12 December 2007

Well I see I missed another month and now it’s just over 2 weeks to go until my favourite day of the year. I have started buying presents but know that I will forget what I have bought and will end up buying until the last moment. The tree is up and gifts are wrapped thanks to Tarryn and her organized, efficient character. The kids have put their wish lists up on the notice board in the kitchen and I see the list growing every day. Kiara is especially good at adding to her list and I now see a whole lot of skateboarding items that appear on both her and Devin’s lists.

Devin has started to teach her some tricks and she just loves the attention and praise he gives her when she achieves. I love seeing them together and not bickering.

I know we don’t do Thanksgiving in South Africa but I really think it is something special. I do it on a small scale and love to start out writing 3 things a day in my journal that I am grateful for and then finding that I have written 20 things before I even realize it.

I love December and the build up to Christmas. It is really my favourite time of the year. This year I am making decorations using photos of my friends. I have the family photos on my Christmas tree and there is a fight on with some people to “get on the tree”. I have run out of frames for the tree so I figured making a “friends” chain would be a good alternative.

I still need photos from a few of you
Cathy, Jon, Hazel, Liz, Chris, Brian, Carin, Carol, Elsabe, Erica, Jeanette, Judy, Kathy, Liezel, Mark, Peter R, Peter P, Richard, Sav, Sherie, Terry, and Viresh so hurry up and send them please ...

Tarryn
Matric is now over, it’s so weird to think that my little girl is driving around and finished with school!
She loves having the independence of having a car and is a great help when I need something done. She has not quite decided what she is doing next year and although she applied to do a BCOM, I think she will be doing flight school (air hostessing) training and then maybe flying for a year before she decides.

She was so excited to be going to Cape Town with Trevor. He has never been before. Even though he is an Arsenal supporter, he has also been included in all our Christmas activities at our home and got his own advent calendar when my bunch got theirs. He was so pleased with it and allowed me to take photos of him opening his very first advent chocolate ever. I think he is getting used to the photo thing now and does not seem fazed when I whip out the camera to record some event that seems significant to me.

Kiara
She went away to Grade 7 (Standard 5) farewell camp for a week and seemed to enjoy every minute of it. Although she complained about school every day for the past year, tears flowed when she said goodbye and realized that it was the end of primary school forever.

Prize giving was very fruitful this year for her again. She got an external ATKV certificate for Afrikaans. A certificate for distinctions in 4 subjects and the computer trophy for the best student. I got a photo of her with her Grade 1 teacher so we can have a first and last day comparison.

She has been pestering me to get her new school uniform and everything she needs for next year, I hope Santa brings me a credit card that never needs repaying!

Devin
I took him on a date on Monday after work and we went to see Balls of Fury and then to Spur for a meal and to the games arcade for some games. We had a great time together and he must have thanked me 10 times for taking him. Makes it so worthwhile!

He is still having fun and doing well at skate boarding and we will see if he gets involved in BMX next year. Since Trevor has been around, he has developed a passion for soccer so we will see what develops there.

Devin also did really well at prize giving and got distinctions for Maths as well as Economic Management sciences and an external Math certificate.



Natasha

My friend Claire is leaving for Wales this week and I don’t even want to think about that. It will be terrible to drive past her house every day and know that I can’t just pop in for coffee.

Our Christmas Supper club event was our annual breakfast at Aurelia’s at Emperor’s palace. A perfect day with friends, gifts and lots of smoked salmon with breakfast. What more can a girl ask for?

Our Christmas Book Club event was a day at Mangwanani day spa and it was so enjoyable that we decided to make this an annual event too. The day was filled with laughter and stories about sweetie pies, long toes, a herd of wildebeest doing the strangest things to Louise.

The Pantomime this year was Peter Pan and thanks to my friend Ruth, we could take Trevor, Dylan and my mom with us to this annual event. We all loved it.

I have made some lovely new friends this year that have just added to my wonderful life. I have also started dating someone and went out with the folks, Darrel, Scott and his girlfriend Sue the other night. I told them about my new relationship and it was one of the scariest things I have done in ages. Darrel still teases me about it! They were all very happy for me as is everyone else in my life.

We went to Sun City for our team building event this year and I loved every minute of it. We went by bus and I was served different flavoured Brutal Fruit drinks all the way there! We swam in The Valley of the Waves, I went down the dark tunnel water slide with Alan and Herman (first time I have ever done that and yes I was sober!), ate lunch there and lazed about at the pool at the Observatory deck. Al must have had far too much to drink because he asked Herman and I “Why don’t they fix this stuff up, it looks so shabby!”

The supperclub girls are going to Phuket in August and I am really looking forward to that. I was not going to be joining them, but I got an award at the Year end function this year and decided to spoil myself.

Nanna & Colin
Colin was hospitalized for a few days with pneumonia but is recovering well. Nanna is doing well and enjoying the summer garden. We are going to be having Christmas at our place this year so she will be very busy arranging all the food. Keep her out of mischief!

Lawrence
My brother and I have fallen into a lovely Sunday routine where he comes around for a cup of coffee or 2 and we play backgammon outside on the patio. It is usually early and quiet before the mad rush of the day begins.

Will update again before the end of the year!
Love
Tasha