Powrie family Gazette 2008

Les and Sal Powrie Family Gazette
Christmas 2008

Greetings to all our dear family and friends for Christmas 2008

Can you believe that we’re at the end of another year? When we were little, our parents used to say how quickly time passed, and I really couldn’t understand what they meant. Especially with a birthday at the beginning of the year – It meant that Christmas and Birthday were close together, so it was a long time from one present time to the next. If time had gone more quickly, I’m sure I would have been really happy about it. Now, however, time definitely does move faster (is that a function of ageing?). I have no great desire to get to the next birthday, but just look – turn around and the next Christmas has arrived, which means that the next birthday is arriving as well.

So what has been happening to the Powries this year? The first big event was the birth of our first grandson, Joshua Andrew Herbert, born on 3rd April, weighing in at a manly 3,94kg. This was, needless to say the most exciting thing imaginable, and I’m reasonably certain that most of you have heard about it, but guess what – it was so good, that you get to hear about it again! (Ain’t you the lucky ones?). Shelly had a pretty difficult time, although she bravely struggled through. She was ably supported by her strong and handsome husband (Yes, I probably do want something from him), and in the background, the rest of the family. Cindy, Richard and I spent the night in the little lounge next to the labour ward. Les, Colleen and Andrew P., arrived early in the morning, and got to see her being wheeled from the labour ward, to theatre for her emergency Caesar. You see the fact is – all that manly size was stuck, with the cord around his neck. I made a bit of a twit of herself, by so desperately wanting to be with Shelly for the Caesar, that I offered to assist, and have never done such an appalling job of assisting before or since – Something of a gibbering wreck, might be the way to describe this so-called professional.

The long and short of it is that we have the most gorgeous grandson in the world (I will defend that statement!). What a pleasure watching Shelly and Andrew being really wonderful parents. They are so obviously enjoying him, and really just having fun. I can’t get over how laid-back Shelly is as a new mom. (Looking back 25 years – no, her mother was not like that. Sad, but true). We are so spoiled having them across the road, and they are so willing to let us share in their lives, although we do try not to stick our noses in there too often.

Shelly took 4 months maternity leave, and then it was back to finish her articles, which will be over in February 2009. Then she has the pleasure of looking forward to working at UCT, which is exactly the job she wanted.

Andrew H. studied really hard to get through this year’s exam, and has passed. This was despite having a new baby in the house. I think that’s pretty impressive.

The next big event, which took up a lot of our time and thoughts, was the wedding of the year – The union of Colleen Lynn Powrie and Rohan Lee Schwartz. This took place on 27th June (Which just also happened to be our 27th wedding anniversary – That was just by chance, not by design).

Colleen and Rohan were incredibly organized in planning all the details of their wedding and married life together. They knew they were in for a tough time financially, as they were both still studying, but they worked really hard at saving every penny they could from every little bit of extra work they could get. And here we are at the end of the year, and they have survived – independently. I think that really is impressive, especially considering the economic climate this year, which has had us all feeling a bit swamped.

The wedding was lovely. Colleen looked like a princess, with flowers in her hair, and a beautiful dress made for her by Judy Bester, the same dear friend who made Shelly’s wedding dress, and who also did the catering for the wedding (A multi-talented lady). They were both rather nervous – in fact, Rohan couldn’t wait for the day to be over – but it never showed. After the wedding, it was off to Johannesburg to the Temple, for them to have their marriage sealed for Time and for all Eternity. That is the crowning ordinance of the Gospel – The one that makes sense of everything else in this life – providing us with the knowledge of being a family forever.

Then they were back, and into their little flat in Meadowridge, behind the home of dear Sister Helen Vlok (What a blessing that lady is in the lives of so many), and into the remaining semester of study. Colleen has now successfully completed this, and is all set to start teaching maths a SACS High School in the New Year, which is a position that she’s really thrilled with, having done one of her teaching pracs there. Rohan passed everything, and is getting work experience that he is required to get, and then he has another semester to complete his degree.

Right, then it’s on to Andrew P. He has continued working at Federal, the shipping company that he has now been with for 2 years, and has been doing well, getting a couple of nice increases, which have made him feel good about his pocket, but also about himself. He is showing himself to be a reliable and hard-worker, and it is apparent that his employers are pleased with him.

He has a very active social life, still having a really nice group of friends, a number of which are still old school friends, as well as a couple of guys he has known for many years from Church.

His favourite new acquisition is an enormous new TV, which he was able to arrange at a very low cost, because it had been returned with some minor defect, which was subsequently fixed. This is now the ultimate in his “Apartment”. When Colleen moved out to get married, there was a crazy scramble, reorganizing bedrooms. We took down the partition, which had divided the little study from Richard’s small room. This made one nice big room – the biggest in the house. Andrew has painted it, and fixed it nicely, and now he has the best room in the place. I think his friends really enjoy visiting him in there.

Cindy – 17, learning to drive, on the point of entering the last year in school. Oh no, our baby girl is getting all growed up. I really am so not ready for yet another Matric dance dress – especially being the last one.

A fairly eventful year for our Cindy, starting off with having her wisdom teeth removed, then going on to develop a huge dental abscess (Now that was traumatic! I have had to watch 2 of our daughters go through a lot of pain this year, what with babies and abscesses and all, but this was really not nice). She spent 2 hours in the dental specialist’s chair, before the area was numb. We lost track of the number of injections. The trouble was that she had cracked the tooth when she was little, and it has given her repeated trouble. After numerous visits back to the specialist, it would appear that the cavity in the bone has finally grown closed. Oh, and Andrew also had his wisdom teeth removed this year – Quite a year for teeth. What is worrying is all this loss of wisdom from the family in the same year.

But wait – there’s more. She developed a nasty Du Quervain’s tendonitis in her right wrist, before Colleen’s wedding – and that has persisted, preventing her from writing – a problem at school (She had the delightful experience of having to dictate her Accounting exam to the teacher, as she couldn’t write. That would have been enough to make me fail). And of course, it has been a problem with playing the piano. Now that wouldn’t be such a problem, if she weren’t wanting to study music at UCT, in order to teach. Thankfully she is also taking singing. However, after seeing three different specialists, having X-rays, an MRI scan and 3 cortisone injections into the wrist, it seems that we might finally be winning. She might still need to go back for another injection though. She’s a whole lot braver about all these needles than many older people.

She’s a prefect for her Matric year, is on the debating team (a good sport for a teen’s active mouth), has been in the school play, with a lead singing role in it, and has been actively involved in choirs at church. And somehow, she still fits in a social life (within measure), and does well at school.

Then finally to our youngest, and yet tallest child – Richard, who is now 15. He has done really well at school this year, coming 6th in the grade. He has made a number of new friends at high school, which has hopefully got him feeling happy enough about being at school, so that he will stop the nagging to change him over to home schooling. Home schooling has its place, but not with all kids, and we felt that being in the social environment of a school was better for him.

Richard has also been taking singing lessons this year, and is enjoying that. He worked backstage in the school play (putting in really long hours), and he sang a few numbers as well, and did a little bit of acting. Some of the songs were with Cindy. He has continued his tennis lessons in Edgemead, which he has really enjoyed. Tennis is definitely his favourite sport, not being too interested in other sports at all.

He is a fine example for us to follow, with his dedication, and strength, and commitment to all that he believes is right. He is Teachers’ Quorum President, and honours the priesthood that he bears with diligence and faith.

The parents? Yes well, we’ve been around too. But somehow, as the kids are more independent and leading their own lives, their lives occupy so much space in the gazette, that there hardly seems to be space for us.

Les has continued faithfully serving as Elders’ Quorum President. If the rest of us could have a fraction of his strong and faithful spirit, we’d all be a lot better for it. Les has been a tower of strength to me, because, while I’m a great deal better, there are still challenges. I really don’t feel that I deserve someone as patient and long-suffering as he is.

Work has continued in the same vein as before, with him spending a fair amount of time out in the field. He gets really tired with the heavy load he carries, and yet never stops or slows down, despite my begging (?nagging) him to do so. The one thing that does seem to be a bit of an outlet and source of refreshment to him, is the aviary. He really enjoys getting in there with the budgies, and observing them, and recording. It is the one place that he is pretty safe from the distractions and demands of the family. And of course he still enjoys tinkering in his garage. He’s fairly safe in there as well – that being because it’s almost impossible to get in there. I’m inclined to think that he has a secret underground tunnel, by means of which he gets to his work bench.

Now, I (Sal), on the other hand, have no problem whatever with the idea of slowing down. After all the years of driving too hard, I really couldn’t be too bothered with schedules and any particular state of organization. For the first time ever, we sometimes find ourselves running out of things in the grocery cupboards, or only eating at 9 at night. And a lot of the time Cindy or Les are mainly responsible for the meals. Despicable? Absolutely!

I have, however, done extensive research on the Cape in 1800, and slavery. And have written the first draft of my next novel. This one is aimed at older teens. This has been an enjoyable, albeit challenging book to write. At present, I am busy editing and redrafting. Hopefully to get it to the first of what will probably be the usual long line of publishers in the New Year. The first book is with the third bunch right now, awaiting their pleasure (and hopefully, mine). After this book is in with the publishers, I have a bunch of ideas for following books. Give up? Under no circumstances! I’m just going to keep going on writing, and submitting and resubmitting.

I am also doing a few hours a week at the Edgemead surgery. They have been kind enough to offer me some work again. So progress is made.

As I sit writing, I am listening to Josh Groban’s Christmas CD – and soaking in the Spirit of Christmas. We are so grateful for the birth of our Saviour, and for the great Plan of Salvation, that His birth into this earthly life allowed to come into being. Without Him, there would be no hope for Eternal Life. Peace enters my heart as I think of what we can have because of Him.

We are grateful to each of you, for the important part you play in our lives, no matter whether great or small. We want you to know that we care about you, regardless of how infrequently you may hear from us. This has however, improved, because of my entering the 21st century at last, and doing a little bit of e-mailing and Facebooking.

All our love and best wishes for a blessed and safe festive season, and a joy-filled 2009.

Les, Sally, Andrew, Cindy and Richard

Andrew and Shelly and little Joshua Herbert

Colleen and Rohan Schwartz