Blair's Blog

Yep, we made a break for sunnier climes this Christmas – we took the whole family to Manzanillo, Mexico for a warm weather Christmas. Even so, as we sat on the beach and watched the kids play in the sand and the surf, our thoughts turned to our family and friends. We’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and all the best in the coming New Year. As we heard it in Mexico:

Feliz Navidad y próspero Año Nuevo

This past year has certainly had it’s ups and downs. Unexpected job changes, growing children, school obligations, travel, and just the routines of daily life have all contributed to a bit of a wild ride through 2010. Earlier posts in this blog have chronicled many of these events through the year and you are welcome to flip back through the archives if you care to!

With my layoff from my employer of 7 years, back in April, things started to change dramatically for both Brenda and I. We have ended up with both of us working as contractors through the small business that we incorporated a few years ago, Cafewall Solutions Inc. Brenda has had two contracts this year, one in the cafeteria at the kid’s school and a second contract as the Museum Liaison for the Aero Space Museum of Calgary. I have had a contract with a kitchen and bath renovation company to do Operations Management. It has been a challenge to come to terms with some of the issues of running our own business and relying on it for the family income.

The kids continue to grow at a rate that hardly seems possible, Steven is now 13, Mark is 11 and Alyssa is 8. Appetites (and grocery bills!) are growing, especially for Steven who is just hitting the teen years with his size 11 feet. He will almost certainly end up taller than me! All three kids have been really good about taking on extra chores and responsibilities around the house as Brenda and I have had to juggle work schedules. It is really great to see each of the kids maturing in their own ways with their own unique personalities and interests.

Steven continues to be interested mostly in technology and is an avid reader – it is intriguing to see him use the computer so effortlessly to research school assignments, chat to his friends on Skype and to just use technology as naturally as breathing. Mark is growing rapidly and some of the academic challenges of the past few years have been met and overcome wonderfully. Mark is definitely a very social kid and still really loves the ocean; two vacations to the seashore this year has been ideal in his estimation. Alyssa continues to find great pleasure in any form crafts, she is quite creative with her hands. This year she has also begun to show a real interesting in cooking and baking.

Wishing you and your all the best this Christmas,

Tags: Christmas Update, Travel

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