Okay, so a full year too late as I’m posting this in December of 2024, but…while I could have skipped adding this post, the need-things-complete person that I am, I had to share 2023 (for my future self, if not for you, my friends and family).
Going back in time–Happy 2023!
Bringing in the Year of Millie’s Prey, I mean, Rabbit.
Just 7 Years Old
I can say that because he’s now 8, nearly 9!
And check out my mom zipping down the slide and crouch crawling through a play area designed for kids and kids at heart.
Fam fun
Keanu had a chance to go skating with his school. He was new to it, and my sister couldn’t get off from work, so I was asked to take him, since I’m the ex-figure skater. Oh boy, I really felt the “ex” part, as it’s been years since I’ve been on blades. I dug my old skates out of storage, got them sharpened, and then trepidatiously stepped on the ice. Keanu did great! Again, no videos, but trust me when I say that I was able to impress him with a double (no, triple!) axel. 😉
Nana turned 103 on Valentine’s Day, so we gathered to celebrate her! (Mom’s not trying to be cool–though of course she is! She had had an eye procedure, so needed to protect her eyes with sunglasses)
We also got to do Easter with Nana and family.
Keanu tried to lift Thor’s hammer, and, of course, he eventually did (movie coming to a theatre near you!) while Sean dreamed of riding a motorcycle (see 2024 post).
Every year, Lan and Mom have arranged a butterfly release for Keanu and his friends and family. It’s always a hit, and this year was no exception!
Just for fun, I thought I’d share these pics from Lan’s (oops, I mean Melanie’s) Canadian baseball team work party. Keanu’s shoes are nearly the same size as mine! But apparently his head’s still a bit too small (giant oversized hat). These are the kinds of pictures you get of a kid who hates getting his picture taken. 😉
Lan brought Keanu and Keanu’s bestie and family to my clinic to watch the International Fireworks show (Honda Celebration of Lights) from my balcony. Oooooooh! Aaaaaaaaah!
Though we did this in August, I think this was actually part of my birthday present (or maybe Mother’s Day) to her–high tea.
We’ve been watching a lot of the Food Network baking shows. Low stress (for us) and fun, it’s a good way to chill in the evening, while I crochet or Sean and I catch up on our computer work (he loves these shows too!). The winner of the 2023 Halloween Baking Wars (Sean corrected me because I had written Baking Show–he loves/knows his baking shows) was a woman who owns a shop just outside of Vancouver. So we went there to get some of her treats for Halloween. Problem with green icing? Green teeth. Or, maybe that’s not a problem at all.
Do you know what Skibidi Toilet is? Well, you’ll have to see it to believe it. Super popular for elementary school kids who watch You Tube. It’s kind of violent though, and very odd. Since there are no good pre-made costumes for this, Dad and I put together Keanu’s Halloween costume using cardboard boxes, duct tape, lights, markers, and lots of patience.
Time with friends
Well, there’s never enough time. But here are some of the friend activities we enjoyed!
And, no, no we don’t grow up.
Pizza and yoga poses on Cypress Mountain with Luisa and David in April. Then on Seymour for gondolas and vistas in August.
Tracy was in Vancouver area for work, so she added on extra days so we could spend time together. Knowing she loves adventure and dancing, we went to Whistler so we could do both! Check out the difference in safety (full face helmet, pants not shorts, closed toed shoes) here vs my pictures in Cambodia!
In September, my friend Kelly invited me to join her and two other of her friends in Tofino at Black Rock Resort. Her dad’s friend flew us in by helicopter, and her dad flew us out. We called it the weekend of Magic and Miracles, as Tofino truly is a magical and gorgeous place to hop on a boat for whale watching–which we also saw from the heli on the way home; well, I mean most likely a different whale, but whale nonetheless ;)–relaxing in a natural hot spring right at the oceanside (so you could simultaneously sit in the hot springs while getting splashed by cold ocean waves!), hiking in beautiful settings, eating fancy delicious food, and spending time with wonderful women. A number of firsts for me too. First time in an oceanside hot spring. First time seeing a grey whale. First time seeing a whale from a heli. And first time helping to gas up a helicopter!
Kelly’s birthday (her so fancy and me still not wearing makeup to avoid getting a stye) and pitch and putt with Jenn and Cam (better pics next time!).
Losses
With every beginning there is an end. This year was a tough loss for us, as Nana passed at age 103 in September. Despite her very long life, it hit hard, as she was simply always there, the centre of our family group, the gathering point for all of us. We celebrated her with a big gathering at the Nikkei Centre. Tsuruko even came out from Japan to be there.
For the video I created and we shared at that event, you can see this private link here: https://youtu.be/0beGmmf38vU
I met Tom more than two decades ago through my mom, as they volunteered together for the Nikkei Senior’s Health Care & Housing Society. He was the kind of guy that if you knew him you loved him. He was another centre point for many, as his home was where all the events took place, and everyone was welcome. He was going blind, but he got a fancy tv so that other could enjoy it while he hosted Super Bowl, Grey Cup, the Oscars (those were the ones we regularly attended), and more. He lived well beyond what was expected of him, and he always pushed through barriers that others thought he couldn’t surmount–thought that until they got to know him, that is.
Doing stuff, enjoying time
No matter how many years we get, there is still so much more we can enjoy. So, that’s what we did this year–lived life big.
I turned 50. Level 5.0. Eep! 5th decade in May of 2023. Plus, Sean and I celebrated our 20th wedding in August. So, in light of that, we decided to go on a big trip. “Where to you want to go?” Sean asked me. So many choices! I thought maybe to Madagascar to see the lemurs, maybe a return to Japan, maybe even the mountain gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda (we were thinking big!).
After a lot of thinking and investigating, I chose Vietnam and Cambodia. I wanted to go to Ankor Wat and be on a boat on the Mekong River. To make it easy, we chose to go with G Adventures, and the results you can see here: https://melissa-carr.com/travellers-again/
Three concerts this year. For some, that might be nothing, but for us that was huge. We rarely–almost never–go to concerts. No fancy seats, but amazing! This year we went to Tears for Fears:
Peter Gabriel:
Depeche Mode with our friend Sonja:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15WgDNhMqp
Canucks games (x2) and bicycle rides to and from.
Millie and her new cousin Cutie!
Millie’s fave places are Queen Elizabeth Park–because it’s close and she gets to join our picnics–and Pacific Spirt Park–because she gets to go off leash (until she inevitably decides to make me chase her to get her to return).
Most of her time is spent on her couch. Yes, it’s our couch…but who are we joking? It’s her couch. She does love her walks though, and even though she gets car sick, she does want to go with us wherever we go. Here she is on her first off-leash walk. She was so good, sticking close to us, returning when called. Until she wasn’t good, and she’d jump into the puddles and run into the wooded areas, deking into areas I couldn’t easily reach, at which point the leash would go back on. She would always return, but the glint in her eye told us she was having fun getting me to chase her. You can see her walking well (and lounging even better) on her very own Instagram account.
In June, we got to meet my sister and her family’s new puppy, a shiba inu that Keanu named Cutie (the alternative option was Poop, so Cutie it was). She truly is a cutie, and though she was briefly afraid of Millie, she has quickly learned that she is the more dominant dog, and she loves to chew on Millie’s eyebrows, beard, ears, well, anything, because Millie either lets her or tries to run away. Millie is not boss lady. Keanu, of course, adores Cutie, and he definitely manhandles (kidhandles?) her, but he is so gentle with Millie, as you can see in the video of him combing her.
We tried puppy sitting Cutie when my sister and her family were away, but after just a couple of days, we couldn’t do it because we needed to work, so she went to my parents’ home instead. Still, she’s the cutest thing.
Not to be outdone by her adorable little cousin, check out Millie’s adorable photos too. 🙂 From derp face after having a pup cup to posing to badonkadonk to getting healing infrared treatment (she had a lingering limp that likely came from being kicked while living on the street) to snuggle pup to protector to rub my belly to silly Millie to smartie pants to stuffy lover.
Disney World!!!
Yes, we went to Disney World. In Florida. It’s far. It’s huge. And I have a gazillion photos of course. Here are just some.
I embroidered Disney characters on tshirts for everyone. And Sean went on more rides than he’s ever done before, including Tron, a super fast, motorcycle-like ride. My fave was the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride. It was in the dark (like my old fave Space Mountain), and it’s not a regular roller coaster ride, as the individual cards turn, so sometimes you’re going sideways and sometimes you’re going backward. The Avatar section is beautiful, and the 4K HDR flying simulator ride, Flight of Passage, was fantastic. Unless you get motion sickness; in which case you can just close your eyes. The Epcot ride for Ratatouille was the best kids’ ride for us, as it was fun, adorable, humourous, and engaging. You even get whiffs of the smells for the things the rats are cooking!
Continuing Crafting
This year, I kept crocheting and did some macrame, but also added punch needle and tried my hand at embroidery. I think I’m done with embroidery though.
