7 lbs lighter

Not that you can tell.... I'm happy to report that I am 7 lbs lighter. Tonight is my first night with my Personal trainer. I'm really looking forward to that!!

Congratulations Anne!!

You did it!! It's a big step and it can be frightening, but way to go!! Anne has decided to retire!! We're so happy for you! Before you know it, you will be finished work! Time to buy some gardening books and a new pair of sunglasses because you are going to probably spend a great deal of time relaxing outside and enjoying the sunshine.

Seize the day!!

What a wonderful way to remember our good friend Larry!! Earlier this week, Anne called to invite Ralph and I to the boat show. They was going to be a presentation for Larry's brother which was all a big surprise. Anne wanted us to be part of the presentation.

Buckeye Sports, randomly draws a name of a family that suffers from a hardship of one form or another. This year, the Bouchard family name was drawn. Larry was a good customer of Buckeye Marine as is his brother Jim. Larry bought his boat (a Mastercraft) from them and Jim now owns it. Buckeye sports completely overhauled the boat on behalf of Larry's memory. Jim was totally unaware and on Saturday, they surprised him with the unveiling of a beautiful new Mastercraft, completely overhauled. It was awesome. The boat is lovingly called Carpe Diem (Seize the day) which was the name that Larry and Anne had originally called the boat. It is now a Larry Bouchard, Special Edition. $35,000 was invested in the boat. New seats, heating, lights, video system, sound, tower, you name it, the boat has it. There certainly were a lot of guy's drooling over all the accessories...

How nice for Anne that Larry is remembered in this way. He will live on forever in our hearts.

Off to the gym

Well, I did it! I signed up for a fitness membership at the gym. I need something to help me loose this weight. I guess part of it is working at home and the other part is that I am just not exercising enough.



Teresa and I signed up for a 1 year membership and even added on a Personal trainer to help get us started. We have 12 sessions with the Personal trainer and they guarantee results (9 lbs in 6-9 weeks)...lets see if that works...


I'm also back on my diet. I hate diets if the truth be known but I have to do something. My goal is to fit into the dress that I wore for Laura and Jay's wedding. I'd like to have it shortened and then maybe I can wear it to Rob's wedding in September. We'll see if I get that far. Otherwise, Teresa and I talked about looking for a dress when we're in California. That would be nice as well.

Happy New Year!

The tree is down and 2007 is behind us now . It's time to sit back and reflect on the past year and ponder on all the blessings that have been bestowed upon us.

The year started out with a trip to Panorama in beautiful British Columbia where we had a chance to ski for a week with Lawrence and Teresa and Ron and Anne. While we were there, we had the opportunity to be amazed at the beauty of God's creation. It was a fun time and we really had great skiing conditions. I also had an opportunity to learn how to make "glass bead's" which was awesome!! This is something that I had always wanted to try and when the opportunity presented itself while we were skiing, Ralph encouraged me to "do it"!!

As spring arrived and we celebrated Easter and the death of our Saviour, we were blessed with the arrival of Hailey Sienna Grace. What a beautiful baby sister to Jordan. She was quick to make herself known in the family and will have no problem keeping up with everyone. She is a beautiful little girl, full of energy and laughter.

We started some major house renovations in April which we are very happy with. We still have lots of work to do, but it sure looks nice!!

Laura was able to open a day care in her home and has been very successfull in having many children. She loves her work and is a very good caregiver.

In the summer, we had an opportunity to vacation with friends and family (Annie, Ed and Christine). It was a good summer. We spent a week with Jordan and that was certainly enjoyable. Through that week we got to know Jordan better and grew very close to her. We look forward to our next vacation together.

In October, Jason had surgery on his knee and we're very thankful that it was successful. He now has full mobility and is well on the road to recovery.

In December we celebrated 27 years of marriage. My how the time goes by quickly. We are more in love with each other today, than when we first got married. Our love continues to grow daily and we are "best friends". We love to be together and look forward to the day's when we'll be retired and can spend even more time doing things that we enjoy together.

We were fortunate to purchase a new truck which helps to relieve us of the worry of any potential breakdowns and we're very happy to be driving around in our new Toyota 4 Runner.

Christmas was a time of sharing and spending time with family. It was really nice to have everyone at our house. At the end of this year, our family was blessed with another new addition as Robyn and Nathan celebrated the birth of a new baby girl - Norah Rosalene. It's nice to see how the family continues to grow.

As we look back and reflect on all the things that have happened to shape our lives, we know that we are truly blessed and can see the Lord's hand in all things.

How we look forward to 2008!!

Family is God's gift to us

What a wonderful way to spend the Christmas holidays. Jay and Laura and the girls came down for a couple of days. It was busy and noisy, but it sure was fun. We feel so blessed to have our family with us to celebrate Christmas and Ralph's birthday.

Unfortunately Jay and Laura were not feeling well as they are both fighting a terrible cold. I think they need some cold medication from the doctor or they won't be able to shake it. The girls were adorable and lots of fun. I can't believe how quickly they are growing up. Jordan was full of energy and talking a mile a minute while Hailey was content to sit on a blanket and play with her toys. It was so cute.

We're looking forward to our next visit together...

Twas the week before Christmas

Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.



Ralph and I were sitting all snuggled in chairs

While discussions of lists and errands filled the air.

With Grace in her nightie and Ralph with a cap,

We had just started thinking of a long winters nap.



When out in the hall there arose such a clatter,

We sprang from our chairs to see what was the matter.

Away to the door we flew like a flash

Thank goodness for us, there wasn't a sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,

Gave a lustre of mid-day to hallway in tow,

When what to our wondering eyes should appear

But little Oakley without any fear.

With a tug and pull and moving quite quick

He was happy for sure because he had seen old St. Nick.



More rapid than eagles, his paws moved with speed

For to his bed he was headed to finish the deed.

His tail was a wagging, he had us all laughing

For what he had found, was Hailey's full stocking.



He thought that Christmas had come a bit early I'd say

And he was the one happy puppy for the rest of the day.

For good old St. Nick had filled the stocking with joy

And Oakley had chance to spy a small toy.



What laughter and fun it gave us that night,

That we thought right then that he must be right.

Away to the store, Ralph went with great joy

To finish the job and buy a new toy.



Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!