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!

What I have been reading....

Over the last few months I have been reading a number of books on success and achievement inspired by the Malcom Gladwell's The Outliers.  It has become a bit of an obsession with me as I find connections to my work as a teacher, my involvement with youth soccer as a coach and board member and as a father of two youth sport obsessed boys.



What has really struck me is how the research (admittedly all of these books reference each other and others of a similiar point of view)  all brings us back to an old school belief in the value and importance of good old fashioned hard work and dedication.  ...... I have written, edited, deleted and rewritten the following paragraphs and decided that I really have too much to say on this subject and at this point it all ends up as a rant so I'll leave it for you to read the books yourself and see where the ideas may apply to your own life.

On a lighter note if you liked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo check out the following book.

Can't wait for summer

The calendar says July 31 but the weather says October 31.

What happened to Spring?

We are now a week into summer and after a Canada Day soccer tournament in St. Albert and several days of long neglected household chores it finally feels like we are getting a bit of a break.  This is our first Saturday without soccer since we were in Mexico and it feels nice to just look at each other and ask "what are we going to do this afternoon?" without an immediate answer.

Of course the break also means we have time to notice that it is supposed to be summer and we are stuck in what has been several months of cold and wet weather.  So much for our plans to head to the cabin and enjoy the lake.  I can't wait for soccer!

St. Patrick's Day Mexican Style

This year we are in Mexico during the week of St. Patrick's Day.  In Mexico St. Patrick's day is a big deal and consists of week long festival.  This goes all the way back to the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848 and the  Batallón de San Patricio.  


A bit of Background:  The San Patricios were an army battalion in the Mexican Army made up largely of Irish immigrants (there were other nationalities as well, including Canadians) who came to the U.S to escape the Irish Potato Famine and joined the U.S. Army as a path to citizenship.  During the war many of the San Patricios would face their Mexican "enemies" all week long. On Sunday, however, they would put down their guns and cross the border into Mexico to go to church and play soccer with their fellow Catholics, the very same Mexicans with whom they were at war. 

Eventually, many of the Irish deserted and joined forces with Mexico. Those who did so before the war broke out were considered deserters. Those who fought for Mexico after the war broke out were defectors. When the war ended, each San Patricio was arrested and given a court martial trial. The deserters were branded on their faces with a "D." The defectors were hung in what some say is the largest mass execution in U.S. military history. To honor these brave men, whom Mexico calls heroes and the U.S. calls traitors, there are two celebrations held in parts of Mexico: Sept. 12, the anniversary of their execution, and March 17, St. Patrick's Day.   http://adage.com/article/the-big-tent/mexicans-celebrate-st-patrick-s-day/125694/


Barra de Navidad is about 5 minutes away from what is commonly knows as Melaque and is a populary snowbird destination for Canadians.  Melaque is actually three towns, Melaque, Villa Obregón, and San Patricio, seemlessly joined together.  With St. Patrick being the patron saint of San Patricio Melaque hosts one of the biggest St. Patrick's day celebrations with nightly fireworks in the town square.  


All week people we had met in Barra had asked us if we had been to the fireworks yet so we figured if we were ever to embrace Marla's Catholic roots what better time than on St. Patrick's Day in Mexico.  


We arrived about 8:30 pm and the town square was buzzing with midway that would do the PGX proud and random fireworks being shot into the crowd just to add some atmosphere.  I was disappointed that I had not done a little more research into the appropriate dress for the occasion as Marla obviously stood from the other women in their skinny jeans and 6 inch heels.  (As I said there were moments I thought I was 16 again at the PGX)   After waiting several hours which included a growing crowd staking their observation spots, Mexican dancers in costume opening the evening Mass, setting up of the fireworks tower and the St. Patrick's Day band warming up the crowd the 9:00 pm fireworks went off right on time at 11:15 pm.


The Fireworks were, as advertised, nuts!  The large tower burst into light with shapesof animals and saints spinning and whistling, showering the crowd with sparks.  Kids put pieces of cardboard over their heads and ran through the sparks under the structure.  Things got really interesting when the fireworks began shooting into the crowd. (I am assuming this is the part that was to pay homage to the soldiers in the war.)  Luckily we had taken a que from some French Canadians near us and used a Palm tree as a bit of protection as fireworks landed all around us.  Just when I didn't think it was going to get any crazier the top of the tower lite up and shot a huge structure into the air with the illuminated word FINI on it.  It quickly became apparent that this was not a structure meant to fizzle out in the air as it quickly descended to earth and crashed into a tree a few feet from us lighting it on fire.  Ya, Crazy but in Grame's words AWESOME!!

St. Patrick's Day Band

Tribute to San Patricio

Grande Finale

Difference a Day Makes....

March 12, 2011

March13, 2011

Steaming through February

Wow, where did January go and when the heck is February going to be over?  It seems like just last week we were taking down the Christmas tree (perhaps that is why the decorations are still piled up in the garage) and now we are starting to get organized for Mexico.  February must be the least appreciated month of the year, a month to just get over with and onto brighter and warmer days.  As we move through the middle of the month it is impossible to not look ahead to spring.  Mexico is just around the corner, soccer for the boys will crank up, the cabin will start to thaw out and hopefully we will see some grass by Easter.  At the same time we tend to ignore all that February has to offer.  Basketball is winding down and we can actually see the improvement another season has brought to the boys, skiing is in full swing, a new semester has brought a fresh outlook to work (even without a prep).  It is amazing when I look through our family pictures how few pictures I actually take in February.  It seems like every year we skip right from Christmas to Spring Break.  I would like to think that this year would be the year I slow down and enjoy every bit of time for what it is worth but in a February where we are playing soccer 6 days a week (between Marla, the boys and myself), I have just come off my prep and am in my 4 block semester, just found out I am teaching another TRU course this semester, 2 boys in basketball and Marla and Melanie trying to buy a condo in Phoenix all I can think about is that in 27 sleeps I will be on a beach in Mexico with a Margarita in my hand.  Maybe next year will be February's year.

 Great Day in February

Merry Christmas 2010

As I sit in the glow of our Christmas tree looking out at the frost covered trees I am reminded that it is time for the 2010 Lewis Christmas letter.  Of course there is also Marla buried in wrapping paper and ribbons asking me if I have done the letter yet and letting me know that I could always help with the wrapping to kick start me (It is not that I don't want to help with the wrapping she is just a lot better at it than me ;-)

With that said here it is, the Annual Lewis online mass Christmas blog posting.  No friend requests, no pokes, no wallpaper, no chat, no apps, no games, just plain old fashioned Christmas Greetings.

2010 was a great year for us.  Of course, as I think about what we did this year I realize it is much like the last several years, school, Sayulita, Gabriola, Purden lake, running, soccer and generally a lot of play time.  While all of this does not make for a very dynamic Christmas letter, it sure is a nice life.

We had a great winter last year with lots of snow so the skiing was fantastic.  We went to Smithers for Marla's birthday with the Martins and the boys fell in love with Hudson Bay Mountain.  As a result, in true Lewis fashion we are going back there this year for Marla's birthday with the Martins.  (We kind of follow the philosophy of if it was good once it must be good twice, or three or fours times.)  Locally we are hoping to have another good year on the slopes but so far the weather is not cooperating as we need a nice dump of snow to get the PG hills in decent shape.

Snow Bunny and her boys

Casting not Catching

Of course one of the best things about last year and a winter with tons of great snow was that it was gone by the time we got back from Mexico at Spring Break.  We went back to Sayulita with Marla's parents and her sister for spring break and had a great time.  Yes, we stayed in the same house, ate at many of the same restaurants, occupied the same spot on the beach... hey don't judge us, if it ain't broke why fix it.  And just so you know we are going to a new place this year, Barra de Navidad, so see we can mix it up.

Mexican Stand off

The Spring ended up being pretty crazy for us as it was a bunch of great times and experiences surrounded by a bunch of really crappy stuff.  Along with going to Mexico, the spring was my first on the soccer board and was very busy for me and my eager assistant (Marla) which meant along with coaching several teams and running basketball at my school we were spread a little thin.  We were also involved in a huge battle over school closures and a proposal to move French Immersion out of our school which would have meant the boys would have had to change schools ( we won but it left us pretty drained and bitter).  At the same time JP and I got the opportunity to go to San Diego for a conference so Marla and Marnie came along and we spent a week in San Diego and had a great time.  All of this meant my running season kind of died before it got started and I couldn't really afford the time to go to Boston so I decided not to do the marathon and instead go this year (and of course it filled up in record time and I missed the registration so I have to wait another year but that is a whole other posting).  Let's just say when summer came we were even more ready for it than usual.

Super Fan!

We kicked off the summer with a trip to Seattle with the Martins (you will notice our pattern of staying with things that work does not just extend to places we visit but also to traveling companions) to watch a baseball and soccer game.  We had an unbelievable time watching the Mariners beat the Yankees with a Grand Slam, watching the world cup final in a packed restaurant and the kids finding out we had unlimited access to the concession at the Sounders game.

Loving the cheap seats

A little more subtle than Connor

Slurpee Cup, Kamloops

The rest of the summer was basically soccer, sun and water.  Graeme and Connor have both become soccer crazy over the past year.  Graeme had a chance to play on a more competitive team this year and went on a few out of town tournaments while Connor become obsessed with Spain and the World Cup.  As a result it seems that a lot of our time is organized around soccer but not to worry it will all pay off if Connor can follow through on his plan of playing for soccer for Barcelona and in the off season running a cake shop in Spain.  (Seriously, he must get this stuff from his mother)

The weather this year was fantastic so it meant a lot of very hot days at the lake and once again we were lucky enough to have our friend Val let us use her place on Gabriola Island which we happen to hit during a heat wave.Connor even finished off the summer in style running his first 5 km with his mom in the Labour Day classic. Yes it was a very good summer!

Yes, those are star fish!

Lots and lots of skim boarding

Proud Winner

Graeme had another good cross-country season and is really doing well in basketball but he is really all about the soccer at this point.

All in all another great year with a little bit of work just to break up our sports and leisure activities.  The best part is as great as 2010 was 2011 is shaping up to be even better.  Even though we might not get to visit and talk to everyone as often as we would like to we do think of all of you often.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope 2011 finds you healthy and happy.

Love the Lewis'

Enough Said

Unloading

Wow.... take a break from posting and see what happens.  The reality is after a spring filled with fighting the closure of my sons' school, working through the politics of youth soccer, dealing with program cuts at my own school and coaching pretty much every waking moment of the day the last thing I could think of was even talking to people let alone blogging about what was going on.   Of course despite the fact that no one actually noticed that my last post was 6 months ago I am undaunted and am forcing myself to resume posting.

Despite being in a general mental funk regarding work and the direction of society in general I had another spectacular summer focused on family and friends. This of course has only made it more difficult than ever to return to work or should I say to return to the management of schools.  Teaching is great, my classes and students are great.  What is already draining the life out of me is the outside noise, such as emails, planning sessions and staff meetings that seem to have little purpose and less value.  Maybe it is simply a function of getting older or that my kids are getting more and more enjoyable to be around so my bitterness at things that pull me away from them is growing.  On the more positive side professionally side I have taken a position within School District #13 that has been most rewarding.

On Mexican Time

Few things are better than watching your kids rush out in ocean upon arrival.

Merry Christmas 2009

Well, here it is mid-December again and we (and by we, Marla means I) have missed our Christmas card mailing deadline. So once again I turn to the power of the Blog (you see I really maintain it all year for this one posting that someone other than Kev, Glen and JP might actually might read). I am not sure what that actually says about myself, Kev, Glen and JP but that is a topic for another posting. Anyways here it goes, the reason you all have high speed internet, The Lewis Year in Review.



2009 has been a great year for us. We did a lot of running as a family, Marla and I did several races and both Graeme and Connor took part in their first "official" race during the labour day classic. Connor had a great race sprinting his way through the 1 km kids run and Graeme finished 8th overall in 5 km run.












Graeme and Connor had a lot of fun in soccer (Marla had an awesome time coaching Connor's team, just ask her sometime). Graeme is still playing basketball and Connor has decided he is a tennis player. Oh to be young again, when through unstructured play and the absence of scorekeeping, anyone can feel like Roger Federer or Steve Nash.
Graeme and Connor both had a fantastic year in school and have really enjoyed Grade 5 and 2 so far this year. Connor has become the "serious" student, even if he is a bit of a stalker. (We are trying to explain that making one card for your teacher is cute, making 30 is a illness.) We (and again here, by we I mean Marla) spend our time telling Graeme the get out his homework and Connor to put his away. Seriously, they are both loving school and doing great. We are continually amazed that they can speak and read in both French and English, however, we are bracing for the day they start to talk back in French and we have to go look what they said before so we can figure out how upset we should be. Marla and I has also had a great school year. Lots of the same old same old but it has been fantastic.

Of course the best part of work is holidays and 2009 was another in a string of best years ever. We returned to Sayulita and it was awesome, went back to our friend Val's place on Gabriola and it was awesome and we had a hot, hot summer at the lake and it was awesome! (If you have a chance when a heat wave hits your province make sure you are on an island somewhere.) It is actually kind of ironic that Marla and I enjoy our jobs so much but we really, really enjoy when we are not working.

The only real concern Marla and I seem to have is the pace at which time seems to be passing by. Funny how for a great part of your life you wait for time to pass to get your driver's license, finish school, get a raise etc. and then you have kids and it is like the fast forward button has been pressed. The boys are just so much fun that every year brings a little bit of sadness that they will never be that age again (not to mention that we will never be that age again). The consolation so far has been that every new year has really been better than the last so we are hoping that trend continues for a while.
With 2009 coming to a close the outlook for 2010 is looking good already. The ski season should be awesome with a ton of snow already, our holiday to Sayulita is already booked for March, Marla and I heading to Boston in April for the Boston Marathon and before you know it we will be into summer vacation. (Again, not that we don't like our jobs, we just really, really like when we are not working.)

We hope that this Christmas season finds you all healthy and happy and that 2010 is a great year for all of you. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Love the Lewis'

PS. If you really have some time on your hands this holiday season and would like to check out some more photos visit our flickr site here.