Our Christmas letter

Merry Christmas!

As always, it is a blessed time to reconnect with friends and family, but also a challenge – especially when we are so faaar awaaay.

But that is coming to an end this May, when we make our final move back to Comox

(in fact it is actually East Courtenay).

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The big news for 2011 will be Dale’s final retirement and repatriation to Canada.

(Poor Laurel never gets to retire as she is looking after me all the dang time ;)

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So a quick review on 2010. Many cool trips both from work and play.

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New Years in Geneva, February in Brighton, Paris in March, Milan in April and our biggest event was in May.

We came home to Comox to share in the wedding of Adam and Natalie. It was spectacular in everyway,

a truly joyous occasion to share in the love and caring of friends and family.

We wish we could have had all of our friends attend but their choice was to be very small and intimate

– and it was. What a celebration.

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After the wedding, we house-hunted and found our retirement dream home.

The offer was accepted with a full year later possession date enabling us to plan

our exit from this incredible adventure. (So many adjectives!!)

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Back to the Mediterranean, the summer was very hot and in August horribly humid (often reaching +56C on the humidex).

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An escape for Laurel to join me in Cannes and Monaco and later our short cruise holiday to Israel

helped to break up our normal local Cyprus touring about.

The last holiday trip we took for this year was to Jordan where we explored Petra

and then soaked in the Dead Sea – (1400 feet below sea level!). A great adventure again.

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New friends and old friends back here in Cyprus have really become a bittersweet emotional experience

as we have loved making such close bonds yet feel saddened to leave them for home.

That said, we have come up with a great solution.

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We will likely keep our small villa here and visit twice a year in the spring and late fall,

at least for the next few years.

The market is slumped here anyway and this way we can stretch our summers and stay in closer contact

with our dear friends and neighbours on this side of our tiny planet

(although I know it won’t feel that way when we journey back and forth).

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That is a quick summary of our year and a peek at 2011. We really look forward to hearing everyone else’s news – either by card or email, etc.

Please stay in touch as we think and speak often of our many good friends and family that have touched our lives in so many wonderful ways.

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Before signing off, I should give a quick status on kin.

Les and Vera are fine and looking forward to our return. Vera lost her hearing last year and struggles

with hearing aids and new challenges of this debilitating handicap. Otherwise they are both reasonably healthy.

Elsie is very comfortable and feels quite spoiled in her new senior’s complex that she took up residence

in last year at this time, thanks to George and Johanne.

Adam and Natalie are very happily married, living in Cairo now and visiting with us this week.

Adam still loves his music and the flying has been very busy for him this year.

Joel still loves everyday he lives in Vancouver and works from home with different animation gigs.

He is also continuing to pursue his online business and investment studies. We miss him dearly and look forward to moving closer.

Our siblings all seem very well with the usual adventures and challenges that we all seem to travel on our path through middle age and beyond….

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Blessings to you all – and best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Love,

Dale and Laurel