2016 recap

This is ambitious of me, for sure; recap a WHOLE year without missing anything? Yar right. I'll do my best though, so here goes. The first thing the biggest thing the most notable thing is the expansion of our family. Our immediate family became five with the arrival of Jordan in May; he was a week late and I remember that last overdue week feeling longer than the (almost) eight months he's been with us. I also clearly remember the details of the night he was born, including parking in the garage and finding the doors to the hospital locked, the labour and delivery (can anyone ever really forget that? really?) and, of course, holding him for the first time. Our extended family grew too - Steve's sister's family welcomed a baby as did one of my sisters, so the clan is growing; we'll get to see everyone this spring and/or summer here in Ontario and out west in BC for the big event of 2017, my youngest sister's wedding. Other notable events include first (of their kind) jobs for both me and Steve (head coaching a CIS team for her and solar panelling for him), home improvements (bathroom, kitchen), and Alana starting school and me finishing school. This last one is a big deal I suppose, but without final exams or a big paper/project it was all pretty anticlimactic; but I did it - a master's while coaching part part-time with two and then three kids full full-time... ouf. Steve's alma mater, the men's national volleyball team, qualified for Rio for the first time in what, four quads? I don't remember, but it was a bittersweet moment for us. Steve went nonetheless, so add a trip to Rio to the highlight reel. We enjoyed our first camping "expedition" - one night, all of us smooshed in a leaky tent under leaky skies in a very nice (though overpopulated) provincial park. It was a far cry from the camping we did growing up - I should blog about this some time - but the kids loved it. How did I ring in the year? I don't remember, but I said goodbye to '16 in my sleep, so here's to hoping for some more of that this year (at night - nighttime sleep, just to be clear!).

Tomorrow is a big day - not only do the kids go back to school after a two-week break, but Steve returns from not-so-sunny California where he spent six days with McMaster's men's team. It will be good to get back into the swing of things and hopefully get started on some of the "to-dos" on my 2017 list. Thing number one? WORK OUT. I can't wait to work out - somehow it's been a challenge over the break. All the regular stuff needs tending to too, and those things that don't make it on a list, per se, but are calling - like the two books on my bedside table upstairs (Salt to the Sea and The Nordic Theory of Everything). Oh and random thing = recipe. We made one-pot Mexican Burrito casserole in Bowmanville over the break and it was delicious! Tonight I substituted cooked chicken for beef and did it with regular rice and broiled instead of baked and it was easy peasy and I had all ingredients in the house without even meaning to. Recipe is here, but in French... Bon appetit!