2005 Year in Review
Business took off with a bang in 2005. I started in January with two contracts with the Provincial government: one with the Ministry of Health (Sewerage Regulations) and one with the Ministry of Children and Family Development (Strategic Planning and Communications). Both continued in some form or another through the entire year, much to my big sigh of relief.
In February, my specialist told me, “if we call you tonight, don’t eat after 10:00 p.m. We might be able to squeeze in your knee surgery tomorrow morning.” Unheard of! And this was after complaining to my brother in Edmonton in December that his cat got in the next day for arthroscopic knee reconstruction surgery when I had been waiting more than six months. When I asked Dan what I could do to get in that fast, he suggested I change vets.
Paddling (dragon boat and outrigger) kept me busy in 2005 and 2006. Our team won the “Spirit Award” at one local festival for our fabulous warm-up dance moves. I think that was the highlight of our season. The body isn’t holding it together as well as it used to, though. I think I may have to give up stretching altogether. ;o) Thank goodness for my sauna.
▲Racing to a bronze medal in a dragon boat race in Victoria (summer 2005).
▲Yes, that was me yelling from the front!
▲Outrigger race on Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island, home of the Mars forest fire fighting water bombers (summer 2006).In March I got to visit my nieces in Edmonton for my dad’s 60th birthday. Everybody was in the Okanagan in July. It was fun to see my brother going to a TV interview on the NHL strike as an “expert witness”* dressed in his holiday clothes and sporting a new haircut he gave himself. (*He teaches at the University of Alberta and specializes in agent-player relations in sport.)
In June, my roommate Chris moved to Vancouver. After two and a half years, he finally bit the “you must transfer to get a promotion” bullet. My new roommate Helen moved in! As a roommate, she is exactly like Chris, only she likes the dogs.
July saw Flavio and Bridgette from Switzerland move in for three months as they attended English language school. It was fun to tease them all summer about doing their homework. My Swissies left me with a fabulous parting gift: an unbelievable Swiss Army knife. I have already used it as a Flashlight, Cream Cheese Spreader, Eyebrow Tweezer, Clock, Cheap Wine Corkscrew, and Beaumont Idle Adjustment Screwer. I am so happy. If, in addition to the flashlight and alarm clock, it could also GPS and tell me the temperature — now that would be a Swiss Army knife.
In October I drove up to the Queen Charlotte Islands with my parents to visit my aunt. We hit all of the hot spots of British Columbia history: the Gold Rush Trail, Barkerville, K’saan village, historic ranches, fossils, famous waterfalls, Smithers. Yup. We did them all. And we camped in the Boler travel trailer. In October. All three of us. Yup. That was an adventure!My aunt was a fabulous hostess, letting us drive her new hybrid SUV on the beach. The Queen Charlottes were absolutely beautiful! You would think they could build the deer a little bigger, though.
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