Christmas 2012

Well as most of you will know the Lewis' are not always the best at keeping up on correspondence.  A testament to this fact is that even my annual Christmas form letter greeting didn't get done last year.  So as proof that we really do think about you all I have committed myself to getting this year's greeting done before the Christmas day.

It has been a great year for us and while we seem to be extremely busy the time is filled with stuff we love and have chosen to focus our energies on, so life is good!  Soccer trips, sports, the cabin, Graeme on an exchange to Quebec, sports, sports and more sports....  it all seems a bit of a blur but here is my best attempt at the year that was for us.


Spring Break was spent at our place in Mesa.  It was the first time the boys and I had actually been there so we were pretty excited to do some exploring.  The trip was made even better as our good friends the Martins joined us for two weeks.  Mesa was everything I could want in a holiday and more.  Steve Nash and the Suns, the Phoenix Coyotes, Chicago Cubs spring training, NCAA basketball March Madness, cheap beer, Wine at Costco, mountain hikes, sunny runs, good friends and happy hour that starts at 11:00 AM.  Yah, it was good!!  In fact it was so good we have worked it with some summer work, athletic coordinating and spring break that we will spending three weeks there this March.  Tough to miss that lovely March Prince George Weather but we will have to tough it out with the smell of eucalyptus instead of melting dog pooh in the air.

Of course we did have to arrange our travel plans around soccer as that has become our life with the boys heavily involved in anything with a ball. It was a busy but great year on the fields and courts.  Connor and Graeme were busy most of the year with soccer tournaments all over BC and loving it.  Connor was especially happy as this year he got a chance to play with the older boys and was able to go to a few out of town tournaments which made him feel like he had moved into the big leagues.  It really was a great sports year with great group of kids and lots of success on and off the field.  Both boys are also playing basketball and volleyball as well which of course means Marla and I are coaching soccer, basketball and volleyball.  Really I am not sure who enjoys it more the boys or Marla and I.  Hanging out with your kids playing sports is not a bad way to spend your time.

In between the soccer sessions the summer was spent at the lake were we finally got repaid for  enduring the previous year's lack of sun and heat.  I was lucky as I bought a new boat in October so it was a little easier to sell as "an investment" to Marla while she was floating around with a cooler in hand at +30.  It really was a fantastic year at the lake, great weather, lots of friends and family visiting and we finally saw the realization of our backyard soccer pitch come to life.  Ya, like I said the boys really like soccer.

The fall has been a bit crazy as Graeme started high school and I started a new job.  I am still at PGSS in the mornings but the afternoon I am the teacher with the Canadian Sport School Northern B.C..  It is a nice change and gives me the best of both worlds between school and the gym and since it is a new project I get a hand in shaping how things will progress.

Graeme has had a great start to high school playing Junior volleyball, basketball and soccer while doing very well in his classes and making the honour roll all while still playing academy soccer 3 times a week and club volleyball.  The only issue is he complains about being tired all the time.  I am not sure what that is about, must be a teenage thing.

 Marla is still at College Heights counselling and having a very good year but getting grief from the kids for coaching at Duchess Park ;-)  

Connor, well the best way to describe how things are going for Connor is for you to picture a grade 5 King of Kensington.  Yup. He pretty much has life under control.  Loving his class, his teacher, mini sticks with his buddies, soccer, sleep overs with his aunties, choir, and straight A's. It is all good in Connor's world.

Since it is now approaching noon on Christmas eve, I better end this greeting if I am going to get it posted before Christmas.  Marla, Graeme, Connor and I wish you a merry Christmas and happy holidays and we are thinking of you.

Love the Lewis'
For those of you who would like you can see more Lewis pictures here  http://www.flickr.com/photos/kinglewy/

Long Time Gone

Time does fly.... I knew it had been a while since my last posting but I didn't think it had been almost 9 months.  Wow... I guess my only solace is that no one other than a few friends  every read anything I post.  Still I feel bad for abandoning the blogsphere and fear that next I will be turning off comments and posting an explanation about how my lack of commitment and effort in engaging in meaningful dialogue is everyone else's fault.  Let me assure you the lack of activity on this blog over the last year is all me and search for ways to unplug my life but just like Rocky Balboa in Rocky 4 just when you though it was all over I am back.

You will notice I didn't go with the more obvious Rocky 3 Eye of the Tiger reference, that would be too cliche.

Damn the Groundhog

I made the fatal error earlier this week as I was was walking into work with a friend.  It was a balmy plus 4, sun shining and a slight amount of snow on the ground so I without thinking say "Well, looks like we might get an early spring."  and .......   You guessed it a 4 days later we have a couple feet of fresh snow and the temperature has dropped to minus 21.

Despite the weather everything else says spring is coming as the boys wrap up their indoor soccer and basketball this weekend, taxes are waiting to be filed, soccer tryouts are on the horizon and my thoughts have increasingly turned to spring break. This year for the first time in 6 years we are not going to Mexico as we have decided to head to Mesa.  I am really looking forward to heading to Mesa, not having ever been to our new place, and with the Martins joining us, a weather forecast for the low 30s and a full slate of sports on the agenda I know it is going to be a fantastic time.  However, I must admit I am going to miss Mexico and not wearing shows and rarely a shirt for two weeks while enjoying great food that costs 15 pesos and comes from a cart, hmmm pork taco and shrimp on a stick.  Oh ya, the 70 cent beer is pretty good as well.  Of course, with NCAA Regional finals, Phoenix Suns and coyotes and spring training games every night I am sure we will get our fill of vendor food and beer.  Oh ya, spring break bring it on!  Now to bundle up and go and shovel my driveway.

Carnaval

This week my oldest son has gone to La Bie Quebec with his class as the first part of a cultural exchange. From the limited report we get from him it looks like he is having a great time and getting a real feel for why, even living in Central BC, learning French is still relevant in Canada.

La Baie is on the shore of the Saguenay river, close to Chicoutimi.  Apparently it is a real separatist stronghold and most of the people speak little if any English.  To quote a friend of mine who is on the trip "you won't find a lot of Canadian flags around here".  This has been a real eye-opener for my son as even when we travel to non English speaking countries it seems  you can be lazy with the local language as there is always someone who speaks enough English to bail you out.  So to find a place in Canada that really wants little to do with English has sure put his French to the test and given him a new respect for being multilingual.

I was hoping my son would get to experience and different "Canada" than what he is used to but I think after the memories of museums, ice-fishing and friendships fade coming to an appreciation of the importance of Canada being a bi-lingual nation has and will continue to be the most valuable part of the exchange.

Of course now we have a couple months to plan for the French kids return trip and show them why they want and need to be part of Canada and I won't be taking down my Canadian flag at the cabin!