Posted by MELISSACARR24onDECEMBER 15, 2018

Ok, so I had to look up cool 2018 expressions. For those of you –like me– who don’t know what “Keep it 100” means, it’s about acting in a way that’s aligned with your values. So, this yearly Christmas letter/blog is about what’s kept me 100 for 2018. Firstly, thank you to those who’ve sent out Christmas cards. I still love getting a pretty and thoughtful card. For me, in lieu of cards and mailing costs, I’ve donated to the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre . I have extra magnets from them, so whoever would like one, email me which one you want and I’ll send it. 🙂

Click on any of the images to see them bigger

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• There was a dog playing there.
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Sean’s writing business really took off this year! He has two writers now and continues to get more and more contracts to do blog, webpage, and article work for a wide variety of companies, from local to international. He’s even done some work on advertisements. My practice continues on, same as usual, working at two integrative clinics. I continue to do work with my regulatory college, helping with exam creation and correcting, and consulting on the inquiry board. I’ve also been doing more writing, including reviewing an ebook  for an online resource for health practitioners, called Integrative Practitioner. Next year I’ll be doing more writing for them, including an ebook on Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

• Funny Fit to Train team and partners at our Christmas party cook off

This year we upped our creativity with more crafting. Sean helped me complete some needle felting projects (including a commissioned felted animal mobile). I held a booth at a craft fair, taught a felting class (they called me a fibre artist–I love that title!), and I even got some of my felted ornaments into a local artist store called Bird on a Wire. I’m giving half my profits to a local animal welfare organization called Fur Bearer Defenders–we’ve supported them for the last few years. 

• For sale in a local store
• I love making critters
• A fairy garden
• Peter Rabbit
• Orca family
• I learned how to wet felt too.
• Santa doesn’t always use a sleigh.
• Nikkei Craft Fair

Though we wish we had made time for even more outdoors activities, we’ve continued to enjoy snowshoeing, cycling, and Sean’s first time trying stand up paddleboard (unfortunately, it was way too windy and wavy, so we’ll go out again hopefully next summer).

• Snowshoeing just outside of Squamish at Sea to Sky.
• He was hoping the eagle would fly him around.
• Another snowshoe trip up Mount Seymour and this little shrew wouldn’t leave my hand. He seemed awfully tame. Or was just simply really cold.
• We happened to park right in front of our besties Luisa and David, so we got to go snowshoeing together!
• One of our many cycling trips around Vancouver.
• Pitch and Putt with Luisa and David.
• Prepping for his first stand up paddleboard experience!

I feel like I missed taking pics of a bunch of fun friend get togethers (Amy, how did I not take any pics of us when I saw you in Ottawa? I will next trip soon!), but here are some of the pics through the year.

• Luisa and me at a Canucks game
• Canuck crazies
• Every year, Super Bowl at Tom’s
• So much fun! Pirate Adventures for those who’ve jumped ship!
• Some of us pirates.
• Gnarly crew
• Sam’s cafe concert
• Harbour Cruise with Luisa and David
• Susan and Vincent at his new restaurant
• Hahn’s (guide dog) retirement party
• Sonja and me at Christmas Market
• High tea with Kelly

Hana and Kendo both turned 10 this year. I know that people who have kids think that having dogs is nothing like having kids. But, for us, they are our kids, so it’s tough to see them age because a dog’s life is just WAY too short. They are both doing well and they still play wildly like when they were puppies, but they do have some health issues. Hana has a defective heart valve which has caused her to have an enlarged heart. Luckily she doesn’t have congestive heart failure (an expensive ultrasound showed us that is okay), but she is on pricey meds for it. At one point she was on a twice daily diuretic which meant she needed to be taken out often and also wore diapers indoors. Thankfully, that’s not the case now. She also still needs her twice daily eye gel and I’m giving her supplements. It’s because of her that we changed travel plans this year, doing a road trip that allowed us to bring them along (see my other blog for details of that awesome road trip!). Kendo is doing well, but I think he’s got the start of arthritis in his hind legs. Either that or he’s too lazy and wants us to pick him up onto the couch, instead of jumping up. No matter what, we love loving them, and they remind us daily to appreciate the small things and enjoy life.

• Sweet Hana
• Kendo Cutie
• Japanese Chin are known to be cat-like. She wanted to sit on the table while I worked.
• Wonder Woman!
• Don’t worry, I’ve got this leopard under control.
• Strangest dog
• But he’s pretty adorable

Family is doing well and my nephew is growing up so quickly! Keanu is nearly 3 now, and though we see him regularly, he’s bigger, smarter, and funnier each time we see him. He’s not particularly fond of sleeping or eating (especially vegetables), but he loves all things with engines and/or wheels. He and I have also had some fun making little crafts. 

• Keanu, Al, Lan
• Cake face
• My handmade felted garden for Keanu’s 2nd birthday
• What a babysitter I am. He actually slept!
• Paw Patrol Keanu

Mom is officially retired, but for those of you who know her well (or at all), you know that doesn’t actually mean retired. She’s still working what seems pretty close to a full-time job, including travel to China to lecture and train nurses there. Both Mom and Dad also take care of Keanu at least one day a week–a job they happily take on. Dad had some health challenges this year with prostate cancer and removal of his prostate in the summer, but he’s doing well now. He’s looking forward to fully resuming all of his activities soon, from yoga to cycling to spin classes. In fact, for Christmas he asked for a set of weights so he can work out at home. 

• Adrienne, me, Mom, and Lan at Mother’s Day high tea
• Mom, Nana, Auntie TJ, and Auntie Cathy at Christmas Whoville 2018
• Dad coming down the slide at Keanu’s 2nd bday party
• Awwwww. Sweetest photo.

Because Melanie (Lan or Lanie for those of us who still refuse to change) and I have donated to Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, we receive an invitation once a year to visit their facility, so we went with the whole family, including Mya who was visiting from Ottawa area.  

• Keanu and me at the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre
• So cute!
• Me, Dad, Mya, Mr. Otter, Mom, Keanu, Lan, Sean

We did get some fun and unique experiences over the year, including spending time with Kim and our rapidly growing nieces Paige and Amber and I-can’t-believe-she’s-not-a-kid-anymore Sky to watch and cheer on Randy at his car derby. 

We also went to watch 17-year-old Alfonso Davies score 2 goals and an assist while playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps shortly after returning from signing his contract with Bayern Munich for $22 million USD and a transfer fee of $13.5 million USD. Watching him play, you can see how he is leaps and bounds (and all kinds of fancy footwork and speed) better than those on the field with him here, and why he would garner so much attention and $$$. This summer we also went to Bloedel Garden to see the “corpse flower,” an enormous flower that normally blooms just once every 7 to 10 years, releasing a stench that’s supposed to smell like rotting bodies. Named “Uncle Fester,” he was pretty impressive, though unfortunately (or fortunately?) he didn’t smell bad when we were there. But we did spot ourselves on the local tv news (actually, Al spotted us) taking a selfie in front of the flower! Also in the summer, we went to North Vancouver to check out the Greenpeace ship, the Arctic Sunrise, and chat briefly with the captain. In an odder note, one night, shortly after we had gone to bed, but when we were deep asleep, there were 3 loud crashes outside our window. It sounded clearly like cars smashing into something, and then I heard screaming. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was at the window. I thought someone was badly hurt, so I grabbed my phone, we threw on appropriate clothing and shoes, and ran outdoors. There was a police take-down! Two police cars had rammed another car between them on the small street right outside our place. The screaming was the police shouting at the guy who had jumped out of his car and run down the street. His car was still in drive, but because it was wedged, its tires were spinning and sending up a pile of smoke. Fire trucks and more police arrived. Lots of neighbours too. From what we could see and hear, it seems like it was a drug dealer (and maybe car thief) they stopped, but we don’t know if they ever ended up catching him. Crazy!

• Whitecaps game
• Greenpeace boat
• The police take-down
• Uncle Fester in our selfie on Global News

The biggest event of the year for us was that Sean turned the BIG 5-0. We went RVing to celebrate that (see our other blog here) in October. But he also got two birthday parties here. One was with our friends Luisa and David. Chef Luisa made an amazing Japanese curry dish and both they and my family helped decorate a fun birthday t-shirt for him. His bday party at my parents’ house meant more presents and dessert, and though I bought the sparklers, I’m actually a bit scared of them and felt like I was going to burn him or me or the house down.

• David, me, and Sean as he make a cake cutting wish.
• David, you keep making this face in pictures, I will post them!
• Luisa’s Japanese curry dish. Yum!
• The paint glows! The front reads, “I’m 50, give me gifty.”
• Uh oh, that sparkler is falling!
• A Japanese men’s kimono and Star Wars toy weapon are the best gifts for him.

I like to find things my family can do together as part of my Christmas gift to them, so this year we went to the Van Dusen Festival of Lights. It was fantastic, and though cold, it was thankfully not raining!

• Keanu and me at the Van Dusen Festival of Lights
• Keanu, Sean, and Mom at the Van Dusen FOL on the carosel.
• Oh no, not ANOTHER Santa photo op

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy and Healthy 2019! Love Melissa, Sean, Kendo, and Hana