Well here it is - another Christmas Eve and I sit here just wondering where the year has gone and what will next year bring.
Here is a copy of this years annual Christmas letter that we send to family and friends:
December 2014
Greetings
Another year has passed and it’s time again to put fingers to keyboard and reflect on what’s happened to the Neelins in 2014.
Bill and Wendy have had a busy year as usual, what with the Hash House Harrier weekly, sometimes bi-weekly and more, runs/walks, the monthly visits to the Ottawa Little Theatre to watch a variety of plays, Bill’s weekly lunches with his old work buddies and bi-monthly lunches with his old Navy buddies, the monthly lunches at various restaurants and pubs with Bill’s External Affairs (DFAIT) colleagues and their spouses as well as various other activities, we have no time to get old. How lovely is that! We have also been lucky health-wise and continue in good health.
In March Wendy had a lovely surprise when Heather gave her an all-expenses paid trip to Dubai for 3 weeks. What a wonderful time we had, just a girls’ holiday doing girl stuff like shopping, eating in super restaurants, movies and just generally hanging out.
Olivia arrived in June for the summer and Heather joined her in July. Liv went to camp for a week at Upper Canada Village as a Time Traveller. She was dressed and lived as she would have in 1867. What a great experience and she’s all set to go back in the summer. After camp was over, the girls did a road trip to New York, Washington and Boston which was amazing. Lucky for us we know someone in New York so had the use of her apartment at 57th and Broadway and we also know someone in Washington and had the use of his house on Capital Hill. We had a terrific time, taking in a Broadway play, Matilda, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty and everything in between and in Washington we went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the International Spy Museum and took a bike tour of Washington. In Boston we visited with a friend of Heather’s and spent a lovely day at the beach with her and her baby. Outlet shopping completed our trip.
Don’t feel too badly for Bill, while we were doing our road trip he was off to Brussels for a Hash event. While there he took tours to Ghent, Brugge, Antwerp and Amsterdam and spent several days in London before and after Brussels. While he was in London he took a trip to see the house we lived in while we were posted to London and again several organized tours, including one to the town where Harry Potter was filmed. He feels he had a much better time! Indeed he does!
Heather and Liv returned to Dubai (Sharjah really) at different times and after we’d caught our breath we were off to Nova Scotia to spend a week with Bill’s brother, Dave, who moved there in April. He has a lovely old house with an ocean view and we had a great time.
Heather and Olivia are both well. Heather applied for, and got, the job of Middle School Curriculum Co-ordinator at her school which is a great promotion. She also completed her Masters Degree in Education. Liv continues to thrive and his growing up so fast.
Don and Shereene, Mieka and Adrian are all well and we see them often. They are still living in North Gower. Mieka is 8 and Adrian will be 5 on December 28. My how fast they grow!
We hope you had a happy and healthy year and that 2015 holds all good things for you.
Here is a copy of this years annual Christmas letter that we send to family and friends:
December 2014
Greetings
Another year has passed and it’s time again to put fingers to keyboard and reflect on what’s happened to the Neelins in 2014.
Bill and Wendy have had a busy year as usual, what with the Hash House Harrier weekly, sometimes bi-weekly and more, runs/walks, the monthly visits to the Ottawa Little Theatre to watch a variety of plays, Bill’s weekly lunches with his old work buddies and bi-monthly lunches with his old Navy buddies, the monthly lunches at various restaurants and pubs with Bill’s External Affairs (DFAIT) colleagues and their spouses as well as various other activities, we have no time to get old. How lovely is that! We have also been lucky health-wise and continue in good health.
In March Wendy had a lovely surprise when Heather gave her an all-expenses paid trip to Dubai for 3 weeks. What a wonderful time we had, just a girls’ holiday doing girl stuff like shopping, eating in super restaurants, movies and just generally hanging out.
Olivia arrived in June for the summer and Heather joined her in July. Liv went to camp for a week at Upper Canada Village as a Time Traveller. She was dressed and lived as she would have in 1867. What a great experience and she’s all set to go back in the summer. After camp was over, the girls did a road trip to New York, Washington and Boston which was amazing. Lucky for us we know someone in New York so had the use of her apartment at 57th and Broadway and we also know someone in Washington and had the use of his house on Capital Hill. We had a terrific time, taking in a Broadway play, Matilda, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty and everything in between and in Washington we went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the International Spy Museum and took a bike tour of Washington. In Boston we visited with a friend of Heather’s and spent a lovely day at the beach with her and her baby. Outlet shopping completed our trip.
Don’t feel too badly for Bill, while we were doing our road trip he was off to Brussels for a Hash event. While there he took tours to Ghent, Brugge, Antwerp and Amsterdam and spent several days in London before and after Brussels. While he was in London he took a trip to see the house we lived in while we were posted to London and again several organized tours, including one to the town where Harry Potter was filmed. He feels he had a much better time! Indeed he does!
Heather and Liv returned to Dubai (Sharjah really) at different times and after we’d caught our breath we were off to Nova Scotia to spend a week with Bill’s brother, Dave, who moved there in April. He has a lovely old house with an ocean view and we had a great time.
Heather and Olivia are both well. Heather applied for, and got, the job of Middle School Curriculum Co-ordinator at her school which is a great promotion. She also completed her Masters Degree in Education. Liv continues to thrive and his growing up so fast.
Don and Shereene, Mieka and Adrian are all well and we see them often. They are still living in North Gower. Mieka is 8 and Adrian will be 5 on December 28. My how fast they grow!
We hope you had a happy and healthy year and that 2015 holds all good things for you.
I am pretty sure that I had more fun on my trip to Europe than I would have if I had of made the shopping trip with "the girls' to the USofA. Waffles, hot chocolate and a sampling of at least 28 different kinds of beer, who could ask for more? I did go off my gluten free diet for that trip and did not regret it. Of course I had my acid reflux pills with me and took them religiously every day.
Have a few things planned for not only 2015 but even into 2016.
Have a few things planned for not only 2015 but even into 2016.
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