Just a few shots from the Lau family dinner… sorry I didn’t get shots of everyone, but there were a few other cameras around…

Yay!  After signing to Erica for the past 6-7 months, she’s starting to sign back on a regular basis!

I should change the name of the blog to “stuff about Erica”… but anyways, I’m sure only parents and grandparents would find this video fascinating, but she’s recently started to play ‘peekaboo’… during dinner… sometimes with sauce covered hands.

For awhile we were wondering if Erica had much interest in walking. She seemed fine furniture walking and crawling along at half light-speed. Earlier this week she hit the 16 month mark, and I’d say within the last few weeks she’s starting to do more ‘stuff’. Here’s a video of her practicing standing without holding onto anything. You can see she’s getting confidence, so I think her first steps are just a few days away…

We got back from my sister’s wedding in Mexico early Friday morning.  I think it was one of those events where there’s so much going on that you can’t fully absorb everything… but when everything is finished and you have a few free, quiet moments to reflect, then you start to realize some things.  My one and only sister is now married (I guess it took 2 ceremonies to cement it <grin>) and she’s officially starting the next phase in her life.  Paul is my brother-in-law, and we’ve officially welcomed him to our family, as the Vegas’ have welcomed Vennie into their family.

We made a lot of new friends, renewed old friendships, and learned a lot about Paul’s family.

Getting there is half the fun

Not really.  To get to Merida, we took the 10:35pm flt from Vancouver to Toronto.  Arrived in Toronto at about 6:30 EST.  Then we had 5 hours to kill before boarding the flight to Cancun.  We reached Cancun at 2:30 local time where I was very surprised to see the new airport!!  The last airport left a lot to be desired, and this one was pretty nice.  My parents and Bill and Wendy were waiting outside, and so we hopped into the van for a thrilling 3 hour roadtrip from Cancun to Merida. 

I would say that my flight to India was worse… but only just.  If I am ever booked on a red-eye again, I will toss my passport into the shredder so I can’t go.  Throughout the journey, we could only think of how much worse it would be if we had brought e with us.  🙁

Back to the wedding… 

Anyways, I have a lot more to write about the wedding, travel, Mexico, etc. so I’ll leave that for future entries.  I think the highlight for me, and most everyone was the reception.  Great venue, food, and speeches.  I’ve been bugged a few times to include the speech I wrote for Vennie, so here it is.

I’m here to talk and say some nice things about my sister.  Yes, I enjoy a good challenging topic…

My sister was born in the year of the tiger, and so I looked up the personality traits of the Tigress. 

It states:

“The tigress is Passionate, powerful, dynamic, and is a stick of dynamite waiting to go off…

They live life with Vigor, and are very goal oriented.  They are never halfhearted about their endeavours.  The Tigress must express herself, find her identity, and shape her personality.

Fashion conscious, articulated, and liberated.  They love being the center of attention.

They have a sensitive, artistic side.  They are also nurturers and humanitarians, great with children.

The Tigress is the ultimate optimist who will always bounce back for fresh challenges.

But the downside is that they are often hot-headed.  Don’t taunt the tigress, as she keeps her claws sharpened just in case.”

My first memory of Vennie’s emerging personality when she was just 2.  Our family took a vacation to Ottawa to visit our Aunt Nora/Uncle Larry and our cousins Robin and Denny.  We took a walk by the Parliament buildings, and I recall pushing cousin Denny in a stroller.  Out of nowhere came these tiny little claws, and before I knew what had happened, my sister had cut in front of me, taken the stroller, and was already running off in the distance pushing the stroller.

What was it like growing up with Vennie?  Here are some words that come to mind… Fleece sweatpants, piano lessons, braces, endless hours of off-tune Olivia Newton John and Sheena Easton songs, fashion forward/thick round glasses- think of Vennie as an owl, bowl cuts (thanks mom), and of course, more claws.  It wasn’t until she was much older that things became more interesting, and we could finally be civil to each other… however the claws were still ever present.

When I think of my sister and what is important to her, Family and friends are the first to come to mind.  In many ways, she is the glue that helps hold our family together.  Ever thoughtful, she makes a point to keep in touch and celebrate anything and everything.  As Kara can attest, at some point, most of our younger cousins were looked after by Vennie.  She sets a good example, provides her unique form of “direction”,and helps anyone who is in need.

I want to go back to the quote “The Tigress must express herself, and find her identity.”

Coming from our family, there’s an expectation to enter the medical field.  My sister went to U of C, completed her BSc, and took the MCATs.  Somewhere during that process, she changed her direction, and went into interior design.  After graduation, her next decision was to pursue her career in NY. 

These two decisions in career choice and relocation to NYC, were made because of who she is.  They are decisions that took courage, conviction, and belief in herself.  I can say that not many people born in Drumheller have made the jump to a successful career in NY. They are also pivotal decisions in that they eventually led her to Paul, and are the reason why we are here today. 

I have one final quote about the Tigress- “Life with the Tiger will be volatile.  It will be filled with laughter, tears, drama, joy, and every conceivable emotion in the dictionary.”  Paul- get ready.  🙂

For Vennie- I have a short story for you.  When mom was really pregnant with you, she asked me if I wanted a brother or sister.  I remember seriously thinking about it for a few moments, and I decided I wanted a brother.  Mom asked why wouldn’t I want a sister, and pointed out all the good things about having a sister.  Mom said enough to change my mind.

Later in school, I learned that you should always go with your first answer.  It took some time, but I came to realize I’m very glad I didn’t go with my first answer.  (Now I also have a brother in Paul!)

My life in the past few years has been better than I could imagine- first as a husband, and then as a parent.  I wish the same happiness and contentment for you and Paul.

Please raise your glasses to Vennie- Mountain climber, world traveller, artist, marathon runner, one-time model, and forever my kid sister- health, happiness, and more cousins for Erica!    
 
Salut!

 

Photo of Paul and Vennie’s wedding favor

I couldn’t help but to laugh the first time I saw her do the L sit. I think you can view at the proper screen size by hitting one of the screen size icons.

A couple of weekends ago, I had a craving for berry pancakes with butter and maple syrup. I had a bit of batter leftover, so I made a mini pancake for e, just to see what she would do with it…

It’s hard to believe that Grandma left us 7 years ago today.  Maybe it doesn’t seem that long ago because we, as a family, still talk about her quite a bit, which keeps her memory very much alive.

 As I posted Grandpa’s eulogy, I thought it would be fitting to find Grandma’s eulogy and post it.  I found that reading the words now, probably means more today given the state of our family.  And now that the next generation is here, we have a promise to fulfill!

On Behalf of my sister Vennie and my cousins- Jason, Jennifer, Michael (who could not be with us here today, but passes along his love and support), Christopher, Lester, Jonatan, and Cindy- I would like to say a few words to express how much our Grandmother means to us.

Thank you, Grandma, for being there during the first month of our lives to teach our parents how to cope with the shock of parenthood.  Thank you for impressing upon us the importance of family… reminding us to get along with each other, to support each other, and to play fair.  You taught us about love, respect, generosity, integrity, and you set the example of what it means to be polite and well mannered.  You encouraged us to do our best in school and in our work.  But, most importantly, you wanted us to become good people and to enjoy life to the fullest.

Without your wisdom, support, and unconditional love, we would not be who we are today.

We cannot think of a better way to thank you than to pass along these values to future generations.  To this, we each promise to do so.

Wherever we are, we know in our hearts, that you will always be there to watch over us, your Monkeys.