2019 was a busy year for Alex and me. Here is recap of the year
January
I started on my fitness goal of walking. Little did I know that it would become an obsession. I started slowly. Walking for 30 minutes in the morning with Phantom and Beau – getting them up and out of the house for their morning constitutional. My legs were screaming after about 20 minutes, but, I persisted. Eventually, I was able to do the distance and give the boys a good round of exercise every morning.
Started rehearsals in earnest for Up & Coming – a British Sex Farce. So much fun working on this show. Great Cast and Crew
January was also the last time I would ever see my mom.
Work was off to good start. Renovations in the office began in earnest. A new office for me was in the offing.
February
My morning walks increased to an hour now. The boys were not too thrilled as they felt it was imperative that they go out, do their business and then make a bee-line for home. That was not the case. Alex had taken it upon himself to reward the boys for every little thing they did so their weight began to balloon. With the morning walks, we managed to get their weight back down to where it was supposed to be.
And Up & Coming Opens. Behold my home for three weeks.
March
March was a tough month. I pulled a hamstring in my left leg and I was in pain for what felt like months – actually, it was months. But, I persisted in continuing my walks. I was slowly losing weight. In January, I weighed 115 kg and by March, I was down to 110 kg. So, that was further motivation to continue the walks.
April
April saw me going to various events – the Vancouver Zoomer Show.
On Monday, April 22, 2019 Mom passed away peacefully in her sleep. Her last months were hard on her. She became more despondent, confused, angry and afraid. We were forced to put her in a psychiatric ward at the facility where she was living. Fortunately, she was in that ward for a very short period of time. I miss her so much. I have a file on my cloud drive with all the letters I wrote her in the last three years of her life. I re-read them every so often and somehow, they give me some comfort.
May
In May, I traveled to Kamloops for another event. I got to hang out with my fellow IRIS folks and had a blast. I also got to go see Avengers: Endgame. Worth the trip alone to see that film
June
In June, I was able to get a few days off and I headed off to Edmonton to see the Grave Markers for Mom, Dad and Anna. I was also able to meet up with these people who I wrote about in one of my previous posts. These people were my second family growing up in St. Albert.
I was also able to spend a day with Pat and his partner, Barb out at their lake campsite. Great fun.
Dragon Boat Festival!!!
I had the privilege of Stage Managing my 13th Dragon Boat Festival and as usual, it was a blast.
June was also the month that my good friend, Scott married the love of his life, Sarah. It was a great event and Alex and I had a blast hanging out with Scott, Sarah, Shelley and other former coworkers.
July
Events galore!
Lots happened in July. First was Canada Day Celebrations on Granville Island. This is an annual gig for me. I have done it for about 8 years now. It is so much fun. Can’t wait to head back there again next summer.
July was also the month that Alex FINALLY got his second cataract surgery.
My next project was a small play at the Bernie Legge Theatre in New Westminster. Through a good friend, Myles, I was introduced to Alexandra Wilson – Artistic Director for the Page Theatre. , as well as a whole cast. The play was Run for your Wife. One of the best times I have had working on a play and I made a few bucks! Whoop! Whoop!
August
August was another busy month. I wound up working at the Steveston Dragon Boat Festival. Another fund day. But, I wasn’t stage managing. This event I found myself selling beer and wine tickets. I cannot believe how busy I was….
August also brought some additional sadness to our household. Caramel, our gorgeous Lion Head Rabbit suddenly died. I was devastated. I cannot believe how attached I was to this sweet little girl. Alex buried her in our backyard with a nice little grave marker. She will be missed
September
September brought Alex and me back to the East Coast. Alex’s daughter, Ashley was getting married and it was the social event of the season, I presume. Our first stop was in Toronto where we had a 36 hour layover. We had a beautiful hotel room and had a great dinner at a local eatery.
The next day, we spent the day in Toronto. Had way too much fun there. Definitely going to go back there again someday soon.
When we left Toronto and headed for Moncton, we were somewhat relieved to be on our way. Alex was so happy to reunite with Ashley.
The wedding itself was magical. You can see pictures and more information on my site here
After the wedding, we had a great time visiting with Angela and her man, Glen in Halifax.
We spent one of our last days driving around Nova Scotia with Angela and Glen.
I wasn’t home for more than three days and I was off again. This time, I was off to Penticton for the Royal Canadian Legion’s annual conference for BC and the Yukon. I had a lovely drive through the mountains to get there.
I scored me one of the best pieces of Swag EVER
October
October brought me to Edmonton once again to see the family. It was supposed to be my last trip to Edmonton for the foreseeable future, but, I had such a great time visiting with my brothers, sisters in-law and my niece, Kathy that we have decided to try and do a dinner at least a couple of times a year.
November
November has presented me with another play. Once again, i am stage managing a comedy called Always a Bridesmaid. Rehearsals began in earnest and it is going to be a fun show.
On the work front, I am still working for East Side Rerides. Working with one of my favourite people, Elaine.
In November, we celebrated our 16th anniversary. A sumptuous dinner at a local eatery was just what the doctor ordered
I also got to play Santa again for IRIS. I have mellowed a lot in my old age as I rather enjoy being Santa. Even my dogs seem to appreciate my efforts
And that brings us to December. Everything is starting to slow down and Alex and I are going to be having a very quiet Christmas this year. I have some extra time off over the holidays and we will be using it to relax, do some work around the house and just enjoying each other’s company.
Alex has put up with a lot from me this year with my work schedule and I want him to remember that he will always be the most important person in my life.
2020 is looking to be another great year for us. We are planning a return trip to Europe. Our plan is to stay in the Netherlands for a couple of days, then get a couple of Eurail Passes and take the train all the way through France, Spain and wind up in Portugal. Fingers Crossed!
Al Zylstra 