2024 – The Year in review

2024 – wow! We hardly knew you. We woke up on January 1, took a hot minute to get used to writing “2024” on all my reports and cheques (yes, I still use cheques!), blinked and wham!!!! December jumped up and down screaming that they were here! I didn’t even have time to catch my breath!

It has certainly been an eventful year, to say the least!

Update: Alex and I have been struggling with a very nasty cough / upper respiratory infection and so as a result, all of our Christmas Plans have been canceled. We will be staying home and snuggle in bed with Phantom and Beau.

January

That sort of sums up how we felt about 2023!

The weather in January was COLD!!! Beau and Phantom revelled in frolicking in the snow for about 10 minutes and then it was time to come home and cover up in warmed towels!

So, of course, this meant we had to get them new winter coats!

I began rehearsals on one of my all-time favourite shows: Next Fall

More about this amazing show later… Suffice to say, I loved working on this show. I worked on it once before at Vagabond Players back in 2020. The week before we opened, COVID hit and we had to cancel the show. To this day, it is one of my biggest regrets in my involvement in community theatre.

This is also the month that Alex began working with his exotic plants from South Africa!

February

February was a very busy month. Rehearsals for Next Fall were three times a week – driving from home to Deep Cove

I would drive from my place to New Westminster and pick up Wayne, our Director and then drive to Nanaimo Skytrain Station to pick up two of our actors and then drive to North Vancouver to the rehearsal space! An hour’s drive each way. Quite the distance. Worth every minute!

I also had the dubious honour of two non-speaking roles. I got to play a a delivery man and a hospital orderly!

March

The show opened in late March and it was AWESOME!

April

I didn’t get a chance to do much in April other than learn to appreciate the majestic beauty of Deep Cove where the show took place.

April was also the start of planting season for Alex

Nothing like a giant ceramic frog with plants streaming out of its mouth!

May

May was when we did more work around the house. We refinished the deck with a new colour. We bought new furniture to contrast with it. Couldn’t be happier with the results

Alex also started working on the back yard. As you can see, the boys seemed to like the results.

June

June brings on the Dragon Boat Festival! This festival was, unfortunately, my last one. I found that it was becoming too much work for me. So, I decided it was time to hang up my Stage Manager’s hat on this festival.

Drone Show!

This was also the month where Alex was able to showcase his favourite flowering plants

July

July 1 was our annual neighbourhood meet & greet. We invited neighbours from our park to come and join us for laughs, food and drinks.

August

In August, I received a package from one of my favourite cousins in The Netherlands. She found a whack of pictures of my family.

September

September was when we were supposed to go to visit Alex’s family in the Maritimes, but, alas that didn’t happen. Instead, I chose to work on a new play: Mauritius! What an amazing experience

This show was unlike anything I had ever done. The cast was amazing. The story was so intriguing, and we had so much fun. I wish more people would have seen it.

October

October was another hectic month. Debbi retired and it left a void in my work life. I no longer had her to work with. But, I still talk to her almost every couple of days and we have some great laughs at all the things that we have done over the years.