The Year in Review

As I type away this December morning, flakes of snow steadily fall onto our back deck, putting me in a suitably reflective mood. It is the perfect setting for the occasion... looking back, and looking forward.

2007 was a banner year for my family and I. Sydney grew from an infant to a toddler to a little girl right before our eyes. She now has 10 teeth, weighs 20 pounds, and has started calling Christine “Mamma”. She also throws and kicks everything in sight, recites poetry, does woodwork, and plays the english horn. Left-handed. Quite a fascinating child, really.

There was a great family Christmas get-together in Windsor a few weeks back, there was Sydney's first Halloween and Birthday parties, her first trip to the hospital, and her first scary high fever. Lots of milestones.

In August, we said goodbye to the “Grounds” at Sis’s place and moved all our belongings from her tiny rental cottage into our great new house.To my delight, we still have about 25 boxes of crap in the basement to sort through, but the upstairs in looking sharp. Needless to say, we love our place, love the location, and hope to settle down here for a good many years.

What else? Oh Yeah, I released my debut CD “Taking the Wheel”, I performed in Mack and Mabel 124 times (I wish I was kidding), and I premiered the first new Canadian musical at the Shaw Festival, (Tristan), receiving great notices for each. Artistically speaking, it was a wonderful year.By the way, the CD would make a great last minute Christmas gift, for all you music lovers out there... stocking stuffer... drink coaster... is this thing on?... hello ... anybody ... Bueller ... go to www.jeffmadden.ca ... ugh.

Christine returned to work after her year of maternity leave to begin a new position in the Niagara region, with new teammates and new clients, and did it all with her usual class and style. She’s now calling on Pediatricians, funnily enough, and is focused on promoting a treatment for attention deficit disorder.

And to top it all off, she is now 24 weeks pregnant with what I’m told will be our second daughter. Oh, for all you poolies out there, Vegas is laying 5-2 odds. Get your names and due dates in now for the pool... winner take all. And, I’m sorry, but Sausage is already taken (Thanks, Alison). You’ll have to choose another name. By the way, the baby is due mid-to-late March.

So, what’s next on the agenda? November 12th marked our five year wedding anniversary, and since we got married on a Caribbean cruise, we decided to celebrate the same way! Yes, this Sunday morning we are flying to Fort Lauderdale and boarding the Millennium, a Celebrity Cruise ship headed for the Eastern Caribbean.We’ll be joined there by both my parents and Christine’s parents, just like our wedding cruise, as well as her brother Markus. This will be Sydney’s first flight (uh oh), and of course, her first cruise, but judging from how well she handled bungee jumping and hang-gliding, she should be just fine. Oh, we’re stopping in Puerto Rico, British Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, and Haiti for those who want to follow on Google Earth or something. Once back in Fort Lauderdale, we’ll drive to North Port, near Sarasota to spend a couple weeks of R + R at a home owned by Christine’s grandparents. We’ll be back to the bitter cold in early January.


That’s all the news that’s fit to print. From the bottom of our hearts, Christine and I wish everyone a truly happy holidays. Raise a glass to a fabulous 2007 and a great 2008! Cheers, everyone.