2014 – A Year in Highlights

I am definitely  one of those people…you know the kind who loves airplane food AND drafting New Year’s resolutions AND reviewing my year in highlights. I start thinking about highlights and goals in November, drafting lists, and generally yarning on about them before I start to badger Dave into undertaking same fun activity. While we have different styles of approaching it (mine is somewhat militaristic) we always enjoy an evening with a glass of wine going over our highlights of 2014 and sharing our goals for 2015.

So here are a few highlights and memorable moments:

1. Joining Dave in achieving his bucket list by visiting WW1 war memorials in Northern France and Belgium.

2. Meeting our good friends there, bicycling together, drinking wine and enjoying some good belly laughs.

3. Dave and I laughing our asses off in London looking at our broken feet in our hotel room after walking 18 km a day.

4. Buying an investment property with our good buddies.

5. Enjoying our World Cup Soccer and hiking series with the Westcoast Vanderkop’s and yoga with my sister.

6. Making a decision ‘to do’ something and actually doing it. And by this I mean helping elephants. It proved to me that one person can decide something, do something and meet a world of other doers who come together to make the world a better place.

7. Support from friends and family for the work I do with animals and elephants means the world to me so seeing them there on the day of, and having them pitch in (online) and help with petitions and sharing meant a lot and always will.

8. My sister Petra. I love her and I’m proud of her accomplishments in life and she is one of those people who has been self-less in her support of my cause.

9. Going home. At first I thought I would be traumatized by going back to Toronto because I hadn’t been back since my mom died. But I wasn’t. Going home really meant going home and seeing my sisters, brother and nieces and nephews.

10. My brother Johnny. Sometimes someone in your life touches your heart. He touches mine. Having the luxury of spending Christmas with his beautiful, warm family and my family makes me feel lucky and reminds me that life is short. A big part of home in Ontario is the family my mother helped to create. They are my home now too.

11. Walking with Dave in the mountains near our house watching our dog little Bean kick up her heels in happiness and I felt this beautiful, deep satisfaction with everything in my life. And I realized that I had grown to know my husband better and love him even more than I already do…… and I didn’t think that was actually possible but I guess it is.