The HIGHS and the lows of 2017

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 The HIGHS and the lows of 2017 - A tragic loss, a serious illness, a wedding, a new job and a move.  Another big year 

 My latest blog post. It's not very poetic or creative in any way shape or form. Just wanted to get it done. So far behind with the crazy move and having no internet etc. Aplogies


January
The year started off very intense.   Our granddaughters Cadence and Crystal’ s baby brother Keegan passed away suddenly when he was only a few weeks old.  Although I have experienced many hard losses over the years nothing prepared me for this one.  I never thought I would one day be walking down this road with those girls. They are too young to experience the loss of a sibling.  I am so grateful I got to hold him and cuddle with him. A gift I will always treasure. There are no words to describe the heartbreak and everything the family went through with such a devastating loss.   They are strong and amazing but please continue to keep this precious young family in your prayers.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             


It was a very beautiful and touching service. This is Cadence and I after the celebration of life.   This photo is very special to me because it brings me right back to the moment.  The raw emotion, grief, exhaustion, connection, safety, love.
(I lost all of my photos from that day and of my grandson’s first birthday among other things when my cell phone died.  So glad Nathalie took this with her camera without me even knowing)





Rainbow Butterfly Baby Keegan






















My Grandson Avery who had been born 6 weeks premature the year before turned 1!   Thriving and doing well.


My son James and one year old grandson Avery


February
 Tommy started feeling sick, looking pale and thought that maybe he had a flu bug he couldn’t shake. Then he got REALLY sick.   He went to the doctor, got blood tests and found that his iron level was at a 2 and ended up in ER.  This began 2 months of being off work and continual appointments and tests, in and out of hospital.  They thought it must be a bleed and so tried to find that at first and then started looking for more serious blood issues/diseases.  He had to have blood transfusion and iron infusions etc. He is doing much better because he is continuing to take high doses of iron but they still can’t find the cause. He has recently started seeing a naturopath since the medical doctors don’t seem to be able to find anything.

June
Nathalie & Steve got married in Kelowna.   Family celebration time! 
  





































Summer
Because we had used up all of our vacation time when Tommy got sick we spent every weekend of the summer doing exciting stay-cation activities.   Lots of exploring, beaches, hikes, wineries, concerts and other events.  Feeling very grateful for life and not taking one moment for granted. We had a truly wonderful summer!

My kids and Grandkids.  Nathalie & Steve, Cadence and Crystal.  James & Brooke and Avery. My cup runneth over!




September
 Tommy started a new job working with me at Focus in Langley…loves his position working in the warehouse and as operations manager.  The commute is so much shorter and we love travelling and working together every day.

Tommy took the girls to their very first football game.  They felt sorry for granddad because his team, (the Als) were losing.



October
Knowing we wouldn’t be going to Kelowna for Christmas, we celebrated our Christmas with the kids and grandkids when we visited for Thanksgiving weekend.

Our family Christmas celebrated in October 


November
Another Kelowna visit and the annual shoe box packing party with sister Denise, my daughter and granddaughters. Always a highlight of the year!







December
Kayleb turned 17 yrs old and is doing his final year of high school. Huge Milestone.

We went snow shoeing up on Cypress Mountain Christmas day.  That was a huge highlight for me.
Can't wait to go back again for our anniversary in February.








Moving during an ice storm. Good plan. NOT.  Major ice storm, no power.  Tree and power line down across driveway where we are to be going. No water etc…Saturday morning move turned into a few days of chaos and scrambling. Finally got all in Monday afternoon.
So very grateful to everyone who helped out and to Nat, Steve and girls for coming from Kelowna for this momentous occasion. They were real troopers.We made the best of it (even sleeping on the floor) Cadence decided she wants to write an adventure story about it. 


Snuggling with our coats on to keep warm during the power outage







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