What's New...Merry Christmas from Texas!

12/25/02: Merry Christmas everyone! We certainly hope you all have a wonderful, safe holiday season!

The weather has cooled off quite a bit over the past couple of days enough that it almost feels like winter. Austin does this every year but it is normally just a tease. We haven't seen snow here yet (but there is a rumour that it does happen on rare occasions)!

So, have you seen it yet?!?:) You know I mean Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, right? Wow! In case you haven't seen it, we would highly recommend. If you have, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. John got to go to a midnight show on Tues, Dec. 17 (technically the 18th by the time it started)! We couldn't get tickets for opening night but we got them for Thurs, Dec 19. And we saw it again yesterday. It is pretty much 3 hours long but it doesn't feel like it. I won't say too much here because I don't want to post any spoilers but go see it!

In my last post, I mentioned that our friend, Tim would be visiting for Thanksgiving. Tim was here with his brother and his brother's girlfriend. We all had tons of fun exploring Austin. Some of the things we got to do included Stubb's BBQ for Gospel Brunch on Sunday, the Victorian Christmas Festival on 6th Street and the City-wide Garage Sale.

Well, check out the photos as I have finally changed them for some older ones. No, I haven't gotten to scan any new ones, but I have new ones! Take care everyone!

What's New...Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband!

11/22/02: Happy Anniversary John. We are celebrating the day that we stood in front of the justice of the peace and tied the knot, five years ago! This has been the most amazing five years. Thank you for being mine!

Well, work got extra busy so this update wasn't as quick as I expected. We have been to see the new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which we both enjoyed a lot. We have purchased the new Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring special extended DVD edition. We are slowly looking at the extras but we haven't had time to sit and watch the extended version of the movie yet. It's amazing. And of course, we cannot wait for the new Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers to beging in December. We hope to be there on opening night.

It's still weird, even after all this time in the US, to have Thanksgiving so late in the fall. Back home, Canadian Thanksgiving is early in October. Here in the US, it's the 4th Thursday in November. Many businesses get the Friday off too so that it's a long weekend. I am looking forward to my long weekend next week.

Speaking of next week, we will see our friend Tim, from Virginia, once again. Tim will be visiting family north of Austin so we get to see him for a day or two. Tim has visited us here in Austin many times. We always look forward to his visits.

I have to be going so I will see you all again soon! Take care of yourselves.

What's New...five years is a looooooooooong time!

10/26/02: Wow! Five years really is a long time. Five years ago, on this day, I left my Mom and Dad's house to move to the United States. John came up to Newfoundland to drive with me to my interview at the US Consulate in Montreal. Then we drove across the border to start our lives together. It seems like just yesterday in some ways. However, I miss my family and friends, sometimes more than others! At times like today, the memories are close to the surface and I wish I could visit more often. I have been home once in the past 5 years and it just wasn't enough. We hope to go home again sometime next spring, if at all possible!

Well, the weather here must have been reading my webpage because it certainly has cooled off finally. It's been cooler and much wetter this week. One night, I was awaken by hail. I was soaked a few mornings on my walk to the bus stop to go to work. And then there is Hurricane Kenna. It hit south of here and it may bring more rain and wind. But this kind of weather reminds me more of home :)

Things are still pretty busy for us both. John has been working on so many different projects over the past couple of weeks that his sleep has been all over the place. He has also been looking after me and a lot of extra house things because I hurt my back. He is such a sweetie. I am doing much better but he is still trying to be sure that I don't lift or bend if he can do it for me.

I have some new photos from home. One of my brothers got married, so I have received some photos of the wedding (since John and I couldn't make it)! I also have some of my niece and nephews. I hope to get scanning again soon and update my pictures page. See you all again soon!

What's New...Cooler weather?!?!

10/5/02: So technically, it's supposed to be autumn, correct? I mean, my friend just moved to Labrador City and there was snow on the first day! Hockey pre-season is almost over (regular season starts in just 4 short days)! It's October and stores are already moving some of the Halloween merchandise to one side to make way for Christmas stuff (crazy times we live in)! So WHY WAS IT STILL 90 PLUS DEGREES HERE YESTERDAY??? It was Hot with a capital H. And I was inside most of the day so I didn't notice until I went to the bank late in the afternoon. It shouldn't be this hot in October, even in Austin!

Anyhow, that was my little rant about the weather. I am glad I got that off my chest.

What's new with all of you? I have been getting a steady trickle of email asking about the beautiful province of Newfoundland or my new home in Austin since this page started. Many people want to know what they should see or do while visiting, some people needed help with school projects, and others just want to ask about a specific item they saw here (immigration is a biggie). I try to answer as quickly as possible. However, if you do have a question, please try to be as specific as possible and email works better than asking the question in my guestbook. I try to check there too but email is much faster and direct.

I will be working behind the scenes for the next couple of weeks. I want to check all my links since it's been a while. Please shoot me an email if you happen to notice any broken links. Also, link suggestions are always welcome. I cannot promise that they will all appear, but I will seriously consider any ideas.

John has been busy working on several projects for Cumberland Games lately. He has been playtesting his Fly From Evil game with some local gamers. I don't know how he does it but that's why I am not a writer/game designer. If you have any questions, drop him an email!

I have to be going, so I will say goodbye for now! Take care of yourselves! I will be back soon!

What's New...Finally, an update!!!!

9/15/02: Wow, almost three months have passed since I last updated my site. I do apologize to anyone who reads this regularly. I have been extremely busy with work and a few other things. I just never seemed to find the time and energy. But, I am back! I promise no more 3 month lapses.

So many things have happened since I last updated:

• Work!
• Great Big Sea came back to Austin for another show. I told you all that they had been here late in May and it was amazing. Well, they showed up again at the end of August. This was the only Texas show this time. It was great. Unfortunatly, it was on a Tuesday night so it wasn't quite as full as the first show. I think Alan's comment was something about half the population of Petty Harbour (his hometown)!
• Work!
• John and I had an extended weekend trip to Tulsa, Oklanhoma to visit his Mom. We looked around Oral Roberts University campus one afternoon. John hadn't been there for a long time and a lot had changed but we had fun.
• My oldest brother, Gary, got married. Unfortunately, John and I were unable to go, but it sounds as if it was a great time for my whole family. Welcome to the family, Donna:)
• Work!
• Oh and did I mention work?!? It was busy the last time I updated. That was before we moved to a new office. Oh boy...it's finally calmed down to merely busy again, instead of swamped, bogged down, crazy busy!

Well, we are almost back to hockey season again. I am so looking forward to hearing all the news about the Leafs.

Thanks for being patient. I will be back soon and I mean that this time! See ya! Take Care!

What's New...Been Busy!!!!

6/20/02: Things have been so busy that I just haven't had time for an update anytime recently. This one will have to be short!

The Toronto Maple Leafs are finished for this season. They did well with plenty of injuries (including the coach). The Stanley Cup was won by the Detroit Red Wings this year. Better luck next year guys!

The Great Big Sea concert in Austin was amazing. It was so good to see so many Newfoundland and Canadian flags and t-shirts. I didn't realize that there would be such a great showing of support. And of course, the band was great, as usual. We were front stage center and we danced through the show. I even was handed a towel by the drummer after someone doused me with some water! How sweet! He is not one of the regular guys but with them for the tour!

Well, I must go! Take care everyone and I will be back soon!

What's New...More playoff results and Great Big Sea!!!!

5/2/02: Unfortunately, the season is over for the St. John's Maple Leafs for the year. Last night saw the Baby Leafs lose their 4th straight game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. This may have been co-captain Nathan Dempsey's last game in St. John's as he becomes an unrestricted free agent over the summer. Nate has been my favourite player since when I lived back home and I wish him all the best in the future. Doesn't eight years make him an honourary Newfie?

Hockey is also over here in Austin as the Austin Ice Bats lost their final series on Sunday, April 28th. Next year guys, you can do it!

Fortunately, the Toronto Maple Leafs struggled through their last series without captain Mats Sundin. They start tonight in the next round against the Ottawa Senators. This battle of Ontario should make for an interesting series. The fans will be cheering for either team in either arena so the home ice advantage may not make as much difference as it seemed to in the Islander series.
GO Leafs GO!!

A few weeks back, I mentioned that Great Big Sea was coming to Austin. Well...the time is almost here. Tomorrow night, they will be here in Austin. I am so excited. I cannot wait to hear them! If anyone is in or around the Dallas area, they are playing there there tonight so check them out!

Well, I am off! Take care everyone and I will be back soon!

What's New...Playoff hockey and more!!!!

4/23/02: The St. John's Maple Leafs will take on the Lowell Lock Monsters tonight in the final game of the best of five series. The Lock Monsters won the first two, the Baby Leafs won the next two and tonight will decide it. Good luck guys!

The Toronto Maple Leafs will play the New York Islanders tonight in New York. Toronto is ahead 2 games to 0 in the best of 7 series. Keep up the good work guys! Hopefully, I may get to see this one as it may be on ESPN2.

And in Austin, the Austin Ice Bats are tied 1 game to 1 in the best of seven series against the Memphis Riverkings. This is the final series for the President's Cup. This is the first time in franchise history that the team has made it to the final round.

Since we are talking hockey, I have a cute picture of our nephew Joshua with the mascot of the St. John's Maple Leafs, Buddy the Puffin. Check it out on my pictures page as well as another.

Finally, John is celebrating the fifth anniversary of his page, the Blue Room. It was approximately this time, five years ago, when he started his page and boy, has it grown.

Well, this was a longer update than normal. Take care everyone and email with any questions or comments!

What's New...Sections missing...somehow I forgot to update my archive around this time and missed at least two updates...d'oh!!!!

What's New...Canadian Hockey brings home the Gold!!!!

2/25/02: On the 50th anniversary of the last time Canada won a gold medal for men's hockey at the Olympics, the 2002 men's team won! The Canadian women's team also won a gold medal last Thursday. Each team won the gold in a final matchup against Team USA. I didn't see the ladies play but the men's game was amazing. It was either team's game up until there was less than 5 minutes left in regulation time. That's when team Canada opened up their one goal lead to two. They eventually scored another just for good measure for a final score of 5-2.

The past couple of weeks found me trying to watch the Olympics whenever I could if hockey or figure skating was on. However, John and I have also been walking more. The weather has been nicer most days and we realized how much we missed walking all the time. We spent an enjoyable walk last Saturday in a part of South Austin that we haven't explored before. During our trek, we had an interesting conversation with a gentleman at a roadside vegetable stand. He was very talkative and our walk was halted for about 1 1/2 hours as we listened to his great stories. What fun!

Well, not much else new so I will see you all later!

What's New...Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

2/14/02: John and I think that Valentine's Day is the day everyone else acts like we do all the time. People on the bus sometimes ask if we are newlyweds...well we are, but newlyweds who have been married over 4 years is all :) We do have a nice evening planned however. We are going to go out to eat on the way to see Serendipity at the UT campus! We haven't seen this one yet and it looks like a sappy love story but what better way to celebrate Valentine's Day? :) Plus, we are both fans of John Cusack.

Have you been watching the Olympics? I have seen some of the ice skating which is one of my favorite sports (even if the judging sometimes seems questionable). And of course, I cannot wait to see Team Canada do hockey :) I hope they do as well as expected.

We hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day...be good to your valentines!!

What's New...Not much news!!!!

1/25/02: There's not much in the way of news these days. We have both been busy with work. John recently finished a couple of projects and now he's working on some more of his Cumberland stuff. I was busy with year end at work. We did manage to catch a free movie last evening at the UT campus. It was Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. We had already seen it but it was fun and free, so why not!?! We also saw 2001: A Space Odyssey last weekend at the Paramont Theatre with some friends. All I can say is that it was wierd but okay!

I have received several new photos of our niece and nephews so I will scan those and put them on my photos page. They are all growing so fast. Matthew had his 9th birthday earlier this month...time sure flies.

Well, I will be back soon! Have a good weekend and be careful!!

What's New...Spring has sprung!!!!

1/16/02: Okay, so it's only the middle of January...but after a few weeks of pretty cold weather (for Austin), it's feeling more like spring every day. The temperature out there is 69 degrees farenheit this afternoon. That's 21 degrees celcius to all my Canadian friends. Back home in Newfoundland, they are finally getting snow and colder temperatures and we are having what they would consider a nice summer day! Wow, what a difference!

John has been very busy working lately. We did have time to see Ocean's Eleven last night and I was pleasantly surprised. Often, when they put so many good actors in a film together, it doesn't quite gel. However, I was impressed by George Clooney and Brad Pitt in particular.

Well, I will see you all soon, be good and be careful!!