Well peeps...if there are any of you still around...I realized that my last blog post was A YEAR AGO!
My apologies, I trust you all coped well. Yes, that was a bit of snark.
So...if you follow me on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram, you'll have a fairly good idea what I've been up to.
If not? Well, let me condense the big events that happened toward the end of the year.
Due to COVID, neither my husband or I had seen my aging parents, or his very elderly mother, in two years.
In August, we were able to spend some time with my husband's mom, which was a gift, because she turned 95 in May. My husband spent all of September and half of October in Toronto with her before she passed away on October 14th.
October 14th was also the day I left for Vancouver to spend 18 days with my parents, my brother and his lovely wife, and Thelma (of Thelma and Louise fame...if you know, you know), who made the trek up from California to spend a week with me, then a week with her parents.
So, October 14th...there aren't many feelings as soul-wrenching as finally being en route to see your parents after 29 months and opening your phone as your plane is taxiing into Toronto's Pearson Airport, only to find out that your truly amazing and wonderful mother in law had passed away an hour earlier.
It wasn't a shock, but it still hurt terribly. She'd been growing weaker in the previous weeks, and on the morning of the 14th, we all knew it was a matter of a day or two.
It took forever to get off the plane, but I called my husband as soon as I could. I hadn't seen my parents in so long, but he had just lost his mom. I asked him if I should have my luggage pulled off my connecting flight and go be with him, since all he'd have to do is come to the airport and pick me up. He very sweetly told me that I should keep to my plans and go see my parents, and he had his siblings to lean on.
So I wandered that huge airport, weeping in grief and calling people, and after a three hour lay-over, made it to my connecting flight.
All the way to Vancouver, I sniffled and pondered, remembering that she was 95, and had been quite ready, as she'd said many times, " to go be with Jesus and my husband".
My brother and sister in law picked me up at Vancouver airport, and yes, they knew about my mother in law because I'd called them while I was in the Toronto airport, and took me straight to see my parents. My dad gave me a bear hug when we got to their retirement complex, I'm pretty sure I'm still sore from that.
My brother K, sister in law R and I stayed in a fabulous Airbnb in Kerrisdale (where we did an unreasonable amount of research at Purdy's) , and I had a great visit with my parents. Then K and R went home, and I had a couple of days alone, then went and got Thelma from the airport. We hadn't seen each other in 29 months, so lets just say we cried. We visited with my parents, and thanks to some pre-planning, Thelma and I also had an early Christmas together. We even watched White Christmas in October.
We hit the Van Gogh exhibit (it was totally cool, but made me dizzy), yarn shops, the beach, tea shops, Purdy's, the beach, Stanley Park, and holy flaming restaurants, kids, the BEST BRISKET PLACE IN ALL OF VANCOUVER IS ON WEST 4TH!!
We spent some quality time (4 visits) to Jackson's Resto-Butcher is at 2214 West 4th and honestly, I want to drool as I type this!
After a few days in the Airbnb, we headed downtown and stayed in a hotel within walking distance of all kinds of cool places, including Stanley Park.
Then it came time to leave, and let me tell you, that was hard.
Very hard.
To me, Vancouver will always be home.
But, just like the last two years, COVID messed up my plans for Christmas, and has sunk us all into another round of uncertainty.
As Thelma said, the window we all had in the Fall to visit and reconnect was an absolute miracle, and a gift.
I hope and pray we are all rid of the beast that is COVID soon, and we can all start up where we left off. Or not. Some people won't want that. And that's okay.
Stay safe, wear a mask, get vaccinated, and I hope to update a wee bit sooner than a year from now!!
Jennifer.
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Still life entitled : It Was A Bit Windy At English Bay
