Happy New Year!

For Dave and I, 2008 is starting out as a much-anticipated period of relaxation. 2007 was a fantastic year full of adventure, special events, and an incredible amount of travel… it's years like that that make us realize how blessed we are. Thank you to absolutely every person who was a part of that miraculous time.

Since we haven't been updating the blog regularly, here is a point-form update of the latest events:

• After returning to Canada (Ottawa) from the honeymoon, we saw the lovely Beatrice (the tall, redhead bridesmaid) get married! The ceremony was beautiful, and included a song written by the bride herself. The reception afterwards was a lot of fun, and it was the first time I'd seen many of my StatCan buddies in almost two years. Needless to say, we partied to make up for lost time. ;-)

  
  

• We then flew from Ottawa to Winnipeg, where my belongings were being stored during our time in NZ. In addition to taking that stuff back to Ottawa, my family also volunteered some of their furniture to help set us up. We ended up with a great dining set, a huge TV, and two nice couches. Thanks mom, dad, Aunt Jo and Uncle Rae! :-)

  
  

• A surprise Wedding Social was thrown during our stay in Winnipeg. Dave had no idea it was happening, and we both had no idea his parents were secretly flying in for the event. The Hume family got a complete immersion in Prairie culture. By the end of the evening, Dave was reading out the draw numbers like a pro. ;-) And a big thanks to everyone who came, and those who supported us by buying tickets! The funds were deeply appreciated, and helped us pay for the move.

  
  

• We drove a packed U-Haul to Ottawa. The weather was drizzly all the way, and the drive itself uneventful but for moose and eagle sightings. I always find the sight of Lake Superior staggering, though -- how is that not an ocean? The highlight of the trip was stopping at Keith and Colleen's house and getting a chance to catch up with them.

  
  

• I began work shortly thereafter, where I was welcomed back with a loving prank. My friends had secured a copy of a newspaper article run about me, then made an enormous number of copies and plastered them all over my cubicle. However, something was different -- where my face was supposed to be, they had pasted their own faces onto mine. But with my hair and neck. I nearly fell over laughing.

  
  

• Work itself is good. After taking the two weeks to shop around among available positions, I decided on Balance of Payments and Environmental Surveys section. I had assumed I'd join the team immediately, but my old section (Unified Enterprise Survey) needed a hand with some data quality indicators. Now that that's finished, the move will be as of Monday coming. The project looks interesting, and the team seems very nice… I can hardly wait! :-)

  
  

• Katie (sister of Dave; tall, brunette bridesmaid) and Charlie are getting married! On Halloween, Katie was proposed to by a roses-and-diamond-weilding Zorro, and she accepted. (Personally, I wondered how Charlie felt about having Zorro move in on his girl!) ;-) The wedding is schedueled for June, and may or may not feature another Zorro appearance.

  
  

• Patrick (one of the groomsmen) and his wife Sarah had their baby -- a beautiful little boy named Benjamin. He was born late November, and he was a wee thing at about 5 lbs. I'm told he's growing like a weed nowadays… as kids do.

  
  

• Liz (of gardening-blog fame) and her husband Don are expecting! I am so happy for them, though I wonder how they'll stop little Billy/Hermione/Trogdor from playing with their action figures... ;-)

  
  

• Went to Vancouver for Christmas, and surprised Chris (Dave's mum) on her doorstep. She was absolutely speechless, but then even more so when her English sister and brother-in-law surprised her the next day. We celebrated Chris's 60th 29th on Christmas day, which was simply splendid. (The general adventures of Christmastime in Vancouver is sufficient for its own post, though, so eyes on this space!) ^_^

  
  

• All in all last year, Dave and I boarded 24 planes, 7 ferries, 8 trains, and explored 5 countries. What a year!!

But all the same, an action-packed year like that leaves one with a renewed appreciation for ugly sweatpants, lazy Saturdays, and empty schedueles. ;-)

As of now, though, we're not quite there -- there's still a lot of apartment-setting-up to do. We do not yet have any rhyme or reason to our cupboards and shelves, and we are still learning where everything is. Also, now that I've finally unearthed all the paperwork I'd packed away, I can finally catch up on the last of the wedding tasks. Following that will be tackling the scary drawer bursting with receipts that date back to July. Then, freedom! Freedom to slouch about, do as little as possible, and rot our minds with television. How blissful.

In the meantime, I have my "To Do" lists to keep me company. And, of course, my sweatpants. ;-)