If you haven’t visited my projects page on Ravelry lately or, for those in my personal life, seen the odd post on Facebook you might be forgiven for thinking that I’d dropped off the face of the earth. One thing is certain--my blog has given no indication of whether I’ve been alive or dead since I wrote my last entry late last December.
Over the past eight months I’ve thought about writing a new post now and then (I even went so far as to began typing one a few months ago) but I felt obligated to catch you up on everything that had happened in the intervening months and, overwhelmed with the enormity of the task, abandoned the idea. However, this morning I was once again seized by the desire to take pen to paper (or, more precisely, fingers to keyboard) and was determined to see it through this time.
I still feel the need to bring you up to date with my life but for all of our sakes I’m going to stick to the Reader’s Digest version and just hit the highlights.
Just after New Years we returned to Ucluelet for a few days of R&R (we even had the same condo we’d had last year), then spent the remainder of the week just up the road at Tofino. This area is the home of Pacific Rim National Park, which is known for its wild beauty and surf-worthy waves.
Wintertime is storm-watching season but even though we had a bit of rain, we’ve yet to experience a full-out storm. Maybe next year—we’ve decided to make this getaway an annual event.
A couple of weeks after we got home Jessica had to go in for an emergency appendectomy so Andrew had his first sleepover at our house. Typical of most sleepovers, there wasn’t a lot of sleeping going on but there were some smiles and lots of cuddle time.
As a Christmas present Cameron had arranged for a boat tour down the Harrison River to see the eagles, which gather there in huge numbers in the wintertime to feast on spawning salmon.
By the time the weather cooperated the peak viewing season had passed but we still saw our share of the birds and enjoyed some spectacular scenery besides.
In February Cameron turned 50 so we threw a party to celebrate.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature planned a snowstorm for the same night so some of our invited guests were unable to make it but we had fun just the same.
Two months later my sister, Jacqueline, also turned 50 and she celebrated by running the Vancouver Marathon, coming first in her age group.
Her husband had also arranged for a surprise party afterwards at a downtown restaurant so she got to blow out candles and eat cake too. In my opinion, that’s much more fun than running 26 miles but what do I know?
In May I took paintbrush in hand and finally renovated Colin’s old bedroom. I turned it into a craft room!
Now most of my sewing, needlework, and knitting supplies are in one place. I say most because some things still live under my bed and in the trunk in the living room.
Colin’s band made great strides this year, moving up one spot to come in third in Chilliwack’s Battle of the Bands.
They have a three-song CD coming out shortly and have played quite a few gigs lately, including the city’s Party in the Park one Friday night in August (that’s him on the right).
This year Matt’s spent a lot of time working out of town so we’ve gotten a taste of what it’s like to be empty nesters.
We always enjoy seeing him when he’s home but we’re looking forward to the next stage.
Jessica and Neil got engaged and had Cameron’s grandmother’s ring restored. 
They’ll be getting married next September 1st in my sister’s garden. Jessica and I went shopping with Neil’s mom this past weekend and found the perfect wedding dress.
Another highlight of my year has been losing almost 25 lbs, with the help of Weight Watchers Online. I’d been watching my weight creep up over the past three years so it feels good to be almost back to where I want to be—just a couple more lbs to go!
But I think it’s safe to say that the biggest joy of 2011 has been spending time with our grandchildren. Of course, a baby’s first year is chock full of developmental milestones so we’ve seen incredible changes in Andrew since January. With a year of kindergarten behind her now, Morgan has also matured and is on the brink of reading—Grade 1 will be an exciting time for her and she is anxiously awaiting the first day of school. I have eight month’s worth of pictures I could share with you but I won’t. Instead, please indulge just a few of my favourite shots from “Grandma’s Brag Book”.
And knitting? Well, I’ve done a lot of knitting this year. If you want to see all the pretty pictures, you can check out Ravelry.
So, now that we’re all caught up, what exciting things can you expect in the months to come?
The second leg of the Silk Road Socks KAL.
Some Knit, Swirl. The yarn just arrived this morning and I can’t wait to give this new construction method a try.
An upcoming trip on the largest cruise ship in the world…
…and much, much more! Watch this space.
