2017

The dominant thread of this year is centered around Shelley. We met (thanks Leah), fell in love, I moved in with her, and we bought a house together. She’s sleeping beside me now, and it’s hard to believe that it hasn’t even been a year yet.

After ending last year determined to quit moving so frequently, I moved twice in 2017. Once in to Shelley’s rented place in County Park, then in to the new house we bought together downtown PA. We have been working hard fixing up this cute little bungalow in to our ideal home. Plumbing, electrical, framing, painting, unpacking, it’s all coming together.

Work has been exciting. 2017 bought me my first permanent job since I left Toronto; when I moved to the Communications department at the hospital. It’s a 0.6fte, but the IT department has kept me on contract for 0.4 to keep me equivalent to full time for now.

This job is a great fit. Puzzles, learning, creating, and all in a workplace which does so much good work. I feel blessed to be part of the team there.

I no longer had a side business once I sold my coffee shop at market. That couldn’t last too long, so as of January, I will be hanging out my shingle as a certified home inspector. Doing that evenings and weekends. I have been working on the education and training for a few months now, and am really excited to start. I did my first two inspections, and I basically feel like Sherlock Holmes (with a dash of Mike Holmes).

I also spent a lot of time in 2017 working in flavors for a line of sodas that I hope to make available on tap at a couple of locations in 2018. Intemperance Soda Company has been in the back burner from the move, but the flavour lab is being reassembled.

Those who have known me well, have probably heard me say something along the lines of “why aren’t we extinct yet? Children are horrible!” (Mostly, or at least partly in jest). Now I am living with Shelley’s two daughters. I have gotten a lot of questions about that this year. And it’s great. These kids are smart, silly, creative, and caring. I am happy to be getting to know them.

When there was some inkling in the squad that Shelley and I were making eyes at each other,

cornered me to ask me flat out if kids were a deal breaker for me. I surprised myself (and many others) when I said no. I guess they were until they weren’t.

We lost dad in 2016. And my year end note from last year was the beginning of getting my feet back under me from that. Now I enjoy telling stories and having memories. I am sad sometimes, and I miss him a lot. I feel very connected though. Especially using his tools to fix my house, using skills he taught me.

There’s a lot of my dad’s influence going in to this house. I would not have had the confidence to snap out all of the old cast iron and replumb it if he hadn’t insisted on me helping him do that to our old place. He taught me to love fixing and building. It’s who I am.

I feel like an adult. Kids running around, into stuff I don’t grok. I am fixing things, and working a real job. I turned 40 in 2017. I guess it had to happen sometime.

2018 has the potential to be great. The future is so bright, I gotta wear shades.

Love to everyone who’s tuned in to my story, and happy new year!