Christmas Time Is Here Again

“Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer, fun for all that children call, their favorite time of year...Christmas time is here, we’ll be drawing near, oh that we could see always see, such spirit through the year”  Christmastime Is Here: Jars of Clay

Do you feel the chill, the crisp winter air, the smell of cinnamon and spice, the sound of crackling from the glow of the fireplace, christmas time has once again arrived.   This is our favorite time of year and christmas joy would seem to have arrived early this year as we already have the lights, tree and decorations up throughout the house.   This past month seems to have slid buy fast and as such so will the update...ready..set..go...

1. Sarah and Emily:  Soccer, soccer and more soccer, oh and volleyball still consumes much of their time.  From all accounts and kind words from coaches and parents, the girls have quickly caught up and settled into their new soccer teams and positions.  Sarah has been placed as centre forward for the last month and has blossomed into quite the play maker.  I don’t know if they track direct assists but she has set up at-least 1 goal a game and 2 the last few games.  She as speed to burn as the coach says, now all she needs to learn is that she is allowed shoot and score.  Emily, seems has been bounced around a bit more as her team likes to move the kids around and give them different perspectives of the game, but she is shining bright as a right or left midfield when not taking turns in goal.   As for volleyball both where picked to play in a large tournament to end the season off and have been getting up earlier for volleyball practice and then coming home to head off to soccer.    And yes they make sure to get their homework done as both are very bright and want to continue as honor roll students (just in case you are wondering).

2. Elaine:  First off, when you next see her reminder Elaine how good she looks as she really has taken to this new fitness routine (and in the process put me to shame at the moment).   Second if you ever want to get in touch with her or just check out what she is up to, head on over to here facebook page.  She is often on there reuniting with old friends and keeping up to date with new ones. 

3. Michael:  Biggest thing this month was the week spent in Las Vegas. Not my most favorite place in the world and outside of a few good meetings with clients, a place I’d rather forget about.  Probably the most interesting part of the trip was missing our flight on Monday night (first time I have ever missed a flight) due to changes in our scheduled departure and having to find a hotel in Seattle till our re-scheduled 6 am flight left.  NO more bookings with Expedia!  

4. NEW Music Part 1: Jars of Clay: Christmas Time.  Christmas time is here, which means it’s time to listen to some of my favorite music. I had forgotten about picking this album up last year till I was dusting off the christmas music last week.  This is just a fun christmas album, especially Jars of Clay’s take on the old Charlie Brown christmas tune, “Christmas Time is Here”.   Head on over to itunes and pick up a copy, it will bring you the warm fuzzies (is this even word?) that come with the holidays.

 5. New Music Part 2.  Hillsongs United: This is Our God.  Until last months Jars of Clay album I reviewed, it had been quite some time since a Christian artist had attracted my attention and ear.  Even though I lead worship at Southside, it has even been longer since a worship album has taken on such listening power as this one has.  I am probably the last person to have found the United worship team but there is something about both their sound and lyrics that uplifts God, stirs in me the need to sing out to Jesus and reminds me just how much music can be a tool to connected us to Him.  We picked up the DVD and CD and the DVD has found a permeant home in our player at the moment.   I’m not going to suggested any favorites this time around as all of the songs have connected within me in some way throughout the month.   Take the time to give it a listen (click on the sample to left to start) and if you can pick the DVD do so, you won’t be disappointed. 

=8-)

Fall Update (It's About Time!)

“There is a river that washes you clean. There is a tree that marks the places you’ve been. Blood that was spilled, although not your own. For all these things love will atone” - There is a River: Jars of Clay

It’s been awhile since we last came around.  During our absence life has moved along with a quickening pace as the year speeds towards its close.  This fall has brought a few significant changes to our life and schedule, yet things still remain familiar.   Since we lasted posted in July this might get a bit long winded...we apologies in advance. :-)

September, 2008

1. A Year off from Disney!!!  Well, it was bound to happened, as we came home in September from another great trip to Walt Disney World, we all turned to each other and realized that we had finally reached Disney saturation. We love going, the weather, the atmosphere, the distance from normal life back home, but it’s time for a break. Time to stretch our wings and fly off to new destinations.  A special thanks to the Greenough’s and Craig’s who came along for ride this year and made it fresh and fun.  

2. Back to School.  Quick recap...Sarah is now in GRADE 7 (Uhg) and Emily is  in GRADE 5.  12 and 10....man the years go by!  Both are excited about school this year, as they seem to have good teachers and best friends in the same class, in which to share the joys and sorrows of school.  To the girls... please remember in the midst of all the homework to have fun. 

3. SOCCER.  After years of of unrelenting requests, especially by Sarah to play soccer (which we have tried to avoid due to Sunday games), Elaine and I finally decided that we could no longer keep her from doing something she seemed so eager to be involved in.  And with that, we are now officially soccer parents.  From saturday to tuesday soccer predominates our schedule, as both girls now play for the Breakers Soccer Club.  Emily joined a great U11 house team with an excellent coach who has great patience and technique.  Sarah got thrown into a little more challenging situation joining a U13 house team with aspirations to move on up to silver next year and maybe gold the year after.  Of note,  one month in and other parents and coaches are telling us that the girls are natural athletes and seem to be picking up the game very quickly.   As for musical theater...even though Emily especially misses it, the year off will give them a chance to face new challenges. 

4. Our Boulevard is DONE!  3 Months later and the albatross that was our very large boulevard around the south side of our property has been completed.   With much help from Elaine’s brother Brian the area had new sod installed in a whirl wind 8 hours.  It has finally been transformed in a way that both fits the neighbourhood and our house, as well as being WAY EASIER to keep up.  I think the pictures to the right say it all.  (Click here for the full image story)

5. Do you like to run?  The girls do.  As if soccer where not enough, both Emily and Sarah decided that cross country running had to be conquered again this year.  Now both have been running cross country for a few years, but man are the girls now shape.  I’m not sure I could keep up with them, even half way.   They definitely have set the tone in the house and pushed Elaine and I to get in shape before forty takes hold next year.  Hey Emily and Sarah...thanks for the inspiration. 

October 2008

1. Getting in Shape.  So at the beginning of this month I had to take a business trip to Park City, Utah.  It was a great resort, similar to Whistler, with the fall colours over taking much of the surrounding hill side, very reminiscent of a Rockwell painting.   While I was away Elaine had determined that enough, was enough and that it was time ti get into shape.  By the time I had come home she had started an excellent exercise routine and determined that both of us needed to do so over the next 6 months.   So for this month’s update here is the quick and painful.  Elaine is doing much better than I am at the moment and its starting really show on her already.  As for myself, the competitive streak in me is starting to kick in and does not want to be outdone.  Maybe we should take before and after shots to keep a record of all of this.  Na...just watch the pictures over the next few months to see how the progress is going. And hey Elaine, excellent start...I am going to win though (in case you didn’t know that this was a competition) =8-)

2. Monthly Soccer update:  To date the girls have been progressing at a great pace.  They have been attending high performance training on Mondays and the skills they are learning are starting to show.  Emily has even been taking a stab at being the goalie for few 1/2 games this month.  So far her team was unlucky to have not won some of their early games, but as of this past Sunday they have finally come home with their first win.  As for Sarah, her team is on a two game winning streak and she is getting more and more comfortable   playing with her teammates.  By the way, her coach says she has wicked speed. 

3. Volleyball Anyone?  As if soccer was not enough, just as cross country ended for the year, next comes volleyball.  And with this, the girls have practices 4 times a week for volleyball on top of soccer. Now I played allot of school sports when I was young but man do these two have a taste for sport.  Oh well...at-least they are having fun (I think?).   Bye the way, in case I forgot to mention earlier, they are also finishing their swimming levels every Friday afternoon as well.  Oh to be young again. 

4. What are Elaine and I up to?...Hmm.  Well, Elaine is really enjoying working from home while getting paid very well from Telus.  It really is the best of all work situations for her.  As for Michael (me), the company will end off with its best year yet in-spite of all the economic troubles around the world.  Outside of this, there is nothing to tell as we have become the parents of all star athletes and spend our days and nights driving and shouting out support for them throughout the week. 

5. NEW MUSIC: Jars of Clay - Good Monsters.  Jars of Clay have been around for some time now.  After a number of albums moving in and out of styles and billboard success, I found this one this month.  It has a bit of the old meets new sound to it.  Head on over to iTunes and check the album out.  I especially recommend, “There is a River”, “Dead Man (Carry Me)” and “All My Tears”

Till Next Month...

=8-)

July Update

“Just when you think that you're in control, just when you think that you've got a hold, just when you get on a roll, here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again. Oh, here it goes again. I should have known, should have known, should have known again, but here it goes again. Oh, here it goes again.” (Here It Goes Again, OK GO)

Summer in Vancouver, there is no better city to live when the sun is out, the weather is warm and those long summer days and nights roll on.  With school out the girls are looking for things to keep them going, and Elaine and I begin to count the days till our holidays.  Well on with update:

1. When I was Twelve: You know I can’t remember much from when I was twelve but I know Sarah will remember her 12th birthday.  10 girls running around the house, dancing till the night was almost the morning.  All of them slept in one massive heap in the living room and looked like they had been run over by a bus in the morning.  Oh to be young and live off the adrenaline of being alive. Happy Birthday Sarah!  Let this one linger, all the nonsense of being a teenager is just around the corner. 

2. The BIG Boulevard reno:  So if you have ever been to our house you can’t miss the wreck that has been the south edge boulevard on our property.  Left to be fixed by some hapless homeowner by the original developer, this area has been the bane of our house ownership.  Weeds infested the area, protected by a million river rocks and ridiculously oversized junipers.  The fence along this area had rotted long before we came along and was falling apart in front of our eyes, leaving gaping holes for Gizmo to escape and take his revenge on the neighbours cat. SO...Elaine finally had enough and the reno has begun, to date the fence had been replaced (not a bad job by Brian and I either), the rocks and junipers have been removed, some new tress have been planted and a garden has been brought in.  We have just to place the sod and we are done (since we are leaving soon for vacation we are going to leave this part till September).  Congratulations to the next people who might own the house if we ever move, you will never know just what we went through all these years.

3. AIA Soccer Camps:  So this month amongst the various things the girls are doing to enjoy the summer is the yearly summer AIA Soccer camps.  AIA really does know how combine sports, ministry and fun for kids.  Both the girls have been having great time and Sarah currently holds the juggling record with 40 straight.  It may be time to break down and join the weekend soccer brigade.  

4. Summer fun activities: Here is the current list of summer activities that girls can not do with out.   #5 Basketball, Soccer sports in general with the neighbourhood kids, #4 Bike rides (everyday Emily can be heard asking “can we go for a bike ride”, #3 Late night bedtime *they have perfected the art of staying up as late as possible #2 Swimming, any pool will do! And the number one summer activity: Disney vacations (Emily’s is really starting to get excited about going back to WDW again next month)

5. iPhone: Just a quick shout out to the techie side of life around here. I recently got one of the new iphones and it really has been a hit in the house. The girls are constantly finding ways to get a hold of it and play around with the thing...and you know its a pretty darn good phone as well.

6. NEW MUSIC: Ok Go. This month we have Ok Go on the menu.. I found them one night rummaging around You Tube when I stumbled on to their video for “Here It Goes Again”.  Completely original, which is hard to do these days. It took me awhile to get around to getting the latest album, but I am hooked.  As always, enjoy.

=8-)

 

May/June Updat

What must through a dogs mind when he just sits and stares?

Its been awhile.  Lots of life just consuming up time and leaving little for the website. Its been too long in between post so its time for the update....

1. Anniversaries: May brought with it Elaine and my 17th year together married.  Add to that, 1 year of dating and 2 years of a lengthy engagement and we have been together now for over 20 years. And while there have been ups and downs, I wouldn’t give back any of those years.  Elaine truly is my best friend and brings out the best in me.  Here’s a toast to the last 17 years and many, many more to come.

2. HSM in May: For those wondering HSM stands for High School Musical and it is this springs musical theater that the girls are in.  We are into the home stretch of rehearsals and I think the girls are getting restless to try out more in -depth roles and styles.  At-least every Wednesday for three hours you know were to find them.  Still, being in musical theater has been a great opportunity for fun and development.  They definitely will surpass Elaine and my musical abilities as they get older. 

3. May: Performing.  If Musical theater was not enough. Emily and Sarah had this great idea to go to their first open auditions for casting directors in Vancouver.  While it didn't turn out to be all that they thought (it was a well known casting agency and school, looking for new talent, that happens to work with Disney) they got to experience the fun of waiting for hours to have their turn being interviewed and then cold reading lines in front of a camera.  Emily even got a call back for a second audition into the school (which turned out to really be the pitch for the $3000-$5000.00 per year the school would cost). It did offered great discussions about what the girls would like to tryout in terms of performing and acting.  Who knows you may be seeing them on the silver screen some time in the future.  Oh..and if acting was not enough, they decided to work on their cheerleading every Monday as well.  They just can’t get enough of the lights and stage.

4. Mother’s Day.   When you are younger you think your parents have nothing but pain and suffering in mind for you. Curfews, chores, discipline, make your bed, brush your teeth, clean your room, do your homework etc.  But you know what, Mom B and Mom T are great moms that had a thankless job raising us and survived, actually they helped us survive and truly only lavished us with love and had our best interest at heart.  Here’s to our Moms, Happy Mothers Day!...thanks for all the love and support.   And to Elaine, your are the best wife and mother going, thanks for loving us the way you do!

5. June: Track and Field 2008.  This year Emily and Sarah both made the team and the Buckingham girls represented the Don Christian Wildcats with great pride and excitement. Each were part of winning heats and even brought home some new ribbons to add to their memory boxes.  Congratulations!

6. Father’s Day: They say I’m looking like my dad more and more, and while some days I groan at the suggestion, I have a great father. There have been lots of bridges to cross together and lots of water to run under those bridges but he has always been there.  Much of who I am is because of him, so heres to you Dad, Happy Father Day!  (This is also in memory of Don, Elaine dad, who left us to soon...we will see you again soon)

7. June - HSM Part 2:  The girls finally performed High School musical this month. I try not to be a “homer” parent, but the girls are really developing as performers.  Elaine and I love watching them on stage, and they really are some of the best out there.  Great Job Sarah and Emily... your ‘Tony’ awaits you!

8. More Gushing....School is now done and Elaine and I are the proud parents of two ‘full year’ (all three grading terms) Honor Role students.  Sarah also was given an award for athleticism. The best complements/awards as well have come from the Principle who says she thinks very highly of the girls and Sarah’s teacher who told us at the HSM performance that the grade 7 teachers were fighting over which one was going to have Sarah in their class.  Great job Sarah and Emily, your mom and I our extremely proud of you!

9. NEW MUSIC: COLDPLAY!  They took their time but Coldplay’s new album is out and frankly it’s the best they've done.  I wasn’t sure they would pull off toping X&Y but VIVA La VIDA is a superb album and a must have for any music lover. 

Till next month....

=8-)

March Update

“Any Time, Any Day, You Can Hear The People Say, That Love Is Blind, Well, I Don't Know, But I Say Love Is Kind” Listen to What the Man Said - Paul McCartney 

“Well, the rain exploded with a mighty crash as we fell into the sun, And the first one said to the second one there I hope you’re having fun. Band on the run, band on the run. And the jailer man and sailor sam were searching every one” Band on the Run - Paul McCartney

I grew up listening to my Dad’s favorite songs as a kid. I remember many days traveling in his Ford pick-up listening to Jan and Dean, the Beach Boys and the Beatles. I guess as time went on I adopted his same affection for Paul McCartney’s solo music as each of the Beatles struck out on their own.  Over the years, I’ve remained steadfast in my resolve that Paul’s always got the raw shaft from Beatles fans and critics who thought more highly of John Leanon and George Harison.  And thanks to iTunes carrying all of his albums (solo and with wings) digitally remastered, he sounds even better. Anyways, this months update is accompanied by a couple of Paul’s video and songs. Good Stuff.  

Well time to get to the update:

1. The winter that will never end! If you live in Canada then you have experienced the craziest, longest winter that I can remember.  It snows, it rains, it hails, in rains some more and then just when you think that March is almost over it snows some more.  UHG!  Even as a skiing family this winter has gotten to us and I once again long for warm temperatures and sunning locations.  Which leads me to our next topic...

2. California.  This spring break we had thought of planning all sorts of trips. The girls school district decided to take a full 2 weeks off so it gave us allot of options.  Once spring break came, we had decided to keep our late summer/September 2 week vacation which shorten the time we had together as a family this spring.  Then by the time Elaine and my spring break vacation started, we had intended to go to Victoria and spend some time on Vancouver Island.  However...the weather was going to be awful... i.e. snow! Next thing you know we gathered up the family, packed up our Escape and drove down to California again to spend time in the sun and heat.  What a great trip!  Once we made it through the rain of Washington state and reached southern Oregon the sun came out and and the joy of a last minute road trip took over.  We found a great place to stay over night outside of Stockton in California, enjoyed some of the California scenery and survived the traffic of LA.  No Buckingham Family trip would be complete without a trip to a Disney park and even though we spend each September in Disney World, Disneyland still has a captivating atmosphere.  

We then spent a day in Hunting Beach. What a great place. Laid back, sunny, warm, surfing, great beaches, great restaurants...we had a great time together, even renting a 4 person bike/carriage and riding it down the beach walk way towards to Newport Beach.  Eventually we spent a few hours in Newport and laid on sand and soaked up some more California sun.   They day wet our appetite for more of the area, and we have already begun working on staying for a much longer time next  year.   

After a few more days in Anaheim it was time to head back home.  Lots of great time together as a family.  No fighting amongst the girls, parents getting along, kids and parents getting along and having fun together.  The temperature stayed above 75 all week with not a cloud in the sky. A great trip to remember.

Bye the way, we called back home and sure enough, it was snowing and below 0.  Viva la road trip!

Well thats the highlights for this month.  Look for Elaine to finally add her thoughts to the blog by next month.

Till next time...

=8-)

February Update

“We could make this into anything. We could make this into more than words we speak. This could make us into anything. It could make us grow and become what we'll be.” What you Thought You Need - Jack Johnson

February is almost over...uhhhh...the sweet smell of spring will soon arrive. The skiing has been great but its time once again for the sun to shine on out,  otherwise we will need to add an annual spring pilgrimage to warmer weather down south (we already have become earlier adopters of the snow bird mentality having begun an annual end of summer pilgrimage to Florida for its sun and warm temperatures).

Here’s what’s been going on...

1. Skiing: Didn’t we start with this last time? Every friday night this month we have ventured up to Seymour Mountain to ski with Sarah’s class.  There was one night when the sky just cleared up and stars shown against the backdrop of the Vancouver sky line and its incredible array of lights.   It was a spectacle that will be hard to beat this ski season.  To add to the night, the snow was incredible or as one of Sarah’s teachers said, “it was Hero snow” (meaning everyone was looking like they were the best skier in Vancouver and the stories of the night would be told for years to come). As for the girls, look for them at the Olympics in 2020. Sarah is becoming a great technical skier and Emily is a kamikaze down hill skier with a penchant for looking for jumps to fly off of. 

2. Lets all stay home! Seems as though we will soon add one more office to the house shortly as Elaine has become a candidate for Telus’s ‘work from home’ program.  If the next round of interviews go well she will no longer have to make the 1- 1 1/2 hour drive to work (thats each way).  I’m not sure if we work from home or if we live at work, with both her and my office soon to be taking up the house...hmmmm.  It is however, even more reason to be thankful for the home we have been blessed with as there is room enough for all.

3. BC Home Show: I just finished 7 days and nights of the BC Home Show.  The place is huge, and was full of home and garden ideas. In the midst of all of this was Coverstar Canada (is case I have not explained it, this is the company I’m an owner in and takes up the lower half of our house for its office).  We all were amazed at the response to our booth and our products.  It definitely helped raise the awareness of our safety covers and get our season off to a great start.  Now its home for a fews days and then off to Toronto to do the same thing. Hopefully spring break will come soon and warmer weather can fill the lungs (i.e, the spring pilgrimage down south..see above). 

4. Basketball: In Sarah’s never ending quest to conquer all the sports her school competes in, she joined the Basketball team this year.  After some pretty bad loses at the hands of larger schools with bigger kids, her team came in second in the final play day (Elementary school playoffs). Go Don Christian Elementary! As for Sarah she ended off the season learning how to be a scoring point guard...maybe the summer olympics are passibility....hmmmm.

5. New Music: This month it’s Jack Johnson. Got hooked on his music a couple of years ago. This new album is a little more subdued at times, even for Jack. But there’s enough good stuff to give it a listen.

Talk to you again next month,

=8-)

January 2008 Update!

“I’ve been given this one world, I won’t worry it away, but now and again I lose sight of the good life, I get stuck in a low light, but then Love comes in” Many the Miles - Sara Bareilles

Have no fear for giving in, Have no fear for getting older, You better know that in the end its better to say to much, Than to never to say what you need to say again...Say what you need to say” Say - John Mayer

Hello again.  A new year, another chance to breath again, to live again, a chance to see the sunrises & sunsets yet to come and make new memories that will carry us through the years ahead.  Here’s what we’ve been up to as we enter into 2008:

1. Skiing, the new family passion!! Well expect for one =8-P.  I got the girls on the mountains a few times last year and they took to it immediately. This year with some new equipment for me and year under the girls ‘belts’, on many weekends you will find us up at Seymour or Hemlock Valley working on our carving or face plants, depending on the day.  It may be gray and dreary down in the valley of Vancouver were we live, but all that goes away with a great day of skiing only minutes away. Vancouver has once again become a great place to live in my mind. 

2. High School Musical. I guess each generation has their cheesy movie/musical so I should not be surprised by the girls love-affair with these movies, but I just don’t see what all the fuss is about. Never-the-less, Emily and Sarah have once again embarked an another season of musical theater, this time in...as you must have guessed by now...High School Musical.  Acting rehearsals once a week, dance rehearsals once a week and five months of preparation should turn them into High School Musical drama queens. As they say in the biz..’break a leg’ girls.

3. Houses.  You love your house when you first buy it, it’s shinny and new (at least to you). You dream up all sorts of ways to personalize it and ‘fix it up’ so it represents your own personality.  What they forget to remind you is that houses are temperamental and once in awhile they decide to just...fall apart. In our case, much of the back fence has decided to call it day, the fridge and dishwasher last fall called in sick one day and then never showed back up to work. The stove just before christmas though it needed a holiday and figured christmas was the best time to take one.  The sky light in our hallway, thought it could fly and proceeded to take a nose drive off the roof one rainy November day..thankfully a very kind hearted friend (Stacey B.) came over and installed the sky light back into place; turns out someone forgot to screw the thing in when they built the house, I mean, who really screws things like that in nowadays, thats old school thinking.  Oh well, enough ranting...we really are very grateful for having a chance to own a house again after the condo fiasco a fews years back (I’ll save that story for another day). We actually were glad to spend some time fixing up the house, even finally got around to painting much of the upstairs and its finally starting to feel like our house.  Come on over when you get a chance, the house may be a grump but the rest of us are more than happy to have friends come by.

4. New Music: Sara Bareilles...great chorus, arrangements and voice.  Pop  music done right.  The whole album is good.  Stick around for a few minutes and take a listen to the whole song, “Many the Miles”...then go buy the album. For $7.99 on iTunes its a bargain.

Talk to you again next month,

=8-)