Merries and Happies to one and all as yet another year draws to a close. The Kirschner Family hopes that this
year has indeed been a Happy and Prosperous one for you all and we hope that 2012 will bring you total Joy, good Health and Fulfillment.
Again this year we were blessed with yet another grandchild. On July 4th we welcomed Nixon James into the world and into the family. A delightful son for Nick and Cheryl and the first grandson for us. This marked the perfect ending to an already wonderful weekend as we had just had the opportunity to meet with over 200 family members at the Kirschner Family Reunion held here in Kelowna over the July long weekend. In May of 2012 there will be yet another little Kirschner baby as well. This time it will be a sibling for Maya and a new baby for Julian and Vicki. It is such fun to watch the families blossom and grow.
Gord and I didn't do any travelling this year as I had foot surgery in January and then again in Oct. Gord is scheduled for a hip replacement on Dec, 19th as well. This has kept us close to home but we hope that we will again become more mobile and more active soon. I haven't done any skiing as of late but am hoping that it will again be on my agenda in 2012. We did make short little excursions around the immediate area and this gave us quite a bit of opportunity to visit with friends and family that we had lost touch with over the years when life was so busy for us with a growing family. Hopefully we will be able to continue this and to continue to reconnect with special people in our lives. We had a tremendous visit from my Iowa family in Sept. and that was so much fun and we got to be tourists in our own town. Unfortunately this year Gord's sister Helen passed away as did several relatives and very close friends. This makes us all reflect and become more determined to spend time together while we have the opportunity. I am so very grateful that so many family members made the trip out to Kelowna this summer to be with us at the Family Reunion. We also got out to our cabin at Kalamalka Lake a few times this summer although it really wasn't a typical Okanagan summer. I don't really remember being overheated this year. December is almost balmy so far although we did have a brief cold snap last month.
The kids are all doing well and continue to make us proud. Julian is in his second year at Dalhousie University in Halifax and continues to work towards becoming a Respiratory Therapist. He is also really enjoying being a Dad and has a lot of fun with Maya as she is at that very cute stage. Vicki is working full time as a military nurse and is feeling well during her pregnancy. Unfortunately they won't be able to have Christmas here with the rest of us again this year but we are all excited for when they move back here in a couple of years. Until then, our Christmas with them is a "Christmas in a box", much to the delight of the postal service. Vicki, Julian, Maya and the new baby hope to come and visit us this summer so that is something for us all to look forward to. Nick is still working with Gord and will have to take over the reigns as Gord recovers from his hip surgery. They have kept relatively busy over the past few months although the beginning of the year was dreadful due to the economy. Nick has also become a very 'hand's on Dad' and it's so cute to watch him carry on with his little son. Cheryl is still on maternity leave for the moment and enjoying being a full time Mommy. Nixon is a very good baby and I always marvel at how much he reminds me of Nick when he was a baby. Cheryl takes him to swimming lessons and to sessions at the Library and also manages to take Leo and Nixon to visit elderly folks in rest homes on Sundays. People never know whether to concentrate on the 'huge' dog or the ever smiling baby. it's a cute combination for sure. Brianne moved from her job at Medi-Kel to employment at Valley Medical Labs. She had added online courses to qualify as a Lab Assistant to the certification that she already had taken last year to become a Unit clerk. I chuckle to think of her wielding syringes but I am sure that she's fantastic at her job. She loves her job and is satisfied that she has found what she'd like to do as a career from now on. Kris still drives and delivers water and spent many many hours fishing this past year. It is indeed his passion. Their dog Lucy the pug loves to come and visit us and to run around free and to get her treats. Devon is still searching for his ultimate career and continues to search for employment as a heavy equipment operator after finishing the course early this year. He is currently employed at UPS. Haylee finished her first year in auto body. She'll seek an apprenticeship in January and will also continue her schooling. She and Devon are working towards coming up with a plan that involves less driving for them. They also have a puppy. He is a cute little Red Healer that goes by the name of Kooper. There is indeed a lot of hustle and bustle when everyone comes to visit.
Santa is more or less on top of things this year. That either means great organizational skills or slim pickings. This will be left to be seen. It will be a quiet Christmas in any case as Gord's major activity will revolve around drinking eggnog and watching NetFlix. He has already informed the nurses that his bell is on order and that he won't hesitate using it to summon me. Ha, ha, nice try!!
Gord’s Mom is turning 100 years young on Dec. 31st. She is still doing quite
well and continues to live at Sutherland Hills Rest Home on Hall Road in Kelowna. She
was able to attend the Kirschner Family Reunion and was the oldest there although there were a few close behind in age. We are looking forward to being able to celebrate this with her on her special day.
Again to you and to yours we wish the absolute Happiest of Holidays. Merry Christmas and a truly Wonderful New Year.
Season’s Greetings,
Best Wishes,
Gordon and Heidi and Family
