We spent a peaceful first half of December at home in anticipation of spending the holidays in Honeymoon Bay getting together with friends. For much of the month we enjoyed mild weather and catching up with friends. We were still able to bike 'n' hike to Gordon Bay. Lake levels continued to be high, but less so than the end of November as we didn't have excessive amounts of rain. Shaun and Debbie were kind enough to host a traditional turkey dinner. The neighbourhood prepared for the Christmas season. We really enjoyed the Christmas lunch at Mr. Mikes provided in appreciation by LifeLine to their volunteers, including Lisa. As 2017 was to be our first Christmas spent in our Honeymoon Bay home, I decorated the tree, put up the Christmas village, hung the stockings, and decorated much of the house. We were pleased to be able to share our trip photos with Dick & Ann while visiting over coffee and treats. We continue to read, to watch movies, and to enjoy coffee and dessert. I was grateful to be able to enjoy another turkey dinner and fun night with Debbie, Shaun, and their friends Dana and Greg. On the 19th, wet, heavy snow fell, taking down trees across Hwy 18, and knocking out the power for 12 hours. Lisa's dad, John, was admitted to the hospital after failing to recover adequately from pneumonia. It was later realized that his health was much worse than he'd disclosed and his kidney function had been in decline for quite some time. Eventually it became clear that this chronic condition would prove fatal and that John's time with us was very limited. All previous plans were abandoned and much of the remainder of December was spent visiting in Surrey Hospital. While the first half of December had been calm and filled with hopeful anticipation of good times to come, much of the later stages of the month were spent in somber reflection of good times past. Although we were near to friends, it was very difficult to schedule or plan any visits. During this time, we were able to meet Auntie Janet for dinner one evening, and stopped by to collect hugs from our dear friend Karyn. John had a dozen family members gather on Christmas Eve to share stories, memories, photos, and even drinks. He announced that he was so happy to have everyone there with him. We visited with John again on Christmas Day, before heading to Langley for Christmas dinner at my parents' on Dad's birthday. Sadly, we received a phone call during our meal informing us that John had passed peacefully in his sleep moments earlier. Obviously this news put a damper on the evening's festivities and celebrations. Ironically, we were celebrating my dad's 73rd birthday. June prepared a feast for her family on Boxing Day, as Auntie Janet, Lauren, Derek, Diana, and Elliott joined us for turkey, beef & broccoli, prawns, chicken chow-fun, and more. The coffee cup above represents much needed escape from a stressful environment to meet friends like Michelle Ky for chats and updates. After Christmas, Lisa went into total focus mode, working relentlessly to complete as many tasks as possible related to her father's passing: arranging cremation services, writing an obituary, scheduling and planning a memorial service and luncheon, paying his bills, canceling utility services, sorting his paperwork, cleaning his condo, researching memorial park benches, learning probate law, applying for a grant of administration, taking his car to the bodyshop, creating a slideshow, etc. The list goes on and on. We were very happy to be able to spend time with Karyn, her girls, and their friends at the end of the month. We visited and played "Cranium", went to see "Jumanji", and walked around the beautifully decorated Lafarge Lake. Good friends really make such a difference! In the midst of a hectic, stressful process, we were grateful to spend New Year's Eve at our friend Lisa's place, ending the year with friendly people.
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