And a Jam-Packed 3 Years It's Been!

I'd like to start by saying that I'm not your typical male and I didn't miss my anniversary with Chana. In fact, I had this really creative idea for a blog post to celebrate "our day", but ran out of time to pull it off before going out to dinner with her. Does it count that I told her all about what could have been? Well, it counted in her books, and she encouraged me to go ahead and do it anyway. But, since the whole idea was to surprise her, I think the moment has passed. Instead, I figured I'd do a "Day One of Our Fourth Year Together" post.

Here we go.

I can believe that we've only just passed the 3 year mark... It feels like a lot longer than that... and I mean that in a good way. With everything that has happened since we met, all the places we've gone, all the memories we've made together, it feels more like we've been a couple for a decade! Never before in my life have I ever had so much fun as I've had since I met Chana! In the short time I've had the priviledge of calling her my girlfriend we have:

• Spent a weekend in Radium... Her very first trip to British Columbia.
  
• Driven 7 and a half hours to Kelowna and had our caricatures drawn in the park.
  
• Spent a romantic weekend in a Polynesian Fantasy Room at the Fantasyland Hotel in West Edmonton Mall.
  
• Watched our kids play together in Sylvan Lake while spending a weekend in a cottage.
  
• Made countless trips to the mountains and Banff National Park so she could visit her favorite waterfall.
  
• Watched Killer Whales swim within a few feet of our boat off the San Juan Islands.
  
• Marveled at genuine Egyptian artifacts at the Royal British Columbia Museum.
  
• Taken pictures of our feet in almost every place we've visited together.
  
• Hunted down 2 street signs: Chandler St. and Bing Ave. ("Friends" fans will get it...)
  
• Had our portraits drawn in Stanley Park.
  
• Tried (unsuccessfully) to get good pictures at every one of our kids' school concerts.
  
• Collected many turtles (her) and chess boards (me).
  
• Worked through her near-blindness following laser eye surgery.
  
• Walked along the main streets of little towns near our city, just for the sake of doing it.
  
• Left the house at 4:30 in the morning on a weekend, just to go see a sunrise in the country.
  
• Used binoculars to find our neighborhoods from high atop the Calgary Tower.
  
• Introduced me to platanos fritos... Yum!
  
• Shown her every house I lived in as a child (and there are 16, spread across 3 cities and 2 provinces!).
  
• Spent 3 magical Christmas' together with our 6 kids.

That is by no means the entire list, because there's just no room or time for it all! But I think it gives you a good idea just how awesome the last 3 years have been for us!

In all, it's a great feeling to have finally found someone that I can truly call a "companion"... Someone I can share life with (ups and downs) and never get tired of doing it. I can't wait to see what kind of memories we make in the next three years!

I love you, Chana.

I Have This Friend...

One of my greatest friendships began when I was 16 years old. This friend wasn't exactly "new" to me, but it wasn't until my uncle formally introduced us (it was a Saturday morning, if I'm not mistaken, over breakfast) that a long-lasting relationship was forged.

While I was in High School, I really only saw my friend on weekends. In college, we were practically inseparable. When I was unemployed, we got together a lot less frequently. Ever since I became a "productive member of society", though, I've seen my friend almost everyday.

As with most friends, we've both changed a lot over the years... I've become more of a "home body", put on some much-needed weight, and become a Dad. My friend hasn't really done anything dramatic, per se, but has definitely become a lot less complicated than when we met. In fact, I think some of the very things that I found most appealing originally are completely gone now. Yet the friendship remains because I can appreciate this friend for what they really are when everything else is stripped away.

Lately, though, I've been thinking that maybe we hang out together too much. Maybe I see more of this friend than is actually healthy. Maybe I should think about making some new friendships. It's not that I don't like my friend anymore... far from it, in fact... But sometimes you just need a little space. You know?

I've recently found myself feeling kind of "needy" toward my friend, and I don't want to be that person. I don't want to give the impression that we have to hang out. I'd rather just go back to the casual friendship we started out in. So, I decided to "take a break" from my friend for a while and see what happens.

Oh, and by the way, did I mention that this friend plays a pivotal role in my clean little secret? I can't end the post without dropping that clue, now can I?

Shhh...

I have a secret.

It's not a dirty little secret. True, it is a relatively small one, but quite clean, really. Come to think of it, I'd say this particular secret could nearly be marketed as "Mountain Fresh" were it a detergent of some sort. But it's not soap, just a secret.

I have a clean little secret.

Some people already know my secret, but I've been lying to the rest of you for 16 days now. For over two weeks I have been aware that most of you are living under a false impression, and I've done nothing to correct the situation. So, since omission of the truth is still a lie, I am a liar.

I'm a liar with a clean little secret.

For the first few days, my secret was nothing but one big headache... First there was the dull throbbing in my forehead, followed by tension around my temples. Before long, it was the sharp, stabbing pain behind my left eye that I've come to know as a "cluster migraine".

Nasty.

My secret is no longer painful to me, but I still can't seem to get it off my mind. I get up in the morning, shower, dress, and start thinking about my secret. I go to work, sit down at my desk, and the first thing that pops into my head is my secret. Break time comes and I chat with a few co-workers, but the only thing on my mind is my secret.

Now, the time is near to let go of the secret. Soon I will reveal to all what has been occupying my thoughts all these 16 days. Before long you will all understand how, and why, I have been letting you all believe a lie. And who knows? You may even understand and forgive me for it.

I am a liar with a clean little secret that will soon be known...

Soundtrack of My Life...

...or at least a large part of that which I've already lived.

Adem, over at the big blog posted about this little gem and I just couldn't resist giving it a try myself.

How much of your soundtrack is in here, too?

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