wind at our backs

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I usually hate these letters that people send out at Christmas time, but I have to say, I completely understand now why folks have done so in the past!
It's called WRITERS CRAMP!!!!!

We have definitely had a busy last year.

The Liquidators, Immigration, immigration and more immigration! The new blog,

travelling to meet my parents, travelling to Laguna Beach (I know, poor us!), trips to Scottsdale to get spoiled by Michelle, Peter and Genevieve. Plus all the wonderful company we have had over the last year!
And sadness to have lost Daniel's lifetime friend Frankie. Yet we have found new friends and for Daniel, rekindled old ones.

R.I.P Frank Lawson.

This year has included many adventures. Symphony concerts, motorcycle rides, and wonderful nights sitting by the fire outside in our new gazebo! Daniels drive to loose weight and get toned and stronger has been a great success. Me? Not so much! But we all know amazingly disciplined he is! I wish I could bottle that.

The Liquidators.

Although this business is old hat for Daniel, it has been a learning curve for me to see how a liquidation company is run and how much thought it takes to put into action the removal of thousands of hotel rooms. The Liquidators did two hotel liquidations and liquidated a showroom (35,000 sq ft) for Home Elegance from The World Market Center twice.

The Venetian and The Four Seasons Hotels were both liquidated by us this last year and a half.

The man power alone to do a liquidation of such large magnitude is amazing. Hotel Liquidations are usually done once a week over a given time frame and you have to have those rooms cleared in a certain amount of time for each floor. At some points during the liquidation of The Venetian, we had 60 men on the job pushing furniture out of the rooms, down the hall, down a elevator, across the parking garage roof to a temporary lift. Down that lift and stacking the furniture into our trailers to be moved to our warehouse/showroom. That crew could do the removal of a room, consisting of 27 pieces of furniture, down to 8.3 minutes a room! WOW.

A whole other aspect of liquidation is the removal from the trailers and proper storage of the products. If you know Daniel at all, you know that he is extremely organized and able to "cube" things to get the most use out of a certain amount of space. He is also very prideful in the fact that his warehouses are spotless. We have had deals made by the fact that contract sales customers have seen our warehouse and appreciate the fact that all the furniture is stored carefully and with such attention.

Then the retail end of it! Sales are sales are sales. You just need to know your product. Listen well to what the customer needs and most of all be thorough in making sure the customer is happy. We now have a great staff that works with these fundamentals in mind.

Another learning curve for me was how diverse this town is. Wow, I felt like a hick from a small town on a couple of occasions. There is such a different set of ethnic groups in Las Vegas. We have customers from every where in the US, lots of Canadians, as well as Ethiopia, Asia, Russia and Gypsies!

So many different ethnicity and so many different languages. But, as I said, we have a good sales staff and a good warehouse staff. People who are proud to work with us and who genuinely want to make our customers happy.

I have also had the opportunity to learn how to do internet marketing, web site construction and maintenance and to help with external marketing. Yes, I painted the "Open to the Public" sign on the big windows out front!

Even though in the beginning, it was 7 days a week, it has evened out now. And though it still has it's stresses, it has become rewarding.

Travels!

I got to fly to Reno early this year to visit with one of my Ya Ya's Sue....her and her sister-in-Law Connie were in town for a conference that Connie (she works at a University in Vancouver Canada) was attending. I got to bunk in with them and enjoy a lot of laughs, a couple of good cries (Sue had just lost her Mom), some good food, and a couple of dances. Although it was a bitter sweet time, it was nice to have a quick get away with some girl time.

As most of you know, I can't travel to Canada until my immigration is finished. And in this time, there have been some instances when I should have been up there to help with my friends and families in their hard times. The loss of Ya Ya Kerri's Dad, Gary Hopkins, the pace maker surgery of my Dad, Jim Whalen. And also the loss of Ya Ya Sue's Mom (Val) were some of those times. It would have been great to be able to support the Lawson family and my hubby in the loss of Frank as well.

So, when I got to see Sue in Reno after she recently lost her Mom, it was very good for me to be able to give my good friend a huge hug and tell her how sorry I was for her (and all of us) to have lost her Momma. Kerri, I will give you a hug when I get to the island! xo

Also, in the beginning of this year, (because I could not leave the US) I flew to Portland, OR and met with Mom and Dad, who had driven down. We had planned to met and for me to drive with them to Arizona where they had rented a place for a month in Scottsdale.

It was fun driving and chatting and laughing and signing like fools. Not so much fun when the police officer pulled me over in California for speeding. I ended up getting off with a warning because the police officer had also pulled over another car, and there was undocumented aliens in that vehicle! Thank god, because my Canadian drivers licence had expired! There was definitely someone looking out for me that day!

So we stopped in Las Vegas and had a visit with Daniel and then traveled on through to Scottsdale where I spent a week with Mom and Dad. I also got to get caught up with the friends that we had made in the park there. I flew back to Las Vegas and then two and a half weeks later, I flew back down and spent a little more time with them before driving with them up to Las Vegas again. Neither Mom or Dad had been to The Grand Canyon, so, on our way back to Las Vegas we spent three days and two nights scouting about this amazing spot.

Once we got back up to Las Vegas, they tootled home from here without me. It seemed funny not to see them everyday after spending just about two weeks with them.

Daniel and I got the opportunity to go to Newport and Laguna Beach. It was on business but we spent a extra day there just being tourists and eating and walking the beach. Most of you know that Laguna is Dan's happy place. He looses all worries in the world. It was a good thing for him to be there and smell the ocean and see what the future holds!

I have forged friendships with some wonderful gals here. One of them is named Alene. Because of her, I am probably the most spoiled gal in Las Vegas. Anytime Alene has a extra ticket to a show that has been promo'd to her, she will call me to see if I can go. I am blessed to have been to an amazing array of entertainment. Rock concerts, Cirque Shows, Recycled Percussion, Restaurant openings....too many to count.

She shows me unconditional love the same as she does for riding our motorcycles. I am so grateful for this lady. We have been on many bike rides together....

I have also been blessed with the fact that most people will come to Las Vegas at some point. I have seen relatives that I haven't't had a chance to see in a long time. I'm so happy that Jeff and Anna got ahold of me while they were here. We had fun up atop of The Stratosphere and dining at Nora's Italian Restaurant. (Reminded me of the Italian restaurants our Uncle would take us to in Windsor, Ont.)

MY Ya Ya's, my Mom, and my friend Hazel made a special trip for a week in Las Vegas. My friend, Sue decided that since we may not be able to visit each other for awhile, she booked her time share and invited whoever wanted to make the journey. As it turns out, we spent a week at The Grandview this last August. The folks who made it down to visit were Sue, Sylvie, Julie, Mom, and Hazel. All these gals are from the island.
At the beginning of the week, we made a "Wish List" of things that we were hoping to do. I must say that we did amazingly well. There were originally 18 items but that ended up being 19 as we added one more to the list that was a bit of a spur of the moment thing.

Sylvie, who has lost a ton of weight ( and looks amazing), wanted to have a little bling to reward herself. So we did the research, found a good spot and went to meet the guy that would pierce her belly button! Everything went fabulously and she has a new shiny belly button piercing!
We saw shows, (one that Alene got us all tickets for front row and sent a limo for us!) ate at wonderful restaurants and laid by the pool and laughed.

We played card games, and Sylvie gave everyone massages. Including one to Alene. Most everyone got pedicures or manicures.

We dressed in each others clothes like we were teenagers, and swapped out shoes and jewelry too.
We celebrated Hazels birthday at Gordon Biersch. They have great music on Sundays and all the folks come dressed to the nines. So fun. We had a visit with Jackie (who lives here) and she helped us celebrate Hazel's big day.

At the end of the week, we did 17 out of the 19 things on the list. slot tournaments, dinner at PF Changs, Bingo, dancing, Margaritaville ect.

My Ya Ya part #2

Not to be out done, two more of my Ya Ya's came down for 5 days. Gayle and Corrine stayed at the same place and we got to do a lot of the same things as the first group of gals. Fremont St, the strip, dining out with Daniel. Laughing, pedicures, staying up late! So much fun.

I can't thank my friends enough for making the trips down. You have saved my sanity. Given me the quality Ya Ya time while I am waiting here for my immigration to come through. xoxoxoxo

Hazel got to be here twice as she was here with her hubby earlier in the year. They helped us break in the new gazebo. Although the wind (crazy desert winds here in Las Vegas) tore up the original one, it is a very nice touch to have another "room". We now have a wonderful table that has a fire pit in it and seating for four. So nice.

My friends Dehran and Lisa have come down a couple of times and we have made some fun adventures in some nefarious places that probably shouldn't be mentioned on the web. I also got to meet a few other Canadians through them. Gail, Wyatt, and Mandy who are from Williams Lake, BC. They are part timers here in Las Vegas. Lisa and Dehran spent two weeks with them here celebrating her 50th birthday (I can't believe she's really that age btw)

Lady Di from Coombs and her friend visited here for a couple of days. We had a ton of fun on Fremont St.

My friends from California, Roxanne and Dave have made the trip a couple of times. Luckily we got to see them and have a good laugh, and a float in the pool.

I am so lucky that there are inexpensive flight to Las Vegas, and that people will let me know they are here. I love seeing you all. I also apologize if I missed mentioning anyone who made the effort.

Daniel had some travels this year as well. Mostly not for good reasons. His long time friend, Frank, had become very ill earlier this year. He made the trip to Vancouver Island (in august) to spend some time with him. He got to spend time with Frank and the other brothers in the Lawson family. They spent time around some golf course on Vancouver Island, as well as time at the families homes. They enjoyed time togeather playing games, and recalling stories of the past.

The other trip he made to Canada was to help his Uncle celebrate his 95th birthday! What a wonderful time! How great for them to see each other. Dan's Uncle Rum is a amazing man. He still cooks for himself and drives his own car. He has a wonderful memory and still has a great sense of humor. Although Uncle Rum had recently fallen and broken his hip, he was determined not to let this end his life (as it does for many older folks). He has worked hard to get his "legs back under him" and he is doing a top notch job of getting there.

In the meantime, Daniel, in aid of my immigration process and to realize his desire, got his American Citizenship. Congratulations Daniel.

Unfortunately, Daniels most recent trip to the island was for his friends Franks's "Celebration of Life". Frank passed at his home in Qualicum Beach on his 66th birthday. He was with his family and his loved ones.

We also spent some time in Scottsdale helping friends out with their properties down there. Also, seeing our newest addition to our friends list. Michelle and Peter A. And of course their too darn cute (all be it lazy) dog, Lucy. Genevieve is part of our existing friend list but she plays a big part of our times in Scottsdale. These folks have been a source of amazing friendship, laughs and great food. Thank you guys.

And just today, Tony L from Calgary came to join us for Christmas. Welcome Tony. Glad to have you with us this Christmas.

Needless to say ,it has been a wonderfully busy year. With a lot of learning curves. Great enjoyment of friends. Seeing new things and trying new adventures.

I wanted to share a recipe with you guys. You all know how much I love cooking and eating and drinking! Michelle from Scottsdale made this for us one time and I got the recipe from her.

Some people call this the "ugly dip' but I call it "Crack Dip" because you can't stop eating it.

Here are the ingredients. Simply mix them all together and let sit in the fridge over night. You can eat it right away but it is amazingly better the next day.

"Crack Dip"

2 cans of Shoepeg Corn (Green Giant sells this. It is usually in the veggie department in a little area of it's own!?!??!)
2 cans of Black Beans
8 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled
2-4 green onions sliced into tiny rounds
In a bowl mix together
1/2 cup extra light virgin olive oil (not virgin)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbs sugar
granulated garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
Mix all ingredients together and chill overnite
Make sure to serve this with Frito Lays Scoops (the regular ones are just too small)
I bet you will be addicted just like we are!

I feel blessed that my Dads heart surgery got done quickly (with my Moms helps!) and he is doing wonderfully! I am grateful that my husband feels that it is important enough to take care of himself physically so he can be with me for a long long time.

I am grateful that immigration didn't deport me even though we have had a lot of trouble getting this whole thing done!

And, I am very grateful to know all of you.

We wish you all a wonderful wonderful holiday season.

With love,

Shannon and Dan

I find it hard to believe how fast the last 6 months have gone by... I got to discover more about the awesome state of Arizona. I know that you always think of sunshine and cactus. But the state holds more than one can imagine.

The gorgeouse red rocks of Sedona....(a trip up to Sedona with Mom and Jim)

A ride with my friend from the island, Keith, going into Lake Rosevelt. Looks like the Okanogan to me....very very pretty.

Some flowering catcus...I understand that this is the start of the wild flowers and cactus to bloom...I am lucky to have got a glimpse of what will come in the next month. So weird to see such delicate flowers on such a prickly plant!!!

And, to blow my own horn....my tomatoe plants. Daniel and I have been enjoying these little morsels for about 3 weeks now. Nothing and I mean nothing, beats the taste of a home grown tomatoe!

These little guys came to me free of charge. Another wild flower in AZ. Remember we are still just in March! I love all the color!

Another great shot of the cactus!

I went for a ride today up north to Carefree and Cave Creek. This area is called The Boulders...you can see why. Very cool to see how they build the homes around the huge boulders. I understand that you can't move or change where the boulders are when building. I heard that someone up here has a pool built into the boulder on their land. I would like to see that! Maybe next time lol

I got to spend some good sunshiney time with my Mom and Jim this year. They came down for the month of Feb. Mom showing off her flowers while out for a day of golf in Tempe.

I drove with Mom and Jim up to Las Vegas when they were on their way home. After showing them around the city (with much help from our friends, Steve and Jackie) they headed home and I spent the weekend with Chrissy and Ryan...such fun. Boomer and Frankie were happy to see me too!

Some other site seeing trips with Mom and Jim. This is on the way to Sedona, called the Cliff Dwellings, where the old indians built their homes and their lives in the cliffs. I will make a blog about all of that very cool stuff at a later date thought! Yup, they actually lived in those "dwellings" overlooking the river. Smart indigineous people!

Our friends from the island were also here for just over 3 months. Having cocktails at Tony, Pat and Chris's place....

Old friends seem to come out this year. Frank and Dans friend from the younger days came by for a visit with his new toy!!!! Garnet and his "vet" Cool

And, some of my new friends. Catherine, Andy and Karen. We were enjoying the nice day at the park party.

Laurie Anne, doing her part working the party...

Catherine, at the age of 80 something!!! got on and went for her first Harely ride... good for you Catherine. And she loved it!

So we are heading home thursday morning...I had a great time this winter with my friends and family visiting me. And I loved meeting the new folks down here too. Oh, yeah, volunteering at the Animal Shelter allowed me to meet some really cool people too. Those people that work there full time are saints I tell you. Glad to have been able to spend some time helping out the little dogs and cats too.