Well done! If you've found your way here, you've followed my breadcrumbs - a QR code, tucked away in our holiday card. Prizes to all... "you get a car, you get a car, and you get a car too"...wait, autocorrect...I mean you get a CARD!
I thought I'd use cyberspace to share a 'holiday letter' this year. I know some of you are not on social media so you may not see all that we are up to during the year. This post contains some highlights of 2023. Go grab a coffee, and even a snack...this is a long letter!
So what have we been up to? Lahara started the year off with a Niagara Falls waterpark trip with a couple of school friends. One girl she's known since JK was celebrating her birthday, so they invited a couple girls and moms to share a suite. There was a lot of energy and a lot of sugar consumed. It was a memorable weekend.
When the weather cooperated in January, we also took in some downhill skiing and skating. I learned the importance of wearing a helmet after trying to show Lahara a skating move...that I am no longer qualified to do. She continues figure skating this fall and is really enjoying it. She says skating is her 'happy place.' She has reached the level where she can skate without a helmet and that terrifies me, even though I did it for years. Myself and a few other moms have invested in special ear-warmer bands that include a piece of helmet in a strategic area, to minimize concussion injuries. Many adults wear them for curling.
Lahara and I spent a lot of time with her Ember (Brownie) Guide unit throughout the year. Even Dan joined the girls one night to teach them some hands-on skills with tools. The comprehensive Guiding program allows me to share many of my passions and hobbies - my love of camping, singing, and crafting. One evening I taught the girls some stained glass, and another my sister Joyce led us in some card making. My sister Lois joined us for overnight camp in June and has become a leader with us this September. She has an even stronger background in Guiding than I do. Her years teaching children this age are such an asset to our leadership crew.
Work for me in March began with the hospital gala - CMH Reveal, An Evening in Paris (France!). Despite an epic snowstorm that same evening, the event was a huge success raising over $360K for a new MRI. In my role as digital strategist, I no longer run event logistics myself (this year I oversee the person who will), or secure sponsors, but I hold a significant role in contributing to event infrastructure. Last year I focussed on guest communications, personalized our guest check-in, SMS generator, auction bids, and payment system. This year I will oversee this, as well as the person in charge of media. It's a strange thing to be in charge of the systems that are working their best when no one mentions them. This year's theme is La Dolce Vita...Italy.
Other big work projects for me this year included designing and implementing a system to capture email addresses from hospital wifi guest users, shifting our marketing emails to a different outgoing server to eliminate hospital firewall issues, configuring and implementing a new donations portal, as well as significant training for our team regarding more features of MS Teams and our donor database. In the months ahead I will be looking to hire a new communication specialist, work with IT to transition our shared server data to Sharepoint, complete a digital plan for our Foundation, as well as work with the hospital to renovate the main lobby in preparation for installing an 8-screen digital media/donor wall. It's not the same thrill as securing a million dollar donation, but the impact I feel I'm having on our ability to stay viable, competitive and successful in the years to come carries it's own sense of purpose. All those things I felt we could be doing in the 17 years since I arrived, I finally get to explore and at times, bring to fruition. Enough about work!
Before long the warm weather of April sprung and Lahara was back to doing flips on the neighbour's trampoline. We are blessed with wonderful neighbours, Marion (Oma) and Chris, who treat Lahara like one of their granddaughters. Marion's parents are in good health and often visit for the weekend. Lahara knows them as TicTac Oma and Opa. We spend many weekend evenings around the neighbour's backyard firepit and spoiling their chocolate lab, Bella. Every Halloween Marion and Chris host a neighbourhood pig roast - always some good fun. We will be spending Christmas Eve enjoying a German meal with their whole family. I will miss the service at Stirling, but we'll have to catch another advent service this month to enjoy some of the same music.
There seemed to have been lots of parades this year - Lahara and I marched in both the Remembrance Day and Santa Claus parades here in Paris. November was with our Guiding Unit and December was with her CORE dance studio where she takes acro and ballet. I was hesitant for her to return to ballet, after not really enjoying it when she was younger. This time... it's her favourite class!
After the skating and dance shows, and 'bridging up' from Embers to Guides in late spring, we concluded her extra circulars with an Ember camp weekend in June. Actually, no...we didn't! Lahara played baseball from May to July. She is getting the hang of pitching, taking after her dad. I think it helps that her friend's mom is the coach. Another first for Lahara and I this June, as we participated in a 'mud run' in Hamilton with colleagues from the Foundation. We sloshed, climbed, swam, slid, and stumbled our way to the finish line. We both overcame our fears during one obstacle, sliding down a steep inflatable, into muddy water of an unknown depth. Lahara declined at first, then insisted we go back to try it. I was so proud of her, climbing out of that deep muddy trench together!
Summer began quickly, with Lahara returning to Silver Lake for a 3 night camp and the 2 of us attending and volunteering with VBS day camp at Chesley Lake. We snuck in some time with Lois at the cottage and a few day trips around Grey Bruce. We also enjoyed some quality beach time with Lahara's cousins from London, Nancy and Luis, and their 4 girls. Later in the summer, we were able to spend more time at Chesley with Sandy and Kevin, as well as cousins Janine and Christopher and their 3 boys, presently living in Virginia. Lahara did some fishing, and tubing, and tried her best at water skiing...she stood up for a couple seconds! We didn't get a lot of opportunities to practice, so perhaps 2024 will be the summer for her to achieve this!Back at home we spent plenty of time in our backyard pool. She re-discovered her confidence with diving and began learning her strokes. I completed a 15km swim challenge for charity towards the end of the summer. I did a combination of open water swimming at Chesley and short laps in our pool over many sessions.
Lahara and I travelled to Stratford this August, to enjoy her first festival performance. After dinner at Bentley's and a trip to Rocky Mountain Chocolates, we watched A Wrinkle in Time at the Avon Theatre. The staging and costumes were over the top, and the performers did an excellent job bringing the futuristic novel to life.
Summer was soon over, marked by the arrival of the annual Paris Fair. Lahara entered many judged categories of crafts and flowers and baking and did very well with her items. She won lots of money to spend at the midway and tried a few daring rides. I entered a few things too, and was disappointed my chocolate chip cookies didn't place better!Dan was switched to the ECE late shift in the Kindergarten classroom this fall. Although an adjustment for him and sometimes a long day, this does allow him to help Lahara get off to school on my in-office days. They even began biking to school sometimes. Lahara is enjoying Grade 4 and is especially excited to learn French this year. She joined the Cross Country team and tried out for the soccer and volleyball teams. I don't think any Gr 4s were awarded a place on the volleyball team. Soccer she didn't even play these days, so it was not her strongest tryout.
Although it was very full and busy it was, admittedly, also a tough year. We lost my mother, Jean, after years of memory loss and physical decline. Then we lost my father-in-law, Bill, in June after a grave diagnosis and a short battle with cancer. There have already been moments of tears shed for both of them this Christmas. It's just not fair that they will miss many joyful times and first experiences with Lahara. They were both gentle souls and good listeners who worked hard during their lifetimes, only to lose all access to joy and leisure during their final days. Although they were not part of our every day, the pieces they filled in our lives were not quite the same as anyone else. I'm sure many of you have loved ones whom you are missing this holiday.
Guiding has continued to be busy for both of us. This year we increased our unit to 24 girls and 5 leaders (16 and 2 last year). We are a split unit of Embers and Guides. We like to give the girls as many experiences as possible - we even took them curling in November. We are planning ahead to attend an Ontario-wide guiding weekend at Exhibition Place in May, and a week-long camp at Doe Lake in the summer of 2025. We have a lot of cookies to sell to support these activities!
In October I joined my highschool girlfriends, Beth, Kerry, Stephanie and Meghan, for some rejuvenation time and laughter at the Bast cottage near Huntsville. We never seem to age when we are together. Our time together always goes by too fast.
Over the summer I joined a local social group, the Women Inspiring Women - Women's Institute. I have some wonderful close female friends, but none live in Paris. I thought this might introduce me to some other women, keep me up to date on what's happening locally, and allow me to assist with some small service projects. Perhaps inspired by my late friend Elaine, somehow I also ended up organizing a quarterly small group book club. We will read the Alice Network over December-January.
Per tradition over the last decade, my 3 sisters and I took some time together at a cabin up north for a weekend (with Lahara, an honourary sister). The weather cooperated for some downtown Madoc pre-holiday shopping and a lovely meal. Plenty of cooking together, puzzling, hiking, and toasty fire time back at the cottage rounded out the weekend. Lahara especially loved the tire swing by the lake. Dan surprised me the most by painting the living room and replacing our railing while I was away. I had hung a paint chip on the wall months before, never finding the time to make it happen. What a joy to walk into a clean, fresh space. This was a room we had not managed to paint since moving in 8 years ago. The new navy colour looks stunning as a backdrop for our tree this year!In November Lahara celebrated her 9th birthday with an 8 friend sleepover party. Yes, EIGHT girls. We had a busy schedule planned...decorating mini-cakes, dipping caramel apple slices, building boba sodas, karaoke, games, temporary body ink, and hair tinsel...it was quite the night! Auntie Lois came by to give me a hand and Dan took the second shift late into the evening.
Dan's mother and stepdad have had some health issues this past year but they continue to keep up with their gardening and cooking. We'll often arrange a visit for a weekend brunch and sometimes an outing or market with them and Dan's brother Kevin, in Norfolk County. Dan's sister Annette, and niece Amanda (and boyfriend Seamus) often visit us in Paris for a swim or a BBQ, or take Lahara for a sleepover.
Dan has done so much to help us ring in the holidays this year...our yard is brightly lit, he surprised me by setting up my mom's Christmas village on the mantel, and this year he even taught Lahara how to cut down this year's tree at the tree farm.
Enjoy a little peek around our Christmas Tree:
Lahara continues to be filled with Christmas magic. Whether genuine or contrived, it's a beautiful thing to witness. An elf-on-the-shelf has joined our household this year. Perhaps a few years late for a 9-year-old, but one would never know it. Lahara is filled with ideas about 'Misty' the elf's future antics and loves searching the house for her each morning. Today Misty brought Lahara a pair of holiday elf socks to wear to school for red-green day.
The magic will continue. I always try to take her to a holiday play or music performance. This year we're going to the Good Lovelies concert at the River Run Theatre. I first saw this Canadian female vocal trio when they opened for Stuart Maclean's Vinyl Cafe, and I fell in love with their music. Lahara has listened to thier many albums for hours during our drives together. I attended their holiday show for many Decembers at a church in Guelph, with my nieces Jenn and Kim. This year Lahara will join me, and she asked if there is a 'merch' table.That's pretty much our year in a nutshell. I feel truly blessed. The world can be a scary and awful place, and living in Canada allows us to enjoy a mostly peaceful existence. Comment below or send us an email, and tell us something about your year or what you are grateful for... lockett.sue@gmail.com
Wishing you much joy and moments of connection with loved ones this season. Find gratitude in the small things, sometimes they matter the most. When the holidays bring up painful feelings, seek out someone to share them with and work on lightening your mood together.
Looking forward to making holiday memories with some of you in the weeks to come, and with others throughout 2024.
Much love from our home to yours,
Sue, Dan & Lahara
Comments
Love Kristen, Tim, Hannah, Rachel and Ben