It's been quite a bit of time since I last logged an entry. I'll make no appologies as I simply had better things to be doing. Since my last entry, Christmas and New Years have come and gone and I enjoyed them both very much. Mostly, the time between these significant dates was spent working site-sales at the ROM, and the days immediately surrounding those dates were spent in Peterborough visiting my mother and as it happens, my cat. I haven't had a lot of time to relax. Christmas Eve saw Mom and I driving back and forth, to and from, Toronto where we'd spent several hours visiting with Julie and Jerzy. There was a lovely white Christmas through out southern Ontario for the 25th and Mom and I enjoyed visiting with friends that night. Boxing Day was hardly a time to relax and visit friends as it was once meant, rather, I spent most of the day bent over Tracy's commission. It came out wonderfully, by the way, with only a couple minor suggestions each from Mom and Ray.

There was a delicious dinner at Rick's parents' in Stoney Creek on the 28th, which was partially a belated Christmas dinner for me, and also a day-late birthday dinner for Rick. That was a great deal of fun, though I recall that I was incredibly tired for it. At some point, I met author Margaret Atwood when she came into the ROM and I was pleased that she was very gracious. Sure, she can't read her own work and she's a bit overdone, but the contribution she's made to international literature is enormous. I hosted a small do for New Year's Eve on... yep, the 31st, to which Al and Carrie, Kerri and Mark, Rick, and Richie all came. That was nice. It was a pot luck dinner and it was so well timed that we hardly stopped eating from around 7pm until nearly midnight ! It was nice hosting an adult soiree. I felt very grown up. Of course, that was a short-lived sensation and then spent the 1st dressed in my nightgown and housecoat for the entire day.

Here are my Top Five of gifts that I received (just for the heck of it):
5 - Chanel No5
4 - Lion and Mouse mechanical toy
3 - "The Nabes" (a book)
2 - a very gorgeous watch by Fossil
and finally, being the best present of all...
1 - Beast feet slippers ! (big tiger paws)

Even better was the fact that I put presents under Rick's tree that he didn't notice until I told him about them and then didn't get to open them until the 26th. Gina and Nicole loved the jewellery that I sent them and I am the most happy about how much Mom adores the necklace that I gave her. She deserved it, too, for all the support. Eventually I'll pay her back for all the money she's given me over the last couple of years, too.

To everyone else, I hope that 2003 is a year of health, happiness, and, God willing... Peace.