Photo #276

For the past few years I've had the honor of making breakfast on New Year's Day...

For our first meal of 2011, I decided to make an omelette with ham, green pepper, green onion, and a slice of real cheddar that I broke up and sprinkled on top when it was almost fully cooked. Bon Appetit, and Happy New Year!

Photo #275

It's New Year's Eve!!! Party responsibly...

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Photo #271

Megan and I didn't do a traditional gift exchange for Christmas this year, though there were stocking-stuffers marked "From Santa" to open on Dec 25th. Instead we both agreed to take each other shopping this week and take advantage of Boxing Day bargains. I'd say we did pretty well when it came to finding some new clothes. That's my pile on the left, and hers on the right. You can tell because hers is bigger...

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Photo # 270

Boxing Day shoppers weren't the only crowds we encountered today...

Megan and I went for a little walk after shopping today to get away from people. We brought a few pieces of dried bread to feed the ducks. At first there were only 3 ducks, but that quickly changed! These ducks are pretty used to handouts from people, so they get close enough to touch. One even walked over my foot! I have a 30 second video of this little encounter, during which you can hear an excited Megan say "I touched one!". Maybe I'll post it on Facebook.

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Photo #269

The view from my window on Christmas morning...

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Photo #268

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through my house, the only thing that was stirring was Santa rocking out....

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Photo #267

There are too many cards to fit on our mantle, so I hung the majority of them up above the balcony door...

It feels so nice to have such a great family and so many wonderful friends!

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Photo #266

A handmade decoration from one of Megan's coworkers. I actually like it. The person did a good job!

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Photo #263

One finished gingerbread house...

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Photo #261

I'd say The Zone's Toy Drive this morning was a success. Their goal was to fill that Chevy Cruze and, well, as you can see...

I actually had to step back pretty far to get the whole pile in frame! Way to go Victoria! There are going to be a lot of happy kids on Christmas morning! The teddy bears I donated (see yesterday's post) are somewhere up on the roof of the car with the other bears.

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Photo # 260

Teddy Bears for kids...

Tomorrow morning (Friday Dec. 17) local radio station The Zone is hosting a big toy drive for underprivileged children here in Victoria. My wife and I have decided that we want to participate, so I went to a toy store this afternoon and found these four cute and cuddly bears. When I was young there were a few Christmases that would not have happened without the charitable donations of strangers, so I know what a difference just one toy could make for a child in a struggling family. I've decided to make it a holiday tradition from this year onward to try to pay that generosity forward by donating to toy drives like this one whenever I can.

I went with teddy bears because I know just how quickly a stuffed animal can become a best friend to a kid, a friend who will always be there to play with and talk to and share adventures with (think Calvin & Hobbes). They got a huge "Awwwww! They're adorable!" from my wife when she first saw them, and if whoever gets them has the same reaction then that's all I need this holiday.

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Photo #259

An ornament hanging in my home. I like how the flash darkened everything else in the background.

It's actually an inexpensive plastic ornament that came with some gifts Megan received at work, but I kind of liked the way the glitter was picking up the light from the living room. I also couldn't think of anything better to take a picture of today.

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Photo #257

Megan and I were inspired to make a gingerbread house this year, something we haven't done in years. This should be fun! And, no, we're not going to decorate it like the picture on the box. We'll customize it...

I hate how they spelled quick as "kwik". As if society isn't dumb enough.

I'll be sure to post a photo of the finished product later this week.

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Photo #254

It finally stopped raining long enough today for me to put up our Christmas lights along the balcony rail...

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Photo #252

Outbound cards on my kitchen table this morning...

I'm hoping they reach their destinations on time.

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Photo #248

We received our first holiday card of the season earlier this week...

We'll be sending out our cards soon.

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Photo #214

Trick or Treat...

][-][APPY ][-][ALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!

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Photo #208

I almost forgot we had this thing...

It's one of those cool fake flame lights that we bought for a Halloween many years ago then dropped into a storage bin where it's been ever since. All these years later and the original bulbs still work!

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Photo #194

In Canada today is Thanksgiving Day. My wife and I didn't do a traditional big turkey dinner - we'll do that for the next big holiday in December. We had pork chops with salads, and instead of pumpkin pie, I baked chocolate chip cookies...

This batch is slightly over-cooked, but they're still really tasty!

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Photo #95

To my American friends, Happy 4th of July...

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