Barb's Christmas Letter

Dear Friends and Family,
Here's a webpage to catch you up on what I've been doing this year...

Projects

2008 started with "projects". I knew it was BEYOND time to get in gear and fix up my basement. I started with the downstairs bedroom.
I ripped out the crappy indoor/outdoor carpet and laid down laminate flooring. It took awhile to get the hang of it, but now I'm fairly proficient at laying down laminate. Anyone need a handyman?
I also repainted the room. I decided to put my vinyl cutter to good use. I created a wall size stencil of a dragon and painted it on the wall. This picture shows the dragon with only part of the stencil removed.
Here's (kind of) what the finished computer/tv room looks like. By the way, the Chinese symbols on the wall say "Imagination, Creativity, Inspiration".
I did so well in the computer room, I decided to tackle the main rec room. I'd like to say I've finished it BUT Procastination is my middle name and it's STILL only half finished. Perhaps a project for the beginning of this COMING year??

A Final Semester at School

I made no secret of the fact that I'd be retiring in June, 2008. I decided to have a fun farewell. Here I am on St. Pat's Day with T'Wiste. Gotta love that green jacket... I've seen it every March 17th for the last 31 years!!
2008 was DMCI's 80th reunion year and one of the events which was great fun was the reunion of the 1978 football team. These kids were tons of fun "back in the day", and guess what? They still are! Do you recognize Leroy, Dave (played in a later year), Bruce, Bernie, as well as coaches Gord and George?
The reunion continued over the weekend with a reception at the Fort Garry. I still feel a strong connection to many kids, among them Nicole, Dean, Frank, and Rosa.
Yet another Bouch was at the reception - Jackie and a real blast from the past, sweeping in from far away places, Derek.
Reunions are not just about the people YOU taught (or went to school with). They're also about the connections to other people you know for other reasons. Pat has been one of my Aunt Mary's friends since (and before) they attended DMCI in the late 30's. Mr. Edwards went to DMCI and even taught there. He was one of my Dad's golf buddies. I believe Mrs. Edwards also attended DMCI.
And here's my aunt giving Mary Perfect a big hug. I not only had fun seeing old students at the reunion. I also enjoyed people watching... seeing how much DMCI meant to many people.
One of the highlights of the reunion was seeing many of my former collegues. This picture "grew". When I snapped the first of a series of pictures in the staff room, there were six people in the picture (and in the staff room).
The reunion gave me time to reflect on a bunch of things, one being how lucky I've been teaching at DMCI for so long. Lorraine and Jay are both grads, kids I taught. Lorraine is now on staff along with about a dozen other alumni. Once DMCI is "in your blood", it's always in your blood.
One thing that disappointed me about the school reunion was that there weren't ENOUGH kids from the 80's. One reason was that the class of '83 was having a reunion later in the year. Here I am at THAT reunion with Gina, Jackie and Marisa.
During the year, I made sure I attended as many school events as I could. I was also invited to a few outside of school. The Muhimas invited me to an African evening. I went with Melanie and we both had a lot of fun.
Old friends rolled into town during the spring. Del and Gil got married in Winnipeg and a bunch of us met them at the Tavern United to celebrate.
One thing that was kind of upsetting this year was that dogs were no longer allowed in the school. That meant Maggie could no longer visit the kids. Instead, it was up to the kids to smuggle in our entertainment.
Grad (and the end of the school year) came along really quickly. Here I am with Michael and Evan, my final graduating graphics students.
Also at Grad, here I am with John, Jan, Dianne (also retired this year - January), Marina and Natalie.
Then it was time for all the retirement functions. Since Melanie was also retiring, it was kind of fun. Here we are at the WTA "do" with Steph and my Aunts - Becky and Mary.
At the DMCI retirement party, Marilyn, Arlene, Jan, Alison, Nancy, Lynne, Carmen, Lorraine, and special guest, Jennifer (all the way from Kingston) roasted me... but good!. This is the VERY moment that they sprung Jenn on me. Up until then, she'd been hidden under a motorcycle helmet. I want to thank all of them once again. I laughed SO hard... they had my quirks all down pat.
One of my last "duties" at school was arranging one last lunch out. We had a year packed with Friday lunches out and we rarely went back to the same place twice... Cafe Dario being one exception.
School was so hectic in June that I delayed my own personal retirement party to August. I not only invited collegues from school, but also my friends from other walks of life.
It was a real blast and once again, I proved I am (and probably always will be) full of hot air!
So after all the fuss, I'm not QUITE retired. I sub all the time - mostly at Daniel. I even accepted a one month teaching position at DMCI (this coming January). These are some of the kids I'll be teaching.

(Re-)New(ed) Activities

I'm sure my Dad is smiling at me from somewhere out there. This year I started golfing again. There is a group of us from school (past and present) that golfed 9 holes once a week for the entire spring and summer. After golf, we always "did lunch".
I was a lot of fun. We even had a wind-up in October after Winnipeg weather put an end to further swinging. Here's Liz and Marilyn on the links!
The renewed interest in golf meant I actually took advantage of my house membership at Elmhurst, possibly for the last time(s). On this particular occasion, I was golfing with Patrick, Nancy, and Graham.
I went to the truck show with my friend Gavin. My personal favourite: the semi with the dolphies!
The truck show reinforced my desire to get a ride on a semi, and finally I did! Gavin took me on a run out to Brandon.
Maybe I should get my class 1 license! I look good behind the wheel!
My family has already celebrated one Christmas this year. Todd and Geoff came into town from Vancouver so we all got together at Chrys and Kaye's house.
At my Aunt Mary's 84th birthday party, I got a great picture of all the young cousins...Elizabeth, Diane, Todd, Christopher, Jenn, Alexandra, Austin, Geoff, Steph, and Nicole.
Even with all the hubbub surrounding the end of the school year, I managed to test drive a bunch of new motorcycles. Which colour red do I look best on? A Yamaha FZ1?
A BMW F650GS?
Or a Ducati 848??
This year every month was September. But finally, the calendar was in tune with the actual month...
Instead of going to school, I went to Indianapolis to see the Moto GP and in particular, my favourite rider, Valentino Rossi. I had a wonderful time despite less than stellar weather in Indiana.
On the way home from Indiana, I rode through the Black Hills of South Dakota, most memorably through a herd of bison.
The trip was great but it was just as great to arrive back home and get a royal greeting from my little family!
As you can see, I had a very eventful 2008. If you want "more details", visit my personal web page at www.barbhall.net.

2009 promises to be just as eventful... in particular a Carribean cruise with Melanie and a motorcycle tour in Europe. Even without those exciting events to look forward to, I remind myself that I also find wonder right in my own back yard. (literally - see left)

In closing, I wish you and yours a great holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

Sincerely,
Barb

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