Selection: Family

On this beautiful Easter morning, I can now share our wedding plans. Joy will join me from Malaysia in July and we will become husband and wife. We have known each other for 1 year and 4 and a half months, and even though it did not start out with marriage in mind, God has been revealing His plan to us gradually.

Thank you, Father, for Resurrection Power. Happy Easter!

Yesterday all the final signatures were put on paper.

It is now official. 

Today Cecile and I started a new life. Some of you were already aware of our divorce plans, and today Cecile signed the separation agreement. My turn in a few days.

New beginnings for both of us.

We celebrated Christmas and my birthday at Vincent's home yesterday.

It was so good to have the family together, including Alicia. I gave Alicia my Coolpix 5000 as a birthday present. She loved the camera, taking photos of herself and Jayden. It's the same camera she used in March when we went to Rundle Park in the snow. I did not need to show her again how to use it. She's a pretty smart 12 year old. :)

Gabe, dressed in a Santa suit, was exploring everything.  

And a happy 12th birthday to my granddaughter Alicia today.

:) 

Happy first birthday to my grandson, Gabe.

I'd like to give him a birthday hug, but I think I have a cold or a flu happening and don't want to spread my germs.

Received an email from my cousin-in-law, Cees, that a client of his had found information about my grandfather on mom's side.

I had long been looking for a lead, but did not have enough information to make a start. That, and the fact that I am looking in two provinces, results in over 500 entries in Genlias.nl so I can't browse all records.

At least I can do a more directed search now. :) 

The Apons and Mondins are like family to us, and this weekend both families had a child marry. While it was brutal on my system, I attended both church services, and the reception of the first wedding.

Interestingly, both husbands are named Alex. How often does that happen, two weddings in two days and people have the same name. It would have been real creepy if the wives had the same names.

Check out some photos on webshots. My favourite photo has to be #161 in the Alex and Maud album. A mother and daughter-in-law declaring their love for each other.

Lately I have become involved in looking for my ancestors. Not an easy thing to do when you live in Canada and the records are in Holland. And for the longest time, Genlias was pretty much the only source of transcribed records.

The last few months I have come across other sources (including my uncle) that have greatly helped me.

An interesting connection... I made contact with a Dutch man who now lives in Korea, who is a cousin to a 98-year old woman we know, living near us. The Korea-Canada connection... 

Yesterday and today I have been spoiled by my kids.

Yesterday, Cecile and I had supper at Vincent and Angela's. Although I'm not a big pasta fan, Ang always manages to make it tasty. Afterward we played "Go Fish" and Jayden was grinning from ear to ear when she could take our cards. I felt bad when I got the runs and messed up the bathroom but "sh!t happens..." I blame the BBQ at lunch for that little surprise.

This evening, Duncan and Monica picked me up and we went to the Coast Terrace Inn for a buffet dinner. I had seafood (salmon, shrimp, scallops) pasta without the pasta, some prime rib, chicken, and more salmon. When Monica and Duncan were foraging for desert, I was holding Gabe who was intent on eating my shirt. He's quite the little man, already flirting with the waitresses...

Happy fathers day! 

Been doing a lot of work on the genealogy website lately. One of the nicest visible features is the "Family View" available from each profile page.

I have received a lot of new data from Rob van Duuren in Holland, and needed to write some programs to make data entry easier.

Have a look for yourself.  

Phoned Ap today and we had a pleasant conversation. He still sounds like before, just speaks a bit slower. He has taken early retirement 6 years ago and he likes it. So would I...

Ap is putting some more information together for me. Most important the marriage book of my grandparents, but also some photos. Looking forward to seeing that package arrive. 

As it turns out, he and an aunt (his sister Jantje) were wondering how I was doing and then a week later my letter showed up. Imagine his surprise...  

Received a letter today from my uncle Albert (Ap) whom I have not had contact with in about 30 years. Him and my uncle Anton were my favourite uncles on dad's side.

Some time ago, when I started working on the family genealogy, I thought I'd write him and see what happens. He expressed surprise at receiving my letter, and honestly, he was sending Christmas cards that we were ignoring. Some of that was due to family friction passed on by my parents. At the time, I had no interest in trying to figure out who was right and who was wrong, so we just dropped communication.

Ap is only 9 years older than I am, so I think we can pick up communication, despite that I disagree with his sexual orientation. But as he said, he and Henk have been together 25 years, although not married, which is a better record than some regular relationships.

I am looking forward to picking up contact again, and expect new opportunities for sharing information, experiences, and family information.

Made contact with a Chris Danen who turns out to be a relative via a common ancestor, Toon Danen, born October 30, 1821 in Driel, Netherlands.

We spent an hour in a chat session and I found out from Chris more about our common roots, going back to 1705.

Very cool!

Had Alicia and Gabe over this afternoon. Alicia and I went for a walk in Rundle Park. I lent her one of my old digital cameras so she could learn to take photos with it. She's a smart kid; did not have to tell her anything twice. Took good photos too.

Monica gave us some pics of Gabe. I've posted some in a comment.

Duncan took Monica to the Medicentre last night, and they sent the to the Royal Alex emergency. They took some spinal fluid but could not find anything.

At 2am they could go home. Poor little Gabe got dragged all over town too.

BTW, I looked up the name Gabriel. It is of Hebrew origin and means "Power of God" or "Strong man of God" or "God's able-bodied one" or "Hero of God" depending on the source.

Gabriel is one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition. He appears in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, where he serves as the announcer of the births of John to Zechariah and Jesus to Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the Koran to Muhammad.

I think the name is official now, Gabriel Charles Jan Danen, Gabe for short. The reason I say "I think" is that Duncan is still tentative about it. He even registered as Gabriell, which he will now have to correct.

I'm glad the "boy with no name" now has a name. It is so impersonal to call him "the boy" or "the baby", or even worse, "it."

The gang was home around noon yesterday and so far all are doing fine, except for Monica who has a pain in the neck. Hmmm... Who's HER pain in the neck?

This afternoon at 1:01pm, we were blessed with the arrival of our first grandson. He weighs 6 lbs 11.5 oz.

Duncan and Monica have not decided on a name yet, so for now he's my "buddy."

Click on any of the pictures...

The "boy with no name" is joined by two granddaughters. Alicia, also Duncan's daughter, will be 11 next week. And Jayden, Vincent's daughter, who is five.

Had a date with my wife this evening. She is usually on the road a lot, but not today. With -25C (approx -15F) degrees, it was nice to stay in.

We decided to bring out the stone grill. A stone grill is basically a piece of granite that is heated and then you cook your food on it at the table. You fry meats (chicken, beef, veal, small meatballs) on the "stone" and dip them in special sauces. Small metal holders slide underneath the stone and hold veggies such as onion, peppers, and mushrooms, smothered in garlic butter.

French bread is a must and more garlic (or other herb) butter for those slices.

Salt is not needed as there is enough in the spices and sauces.

A dry wine is suggested to cut the fat and cholestorol. Indeed, if you are on a diet, check what you will be taking in.

Typically, this is to entertain or build relationships. You are seated at the table for an hour to an hour and a half, so you better have something to talk about.

After dinner, we put on a movie "The Eye of the Needle" with Donald Sutherland. Good flick to let the food digest with. 

This is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, a time for family to get together. We spent a wonderful afternoon and evening at Duncan and Monica's and everyone brought some food.

It was fun to watch the grandkids play together.

So many things to be thankful for, especially considering the heart problems I had a year ago... 

Cecile took me out for dinner to La Boheme for our 36th wedding anniversary. While pricey, La Boheme continues to be one of my favourite places to eat, despite the fact that Ernst Eder no longer owns it.

Started with a nice dish of mussels, followed by a perfect filet mignon, complemented by a nice white wine from the Alsace area.

Cecile had a rack of lamb which she found tasty.

Monica was at the doctor's today and everything is going good. They told her that the baby is a boy!

My (first) grandson is due in December. 

Congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law on their 30th wedding anniversary.

Spent most of the afternoon at Duncan's new house. The only person missing was Angela, Vincent's wife. Duncan cooked us a very nice meal with garlic shrimp and mushroom, baked salmon and other assorted goodies.

Then, as we all sat at the table, Duncan introduced the topic that we would be spending more on Christmas gifts. In other words, Monica is pregnant. Wonderful news.

December 26 is my official birthday, although I celebrate on June 26th for my friends so we can be outside in the garden. Usually my sons go to their in-laws for Christmas and come over for Boxing Day, aka my birthday. This year we were invited to my son, Vincent's, for the afternoon and evening. Thank you, Angela, for being the perfect hostess!

And... This year I did not get just underwear and socks... Got a beautiful bathrobe (I can go and shovel snow in it, that's how warm it is); a birdfeeder (this one is more sparrow friendly) and a track suit. This track suit, if I wear it inside, allows me to lower the thermostat 3 to 5 degrees. Cool! Literally...

Christmas Day was very peaceful. Both Cecile and I slept till about noon. I had gotten up earlier to put the roast in the slow cooker (apricot glazed pork roast) and gone back to bed.

Because of the cold weather, my back had been sore and stiff for a week already. So I had taken some "happy pills" and gone back for a nice 2-hour sleep.

Around 3PM Cecile went to take food to a community dinner for the poor. She has done this for a number of years already and really enjoys it. This year she was the entertainment too...

When she came home, the roast was ready and with brussels sprouts and new potatoes, we had a wonderful meal. After Bible reading and prayer, we listened to some music from Suriname. Some was Christmas music, some very old songs.

Happy 9th birthday to my granddaughter, Alicia.

The whole family came over for supper and to help celebrate Cecile's birthday tomorrow.

November 11 is Remembrance Day in Canada. The days leading up to Remembrance Day are always a bit emotional for me, as war films and commentaries are shown on television. As most of you know, I was born in Holland, so I see this from a different perspective. During WWII, my dad was of the age to be sent to work in German war factories. Not willing to do so, he had to go into hiding and ended up in the area where I was born eventually. I remember that years after the war ended and I was born already, he would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. He and my mother are no longer alive, yet I remember them as fighting oppression. Here is a photo of him and me when I was 4 months old.

My dad was born in Renkum, west of Arnhem. Canadian soldiers played a big part in liberating that part of Holland, for which I am grateful to all those who served there and those who lost their lives in the process.

Duncan, Monica, and Alicia were over for a while today, so that brightened things up!

Vincent, Angela and Jayden were over for supper today, after which we watched the Black Stallion together. It's an old movie but good for a 3-year old.

It was Jayden's birthday yesterday, but I wasn't up to a kids party... 

34th Anniversary today. Kids don't remember so I bought us some flowers. Due to limited finances and my condition, we did not do anything special this year, just a dinner at the Korean Beauty restaurant. Highly recommended. Small place, great food, and low prices.

For tonight there's a frost warning, and it's been blowing hard all morning, so the fall colours will be gone soon, I expect.

After breakfast I went back to bed for a few hours. Duncan, Monica, and Alicia were coming for supper, so I had to be fit to visit.

Gorgeous sunny weather was a bonus.

Joined Duncan and Monica at Japanese Village for supper, to celebrate Duncan's 27^th birthday. Very enjoyable.

Attended the kick-off lunch for the United Way, held at Northlands AgriCom. Afterward I met with my boss, Opal,  and my colleague and acting manager, Ed, to discuss next year's budget.

My granddaughter Jayden was over today, but when I got home I was much too pooped to do much with her. Before she went home, she came and snuggled with me for a while. She's such a sweetheart.

Nice easy day. Duncan, Monica and Alicia came for supper, and to pick up their wedding photos.

Duncan dropped off the computer for fixing and/or upgrading. On first inspection, that machine was full of viruses and spyware. For those who don't know what spyware is, think identify theft...

Duncan and Monica's wedding was a beautiful event. Great weather, although I spent a bit too long in the sun, I would not have missed the photo shoot at Devonian Botanic Gardens for the world. I wasn't the official photographer, but I just took some candid pictures as I had no official role, other than father of the groom. When we got to the hall for the reception, I found the chairs impossibly hard and being tired already, a friend drove me home around 8pm so I could go to sleep.

Had a great day with Leni and Hans today. They showed up around 1pm and at about 3pm we went for a drive to Londonderry Chrysler. Hans wanted to take photos of the new Chrysler 300. Then we went to St. Albert and to Hole's. No species lilies left (darn!). We drove around a few residential areas and some acreages. They complained that all streets looked the same, so I had to show them some different places. We came back and drove around Northlands' area and then back home via Ada Boulevard and Rundle Park.

Had bison burgers and lobster for supper, a treat for Europeans. All the kids and grandkids were over too, so I had a great time. This is really a wonderful place to start the chemo treatments from. Family and friends to help me feel connected.

All the kids and grandkids were over for father's day this afternoon. Too bad Monica had to work. They missed out on some very nice chicken. I marinated them last night with the intent to BBQ them, but when push came to shove, I was not up for that. So they went in the oven instead.

Summer started at 6:57pm. What a bizarre time...

Put some screensavers and slideshows together. Check them out.

Created new Patient Symptom Records for the upcoming chemo treatments.