December 2012
Happy Holidays!
Wow! This is the 24th edition of the Gagnon Christmas letter!
I wasn’t sure I would get one out this year, but Pierre convinced me that I could not stop the tradition. As always, we pray that it finds you happy and healthy and surrounded by those you love.
Another busy year in our home!
Let’s start with Chantal and Michael and the kids.
They had a busy time earlier this year, placing their condo on the market. It was challenging to keep a small condo clean with 2 busy little boys! But they were successful at selling it and are now awaiting the completion of their new home in January. In the meantime, we have been blessed with their company. It has been a full house for all of us! We have all had to learn the dance and compromise, but it has worked out and I know that we will miss them when they leave. Lucky for us, their new home is 5 minutes away!!
Michael is still with Experian and Chantal is teaching in a dance studio. It’s a great part time job for her and she gets to keep her foot in the door of the dance world. And I get “Grandmaman time” with Dominic (3) and Gabriel (16 months)! Too much fun!
Philippe is working for an E-Commerce company. It has been a great learning experience and he is excelling at what he does. It’s a small company and he sees it as a stepping stone to something bigger and better. In the meantime, he is able to live at home, save some money and keep out of trouble... Well, the latter is always questionable?
Pierre continues to head Rhino Linings Corp. as CEO and president and still commutes to San Diego every day. The lack of hockey this year has been an issue since he loves to listen to all the games during his commute. NHL... Don’t get him started... Ah... you can take the boy out of Canada, but you can’t take Canada (and hockey) out of the boy... The only thing that seems to keep his mind off hockey is his wine collection. We have had some wonderful weekend getaways to Paso Robles this year, to pick up some new and exciting blends. Nothing like a glass of wine to make you forget that there’s no hockey! Well, it’s a good try...
We have been working with an architect and contractor on some renovations to the house. After searching for a new home, we have decided to stay where we are and update a few things. In doing some of the planning, I realized that I love this stuff and have gone back for a degree at Design School. I have always loved learning and design has always been a passion. So here I am, back at the “drafting” board. It has been a blast and I call it my “happy place.” I am putting the adage “It’s never too late” to the test.
No big trips this year, other than going home to Toronto and Timmins for a few days in August. It was great to see my family! Mom and Dad are still in Timmins. They have a cute little apartment and are doing well. We saw Pierre’s mom, who is in a nursing home battling dementia and his brother Claude (and Lynda) who are her caregivers. It was definitely time to thank Claude for everything he has done for the family! My brother Greg (and Cathy) live in Collingwood now and Les (and Betsy) are still in Toronto. And of course, my adopted sister Wende and her family are always a joy to spend time with.
I miss everyone up there - especially at Christmas time...
We did have a wonderful visit from an old friend this summer. Msgr. Paul-Andre Durocher was in California for a conference and took some time to spend with us. It was wonderful to see him again, and share so many memories.
Lastly, I am recovering from back surgery. Although it was a complicated surgery, I am healing step by step and am looking forward to being pain free again. It will be a few months before I can say I am totally healthy. The surgeon did mention that I should be able to resume most activities. The only thing he said I shouldn’t do is “run a marathon.” Oh well... it was so high on my bucket list! LOL!
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.
(I haven’t been very good at keeping mine updated these days. I promise to do better...)
and
We hope you had a happy holiday season and that our paths will cross very soon.
Happy New 2013!
