Dear all

2022 has disappeared in the blink of an eye.  Saying that we had an eventful year since we returned to Canada last November would be an understatement.  We will have put about 40K kilometres on our car during the year, going no further from home than Montréal and Oakville, with plenty of stops in Ottawa, Kingston and Peterborough.  

It will become clearer if we start with the kids.

Meghan embarked on a change in her life direction, a culmination of many factors including the easing of COVID restrictions and turning 30.  She decided she needed to move on from her boyfriend of 10 years (David, we sincerely wish you the very best), came home for a while and started down a new career path in data science.  She had not been able to establish a clear career direction since graduating and this seems to be the year that things clicked.  She was hired by Wiley Edge, a recruitment and training company, gained accreditation in Python and data science throughout the summer, and through them has just started a job in data security with Morgan Stanley.  She has been back in Montreal since mid-summer, is now in her own little apartment, and feeling positive about her new direction. 

Gosaye also turned 30 this year and suffered a series of personal setbacks and bad news.  Two of his friends passed away in accidents and he made a poor decision that resulted in a DUI.  Probably, he should have gone into hiding for the rest of the year, but in an instance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he and two of his friends were shot in a late-night incident in the Byward Market in Ottawa at the end of August.  Remarkably, all three lived to tell the tale and Gosaye is now considering himself to be very lucky.  Fortunately, he is resilient by nature, and after two months of hospital and rehab was back in his apartment in Ottawa with his wonderful dog Lucy.  He is still recovering as, in addition to requiring abdominal surgery, his right femoral nerve was damaged causing some paralysis in his lower leg.  He can now walk relatively well, albeit with a limp and a cane where the footing is uneven.  His neurologist sees evidence of nerve regrowth and is pleased with his progress, but says it will likely be a year before his final outcome is more certain.  Meanwhile, he is on disability.  We hope he is eventually able to return to his job at the PepsiCo warehouse.

Biniyam continues as a DJ at Outlaws, a large country rock bar in Saskatoon.  Now that the pandemic is “over” (or at least pandemic restrictions seem to be over) things are back to normal.  We don’t hear much from him, but we have evidence of life supplied by Leslie’s sister, Andrea, who is able to see him for lunch from time to time.  We hope to get there ourselves for a visit next summer. Biniyam will turn 30 in 2023.  We are hoping it goes more smoothly for him! 

Lauren also made some changes this year.   After graduating with her MScOT from Queen’s last year, she was not happy in her first job in Kingston as an occupational therapist (OT) and Collin had found that he doesn’t need to be on the Queen’s campus much for his work as a Ph.D. studies, so they packed up and moved back to Peterborough where Lauren started a job at the hospital.  She had completed one of her practical terms at this hospital, so already had relationships with staff.  She is currently on casual as a “float” OT so doesn’t get much choice about time off or where she works, but she is getting comfortable in her role and they are happy to be back in Peterborough.  Collin has recently passed another stage in his Ph.D program, having successfully defended his thesis proposal.  

Andrew’s mum, Margaret, made some changes as well.  Andrew’s youngest brother, Timothy, had been living with her for the last few years, but he met a lovely lady, Anita, and it became clear that he would be moving on.  Margaret made the excellent decision to move into a retirement home, Delmanor, in Aurora, just a few minutes away from Andrew’s brother, Michael.  We have been back and forth frequently helping to sort through what should move to the retirement home, what family treasures needed distributing and preparing the house for sale

Leslie’s dad, Hugh, has had a very good year.  He remains healthy and active at 88, though a little less steady on his feet.  He  continues to buy the odd piece of art and develop his garden, now with a little hired help and his neighbours.  We are into Ottawa fairly regularly and Hugh is often out our way to see us and his friend Anne who lives in town

And us?  Just scrambling to keep up. After arriving back in November, winter took a little getting used to as we hadn't shovelled snow in years, but we got back into the groove with a freshly tuned snowblower and enjoyed the skiing in our winter wonderland.   Leslie is back at the Valley Artisans’ Coop.  Andrew enjoyed renewing his interest in golfing and lawn bowling over the summer and is now back at curling.  This summer, we put an enormous effort into cleaning up and resurrecting our outdoor  spaces, yard and garden, but managed a weekend away cycling and tasting wine in Prince Edward County with Mike & Diane.  We have a modest addition underway, a bedroom ensuite, but owing to shortages in building supplies and contractors, we haven’t made it past the foundation posts.  We are hoping for some quieter days ahead, good snow and the cross-country ski season, but this year has reminded us that life will keep throwing curveballs, so who knows what 2023 will hold?!