Havin' a time, but a piece is missing.

We are having an awesome time down in Jamaica. We are freshly married and are splitting our time between laying on the beach and eating amazing food. We are together in paradise and everything is almost perfect.

This has been a rough year for us.

Several of our family members (including one of my favourite extended family members - a "Wazzzzzzup!" goes out to him) are battling cancer. I really hate cancer. The treatment is as bad as the disease and there are no guarantees. I'm pulling hard for everyone to pull through. I only recently met these people and would love the opportunity to come to know them better.

The worst of it this year was the death of my father. He had a massive stroke in September and died about a week later. His absence still doesn't seem right to me. I still reference my dad as though he was still around.

To go out on a high note (like George Costanza), lots of good things have happened this year. Karen and I got married, of course. Most importantly, my little niece Isobel popped into the world. That little bundle of smiles means the world to us, and that wee bairn has helped my mom cope more than that little girl will ever understand.

My dad would have loved it here. I can almost see a tall shadow sitting at the swim-up bar, rye and coke in hand, goofy smile on his face, chest and back lobster red (the man didn't get the concept of sunscreen). That image makes me smile. Here's to you, Dad. :)

Everyt'ing's irie, mon!

It's been a while since last I wrote, but I've been a little busy planning and packing for my marriage in Jamaica. Everything went off perfectly well and my bride K and I are happily snoozing off all of the lobster that we ate tonight. If you haven't been to Jamaica yet, get on the plane tomorrow. This place is paradise!

Because we love words so much, we wrote our own vows and I'd like to share them with y'all.

My Vows

You put me at ease. You take me at face value and accept my quirks and peculiarities (as annoying as they can sometimes be). You are unerringly kind and help me to be a better person. You make me feel as though I belong here with you.

I promise to love you.

I promise that I will always try to understand you and empathize with you. I may not always succeed, but I will try.

I promise to support you, even if I don't always agree with you.

I promise to lend you my strength and resolve when you need them.

I promise to scrape the car windows when it's cold and mow the lawn when it's hot.

I promise to lift heavy things for you and reach the things that are on the top shelf.

We'll have a long happy life together. I see us sitting on a porch, watching dogs play and palm trees sway. While we will have to work, our down time will be filled with plays and concerts. Foreign lands will call to us and we will answer the call bravely! It won't always be easy, but it'll always be worthwhile. I'm happy and proud to call you my wife, Karen.

K's Vows

You wooed me with websites on William Shakespeare and Dr. Seuss...then held me with your gentle heart and open mind.

You listen to me and remind me that life is way more fun when I don't take myself too seriously. You lend me your strength when I need it.

I promise to always laugh like a loon when you do that goofy dance just for me.

I promise to always hold your hand even when you don't realize you need it.

My own brand of superhero; your mind thrills me, your heart warms me and your arms...well, we hang onto each other. I will always love you, Spencely-Man.

With you, I fit.

That's it for this evening, gentle readers. Hope you are gearing up for the holidays and enjoying your family. If you need me, I'll be floating in the Caribbean Sea, full of seafood and rum.

On Winter (and briefly escaping from it)

Winter in Edmonton. The sun sleeps in every morning like a hormonal teen and turns in early every day like a grouchy oldster. Even when the sun decides to show up and stay social, its efforts aren't enough to warm the dry cold air. On really cold days, the first breath is an icy shock, the frozen air catches in your lungs and brings on something close to pain. The frigid touch of the wind seems like it could freeze the moisture on the surface of your eyeballs. When you're out in its killing grip, part of you wants to lie down and just let the cold wash over you, to gently fall asleep in winter's frigid embrace. The snow falls and covers the earth like a heavy blanket, burying everything in virginal white. As the snow falls, we all rush out with shovels, scoops, and blowers to try to keep parts of our walkways free and clear of the oppressive white substance. After we shovel the refuse away, we sprinkle salt as though performing an arcane ritual to keep more of the snow from landing on our sidewalks. It's always a hard fought battle, but winter always wins in the end.

Give me some palm trees and mojitos! Eight days until K and I hit Jamaica! :)