Back to the Challenge

Day 16 – Friends
D and I used to have a close group of friends. We’d celebrate holidays with them like they were family and even travelled on vacations together. Then about 6 years ago things started to change. We started to move, break up with partners, find new interests and do grown up things like buy homes and get married. We were the first of our friends to buy a condo, the first to get married, the first to have a kid and the first to move to the suburbs. In terms of relating to those friends, we have very little in common with them now. Still, a few have remained good friends, the kind of friends that would do anything for you (See Day 20 response). Since our move I have fallen in with a group of moms and that is where Sadie and socialize. Also, being back at work, I have my BFF there. We’ve known each other for 10 years and are very close, talking every day and I’d say for about 8 years straight we’d have lunch every work day. Even on mat leave we’d talk weekly.
Otherwise we feel a bit in limbo when it comes to friends. We’re in a new town and much to our disappointment we still feel excluded due to where we live. I say that because a lot of people from where we grew up (family/friends) abhorred the idea of driving into Toronto (highways, traffic, paid parking – oh my!). We were always travelling to them and not much has changed other than the fact that by moving out of the city we have become "invisible" to friends we would hang out with there. I honestly wish people wouldn’t decide for us if it’s worth our time to drive somewhere to visit them. Seriously.

Day 17 – Parenthood
So far Parenthood has been a giant cluster fuck of emotions for me. That would be what I have least enjoyed. What I have enjoyed most is everything else. I love watching Sadie. I love watching her eyes when she’s intently watching her favourite TV show or seeing how she smacks her lips when she eats. I love how sleepy she looks when she wakes up and how her hair is wild and out of control. I love the way she runs down the hall, or plops in her chair. I love hearing her voice when she screeches MAAAAA or the cute little coo of Maaah in the middle of the night. I love seeing her smile and wave through our front window when I get home from work. I love everything about her.

Day 18 – Astrology
Meh.I’m a Taurus.

Day 19 – PDA
Despite living in a queer friendly neighbourhood in Toronto for half a decade D and I have never really embraced PDA. We equally gag when we see it in front of us.

Day 20 – Nicest thing anyone has ever done for us
A year ago, at this time, we were “homeless” thanks to a verbal agreement gone wrong that left a 10 day gap between the closing dates of our condo and house. A number of people helped us but one friend went above and beyond. That friend was incredible. He emptied our already packed 10'x10' storage locker (that we thought was for staging only) and reorganized it so all of our 2 bedroom condo would fit in it. We had boxes stacked to the ceiling of the unit, carefully loaded with the heaviest items on the bottom. Our dining room table ended up in the rafters as well with all of the furniture fitting in like a jigsaw puzzle. I don’t know what we would have done without him and we’re still not sure how to fully repay the kindness!!! A lot of people came together during that time. Another friend let me sleep over at her house for 10 days. I think she loved having Sadie there so it was a treat for her. Yet another example of above and beyond!