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Farewell 2012

Welcome Back!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday.  We had tons of fun in the sun in Florida.  This year's vacation was a trip full of discoveries.  Here are some things I learned:

1. Little A is not a very good traveller.

2. Even when there are no delays or turbulence, I still hate flying.  Guess I'm not really a good traveller either.

3. Cheap chocolate sweetened with maltitol isn't good for anything except as an emergency laxative.  I'll spare you the details here...

4. Sketchers' GOWalk Oasis shoes are so freakin' comfortable, I had to buy them in 2 colours:

Gray

5. After doing absolutely no exercise for 4 days and consuming a wee bit a lot more beer and chocolate than usual, one's regular workout will feel a wee bit a lot harder!

6. Lilly's Chocolate, sweetened with stevia, tastes awesome, and should be used for pleasure eating and will not cause stomach upset. Of course, like many yummy things, it doesn't seem to be available in Canada. 

Original Dark Chocolate Bar, Wrapper Front

7. Unless you want to freak out everyone on the airplane, don't bring freeze-dried wild blueberries to eat as a snack.  You'll end up with deep purple fingers that are still purple and creepy-looking even after you wash and scrub your hands a dozen times.  Or at least bring a spoon to eat them with.

8. Little A is not a very good traveller...did I already mention that?

9. No matter how dumb it sounds, any movie with Matt Damon is worth watching.  I caught We Bought a Zoo on the airplane.  I just heard a reviewer call this one of the worst movies of the year, but I disagree, I thought Matt Damon the film was cute!



10. Big A will swim in an outdoor pool no matter how cold the temperature of the air.  I'm not kidding!

11. It apparently is  NOT possible for us to do our annual trip to Florida without someone getting sick.  This year, my niece was in the emerg for an eye/ear infection, and everyone in our family had some degree of stomach upset.  Big A is still not 100%.

12.  I don't know what the law is there, but way too many Floridians text while driving.  Bad, bad, bad!!

So here were are, the last day of 2012.  It's been quite a year. 

  • Adam has had a string of professional successes, and I made it through the first part of his sabbatical year travels (he's got a few trips coming up over the next few months, and we'll see if I make it through those after being a lone parent for several weeks at a time!).
  • I finished my Masters of Counselling Psychology, and launched and entirely new career, which I am passionate about...now just gotta find a way to bring in more $ doing what I love!
  • Big A started first grade and has become 6-going-on-16.
  • Little A is finally out of diapers.
  • My parents bought a condo and have decided to sell my childhood home that I lived in between the ages of 10 and 17.
  • We welcomed a new niece and nephew into our family.

I am very lucky to have a wonderful family and friends and I am excited to spend 2013 with them and to share it with all of you.  Happy New Year, and have a safe, healthy and happy celebration.

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