Farewell Lethbridge

I’m sure that I’ll forget later in the week to write this, so here’s my farewell Lethbridge post.

On July 9th (VERY early in the morning), I’ll be heading out in our UHaul headed for Mayne Island, BC. This brings to an end a period of my life that has lasted 12 years: my time in Lethbridge.

I can’t say that it’s been a complete barrel of laughs, but I can definitely say that I’ve had more good times than bad. It’s probably just because it’s “that time in my life”, but during my stay in Lethbridge, I’ve experienced some of my happiest moments, and some of my saddest moments. Because dwelling on my saddest moments would make for a very crappy blog post, I’d like to relive some of the highs (in chronological order, not order of importance).

1. Graduating with my BSc. It’s not nobel peace prize worthy, but for me it was the culmination of 4 years of effort. I’m happy I made it through, I learned a few things along the way, and met some really great people. University really is at the top of my list of places where you meet friends that last a lifetime.

2. Getting married. Sometimes I’m still amazed that she said yes, and then still agreed to go through with it after I made a complete ass of myself by getting intoxicated beyond belief the night before our wedding day. Every day with Rachel brings new joys, new trials and a ton of new adventures.

3. Buying our first house. We loved our first place. It was everything we could have ever wanted in a house. Besides the two-story-exposed-west-facing-wall-in-Lethbridge flaw, that house was everything we ever could have hoped for.

4. The birth of Reilly. I can’t even begin to express how much I love that kid. He is AMAZING. Every single day he surprises me with something new. He’s so full of energy, love and excitement. The day he came home from the hospital, I was so incredibly nervous, and yet I knew that everything was going to be alright. I got up with him early the next morning, and just knew what to do — and I didn’t even read the owner’s manual.

5. The birth of Parker. I was really worried before Parker was born because my entire heart belonged to Reilly. I would do anything for him, and I had no idea how I would be able to split any of that off to give to another individual. It’s remarkable that after Parker was born, I learned that I didn’t have to. Just like in The Grinch, my heart grew four sizes that day. I’m re-experiencing all of the wonders that I got to go through the first time with Reilly, again with Parker and they are no less special the second time around.

It’s been fun people. I often get asked if I have any regrets, and the answer is definitely no. We’ve made the right decision to move on.

Chances are that I’ll never return to Lethbridge, certainly for nothing more than just a quick visit. Canada’s windy city has helped make me what I am today and I’m looking forward to what the future holds.