September was an eventful month, especially for Caitlin. She began her six-week TESL course at Victoria International Academy and found it...challenging, though not necessarily from an academic point of view. However, she excelled (as she always does) and finished the course in mid-October, garnering the top marks in her class. I (Matt) did my best to support her through her course and I must say that she did an excellent job of balancing the demands of school with everything else we have happening on an ongoing basis. I was able to take off to see Pearl Jam in Vancouver with my buddy Jason on September 25, which was a riot. It was my fifth Pearl Jam show--can you tell I'm a big fan? We also crashed with my good friends Dave and Kyle and it was a lot of fun to catch up with them, however briefly.
Caitlin and I had an incredible holiday in Maui in October. We relaxed, enjoyed one another's company, ate great food, beheld beautiful scenery, and enjoyed being in a place that's completely different to where we live. We fell in love with the pace of life there--check out our photos here. When we arrived back in Vancouver, we got to go to the U2 360 show with my sister and my brother-in-law. It was fun to see the show with Laura as the band are a big part of our growing up together and the boys did not disappoint--I, personally, found myself getting pretty emotional at certain points in the concert. The sound is pretty crummy in BC Place, but it was still worth the trip and we had a good time hanging out with Laura and Curtis.
November saw us getting back into the swing of things after our time away. For me, with the provincial cuts, work stresses have increased and I have had to be making a lot of big decisions that will impact both staff and patrons in 2010. Despite this, it's been very good experience for me as a young professional and apart from the occasional strains and frustrations, I am still enjoying my work very much. Caitlin was hired by Canadian Blood Services as a casual Donor Services Rep and she has been enjoying her training and the people she works with very much. She also got her own business cards for her private tutoring business, which were designed by the good folks over at Ameris, and will be working on establishing more contacts so that she can tutor when she's not working at CBS.
We've both been enjoying and Advent and are looking forward to Christmas--though it's difficult, we hope to be able to slow down and reflect as this season means infinitely more to us than the consumer-driven holiday that it has become. As I type this, snow sprinkles down outside our living room window and I am struck with just how blessed we are. We pray for a safe and restful Christmas season to all who read this. God bless you!
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