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The year 2003 at a glance
Home | Sense of Humour Required! | Twin Stress | The year 2004 at a glance | Ode to Grandma Cooke | The year 2000 at a glance. | The year 2001 at a glance. | The year 2002 at a glance. | The year 2003 at a glance | Disney trip | Kids are so Funny! | Homemade Baby Songs | Deaf Humour | Treasured Grandparents | As the twins turn 18 months | A Dance Teacher Leaves Her Mark | Things to do at the Cottage | Eulogy for Grandma Holland and Aunt Catherine

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Jan 2003

We had a great trip to Disney. See link

Feb 2003

March 2003 I managed to be sick most of this month. From a virus that was in my throat and ears and came out in my eye. Then it left blisters around my eye. I went to emergency, but they called it a virus, didn't tell me which one, but ruled out shingles and herpes. Just talked about cobblestone pattern in my eyes and then broke into latin.

Nexted, Spencer and I got food poisioning. I opened a new bottle of mayo and made macaroni salad. So, it was the mayo or the tuna.

Finally, I ended up with the sinus infection that lead to the antibiotics.

April 2003 Just discovered that I'm allergic to any anti-biotic that says 'Sulfa'. I broke out in hives when I had only 2 pills to go. I was feeling over heated and didn't sleep well all week.



May 2003 Spencer turns 13! How can this be?



June 2003 Kevan and Dad leave for the west coast. They will travel south and west on route 66, up to Alaska and home.



Spencer got a recommend for his patriarchal blessing. I can't imagine how having such a thing would have affected my life for the better.

July turned out to be the month from hell!

It was so bad, that I can't even remember every thing that went wrong.

Race car driver-called police-was a neighbours kids.

Nearly killed Nanook by leaving him in a car.

Dishwasher door breaks/washing machine leaks. Called repair guy. He fixes dishwasher door can't get the washing machine to leak. The dishwasher dies a week later.

I get the worse rash in my butt crack. After visiting the doctor 3times and 3 different meds, It doesn't clear up.

Go to mom's for the weekend and returned home to find the fridge freezer was not shut all the way. Cooked the meat. Saved the frozen(now thawed) juice and threw away everything else.

Kevan returns home and decideds to use up his gas storage by putting it into his car. A nearly empty can spins and the spout flicks gas into his eye. I wasn't sure how to treat him, so I called 911. Had a tough time hearing the 911 ambulance guy. Told him I couldn't hear him and he kept saying calm down. I wasn't anything by calm.
Kevan went away in the ambulance, Spencer went with him in the front seat.

I decide to go to the hospital emergency room myself, since I have to pick up Kevan anyways. The doctor gives me a fungus/steroid cream.

Kevan's eyes are fine.

Aug. 2003

Heather and Doug got married in the Cuddy garden. Kevan was the photographer. Heather looked beautiful and Doug and Heather looked very happy. The party at their house after was great. Alex Douch was Doug's best man from Dougs 1st wedding. He was a cop that came into the lab all the time. One of the favorite customers.

9th, Kurtis breaks his elbow. Now at the tender age of 3 he has broken his foot and his arm! Ugh!

11th, Steve, Jordan and Dylan arrive from Edmonton. We all meet ath the Mandrin for dinner. Upon arrival, Steve was shooting footage with his video camera wearing head phones for sound.

12th, We drop off the kids at Mom and Dad's and walk around Bayfield before checking in at Benmiller. Our dinner there was one of the best in a long time.

13th, Our 20th Wedding Anniversary. After breakfast, we checked out a new Photo Gallery in Goderich. The Reuben R. Swallows Gallery is an old time photographer (1855-1937) who documented pioneer life in Ontario. He died at 81 years on the way to a shoot. This prompted me to say,"in this business, you can shoot till you die." Kevan said he liked that, "Shoot till you die", as a title of a book or show.

I gave Kevan tickets to "The Buddy Holly Story". It played at 2PM at the Huron Country Play House. Great Music.

Picked up our kids and Tom's kids. ... That's a lot of kids.

14th, The big kids went to East Park to play. At about 4 PM the power went out. It didn't come on for 3 1/2 hours. Apparently, much of NW North America went out. The grid failed and we still don't know what happened.

15th, Kurtis waited 3 hours to get 3 more x-rays at Sick Kids. Then he got a full arm plaster cast. Dinner at the Oaks, where we were sent out on the patio in stifeling hot weather, because Jordan and Steve wore blue jeans. (I can't believe that this is allowed, in this day and age when nothing that can be construed as discrimination is allowed. )Then everyone went to the Delaware Raceway.

Kevan and Spencer were off to Quebec City. When I talked to Spencer, on the second day, all he talked about were the French Girls. He has never talked to me about girls in his whole life. Now he wants to bring one, or all of them home!
Since Kevan and Spencer are gone, I have been potty training Kurtis and Caroline. They are doing great. I have bought them both sunglasses and play dough for rewards. There is a chart on the fridge. When they pee in the potty, they get a check mark. When they poop, a star. They like those marks beside their names. Grandma came to visit over night while Dad and Uncle David fix the flooded floor in Florida. Grandma gives them each a penny everytime they are successful. Moneey is definately Caroline's motivation.

Sept. 2003
A crazy month.

Oct 2003



Twin sale. I volunteer as LMBA's secretary. Barely catch my breath from the whirlwind of the sale and we find out that Gill has been diagnosed with cancer. Pancreas and liver.

Nov. 2003

Gil died. Steve, Sherri and sons fly out for the funeral.

December 2003

A very busy month. Kurtis and Caroline had a Christmas Concert for their Nursery School on the 2nd and a Dance Recital on the 14th. Spencer had a Christmas Concert where he played in the school band as the only French Horn player. I joined Spencer's class skating on thier last day of school before Christmas, followed up with a surprise birthday dinner for Maureen at The Oaks, Kevan's Golf Club.

I went to see Dr. Vilos about and Endometrial Ablation, which I believe will be performed in the spring 2004.

Spencer went Curling with his class and discovered a few muscles he didn't know he had. He also went for his annual check up at the dentist.

My hearing aid broke, just before I returned to work, as a stylist for Kevan. We went to Bay View Wildwood Resort for two days to shoot there. Mom and Dad took care of the kids.

I got my new hearing aid which is digital and way smaller then the last one.

As far as special meals this month, there was the Chrismas Dinner at Church on the 13th. I cooked 10 lbs. of potatoes.

A Cookie exchange on the 18th where we were each required to bake 6 dozen cookies which we traded for a great assortment. Aunt Gerry was to arrive from the west, so we had a special dinner on the 21st. The airline switched her to a different flight and she never showed. We partied anyways. Christmas Eve, Tom and family, Mom and Dad and all of us ate: Lobster, Shrimp, Lausgna, Onion Bread, Salad and Black Forest Trifle along with many other cookies and squares. Mom and Dad stayed overnight. Tom and family went home because Monica was on call at the hospital. Christmas Day, Margaret and family, Papa Doug, Maureen and her girls and their boyfriends joined us. We ate: Turkey, (I nearly forgot the cranberries) Stuffing with sausage, dried crannberries, and almonds, Mashed Potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese, Sweet Potatoes with carrots and honey, Brussel Sprouts for Margaret, Turnip for Dad, Corn for Spencer and Maureen brought Salmon, and Salad. Dessert was Plum Pudding made by Nancy England, Cherry Cheese Cake made by Maureen, Black Forest Trifle and a huge assortment of sweets.

Big christmas surprises included, a snowboard for Spencer, a ton of Barbies for Caroline and Kurtis got a few remote control toys. I gave Kevan the book written by his ancestor, John Ashworth, called Strange Tales from the Humble Life. Kevan gave me a membership to Curves.

Went to Carol's farm for the traditional Ashworth Family Christmas and had another Christmas Dinner.

On the 27th, the Elder's came for dinner and then we went to the Morrison's for their annual "After Christmas Party". Kevan and I closed the party. It has been years since we were the last to leave anything.

All that and I have enough food left over for another Christmas Bash!

All of us have had out flu shots.

Just in case we thought we were going to coast to the end of the year, Kurtis made other plans. On Dec. 29th, Kurtis woke up with Chicken Pox. Then the next day, Caroline had one on her chest. I ignored it hoping it would go away. But as the year came to a close we were seeing spots.


Day one,
Kurtis AM - 5 chicken pox, PM 12 chicken pox
Caroline AM- nil , PM 1 chicken pox
Day 2,

Kurtis AM - 25 chicken pox, PM 120 chicken pox
Caroline AM- 3 Chicken pox, PM 6 chicken pox

Day 3 Kurtis PM 200+
Caroline PM 82

And the fun begins. I think Spencer only had measles.

Are we having fun yet?!

All in all a very good year.

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