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Alan ran in two half-marathon races this year, both in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through the Team in Training organization. Here he is looking strong at the 10-mile mark of the Houston race in January, being cheered on by the boys. During the year he was also appointed to the board of Take Heart Association Project, Inc., a charity helping underprivileged children with heart disorders in East Africa. |
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Daniel (age 13) hasn't tried much distance running like his dad, but he was selected for his school 4x400m relay team. He finds that particular distance tough going. |
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Jason (age 11) has been active at school too. Here he is running a relay race at his 5th grade sports day. |
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This has definitely been a more active year for Belinda, as she made a concerted effort to get rid of the flab that had been slowly accumulating. However, rather than running, she joined a circuit-type ladies gym (ShapeXpress) and has successfully lost 18 pounds and four inches off her waistline. |
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This year both boys played American football for the first time, through a local league (SFL). Daniel's team did particularly well and Daniel himself was recognized as the most improved player on his team. He really put his heart into it and worked very hard. He'll be too old for that league next year, but hopes to play on a school team instead. |
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Here's Daniel taking a rare moment to rest during a football game. |
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Jason enjoyed his football experience too, and says that he will play again next year. That's just as well, since we have bought all that equipment! |
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American football is a great way to vent aggression, but when that's not an option sometimes we have to resort to other methods like pillow fights. On this particular occasion, Daniel has the better of Jason. |
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Through an event at a local book store, Alan was able to sell a few more copies of his novel, Dataset, Inc. However, living off the royalties is definitely not an option and he continues to work at his "day job" (energy efficiency consulting) to put food on the table for our increasingly hungry children. |
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Jason still enjoys participating in theatre, and during the summer earned a part in the A.D. Players All-Star production of "David, the Best Slinger in the West" as one of the bad guys. |
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During the year it became apparent that Jason's distance vision had become weaker, so now he wears glasses at school. We also found out at the same time that he is red-green colourblind (like both his grandfathers), but this does not seem to cause him any trouble at all. |
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Our newest member of the animal tribe is Tex, a bichon frise dog. This breed was chosen to avoid allergy problems for Belinda, and he has now inserted himself very well into our household. |
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Tex is technically Daniel's dog, although obviously we all end up being somewhat involved in his care. This was the first time Daniel bathed Tex, and we're not sure who got more wet. |
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Watching all the four-legged animals interact with each other has been interesting... |
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...but most of the time the cats are blissfully unaware of the dog's presence. From left to right are Xena, a retired Cornish Rex showcat; Midge, our shy but notoriously inquisitive tabby; and Shadow, a friend's older cat who needed a retirement home. |