February

 How did February play out over here?

It was mostly mild and often sunny...

perfect for walks along the Rosedale dyke.

When I walked from home...

these two eagles sat perched in a tree and kept an eye on me.

Early in the month we went to Harrison Hot springs resort...

with John and Marg and Ron and Ruth.

Marg and I have fond memories of celebrating our birthdays together here over the years.

A beautiful spot anytime of the year!

John and Ron both had birthdays while we were there.

We found a fire pit and laid out charcuterie and had a wee party.

Jamison was nominated for a Juno award...

and he was congratulated by the city of Chilliwack on the billboard at Heritage Park.

His nomination is for 'electronic dance single of the year'...

under the alias Pacific Coliseum.

Then came the winter Olympics in Milano.

Countless hours were spent watching Canadians compete...

...and doing a very hard jigsaw puzzle.

Jeremy and Broni were there in person...

with tickets to four amazing hockey games.

Sorry that Canada had to settle for silver in both the men's and women's hockey final...

but they were great games.

What a surprise to to see them on our TV screen before the men's semi-final game.

CBC found them at the 'unofficial Canada House' restaurant prior to the game. 

I took aunt Maggie to her doctor's appointment...

and then we had dinner out and dessert at their place.

She always makes it special!

We spent many evenings at a gym...

cheering on Micah with his Sardis Falcons junior team or Lucy with the grade 9 GW Graham team.

So much fun and such great basketball!

Lucy's team went on to win the provincial tournament...

the first girls basketball team to bring home a gold for GW Graham. 

While we are enjoying the simple pleasures of life...

horrible things are happening not too far away.

Leo sent us pictures from his neighbourhood near Guadalajara...

where they are in the middle of a cartel war.

He and his family are not feeling safe these days.

As the month nears the end...

we are getting ready to go south for 10 days.

January '26

We woke up in St. Thomas on the first day of the new year...

...one of the U.S Virgin Islands.

And after our week enjoying the sun and the sea and the ship in the Caribbean ...

we moved to a beach hotel in Fort Lauderdale for another day before heading home.

So thankful for this time together with our family!

We thought we would come home to winter...

but it seems winter is passing us by this year.

Leo brought his wife and daughter to Canada for a month over Christmas...

while he worked on the farm.

He was hoping they would have their first snow-experience in Chilliwack...

but not this year.

Once we were home...

Jeremy drove them to Sasquatch Mountain Resort (one hour from here) to play in the snow!

We may not have had snow...

but we had plenty of rain early in the month.

The odd rose was still blooming...

as were the winter pansies

And then came my birthday...

...and flowers from family and friends.

I went for a morning walk on my birthday.

The sun was shining. 

The sky was bright blue.

An eagle swooped down and flew overhead.

I was reminded...

they that wait upon the Lord will rise up on wings like eagles.

I don't know what the year ahead will bring...

but I know I am in God's hands.

Elmer and I went out for brunch that day...

and then hiked to the Hillkeep Park lookout on Chilliwack Mountain.

And then were celebrations with friends and family...

and by now I feel ready to journey around the sun once again! 

 We watched  Abbotsford Canucks vs Laval Rockets play on January 20th.

Josiah Didier plays for Laval in the American Hockey League...

and since he happens to be related we thought we it would be a good game to watch.

And it was!

Laval won 4-3 with seconds to go before the game ended.

Lucy's Grade 9 GW Graham team won the Junior Tournament.

We took in a lot of basketball games this month...

cheering for Micah's Sardis team as well as Lucy's.

We are really thankful for the deluxe bleacher seats Elmer got for his birthday.

The sun set on a very mild January...

with a walk around Cheam Lake Wetlands.

2026 is off to a good start.

Wieberama Caribbean Cruise

We set sail from the Port of Miami on December 28th...

on our family cruise.

Could we actually plan a vacation together where everyone could make it?

We couldn't believe that we had found something that would work for all.

It did not go off without a hitch...but we did it!

There were a few hurdles the day before the cruise,

with cancelled flights for the majority of the group. 

We had flown out early with Tim and Heidi and the girls without any problems.

Kris and Lina and Jeremy and Broni and their families (13 in all) spent 13 hours in Seattle before catching a red-eye flight to Orlando.

From there they managed to get a 'party bus' to drive them the four hours to Miami.

They were tired and hungry!

And then they got caught in traffic jams and realized they may not make it before the cruise ship left the port.

Their bus driver finally dropped them off about one kilometer from the ship and told them to run...

since that was as close as he could get them.

We were waiting at the end of the gangway when they arrived...

with just minutes to spare.

That is one part of our Wieberama cruise adventure that no one will ever forget!

Emme had T-shirts made up for all of us.

The plan was to wear them as we all embarked.

That didn't happen since they just arrived at the last minute...

so we all wore them to dinner that first night.

And then we went to watch the ice-skating show...

which was fantastic.

We awoke in Nassau, Bahamas the next morning...

...and walked to a nearby beach.

Some swam...

...found conch shells

...and some of us stayed on our beach loungers under an umbrella and read books.

We came...

we saw..

...and before long it was time to head back to the ship.

From the port we could see the Atlantis Resort on nearby Paradise Island.

We were there some twenty-five years ago on a different Wiebe cruise...

with Elmer's sisters and brother-in-laws.

We were on the Independence of the Seas...

a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

A beautiful ship...

with so much to do.

Entertainment on the promenade.

Surf riding.

Skating for all.

Evening shows, karaoke or trivia.

And the grands found pizza or ice-cream anytime of the day.

Wieberama Dodgeball Team!

We laid claim to part of the top deck and camped out there on sea days.

Bliss.

We booked our own transportation at the ports. 

In San Juan, Puerto Rico...

Elmer and I opted to get off the bus in Old Town while the rest carried on to the beach.

We walked along the old city wall..

...checked out the fortresses from the Spanish colonial era

...all part of the San Juan National Historic Park.

Cemetery Santa Maria Magalena

It was hot and sunny.

The Christmas decor and music seemed out of place.

While we were sightseeing...

the rest of the gang was enjoying the beach.

Some even came back sporting new tattoos...

thanks to Brynja, our henna artist.

Best of brothers.

We rang in the New Year with the masses onboard...

...and celebrated Ryder's birthday as well.

Happy 20th birthday, Ryder!

Cousins!

January 1, 2026 found us in the US Virgin Islands.

We docked in St. Charlotte Amelie on the Island of St. Thomas and spent the day at Coki Point Beach.

They snorkeled and jet-skied.

It was a lovely beach...

but as you can tell, we weren't there alone!

After a week on the turquoise waters of the Caribbean...

...we were back at Miami where we began.

We spent the day at a Mariott Hotel on Sunny Isles Beach .

Maggie spent her time doing art in the sand...

...and that is how 2026 began for the Wiebe clan.

As the sun set on our time together, we took a photo.

We actually took several!

Kris, Lina and family

Jeremy, Broni and family

Tim, Heidi and girls

This year we will celebrate 55 years of marriage.

What better way to mark the occasion than with our children and grandchildren?

As the sun set...

the grands had one last hurrah to end our time together in the sun and the sand by the sea!

We feel beyond blessed to have been able to do this with our family.