forgetful

I love this picture.  Kris and I have long been trying to capture ourselves and not have one of us be blinking, contorting our faces, or look like we are about to barf.  And here we are, with the guy who introduced us, looking…decent.  A teeny bit blurry, but decent.  And I’m ok with that, because I think it’s perfect.  It was taken on our third attempt that night (the first two were predictably unpostable) and a mere week before we absolutely needed that photo to be taken.  It speaks to the end of an era.

I met Kris 5 years ago.  Almost to the day.  We met September 27, 2002, the same night that Dan and I met.  It’s a very convenient way to remember an anniversary, and one I’m not likely to forget.  3 or 4 Bloody Caesars (with no Tobasco) later and Kris and I were fast friends.  We were introduced by an old co-worker of mine, EAP, who then worked with Kris.  So although we never worked at the same place at the same time, it is, ultimately, what links us.  And somehow keeps us coming back.

And now, after almost exactly 5 years, I have to say goodbye.  My friend is moving away.  She and her other half are packing up everything they haven’t sold and moving to Bermuda.  I have made sure not to show my incredible distaste at the idea of living in Ottawa without having her nearby, but only because I couldn’t be happier for her.  It takes guts to move that far away from home, and Kris has already done this at least once when she moved across the country from her beloved Victoria.  And look how beautifully that move turned out.

I’m so proud of her to be doing what she wants to do, for being brave enough to go on such an amazing adventure and for choosing a place to move that I already can’t wait to visit.  I’m also very envious.  As I am zipping up my parka in -40 degree weather this January, she could easy unzipping her beach cover-up and stopping for a quick dip in the ocean on her way to work.  J-E-A-L-O-U-S.

This is definitely the end of an era.  My Kontributor Kris is leaving and tonight we say goodbye over a bowl of pho and an episode of ANTM.  Quite frankly, there is no better way to send her off.  It’s been an unbelievable 5 years.  She has been much more than a girl I met at Friday drinks after work.  She has become a person I confide in, someone I have so much in common with it’s stupid and who can make me laugh so hard I almost pee my pants.  I haven’t allowed myself to think about what life is going to be like when she leaves but that’s mostly because I’m refusing to let the distance come between us.  And that doesn’t mean I’m not going to miss her like hell.

Goodbye Kris.  Adventure your little heart out.  I’ll be there for a visit sometime in 2008.