Merry Christmas 2009!

Only three more weeks 'til Santa! And no snow. Last year at Christmas, we had so much snow we actually built snow lodges.

Well, the tree is up and decorated, the outdoor lights have been turned on, the shopping is almost done and the gingerbread house is in the oven! I love Christmas! It's been quite an eventful year here at the Bond household. A year filled with awards, clumsiness, trips, a new car and even some high flying.

Our Little Tree Hugger

Last month Connor sported his first real shiner. Of course he's endured a few minor mishaps before but this one was quite impressive. While playing tag with a friend at school, he found one of the only trees in the school yard and tripped, diving head first into the trunk. And, voila.... the shiner with a heart shaped scab. It was quite a colourful sight a few days later. Unfortunately, it looks like his mom's clumsy genes have spilled over onto Connor too.

5 Academic Awards For Nicole!

In October, parents were invited to an awards ceremony at Nikki's school. We knew she'd made the honour role for grade 9, rather difficult not to with her average, but we were pleasantly surprised and very proud to see she was listed to receive four other awards. Her hard work paid off and she received top mark awards for Math (100%), Science (97%), Geography -French (97%) and .Religion (99%). She's begun to think about University and is interested in a course at Carleton, Environmental Engineering. However, she also enjoys writing. We're still waiting to read that first novel she's written...pleas hurry up with the re-write Nikki!

LifeGuarding & Swim Team

In the late winter Nikki will complete her Life Guard & Teacher Training in hopes of landing a great summer job! After all, university is only a few years away - oh how time flies!

This fall she also joined the Varsity Swim Team. She attended 3 mini meets and the final 8 hour meet - her favourite event being the back stroke.

Nicole Writes Her First Novel....

In the spring, Nicole completed the first draft of her first ever novel...title unknown for now. The story was inspired by her award winning (Young Author's Award) short story "A Dead World". We're all anxiously waiting for the rewrite phase to be completed ....only 45 pages to go! Next time you're in Chapters keep your eyes peeled for the fresh new author...Nicole Bond.



The New G!

After 11 years of being a one car family, we're finally enjoying the benefits of two cars. At the end of March, Dan finally realized his dream of owning a nice, sporty performance car - that can accommodate two growing kiddos. (My two-seater comes a little later) So, for Nikki's birthday we drove home a brand new Infiniti G 37 XS. Its funny, even though its 'our' car, I seem to find the old Intrepid waiting for me in the driveway most mornings. Hmmmm....I'll have to do something about that one!

Road Trip to Virginia Beach

With safe, new wheels, we decided to pack the trunk, drop the pets at mom and dad's and hit the road for our first road trip in 10 years! Destination: Virginia Beach. We booked a condo on the beach just south of VB, the Sanctuary Resort. It was perfect! Great waves for boogie boarding, beautiful never-ending beach, super hot weather (44 degrees most days) and lots to do.

The evening walks were rewarded with the sight of dolphin pods feeding very close to shore. What a beautiful thing to see! I wish I could have swam out there with them!

Connor wasn't impressed with the crabs and jellyfish though. Once Nikki was stung, he high-tailed it for the shore and stayed there for a few days. Eventually, we coaxed him back in.

While there, we decided to take the kids parasailing. At the last minute I chickened out (they go up over 600 feet!!). So, I stayed in the boat while Dan and the kids soared high in the sky under a huge yellow happy face parachute! They LOVED it!

We also hit Hershey Pennsylvannia Amusement Park (bought and ate way too much chocolate), Colonial Williamsburg and the Smithsonian in Washington DC! It was a great time for everyone and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Jet Settin' Dan

Off To Turkey in June

Lucky guy! In June, Dan had the great opportunity to visit Istanbul for a full week! He enjoyed the delicious food, trying the local beer and visiting the incredible historical sights such as the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. He returned with some terrific gifts for his family - he never forgets us. A red Fez hat for Connor, beautiful silk scarves for Nicole and I, some pistachios and of course some Turkish Delight!



Then off to San Francisco in October!

After over 20 years in the computer technology field Dan finally visited the Silicon Valley! While there on a conference, he still managed to find time to sight see.

Connor's First Scout Camp

In April Connor and some of his friends moved up to Scouts and were able to take part in some exciting events such as kayaking, hikes and camps. He attended his first camp in May - although very wet!!! The scouts were completely responsible for all of their own cooking and cleaning. YES!!! At camp in September he became one of the first first-year's to earn his axe and saw permit. I'm SO glad I didn't have prior knowledge that he'd be wielding an axe that weekend. Thankfully all fingers and toes are still intact.

As for Dan and I...

Dan continues to run - 10 - 12 kms at a time - he even joined the gym with me to continue running over the winter months.

I know many of you are still wondering about his job. For now he is still humming along with Nortel. Fingers crossed all will be well when his division is finally sold.

Now that he has his new love (the G!) I find him smiling just from the sheer pleasure of driving. Although, the speeding tickets have been a bit of a bummer :( The price you pay for a fast fun car !

As for me, I've found a new passion for exercise and attend Zumba classes 4 times a week. In fact, I enjoy it so much I've actually signed up to become a Zumba instructor. I never thought I would be the type to become a fitness instructor but Zumba has lit a spark inside and has helped me to become more confident in myself. I continue to paint, although I haven't has much time this year.

Our Christmas Wish to You,

As the Christmas season rolls in and a new year fast approaches
we wish you and your family a beautiful holiday season
filled with love, joy and abundance!

May you be blessed with great friendships
a loving, healthy family
and security and abundance in the coming year and always.

Merry Christmas all!

Much love,

Trisha, Dan
Nikki, Connor
Willow, Sparkle and Lilly!

Spring is on it's Way

Its been a busy winter in the Bond household.

Over the Christmas holidays we found ourselves in the back yard building snow houses in the abundant of white stuff. We had a great time and even our little Willow enjoyed digging into the walls - not quite the help we needed but fun just the same. It was also quite surprising just how warm they were inside!

I've been putting in lots of volunteer hours at Connor's school - pizza days, milk duty, library duty, co-ordinating popcorn day and assisting in the tech lab. At the end of February both Dan and I volunteered to help out with the class ski trip to Mount Pakenham and had a great time! It was the perfect spring skiing day! Connor really enjoyed the freedom and independence of hitting the slopes with his friends but WITHOUT mom and dad tagging along behind him.

I've also been running to many different appointments with the little man. He has some new food allergies and has been diagnosed with Tourette's although very mild. Plus we're now seeing a nutritionist to try something new to help boost his immune system and hopefully keep new allergies at bay and possibly outgrow some of the others.

Yesterday was the saddest day of the year for Connor and myself as we had to say good-bye to his favourite teacher who was on contract to fill a maternity leave. Mrs. King is an amazing woman who has changed the lives of the children in her class and will leave an imprint on our hearts forever! Thankfully she lives right here in town and we'll be able to see her from time to time!

Even with all the changes and challenges, Connor's had the most fantastic school year! His creative writing skills have exploded and he's now achieving A's and A+'s - his personal goal! Way to go Connor!

Earlier this winter we enrolled Connor in ball hockey and he absolutely LOVED it. Since we're not a hockey family and he really wanted to play we thought this might be an easy way to fill the need without the 5 am ice times.

Nikki has been taking a yoga class with a few of her pals and even discovered the de-stressing benefits during her exams at the end of January. A's all around appeared on her final report card! She's now in her second semester and enjoying her English subjects, especially art! Her March break, however, will be consumed by her Bronze Cross training (on her way to being a lifeguard). So, unfortunately, there will be no mornings to sleep in for her as she has to suited up and in the the pool by 8am.

As for Dan, he's chomping at the bit to get back out running the paths and has managed to squeeze in a few runs on those spring-teaser days of milder weather! He's also spending many hours dreaming about his new car that seems to keep being delayed for one reason or another. Although, yesterday, he took the Infinity G37 out for a spin and quite enjoyed himself. So, who knows, maybe he won't be able to resist much longer....HOPEFULLY!
After the Intrepid fell apart last month (yes the driver's side wheel came right off while we were driving) I've been eager to have a newer, safer car. The Intrepid turns 11 this July, so I think its about time for a new arrival in our garage!

As spring rolls in I find myself listening for the birds singing outside my window in the mornings and eagerly anticipating another season playing in my garden. Now if only the weather would co-operate and deliver an early spring I'd be ecstatic!

Enjoy the coming of spring!
Love and Hugs from the family!

Merry Christmas To All of You!

The blowing snow outside is a sure sign that yet another Christmas will soon be upon us. If you're anything like us the Christmas shopping is still begging to be completed, the kids are eagerly looking forward to Santa's arrival and you're looking forward to some well deserved time off to spend with the family!

With Christmas so quickly approaching, I thought it time to send out our Christmas wishes to all of our friends and family. Since its been a more than usual hectic year, I find myself short on time and trying to get through the ever growing to-do list. So in an attempt to make things a little easier, to be more green conscious by saving paper and to bring a more personal touch to our wishes to you, I thought it a great idea to create a family blog. The added bonus is that you can come back anytime to check in and see what's new here at the Bonds.

Our Christmas Wish To You
Our dear friends and family

We wish you a magic filled Christmas
Of dreams come true,
Hearts overflowing with love,
Joyous moments that will forever etch themselves in your heart,
And family moments that you will cherish for ever more.

We wish you a New Year
Of new found prosperity, abundance and security,
More quality time to enjoy your family and friends,
Healthy lives and homes,
And continued success in all you do.

So What's New Here?

It's been a VERY full year.

First off...thankfully Dan is still working for Nortel, a blessing in and of itself.

Nicole turned 14 this past April and reminds me that she'll be learning to drive in only another year and 4 months. Oh where does the time go?

She's had a very successful start to grade 9 and is looking forward to the prospect of never having to take gym again when she switches to her new semester in February! However, I have to say we never had the opportunity to enjoy some of the interesting sports as she has this year - especially rock climbing!

Our little girl has really grown up. She's 5'7" now, two inches taller than me and something she never lets me forget. Oh and by the way, she's taller than all of her grandparents now too!

In May, her grade 8 class took the much anticipated, parent-free class trip to Quebec City for a 3 day experience. The teachers kept them VERY busy travelling to several city sites every day. In addition, these lucky kids stayed at the luxurious Chateau Frontenac! Of course the private security guards made sure the girls stayed on their floor while the boys reamined on theirs. A very tired Nikki arrived home with bags in hand and sweet treats to be shared. The chocolate honey and the maple butter are worth the drive back next summer! MMMM mmm.

She has continued with softball and her house league team won the championship again this year! Go Nikki!

OH, and did you know....she's almost finished writing her first novel. She's close to the 60,000 word mark. But, as most artists, she won't let us read her work of art just yet. So, we're all anxiously awaiting its completion to dive into her literary world! Especially Dan - his retirement fund is counting on it!

On to Connor ...

This past June Connor entered the double digits - the big 10! He celebrated with some of his best friends at a great place called Active Play, an indoor sports centre. Since we held it on a week night and the place was still relatively unknown, we had the place to ourselves. Everyone joined in, even Dan, Nikki and I. Great fun!

This past winter, after the dump trucks of snow - you do remember the snow don't you - no one enjoyed it more than our Connor. The hillside served as a great toboggan hill and after a few weeks the front snow banks (over 7 feet high) served as awesome mountains to climb! Connor's cheeks, rosy from the cold , were seen on many a day.

In September, Connor changed to a brand new school for grade 5 and he is a much happier boy. With only 350 students compared to his previous school of 850, he enjoys the much more open fields to play with his friends both new and old. He has a gem of a teacher who I wish he could have every year! He's made several new friends, 2 of which live right here on our own street!

This past summer he also payed softball on the house league and on the Select Team which is one step above the house league. The highlights of his Select experience - his team jacket and going all the way to Toronto to play in the Provincials even though it was rained out. The boys seemed to have more fun eating pizza and swimming in the hotel pool than playing ball that weekend!

One really big change for Connor has been his diagnosis of nut allergies. And for a boy who LOVED nuts, this has been quite an adjustment for him as well as for us. Dan, Nikki and I are on nut withdrawal. So, if you find us asking for peanut butter on toast while visiting your house you'll understand our crazy craving. :)

So, we are now a completely nut free home.

As for me...

I've been enjoying my weekly art classes very much and have been painting up a storm. I've even tackled some challenging subjects that would have intimidated me beyond all belief even a year ago. And I've been blogging my progress as well. So if you'd like to check out what I've been working on go to www.mypersonalpaintbox.blogspot.com. In January I'll be talking a Human Form drawing class - very exciting.

I've also been doing more volunteer work in Connor's school - pizza days, setting up popcorn day, the book drive, library and resource. I'm also still swimming but not quite back up to the number of laps prior to pinching a nerve in my back. But progressing - onward and upward as they say!

I've started taking yoga classes recently and last night I did my first headstand! Check back in a couple of months to see if I've managed to do the splits again....Hey no laughing now!

Mcsteamy.....

Dan's been keeping himself in shape by running regularly. His goal is to run the half marathon in May of next year. He already runs 12 km several times a week, even in the winter. Dedication or what! These days my new nickname for him is McSteamy - the winter's cold air and a hot body create one's own personal cloud of steam!

In June, he went to Florida on a business trip which included a 'field trip' to Nasa, where he met one of the astronauts from a previous mission - sorry folks can't remember his name, but I'm sure Dan will fill you in if you ask.

Oh, Dan and I both celebrated our 40th birthdays this year! Dan was pretty grumpy about the whole idea but after the big day he realized it was no big deal. For his birthday we bought him a PS3 - what a big kid he turned into with that! Now we finally have something to buy him when birthdays and Christmas roll around.

We hope you've all enjoyed the last year as much as we have and we look forward to another year of memories and happy surprises!

All our love
Trisha, Dan
Nikki & Connor!
Willow, Lilly and Sparkle too!