The Lurgy

Everyone I know is sick, getting sick, or just getting over being sick, including me. Ever since I had my tonsils out a few years ago I've been able to avoid all the pox's, plagues, and bugs that seem to blow through town every time the wind changes. But not this time. I've come down with a full blown case of the vapours. I was beginning to think that my tonsils just may have been my one weakness and that having them removed had rendered me invincible, but alas, I'm just as human as the rest of you.

Dinner at the Walkers

Last night Dave and Cheryl Walker and their son Brayson had a mess of folks over for a dinner party at their home in Mackenzie Lake. The food was top drawer and it was great to catch up with friends we don't get to see very often. The company included Jeff and Jen Whitehead and their daughter Abbey, John and Jen Gilchrist and their daughter Mikayla, Kevin and Elise Wolff and their son Mason, and Tammy and I. This list doesn't include the 4 unborns that were there too as Tammy, Elise, Cheryl, and Jen Whitehead are all expecting. Thanks to Dave and Cheryl for putting on a great time and also a special thanks goes out to Zinedine Zidane and Zarley Zalapski for helping the guys win the game.

Mom's B-day

Last weekend the family gathered down at Alison's place for my Mom's birthday. She turned 51 this year but I don't think she's aged a day since I was a kid. It had been a while since I've been down to Turner Valley and I sure enjoyed it. On the drive down we had to stop to let three young deer cross the road, which was great to see because the only wildlife we seem to get at our place is rabbits. I love the scenery out there too and just the whole feeling of being away from the spaz of society. Tammy and I hope to someday move out to a small town somewhere to raise our children but we're not sure where or when just yet. Alison and Trevor have built themselves a really nice home there and they're currently developing their basement to finish it all off. So anywhoosh, thanks be to the Ganchars for having us all over, everyone enjoyed themselves and wished we could stay longer, and Happy Birthday Mom!

Scott's Wedding

This story comes from Carol Anderson who, along with her husband Jerry and their 8 children, have been friends of our family since the dark times (ie. before I was born). It's about her youngest son Scott and his new bride Ale on their reception night and I think it's classic.

Scott and Ale were married on a beautiful, sunny and warm day. Ale looked like something out of a fashion magazine. She was so gorgeous. After the wedding, we drove back to Coaldale and all met at the church for dinner. Ale called her parents and spoke to them (we just listened, not speaking Italian), and then Mitch read a letter that Ale's father wrote to be read on the wedding day. A companion of Ale's from the mission field translated it into English. It was very touching and it just broke my heart that they couldn't be there. I feel like we know them though.

There was one funny event I think you will like. Marin's husband, Michael, who has worked as a mechanic with his uncle, wired the car (it was Marin's car that they borrowed since they felt their car wouldn't make it to Edmonton and back) so that whenever he hit the brakes the horn would honk. When it was time for him and Ale to leave, all the siblings went outside to see them off...just waiting for him to put on the brakes. As he drove away down the alley behind the church toward the highway, they were rewarded at the end of the block when they heard the first, "BEEP". They figured that Scott would figure out that they did something and phone and Michael would tell him how to fix it (there was a little toggle switch that he only had to turn). Well, he called all right and said that as he pulled onto the highway there was a police Check Stop. He pulled to a stop..BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!...and the policeman came over livid.."What do you think you're doing?"

Poor Scott,..."It's not what you think, I don't know what's happening....I just came from my wedding and every time I hit the brakes, the horn goes off".

Police: "Let me see you hit the brakes".

Scott: Beep Beep.

The policeman glares at him and calls the other three policemen over to the car with poor Scott and Ale in her wedding dress, and tells the others about the situation, and they all start laughing their heads off. Apparently one of them collapsed on top of the car's hood with laughter. They let him go....and Michael did tell him how to fix it. What a story to tell the grandchildren.

Sait Christmas Party 2004

After exams were over, a bunch of the first and second year AT students got together for a Christmas dinner. Almost everyone from our class showed up; in fact, we made up about 75% of the attendance because a lot of the students in the other groups were no-shows. The food was ok (too many string beans for this cowboy), but it was a good way to celebrate the end of the first semester.

Christmas 2004

This year we spent most of our Christmas with the Bourne side of the family. We usually alternate families every year and it worked out well since Trevor came home on the 23rd. We spent the entire long weekend at my parents house along with Alison and her family and Heather and Tyler who currently live in my parents basement. I think that makes 12 people all together, not including the 2 zygotes.

We had to start Christmas day early because Trevor Ganchar (who works for the Calgary Fire Department) had to leave for work by 7:30am and we didn't want him to miss out. We got up at 5:30am to open presents, were done by 7:30am, and most people were asleep again by 8:00am. I think everyone was pretty happy with what Santa brought this year. Tammy and I decided to get ourselves a digital camera instead of buying gifts for each other. It was expensive but we wanted to treat ourselves for once and we're happy with the purchase. We also wanted to have one for when the baby arrives in June.

Boxing day was Trevor's "homecoming" at church and he gave a really great talk. He's done a lot of growing over the past two years and I think his mission experience has helped set him up to have a happy and productive life. After church we had a big dinner over at my parents house with all the extended family and some close friends. It's amazing to me how big our family circle has grown over the past few years with all the marriages and all the children being born.

We did get to spend some time with the Olsen side of the family as well. Jodie and Aaron were in Vancouver visiting with Aaron's family but everyone else was around at one time or another. We went out to Carstairs for a bit and we spent quite a few evenings in a row over at the Masons playing Mario tennis and a bevy of other games on their new game cube. Through and through I'd say its been a really great holiday.

Tammy made this Christmas tree ornament when she was in kindergarten and her family has hung it on the tree every year since. I think at one time it was supposed to be Big Bird but the years haven't been kind. It's probably one of the most disturbing looking decorations my eyes have ever seen. Long may it hang.


Over the holidays a bunch of the family went skating and played a little hockey over on some frozen pond in Rocky Ridge. I do alright with the game but I couldn't skate my way out of a wet paper bag. It was a lot of fun and I've made myself a goal to learn the art of the ice dance. But until then, I'll play net. The picture is the most dynamic snapshot Tammy managed to get of me. I've never felt so Brittish.

RM

My younger brother Trevor returned from serving a two year mission in Utah and Wyoming on December 23rd. We had quite a large group there at the airport waiting for him, including 20 or so members of the family, a friend of his (the rest are still serving missions), and a couple of guys from the Calgary Herald. I guess they were on the hunt for a Christmas scoop, so they did a story on the situation, took our picture, and put it in the paper the next day. It was a good article, I posted it below. It sure is good to have Trevor back, I missed him a lot and I'm looking forward to spending more time with him and re-establishing my dominance as his older brother.

Article:

The day before Christmas Eve is the day the Bourne family has been waiting for with bated breath.
They arrived at the Calgary International Airport half an hour early, just in case.More than 20 of them - aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers, sisters, mom and dad, best friend - line up outside the arrivals gate.
The flight is already late. But any minute now, 21-year-old Trevor Bourne will walk through the gate, and see his family for the first time in two years, their first family Christmas in 24 months.
"Our focus has been today, not Christmas," says mother Rosemary. "I've been counting, just counting the days. Two years felt like four for me."
For the Bournes, today is better than Christmas, the day 21-year-old Trevor comes home from a two-year mission in Salt Lake City for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
...Downstairs, the Bournes are getting more and more excited. They greet the flight crew with a loud "Merry Christmas," then greet every traveler who walks through the doors, each time glancing for a glimpse of Trevor...
...when Trevor Bourne finally walks through the sliding doors, the family explodes. Rosemary begins crying, dad Ken can't talk.
"I can't believe there are so many people here," says the bemused and slightly overwhelmed 21-year-old missionary.
"Everyone get over here."
Rosemary hugs her son, lets him hug everyone else, then hugs him again. Her Christmas is now complete.
"I'm shaking. He's just grown, his voice is different, he's so confident. You send him away as a boy...
"This is my Christmas gift, definitely."