Moving Home

nICE TO BOOGER YOU HOME

March 7, 2015

When you first let me know that you were moving to London, I was concerned. Don't get me wrong, I was happy that you got out of mental health like you wanted and into a regular hospital. However, the idea of us going from medium distance to long distance was where my mind became its usual self. Having a mind that's always conjuring up ideas is both a blessing and a curse! It was a curse in this instance because I wondered if this meant we were done. The blessing comes in the form that I could envision long distance being feasible and not an impossible obstacle. I also used my ubiquitous logic and came to the conclusion that the difference in distance really wasn't thatmuch further. Our jobs also provided a convenience in that I could come see you some weekends and you to me some weeknights. So we knew well before you moved to London that we were going to make it work. With that, all that was left to do in Barrie was to pack up and move your furniture. in mind I agreed to help move furniture. Helping out meant I'd get to meet your family for the first time.....which was nearly a disaster for me before it even happened.

I remember being excited to meet everyone and help out. But being around snotty kids all weekend meant that I was suffering from another cold. That Saturday morning I had just gotten on the 407 when my nose suddenly felt so clogged up that my breathing was being affected. ***Disclaimer, if you just ate please skip this next part *** I grabbed a tissue and blindly blew my nose. My nose felt better, but something didn't seem right. Driving at 120km/h, I glanced down and noticed a nasty one on my shirt. Just freaking great. You cannot imagine the horror and disgust in my mind when I saw it. I had a bottle of water with me and dumped half of it on me. No joke, the rest of the ride I had the heat at max while I frantically rubbed my shirt dry. Yes, this was as I was driving. I must have done a decent job cleaning up since your family has welcomed me in with open arms!

The rest of the day went really well. I hit it off with your brother (but maybe he was acting...I didn't realize at the time he was destined to be an ac-tor) and your parents were nice. It's a good thing I already knew about being in a "Dad's the boss" situation so it wasn't a big deal doing things his way! I remember you and I went to get to KFC for everyone. I think we had to go to a couple of locations because the first one you brought us too was out of business. Sound familiar?

That was that. You were ready to head back home to London!

encore beach club

May 16, 2015

This is quite possibly the only memory that I've written about where you weren't in attendance. This happened when I was in Vegas for the bachelor party. We were at Encore Beach Club and getting increasingly intoxicated. Sure I was kind of drunk, but that's when the truth comes out - I told them was that you were the girl I was going to spend the rest of my life with. 

kate's disneyland

July 17, 2015

July 17th was the first time that you brought me to one of your favourite places in the world: the cottage at Elliot Lake. I just love being a part of your life and getting to experience the things that bring you joy. I think that we've had both learning experiences and great memories from our drives (Hi Lo Pickerel; the Webbwood game; Pusheen being disturbed by RIDE; Teal Trail; Naked Dave?Steve?Dan?; that creepy ass Wendy's beside that awesome ass Trading Post; poops n pukes; etc) and visits there. 

The picture above depicts multiple memories that happened on different occasions (both of which were awesome!!!). The kayak incident was so funny because: 

1) I'm a disaster: I tipped the kayak by looking into the water!

2) You're a disaster! You went into full-on panic mode after I fell in.

3) It took so long to bail the water out of the kayak! 

4) The challenge of getting back in was....challenging.

It was so cool when we skated across the lake to Blueberry Island. I'll mention it again later since it didn't happen until 2017!

While we haven't been on as many trips together as we'd both would have liked, we certainly made the most of our trip to Chicago. I have always felt like we make a really good team, but on that vacation we really and truly thrived together. I think we complement each other so well which allows us to succeed. You might be thinking right now, "but Michael, vacations are supposed to be fun!" While valid, for some people I believe they are almost more a chore than a memorable experience. I have nothing but positive memories of this time with you. To really hammer it home: the low point on the trip was the shameless display of public affection by a stranger named Syed (it's probably spelled different, but he was a Five Star Turd Burglar). From the Michigan aspects (The Henry Ford in Dearborn & the night/breakfast at the deli in Ann Arbor) to exploring Chicago and staying at a high-end hotel, I had a fantastic time. We saw views of Chicago from so many different places: while eating Garrett's Popcorn on the river boat cruise, from the very top of the Willis Tower, from the boardwalk out at Shedd Aquarium, and from Sanbanks Park in Indiana. Very cool stuff.

This trip made me feel closer to you than ever before.

THE VERY WRIST DAY OF 2015

November 22, 2015

I refuse to include anything negative on this site, so this post will be short and mainly focus on the comedic components of this otherwise negative day. I think it makes me a pretty unique individual that I managed to find the inspiration to be funny that day! Of course, this was the day that you broke your wrist. I still feel some guilt for not being there for you at the exact moment you needed me to be...instead, I was still sleeping with my phone on silent. Don't worry, this isn't something that I dwell on, I just feel bad! :P Anyway, the funny part occurred when I decided to nearly pass out seeing that resident and doctor try to move your wrist back into place. Today I get butterflies thinking about it, but that day I was (milli)seconds away from passing out! Instead of taking care of you, the doctors and nurses had to stop what they were doing and run over to me! I got some apple juice out of it, so that made it better. But jeez, this was supposed to be about you and there I went taking away the resources that were there to fix you. I don't think we'll ever forget the doctor exclaiming, "He's going down!" Hahahaha.

As an aside, you may recall that the night before was a lot of fun. The stag and doe we went to was enjoyable, and we partied pretty hard when we got back to the hotel room. So that was good at least.

I WOULD DRIVE 570 KILOMETERS

November 23, 2015

It was hard leaving you after your wrist was broken. I wanted to stay with you and be by your side, but I was relatively new at the school I was at and couldn't miss work the next day. I got home in the early hours of the morning. The first thing I did the next day was order you some flowers online thinking it could be a few days before seeing you. However, I wasn't asked to work in the PM that day and ultimately decided to drive back out to see you. Although it was only for a few hours, I needed to be at your side. Later in the evening, I came back home and was at work again the next morning. Love simply took over that day.

The next weekend when I came back, you were in much better spirits. And since that jerk totalled your car, we set out finding you a new one. It made me feel really good getting to talk to salespeople and negotiate with you. I never would have thought that car shopping would be particularly exciting, but I fondly remember this day. I mean, it's kind of tough to forget when part of the day included a salesman's shoes that were completely falling apart. "I mean, it's one Banana, Michael. What could it cost: Ten dollars?" Seriously, why didn't that guy have a better pair of shoes? Wtf?!?

I like the choice that we made for you. Almost three years later, you're still looking cute driving it ;)

how lovely are thy branches

December 23-26, 2015

These few days were another milestone in our relationship. This was the first time I was invited to your family's Christmas celebrations. I was over the moon with the thought that your family put in to include me. The stocking stuffers seemed like they would never end! I again felt very welcomed by your family and it was nice being with you for this. 

It wasn't just your immediate family that we were with. On Christmas Day, we went to Brantford where I got to meet and spend more time with your family. I know I drank a bit too much and then ate a bit too much which was a deadly combination (hey, maybe it was foreshadowing for what was about to come), but this was still a step-up in our relationship.

Do you remember the earlier post where I complained about how crappy the view of the Falls was? This was NOT the case when you booked the Embassy Suites for us. Just look at that view you got for us! And you managed to get us one of the beautifully renovated rooms. This was also when you went exploring at like 6:27am on my birthday. I'd call this part of the three days the "riches" part. The "rags" part was what followed after we got to Judith. I'm pretty sure I puked every 45 minutes for 24 hours straight. I was a miserable little twat but you took care of me and sat by my side while I alternated between having a sip of water, napping for forty-five minutes, and then running to the bathroom to puke or poop or do both simultaneously. Fun! I was so sick that I had to miss the 'surprise' shinny game that was booked on my behalf. We went to the dinner after, but I couldn't eat. Speaking of that dinner, it was at The Keg where we met!! That gave me a boost and was probably one of my motivating factors to go.

thames valley

August 10, 2016

And now, my turn for an example of commitment to us. While it was becoming increasingly likely that you'd be moving to the GTA since it seemed like you'd be more likely to get your dream ICU job, we wanted to keep our options open so I applied to the school board where you live. I usually dread interviews, but I absolutely destroyed this one. It probably had a little bit to do with the fact that I'd be teaching on and off for five years at that point. You were at work this day, but after the interview I went to your parents house and had a great day with P-Hound and Kody.  

mini putt championship

August 16, 2016

Shit Short post: Me, you, Richard. Mini-putt at that indoor glow in the dark place in London. Winner? Me!!!

While this day was all about R&K, I couldn't have been prouder introducing you and showing you off to my extended family members. I think by this point you and me and everyone knew that we were in it for the long haul. I mean, you were in a lot of the family photos. I think you were "in" my family well before this date, but there is photographic evidence of it on our wall!