2009 has been quite the year, hasn't it?

Last week I began work on my family's annual holiday letter (some might call it a novella - it can has been known to exceed 6 pages!). It is always an interesting exercise to sit down and reflect on the past year, and compare last year's letter to this year's. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure that this year will win hands-down in the "biggest changes and milestones" category!

I was trying to figure out how to neatly post our letter here - it had photos, and I spent a fair amount of time messing around with desktop publishing software to make it look pretty - but ran into too many roadblocks. So... I'll give a recap, as most of what was in the letter is stuff that those of you who read the blog would already know, but some is from the "pre-Tyla" era and might be news to you.

For example, in addition to becoming new moms, we did some work on our yard and house, visited with family and friends, and did a bit of camping over the summer. In fact, we were camping with my family in Drumheller when we got "the call" that our first visit with Tyla had been arranged (the next day!).

We also celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on October 9 – time flies when you’re having fun, I guess!

Auntie Erin & Jake in Drumheller

Our niece, Brynn - always at the height of fashion!

Auntie Lisa & Brynn, tuckered out after a hard day renovating the trailer.

Lisa (Mom)
Lisa is still working at Vecima Networks, and she’s just been promoted to a Team Leader position in the surface-mount technology (SMT) department. Her employer offered staff the option of moving to a 4-day work week this past year, which is a nice perk – even if she does work overtime nearly every Friday. Lisa was able to enjoy a few short daytrips on her Harley this summer, and really enjoyed riding it to work most days. Now she’s started working on getting me to ride so we can go on the road together!

Erin (Mama)
I finally completed my Master’s degree in April (it was a long six years, especially for Lisa!), and was thrilled to accept a 1-year term faculty position beginning July 1. Lisa and my Mom were able to come to Regina to cheer as I crossed the stage to get my diploma, which was such a great moment. I taught my first university class (Contemporary Social Welfare Policy – sounds thrilling, eh?) at the College in Swift Current during spring term, and am teaching two field practice courses this term. I'm hopeful that my term with the faculty will be extended, which would be great – I love teaching, and feel so privileged to have a job that I enjoy so much. Now I just have to start convincing Lisa that it’s time to start my PhD!

Tyla
Tyla keeps busy with school, soccer, and hanging out with her new cousins (and grandma and grandpa, of course). She’s getting used to living in a city as she lived in a small town before she moved to Saskatoon. She loves to ride her bike, so really enjoyed the warm fall we had. She’s also a fan of dress up, spray parks, and entertaining mom and mama with her stories and rock star impersonations, listening to Beyonce, Pink, and Dolly Parton, and playing with her “brothers” and “sister” (our cats Buddy, Parker, and Missy).

As always, I am grateful for your friendship and support, and thankful you’ve taken the time to read up on our antics. I hope you have a happy holiday and a wonderful New Year!