10 posts tagged “christmas”
That was a lot of fun. We should do it again next year.
We had a blast this Christmas season. The only thing that was a little awkward was that our family crashed a Christmas party for my Sister-in-law’s family – if we do next year exactly like this year (without the in-law thing) it’ll be perfect.
Our Christmas Eve traditional Chinese Dinner was a little different this year – it’s always been take out up until this year – and since Michelle was working at 5 at our favourite Chinese restaurant we had the buffet there at 4:30. It was a lot of fun (although Michelle really felt that she should be helping to serve the customers there – so I don’t know if she ever fully relaxed and enjoyed the meal).
The Christmas Eve gathering at my Brother (and his S.O)’s place was fabulous (a little late for Christmas Eve for our family). Danielle tried to absolutely STUFF us full that night. She pretty much succeeded. There place is very nicely decorated, the TV is amazing, the bathroom is breath taking and the décor is spectacular, not to mention the kitchen. They’ve done a tremendous job taking a very small house and making it really usable. Next they plan to dig out the basement and double their floor space. Should be good.
Everyone enjoyed their gifts and we were given season passes to the Playhouse Theatre – which is an amazing gift for us. Not only do Sherry and I date every week, we love live theatre! Very thoughtful gift
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Christmas Eve night was a late one and when we woke up at 5 it seemed like it was a little early to get up, so we all had coffee in our room and went downstairs around 5:30. Everyone was pleased with their gifts. I’m going to be the best dressed guy at work now and Sherry was pleased with her mirror (she was impressed that I found exactly the right one!) Michelle was happy with her gifts and especially with her new phone (although I’m a little worried that she’s going to spend more on the phone than she really should. We gave her $100 of airtime with the phone – I’m hoping that lasts for at least four months – she’s going to have to be a little disciplined to get it to last that long).
Breakfast at Mom and Dad’s was next. That was amazing too. Way more food than I should have eaten (sensing a theme yet?) and it was all really tasty!
We stopped in at the church on our way home to see how Rick was making out with his Christmas Day event at the church. One of the guys in our church decided that people that don’t have families (for whatever reason) shouldn’t be alone on Christmas day, so he planned a whole day’s event for anyone that wanted to come. Rich volunteered to take care of the food for the day – which meant Breakfast a snack for Lunch and then a full blown Turkey Dinner at 5.
We came just as Breakfast was being served and Sherry helped prep the birds for supper. We only stayed an hour or so.
Back to our place for a little bit and then off to my Sister-in-law’s party for her family. The meal was incredible. Ham, Turkey, Veggie casseroles, stuffing, chocolate, cream, sugar, sweets – wow! The pool table was well used and we had a nice visit too.
As soon as we were back from Robyn’s we packed up to drive 2.5 hours to Sherry’s Mom’s place. Michelle drove the whole way (which was kinda nice – I had a chance to take a power nap which really helped out). Dinner at Sherry’s Mom’s was really pleasant (even though I was way too full to really eat!)
We had a nice visit with the family and pretty much called it a night. It was really nice seeing them while it was quiet and calm.
The next morning was spent getting ready for Sherry’s Christmas gathering. We drove to Kitchener and had a really nice time at Aunt Cathy’s place. Way too much food again and a really pleasant visit with Aunt Patsy, Drew, Nathan and Uncle Leigh. Good times.
Home by 8:30 and in bed by 8:37 – asleep by 9:12. Whew.
This morning is a good day – I’m going to finish the proposal document that I was working on before the holidays struck. I’m just rebooting my Virtual Machine now and I’ll be documenting in a couple of minutes.
I’m thankful that Michelle and I are doing well again – it was really nice being able to chat with her this holiday and not have any tension between us.
I’m thankful that my gifts were well received (whew) I always enjoy it when I pick out good gifts to give.
I’m thankful that Christmas went so well all around – I really do hope that it goes this well again next year.
Things are going really well here. It’s nice.
Michelle and I have been getting along nicely since Sherry took over the Kitchen. You know, you have to wonder if it’s worth trying to teach Michelle how to do a task properly. It just seems like it’s not worth the pain to teach her perseverance. Hopefully someday she’ll get it.
Work has been going really well recently. I have one sniggly issue that I don’t know what to do with, but I’m sure I’ll work it out.
Curling was an absolute blast! My ‘gripper’ leg is really sore today, but it was well worth it. We had an hour of instruction and then played for an hour. It’s was a lot of fun.
The Lady that taught us to play was fabulous and a lot of fun. I had this one really good shot (all night) that accidentally knocked two of the opponent’s stones out of the house and stopped there. We went from being down two to up one. Whohoo. I’ll take it!
And of course, it’s Christmas! Whohoo. I love the traditions and gatherings at this time of year.
Our Christmas Eve traditions are going to be a little different this year for a couple of reasons. Michelle is working tonight (which will wipe out our walk and the game gift), but at least she works at the restaurant that we usually eat at, so we’ll be able to have supper before her shift starts…
And we’re going over to my Brother’s place for Christmas Eve instead of staying home. It should be fun. We’re doing portraits here before we go, I’ll post them shortly. (Oh, btw, I’m not going to post the kids photos anywhere on the net. CSIS says it’s a bad idea).
Michelle won’t be here for the family portraits :-( So I’ll take her portrait before supper and then photoshop her into the family portrait. I’ll have to post her picture here too – I really like her new hair colour (Really dark with dark blue highlights – very nice.) Then after work she’ll join us at my Brother’s place. Should be fun.
I’m thankful that Michelle and I are getting along better now.
I’m thankful that things are going so nicely (especially since it’s Christmas time!)
I’m thankful that I get to give some cool gifts this year.
I went to the mall last night. I usually go to the mall a few days before Christmas with $20 to spend on Sherry (I have a lot more than that already spent, so don’t panic). The point is to buy a couple of trinkets with all the other panicked guys in the mall. It’s a huge amount of energy for me.
Except, not this year.
There didn’t seem to be as much hussle and bussle as I’m used to. Or maybe I’m getting older and it doesn’t affect me as much. In either case it was a little disappointing.
I took the coolest photos of my friend’s kids last night. I’ll need to get permission to post them here since they’re very careful with their identity on the internet (I think he used to be a CSIS spy and can’t afford to be recognized now).
If I get permission I’ll show you. Fun fun.
You’ll have to live with the photo that I took to get the colour and lighting right…
I’m thankful that I can take cool photos. Pictures that people want to see.
I’m thankful that things are going smoothly this week.
I’m thankful that I get to try cool things (like Curling tonight at my wife’s Christmas party).
I’m thankful for the smell of fresh bread baking.
I’m thankful for mistletoe
I’m thankful for blue skies and bright snow.
Yikes. I know this season is supposed to be busy, but I’m having a hard time keeping up!
Work is busy, but manageable. My hobbies are taking up a bunch of time (there are a number of people that want CDs and DVDs created in time for Christmas – where were they six weeks ago?)
So Michelle has started coming home for lunch – it’s cheaper than going out to a restaurant and easier than packing her own. We like having Sherry home for the winter :-)
Although, Sherry is helping out with the church’s basement today – so the kids will be on their own for lunch – at least they don’t have to pay for the food.
I’m planning on trying out JibJab – I’ll let you know how it goes.
A friend of mine is planning on letting me photograph her kids tonight. That should be fun!
I’m thankful that my hobbies generate revenue – enough that I can give away some pretty cool portraits to friends for free!
I’m thankful that my office is so comfortable. Very few interruptions, nice chair, three monitors. Ahhh.
I’m thankful that Sherry is so handy. I’m looking forward to starting our renovations, but it’s nice that she can help out at the church while we’re trying to get started.
My diet is taking a serious beating, but the food is amazing.
It was a really nice day yesterday – it seemed that everything that I touched worked out well. My programming day was amazing, I had a great time with Sherry over supper, Michelle and I had a nice chat before she had to go to work and we had a chance to visit with my parents for a bit.
Very nice.
My bulbs are finally in for my projector. The project is due Friday and I have just enough time now to get it all done. Yikes.
Sherry died her hair last night (and added a nice red highlight to her already gorgeous brown hair). She was looking for a change and it was either cut off her long hair or colour it, needless to say I was pleased when she chose colour over cutting!
I’ll have to get her in the studio shortly to show you how nicely it turned out.
This is a relatively quite week leading up the Christmas Rush. Starting Saturday we have five Christmas parties quite quickly. Should be fun (but, again, tough on my diet… sigh)
I’m thankful that I can eat amazingly tasty food.
I’m thankful that I own a treadmill and don’t have to run out in the snow and slush.
I’m thankful that yesterday was so nice.
So it looks like my moods are still a little volatile – so much so that Sherry is having a tough time reading me.
Sherry can read my mood by looking at my eyes. Usually. Recently I’ve been so drastic in my swings (and so quick) that Sherry doesn’t have time to make the call before it changes again.
*sigh*.
I need a little stability in my life for a little while. A teenager is a very powerful destabilizing force.
Our last Alpha was last night. We had a great time with the meal. Rick surprised me by coming back to help with the meal and to serve.
I didn’t expect him to stay for the serving part as he disagreed, philosophically, with me about some of the aspects of who qualifies. It was a pleasant treat.
I gave Rick his Christmas gift last night (I don’t get to see him every week, so last night may have been the last time before Christmas). The gift was perfect. Not too expensive, something that he had been wanting for a while, something that would make his life easier and look good in the process. Perfect. That’s always nice.
This week will be relatively quiet in the lead up to Christmas. I’m really pleased with Sherry’s major gift and happy with the rest – it should be a good time giving them to her. I’m looking forward to it.
It should also be a good time shooting some portraits here on Christmas Eve too. Although our traditions are going to take a hit in the process.
I’m thankful that we have Christmas traditions.
I’m thankful that I can afford to buy cool gifts.
I’m thankful that I have cool friends to give gifts to.
The first round of Christmas parties was a huge success. We had a great time with Sherry’s side Saturday afternoon and then a really fun time with my work party after that.
I brought my lights to the party and did employee mug shots as well as couple shots just to be nice. They turned out really nicely (aside from the lack of a good background…. Bummer).
I’m really hoping to have a productive week at work this week – I’m looking forward to very few interruptions and knocking a bunch of stuff off my list.
I really can’t get over how different a photo feels with the extra attention to lighting. Take a look at the two photos and you can see the ‘snapshot’ feel to the one and the ‘portrait’ feel to the other. Whohoo!
Have you ever noticed that people leave things until the last possible moment? Does it make you want to poke them with a sharp stick? If so, there is help available.
The reason that I ask is that I operate a very small (local only, please) service to transfer old 8mm home movies to DVD. Now that Christmas is just around the corner I have three jobs to do (I typically do about 10 a year). Yikes.
To make matters worse I was almost done my last job when my projector’s bulb blew. Aarrrgh. So I ordered one from
replacementbulbs.com (great guys! Great prices!) and had them over night the bulb to me – I should get it shortly. Yikes.
I have a small confession to make – we were at Sherry’s Sister’s Christmas party and before we left I told Sherry what time I needed to be home to get ready for the staff party (to set up the lights). Then, in front of everyone, she asked how long we could stay (to make me look like the bad guy?) I snapped at her and told her that she already knew. Bummer.
I’m thankful that Sherry is very quick to forgive
I’m thankful that I don’t mess up like that very often
I’m thankful that we had a great time at both parties in spite of my sharp tongue
Ok, not to sound too excited, but we’re only two weeks from Christmas Eve. Yaaa.
Date night this week was really nice. Sherry and I went out for supper and then did a little Christmas window shopping. Then back to our place for dessert. Very nice.
My daughter and I went shopping early the next morning in the States. We crossed over around 7:30am and then headed for Breakfast (her treat – very nice). Then to run an errand for Sherry for Alpha and then to the mall to find perfect gifts for Sherry.
We had a great time. The trip home was easy and we were waived right through.
We had guests over Sunday for lunch (Greg and Audrey) and it was a lot of fun. They brought the youngest daughter with them (the rest of the kids were elsewhere – teenagers!) She did really well for being stuck with all adults.
Lunch was really nice and we had fun chatting afterward. I took Audrey and her daughter downstairs to my studio and did a few portraits to try out the lights. I used two lights on the background, one umbrella and one flash directly pointed at them over my shoulder. I think it worked out pretty well.
I’m thankful that we have an opportunity to rebuild old friendships and start new ones.
I’m thankful that I serve a God that wants to bless me (and does!)
I’m thankful that Christmas comes every year and every year it’s a lot of fun!
Sherry has started into her project mode – she didn’t actually take much time off before she got started. The first thing to go was the Christmas clutter in the living room. Then she started in on the furnace room.
Man, she’s a hard worker!
How much should you bend the rules for your friends? We’re cooking for Alpha and the food is really good every Monday night. We have a guy who’s recently divorced and helps out a lot at the church. He didn’t sign up for Alpha and really isn’t interested in the course.
But he could use a home cooked meal once a week.
Do you let him come? Well, technically the food isn’t meant for him. But he helps out a lot in other areas of the church. If you let him – how do you say no to other people? But if you say no to him, will he feel put out for all the help that he’s giving.
Grrr.
We’re really excited for Christmas now. The parties are stacking up – we have one for Sherry’s extended family and my work party on the same day – that’ll be a bad food day.
Oh, speaking of which it was a brutal food weekend for me this past weekend. I put on two pounds! I’m clocking in around 196 now. Yikes. This is a really brutal time of year for eating properly. Sigh.
I’m thankful that I have to worry about over eating and not where my next meal is going to come from.
I’m thankful that there are people at the church that are willing to put in a lot of extra effort.
I’m thankful that Christmas time for my family is a time of excitement and not dread – there are far too many people who hate this time of the year.
Good morning all. Today's topic is Religion (I've already talked about politics, so I should be able to offend just about everybody shortly).
As I see it Religion is bad.
Let me explain. I'm going to use the word Religion to represent the structures, superstitions, rules and institutions that men have put together around their Spirituality. (And before I continue I believe that Spirituality is good).
In the beginning God walked with man in the Garden of Eden. There were no priests, there was no building, no alter, no rules, no power to abuse - just God walking with man in the cool of the evening. And it was good. It was exactly the way that God had intended us to relate to him.
If you skip to the end of the book (the Book of Revelation) and read the last couple of chapters it describes the new Eden - the way it will again once all of the crud has been fixed in this current world. Once again there is no temple (which would have been scandelous in the day it was written!) It's just God walking with man again - exactly the way it's supposed to be.
So if you look at the way that God would have us relate (Spirituality) then there is no church building, no power brokers, no wealth hording, no rules, no dress code (Adam was Naked!), no pretenses, no Holier-than-thou attitudes, no masks, no walls -- just people walking with God.
Thoughts?
--
In other news: Michelle came home and we're good again.
I'm struggling to get everything back under control -- Alpha needs an official clean up crew - without someone being in charge nothing gets done properly. *sigh* Aren't we all adults?
Mike (my brother) found me a job posting that starts at more than twice my current salary. But, I'm already working for my other brother (Bernie). Do I apply? Will it rock the boat?
Electricity is way too expensive.
Heroes is a cool show.
Christmas is only 82 days away. I'm not ready for Halloween yet!
