We returned to Calgary on November 30th squeezing our travel days over the mountains between 2 major snowstorms. Arriving in Calgary we were greeted with minus 26 celsius temperatures which lingered for almost a week, quite a shock after the mild weather we had enjoyed on Vancouver Island during the month of November. However, there were medical appointments to take care of and Christmas gatherings to attend.
Before we moved to Grand Cayman in 2002 we were part of a running group called The Uncoachables, the girls got together every December for a Christmas dinner. Fast forward 21 years later, the girls are still having the party, and I was once again included. We may all be older and run less, but the friendships have endured and it was as if I had never left. Laughter, good food and good friends combined for a wonderful evening at one of our ladies’ gorgeous home. In fact, I had so much fun that I completely forgot to take any photos despite taking my camera along for the evening 😂
Three days after the girls party I had my final (I hope) big test, this time it was a lumbar puncture 😲 It was not as bad as I had anticipated, in fact the numbing was the most painful part. My neurologist ordered numerous tests some of which will take weeks to get because they are sent to a special lab in another province. The results that did come back quickly are once again normal with no indication of any illness. I wonder at what point the doctors will just say this is long covid and I will get better over time?? With all these tests confirming I am in perfect health I should live to be 100 😂
The majority of December was quiet, leaving us lots of time for visits with family and friends. It was also brutally cold as Calgary was walloped with two separate weeks of severely cold weather hovering around minus 30. Fortunately the cold front dissipated on Christmas Day so we could comfortably get out of the house.
We moved mid month out of our rental property into my friend Loraine’s gorgeous house. She is off to Maui with her family and we were delighted to housesit for a couple of weeks. We enjoyed a few Christmas dinners during the month, getting our fill of turkey and all the trimmings…I do love a good turkey dinner 😋 The family get together on Christmas day has grown to 14 of us and it was a good opportunity for us to catch up with everyone all at once over a lovely meal.
Before we knew it the holidays were over and it’s time for us to drive south to Phoenix. According to Google Maps the drive is just over 23 hours and we could do it in 2 days but that would be too much of a rush, and what’s the rush, we are retired 😁 So we are planning on 3 days to allow for any delays due to bad weather. I am excited to be on our way to warmer weather, sunshine and hitting the golf course again.
Happy New Year and we hope 2023 is a wonderful year for all our friends and family, near and far…..