Happy New Year For 2009!!!

All,

Thanks for taking the time for reading this blog over the last year. This is just a quick message to wish you all a happy and safe new year wherever you are in the world.

Stay safe and be good to each other in 2009.

Best Wishes

Brian & Elaine

PS - Stay tuned for more updates for the new year ahead.

'Tis Done!!!!! The House Update Of All House Updates!!!

Everyone,

We have finally moved into our new home!!! YAY!!!! Busy with unpacking boxes and stuff. ALL of our furniture was moved yesterday (18th Dec) by friends. A friends of ours turned up un-announced with a trailer for our furniture, a BBIIGG suprise for us, so we were planning on moving over everything over the weekend, so taking about 3 days....did everything in ONE NIGHT!!!

The kindness of the people that helped us yesterday know no bounds...Bob, our great friend had been working since 2am that morning, finished work, and came over to help us with the move, and did not leave until 11pm last night!!!

No photos yet (thank goodness!) but we will get around to it. Elaine & I have our vacation now until the first week in Jan '09, so we have been looking forward to the break.....

Until the next one, happy holidays to all and have a merry Christmas.

Love
Brian & Elaine

Back To The Land Of The Living

Well, well, well......

Hello one and all!!

We have signed our lives away, we signed our mortgage papers this evening with our lending bank!! Yippee!!!!

Our mortgage is for 10 years, and we will make extra payments to this, so we hope to clear this quickly.....within 6-7 years (gulp!!?!)

T-minus 7 days before we get our house keys....

Hope everyone is well and happy.

See you next update!

Christmas Party Time

'Tis the season to be jolly!!!

Hello again folks.

Just another update from the Canadian world of the Emerys.

We attended the Aecon (Brian's company) Christmas party last Saturday (6th Dec) and had a great time. The theme for the party was a casino night (no real money was exchanged, though...this was all for fun!) It was all for charity and the money raised through the purchase of tickets for the party went to several local worthy causes.

Elaine joined Brian at the Texas Hold 'Em (poker) table. After a couple of hands of playing this, Elaine wiped Brian out of all his poker chips, and Elaine proceeded to wipe out some of Brian's co-workers as well!! This became the talking point for some at the party so Elaine made a name for herself just by playing cards.

See for yourself below:



This night was a fantastic event and we will be attending Elaine's party this coming Saturday (13th Dec)...yippee!!!

Anyway, signing off for now....watch this space for more news on the house build. 1 WEEK TO GO BEFORE HOUSE COMPLETION!!!!

1 Teddy Bear, 2 Teddy Bears, 3 Teddy Bears......

Folks,

We attended ANOTHER (yes...we know!!) hockey night at the Kitchener Rangers yesterday (Wednesday 3rd December). Special thanks to our soon to be new neighbours, Jen and Jeff who arranged the tickets yet again. Thanks folks!!!

Anyway, this was not any ordinary hockey game, oh no!! This was the teddy bear toss night!

On this night, held once a year, fans bring a stuffed toy along to a game and when the Rangers score their first goal, you throw your toy onto the ice....all the toys are collected for charity and given to less fortunate children at Christmas. This is a worth while cause!

We have never attended a night like this for any sporting event, EVER!!! The atmosphere was incredible! Check out a couple of pictures below:

Our seats were VERY close to the opposing team, the Erie Otters...right behind them infact:

Kitchener score!!!! Bears galore!!!!

Bear...er...we mean Bye!!!

Elaine's SYS Group

Hello there!

Since Elaine has been in Canada (with yours truly!) she has made lots of friends and this started off with meeting the SYS Group....

I (Brian) suggested to Elaine that when we landed here that she should make the effort and meet new people, and maybe join a women's group.....so a couple of searches on the Internet and we found the SYS Group.

The group have done soooooo much to promote themselves and have been involved in volunteering in the Kitchener area. Elaine and the group have been involved / attended:

Volunteered at Grand Life Festival

Volunteered at MeFest

A Spa Day

Financial matters with a financial advisor

A seminar regarding Autism

Cinema trips

Below is a picture of some of the group attending a pot luck afternoon. A pot luck event is basically a event where everyone turns up with different food dishes, but no-one really knows what people will bring....hence the pot luck name!! Cool, eh?

Anyway, a picture of some of the group is below:

The group above are:

Top row, left to right: Sandra, Kellee, Tamara, Sophia, Elizabeth

Bottom row, left to right: Lisa, Heather, Eva, Diane

There are more members than what you see here, but they all don't turn up at every event.

Now....what does the SYS acronym mean??? See if you can guess...no rude answers please!!

See ya!