Merry Cristmas

From Danielle and Brett Park

The year is slowly coming to a close, and like many other years, proved to be very busy. Brett and I were tired of renting and decided to start looking for our first home.  About the time the market got hot, we really wanted a house and thus began our house hunting adventure.  We looked at a lot of houses, wrote up 5 offers, and now we are living in a wonderful home in the south end of Regina.  We are really enjoying the place so far.  It seems like we have so much space and I love having a backyard and deck to relax on during the summer. The double car garage has also proven to be quite nice this year even though I am going to hate shoveling all 80 feet of it. Unfortunately, they are forecasting a lot of snow for this winter.  I have only had to shovel it twice and it was quite the workout. 

I am still doing the teaching thing.  January through June I continued to sub here in Regina and did quite well for myself.  This summer I worked for the City of Regina as a Play Escapes leader and about a week before school started I interviewed for a maternity leave job.  Two days before school started (while I was on a trip with some girlfriends in the mountains) I got a phone call from the principal offering me a 0.5 temporary contract teaching special education for the full school year at Campbell Collegiate.  So I accepted the position.  The first week of school I taught special ed and then the second week of school the administration moved me to teach Social Studies for a teacher who was on sick leave (he pulled all the muscles and ligaments in his legs or something of that sort).  I was to cover that position for 3 weeks.  It is now December and I am still in that position (Not that I am going to complain).  It really has been a great experience for me.  Hoping the foot is in the door.  I also had the pleasure of planning and running three volleyball tournaments at Campbell.

Brett is still working at the Co-op Upgrader and doing quite well.  I really think he enjoys the job.  This fall Brett also enrolled in the masters program at the University or Regina to get his Masters in Computer Science.  He is only take one class, but it definitely keeps him busy.  He is busy reading articles and programming.  Luckily I am just as busy as a new teacher, so it works out nicely for us.  In January, Brett will be putting another item on his resume.  The University offered him a position as a seminar instructor for the winter semester and he will be teaching a university class on Tuesday evenings.  It should be a great experience for him, and maybe it will give him the chance to see if he likes teaching at the university level.  I know he’s quite excited about it.  I think it’s because he can talk “geek” with others because I don’t understand most of that. 

We also have a new addition to our family.  Last year all I wanted for Christmas was a kitten.  Well about 2 weeks before Christmas I got my wish.  Brett finally broke down and bought me a kitten.  He is a beautiful grey tabby named Pixel (yes Brett picked the name).  He just turned a year old in October and yes he has us wrapped around his little paw.  He loves to snuggle, bite any toes that are sticking out of the blankets, play outside (only on his leash though), and play with all his toys.  I simply cannot understand why people do not like cats.  They bring so much joy and happiness.  Even Brett has really warmed up to Pixel, he even has trained Pixel to do tricks.  Although Brett said the only cat he likes is Pixel.  HAHA!   

On July 22nd, we celebrated our very first anniversary (in our new house). It was a very exciting day, not only because of our anniversary, but because we became an Aunt and Uncle for the first time. Renee (Brett's Sister) and Earl brought a little boy named Jarek into the world. He is very cute and is doing well. They really need to move closer to Regina so we can see him more often.

A few adventures were also had over the year. We only got out camping twice this year, once at Pike Lake for May Long Weekend and once at Lucien Lake (by Humbolt) the weekend after Jarek was born. Once again (third year running) we attended the Craven Country Jamboree and had a rather swell time. As was mentioned earlier, Danielle and her friends (Brittni and Amy) went on a trip out to the mountains. They ventured out to Banff and went white water rafting on the Kicking Horse River. Everyone came back alive and had a good time. As you all know, the Riders went to the Grey Cup this year. After they won the Western Finals, my buddy Jay and I booked a flight to Toronto. We arrived in Toronto the night before the big game but still did not have tickets for the event. Six hours before kickoff, we were going to take a bus to the stadium in order to look for scalpers. Fortunetly, I was donning my Rider Jersey with pride. A middle age couple came up to us and asked if we were going to the game. We replied "Yes" and they asked us if we had tickets. Luckily, the had four tickets for the game and were willing to sell them at face value. So, we ended up at the game in the upper deck and saw the Riders win the Grey Cup for the first time in 18 years.

O, Almost forget to mention. I did end up doing something crazy this fall. On September 9th, 2007 I ran in the Queen City Marathon (in Regina). I managed to complete the course (a grueling 42.2 kilometeres) in four hours and fifteen minutes. It's the first marathon I have every ran. Many people ask me if I would do it again, maybe. But next year I would like to run the half marathon as it is a completely different type of race.

2007 is winding down and the days in it are disappering fast. Dani and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Remember that Christmas is a time for family and sharing, so, put a smile on your face and visit with grace. The New Year is just around the corner, so be sure to enjoy the fleeting time that is left. Don't forget to check out pictures from our Adventures on the Parknation Photos Webpage.

With Love,

Brett, Danielle, and Pixel