Farewell 2016
I know 2016 has not been the best of year for most. It took a lot of our beloved entertainers, which really meant it reminded us of our own mortality. Many experienced heartbreaks, losses, and stuggles. For me, it was a whirlwind year. Some crazy moments where I wanted to pull my hair out, but mostly many awesome moments that filled my heart with gratitude. Here are my top 10 for 2016 (in no particular order):
10.) Buying our new house - When Alastair was born, my gut said we'd be in a new house in a year. As time went on, the possibility didn't seem all that plausible. I casually looked here and there, but could never commit. I made tons of excuses like the location of our old house was just too good. It was close to the park, Starbucks, Safeway, bus stop...the list went on. So when a house behind our old house came up for sale, we decided to give it a go. We got outbid by $20,000 (or something like that). Suddenly, we got more serious about looking. One Sunday, during 4 open houses, we looked at this one. Thought on it for a few days and finally decided to take the plunge. A week later, all the paperwork signed and voila - we owned a new house! Almost a year since Al was born. This house has all the space we need and we look forward to renovating to make it our home.
9.) Selling our old house - I can say, without a doubt, that trying to get a house that you've lived in for 23 years ready to sell was one of the most stressful experience of my life. It was a time where I really learned to ask for help (it was impossible to pack and clean with 3 kids in the house!). And thankfully, Bryan stepped up and got 90% of the house ready while I mostly just sat back and well...stressed along with Mama Chan! LOL! I relied on a few friends to talk some sense into me when I was upset about the few offers we had. It only took 3 weeks for our awesome realtor Erica to sell our house, and she was patient with us every step of the way. She became a great friend who our kids look forward to seeing all the time. Thank you Erica for working during your vacation and looking after us even after we moved. 23 years of emotional baggage attached to this house is not easy to manage, but you helped us navigate and got to where we are now!
8.) End of maternity leave - I wrote a post about this already, but this was definitely on my top 10. This maternity leave, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with all 3 kids. There were many beach days, Science World outings, and short family trips where we just got to spend quality time together. I will miss having all 3 of you at home at the same time and loving every moment of it. I hope to create many more meaningful moments where we will cherish for years to come.
7.) Going back to work - After such an amazing leave, it was not easy going back to work. But my co-workers welcomed me with open arms and made the transition easy. Not to mention I am now working with my best friend again (it's only been 13 years!). After a week, it was as if I never left. This year, work has provided me with many opportunities to travel, meet new people, and grow professionally. Thank you for the laughs and venting you guys!
6.) End of Preschool/Start of School - This was a busy year! It was end of Mackenzie's preschool journey, and start of her kindergarten year. And Bree followed right along and started preschool. We're in December now, and it's hard to remember that Mack was in preschool this year at all. She's suddenly so grown up and most days, I forget she's just 5 years old. Ending preschool was bittersweet. It meant goodbyes to half of her friends as they went on to other schools, and also meant the end of our time there as we decided to move on to another preschool. We put a lot of heart there and it was hard to say goodbye. I loved all those kids and hope to see them all again one day!
In the meantime, Bree had a bit of an adjustment going to preschool, but after the first month, she made some new friends and really enjoyed her teachers. I swear this girl is learning more languages at preschool than I know. Bree proved that the new preschool was a great decision!
5.) Old daycare/New dayare - our old daycare Crystal moved in September to Kelowna and there were tears for sure! Mack had been with her since 18 months and Bree from the day she was born. Al only got to be with her for a couple of months. Crystal - thank you for giving us our sanity for the past 4 years. You have not only been our daycare, but our friend. We loved visiting you this past November and look forward to reuniting more often in years to come.
With Crystal in Kelowna, it meant a new daycare for all the kids! I panicked a little. How will I ever find someone they could be this familiar with again? So when my facebook message popped up one day and my friend Cathy asked if I knew anyone looking for daycare, I said yes! Cathy's kids have babysat for us many times so I knew we were in good hands. The best news? They are a 4-minute walk from our new house! (even though we still umm...drive most days) Cathy - you have came to our rescue many many times in the short time you've looked after the kids. On the days where we were stuck because of my new routine at work, you did not hesitate to offer a helping hand. Thank you!
4.) Great Wolf Lodge - We wren't originally going to Great Wolf Lodge this year and made a very very last minute decision to go. And I'm so glad we did! We even got there and booked an extra night because we knew we wanted to stretch our family time as long as possible. This was our second year and I hope this is a tradition we will keep. All the kids, including Al had so much fun! We were in the waterpark about 3 hours a day, then there were enough activities to keep all of us entertained for the rest of the time. Some of the fondest memories from my childhood were all the trips my mom took us to. I hope this will stay with the kids the way my mom have imprinted some amazing memories for me.
3.) Adele - Some time last year, Adele tickets went on sale. Anita, Amanda, and I frantically had every laptop, phone and whatever we knew open to get these tickets. By some miracle, after many error messages, I got 4 tickets through my ticketmaster app! This year was the first time Amanda, Anita, and I have been together since before Quinn was born. Having Kelly with us, I had an amazing time at dinner and watching Adele with the people that are closest to me. I am so blessed! I hope we will reunite sooner than another 2 years!
2.) Can you believe it's been 5 years since I've been with our baby group? 5 years! 5 years worth of camping trips, parties, and night out for drinks. They say making friends gets harder and harder as you get older, and I believe that to be true. I have truly been blessed with the friendships of this group of women and men. We've gone through such milestones with our oldest, seconds, and some thirds. We laugh together at our kids' crazy moments, and we cry together at the challenges of parenting and relationships. Thank you for being such a special part of our lives!
1.) Bryan's business - If you told us 10 years ago when we started our entrepreneur path that we'd be successful through a trivia business, I probably would have laughed in your face. Today, Vancouver Trivia Party is one of the biggest trivia business in Vancouver and all because we were just trying to make some side income 3.5 years ago. Then just over a year ago when Bryan lost one of his biggest client, it jump started his expansion. Bryan has worked hard every day in this business and tirelessly looked after our kids during the day when they're home. He has 5 employees who love him (because really, how can you not love Bryan?). At our first annual Christmas dinner this year, I looked around the table and was in awe that these people have helped us learn some amazing lessons on expansion, growth, and management. They are truly amazing people.
This coming year, Bryan will be working towards expanding outside of Vancouver. Of course, none of this can happen without our village. Thank you Mama Chan for helping with the kids when we need an extra hand, thank you Kelly for taking transit for 90 minutes to watch our kids just for an hour because of our schedule, and thank you Sarah who have spent so much time not just listening to me gripe about life, but made this beautiful soon-to-be new logo for Bryan's business.
Bryan, you should be so proud for what you've accomplished! We are only able to experience so much because of your hard work. Thank you!
I want to say one last thank you to our kids. They have endured a lot more changes than I had wanted them to this year. And all in the span of 2 months. There were some rocky moments, but you guys have relied on each other and I've loved watching you guys unconditionally love each other and us. I'd like to say next year will be calmer, but we are Nickels! Sit tight ladies and gent - some big renovations are coming!
And with that said, I say farewell to 2016. For those where this year has been a struggle, I hope next year will bring you more joy and peace to your heart. For the rest of us, may 2017 be another beautiful year of creation, growth, and experiences.
Happy New Year you guys. See you next year.
10.) Buying our new house - When Alastair was born, my gut said we'd be in a new house in a year. As time went on, the possibility didn't seem all that plausible. I casually looked here and there, but could never commit. I made tons of excuses like the location of our old house was just too good. It was close to the park, Starbucks, Safeway, bus stop...the list went on. So when a house behind our old house came up for sale, we decided to give it a go. We got outbid by $20,000 (or something like that). Suddenly, we got more serious about looking. One Sunday, during 4 open houses, we looked at this one. Thought on it for a few days and finally decided to take the plunge. A week later, all the paperwork signed and voila - we owned a new house! Almost a year since Al was born. This house has all the space we need and we look forward to renovating to make it our home.
9.) Selling our old house - I can say, without a doubt, that trying to get a house that you've lived in for 23 years ready to sell was one of the most stressful experience of my life. It was a time where I really learned to ask for help (it was impossible to pack and clean with 3 kids in the house!). And thankfully, Bryan stepped up and got 90% of the house ready while I mostly just sat back and well...stressed along with Mama Chan! LOL! I relied on a few friends to talk some sense into me when I was upset about the few offers we had. It only took 3 weeks for our awesome realtor Erica to sell our house, and she was patient with us every step of the way. She became a great friend who our kids look forward to seeing all the time. Thank you Erica for working during your vacation and looking after us even after we moved. 23 years of emotional baggage attached to this house is not easy to manage, but you helped us navigate and got to where we are now!
8.) End of maternity leave - I wrote a post about this already, but this was definitely on my top 10. This maternity leave, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with all 3 kids. There were many beach days, Science World outings, and short family trips where we just got to spend quality time together. I will miss having all 3 of you at home at the same time and loving every moment of it. I hope to create many more meaningful moments where we will cherish for years to come.
7.) Going back to work - After such an amazing leave, it was not easy going back to work. But my co-workers welcomed me with open arms and made the transition easy. Not to mention I am now working with my best friend again (it's only been 13 years!). After a week, it was as if I never left. This year, work has provided me with many opportunities to travel, meet new people, and grow professionally. Thank you for the laughs and venting you guys!
6.) End of Preschool/Start of School - This was a busy year! It was end of Mackenzie's preschool journey, and start of her kindergarten year. And Bree followed right along and started preschool. We're in December now, and it's hard to remember that Mack was in preschool this year at all. She's suddenly so grown up and most days, I forget she's just 5 years old. Ending preschool was bittersweet. It meant goodbyes to half of her friends as they went on to other schools, and also meant the end of our time there as we decided to move on to another preschool. We put a lot of heart there and it was hard to say goodbye. I loved all those kids and hope to see them all again one day!
In the meantime, Bree had a bit of an adjustment going to preschool, but after the first month, she made some new friends and really enjoyed her teachers. I swear this girl is learning more languages at preschool than I know. Bree proved that the new preschool was a great decision!
5.) Old daycare/New dayare - our old daycare Crystal moved in September to Kelowna and there were tears for sure! Mack had been with her since 18 months and Bree from the day she was born. Al only got to be with her for a couple of months. Crystal - thank you for giving us our sanity for the past 4 years. You have not only been our daycare, but our friend. We loved visiting you this past November and look forward to reuniting more often in years to come.
With Crystal in Kelowna, it meant a new daycare for all the kids! I panicked a little. How will I ever find someone they could be this familiar with again? So when my facebook message popped up one day and my friend Cathy asked if I knew anyone looking for daycare, I said yes! Cathy's kids have babysat for us many times so I knew we were in good hands. The best news? They are a 4-minute walk from our new house! (even though we still umm...drive most days) Cathy - you have came to our rescue many many times in the short time you've looked after the kids. On the days where we were stuck because of my new routine at work, you did not hesitate to offer a helping hand. Thank you!
4.) Great Wolf Lodge - We wren't originally going to Great Wolf Lodge this year and made a very very last minute decision to go. And I'm so glad we did! We even got there and booked an extra night because we knew we wanted to stretch our family time as long as possible. This was our second year and I hope this is a tradition we will keep. All the kids, including Al had so much fun! We were in the waterpark about 3 hours a day, then there were enough activities to keep all of us entertained for the rest of the time. Some of the fondest memories from my childhood were all the trips my mom took us to. I hope this will stay with the kids the way my mom have imprinted some amazing memories for me.
3.) Adele - Some time last year, Adele tickets went on sale. Anita, Amanda, and I frantically had every laptop, phone and whatever we knew open to get these tickets. By some miracle, after many error messages, I got 4 tickets through my ticketmaster app! This year was the first time Amanda, Anita, and I have been together since before Quinn was born. Having Kelly with us, I had an amazing time at dinner and watching Adele with the people that are closest to me. I am so blessed! I hope we will reunite sooner than another 2 years!
2.) Can you believe it's been 5 years since I've been with our baby group? 5 years! 5 years worth of camping trips, parties, and night out for drinks. They say making friends gets harder and harder as you get older, and I believe that to be true. I have truly been blessed with the friendships of this group of women and men. We've gone through such milestones with our oldest, seconds, and some thirds. We laugh together at our kids' crazy moments, and we cry together at the challenges of parenting and relationships. Thank you for being such a special part of our lives!
1.) Bryan's business - If you told us 10 years ago when we started our entrepreneur path that we'd be successful through a trivia business, I probably would have laughed in your face. Today, Vancouver Trivia Party is one of the biggest trivia business in Vancouver and all because we were just trying to make some side income 3.5 years ago. Then just over a year ago when Bryan lost one of his biggest client, it jump started his expansion. Bryan has worked hard every day in this business and tirelessly looked after our kids during the day when they're home. He has 5 employees who love him (because really, how can you not love Bryan?). At our first annual Christmas dinner this year, I looked around the table and was in awe that these people have helped us learn some amazing lessons on expansion, growth, and management. They are truly amazing people.
This coming year, Bryan will be working towards expanding outside of Vancouver. Of course, none of this can happen without our village. Thank you Mama Chan for helping with the kids when we need an extra hand, thank you Kelly for taking transit for 90 minutes to watch our kids just for an hour because of our schedule, and thank you Sarah who have spent so much time not just listening to me gripe about life, but made this beautiful soon-to-be new logo for Bryan's business.
Bryan, you should be so proud for what you've accomplished! We are only able to experience so much because of your hard work. Thank you!
I want to say one last thank you to our kids. They have endured a lot more changes than I had wanted them to this year. And all in the span of 2 months. There were some rocky moments, but you guys have relied on each other and I've loved watching you guys unconditionally love each other and us. I'd like to say next year will be calmer, but we are Nickels! Sit tight ladies and gent - some big renovations are coming!
And with that said, I say farewell to 2016. For those where this year has been a struggle, I hope next year will bring you more joy and peace to your heart. For the rest of us, may 2017 be another beautiful year of creation, growth, and experiences.
Happy New Year you guys. See you next year.
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