here's the gang on the catamaran. Gee... I probably will miss someone but let's see... in the foreground, Chris in the red had (Peggy's husband), Doug looking at me with a drink in his hand, Peggy is standing up, over on the other side is Darlene and Nancy, up against the window is Walter and Marilyn.



This is a cute picture. We have little Lexi who is Bob's (in black tank shirt) grandaughter. Sheila (blonde) is owner of the catamaran with Walter (from Winnipeg) all paying attention to little Lexi. She is one well-behaved toddler! No matter where we went or what we were doing, she never ever made a fuss or got cranky!



Ok, here's a better picture of little Lexi. She decided that I was OK in her books and my cane was definitely intriguing. She took very good care of my cane when I didn't need it and when I did, she was right there, willing to hand it over to Auntie Cheryl.



After the catamaran ride, we trekked through the sand (hey, sand trekking in the sun is hard work!!) to the Moana Surfrider Hotel and placed ourselves under the Banyan Tree for some refreshment. It's just, we never did know when to leave.



As you can see... fruity Rum Runners were easy to get. I, myself, was being extremely good and sticking to the "virgin" drinks, being that I am still on medication and who knows how Rum Runners and meds react ;)



Here is a lovely picture of Colleen and Peggy. I really like this picture. Ok, ok, so Colleen has just joined us and Peggy has had a couple of Rum Runners by this time, but hey, who's counting??? :)



Hey... well, don't Shirley and Vladi look like they are having fun?? This is their first year with us (what a rude awakening for them!!) They are Doug and Marilyn's neighbours at Shawnigan Lake over on Vancouver Island and we are glad they could join us this year!

Ok, Peggy is going to kill me but I just had to add this picture...



Hahahaha... she is praying that she doesn't come across as too drunk when she meets up with her husband for dinner. Hehehe... we DID finally leave the Yum Yum Tree and walked next door to the Outrigger Waikiki to go to Chuck's Steakhouse for dinner. It must have been about 8pm by this time and we realized that some were starting to get hungry ;)

So, off to Chuck's we went and when we got there, the place was hoppin'!! Not only that, but Bob (different Bob) was working at the bar. Now, you all really have to see Bob work... he is amazing and totally puts Tom Cruise to shame in that movie he was in acting as a bartender. Bob is so quick, he will make you busy just watching him work!

Since we had to wait for a bit for dinner, we waited in the bar. Doug and I were at one end, then there was a fellow, Patrick, between me and the rest of them. Well... Patrick was a darn interesting fellow... he is a pilot for UPS and he flies all over the world - Shanghai, Dubai, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Korea, China, Europe, Australia, etc. Really interesting guy, so we exchanged email addresses... the one city he has not been to is Vancouver, so, you never know... he may get Vancouver one of these days!

Hehehe... well, after dinner, Doug, Marilyn and I walked back to my hotel with Shirley and Vladi. Shirley and Vladi went off to their own hotel... Doug and Marilyn dropped me off at my hotel and the two of them went to their place just around the corner from my hotel.

Yesterday we all went to the Military Beach behind the Hale Koa hotel. Needless to say we were all much quieter than the day before. And oy vey, but I actually got too much sun!! I have burnt the top of both of my feet, not to mention the rest of me!! Today I stayed under the umbrella in the shade the whole afternoon. I was really tired after realizing the walk to/from the military beach is just too much for me to handle right now. It was fine two years ago, but alas... I'm not able to right now. So on Thursday when we go, I will take the bus.

But, right now, it is just after 11pm and my eyes are drooping, so it's off to bed for me.

Alooooooha!!

Cheryl

Saturday, January 5th, 2008 -- more beach and sun!

Hiya Bloggy!

Yep... another day in paradise!! Although, I will be the first to admit that I was much slower today. Instead of going down to the beach around 9am (which is always my goal), I don't think I got there until close to noon. I think (what do I know??) that the Kona winds may be on their way out, which meant it was hotter and muggier today... and we didn't have any "cloudy" periods... it was sun, sun, and more sun :)

Oh joy!! When I got down there, they had a beach umbrella already set up for me AND my black chair was all set up too!! I think I mentioned this yesterday... a few years back now I had left my black chair with the Bradleys and told them that they could do whatever they wanted with it... give it to friends coming for a visit or even throw it out. It was easier for me to just bring a chair over and leave it rather than cart it back to Vancouver. Hahaha... well, it did make it's way over to the Donnellys, so it was still on the island, this many years later. When I got to the beach, there it was, all set up under my umbrella. Ed had walked it down to the beach early this morning...probably earlier than when I got up! :) And now, at the end of the day, the chair will stay with the umbrella with the beach boys and they will set it up when they set up the rest of our gang.

So, what did we do today? Hmmm... this is going to sound so boring... it's a tough life don't you know?? We chatted, we read, we did puzzles (some were doing crosswords, some Suduko), some had their ipods... and then when it got too hot, went into the water for a dip. I didn't go into the actual water for a swim... I went in up to my ankles, just to cool off. Waikiki Beach is a famous beach for swimming but it does have this one big sandy step down just under the water at the shore. Getting down the sandy step would not be a problem for me... it's getting up the step. It's just that high enough that I can't quite to it... at least, not on my own. Of course, all the gang have said that when I want to go into to the water, I can either go in with anyone who is going in, or any one of them will walk in with me (so I don't fall) and will be there to give me a hand when I'm ready to come out. This is going to happen... I will be going in! I just have to get over my "fear" of falling or having my muscles/joints give out on me. I've already noticed what a challenge it is just to walk down to the beach! That has really thrown me... I was not expecting that, and I'm waiting for the heat/humidity to start working it's magic on my joints and muscles that are so sore.

Patience is a virtue!! I've only been here two days... I can't go expecting miracles :)

Anywho... where was I? Oh yes... the beach! So we were all just lazing around, doing not much of anything. I was reading my book and then out of the blue, there was Sheila with her hands over my eyes!! Scared the dickens out of me, it did!! Sheila is the owner of the Kepoikai (the catamaran) and tomorrow (Sunday) is her birthday. Since it is her birthday, she wants us all to go for a sail tomorrow. Hmmmm... I'm going to play that one by ear and see how strong I'm feeling tomorrow. I am REALLY leary about getting on the catamaran. Going up the stairs/ladder onto the boat... and then getting into the cabin of the boat. I used to do this in my bare feet and just took it for granted. Now, the simplest thing like telling my legs to go down a step... well, it's a challenge. So getting off the boat will be a challenge as well. We'll see. I guess part of it will depend on what time Sheila gets down and then whether my pain pills have kicked in or not.

Anywho... now that Sheila was down at the beach, that's all us gals needed as an excuse to go to the Moana Surfrider hotel to have a little drinkie outside under the Banyan Tree ;) Fancy drinks... one has to have a couple of those days!

Then it was back to our umbrellas on the beach. I realized about this time (3pm'ish) that I was looking a tad reddish. How does that happen when I'm mostly in the shade of the umbrella?? But, there was that time where I was standing at the water's edge, just getting my feet wet up to my ankles to cool off. Peggy and I stood there talking for a bit... and I think it was that time, with the reflection from the water, that got a little cooked :)

So, it was time to hobble back to the hotel at 4pm. I was hot and felt sandy. It seemed to take forever to get back to the hotel, but oh did it feel good to have a nice warm shower :D I got changed into some comfy clothes and chose to stay home this evening. It is now 10:30pm so I am going to go to bed with my book. I will probably be asleep before I finish the first paragraph and will have a good night's sleep :)

Aloha for now!!

Cheryl

PS: Marilyn, who says she is barely computer literate, came up with a brainstorm regarding my problem of not being able to post any pictures I've taken because I forgot the cable at home!! I will take the camera's memory card into a photo finishing place and have them download the pictures from the card onto a CD! Hello? What a simple solution and why didn't I think of that?? Heck, there's a photo finishing place right in the hotel behind where we sit on the beach! :)

Friday, January 4th, 2008 -- ALOOOOOHA!

Aloha Bloggy!

Yes, I am here in Waikiki, the land of sun, surf and pineapples! I had a wonderful trip here and my first day on the island was filled with sun and fun with friends. Ha! I didn't realize that my energy level is not quite the same as it has been in past years... and that hit me last night, my first night here (grin).

For starters, it wasn't until I got here that I am now realizing the various things I have forgotten to pack... things that I would have packed without even thinking about in the past. Unfortunately, one of those things is the small cable that I need to hook my camera up to my computer so I can download the pictures off the camera onto the computer so I can then use them on the blog (or send in email, etc). That is a real bummer... it means this trip report for the next 3-4 weeks is going to be just words, no pictures! Unless I can luck out and find a camera shop here who just happens to have one in the back. Highly unlikely but let's not doubt the power of mind over matter ;)

Speaking of the "Laws of Attraction"... I have a wonderful example of how this has worked for me. For the weeks leading up to my flight here, I have been not too excited about coming because I was not looking forward to being squeezed onto the plane like a bunch of sardines. More so this year than any other because of my legs. I am just not as flexible because of what the chemo did to the feet and how it's impacted the arthritis. Suffice it to say, I was dreading the uncomfortable flight. Now, if there were an empty seat beside me, that would give me plenty of room to at least not feel quite so claustraphobic. When I checked in, I asked if the flight was full... and the attendant just laughed and said, "All flights to Hawaii at this time of the year are full, if not oversold." Oh great! So she said I could check with the gate attendant but highly unlikely that anything could be done.

Now, for weeks I have been visualizing and saying to myself "I will have an empty seat beside me" but it was not looking good. When I got to the gate, I went up to the attendant, explained my problem and that I understood the plane was full, but should someone not show up and should there possibly be two empty seats together, blah, blah, blah. She checked and apologized... the plane was full and she did have 2 single seats but they weren't even close to each other. Oh well (sigh).

So the first seat I was assigned was an aisle seat in the middle row (of 3 seats). While the plane was boarding, the gate attendant came up to me and asked if I would mind moving to the aisle seat across the way.. this was where there were two seats in the row... a window seat and an aisle seat. There was a gal in the window seat and it didn't really make any difference to me who I was sitting with and by moving, she could sit a family of 3. So I moved and the gal was very nice and friendly... so at least that made an uncomfortable situation more bearable. So off we went... and this gal and I had a nice chat. About 20 minutes into the flight, one of the flight attendants came up to us and said that there was another single seat up a couple of rows and would this gal like to move to it? So, as much as we were getting along just fine, the gal said, "Well, why not. That will give you more room to stretch your legs, but make sure you get up now and again and walk on them."

So, lo and behold, here was a full flight and I did get my two empty seats... and the rest of the flight was great, even with the 15 minutes or so of pretty strong turbulence :)

Ok... wow, if it takes me this long to describe a part of a day, this blog entry will go on forever!! LOL!!!

So, I'll make the rest relatively quick. I got to the hotel and checked in and it really is very comfortable. It's an older hotel that has been renovated. I am staying in a "standard" room, but it has some amenities that most standard hotel rooms don't have. Yes, there is a tv (pretty standard) but it also has a stereo with Bose speakers. The king size bed is SUPER comfortable... both nights now I have slept sooooo well!! Air conditioning is turned on/off with a remote control rather than setting it like a thermostat. There is a small fridge and a safe. The bathroom is great... the bathtub is a jacuzzi tub. Yayayayaya! And of course, there is high speed internet in each of the rooms. So all in all, very comfortable. I was going to look into being upgraded to a Jr. Suite, which has all the same amenities plus a kitchenette, including a full size fridge. Depending if I stay a bit longer, I may still look into this, but for now I'm quite comfortable :)

Yesterday, we spent the day on the beach... my first day. My buddies had an umbrella already set up for me and (grrrrrrrr) since I FORGOT to bring my beach chair (it's still behind my door at home), they had rented me a chaise lounge chair... but at $15/day, that could get way too expensive. So, I made a few phone calls because I know I have left a chair with friends a few years ago. Now I had said that I didn't want/need it again because I would just bring another one each year... but now I was wondering if someone still had it? To make a long story short, yes, the chair is still here on the island, so Ed is going to bring it down to the beach this morning... and the beach boys who run the chair/umbrella/etc. rentals, will keep it with our other chairs/umbrellas, so I don't have to be hauling it to/from the hotel.

Last night, 8 of us took a stretch limo to Bob Mott's BEAUTIFUL townhouse to celebrate another friend, Sheila's birthday. The last time I was at this townhouse was back when they first bought it and it was empty. They were renovating so had not moved any furniture or anything in... and now it's finished and lived in. Beautiful home... and a fun party! But then, when haven't we had fun??? (grin)

I'd say that some of them may be a bit later getting down to the beach this morning (chuckle). Me, I realized as we were getting ready to leave about 11pm (1am Vancouver time and I'm still on Vancouver time at the moment) that I had run out of steam. My legs were now not listening to my brain.. weird feeling, but I know it was mainly because I was just tired. This morning, I'm still tired and much slower. I just realized it is going on 10am so I better get a move on and go get some breakfast. I will then head to the beach... but it does take me awhile to get to the beach since where we go on Waikiki is probably about a 1/2 mile walk. Not far at all... unless you walk slow :)

Ok... that's it for now! Will be back later :)

Alooooooha!

Cheryl

January 2, 2008 - Happy New Year!!

Hiya Bloggy!

Long time no posts or anything. Well, I'm not about to make any excuses because the intent was there... there just weren't enough hours in the day over the holidays.

Right now, I should be in bed because tomorrow is going to be a VERY long day! I have to get Bridget out to Tsawwassen by noon, have a little visit with Steph and Tony who are going to be looking after her while I'm gone, then off to the airport we go. I am giving myself plenty of time at the airport because we all know how long the lineups can be and then once checked in, I have to get down to go through US Customs then get down to the gate. I'll have my butterfly cane with me, but let's face it... I'm just not as quick as I once was. Hence the reason to give myself plenty of time at the airport ;)

Now, I don't even know where to begin to talk about the holidays, not to mention, I'm trying to make this relatively quick since I still have the dishes in the kitchen to do and arrange my luggage, etc. (well, get it off the bed so Bridget and I can sleep in the bed tonight).

Suffice it to say, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Eve were absolutely wonderful... and magical!! For the first time in years and years, we had snow falling on Christmas Day!! It didn't start until later in the afternoon, but certain areas in the city ended up with a White Christmas!! Yayayaya!!

I spent Christmas Eve at Dad's. We went out for dinner with Patt and Jerry, and Rod and Karrie. Here's a picture of Dad, arranging Christmas Gifts for the morning when the whole family would gather:



Hehehe... I think I will just show you how I spent my Christmas and New Year's in pictures :)

Christmas was spent at Dad's, with Pat, Jerry and the boys upstairs, although they came down and joined us for breakfast and gift exchanges. Hmmm... I don't have any pictures of either of my brothers or Karrie. If you guys are reading this blog, I do apologize. I was taking pictures during the morning but I see I don't have any of you guys!

Here is a picture of the presents after Santa had arrived. I guess he must have arrived while we were out for dinner (grin)

Let's start with the little diva since she is always the centre of attraction. She liked sleeping in her grandpa's bed. We do this once/year on Christmas Eve and she remembers every time. So here she is Christmas morning, in no hurry to get up! Lazy bum!

Here is my sister, Erin, with my Dad. Dad had received a Nintendo DS for Christmas, so Erin was setting it up for him. Boys and their toys... and girls too! :)

Here we have Jerry and Patt and their son Jeff and soon-to-be Daughter-in-law, Helen. Jeff and Helen will be getting married on July 26 this year! Yayayaya!! We are going to have a wedding in the family!!

And here we have Jerry and Patt's younger son, Mike and his girlfriend, Meghan. Mike is working up North with an explatory company and Meghan is going to school in the States, so it's good to have them both home at Christmas.

Ok...jump to later in the day when I went to my friends, Steve and Don's, for Christmas dinner. There were 5 of us... and we had a fabulous dinner that Steve cooked and arranged. He's a genius in the kitchen!!

When driving from Dad's place to Steve/Don's, I hit a Winter Wonderland in a couple of places. I just had to get out of the car and take a picture because it was so beautiful!

Here they are... Steve on the left and Don on the right!! Two fabulous guys!!

Christmas dinner! Did we have a feast or what?? And just the 5 of us adults to enjoy what Steve put together for us.

Here we all are, except for Don who is taking the picture. Starting with me on the left, then Steve, across the table is Doug and Andrew.

Here's little Gyro, Doug and Andrew's little dog. Hehehe... Gyro and Bridget had words with each other, but pretty soon figured out their boundaries and then they were both as good as gold and basically ignored each other. Bridget was more interested in sleeping.

Here's a picture of Don and Gyro BEFORE dinner. Don had got home at 5:30am Christmas morning from a trip out to Maui (Don's a flight attendant with Air Canada). So he's still pretty chipper and awake BEFORE dinner ;)

Ok, after dinner, not quite so awake. Even Gyro was starting to get a little on the sleepy side.

Let's move on to Boxing Day, Dec 26, 2007:

As Bridget is getting older, all this holiday festivity stuff and all the visiting is wearing the poor dear out. Here she's having an afternoon nap, and is staying at home instead of coming over to Shel and Jill's for a Boxing Day party.

Here's a lovely picture of Inga, Jill and Sanjay. Inga's hubby is not here at this point because he is performing in the Arts Club production of "Beauty and the Beast". But he was over before the performance and then came back after the performance. Hmmm... and I don't seem to have a picture of him before or after!

Isn't this adorable?? The little babe is Lilianne (I hope I spelled that right) and she is the daughter of Therese (Shel's daughter) and Stefan. They live in Montreal but were here for the Christmas season.

Here is Naveen and Jill. This Boxing Day Party was at Jill and Shel's house and we all were having a good time by this time of the night :)

Here Sanjay is getting some attention to his back which he had hurt. Maddalena is applying heat and giving him advice and it seemed to really work. So we have Sanjay, Naveen and Maddalena in this picture.

I love this picture! 3 very beautiful and generous people. Sanjay, Maddalena and Therese (Shel's eldest daughter and new mom).

I knew I had a picture around here somewhere with Shel in it. Here is Naveen, Maddalena and Shel. Shel and I have known each other for 35 years this year. Where does the time go???

Hahaha... this is sort of a posed picture! I told Naveen to pretend he was cooking. Shel then asked him what he was doing and he said he was cooking. Shel's response -- "In the sink???" and that's when we all cracked up ;)

Here is Emily with Inga and Troy's two darling little girls, Juliette (the youngest) and Natalie (in the grey).


Ok... a couple of days between Boxing Day and New Year's. These are the only 2 pictures I seem to have during that period:

Here's my little darling in her fuzzy, warm pink jacket that Jill got her in the summer when we were doing Grease (remember? The Pink Ladies all had pink jackets. So now Bridget does too and it's perfect for when it's cold out!)

How could one resist? Bridget is on the bed and I was folding laundry on the bed, so she did one of these, "Look at me, Mom, aren't I cute??" (grin)

Now we jump to New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve Party is at Naveen's house. Again, a nice small affair... there were 8 of us adults and 3 children (who are all pre-teens, so are more grown up than children).

Here is your's truly... moi! I did have makeup on when I arrived.. I'm not sure where it went in this picture ;)

Connor Kapahi, 12 years old and is already interested in the stock market!

Emily Kapahi, 14 years old, and interested in dance, singing, theatre and shopping! :)

Cooking at the stove! Naveen, his sister and his cousin... and what a fabulous meal they came up with!!

Sanjay and Jill... New Year's Eve, 2007 (or do we say 2008 because the new year is 2008?)

I absolutely adore this picture!! This says it all here... close family and lots of laughs!

Hehehe... I just had to take this picture. Naveen is in the middle of doing renovations to his house, so the bar had to move... and here it is (grin)!

Ok... I'm sure there are other pictures, but it is really, really late.. almost 2:30am. I have got to get to bed because tomorrow is a long day as I fly over the Pacific Ocean and head to Hawaii :)

I will be using this here blog to do my Hawaii reports, so maybe... just maybe I'll get here a little more often (chuckle). I'll certainly give it my best shot!! :)

Alooooooha!!

Cheryl