Vancouver Bound

Tonight I leave for Vancouver, one of my favourite cities! When I was hired for my first job out of university I was told that I was being transferred there. I found a great apartment in False Creek, booked the moving company, and excitedly prepared to leave. At the last minute, however, the company I was working for decided to promote me and keep me in their Calgary head office so my transfer was cancelled. Despite this, I still managed to go to Vancouver quite a lot that year. My ex-boyfriend had also been transferred to Vancouver and there were still embers burning between us. I clearly remember leaving direct from work many Friday afternoons to catch a flight and then flying home with my heart aching a little bit late Sunday nights. Oh, how I loved that boy and oh, how he broke my heart!

It's funny though, I'm sure that I went through a lot of pain during that period (rereading my journals from that time confirms it) but I don't really remember any of that. When I think about that time the most vivid memories are the happy ones. The memories of walking along the sea wall hand-in-hand, of going out to exquisite restaurants, of laughing together, of trips to Seattle, etc. One of my fondest memories of the two of us happened before he had even moved out there. One Friday when we were both at our dull, boring jobs he sent me an email saying "do you want to go to Vancouver after work tonight?" Impulsively, we decided to throw a few things together and drive from Calgary to Vancouver. We drove all night, taking turns twisting our way through the mountains, listening to music, and just being content in each other's company. We had one night there and had to turn around and drive home. It was ridiculous but wonderful.

I often wonder how different my life would be if I had moved there. Would I be happier? Would I begin to hate the rain? Would he and I have reconciled? Would I be closer (emotionally) to my brother who lives there? Who knows. There's no point in dwelling in the past but it really makes me aware of the fact that each time we make a decision we are embracing some things and leaving others behind. It also makes me confident that the painful aspects of my most recent relationship ending will soon be replaced with all of the happy ones.

This will be the longest that I'm away from Reese and I suspect that she sensed that something was up. She was so affectionate this morning as I was leaving for work that it was hard to say goodbye. I know she will be in good hands and will have a cat playmate for the next week but I will still worry about her.

Pssst...Kevin, if you are reading this, please stop whatever you are doing and give Reese a scratch behind the ears for me : )