Schneid Musings from the end of the Decade

And so we come to the end of another decade. A lot has happened this decade, both in and out of the family. The world has seen tragedy and scandal, beginning with 9/11 and Enron, Worldcom, Bernie Madoff, irrational exuberance in housing, wars, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc. But we have also seen the audacity of hope with a new direction in government, both in Canada and the US, and promises of better days to come. We have also seen amazing inventions and advances in medicine.

We have seen many changes in the family as well. There have been many moves and additions, and great blessings. I'm grateful for all of you.

Rico had a great idea for a blog conversation - what stands out for you (good or bad) from the past decade - a person, event, invention, etc? Let's share some ideas.

Luv,

Gramps

Bella Italia

Another really fun thing we did was head to the Olympic peninsula. We took a ferry to Bainbridge and then made our way west to the national park. It was amazing to scout out this land not only because it's BEAUTIFUL, but also because it's the setting for 'Twilight...' ;) I enjoyed reading this series, and found it was a fun topic of conversation with my coworkers and classmates. So it was great to check out the area where the fictional novel supposedly occurred. We even went to the restaurant where apparently Bella and Edward had their first date!!

Christmas Break

Well christmas break has been very peaceful indeed. I have been able to see Avatar twice. I passed the Beatles Rockband, got to go see my first wedding ceremony in the temple, received awesome Christmas gifts, saw the Lord of the Rings trilogy within a 24 hour period, and have been able to hang out with my friends. It has been a bit of tight squeeze riding in the Subaru with the six of us, but I guess it is the small price to pay for a good break. Hope New Year's will be fun with the Whites coming down. Anyway, got to do an Encore on Beatles Rockband so Ill see you all.

Rico

Home for the Holidays

It's my first college break! I must say it's been very fun and relaxing. After a strenuous first semester at BYU, it's been so nice to have nothing to do. I had a great time at pike place with friends. There's definitely a lot of things I've missed about Seattle! It's a weird feeling now, because I can't completely call it my home since I don't currently live here. But of course Seattle will always be home at heart. And Edmonton too. I guess I've always had more than one home so I should be used to the feeling :)

Law School Survival

Well one of these days I will find a picture of me at law school. I sit there straining to hear and dissect each and every word emanating from my professors (the oracles of infinite wisdom who graciously share their knowledge). I have survived my first semester, I don't think I did as well as I was hoping but I have plans to do much better my second semester. The holidays have been great but I fear that it will be very difficult to get back into the swing of things when the holidays come to a close. It has been great visiting the family and I was very sad that I was gone for Thanksgiving. I will be posting again in a couple of days with pictures yeah!!!

Ian: A Really Great Guy-2009 Bragathon

Wow, Ian is a really great guy, and the past couple of months have been unusually exciting. He won the J. Reuben Clark most Outstanding Young Lawyer award from the Los Angeles chapter, which was a really huge honor.


Ian also set a goal to run a marathon this year. It was a big stretch for him because let's just say he hasn't been the most consistent exerciser since... well... awhile. But he did it! He ran a marathon in Sacramento and I'm so proud of him for reaching his goal.

The awards and the goals are neat, but most importantly every day Ian is a wonderful father and husband. He is incredibly helpful and hands-on, I'm always amazed at how much he does as a father. He was really excited for me to bring the boys to visit him at work a couple months ago. He had a really huge office at the time (his division had to move recently to make room for the new Spiderman 4 and 5 crew that have since set up shop on the lot). We had the best time eating lunch with dad and the boys continue to ask to go and 'see my daddy at work'. During this Christmas season I'm especially grateful for him and the way he makes our family work so well.

The Christmas Spirit Rules in Edmonton

Schneid Musings from the Great White

On December 12, the temperature at the Edmonton airport was measured at -46 C. This set a record for the coldest temperature ever measured in Edmonton on Dec. 12 by almost 10 degrees. In addition, it was the 2nd coldest temperature measured that day on the entire planet. Apparently, there was an uninhabited weather station in Siberia that measured -48 C.

Then again, what better way to get in the Christmas spirit. Santa lives at the North Pole and he never complains about the weather. He is unfailingly cheerful, even thought it must be frightfully cold and windy outside when he goes out to feed the reindeer. It must be very tough for the California contingent of the family to get in the Christmas spirit - requiring extra effort since the weather is always summer.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. I'm hoping everyone has a fabulous holiday season. HO HO HO!!!

Luv,
Gramps