Welcome To The
Julie Kingstone & Keenan Wellar
Post-Wedding Website
Continuing From August 25, 2001
The following is a journal, in reverse chronological order, of a year in the life of Keenan and Julie, following their wedding ceremony of August 25, 2001. You can also visit the wedding website, one year anniversary website, and the journal for 2002-2003.
Sunday, August 25
The camping trip at Christie Lake was a resounding success, but certainly a bit tiring. Along with Dale we played guitar and sang at the campfire, which we had never done together before. It was a big group (18 adult participants, 7 staff/volunteers) which was a good thing in many ways, as there were lots of people doing different things all at the same time. As for the rest of the week, you can read about it in our special One Year Anniversary website!. This is also going to be the last entry for this rather large web page! We will continue with a new journal for 2002-2003.
It's been a pretty amazing year, to say the least. We helped to launch Heartwood House, Julie finished her degree, all of the SMILE staff were replaced by Fran and Dale (a great success thus far!), we took up kayaking and completed more than 20 outings, we got a newly renovated kitchen, and things are just going well in general. We've also been spending more time with friends and having more of the weekends to ourselves. Hopefully there will be more of the same for 2002-2003! Thanks for sharing the past year with us.
Sunday, August 11/18
Well, the summer learning program is over at last, we are off to the SMILE camping trip for three days, and then we actually get to take a real vacation!
Although it is a very tiring schedule for everyone, the summer program went extremely well. It ended with a special thank you lunch at MBNA on Thursday, and then some boating on the Rideau on Friday.
The weekend of the 11th we went tent camping at Silver Lake with Dale and Elaine. Although the camping area is thick with people and the lake is not very exciting, we had a great time cooking, eating, playing guitar, and goofing around.
The weekend of the 18th we tried out another stretch of the Bonnechere. It was a lot of hard work due to numerous sets of shallow rapids, but we had a lot of fun. We each took a turn almost capsizing during the difficult process of getting in and out at each set of rapids.
We also went to the movies to see the new Eastwood film, Bloodwork, which was pretty good, we would recommend it as a rental as the big screen doesn't necessarily add a whole lot. The story is more important than the special effects.
On the 17th we finally got together with Sean and Chantale. They are going to rereaa baby in February! We saw their lovely new home in Aylmer, and went for an awesome Thai dinner at the Siam on Wellington.
Sunday, August 4
Yet another busy week (this is getting VERY redundant, isn't it?) and another great kayaking trip on Saturday.
After driving over the Bonnechere River many times on Highway 17, we came up with the idea of checking it out from a closer position - on the water. But it wasn't easy! The river is in a valley, and it is almost impossible to explore it in the section between Renfrew and the Ottawa River. Thanks to a tip from a member of the ott.rec.canoe-kayak newsgroup we found a strange launch site behind a water treatment plant in Renfrew. It doesn't sound too nice, but the river was fantastic! We didn't see any other human beings all afternoon, but we saw vultures, hawks, otters, blue herons, and all sorts of interesting landscape, not to mention the river itself, which had many small sets of rapids and more twists and turns than a coiled spring. Of course, the entire adventure is recounted as "Journey 17" at www.gokayaking.ca.
We had David, Christina, and Meredith over for dinner. Julie cooked up a variety of appetizer-style courses which went along with some red sangria. It all went down rather nicely and everyone was stuffed. Meredith is on the verge of many great things...crawling and talking are clearly just days away! But she has been able to play ball now for about a month, which Keenan found rather fascinating. Unfortunately the house was very warm and it was not very comfortable for the baby or the rest of us. Time to consider air conditioning!
Cleaning up the house in anticipation of their arrival was also a great process, as we finally painted the frame on our new kitchen window and we put up the beautiful painting by Kae McColl that we purchased from the Heartwood Gallery, and reorganized the living room a little. We are giving serious consideration to moving the laundry up to the spare room near the bedroom. There is a ton of space downstairs and we have to figure out what to do with that, but it's a nice problem to have.
We helped Fran with purchasing a car! It's a really nice light reddish Golf. It was a bit of an ordeal for her dealing with the used car salesmen, but with a final assist from Dale, everything got done and it seems to be great.
We are going camping with Elaine and Dale this weekend, so we were off buying a few supplies. We scored big with a 50% off sale at Sears after trekking around to various Canadian Tire stores where everything was sold out.
The summer is sure fading fast!
We got back the pictures from Glen's wedding. Click here to see one of them. Keenan's mom also found a very old picture (1985) of Keenan and Glen playing with the neighbour's dogs on Ridley.
Speaking of hilarious photos, mom Wellar also dug up this one of Keenan and Sean after their high school graduation party. We just got the news that Sean and his wife are having a baby! We will get together with them when we get a chance and celebrate.
Sunday, July 28
Well, it happened again. The week FLEW by.
We certainly remember Thursday night. The Renegades won a thrilling 38-37 victory over Hamilton. We had a great time with dad Kingstone, and we all nearly shouted ourselves horse! We saw Kevin and Christine at the game which was also nice, they seem to be doing very well.
Oh, and it was Keenan's birthday on Wednesday. As usual he took a low key approach, but could not fully avoid having the day celebrated. He also picked up some very nice presents, including a monocular (for viewing wildlife while kayaking) from mom and dad Kingstone, and a water-resistant camera from mom and dad Wellar for taking pictures while kayaking without fear of ruining the camera and film. We had a nice dinner at the Singapore with the Wellars.
On Saturday we had a marvelous kayaking trip on the Muskrat River near Cobden. The entire adventure is of course catalogued on the gokayaking.ca website!
Saturday night we had a great dinner and a game of croquet at the Kingstone's with family friend John. Sunday was mostly a day of rest, and much deserved.
We have been very busy at work. It's a challenging schedule that can be both mentally and physically challenging, but it is certainly working well for the clients, and that's what it is all about.
Sunday, July 14/21
Wow, these two weeks flew by!
So what happened...well, work is very busy but quite fun, every day is different. One day you are all dressed up to support work experience at MBNA and then the next day you are canoeing and swimming.
One lousy thing that happened is someone stole Dale's laptop computer from the office. Insurance will cover a bit of it, but everyone feels awful about it.
We had a great time at the second home game for the Renegades, they beat the mighty Winnipeg Blue Bombers 25-24 in a thrilling contest that went down to the last second. They got destroyed by the same team in Winnipeg a week later, but we are really look forward to the next home game against Hamilton.
We've been getting out a lot and visiting friends and family. David and Christina made us a rib feast that was unbelievably good. We played croquet with mom/dad Kingstone at their place with the set we got them for Christmas, and it was really fun.
We have continued our frequent kayaking trips, we had one rather nasty one on the South Nation River, a short one on the Rideau, and a long but fun trip on the Mississippi. We saw what we believed to be two gyrfalcons on the Mississippi excursion, which would be somewhat of a rare sighting in the area. Keenan almost fell out of his kayak when he almost bumped into a huge snapping turtle near the surface of the water. Julie got her first kayaking injuries, two on the same day. The first one came from climbing over a fallen tree looking for a portage route, and the second came from slipping on some rocks when exiting the water. She's fine though! All of the trips are documented at www.gokayaking.ca.
Sunday, July 7
We went off to see another movie this week. It was so hot and humid when we got home from a long day at work on Wednesday, we decided to get some dinner and then just head out to Silver City and pick something (usually we are pretty particular). We were going to see Men In Black II, but decided at the last minute that it would make a better rental some day. So, we ended up at Bourne Identity, which was somewhat predictable but nevertheless a thumbs up from both of us.
All sorts of great stuff is happening at work. The Against The Grain workshop is really moving now. Dale has three major pieces of equipment in place thanks to grants and contributions from the Community Foundation of Ottawa, MBNA, and Ronald McDonald Children's Charities. We are still waiting for a contribution from Trillium that might come in September. The summer program will start tomorrow, and we will all have very busy schedules, but it should be fun doing something different almost every day.
The Renegades lost a tough on in Edmonton, they were actually well in the lead after one half, but Edmonton pulled it together and scored a pile of unanswered points in the second half. But the team still looks good, if only they can put a win on the board next week, the fan support should keep building. Keenan had a nother letter in the Sun, this time congratulating the team for making a number of improvements.
We had a great weekend of kayaking. Friday we hit the Rideau and revisited the base of the rapids at Carleton U, which were nothing much, since the water has dropped two feet. We blasted there and back from Thompson's Landing in less than an hour.
Saturday was a fantastic afternoon on the Clyde River. We got in at a little beach in Lanark and paddled up to Clydesville and back. You turn around when you get to the base of Drummond's Rapids, which are very pretty, and a nice reward at the half-way point of the trip. We also saw two adult loons and a loon chick, which is somewhat of a rarity, as the loon population is going down in most areas. It was great to see, and a lot of fun, because the male loon kept trying to get us to follow him in order to protect the baby. We tried our best to pass by without causing too much trouble for them. We did the 8km trip in something like two and a half hours, which was some pretty strong paddling.
Saturday night we were out at the Kingstone's for a great dinner and a hilarious game of croquet. They have enough room to set it up in a very official fashion. Keenan won rather easily, Trisha was the surprise second place, as she had never played before, where as Julie and David both played with reckless abandon and went down swinging.
Sunday we spent some time cleaning up the house (we didn't really make a dent) and then went to Petrie Island for our third kayaking trip of the weekend. We had a wonderful time, particularly in a marshy bay where we were surrounded by four great blue herons, and a curious beaver. The uninspiring part of the trip came when we headed back via the main section of the Ottawa River, which was loaded with powerboating idiots.
A great weekend. We are both starting to feel changes to our bodies from our kayaking routine. For more stories be sure to see the updates at www.gokayaking.ca!
Sunday, June 30
On Tuesday night we managed to get out to the movies to see Minority Report. We tried to go to Silver City but it was sold out, so we went all the way out to Orleans, where we were first in line for the 9:45 show. It was a very entertaining movie to say the least!
Thursday night we had our last board meeting for the year at Capone's in the west end. It looks like everyone will be returning for next year, which would be great, and leaves just one vacancy to fill for the September AGM.
Friday night was the first regular season game for the Renegades. What a spectacular night! Although Ottawa lost in overtime, it was a pretty amazing showing for a brand new team in their first game. Julie was more than amused by the father and son sitting to her immediate left. The dad was a francophone who was gleefully shouting "South side suck[s]" throughout the game.
Keenan was so excited to be back watching football in Ottawa that the NewRO picked him out of the stands and put him on the late news. We didn't see it, but apparently he looked the part at the point where the reporter said "you jumped out of your seat just like a little kid!"
Saturday the big day was finally here...Keenan's Seaward Navigator kayak was ready for pick-up from Frontenac Outfitters. We arrived just after noon, and it took about an hour to get moving, but the time included the installation of a compass on the front deck.
We decided to test it out right away. For the whole kayaking story see Marvelous Marsh. It was a beautiful day, and we will probably be back.
Sunday we had a fun day of shopping at the Apple Saddlery summer sale. We got some really good quality shoes and clothing at great prices. We had just enough time to get down to Britiannia for a sunset kayaking cruise. For more about it, see The Mighty Ottawa.
Sunday, June 23
This week's activities were overshadowed by the weekend's excitement. To catch up on all the action, you can use these links:
Sunday, June 16
By Thursday we had been working for 11 straight days, so it goes without saying we were a little bit tired. Thursday night was the first Ottawa Renegades game, and although it was pre-season, about 19,000 people showed up, including the two of us and Julie's dad, thanks to our season tickets. It was a fun night and the team looks pretty good, although we all found that the speaker system was rather loud. Hopefully they will fix it by the next game. Keenan is trying to make sure, he had a letter published in the Ottawa Sun.
Friday night we went out the Kingstone's to visit with Peter who was in town with two friends, we celebrated his birthday as well as father's day.
Saturday night we were at the wedding of Keenan's old friend Glen. It was a nice little ceremony and dinner above the Courtyard Restaurant. They look very happy together, and we hope to see them in the future, as Keenan had lost touch with Glen for the most part in recent years.
Sunday it was over to the Wellar household for a father's day brunch.
The big disappointment of the week was that Keenan's kayak did not arrive as scheduled. We are both getting more than a little crabby about it, so it had better be on time this week!
Sunday, June 9
Well, it was Dale's first week on the job, and it seems we have a pretty amazing team. I think we will all help to make each other better, which is ideal.
Friday night was the end of Journeys and SMILE@NIGHT for 2001-2002. Keenan was out with SMILE at Thunderbird again, while Julie was with Journeys for ice cream on the market.
Most of the non-client time during the week was spent preparing for Visioning Day on Saturday, and it really paid off. It was an excellent day. Julie led the discussion about housing with the parent group with Keenan assisting and Dale recording on video. Basically, we now have a mandate to start pursuing a housing project. A huge proposition, but hey, who wants to bored?
Sunday was the Summer Blast-Off BBQ at the Harris household. Another beautiful day, and a great time. Keenan was the cannonball contest, narrowly defeating Cooper.
Sunday, June 2
Summer finally arrived this week. This is always a restless time of year at LWP. The normal routines don't seem to hold up, and even more improvisation is required than usual. It has been a lot better with Fran around. It makes a big difference having another competent person in the environment. And Dale will be starting on Monday!
Julie spent a lot of time tying up loose ends from the golf tournament, which raised almost $5000. We are are both putting some effort into preparing for Visioning Day next Saturday. "Housing" is going to be a big topic this year, and it should be an interesting discussion.
It was an unbelievably active weekend. Friday night Keenan was with JOURNEYS at the Thunderbird golf and go-karts, while Julie was with SMILE@NIGHT for a pot luck at Pennie's. We all got together after at Pennie's house with Colin, Cyndi, Fran, Bob, Wendy, and Jen.
We had a bit of an unusual Saturday, mainly because we were up before 9:00. We went out in support of the Walk for Humanity, which benefits Habitat for Humanity. Wendy and Bob were two of the main organizers, so it felt good to take part. We did the 10k which we walked with Fran and a friend that she brought with her. It was fun, although we both felt a bit sick after eating a hamburger from the barbecue afterwards.
We worked off that food by taking on the remains of our backyard cedar hedge. Yes, I mean stump removal. There were about 20 of them, and it was not easy. We used a combination of digging and prying with tools (breaking one spade) as well as various pulling and pushing motions with out bodies. This included balancing on the stumps at an angle to leverage them out of the ground. We got cleaned up just in time to meet David and Christina, and we went to a restaurant called Baton Rouge in Kanata. The dinner was very good, excellent ribs, and a nice comfortable atmosphere. We went back to their place and watched the movie Singles and had a few drinks before calling it a night.
Sunday we were back doing yard work. We did some cleaning up and then headed out to Ritchie Feed & Seed. We bought five large purple lilacs as a starting point for constructing our new hedge. We also picked up some annuals to plant in the front. It was a big chore digging the holes for the lilacs, but it went well. Mr. Luck, the neighbour who shares the back yard, came out to chat and seems very happy with the plans for the new hedge. After the lilacs were in and the front was done, we decided to go to Home Depot (because it was still open) to pick up some other plants to go in between. We ended up with some Dogwood trees and two Burning Bush. It should be really nice when it's all grown up! While Julie did the planting, Keenan got out the chainsaw to cut all the stumps off the cedars. This was another big job, but the leftovers will make for a pretty decent pile of firewood.
Sunday, May 26th
The day after the golf tournament. Whew. Keenan is suffering from a bit of sunstroke, and Julie is just plain tired. It was a pretty wonderful day. No idea how much was raised just yet, because the money came in from a variety of sources, but as far as large events go, it was pretty smooth. No major problems whatsoever. Cyndi did a fantastic job with getting prizes and most of the golfers too. Jen came out to process the registrations, and Fran and Wendy were out on the contest holes with Jenny and John collecting money. It must have been a long day, but as usual, no complaints.
We actually got to play golf too, with Elaine and Dale, who made some awesome plaques for all the prize winners. We didn't have the greatest team score, but Julie and Keenan both came in third on the longest drive contest, female and male versions.
The rest of the week is a bit fuzzy right now. A feature about LWP appeared on the NewRO on the Friday evening news at 6:30. Cyndi put it together through a series of interviews on Thursday, and it is definitely the best piece that has ever been done. It was about 2 minutes, but it really captured the essence of things.
On the home front, some more progess has been made. The TV and stero system are in the new built-in entertainment unit that faces out from the kitchen, and although it took a bit of getting used to, it really opens up the space and we like it a lot. We still have to try to find time to work on the hallway and entry, but it will eventually get done.
Sunday, May 19th
It was a productive week at the office. Julie finished a proposal to the Trillium Foundation for money to fix up Against The Grain (that's the future name of the woodworking shop). Keenan and Fran and several clients cleaned out our vacant room on the top floor, and it will soon be time to get it set up for the summer learning program.
It was also an important week in our roles as directors of Heartwood House. There was a two hour meeting to share a 2002-2003 budget with all the members. It's been such a hectic time just dealing with the day to day challenges of the building, that we haven't really had time to get into details like financial statements and budgets, but it is important to share that information. Some people seemed to thing Heartwood House could grow money on trees, but now everyone knows it's an incredibly efficient operation that is going to need to develop new revenues.
On Friday morning we had an interview with Cyndi on the NewRO at 7:10. We were about four minutes late, thanks to a bit of exhaustion combined with having to go on location at a mini putt business on Merivale Road, a fair trek from Alta Vista. But they switched us with the mini putt owners and put us on at 7:45 instead, and it was great. Cyndi has done an incredible amount of work for this tournament, just like the auction, what it takes to succeed is at least one person who is completely dedicated to it. Advertising and promotions are great for generating awareness, but if you don't call and visit people directly, nobody is going to come.
The finishing work on the house continues, and by the end of the weekend the kitchen, living room, and dining room should be done. The entry way and hallway will still need work. The kitchen really is great, we made excellent choices on all the appliances, and are just starting to enjoy how easy it is to get at everything. We also picked up an awesome set of Paderno cookware at 50% off from Sears. Not sure why it was so cheap, but it works great!
Sunday night we had a little Survivor party with Fran. It was a lot of fun, first the Hurricanes beat the Leafs (we both took Carolina players in the hockey pool) and then Survivor was pretty interesting even though we are not big fans of the show.
Sunday, May 12th
The kitchen is indeed awesome. We are just at the point of putting dishes in the cupboards and food in the refridgerator. We still have work to do though. The hallway and dining room need patching up on the ceilings, but we should have it done soon.
It was a great week at LWP, it was Fran's first full week on the job and as expected it went very well. It's like she was always supposed to be there. It is going to take some getting used to, as we are a bit settled into the routine of just the two of us and Jen. It's just a matter of developing the mindset that there is now another capable person ready to take on lots of work. What a nice problem to have!
It was nevertheless an exhausting week, there is still so much to be done. Julie is working feverishly to try to finish up the auction event (there are hundreds of thank you cards to be prepared and delivered) and Keenan is helping Cyndi out with the golf tournament, and of course the summer program is now on the way, but fortunately Fran is on top of a lot of it already. With the OPSEU strike just ended, Jen is getting back on track with employment supports.
Friday night was a great end to the week, we took the JOURNEYS and SMILE@NIGHT groups to see Great Big Sea at the Tulip Festival. It was a lot of work to get the tickets, but we are glad that we did. We had a blast along with 4,000 other fans. And if was added excitement to hear the hockey scores announced on stage. There are quite a few Toronto fans around and everyone was on edge when it was 2-2, before the controversial (quit whining Toronto!) goal by Alfie and the eventual 4-2 victory. Keenan is still first in the Heartwood House hockey pool, but Julie has pulled into second.
Saturday we spent most of the day at a wedding reception for a childhood friend of Julie's on a boat on the Ottawa River. It was a tad chilly to say the least, but a good opportunity to spend some quality time with mom and dad Kingstone. Sunday we took all four parents on a tour of the new kitchen and then out for a nice Mother's Day lunch.
Sunday, May 5th
The kitchen renovations are almost done! It's just small touches to go now. It looks AMAZING! It sure will be nice to have a great kitchen.
On Tuesday there was yet another story in the Sun about the auction, this one had a nice picture of us with Cyndi and Ian.
Friday was a fun night with the clients. Keenan organized a "Great Race" exercise where three teams of the SMILE@NIGHT group had to go to three different locations on Rideau Street to find clues that led to an anagram which they had to solve. Julie was with the younger group at the opening of the new Spider Man movie, which was a bit long, but enjoyed by the participants.
Saturday we had an awesome time in Montreal with David and Christina. How could we go wrong with Cirque de Soleil as the primary event on our agenda? This latest production is called "Varekai" and it was awesome, almost as good as Saltimbanco. We also has a pretty good meal before the show, and enjoyed a drink in old Montreal afterwards. On the way there we missed a turn and ended up way south of our destination, but we all worked together and figured it out. There was also some trouble getting out of the city, but once again it all worked out fine!
Sunday was Jane's birthday, and we got together at the Wellar household with Tim and Flannery to celebrate. We got her a cool Pooh backpack and some really funny books, and her grandparents got her a groovy new two-wheeler. We cleaned up the house a bit in the evening and got a list ready for the renovation project manager who we are meeting tomorrow morning. We also installed our own light fixture in the kitchen, we are getting pretty handy with things!
We've been managing to watch some hockey, including the heartbreaker triple overtime loss by the Senators. Keenan is still winning the Heartwood House hockey pool, but Julie is moving up!
Sunday, April 28th
I know we said we were exhausted last week, but that was nothing! Organizing an event the size of the auction is like running a marathon...just when your mind and body are telling you to shut down, it's actually time to start sprinting for the finish! Fran came in and helped out when she could which made a big difference, and this year the participants were very involved and did a lot of work, like making decorations. And this year they also performed a play, and even the keynote speech!
It was a pretty amazing night. A little bit less money was raised than the previous year, but that's only because corporate sponsorship was down. The event raised more money through the actual sale of items than ever before. Wendy was awesome and brought an incredible team of volunteers who handled all the transactions and much more. Our business and personal banking contact Sara at TD Canada Trust helped us get a VISA account which was also a great help. Thanks to Cyndi the NewRO was there and did a brief interview with Keenan, and there should be follow up articles in both the Citizen and the Sun. Keenan did an interview that was on the NewRO late news, it was quick but good.
We actually popped right up on Friday morning and we were at Heartwood House by 8:00 to unload the two vans (the Murphy family loaned us the use of theirs for a couple of days). It was all done, plus a couple of errands comleted, by early afternoon. After a short stay at home, we went out to Cumberland to celebrate Julie's birthday with her parents. They bought her a really cute Doreen Hardiman print at the auction, it's called "I'm Waiting" and it is a cat sitting outside looking up at the door of a house. It will look great in the new kitchen!
The renovation is proceding nicely and on Saturday we put primer on the walls and ceilings, as it is much easier to paint before the kitchen cabinets go in. There will hardly be any wall left to show, but what there is will be painted "Almond Wisp" and the ceiling will be white. It's going to be pretty amazing when it's done.
Saturday night we went with Keenan's parents to a concert at Centrepointe Theatre and also out to dinner to celebrate Julie's birthday. She received a beautiful Werner kayak paddle!
Sunday, April 21st
We are both exhausted. Most of the week either of us could have lowered ourselves to the floor and gone to sleep at any time. With the auction just a week away, it's a matter of trying to be in three places at the same time, all the time. It takes a huge effort to ensure that the clients don't get shortchanged by all the distractions. This is prevented mainly by involving them, which can be great, but of course it takes a lot of patience. It's worth it.
In the midst of all the phone calls and running around, we also got the newsletter out! Keenan is now able to write them in just a couple of days, although he claims to write them in his head on a continuous basis.
We also celebrated the birthday of Keenan's nephew Jackson. He is 18 and Julie came up with the idea of driving lessons. Keenan coordinated with other family members and it was a terrific group gift.
The big non-work news is that Keenan has finally purchased a kayak, although it won't be ready for a month. The search is finally over, and the winner is the Navigator which is made by Seaward Kayaks of Ladysmith, British Columbia. It was purchased from Frontenac Outfitters which has natural waters just a few hundred yards away so you can try before you buy. Julie picked up her Current Designs Solstice GTS from Trailhead on Saturday. We think that we each got the kayak that is just right for us!
We worked to the point of exhaustion on Saturday and Sunday to get the house ready for the renovators who are coming early Monday morning. It's going to be quite a major change in our lives to have a decent kitchen. Our neighbour was over today saying how she couldn't believe how we have survived with things the way they are right now. She has a point! But it will all be over in a few weeks.
Sunday, April 14th
An amazingly productive week, with one huge disappointment. Our colleague on the Heartwood House board of directors, Robert Read, lost his case with an RCMP tribunal. Robert was investigating and found serious problems with the issuing of visas and related breeches of security, but could not get his superiors to act on it, so he took it public. Like a lot of whistle blowers, his "reward" from the offending institution has been to attempt to isolate him and ultimately to get him out. Robert does not know his next move yet, which could be an appeal, but whatever he decides, he knows he made the right decision and his conscience is clear.
We had some really good meetings this week. The NewRO invited us with a small selection of other local charity reps to talk about their community involvement. We are really building something significant with them, and a big next step is the NewRO LiveWorkPlay charity golf tournament that will take place on May 25.
It was a really cool week around the office too. Rachel and Jen H finished off a big project, which is a newsletter all about SMILE. Jen H also finished off her keynote speech for the auction on April 25, which is coming up fast. Laurie has left high school and started in SMILE, and she had a really good week, thanks in large measure to the other participants who really suprised us with the vocal way that they welcomed her. It seems she will fit in just great.
On a personal note, it looks like we will be moving our mortgage. The bank we are going to will pay the penalty our other bank will charge for us to move early, and we will be paying close to 50% less, with a variable rate that has a ceiling that is the same as our current fixed rate. In other words, we truly can't lose. Much thanks to David and Christina for giving us a mortgage pep talk last week.
Friday night the groups went out on the town, restaurants for JOURNEYS and Duke of Somerset for SMILE@NIGHT. Afterwards, we went out with Wendy, Bob, Elaine, Dale, and Jen to celebrate Fran's pending graduation from the Teacher Education program at the U of O. When Dale and Fran join the LWP team in May it's clearly going to be a lot of fun.
Saturday morning and for part of the afternoon we volunteered in support of the Heartwood House garage sale, which featured all the unclaimed items from the OC Transpo lost and found. Keenan handled the used CDs and had a blast. He may have thought he was auditioning for a role in High Fidelity II. Julie handled the hundreds of used watches. Along with about six other volunteers manning the stations, something like $1000 was raised. A big success.
Sunday we went to see the Imax film "The Human Body" at the Museum of Civilization. It was pretty good, but seemed a bit short. Julie came up with a cool idea for Jackson's birthday, but that will have to be discussed next week. You never know who is surfing in these waters!
Sunday, April 7th
The office was closed on Easter Monday for the first time in four years, and we put the day to productive use, picking out and purchasing the plumbing fixtures for the kitchen, and getting many other errands out of the way.
On Wednesday the NewRO came and filmed Ron at Heartwood House, after Keenan suggested him for their Volunteer of the Week feature. It should be on the air in about three weeks.
Things are really getting down to the crunch for the auction, which is keeping Julie especially busy. It's not a very fun job calling and asking for donations. There are only a small amount of people who are rude, but it's too bad, since all they have to say is "no thanks." A few business owners think there is some point in lecturing the caller about why they can't afford to give anything. But overall it is going very well, although we will be glad when it is over.
A fun thing that is happening is Colin and Cyndi are auctioning themselves for LWP through Executives on Auction. It's a really great organization that gives 100% of the funds that are raised to the charity that is chosen by the participants.
On Saturday it was Flannery's 13th birthday party (Keenan's niece) and Keenan had the fun of picking out the group gift, which was a shiny red electric guitar! Flannery seemed to love it, and only stopped playing it for a few minutes to eat some lunch and cake. Later that day we went for a walk in the woods with David, Christina, and Meredith, and then back to their place for yet another amazing dinner and drinks.
It seems to be taking forever for winter to end, because we are both dying to get out on the water. Hopefully by next weekend the ice will be off the lake and we can go to Frontenac Outfitters and Keenan can check out the kayaks.
Sunday, March 31st
The big news of the week was that Heartwood House got a $35,000 grant from the Trillium Foundation to make repairs. It was a real team effort between all of the HH founders to make it happen. The repairs will be throughout the building, but part of the plans include new lighting for the top floor, which will be nice for LWP.
Friday evening we went out to the Kingstone residence for a nice dinner and some ping pong. David's wrist is still healing so he could not play as long as he would have liked. Otherwise they both seem rather well, and looking forward to the spring.
On Saturday we drove all over town to find a book about violins as a present for Elaine at her surprise party. We found the right book just in time to get back home so Keenan could grab his gear for tennis at the Rideau club. While that was going on Fran made her way over to the house to hang with Julie before the party.
It ended up not being a surprise due to an accidentally intercepted email, but it was still lots of fun. Dale put up a bunch of old pictures around the living room, it was a blast looking at the different hairstyles. Fran, Pennie, Bob, Wendy, and Jen were also in attendance so it was a strong LWP presence to say the least. Jen entertained a number of Dale and Elaine's friends with updates on the dating scene, and it was a really good time with a lot of nice people.
Sunday we realized that the kitchen renovation will start in two weeks, so we got moving on cleaning things out of the room. We actually have a nice little storage room right under the kitchen, with shelving and such, but we have never used it properly. So it got cleaned out and the shelves painted, so we can start storing non-perishables there. The rest of the stuff was carted down to the room that will one day be "the study" but right now is just an unused room. We'll continue with more of the same tomorrow.
We took a break in the middle of the afternoon to share an S&G poutine and drove down to Alexandria Island to watch the whitewater kayakers. We really can't wait to get out on the water. By this time next year, we won't be watching, we'll be out there. We won't be bobbing around in the rapids, of course, not with 17 foot kayaks. But there are lots of great waterways in the Ottawa area and we are looking forward to exploring them all.
Sunday night we watched a DVD, it was that one about Robert Redford taking over a military prison. A bit predictable, but fairly entertaining. One of the neat things about DVD is when they show you the scenes that were cut. In this movie, a lot of them should have been left in, because too much of it was over-simplified. It seems far too many movies have bad guys that are ridiculously bad, and good guys that are ridiculously good, which aside from being unrealistic takes away a lot of the tension that comes from decisions that the characters make, because you always know what they will do.
Almost forgot! We finally have some pictures up! Go to the wedding website and check them out!
Sunday, March 24th
We were both fighting off cold/flu bugs all week. About three of the SMILE participants have it, but we got through the week without acquiring anything too serious, although Julie is definitely at about 3/4 strength.
The Ottawa Senators Foundation gave LWP forty tickets to the game this Thursday, but the bigger surprise was when Keenan picked up the tickets from the Corel Centre and there was a second enveloped stapled to it. Inside was $5000 in response to a proposal that was written almost a year ago!
There was a board meeting Monday night, and Cyndi had most of the big news, as she has landed major support from the NewRO for an LWP golf tournament on May 25th. It seems a bit crazy to have two major events so close together (the auction is exactly a month earlier) but Julie has pointed out that we would normally be doing the Great Glebe Garage sale on the same day, so what is better, playing golf or lugging all those "treasures" around. Point taken. Keenan has started work on the tournament website.
There are lots of excting things happening with the auction, of course. Dave Kingstone got a print by the recenty departed Malak Karsh which was donated by his widow. Cooper, one of the SMILE@NIGHT participants, is rightfully very proud of getting hold of an autographed Radik Bonk game jersey. Those are just a couple of examples. There are definitely more people out there recruiting donations this year.
Firday night was a "Casino Night" even for all the participants and their family and friends. It was definitely a success. A bit of a rush to get everything in place, but it was a pretty awesome night. Dale and Fran got announced as new staff, and Bob as a new volunteer, and they played a game of Twister with Cooper as an initiation. Fran was the big winner, which just proves how uncoordinated the rest of those guys are, since they are all taller than she is.
Saturday Keenan played tennis again, and hit one serve that was so hard that he had flashbacks to his days a junior champ at Ottawa West. Saturday night we both went out with Keenan's sister Marnie and some of her friends to Cosmos bowling. We were going to go curling but the timing didn't work out. It's not very often that we have had a chance to go out socially with Marnie, so it was great. Neither of us have done much ten pin bowling, just a few times in our lives, but for total scores Keenan was first and Julie was third out of eight people. Not that we were counting. OK, Julie wasn't counting.
Sunday Julie went out with an old friend, Marie. Keenan is doing some research and is in a bit of a crisis with his pending kayak purchase, as he is now keen on another brand of kayaks known as Seaward. The nearest retailer is Frontenac, about an hour and a half drive, so a mini-trip will need to be planned. He has also started collecting resources to work with Julie to write some sort of a history of the Ottawa area with a view from its rivers. It's a fun idea, a way to combine writing, history, and what is hopefully going to be an exciting new hobby: kayaking!
Sunday, March 17th
Julie was focused on the auction all week. April 25 is coming up fast, but things are coming together. Fran was able to help out because she had some time away from her studies for March break. While she was working on the auction she also finished off two proposals to get some funding support to start up the woodworking shop.
Keenan has been updating the LiveWorkPlay website and also Heartwood House. Sometimes he wonders if anybody is out there to appreciate the work involved, but in the past few months in particular, there has been a lot of feedback from people who found out about LiveWorkPlay and Heartwood House from the internet, which is encouraging.
On Friday night Keenan, Bob, Dale, and Pennie went with the SMILE@NIGHT group to Cosmos Bowling at McArthur Lanes. It was lots of fun but a pretty late night, with the last volunteer dropped off after midnight. Julie went with Jen, Fran, and Elaine with the JOURNEYS group for some shopping. It is a real sign of progress to see how this group has changed. Many of them came with lists and plans for what they wanted to do.
Saturday morning we went to the outdoor show at Landsdowne to look for interesting kayaking information. We also ran into an old friend, Mark, who now has a travel company and had a booth at the show. The show wasn't the greatest but we did run into a very interesting fellow who is a lockmaster on the Rideau. He has made it a personal crusade to see more paddlers on the Rideau system and he was able to provide us with amazing details about the possibilities. This is probably something we will try out.
Saturday night we joined David and Christina at Domus Cafe. Wow, what a meal! David picked out an excellent Australian wine, and everyone loved their food, from soup through to dessert. It's amazing how we never seem to run out of things to talk about with those two! Believe it or not, we hardly talked about work, not by choice, there was just lots of other things to talk about.
Sunday was the usual day of rest, with some minimal accomplishments in the housework category. A busy week ahead, with two board meetings after work on Monday.
Sunday, March 10th
It was great to be back at work, but very busy. There was a lot of catching up to do. Things with Heartwood House are also very busy, as the building is getting close to capacity, which was a major task. Not that this is done, all of the founders are working hard to ensure the financial viability of the organization.
It is also the start of the big push towards the auction. It's kind of tiring just thinking about everything that has to get done.
On the fun side of things Fran came over on Saturday to get ready for a pot luck at Margot's and to hang out a bit. She beat Keenan at the new GameCube game "Monkey Ball" several times, obviously she is a force to be reckoned with.The pot luck was great, Margot has a nice new condo and is settling in nicely. Margot has a good friend Damita who is an old colleague of Keenan's, and it certainly is a small world. Jennifer had some pictures from her skating competition in France and some good stories to go along with them. Pennie is going to be moving to a new place of her own soon, which means another pot luck probably. Good!
Sunday, March 3rd
What a great week! After some rather frantic efforts to get things in order at work, we left about noon on Monday for the Beart Trail Resort and stayed in a very nice suite, click here for what happens to be a photo of our actual room (the photographer is standing in the jacuzzi). We burned a ton of firewood, drank a few bottles of wine, and had an amazing day of cross-country skiing in Algonquin Park on Wednesday.
Julie ended up with some pretty amazing bruises, and Keenan was just generally fatigued, but we took Thursday and Friday to relax and recover, although we did find time to drop in to Trailhead and inquire about the shipment of 2002 kayaks. Keenan is rather anxious to get his kayak, and both of us can't wait to get out on the water on a regular basis. Also on Friday we netfiled our tax returns, which were rather straightforward this year, but it feels good to get it done.
Saturday night we went out to the Kingstone's and among other things talked about our pending kitchen renovations, as we now have 3-D diagrams to look at. Sunday was a concerted effort to do some laundry and tackle other necessities for heading back to the daily routine.
Sunday, February 24th
OK, this is actually being written on time!
The biggest news of this week is we have made a decision about our kitchen renovation, the deposit has been made, and all systems are go! We have gone with an Alta Vista company called ANPAQ and so far it has been a great experience! It is going to be amazing. We are supposed to get a graphic and we will post it here if possible.
We went skiing with Elaine and Dale pretty much on the spur of the moment up to Camp Fortune. It was a lot of fun, and we plan to do it again, Wendy will probably come along too next time.
Sunday, February 17th
Same proviso as last week...retroactive composition yet again!
The work highlight was again on Friday night, but this time the SMILE@NIGHT group. One of the client's hosted a pot luck at his townhouse, and it was a HUGE success, even thought it was slightly tarnished by Canada's first (and thankfully only) loss in men's hockey.
Keenan has become a regular spare for a Saturday tennis league at the Rideau Tennis Club. He is getting the hang of doubles play and having a great time. Moe and Kae and Angela from Heartwood House are all members.
We got a chance to see Holly, Eric, and their baby Wolf for the first time. What a cutie! It was great to see them as it had been far too long between visits. We saw the movie "The Royal Tennenbaums" (dark but funny) with Sean and Chantale and then headed back to their place for drinks. They are moving into their first house soon and are caught up in all the challenges of dealing with contractors and making dozens of difficult decisions. Chantale also got a new job which is very exciting.
Sunday, February 10th
This is being written retroactively yet again. No time!
The social highlights of this week included dinner at Christina/David/Meredith's house. Meredith stole the show with her new mobile "busy centre." The most crowd-pleasing act involved spitting up on one of the toys and then using the its spring-like quality to fling it across the room.
We finally found a night to invite Cyndi and Colin over for dinner. They are one of the few couples we know that has a consistently crazier schedule than we do. It was a really good time, although if all four of us were ever well rested we could probably get into quite a part mode. As it is, by 11:00 we need to be winding down.
The highlight at work was the Friday "Survivor" night for the JOURNEYS group. Julie and Fran put most of it together, including the real chocolate covered bugs!
Sunday, February 3rd
All is falling in to place with the assembly of the new LWP team! A formal announcement is coming soon!
Friday night was a busy one, Keenan was with a group of about 28 who went to the Ottawa 67s game, which was a crazy 9-7 victory for Ottawa. While waiting for him to get back from the arena, Julie and Fran managed to get all of the LiveWorkPlay newsletters into stamped envelopes and into the mail. There's tons of exciting news, click here if you would like to read it online.
On Saturday Keenan got to sub in at a tennis league at the Rideau club, where Moe and Kae play every week. This worked out well because Julie was pretty exhausted from a very long week so she caught up on her sleep. On Sunday we celebrated dad Wellar's birthday with Marni, Flannery, and Jane, and then we went out to the Kingstone's to watch the Super Bowl. We were all cheering for the Patriots, and it was an amazing result when they emerged with a victory on a last second field goal.
David injured himself on a business trip in New Brunswick, and his wrist is broken. As always he will not slow down one bit, but at least we got to help out by clearing the driveway before we went home. It was a fun and useful way to end a good week!
Sunday, January 27th
This week's entry is late too! We are still extremely busy at work. But it looks like we are close to putting together an amazing team. More news soon.
There was some good news about Heartwood House. Keenan and Maureen met with OC Transpo and negotiated a new agreement for the running of the lost and found. It's really a great project, and now Heartwood House will have enough funds to continue running it.
Sunday, January 20th
This week's entry is being posted late, with the result that it is hard to remember what happened!
Things at LiveWorkPlay have turned around completely. Everything is running smoothly, and the clients are as happy as we have ever seen them.
One fun thing that happened is Dave Kalil came to the office for a visit, and Keenan is developing a website for him at www.davekalil.com.
Oh, and it was mom Kingstone's birthday on Friday, which we celebrated on Saturday with their friends Jim and Jennifer and family friend John. We had some great discussions, and of course a few good games of pingpong.
Sunday, January 13th
Well, I guess one of the interesting things about doing a journal like this is seeing how much things can change in just one week! As of last Sunday we had five full-time staff members at LiveWorkPlay. Now we have one! The fact that the one we have is a real gem is some consolation for the nonsense we endured at the hands of some of the other four over the past couple of weeks. Nobody is perfect, but new heights of self-absorption were reached. Pretty much everyone we talked to about it felt that we were guilty of being too nice and too generous, and it came back and bit us in the posterior. For sure we both felt a few sharp blades piercing our backs. Sheesh, it's amazing the depths people are capable of. Anyway, out with the bad, on with the good! We learned a lot and are moving on.
We actually had a really great week, minus the silliness. We had a great time with the clients and much was accomplished. Julie seemed to be in three places at once all week. Keenan was very excited by the decision that the clients made to start up a little aquarium which is being kept in the SMILE room. An indoor walking club has also started, and we will be taking part every morning. In addition there is also a breakfast club between 9:00 and 9:30, where we will hang out with the clients and read the paper, have a tea, and just settle in to the day. So many great ideas in just a few days, we are both really looking forward to getting to work in the morning!
On Saturday night David, Christina, and Meredith came over for a great night of dining, conversation, and gaming. They seem to be off to a great start with their parenting. They are very modest about it but they sure look like they are real naturals!
Sunday, January 6th
Hm. Ok. The week started off fine and then we went back to work on Wednesday. We were both in fine spirits and ready to tackle the various challenges ahead. Unfortunately, we were pretty much alone in those sentiments!
Thursday had to be one of the most ridiculous days of our lives. Ask us about it if you dare. Thursday was also the day that Keenan decided to air our dirty laundry to the world. Somewhat literally. Click here to see what we are talking about.
Friday Jennifer was working out of the office and was off Friday night for a professional skating engagement. We gave the rest of the staff the entire day off and it was the best day we have had in a long time. We got a ton of work done together in the afternoon and then we each took one of the Friday night groups and worked with Fran and the volunteers, who were excellent as always.
We are planning a quiet weekend. We are writing this early because we don't know when we will be online again.
Almost forgot!!! Holly and Eric had a baby boy! December 27, the word was slow getting out. No name yet, can't wait to see them and the baby.
OK, it's now late Sunday night, time for a quick update. We actually got up and went cross-country skiing in Gatineau Park this morning. Wow, that's quite a workout! We went just a couple of kilometres up the parway trail and came back. That was enough, we were huffing and puffing pretty good. After that it was onto the sofa to watch some football and play some GameCube. After a bit of housework we watched some Sunday night TV next to a nice fire.
Sunday, December 30th
The evening of the 24th was the second annual Christmas Eve ping pong tourney at the Kingstone residence. A fun evening, although David and Keenan had a little trouble knowing when to quit.
The next morning we were late rising and had to exchange gifts in rapid fashion. Some of the highlights: Keenan got a Nintendo GameCube and Julie got new cross-country skis and boots.
Next it was off to the Wellar household, where we were joined by Tim, Marni, Flannery, and Jane. Jackson is on a grand adventure in the Northwest Territories but managed to call and say hello to everyone. It is always fun giving gifts to kids, and today was no exception. It all happens so fast, but everyone seemed pleased.
After a huge lunch of turkey and trimmings and a bit of lounging and chatting it was back to the Kingstones for a present exchange that included Peter. Receiving highlights: lots of wonderful kayak gear, including top of the line PFD's. Giving highlight: a season's ticket to the Ottawa Renegades 2002 season for David, who was extremely surprised! A couple of ours later we were joined by Julie's aunt and uncle, Michael and Sally, for yet another delicious turkey dinner. Later on it was time for some more ping pong, but this time it was Peter and Keenan who overdid it!
The 26th. A day of rest.
Thursday we did some belated boxing day shopping, and actually managed a very good deal picking up some appliances for the kitchen, which we will renovate some day. Soon? We also got the GameCube up and running, and it's a blast. We only have football and a jetski game so far, but they are both pretty tricky and should be fun for a long time, although we are already looking into new games.
Saturday Sean and Chantale did us a huge favor by coming over that evening, because it got us to clean up the house. We had a great time hanging out and enjoying some of the wine that we received as wedding gifts next to a crackling fire.
Sunday we thought about trying some cross-country skiing but decided there was not enough snow. More accurately, we decided against going out. We need to rest up for tomorrow night!
Sunday, December 23rd
Wow what a busy week! After a crazy day at work on Monday, there was a Heartwood House party and then an LWP board meeting. A long day, but pretty productive.
By Tuesday it had become clear that the New Year's Eve gala was going to be completely sold out, which is a great relief. We won't have to worry about it over the holidays. Melanie did a great job selling the tickets.
Thursday was the last day for the clients until January 3rd. It is very hard on some of them during the holidays. The reality is everyone needs a break at this time, so all we can do is do our best to prepare them and hope for the best!
Friday night we went to see the Vagina Monologues with Keenan's sister Marnie, as well as Fran, Elaine, Jen, Margot, and Wendy. It was a really quite excellent. Who knew three women just talking for two hours could be so interesting and entertaining.
Julie in particular put in a lot of effort on meaningful gifts. Although it was by no means an "easy" year, our lives are a bit more stable in many ways and we have a bit more time to think about other people. It feels pretty good!
Saturday night we went for dinner with Christina, David, and Meredith. Meredith is now smiling and interacting with her surroundings, so she is a lot of fun. It was the usual fabulous meal and fun conversation.
Sunday was cleaning and wrapping day. Keenan decided to take on the towels (five loads) while Julie did the wrapping. We relaxed later in the evening by watching the DVD "Legally Blonde" (a cute little movie that won't win any awards but gets thumbs up anyway) and then venturing out in the freezing rain to return it.
It is hard to believe tomorrow is Christmas eve! We will be going to the Kingstone residence for some food and fun, then on the 25th we will be at the Wellar household in the morning and afternoon and then back to the Kingstones for the evening.
Sunday, December 16th
This was another "blur" week.
Julie has been working hard on a proposal to the City of Ottawa/United Way to get some support for some of the mental health activities that go on at LiveWorkPlay. She got it finished just before the deadline on Friday. Keenan helped out a little with a proposal to the same agencies on behalf of Heartwood House, and he also got his first ever media photography credit for a short feature in the Sandy Hill IMAGE.
Saturday was a shopping day. In the evening we had dinner with Fran, and then Julie went with Wendy, Fran, and Margot to Elaine's house for some strange female party. Keenan was only too happy to stay home and play his electric guitar at high volume, athough he got a call at 2:00am (!) to drive a bunch of people home.
Sunday was an LWP luncheon event, and about 90 people turned out. It is difficult to heat up enough chili for a crowd that large, so there was much excitement leading up until noon when it was time to serve. A bunch of the SMILE participants put on a holiday play that was really well received. It was great to see. Julie made up some really fancy certificates of recognition that were handed out to various individuals, and they were pretty neat, because they were personalized.
Sunday night brought a formal dinner with Julie's grandmother at the Radisson. An exhausting weekend, but lots was accomplished!
Sunday, December 9th
This was the week of going out! Tuesday night we ended up at the NAC to see the Nutracker. Neither of us stayed awake through the whole thing. Supposedly it is beautiful and magical, but that wasn't quite the impact we experienced. Nevertheless, the chairs were comfy and the music was soothing.
Thursday night was a little more exciting. We accompanied mom and dad Wellar to a Leahy concert at the Centrepointe Theatre. This was a pretty amazing show featuring nine brothers and sisters who sing, dance, play guitars, keyboards, and fiddle. We both liked the traditional Cape Breton style music (no singing) the best, but the entire concert, which lasted about two hours, was action-packed throughout, and at times the talent of the group was overwhelming.
Friday night we ended up at Barrymore's with Sean and Chantale to see Great Scott, who are an entertaining AC/DC cover band. Julie was "thrilled" with the front row seats, and her ears did not stop ringing for three days. Keenan ended up bouncing around in front of the stage for about an hour and found himself a little stiff when he subbed in a tennis league at the Rideau tennis club on Saturday.
It was a fun week with some much-deserved diversions from the usual routine!
Sunday, December 2nd
Oh boy. One of those weeks where you live a year in five days. The onset of the holiday season always seems to bring some sort of interesting challenge to the workplace environment. No details here, but at this point we can happily report that everything seems to be OK now.
It was also the week to celebrate the birthdays of Keenan's sister and mother. We all went out the Newport restaurant and then back to the Wellar residence for some cake and gift exchange. We decided in both cases to give the gift of culture (tickets to cultural events).
We are pretty exhausted, and did not manage to do much of anything else this weekend but rest. Our favourite NFL team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, won again! We are looking forward to seeing live football in Ottawa next fall when the Renegades will start their first season in the CFL.
Sunday, November 25th
Monday was a marathon. A full day of work followed by a Heartwood House board meeting followed by a LiveWorkPlay board meeting. Ouch. Good meetings with great people, but nevertheless, a lot of meetings.
Thursday night Keenan organized a group of about 12 people to go to the Northern Pikes show at Zaphod's. The band was a tad rusty, but it was a fun group of people who all seemed to get along.
Sunday it was off to the Kingstone residence in Cumberland to watch the Grey Cup!
Sunday, November 18th
Sheesh, this week went by so fast, nobody remembers what happened. Vague recollections include completing a kitchen design and getting a cost estimate on proposed renovations, having an insanely busy time at work, and feeling tense about the G20 meeting.
Sunday, November 11th
Julie was called off on short notice to a meeting in Toronto organized by the Canadian Association for Community Living. They paid her way and it was a great opportunity to interact with other leaders in the field from across Canada, so although it was difficult we made it happen. To make things interesting, Julie appeared to be stuck in Toronto on Friday because Canada 3000 went bankrupt, but she got a new flight with Air Canada.
On Friday night Keenan was part of the team that went with the Journeys group to an Ottawa 67s game which was a lot of fun, although it made for a long day arriving home after 11:00 pm.
On Saturday we headed out to the Kingstone residence for a lovely dinner with some of the friends of the family. Festivities went well past midnight, and included a rather vigorous ping pong tournament. Sunday was housework and football day, including a Steelers victory (our favourite NFL team).
Sunday, November 4th
We got a bit behind. Sorry this is late! Then again, it's not like we are charging a subscription fee. Haha.
Julie worked incredibly hard on the first draft of her MA synthesis paper, and even a fussy editor like Keenan had very few suggestions for improvement. Let's hope the professor agrees!
We did another nature walk with David, Christina, and Meredith, and although Keenan had a little trouble remembering the pathways of the Mud Lake conservation area, which were allegedly the stomping grounds of his childhood, everyone emerged safely.
The BIG NEWS is that Julie has purchased her kayak! It's a lovely Current Designs Solstice GTS. This is the same one she took out as reported on October 21st. It turns out it has only been used about 5 times, but Trailhead offered a significant discount anyway, so it was really a no-brainer. They will store it until it is time to hit the water in the spring. If you want to see what it looks like, click here, bearing in mind that Julie has the 2001 model, not the one shown. It's in the purple colour shown at the bottom. Keenan has to wait for the 2002 models to come out so he can find the right size, but we hope to be hitting the water as soon as the ice breaks!
Sunday, October 28th
A pretty horrible week, with some nice outcomes on Thursday, which was the Open House and Grand Opening for Heartwood House as well as the LiveWorkPlay Internet Centre.
Basically we had to deal with a ridiculous amount of work while at the same time trying to inconvenience LWP clients and staff as little as possible. There is nothing like breaking your back to make things happen and then having additional burdens piled on by others because you were less available, but it happens every time, so it's not really a surprise. It still hurts a bit, but that's part of the job, you have to deal with it and move on with a smile!
The Heartwood House Grand Opening event exceeded all expectations, and both of us volunteered quite a lot of time to the effort, and succeeded in recruiting media coverage from the NewRO (great coverage) and CJOH (not so great coverage). We both spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which was very well attended, with everyone packed into the lobby like sardines! It was a great day for Maureen, who was the MC but was on the verge of tears throughout the ceremony, especially when Julie surprised her with a little speech to recognize her and Keenan presented her with a giant card signed by everyone in the building.
LWP had its own ceremony at around 6:45 in the computer room, which is now called the Internet Centre. Three of the volunteers from Object Technology International were thanked by one of the SMILE clients, Ian Murphy, who despite pretty severe dyslexia delivered his speech and earned the admiration of those in attendance. Keenan thanked a representative from the Eastern Regional Office of the Ministry of Community and Social Services. It seems like a lot of the people who do the daily work of government don't get recognized very often, so it was a good thing to do.
Friday night we went out to the New Ed with Elaine/Dale, Fran, and Pennie. A very fun group of people who always leave you in a good mood.
Julie is up to her eyeballs in academic work, which she somehow has to get done outside of the crazy hours she is already putting in at the office. There are piles of papers (on top of piles of laundry) all over the house. Keenan is trying to complete some small funding applications and update the LWP and Heartwood House websites. That's pretty much the story of Saturday, although Keenan managed to get down to Landsdowne Park to watch the Ottawa GG's beat the Guelph Gryphons and move on to the semi-finals. He didn't actually know there was a game being player, he went to check out the stadium seating in consideration of purchasing tickets to future Ottawa Renegades (will that be the name?) football games.
Sunday is the first LWP family luncheon event of the season, and the first ever at the Jungle Cafe, which is basically a big room in the basement that Jessica has been fixing up over the last few weeks. It looks pretty cool now, it will certainly be a friendly environment.
The coming week will probably have a weird feel to it, there is always is after big events. All that energy gets direct to that one goal, and now that strees is freed up for other things, and it usually takes a week or so to fill it in.
Sunday, October 21st
Early in the week Keenan had his name in the press again. Twice, actually. First a letter in the Centretown News, and an article in the Ottawa Sun.
Julie had some exciting breakthroughs with some of her individual and group counselling sessions. Sometimes things move very slowly and in cycles with LWP clients, so there is a revitalizing effect when there is a discernable step forward.
We passed on our planned presentation at a conference in Moncton. We were both exhausted, there was too much to do. It's also hard to justify the expense of the trip for a 20 minute presentation that might have very little concrete return for the organization. The LWP newsletter was also due out on the 15th, so Keenan was very busy with editing and printing. It's a pretty big task producing one hundred 8-page tabloid colour newsletters with just a computer and a printer.
Since the Friday night programs had been cancelled, and we had both worked about 30 hours of overtime, we managed to take Friday off and go kayaking! It was just amazing. Although we got off to a late start due to trouble getting up in the morning (we finished work just after midnight the night before) it all worked out great. We got to Trailhead about 1:00 and picked up a brand new Storm kayak, but Julie's Squall was no longer in the store due to a mix-up, so she took a Solstice instead, which is the same thing only about double the cost to buy one, because it is made with different (lighter) materials, rather than the rotomolded plastic that the Storm and Squall are constructed with.
Chris, one of the managers at Trailhead, let us take them out for a trial at no charge, because he could tell we were serious about looking to buy. It was a bit nervewracking taking the brand new Storm, because we were afraid to scratch it up. Fortunately, we got it back in perfect shape.
It was simply a perfect day for this outing. We found the small McCloskey canoe/kayak launch which is a couple of minutes past the main beach that many people in this area are familiar with. We started off by going to the left, which would be roughly in a northern direction. The lake is 5 kilometres long in total, about 1 kilometre wide in most places, and the launch starts you off about in the middle.
There was not another boat of any kind out on the lake for the entire time. Keenan chatted with two ladies from Ottawa who were picnicking at Blanchet Beach, which is a very small beach at the opposite end from O'Brien, where most people go. Continuing north, Julie discovered a small and very shallow creek. With some trepidation, we decided to follow it. It was sort of a spooky place. Out of site from the rest of the lake, and no sign of civilization. It was very shallow water with short vegetation and lots of weeds, but nevertheless enough of a channel to get through it with a kayak - or so it seemed.
After picking our way through, and finding it less spooky and more beautiful, Julie was in the lead when suddenly she ground to a halt, albeit temporarily. Keenan followed and was not so lucky, due to the difference in weight (hold your comments please) he got stuck on a log that stretched across the entire channel. With some encouragement from Julie and the improper use of the paddle, he got free, and we emerged into a bay. It turned out we had simply circled a large island, and were back in the main body of the lake!
We later found out that this place is called MacDonald's Bay, and it is the most isolated area of the lake. From there we started heading south, along the east shore. It was all incredibly beautiful, surrounded by all the trees in full autumn colour. There was a bit of a wind here, which provided more of a test of the kayaks, which handled well. About half way down the lake now, meaning we had covered probably about 2.5 miles, we coasted into a quiet little bay and hugged our kayaks together while Keenan enjoyed a Coke and fig bar.
From here you could see the Meech Lake Conference Centre on the top of the big hill where the infamous Meech Lake Accord was negotiated. Sticking to the east side of the lake you come to the area that is famous for nude bathers - none in October, of course. We went to explore what looked to be a creek running under a small pedestrian bridge, when we both thought we heard a waterfall! It turned out to be a small concrete damn with about an inch of water running over it, and then down several feet into a very shallow creek that drains into an unamed lake. We thought of climbing out and portaging into the lake, but it was too akward with the rocky bottom. Apparently there is a creek that drains from this lake all the way to the Gatineau River, which is the story of how water from Meech Lake ends up in the Atlantic Ocean.
Continuing down the east side and under the steep cliffs below the conference centre, you can paddle very close to shore and explore the rock faces. Soon enough you find yourself at the main beach, and by this time we had paddled something like 6 miles. We landed, used the restrooms, and switched kayaks for the remaining 2 miles. Keenan was very cramped in the Solstice, and could not really sit up properly, but he poked his way along the shore, checking out all the boathouses and cottages. Julie carved her way through the centre of the lake in the Storm, and found it a bit rougher going than the slimmer and lighter Solstice.
Arriving back at the launch, the arms were a bit weary as we strapped the kayaks back onto the roof, but we covered an amazing distance in something like 4 hours. Not bad for novices - that same trip often lasts an entire day, according to what we had read. Meech Lake has a very colourful history. Click here if you want to know more!
After returing the kayaks we were starved, and headed to the Newport for hot soup, steak, and potatoes.
Sunday, October 14th
Keenan started the day on Monday by guiding CJOH around Heartwood House, and did a short interview that was aired during the 6:00 news along with the footage of the renovations in progress.
Julie had a very rough week due to a heavy load of work for her M.Ed. program. This will continue and probably get worse, but the happy fact is, it will all be over in December.
On Thursday we went back to Trailhead for some more kayak research. They finally got a brand new Current Designs "Storm" in stock which Keenan was able to sit in to try it out for size. It seems long enough and just wide enough, so as soon as possible we arranged with the manager to take it out for a trial, along with a "Squall" which is a slightly smaller version of the same kayak that might be the right choice for Julie. We are getting into the whole kayak idea and already thinking about kayak vacation destinations.
Friday night we headed out to the Heart & Crown after work to meet up with two of Keenan's old friends, Sean and Dean. It was a bit crowded and the music so loud it's almost impossible to speak, but it was fun. We had to cut out before closing because plans for Saturday required getting up at a reasonable hour.
Saturday we hiked around Pink Lake with David, Christina, and baby Meredith. Christina lugged Meredith in one of those chest carrier things all the way around the lake, a pretty impressive mom, she is! After that we stopped in Old Chelsea for a very tasty lunch.
Sunday, October 7th
On Monday morning Keenan did a pretty good interview with CBO radio about Heartwood House (click here for a transcript). Julie has been working very hard on her two courses at the University of Ottawa, and can't wait to finish her Master's of Educational Counselling in December. It will be nice for both of us not to be taking courses for the first time in 7 years.
Friday night we went out after work with Heather Wilson and her boyfriend Frasier as well as Wendy Mitchell and Fran Childs to the New Edinburgh Pub. It was a great time because they are great people, and of course there was no smoking, which made for a much improved experience at the New Ed.
Saturday night we had an early Thankskiving with mom and dad Kingstone and family friend John Burridge. We all ended up playing a ping pong tournament until the wee hours. Sunday it was time for Thanksgiving II at the Wellar household. They have an air hockey game to entertain the grandkids, so that was the primary entertainment for the afternoon, not to mention a pretty intense discussion among five of us about September 11 and the US response.
We also spent part of Sunday measuring and mapping out our kitchen, which is in dire need of an upgrade. As usual we will not rush into it, it will be carefully planned out, but it is hard to be patient when you have bookshelves where you need cupboards. But we will get there! Tomorrow morning Keenan will start holiday Monday by meeting with CJOH at Heartwood House. They are doing a feature about volunteerism and such, and it's too good of an opportunity for the Heartwood House community for Keenan to stay in bed.
Sunday, September 30th
A nice little feature about LiveWorkPlay and the whole Keenan/Julie thing came out in the fall edition of Carleton University Magazine. Click here to have a look at it.
Keenan was also interviewed by CBO Morning about Heartwood House. Click here for a transcript. He was also quoted in an article in the Centretown News.
We are pretty focused on work right now, and the "Grand Opening" event that is scheduled for the evening of October 25. LWP will be having an Open House but it's also the launch of the whole building. It's pretty exciting.
The limited time we had for our personal lives this week was shot down by colds, Keenan got it first, and still had it by the time Julie had acquired it and got rid of it.
The two Friday night groups have started up again, which is nice because we get to see the volunteers more often. It is going to be really great this year, we have more staff so there is less to worry about, and the group dynamics seem really good.
Sunday, September 23rd
We survived the week.
Exhaustion was setting in, but it all worked out OK. The big Friday night combo of program orientation and Annual General Meeting was a success. Both events were completed in just two hours. There was a full turnout for the orientation, and a lot of people stayed for the AGM, way more than last year when it was on a separate night. We went out to relax on a patio on Elgin afterwards, until the rain signalled it was time to go.
We also found time to go out to dinner with Keenan's sister Marni and her two daughters Flannery and Jane on Thursday night. Right after that we were over to see Sean Malone, an old friend who also does the books for LWP. It's a big chore preparing the annual financial statements, but all the loose ends seemed wrapped up by the time we left.
Friday was also the one year anniversary of Maureen's firing from the Bronson Centre. We celebrated by joining her for lunch with other Heartwood House board members at the Lisgar Cafe, which is known by the group as Revolution Cafe, because that's where we started meeting in early 2001 to follow our dream of a place where community and partnership would be a way of life.
On Thursday we posed for photos along with other Heartwood House dwellers for an upcoming feature in the Centretown News. The story of the departure from Bronson Centre is starting to get out. We just hope that the media will focus on what is good about Heartwood House instead of what is bad about Bronson Centre.
On Saturday we had a great night with David and Christina and baby Meredith. They perused our wedding photos and we all had a good laugh watching the video.
Today Keenan is fighting off a cold, and Julie is tackling some school work. The goal for the week ahead is to get the office close to 100% moved in.
Sunday, September 16th
It's Sunday, September 16th, and like a lot of people, the WTC disaster is still dominating our thoughts. We work in a building that is attached to a Jewish synagogue, and last week we got a taste of what it can be like to live your life under the shadow of constant threats. It is difficult to imagine what it must be like to live in the Middle East or other areas of the world where violent activity is part of daily life.
Fortunately, with our responsibilities at LiveWorkPlay there was little time to dwell on the horrors of the incident. The new computer lab is a huge success, and Keenan is being kept very busy hopping around maintaining all the equipment, and continuing to get LWP moved into the new building. Julie is swamped with the always difficult job of organizing participant schedules in the SMILE system of supports, and she has also started two evening courses towards the completion of her Master of Education (Counselling) program at the University of Ottawa. The orientation meeting for SMILE@NIGHT and JOURNEYS participants (programs on Friday night) is coming up on Friday, as is the LWP Annual General Meeting, so the coming week is sure to be very taxing.
When the Friday programs get going, it means we get to see the wonderful LWP volunteers again on regular basis. Pennie, Margot, Elaine, Cyndi, Colin are all expected back and this year Fran, Jen, Jessica, Lisa, Heather, and Melanie will all be supporting us as staff. It may even be possible for us to be elsewhere on the occasional Friday night if need be. After four years of being tied up several nights per week, we are due for at least a little bit of relief when we really need it.
Melanie and husband Marc hosted a fun potluck party for all the volunteers and staff on Friday. What a terrific group of people. We are lucky to have them in our lives, and best of all, in the lives of the LWP clients.
We also went out for dinner with Elaine and Dale. Barring some unusual event, Elaine is going to be joinging the LWP board of directors on Friday. This is great news, because she has been an employee and volunteer with the organization in the past, so she has some pretty good insight into what it is all about.