Christmas spirit...

We had the girls from work over for a Christmas party last night, so got the house all decorated to get in the Christmas spirit:

Greyson!

So we have finally given in (!) and decided to become a pet-friendly family...
I grew up with cats and a dog, and Dave has always been partial to cats (I know, not very common for a guy!). Somehow the idea of getting a cat kept coming up in conversation as we got closer to Dave's birthday, so as a surprise, I took him to the Calgary Humane Society, where we met Greyson.
I had been pushing for a grown cat: age 1-3 years that was already "trained' and had a nice calm personality, so that we could bypass the whole crazy kitten stage, but Dave would have no part in this "grown cat" idea, and of course as soon as we saw all the cute kitties there up for adoption, we were immediately drawn to our all-grey medium hair, aptly named "Greyson" (name courtesy of the Humane society!). He was all snuggles with me, but playful and fun with Dave, which is exactly what we were looking for.
I've been trying to "work from home" a bit today to help him get used to our place, but he is not a big fan of me working on the computer and not paying attention to him--somehow all the settings have been changed on our laptop, and I keep having this little grey fuzzball blocking my line of sight.
I think I've finally figured it out though, as he is now curled up asleep (in my housecoat) on the floor, while I type away at the desk in "his" room (the office)...As long as I'm close by I guess...
Anyway, we are very excited about this little ball of love...just not sure how we're going to be able to part from him for a week and a half over the holidays!

True Alberta Boys...

For Dave's birthday, his friend and biking partner Joe helped to organize a true Alberta Boys day out: at the shooting range. The guys had a great time shooting at clay "pigeons" and "rabbits" on the shooting course...Here's a few photos...

The boys: Harman, Tom, Marc, Joe, Steve and Brian

Dave lines up his shot

Birthday Celebrations

Last weekend a group of my girlfriends joined me at the nearby Pottery place to paint some lovely pottery pieces in early celebration of my birthday (in December). We then went out for dinner--such a wonderful group of girls--I feel so lucky to have these amazing women in my life!

We celebrated Dave's birthday last night at Hotel Arts "Raw Bar" downtown--some amazing food, and great company (www.hotelarts.ca ). Thanks to everyone who was able to join us!!

Festival of Trees: Bobcaygeon

Mal's new hairdo...

Malcolm "loving" his cousin, Nadine...

Nadine models her Hallowe'en costume

Mom and Dad Jackson have gotten quite involved the last few years in their local community's "Festival of Trees"--quite a big deal in Bobcaygeon and the surrounding area! Dad has even become a bit of a local celebrity--playing the part of Santa (with the help of a beard and a little extra padding)! Again this year, the grandkids came up for a visit, but they weren't too sure about Santa...

November....

The "cabin"...

Dave enjoying the cabin...

Banff Centre: Film Fest

After our brief interlude in Ontario, we are back to the grey gloominess that is November. We've been trying to keep up on raking leaves, clearing the gardens, and our ongoing "projects" (my "crafts/cards" and Dave's woodworking) in preparation for winter. We had a brief snowfall last week, that has managed to stick around in the areas where the sun hasn't melted it yet...

Last weekend we ventured into Canmore and Banff for another visit at our friend PJ's "cabin", and to take in the "Banff Mountain Film Festival". It was a great opportunity to be in the mountains during "shoulder season" (i.e. too much snow for biking, not enough snow for snowboarding!), and to take in a bit of "culture".

For the next few weeks we have a busy social calendar with another hockey game booked, along with several "girls nights" and "boys nights" events coming up. Dave's birthday is also in a few weeks, so we will be planning something exciting--as always--for that!

Wedding Time...

Karen and Blair's wedding came up so much faster than we thought it would!! We were so excited to see everyone, and so happy for both of our friends who are so perfect for each other, and enjoyed such a perfect day...They are off next week on a whirlwind honeymoon--so amazing! Congrats to you, Karen and Blair--we love you both! Thanks so much for such a wonderful weekend....
xo

Family Time!

We were also super lucky to sneak in a visit with the babies, and of course the siblings--even celebrating Amy's belated birthday with her (she is a Hallowe'en baby)....Thanks so much for making the time to spend with us! It was SO much fun!

Friend time...

Of course, a visit in T.O also means a visit with our many friends who we miss so much!

Girl Time

Probably the best part of this wedding weekend, was being able to spend some good quality time with 3 of my best girl friends...