Christmas was different this year. It was Irene and Gordon’s turn to go to Sarnia for Christmas and spend it with the McReady’s so Eddie and I found ourselves alone on Christmas day. We decided to take in a movie and saw “Avatar”. It was a 2pm showing and we arrived at the theater at 1:50 with time to spare. Our review of the movie probably doesn’t match the world’s - it was like watching a combo of “The Matrix” and “Dances with Wolves” on an alien planet! Later that evening we had a nice visit with our across-the-street neighbors. The next day we packed the car and headed for TO. We stayed at the Minto Suites downtown and were very comfortable. We left Ottawa during an ice storm and by the time we hit the 401 the roads were clear. We drove straight to the Mandarin were we had a delightful dinner with our friends Jim and Elisabeth. It was wonderful to see them.
The next day we went to our beloved BPC and saw many of our friends. Later we went to my sister-in-law’s for our Christmas family gathering. Alice and Bob - thank you for such a great dinner and fun party. Finally, on the 28th, we had our little family Christmas complete with a 7″ Christmas tree that I brought with me. Then we were off to dim sum with Steve and Adrianne and their growing family.
Then it was back downtown again where Irene and I strolled went to Romni Wool and bought some yarn. This was a real experience for me! We also spent a few hours going through Ravelry together. After a Vietnamese dinner we called it a night. Before heading back to Ottawa the next day we had dim sum with the family. It was a busy trip full of family and friends - just the way we wanted it.
I’m happy to say that I am caught up with my 2009 blogging and look forward to starting 2010. As I write this we have our dear friends, Ginny and Terry, visiting with us from Ajax. They arrived on Friday. Yesterday, Alice, Bob and Ronnie arrived. Today will be a full day. Meanwhile, here are some photos from our Christmas.
December 12, 2009 was the date we celebrated my mother-in-law’s 85th birthday. As you can see from this short clip the Chu clan can be most entertaining! Eddie and I drove to TO on Saturday, partied Saturday night, then drove back to Ottawa on Sunday. It’s always nutso when we get together for these events. My mother-in-law may not be from Pasadena but she does drive a bright red Jetta. When asked about her driving the standard answer is that it’s “all right” (gotta love those right turns). That smile on her face is a permanent fixture and one that I have grown to love so much. Happy 85 years, Mahmah!
Happy New Year! Here we are in 2010 - can you believe it? It’s time to set some goals. Here are some of mine: using up as much as my yarn stash as I can (it will take me years to knit it all), reading at least 20 books, exercising more, and of course, keeping my blog up-to-date. I think that last point is the hardest to maintain.
And so I guess I should start 2010 by finishing up my 2009 posts. I last wrote about our Canadian Thanksgiving and would now like to blog about our trip to Massachusetts in November. We celebrated American Thanksgiving with Nancy, George and the family. We had a BLAST. We over ate, played with the kids and saw “New Moon”. Eddie and George got up pretty early and did some “Black Friday” shopping. They went in different directions but both shopped for techy “guy” things while Nance and I slept in - ha ha ha. Our drive there and back was uneventful (which is a good thing) and so much nicer now that we are 2 hours closer.
Here are some pics of our visit. You’ll notice how much the kidos have grown and how much fun they are. It was such a delight teaching my niece, Sophie (7), to knit. I’m happy to say that both Sophie and her mom Tracey will be taking knitting lessons together! You can also see that I had fun playing with them and let them dress me in their dress-up clothes. Thanks to George for fixing two turkeys and to Nance for the amazing desserts and to everyone who contributed to the wonderful meal we had. I love these holidays of fun, food and especially family. Hope you enjoy the video. I have two December events to blog next and then I will be ready for 2010 ! !
