What Christmas means to me....

After getting back to Edmonton after six glorious, restful days at home in Saskatchewan I had some time to reflect on what this Christmas meant to me.

This year Santa spoiled me more than usual but I realize that in his own special way he's preparing me for the adventures that 2011 will bring. I was also spoiled by having the chance to catch up with some familiar faces both family and friends that I hadn't seen in a long time.

I felt truly blessed this year as I finally was able to sit and play Christmas carols on the violin with my grandfather and my cousins. I remember last year at Christmas vowing that I would be sitting and playing this year and I made it a reality. Moments like these are precious and few so I will hold on to the memories created.

It was cold, it was snowy but the winter wonderland created at home reminded me of how much I love winter on the prairies. The trees were thick with hoar frost and when my mom, aunt and I went for a cross-country ski the pine boughs were so heavy with frost and snow that they bent over our ski trail, creating the most gorgeous natural arch.

The older I get the less concerned I am with what I get for Christmas and the more I stop to enjoy the small things that make the holiday special. I hope you all had a similar Christmas.....

PR party & general holiday mayhem!

Last week I headed down to Calgary for what has become an annual gathering of Mount Royal PR alumni for a little holiday cheer.

Held this year at the Blind Monk pub we had a great turn-out and it was so fun to catch up with people that I hadn't seen since the holiday party last year. I'm always amazed at the calibre of talent I graduated with but as we've gone on to successful careers we haven't lost our joy for life or laughter either!

The weekend also brought together friends for visiting, fun and food. Many thanks to Bonnie, Curtis and Will for an entertaining evening of "Life"!

Finally I had a fantastic Christmas exchange with two of my favourite ladies: Paisley and Denise. Funny how we've all had a crazy year; we've talked each other off a ledge at times and yet we're all here stronger, smarter and happier than ever.

Merry Christmas all of my friends near and far. I miss you all and wish that we lived closer so that we could spend more time together. Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2011!

Christmas parties galore!

It's only December 12 and already I've been to three different Christmas parties.

It all started with "Fundue" at our house on the 3rd. Here are a few candids:

Then we moved to my office Holiday Party which was a lot of fun:

And then this Friday Renee and Rondah hosted an amazing soiree at their house in south Edmonton:

But I'm not done yet. This Thursday I'll be driving down to Calgary after work for the annual Christmas get-together with my PR classmates. It is going to be fun! I love the holidays and how it brings everyone together!

December 1 = Christmas decorating

Last year at the beginning of December we decorated ourselves, we decorated the tree and we sang/lip-synched "Blue Christmas" into wooden spoons.

This year Natalie and I invited Steven over to help us decorate our tree while we sang carols and sipped rum and eggnog. I love this time of year!

Grey Cup 98

Sunday dawned grey and cool in Edmonton for the 98th Grey Cup at Commonwealth Stadium. Being the superstitious person that I am I took special care in my preparation for the game so that we could walk away with the big "W" at the end of the day. Sadly, all of my preparation still could not help my 'Riders beat the Montreal Alouettes in their second Grey Cup meeting in as many years.

I made the trip to the Grey Cup with some familiar faces (Mike and Brian from last year) and some new faces (Angie, Graham and Cody). Regardless of the final outcome, we had a lot of fun.

I can't help but feel a little bit of despair for the team....as someone put it, "Last year we wanted them to win the cup for ourselves. This year we wanted them to win for the team". But at the same time I can't dwell on what didn't happen for us. The sun rose again today and life will go on for players and fans alike.

We'll get back to the Grey Cup again and true fans will be there to cheer them on every step along the way. Thank you for a great season Roughriders. See you in 2011!