Unforgettable School Year

This school year was so unforgettable! Even though this year was virtual, I learned a lot and had fun. I think I had a better teacher than I normally did in person and I also had less distractions at home than at school. We also did many fun activities this year like Countdown to summer, played games, sang songs, watched movies, and I can name so many more. I also got to sleep in a lot more.  

This year was not just great all the time; there were some cons. I didn’t get to see my best friends every day, but I still Facetimed them every so often. I also got tired/bored easily in virtual school. I think it’s because I am just sitting all day and don’t get up to go to the different classes.

Even though this school year was so different/unforgettable/weird, it wasn’t so bad, but it still wasn’t the best.

M3

That Time in Your Life When Your Friends are Your Family

A few weeks ago I watched the Friends Reunion.  It was very emotional for me for a couple of reasons.  First, it was nice to see the cast again and the scenes from the show.  It was very nostalgic.  Second, YC and I watched Friends every week.  It was one of the few shows that we watched together religiously.

The producers described the show as "that time in your life when your friends are your family".  This struck a chord with me because, coincidentally when YC and I were watching Friends, it was during the time in our lives when our friends were our family.  Friends started in 1994 and aired for 10 seasons until 2004.  YC and I started dating in 1994 and M1 was born in 2004.

In 1994, YC and I were still in university.  But we graduated soon after, started working, and hung out with our friends every Friday.  We watched movies, gambled, went out for coffee, and cooked various dishes for potlucks.  There were trips to the cottage, Halloween parties, Christmas parties, New Year's Eve parties.  Sometimes we were so bored but instead of going home, we just played silly board games into the wee hours of the night.  I remember one time we played wood tag in a playground at a public school at 3:00 AM.

These times were special - especially for YC, for two reasons.  First, her relationship with her family was not the greatest, so her friends truly became her family.  Second, I was writing professional exams from 1995 - 2001 and that took up 6 months of my time each year.  (The exams were in November so I missed out on quite a few Halloween parties.)  During the times when I was busy studying, YC hung out with our friends.  She would then come back and tell me about all the good times they had - the laughs, the drama, the sharing of dreams and what their futures would be like.

 YC always told me that it was during these times that she forged the strongest friendships in her life.  These are the "sisters she got to choose".  She is extremely thankful for them.  And I must agree, this is a special group of friends.  (I was a fringe member in this circle of friends but they made me feel welcome every time we hung out.)  And it is this group of friends that came forward to help take care of YC and me and my daughters when YC got sick.  They helped with groceries, cooked meals, babysat the girls, and accompanied YC to appointments when I couldn't.  Most importantly, they were just there for us when it wasn't our day, our week, or even our year.

So thank you, friends, and Friends for bringing back these memories of our 20s.

There were times when I would see something on TV and I would cry because I know YC would want to watch it and I should be watching it with her.  But during the Friends Reunion, I did not cry - mostly because my nieces were there, but maybe it's because I knew YC is watching with me.

My love, I hope you enjoyed the Friends Reunion and all the memories it brought back.

Big Oh