Maison Gagnon: 2010

Merry Christmas!!!

Happy New Year!

I had such a positive response to the New Year wishes last year that I decided to leave all the stress behind and keep it as a tradition. This is the 22^nd edition of the Gagnon Christmas Letter and as always, we pray that it finds you happy and healthy and surrounded by those you love.

What a wonderful year we have had!

Our lives have been full of love and so many great memories, and Pierre and I are so grateful for all of you who have shared in some of them this year. So many wonderful things have happened over the last 12 months.

Our beautiful grandson Dominic continues to light up our hearts in a way that we could not have imagined and fills us with a love that is indescribable. At 20 months, he wows us everyday with his curiosity and humor. We are re-learning to live in the moment and to take time to savor all of the incredible experiences that surround us. Amazing how it has taken a toddler to help us stop and smell the roses! But he does just that and we are amazed at the most little things that we take for granted.

Did I show you a photo of him yet? Yes, I am that kind of grandmother and proud of it!

We did miss the kids terribly when they went to Australia. Through his employer, Experian, Michael was offered a six-month assignment (Dec. – May) in Melbourne. An incredible opportunity for him and a great chance for Pierre and I to visit a part of the world that was on our bucket list. We spent 2 weeks in March “down under” and loved it. Chantal and Michael were living in uptown Melbourne and we walked and “Tram’ed” our way to all the exciting parts of the city. A weekend in Sydney and a visit to the Opera House and Zoo just topped off our adventure. We highly recommend visiting this part of the world, and hope to get there one more time before we have to kick that bucket!

And may I put in a plug for “Skype”. We were able to communicate with the kids every day and were there to watch our beautiful baby’s milestones through the whole time they were gone. If you haven’t found Skype yet, look it up!

We celebrated our 30^th wedding anniversary (can you believe it’s been 30 years?) with a family trip to the Big Island in Hawaii. Our friend’s condo accommodated all of us and we had a wonderful time making memories. Of all the places that we have been in the world, we still can’t find anything comparable to Hawaii.

Pierre still commutes to San Diego every day and continues to head Rhino Linings Corp. as CEO and president and the travel keeps him busy. He is connected to his satellite radio, which allows him to stay abreast of the NHL hockey scene while always remaining a faithful “Ducks” fan. We finally caved in and became partial season ticket holders this year. It has become our date night. You know what they say – If you can’t beat them, join them! Thankfully I actually like hockey!

After 4 years, Philippe will be graduating this spring from the University of San Diego with a business degree. He is hoping to land a job in the advertising/marketing world. Even though he loves living in downtown San Diego, he is looking forward to new opportunities and experiences. His girlfriend Brandy is also in San Diego at FIDM (Fashion Institute for Design and Marketing) and loves her program and the city. From our vantage point, we have figured out that it’s good to be young and living downtown!

Being a Grandmaman and working on a few personal goals have kept me busy this year. Even though I did not reach my goal of reading 52 books in 52 weeks, I did read 44. And I am having a ball watching Dominic while Chantal coaches her song team and teaches in the dance studio. In my spare time (?), I coordinated a few events and continue to sharpen my self-taught website skills. I am hoping to continue in the event planning field, preferably with compensation. But will help out wherever needed.

Pierre, Philippe and I received an early Christmas present. Chantal and Michael announced that they are expecting another precious angel this year. The baby is due in early August and so far Chantal is feeling a little better than she did with Dominic. Of course we are all thrilled and can’t wait for the new addition to the family.

With Dominic and all of the fun, this has been a memorable holiday season for us! We missed my mom and dad this year, but hope they will be able to visit in the spring.

We continue to feel blessed in all of our relationships and truly appreciate the wonderful family and friends in our lives. And how lucky are we that our special angel continues to watch over all of us.

And be sure to check out our family blogs for all of the latest news.

http://maisongagnon.blogspot.com/

and

http://mcricci.blogspot.com/

We hope you had a happy holiday season and that our paths will cross very soon.

Happy New 2011!

Pierre & Denyse, Philippe & Brandy, Chantal & Michael & Dominic, Maple & Cali