This is all your get because I only have two hours. Oh and,

            Time as you all can appreciate has become a scarce commodity.  I started a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) through Athabasca University, in Jan while still working at my insanely busy job.  Now that I am an office hermit who occasionally comes out of his hole to feed, I still have no idea what I am going to do with all this education.  It is costing a lot of time money and effort.  I would like my retirement plans to involve, hockey, Floor hockey, curling, badminton, volleyball, SCUBA diving, camping, skiing, golf and perhaps even take up baseball again.  Work and study however, really interfere with these plans.  This age thing is also not so good.  I can’t seem to skate as well as I used to and I never was a good skater.  Maybe I will have to give up the ice hockey in about 20 years and that will leave more time for the other sports.

Feb

            I took a weekend break and the Kids and I went to Gord’s in Whitecourt and picked up some wood.  Gord has good wood.  He had lots of Burch that we cut up and loaded the truck.  Its always a good time to head to Gord’s, do things in the bush and have a daiquiri or two.  Brett started work on a web page for the Rotary Club, Bryn at this point is still working for Riemer Transport and Cathy is still slugging away at PWGSC.  I also managed to get a business trip to Halifax and it just so happened the Brier was on that week.  I went to buy tickets but they were pretty much sold out so I asked what about those seats. “Those are box seats”, you mean like the ones where they are comfortable and serve beer and such. She said “yes and you even get an exclusive pass to the Brier lounge where the players hang out” wow how much are those “$15” SOLD!  Unfortunately I was only there long enough to take in the first few games but it was a lot of fun and I can see myself attending a Brier in the future. 

Mar

            End of course one on the MBA and Cathy and I escape to the coast to get in a little SCUBA diving.  Holidays are always great and one of the best dives is diving with the seals off Nanaimo.  The first dive we ever did with the seals the water was a little shallow in the bay as the tide was out.  We went swimming in and saw no seals but the water was only about four feet so I stood up.  All around me on the rocks above were seals looking at me.  You could tell by the look on their faces “what kind of idiots are these swimming in such shallow water”.  The seals however, were lots of fun when the tide was in.  They will pull on your fin and generally swim all around you once they realize that you are slow and awkward compared to them.  The break away from the action however, is short-lived as course two started the end of the month.

Apr

            I cannot remember much about April other than I was enthralled in Statistics.  I think I recall Cathy mentioning something about how much she disliked something or it could have just been background noise.  Brett however, completes the Rotary Web Page and a short while later he receives a Rotary Award from the head office regarding the best web page they have.  In addition he gets another contract to do the Rosslyn Hotel web page.  Brett’s Rotary contacts are also really good as Cathy and I get to attend the functions and make important business contacts at the same time.

May

            Mom,  Dad and Dadye come out and it happens to be between courses so I get to spend a bit of time with them.  We do the important thing however and that is to plant the Garden.  Mom and Dad pay attention here.  Mark your calendar to come out again towards the end of May 2004.  It was certainly a benefit to have you out.  Plus we got in a little golfing as well.  Cathy got out and golfed a little this year as well and we entered two tournaments together.  They were fun tournaments but Tiger Woods certainly has no threat from us.  I can punch the ball out there but sometimes there is a bit of an angle problem.  At one tournament I Tee’d the ball up and somehow it went off the toe and the top of the club.  This created a backspin so the ball went about 90 degrees to the right arced up and spun backward.  The ball landed in anther woman’s car trunk just as she was getting her clubs out and rattled around a bit.  It scared the hell out of her.  Fortunately her car trunk was open otherwise I probably would have damaged her car.    

Jun

            The garden is a massive weed patch.  For some bizarre reason we had rain this year and things grew.  I somehow manage to mow the weeds down while working on yet another course.  Another great thing happens in that I get posted to another unit.  The posting is not far however; walk down the hall turn right walk half way down the next hall and turn left and you are in my office.  The change of job is a much-needed break.  It is much more stable which makes it better for my studies, higher profile and less stress.  One of the best parts about it is my boss loves to golf and someone needs to go with him.  Bryn at this point is stressing me out which is becoming a continued theme.  As parents we naturally want our kids to do well and the transition of getting them to sort out their life is a challenge.  Bryn changes jobs and takes his Signal Course in Kingston with the military so at the end of Jun he is gone for the summer.

July

            Oh joy, we get hit with a lightning storm, which transcends through the cable and fries my computer and our router with just over a week to go in the course.  None of the other computers in the house were affected.  Fortunately, I had emailed my final assignment to work otherwise it would have been a total disaster.  Bryn still manages to cause us stress so I fly out to visit.  He is fine and I mange to get in a good visit with Garnet and Karen and even Kathleen who happened to be out visiting at the time.  Garnet has a great pool.  I also take a week off and Brett and I head out to Christopher Lake Sk where Gord and Maryanne camp at Taylor’s cabin.  Gord and I manage to get in a bit of SCUBA diving.  The dive clubs have put a bunch of stuff in Whiteswan lake which is really clear.  We then sent Brett out to visit Mikkie in Kamloops.

Aug

            Aug was a great month.  The long weekend Cathy, PB and I went to Waterton Lakes Park SCUBA Diving and also took in some of the sites such as the Carriage Museum, Smashed in Head Buffalo Jump and the Big Rock.  The Big Rock is about 3km from our old house in Okotoks and it is left over from when glaciers covered the area. The dives are PB’s first after his open water course so there is some apprehension.  The dive in Waterton was great but then we decide we would dive Pine Coulee.  This is a new spot in a reservoir south of Calgary.  Like most Alberta lakes they are nice and clear in June.  A number of people had told us it was a good dive spot with a sunken bus and things for divers to look at.  When we get there, on the hot August day, there are chunks of algae as big as your hand floating around.  Cathy rightfully decides this does not look like fun so just PB and I go in.  We get down 10 feet and it is night.  PB is hanging on to me for dear life and we cannot see anything.  We run into the bus and the only reason I could tell what is was is that it was a big metal object.  I also feel things bouncing on my face.  This was it, lets go up.  When we get out of the water our suites are covered in these little crustaceous creatures.  We also hear from Mikkie and Brett as the fires are raging in Kamloops.  This is the first military operation in about seven years that I don’t have to go on.  Mikkie evacuates with the kids and Brett stays on with Collin to help fight the fires and ensure the house does not burn down.  Mikkie’s little hamlet is saved but many around her were not so lucky.  Towards the end of Aug Dadye, Ron, Gord Maryanne and friends comes over for the annual Glow Ball tournament and we also take in a play at the fringe festival.  This is always a highlight and lots of fun.  On the golf course there are few bugs which makes for a great evening. 

Sep

             Back in my hermit hole again as I struggle through accounting.  Bryn sets off on a new career path and joins the regular Army Career Development Program.  He attends NAIT in Edmonton to get his technical diploma and the Army pays his courses and a salary.  Bryn is one of the most well off students there are.  Things are looking up.  He also moves into our Condo in town, which is much nearer to NAIT, and he can afford to pay the rent. 

Oct

            Cathy’s Parents 50^th Anniversary and our whole family goes out to London Ontario to visit with them.  It turns out to be a lot of fun.  We reminisced with many of Cathy’s relatives that I had not seen in a number of years.  For example it apparently caused quite a stir when I picked Cathy up 23 years ago from her parents home to take her to BC at the young age of 20.  I was dressed in cut off shorts a Soldier of Fortune T-Shirt and I had the classic Volkswagen camouflaged van.  Why would anyone have cause for concern?  The accounting course also finally ends.  For the amount of fretting that I am doing, I am also doing amazingly well.  My current average is 91.3% over four courses.  Brett continues to do well as he now attends the Rotary meetings weekly which has to be one of the best networking opportunities one can get.  Mom and Dad come out timing it perfectly between courses so Dad and I manage to get most of the Bathroom put together in the basement.  We also take mom out to the Dinner Theatre for her birthday, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

Nov

            Cathy goes out to visit her parents again.  She is concerned over her mother who had hip surgery but everything appears to be well.  I am back at another course this one (Marketing) is not quite as stressful.  Bryn however causes much stress as his midterm marks reflect what a 19-year-old student does, with his money, which is “PARTY”.  Cathy and I now visit Bryn twice a week and take our textbooks along to encourage study.  I should also mention that we got a new member of the family, our cat Shara.  Unfortunately we had to put our old cat down.  Shara is good entertainment but apparently not for the vet.  We took her in to be spayed and Cathy went to pick her up the next day.  The assistant lectured Cathy about how to tame wild cats so Cathy began to wonder what was wrong.  They had to put a sheet over her kennel cage because she was lunging out trying to scratch the vet.  When Cathy went in the cat was hissing from under the sheet.  The vet said not to be alarmed but the cat is a little green.  Cathy wondered what the vet meant.  I had asked that the cat be tattooed in the ear for recognition.  Apparently the cat did not like this much and scratched the vet and her ear in the process.  Cathy looked in the cage and there was this fluorescent green really upset cat.  Cathy put her hand in the cage and immediately the cat calmed down.  Perhaps you too would be upset if you had been tattooed and had your innards operated on.   

Dec

            Cathy moved to another federal department, Western Economic Diversification, as their Network Manager.  She is back to doing what she does best and that is managing a computer network rather than just the programmers.  I think I like her new department because suddenly the social calendar sprang to life.  Bryn studied hard over the past few weeks so hopefully we see some positive results shortly.  Brett got another web page contract, DAVCO Welding and he has done some of his best work yet.  I have just finished my latest course.  Considering, I feel that all I have done is study and work all year, I did manage to get in some other activities. 

From all of us to all of you have a wonderful Christmas.

Jay

PS.-     I called the vet today to book an appointment for the dog to get her annual shots.  I asked if they want to see the cat.  “Is your cat’s name Shara” yes, (pause) “No Mr. Winkelmans we do not want to see your cat”.  Merry Christmas