Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Christmas Letter 2008

Merry Christmas! I can hardy believe 2008 is almost over. This year has gone by so fast. It’s been another busy one full of changes and lots of travel.

Work has been shockingly busy this year but I’m still really enjoying the job! My field season with Rescan this year started full steam in June and I was away almost fulltime until the end of September. No trips to the arctic this year, which was disappointing. But I did make it to a part of Canada I haven’t been to before: Saskatchewan, which has a beauty of its own. Most of my work this summer kept me in northern BC again tramping through more stunningly beautiful and remote places. I was doing mostly archaeological survey work (loads of hiking and digging and finding groovy stuff). I also worked on a large-scale excavation this year, which was awesome and doesn’t happen very often in consulting archaeology (it can be very expensive). The autumn hasn’t slowed down for me at work either. I’ve been doing tons of reporting and artifact processing, so never a dull moment!
Other than work, life has been busy but good. In April, I moved from Ginny’s apartment to a little basement suite in North Vancouver. I’m closer to work now, so my commute is shorter, which has been so nice. It’s also been nice having all my stuff out of storage again. I’ve done a bit of recreational travel this year too. At the end of April, Ginny, Beth and I flew to the Big Island of Hawaii to enjoy a week of sun, sand, and surf. It was fantastic and I’d go again in a heartbeat! Also, in between work field trips this summer, I did a bit of camping, namely another trip to Penticton for the Beach Blanket Film Festival which I attended a few years ago. I also attended a couple of plays and a few concerts, which are always good fun! Crafting is still a passionate hobby of mine. I started making amigurumi animals and food this year (a type of Japanese crochet), which are super fun! And, I’ve become absolutely obsessed with knitting – socks in particular. I find myself knitting just about anywhere, even on the beach (for all you knitters out there, you can find me on ravelry.com – my handle is kaylmnop)! I’ve also started back to the gym where I’ve discovered a fantastic fitness kickboxing class! It is similar to Tae Kwon Do, so I’ve been really enjoying it! I’m still running but didn’t have a chance to compete in any races this year. However, this coming year I may run in the Vancouver Sun Run with the Rescan work team. It will be my first 10 km race! Gasp!

I’m heading to Horsefly for Christmas this year. The whole family will be home, which will be nice! They’ve got loads of snow, so I’m looking forward to doing lots of cross-country skiing! As for the coming year, I’m planning a few overseas trips for 2009. I’ll be heading to China in March to visit my friend Colette who is living in Shanghai these days. Three weeks of gallivanting should bring all sorts of adventures and tales! I’m also planning a trip to Peru in May to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu with Beth. I can’t wait!

All the best in 2009 – I hope it treats you well! Please drop me a line if you get a chance. I’d love to hear from you. Although I’ve been terrible with staying in touch in 2008, I’m determined to get my act together in 2009. My email address hasn't changed in years, but if you don't have that for some reason, I do check posts on my blog now and then.


Photos in this post: 1. Kay at work. 2. Kay eating Saskatoon berry pie in Saskatoon, SK. 3. The gals in Hawaii. 4. Hawaiian surf. 5. Amigurumi critters. 6. Socks in mid-knit.