Family, Friends, Food and Fun

It has been a 4 F kind of holiday.  Family, friends, food and fun.  Sixteen days of mirth and merriment.  So much mirth and merriment.

FAMILY

“I sustain myself with the love of family.” - Maya Angelou

Our first Christmas gift of the season was having Molly arrive home for eight whole days.  

We got together with Joe's parents, grandmother, aunt and my mom for an early holiday luncheon.

Our kids with their incredibly adorable 99 year old great-grandmother.

Paige's boyfriend Jordan celebrated Christmas with us.  We ventured up the Sea-to-Sky gondola for a snowy walkabout on Christmas afternoon.

Christmas Day coma.

Molly's boyfriend Jordan (yes, both girls are dating boys named Jordan) flew in from Boston to spend a couple of days with us in Squamish.

We got together with some cousins we don't get to see very often.

FRIENDS

We are blessed with so many good ones.

 Joe worked in the Medical Genetics department at the University of British Columbia in the '80s.  We got together for dinner in Vancouver with some of the old gang.  It was wonderful to spend time with these smart, generous and funny friends.

After re-connecting with this family a couple of months ago, we had a super-fun reunion on December 28th.

 Happy New Year everyone!

Ringing in the New Year with these gals.

We were lucky enough to spend an evening with the English couple we exchanged homes with two summers ago.  They were in Squamish visiting their children.

FOOD

All celebrations call for for food.  Lots of food.  And this holiday was no exception.

 A memorable meal with friends: Chinese hot-pot.

 Christmas Eve oysters.

 Honestly, I could live solely on appetizers.

 Christmas Eve potluck.

 Joe wowed this crowd with his cocktails, Margharita pizzas and espresso drinks.

Another memorable meal with friends: Swiss raclette.

FUN

We had F-U-N in spades this holiday season.

We have recently adopted the Newfoundland tradition of Tibb's Eve.  We donned these wacky hats from some vintage Christmas crackers and enjoyed a few drinks on December 23rd.

Singing Christmas carols is a holiday must.

Surprising Joe with this painting by artist Luchia Feman was a highlight of my holiday.  Joe fell in love with 'The Lollipop King' when we went on the East Side Culture Crawl back in November.

We played 'Heads Up' several different times, a fun game by Ellen Degeneres that is downloaded onto a cell phone. 

Fun is wearing high-heeled boots while walking on snowy trails in the forest.  Fashion first!

If this photo doesn't say 'fun', what does?

Fun is trying to drink a cup of coffee on Christmas morning with a cranky black cat wrapped around your neck.

As much as we could, we ventured out into the great outdoors.  Joe and I always have fun when we are in nature.

And now the house is quiet.  The tree is down and the fridge is empty.

Christmas has come and gone and the new year is upon us.  We both go back to work tomorrow.  

It has been a marvellous time full of family, friends, food and fun.  A 4F holiday indeed.

May your 2015 be filled with happiness and good health for you all.

Gearing Up For Christmas

A recent visitor to my home commented, "Boy, your house isn't very Christmas-y.  I would have thought as a primary teacher your house would be decorated to the nines."

Nope.  And this is why:

It is ALL CHRISTMAS ALL THE TIME in my classroom for the month of December.

 We decorate paper gingerbread men.

 We hang circle Santas from the ceiling.

 We write letters to Santa Claus with the help of our big buddies.

 We celebrate 'Holiday Hat (and beard) Day'.

 We concentrate very hard on colouring for our paper bag Santa puppets.

 We decorate the live Christmas tree I cut down in the forest.

 We construct and decorate graham wafer 'gingerbread houses'.

 We love to use glue and glitter and sequins on our art projects.

 We collect 927 toys and non-perishable food items for Community Christmas Care.

 We add lights to our Christmas art displays.

 We make Christmas swags to take home to our families.

 We send Christmas wishes for the world.

We dance and sing as snowmen in our Christmas concert.

I sit on the floor and sing along with my students as they perform for their families.

Christmas decorating at my house tends to be very simple.  A tree, a display of my children's photos with Santa and a little wooden creche.  That's it.

 Heading out into the woods with friends and a dog to find the un-perfect tree.

 Cramming into the van with the Christmas trees.

 Unwrapping boxes and boxes of my vintage Christmas balls.

Pretty bird.

Posing with the tree on Christmas Day, 1961.

I really enjoy Christmas experiences more than I do decorating my house.

 At the top of the Sea-to-Sky Gondola on a sunny winter day.

 Listening to my school's choir sing Christmas carols in the Summit Lodge.

Beautiful Howe Sound during a 4:00pm sunset.

And then there is this guy.  Always baking and cooking up a storm.

My favourite chef.

Culture Crawling In Fifteen Photos

We picked up a couple of kids and went on the East Side Culture Crawl yesterday.  We hadn't been for years.  The sun was shining.  We strolled the streets of Strathcona.  My, how that neighbourhood has changed.  And not changed.

Two of my favourite Ukrainian words are 'Perogy Lunch'.  As much as I love poking into artist's homes to view their works of art, I am also a huge fan of perogies!  Even better when they're eaten in the basement of the Ukrainian Hall on tables covered with red and white checkered oilcloths amidst happy strangers who are also like-minded gourmands.

The wait was long but totally worth it.

This photo does not do the meal any justice.  Believe me when I say it was DELICIOUS!

Understandably, the artists were not keen on people taking photos of their work.  What I found equally as interesting as their art were their living spaces.

The outdoor spaces rivalled the interiors of the art studios.  What a beautiful day to wander around East Vancouver.

Gifts From A Funeral

I attended a funeral yesterday.

A beautiful funeral.

A funeral that any of us would love to happen on our behalf when we die.

It was sad, it was poignant, it was profound.

The eulogies were delivered with grace and love.

In amongst the sadness and tears there were smiles and laughter.

And as is often the case, it took a funeral to reconnect us.

To remind us of what is important.

With people we shared shared big chunks of our lives with years ago.

Brackendale Elementary School days, Sparks, Brownies, Girl Guides, mountain biking.

Playdates, sleepovers, swimming in Granny and Grampy's backyard pool.

We recaptured that yesterday.

A reunion is planned for the upcoming Christmas holidays.

When all the birdies fly back to the nest.

All eleven of us together.  At our place.  With Joe's pizza taking centre stage.

These are the gifts from a funeral.