MACFARLANE NEWS 2012

Happy New Year 2013!

I know I say this every year.... but where does time go?  It seems to fly by quicker and quicker!! So much has transpired!! Receiving news from friends who are far away is always something I look forward to at this time of the year.

First and foremost, now that David and I are emptynesters, we decided to move into a small town house, about half the size of our previous home. We have been here now for 4 months. We have settled in but there is a lot of painting yet to be done which we hope to make a dent in during the Christmas holidays. Our new address is 617 Eastbridge Blvd, Waterloo, ON  N2K 4C3. We are only a few blocks away from our previous address.
We did not have any holidays left for our yearly trip to Florida but are eagerly waiting for May of next year for 2 weeks in the heat and sun! But we did manage to have 4 days in New York City with David's brother Peter, right after Tory's wedding.  Too much to see in so little time, but we did get to see 4 Broadway shows and take a bus tour of NY City.

DAVID

David seems to have travelled more than ever this year! He started with a conference in Oxford, England in February and has spoken across Canada various times over! Travelling is not all it's cut out to be... it gets very tiring!!

DIANA

Work has kept me busy as I put in quite a bit of overtime due to shortage of staff. In between work, we had a busy few months preparing for Tory's wedding in late July, and our move a few weeks later. Each week I visit my Mum who is now 92 years old. One of the highlights for her is my taking her to church each Sunday. I also love to spend time with my grandkids here in Waterloo as much as I can and try to schedule a couple of trips to Lethbridge, Alberta to visit Tyler, Susan and the girls each year.  I was just with them a few weeks ago. Always so hard to leave! I am so thankful for Skype! Being a grandma "Nana" is the best job in the world!!

TYLER, SUSAN, ABBY AND MIA

It was wonderful to have the whole family here in July for Tory's wedding. Abby was one of the flower girls at the wedding and did a wonderful job! She is now 4 years old. A very smart, curious and energetic little girl. She attends Montessori school 3 mornings a week. Mia is just over 1 year old and growing fast!! Susan keeps busy with family and business. Tyler and Susan are looking forward to a business trip to Hawaii in January. The whole family is going to enjoy a bit of rest and relaxation.

MATTHEW, HEATHER, AVA AND NOLAN

Heather is back to work on a casual basis as a nurse in ER at Grand River Hospital. Ava just turned 3 years old and was also a flower girl at Tory's wedding. She did such an awesome job! Nolan will be 2 in March. Fun to have a grandson!! They also moved to a new home in the summer, just a 5 minute drive from us. The fun part is that it has a wonderful swimming pool which they definitely took advantage of during the month of August!

SCOTT AND TORY

The highlight of the year was Tory's wedding to Scott which took place July 28th. She looked beautiful and everything went off without a hitch! They are living in Kitchener close to Tory's work. She is working at State Farm Insurance and is now a Licensed Insurance Representative. Scott is back at school in his year of teacher's college. He is planning on teaching Geography at middle school (grades 7-8). They both graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in June.

As another year begins, I want to share a prayer with you that I read about "getting older":
"Lord, as I grow older I think I want to be known as... thoughtful rather than gifted, loving versus quick or bright, gentle versus powerful, a listener more than a great communicator, available rather than a hard worker, sacrificial instead of successful, reliable not famous, content more than driven, self-controlled rather than exciting, generous instead of rich, compassionate more than competent."

That brings you up to date with some of highlights of the year in the Macfarlane family!

I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year for 2013. May the blessing from Numbers 6:24-25 be with you all. "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace" 

David and Diana

Macfarlane 2011 Newsletter

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012 to all our friends and family. I hope that this Christmas has been one where you have experienced much joy, peace and fun as you celebrated the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ with family and friends.
2011 has been an eventful year. Some of the highlights:

• we became the proud grandparents of two more grandchildren! Nolan Matthew was born to Heather and Matthew on March 26th and Mia Frances was born to Susan and Tyler on October 11th. We had the joy of having Susan, Tyler, Abby and Mia here for Christmas this year which was very special.
• Tory is engaged! Scott Stevens has asked Tory to marry him. Wedding will take place this coming summer. Very exciting!

Below is a short description of some of the highlights of 2011 in the Macfarlane family lives:

DAVID
David continued to travel and speak throughout Canada keeping a very busy schedule. He did manage to fit in his yearly trip to Florida for our summer holidays which is always something he looks forward to - sun and heat! He is very excited to be speaking at an international conference in Oxford, England this coming February. He is enjoying being a grandad to his 4 grandkids who think the world of their Pop!

DIANA
I worked at two jobs for most of the year, making my work schedule full time. Since September I dropped down to working solely at the University of Waterloo in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Office. It certainly keeps me very busy, but it is a great place to work in. In February and November I went to see Susan, Tyler and Abby (and Mia in November) in Lethbridge, Alberta. I love to visit with them whenever I can as I miss having them nearby! I'd be lost without Skype!! I can watch Abby dance or sing and I can read her a book over Skype! I also like to spend a day a week helping Heather with the Ava and Nolan. My mum turned 91 this year and is still living in her apartment in Brampton. I go and see her once a week and take her groceries and play games and just hang out. Life is very full at the moment!

TORY
Tory is very excited to be engaged to Scott - with their upcoming wedding in the summer. She has just finished her BA in Global Studies and is now looking for full time work which is no easy task in today's economy! She has a very busy social life and in her spare time finds time to paint homes for extra cash.

SUSAN
Susan is very busy looking after her family. A new baby is always a lot of work with many sleepless nights. Abby is now 3 years old and so much fun to interact with. She is very bright and very chatty! She is attending a Montessori preschool two mornings a week. Work at their Kawasaki-Yamaha Motor Sports store keeps Tyler very busy.

HEATHER
Heather is also busy at home with two young children. Ava turned 2 in September and Nolan is 9 months old. She will be returning to work in the Emergency Department at Grand River Hospital on a casual basis at the end of February.

OUR FOUR GRANDCHILDREN:
Nolan,Ava, Mia and Abby









That pretty much brings you up to date with the Macfarlane news. David and I would like to wish each of you a wonderful New Year.

Love
David and Diana

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!

2010 has come and gone, once again... ever so fast - and it's time to let friends and family catch up with some of the events that happened in 2010 in the Macfarlane household.

The highlight of 2010 was a bus tour David and I took for our 35th wedding anniversary last June. We landed in Munich, Germany and for the next 10 days travelled on a luxury tour bus through The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and back to Germany, staying at 5 star hotels along the way. What an amazing trip it was! I got to see the country sights and David got to see some of his art museums! A splurge definitely worth taking! We also managed to get our yearly 2-week Florida trip in albeit a little later than usual (September) but this time we flew there and rented a car.

DAVID
David has done an exceptional lot of traveling across Canada this year, so much so that we went on points to Europe in June, Florida in August, San Diego in October and even managed to help Heather go to Lethbridge in May, as well as me taking two trips to Lethbridge all on his points! In January David spoke to his biggest crowd ever, over 7000 people at the MTS arena in Winnipeg and has just finished writing a book called "Ignite Your life"which will be out shortly. For more on David's ministry and video clips go to: http://www.davidamacfarlane.com/

DIANA
I have enjoyed getting to know both my granddaughters! I took a couple of triple to Lethbridge (in February and August) to see Susan, Tyler and Abby. I miss having them live close by, but Skype is definitely the next best thing! We get to connect on a nearly daily basis. I get to read to Abby and David gets to do puppets! Lots of fun!! Heather, Matt and Ava live a few blocks away so I get to babysit Ava whenever they need a break! Right now I'm working two different part time jobs (due to some financial setbacks). I have returned to the University of Waterloo, working in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department. As well, I get to visit my Mum (who turned 9o this year) on a weekly basis, ensuring that her shopping is done, playing games, taking her to church and doing whatever is needed. She has had some setbacks this year in that she is having issues with back and shoulder pain (arthritis) which has made her a little unsteady on her feet, so we purchased a walker (which she does not like using!) and a cane which she remembers to take with her but still prefers not to use! All in all, her health is good and she continues to bring a lot of joy to all the people she visits in the homes where she lives. She is always ready with an encouraging word!

TYLER, SUSAN AND ABBY
Tyler and Susan sold their car wash businesses and bought a Yamaha business, expanding their Kawasaki store into a Yamaha/Kawasaki Sports store. This is a huge relief to Susan who no longer is at the beck and call of people calling with issues at the car washes or counting money on a weekly basis. She is very busy looking after Abby (who turned 2 in September). Abby is a very busy girl! She is very bright and curious! She knows all her numbers to 10 and knows her letters, sings all sorts of songs and knows everybody's names! She is exceptionally chatty and giggles constantly! I'm excited that they are coming to visit us in January. Heather and I get to look after Abby while Tyler and Susan attend a conference in Florida for a week. On their way back they'll spend a week with us before heading home. It should be lots of fun! A milestone for Susan and Tyler is that they both turned 30!!

MATTHEW, HEATHER AND AVA
"Baby Sprout" is on HIS way for April 1st!! No names given to us yet but we do know it's a boy! That is quite a novel idea for us!! As you can imagine, we are all very excited!
Ava turned 1 in October. She is a very sweet girl and I'm so blessed to have her live nearby! Not quite walking on her own yet, although she gets herself around holding on to the furniture or else down on all four! Heather had 2010 off till September and is now back at work in the Emergency Dept of our local hospital so she can take another maternity year off starting March. She is working every weekend, which allows Dad, mum and mum-in-law, aunts and uncles to look after Ava while she works or sleeps (depending whether she is on night or day shifts). Meanwhile Matthew continues to grow their fireplace and bbq business.

TORY
Tory is a very busy 23 year old! She is juggling working at Chapters Bookstore on the 5AM shift, goes off to University, often hangs out with Heather & Ava, does painting jobs on the side, teaches dance to some of the younger grade girls... all this apart from her social life! Right now her goal is to be done her degree by next Christmas! After that we don't know! It will all be subject to what jobs she can get!

Thanks to all of you for keeping in touch via Christmas cards and newsletters. We wish you all God's best for 2011. May this year be filled with many blessings and memories of a lifetime!
"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all." 2 Thes 3:16

David and Diana

Macfarlane News 2009

Dear Friends and Family:

Blessings and best wishes for you and your family as you celebrate Christmas and the New Year. May your home be filled with peace, joy and the love of God. May this be a time to reflect back with thankfulness on all that He has done and continues to do in each of your lives.

We have much to be thankful for in 2009. Topping the list is the latest addition to our family: Ava Elizabeth. Ava was born to our daughter Heather and Matthew on October 25th, weighing in at 8.9 lbs.

DAVID:
David continues to travel much of the time, mostly to our western provinces, speaking at different conferences, conventions, seminars and churches. He did get to enjoy 3 weeks in Florida once again over the summer, which is always the highlight of his year. This year we had Tyler, Susan and Abby join us for one of the weeks which added to the fun of our vacation.

We did have a visit from his brother Peter for a few days in the summer. This always makes for an interesting and boisterous time!

He also visited with his Uncle Chris, who turned 101 last July! Uncle Chris took a plane trip from Lt. Louis, MI to stay at his eldest daugher Cathy's home in Michigan! It was such a lovely day that he came with us for a walk down the road with his walker stopping a couple of times to rest.

DIANA:
I have cut back on my work hours. I am now only working Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This gives me more time to spend visiting my girls, and especially my granddaughters!! Hopefully, in 2010 I will be able to travel with David on some of his out west trips (more than likely stopping in Lethbridge to visit Tyler, Susan and Abby!) I also wanted to spend more time with my Mum. She turned 89 last September. She is still very active for someone her age, but finds herself with less energy than she would like!

David and I are celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary next year, so we have booked a bus tour of Europe for next June. We are excited to see parts of Europe that we have not visited before (Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Prague).

TYLER, SUSAN AND ABBY:

Abby turned 1 year old on September 3rd. Wow! Where does time go! She is now walking everywhere and is a very busy girl! They are not able to be with us this Christmas, but Susan and Abby came to visit us in Ontario on Dec. 7th for a week. What a busy household it becomes having a little one around!!

MATTHEW, HEATHER AND AVA:

As you can imagine, their lives have changed forever! Heather is on a mat leave for a year. It's so much fun to have them living close by so David and I can babysit whenever Heather needs to do some grocery shopping! As you can tell from the photo, Matthew is a hockey fan!! Kind of cute!

TORY:
Tory continues her 3rd year Global Studies degree at WLU. Amid the studies, she has a part-time job at Chapters (she goes to work for 5:00AM!). Of all the places to work, this suits Tory the most as she is an avid book reader. Once a week she also teaches dance (hip hop) to young girls as well as participating in a class herself. Put that together with her social life and, as you can imagine, she is one busy girl.
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This puts you up to date with what is going on in the Macfarlane household.

Thanks for allowing us to share our lives with you. We would love to hear from you when you have a minute. Family and friends are very dear to us.

David and Diana
A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway

Macfarlane News 2005

2005 is coming to a close and year end always seems like a good time to reconnect with family and friends to share God’s goodness to us during the ups and downs of life during 2005.

David has had another year filled with trips across Canada, meeting with pastors and denomination heads, and speaking at many events. Celebration 2005 was a great success, so much so that plans are underway for Celebration 2006! He also has many trips planed across Canada; he has also been asked to speak in Argentina (April) and Trinidad (June) with Samaritan’s Purse which he is very excited about. I get to go on some of the driving trips with him, such as to Montreal and Ottawa whenever I can get some time off, but have decided that it’s time for me to return to Argentina (which I have never returned to since I left in 1975), so am planning to accompany him in April and stay a few more days to go back and see all the places I used to hang around in my growing up years. I am working 4 days a week; 10 months of the year at the University of Waterloo in the Financial Aid Department for graduate studies (get middle of June to middle of August off). I thoroughly enjoy my work. I find it hard to believe that I have been there for 5 years already!!

December 13th was our 30th wedding anniversary!! Where has time gone to!! Our girls arranged a surprise celebration for us with some of our Ontario friends. It truly was a surprise. We had absolutely no clue at all!! We are so thankful for our friends and family. They sure enrich our lives.

The highlight for 2005 was Heather’s wedding to Matthew Bast on May 1. It was a beautiful wedding (I’m biased!!) David performed the wedding and gave her away! Always a special time for him. Friends from as far as BC came to share in this special day. It all went without a hitch. Matthew and Heather did not go away for too far or too long as Matthew was studying for his Chartered Accountancy Exams (which he passed with flying colours!) Just heard the results in November. His photo appeared in the Globe and Mail in the ad that Price Waterhouse Coopers puts out each year to congratulate their employees. They hope to go away somewhere in Summer 2006. Heather is in her third year of nursing. Can’t wait to finish the last year! With the 2 years she had previously done in BC, she will have been studying for 6 years total! They are living in an apartment in Kitchener which is great for us as we get to see them fairly often. Matthew works for Price Waterhouse Coopers and has to travel for audits quite a bit. He has been 5 weeks in Hawaii!! Poor Matthew!! The good thing is that Heather got to fly there for free for 6 days as he was away for more than 2 weeks. Company perk!

Another highlight was a visit from David’s brother Peter. He came to see us a week before Heather’s wedding, on his way to a film festival in Texas. He wasn’t able to stay for the wedding because of the festival. He was presenting a film that he has directed. It will be a part of the Sundance Film Festival in California this coming year. Always fun to see him! He has traveled the world (Thailand, Egypt, Cambodia, China, and Russia). David plans to meet up with him in Las Vegas in January of 2006 for a couple of days.

David and I had our first holiday by ourselves in many years. We went down once again to sunny Cocoa Beach in Florida. No, there were no hurricanes when we were there in July! We spent our time lolling by the pool, walking the beach and reading. Two great weeks.

I also managed to get a trip in to see Susan and Tyler in Lethbridge, Alberta in early April. I am planning to go and see them once again in January 2006. They always keep projects for me to do! I find great joy in being able to help in any way, whether painting, organizing, gardening or cleaning. So many times I wish they were closer so I could just pop over for coffee!! But I am very thankful that I get to see them a couple of times a year (whether in Ontario or Lethbridge). They are coming out for Christmas so we are very excited. Susan has left working at Lethbridge College and is now helping run the family businesses. This keeps her busy but also gives her flexibility with her time. I should be able to see much more of her this January than in previous visits.

Another special highlight was Tory’s graduation in June 2005. Hard to believe that all my girls are done high school! Instead of going straight into university, Tory has taken this time to be in an internship program with 9 other people at our church. She is thoroughly enjoying the course. One of the highlights will be their missions’ trip to The Philippines in May 2006. Next year she will be going to Wilfred Laurier University for Global Studies (focusing on Latin American culture). Her third year will be spent in a Latin American country (don’t know the details yet). She also is working part-time at a nursing home as a dietary aide. Thank goodness she has her own car as she is up and about most of the time!!

We never did get to visit the UK last summer due to Heather’s wedding, but we are definitely going this July. We still hope to visit Paris and some of Scotland. Tory will be coming with us. She did go to England when she was 5 years old and doesn’t remember much!!

We became members of Koinonia Christian Fellowship! We have been attending there now for nearly 2 years and love every moment of it. We are making some new friends and we are involved in various different departments. Although David is away much of the time, he is involved in the greeting department when he is around.

Well, that is 2005 in a nutshell!

My prayer for each of you in this coming New Year is from Romans 15:13:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”

May you and your family have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

With all our love,

David, Diana and Tory

Macfarlane News 2006

May the joy of this Christmas season continue to be with you and your family as you enter the New Year 2007!!The time to reflect over this last year is upon me once again!! I always enjoy this time as it reminds me of the many blessings we have received as a family over 2006 . Here is an updated family photo taken last December.

Highlights of 2006:

• Trip to Argentina for Diana
• Holiday in Paris and London with David and Tory
• Surprise visit from Tyler and Susan for Thanksgiving
• Theatre shows throughout the year together with friends

DAVID

David seems to have travelled the world in 2006 as he preached in Argentina, Trinidad and Guatemala, as well as his yearly trips across our wonderful country of Canada. In March 2007 he will be travelling to New Zealand and Australia (I plan to tag along with him as I've always wanted to visit this part of the world, in spite of the very long plane flights!!). Presently he is working on his first book which he hopes to have published by Fall 2007. He also managed to take the time to meet his brother Peter in Las Vegas. They had a wonderful time together. I think they took in 6 different shows in 4 days!!

DIANA

Still working at the University of Waterloo Graduate Studies Office. It has been a very busy time, sometimes overwhelming, as graduate studies is increasing the number applicants but the staff remains the same!! I did manage to take a couple of trips to visit Tyler and Susan in Lethbridge, Alberta (once in February and once in December). In December I took my mum (Peggy Jackson - 86 years old) with me. We helped them unpack the last of the boxes from their move to a new home last August. I miss having them around! In April I returned to Argentina after an absence of more than 30 years (never gone back since I left in 1975!) The icing on the cake was taking Susan with me. I showed her all the places where I grew up (Devoto, Martinez, a trip on the Tigre, downtown BA, Devoto School, St. Andrew's School, shopping on Florida and at the flea market). All the getting around was thanks to Peter Macfarlane and my friend Monica Garcia Marchi who looked after us wonderfully. We stayed with Billy and Mary Murchison in their beautiful home in Olivos. I also met with many of my school friends who I hadn't seen in over 35 years - what fun that was!!!In July David, Tory and I took a holiday to Paris for 4 days before travelling on to London to stay with my sister Anne and her husband Nigel. None of us had been to Paris before and we all fell in love with it! Great sights and great food!! London was a time of running around visiting art galleries, museums, castles, churches, theatre show and MANY train stations & subway stations. Tory hadn't been in London since she was 5 years old!

TORY

Tory turned 19 in July. She finished her internship at our church in June. It culminated with a trip to The Philippines where they led youth camp, went to an orphanage and spoke at a church. In all, it was a wonderful learning experience. Tory cut her hair!! She decided to donate her long hair to the Cancer Society to make a wig for someone who has lost her hair due to chemo. In September she started her first year at Wilfrid Laurier University majoring in Global Studies and Spanish (surprise, surprise!!). So far she is loving it! She plans to study abroad in her third year (more than likely it will be Spain). She's taking a few days after Christmas to spend with 14 of her friends from the internship, up at a cottage. Should be a busy but fun time!

TYLER AND SUSAN

Having just come back from Lethbridge, I can tell you that they live very busy lives!! Young people these days are so much more entrepreneurial than we ever were! They are running so many businesses! Susan and Tina (Tyler's brother Rob's wife) look after running two car washes; the boys take care of an irrigation business and a seed-coating business as well as some dealings with Esso. They don't have much down time but they did manage to fit in a surprise visit to see us in Ontario in October. The best surprise ever for David and me!! They got to sleep in some and didn't need to worry about cell phones ringing!! Susan turned 26 this Christmas!

MATTHEW AND HEATHER

They have been married 1 1/2 years! Heather (now 23) has just finished her last semester in Nursing!! She is extatic! Finally no more studying! (6 years of university behind her). She does have to write her final exam on February 7 and her graduation won't be till June. (She studied through last summer so she could finish earlier and start working). She has a job at Guelph Hospital starting January and will be working in the Intensive Care Unit. She loves what she does. Matthew continues to work at Price Waterhouse Coopers although there could be some changes coming down the pipe for 2007.

For those of you who know my Mum, she turned 86 years old in September, lives at Holland Christian Homes in Brampton, Ontario in her own apartment, and keeps as busy as always feeding patients in the nursing home, coordinates the volunteers for foot care and eye care, visits those that need a friend and anything else that needs doing. She is not without aches and pains, but she doesn't like to make a big deal about them when there is so much to be thankful for! She loves to have her family around her. She is often either at Paul and Chris' or at our home for the weekends. She particularly loves it when Anne comes to visit for a couple of weeks each year from London. I try and visit her every Monday and help out with grocery shopping, or taking her to different appointments. She is very proud of the fact that she passed her driving test so can continue driving!! She doesn't drive out of the Brampton area but she likes her independence!!

I think that updates you on what the Macfarlane family has been up to in 2006. It truly was a blessed year. The fact that God cares about all the little details in each of our lives never ceases to amaze me! He is an AWESOME God!

With all our love,

David and Diana

PS: With all the tragedy and fear going on in this world, my verse for 2007 is Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!".

Macfarlane News 2008

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It feels good to connect once again with friends and family and reminisce over all the events of 2008. Once again, so much has happened and we have so much to be thankful for!!

ABIGAIL GRACE DUNCAN - Our first grandchild

The first wonderful news we received in early February was that Tyler and Susan were expecting!! Yes, we now carry the proud name of 'Grandparents' and we love it!! Abigail Grace (Abby) was born on September 3rd, one whole month earlier than expected!! She weighed in at 5.5 lbs. She was very well looked after in the neo-natal ward at Lethbridge Hospital for 8 days before being allowed home. I was blessed to fly to Lethbridge the day after her birth and stay for a couple of weeks helping wherever I could and of course enjoying holding Abby as much as possible! She is so adorable! Tyler, Susan and Abby were here visiting the first week of December - their Christmas visit. It was lovely for the rest of my family to make their acquaintance with Abby.

DAVID

David once again travelled a good portion of 2008 speaking at conferences, giving seminars and talking in churches across Canada. The highlight of the year for him is always our summer trip to Florida where we spent a couple of weeks at a friend's condo in Venice Beach - always a relaxing time. The latest news is that he has taken on a new job starting in January as the Director of National Initiatives with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada.

DIANA

I continue to enjoy my job at the church looking after the database. Learning the software has been a stretching and fulfilling time. It's good to know that I can still learn the latest technology of 'online' registrations, payments, etc. I took some days to visit with Tyler and Susan earlier in the year as well as my visit when Abby was born. My fitness routine has not been very consistent this year, so we finally purchased a treadmill which allows me to continue to walk, even during our long Ontario winter, right from the comfort of our own home which I'm very thankful for.

TORY


Tory is half way through her second year of Global Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. At the same time she continues to work in construction (drywalling, sanding and painting). She is involved in teaching dance as well as taking dance lessons herself. When she has some spare time, she makes time for her art (painting with temperas).

She also enjoyed dancing in New York Times Square with her dance team. Also managed to take in a show "Hairspray".


TYLER AND SUSAN

They continue to run their many businesses which doesn't leave them too much time off. Now with Abby around, Susan has more time to be at home. They did spend some time in White Fish and Arizona with Tyler's parents and came to visit us just a couple of weeks ago to show Abby off to family and friends! Abby is so cute! She is a true delight! You can be sure David and I will make some 'extra' trips to Lethbridge whenever we can!

MATTHEW AND HEATHER

Matthew continues to expand his barbecue and fireplace business (they run 3 stores). Heather has been working at our local city hospital floating between the ER and Oncology departments. She has taken on a full-time job in ER starting in January. She loves the hussle and bussle of ER. She has a ton of stories to tell, some funny and some very sad. They bought a dog early in the year (Ella - a miniature dashund). She keeps them quite busy. They are very excited to go to Mexico in January for a week's holiday that they both very much deserve.

My mum turned 88 in September. She continues to enjoy helping people in her retirement complex whenever she can. She did give up her driving this year after a minor accident in the church parking lot which was very sad for her - she misses her independence!

Each of us wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy 2009!

Blessings,

David, Diana, Tory

My Bible verse for you for 2009: John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."