LyallFamily.com

Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year 2012!

CHRISTMAS 2011 This maybe the last edition of the “Reality News” Our children have grown up and are no longer as funny or entertaining as they once were. If they choose to answer our phone calls (who said caller ID was a good thing?) we cannot even tell if they truly have someone at the door, another call coming in or really need to go to the bathroom. We do enjoy the calls on Skype when they want to share a peek at a recent purchase or a meal creation...which may look delicious but then who can tell from just looking?!?! Truth be known we actually miss them, however as this is information they COULD and likely WOULD use against us, please just keep this comment to yourselves. The response to the “Save the Parents Fund” (SAP fund) was so under-whelming that we have been forced to move in with Noreen’s parents here in Mesa. Our sentence here is up in April when we will be released to migrate back to Medicine Hat. Six months of home arrest for good behaviour. Our trip down here was more leisurely than usual. We stopped at Arches National Park (Utah) that has magnificent views and interesting hiking trails. Our newly acquired Saga 250 scooter, which when trailered behind the 1987 Itasca Motorhome, made viewing of the scenery an open-air experience. Travelling at 30mph or 50km is a perfect speed for this type of transportation (Noreen’s opinion!). We also made a stop at Canyon de Chelly, a huge, remote canyon, where the US Cavalry finally rounded up the Navajo and sent them to Oklahoma. And we drove through the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest area of Arizona; a place Kirk Cervi and I visited 40 years ago. After Christmas we are going to Florida on money still left over from when we gave up our seats, in London, on the way back from Africa. We will see, among other things, the Kennedy Space Center, Epcot, the Everglades, and the Florida Keys. Richard has left the restaurant business and is now working for a lawn servicing company. They primarily hang Christmas lights and remove snow in the winter. He has had good results with an ablation treatment on his back (needles that cauterize the nerve endings and make the back numb). The doctor has given him the green light to try all of his former activities and he is now back snowboarding, skateboarding etc. Alec has quit his job of almost four years (with our blessing). The company had some really bad management problems and it was best for him to get out. He moved to Calgary and has been staying a Nana and Papa’s house but maybe off to Grande Cache, Alberta to run a crane at an open-pit coalmine. He will find out after Christmas. Well….That’s All Folks! We hope you all take care and have a great 2012. Don and Noreen (Formally known as those two poor saps)

2011 Christmas

Richard and Alec spotted this Poster of Russell at Superstition Mall in Mesa

Christmas 2010 in Kenya

Barrett Jackson

Visit from Kenya February

Patricia, Valerie, Christian, Hazzarriann-Starr and Charlotte February

Las Vegas In Front of Noreen's Lounge!

Las Vegas Rugby Shirts for Everyone

Kenya Team Members!

Christian Our Youngest and Best Rugby Player

Mom Escaped from CareWest for Her 65th Anniversary From The Calgary General Hospital

Howard Wishing NurseClare 60Years and NurseNorma 65Years a Happy CGH Banquet

Jack Bogacz Visited us in Havre, Montana Northern Montana College in the background

Lyall Lads

Noreen and Her Boys

Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year 2011!

2nd Decade of 21st Century Begins

Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year 2010!--FOR THOSE WHO MISSED

REALITY SETS IN

After years of faking it as responsible, caring parents, we have been exposed for what we are! As a result, we have been forced into exile at 331 South 72 Place Mesa, Arizona 85208.... phone (480) 396 3845. We are taking parenting lessons from Noreen's mom and dad and sweating it out in endless days of blue skies and sunshine. Of course, this is not easy and we must sacrifice snow shoveling and haggling with our renters until we have finished our rehab on March 1st, 2010.

Pity poor Richard who, in spite of his poor upbringing, will be 22 in March. He is surviving by living at Nana and Papa's house and working at Earls' and the Uptown Theatre. A nerve block is still to be done on his spine. Hopefully he will be well enough to go back to school next fall.

Imagine Alec , at only 19, saddled with the responsibility of looking after the parents' home and dealing with the rental property and maintenance and the unpredictable renters. Most days he is completing his crane operator apprenticeship. Alec heads back toFort McMurray in March.

As or us we are languishing here trying to exercise, golf, read, hike, shop, go to movies, volunteer and look for other activities as we serve out our sentence.

You may or may not know that when we finish our time we will just be released with our personal possessions and a map. Consequently we need help driving home. PLEASE send any contributions to the SAVE THE PARENTS FUND attention Rehab Grads c/o the aforementioned Arizona Territorial Prison and Rehab Centre. Cheques (checks), cash , money orders, Visa, M/C and PayPal accepted.

Highlights for 2009 A trip to Mombasa, Kenya Africa to witness the birth of Christian Gakibe Moore Livingstone on June 14th and the marriage of his parents Charlotte to Hazzarriann-Starr.

Oh yes, Merry Christmas and Happy 2010

Mombasa 2009 Noreen and Don

Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year 2009!

For those of you who may have been confused by our humour in past years, here are some ”humourless” thoughts for 2008.

We are going to send some of these letters via the internet just like those people who are “connected”….some, of course, will receive this by the method we all know and “understand”.

Noreen and I continue to look after our rental property and, now that we have turfed out the drug dealers and repaired the holes in the walls, things are pretty good! We both volunteer at the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre where we are usually ushers but have done everything from loading in the shows, selling merchandise and running the spot lights. This year was also the Alberta Summer Games in Medicine Hat and we were the co-chairs of the Cultural Committee. The Games took place in August and were a big success. We had our last meeting (four years of meetings and planning is about three years too many!) and got to dole out the almost $500,000 left. The money will go to schools and sports teams throughout the city.

The year started off with our involvement in “Nunsensations – The Las Vegas Revue”. This was the latest in the series of Nunsense Shows that follow the crazy exploits of a group of nuns. Noreen was the choreographer and I was the backstage help and the sleazy announcer.

We had two great vacations courtesy of Barbara (Noreen’s cousin) and her husband Alan in Panorama for a winter get-a-way and then in the summer at Arrow Lake. Both were wonderful fun and we really enjoyed ourselves.

Richard had another tough year. He started college in January but after six weeks he had to withdraw as he broke his back just above the fusion. He ended up in a body cast, spent several weeks in the hospital, and recovered enough to start at MHC this fall. He has to have some spinal block injections sometime soon and this will, hopefully, help him with the pain in his lower back and legs. On a positive note, Richard is on the Students’ Association and is back working at Earl’s Restaurant as a waiter.

Alec graduated in June, however, in January he started working every afternoon at a local crane and hoisting company. Through his school, he was participating in a the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) and his time at work 4 hours/day was used as credit towards his high school diploma. He now has a full-time position and will go to school and work until he finishes this three year apprenticeship program. Alec (with a loan from the parents) bought a little Chevy truck and, between paying us back and keeping it on the road, his bank account seems to always be close to zero.

One big trip for us this year was a two month vacation from late September 20th to November 9th . We left the house and collecting the rent to Richard and Alec and nervously headed out to Vancouver Island. Here we had a great time visiting with Noreen’s relatives in Nanaimo, Courtney, Sidney, Metchosin and Victoria. It was all very interesting and even drove out to Tofino and Ucluelet. After the Island, we went back to Vancouver and Richmond and visited with my relatives and some more of Noreen’s before heading to the US. We visited and stayed with friends and relatives in Oregon and California before heading over to Mesa and getting Noreen’s Mom and Dad’s winter place set up. Noreen’s brother Hazzarriann and his girlfriend, Charlotte arrived from Kenya and we then drove to the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego and back to Mesa. Mom and Dad arrived on the 31th, Hazzarriann and Charlotte left the 4th and we headed home on the 6th. We had a great time and really enjoyed catching up with all the friends and relatives along the way….thank you!!!!!

For those of you who haven’t heard, Noreen’s second cousin, Joyce (Joy) Rose died in October. She was born with severe cerebral palsy and when her dad died in 1978 she moved into Sherbrooke Community Centre in Saskatoon. Joy was 80 when she died and was suffering with a large melanoma on her back. She probably was the longest surviving person in Canada with her level of Cerebral Palsy.

2008 QUOTES (Just couldn’t resist some REALITY NEWS)

Richard – “Do you know how expensive cheese is?”……. “Can I use your truck?”

Alec – “You are coming home WHEN? We have run out of milk and cheese! Please come home sooner.”

Noreen– “So sad (not!) to hear about the milk and cheese…. Ever thought of trying BEER on your cereal?!?!”

Don – “No, you cannot have our truck to drive just ‘cause you need gas!”

We are sure you are all wondering how our adult sons survived without their parents for 8 long weeks. We understand that extra people were a constant around #64 and the fridge was bare. Although milk was scarce, the bottles returned for recycle money produced a sizeable amount of cash. When we arrived home we were relieved to see our house was on the same side of the street (Noreen’s cousin said, consider yourselves lucky if your house is on the same side of the street when you get home!) The house was surprisingly tidy and most things still worked! Now we can report that the usual body count, when the lights go out each night, is 4 and there is plenty on milk and cheese for ALL!! None of us are looking forward to separation in the near future and it is great to be HOME!!

From all of us here we hope you have a great holiday season and terrific 2009.

Picture taken in May at Alec’ Graduation. MacKenzie Porter started kindergarten with Alec at Irvine … they attended Gr 9 grad together and agreed that they would go to High School Grad 2008 Richard Don Noreen MacKenzie Alec Norma Howard

 

Ready for the Playoffs

Go Stamps Go!

Mr. Big

Kenya Fashion

Church Fashion