So we all remember my awesome friend Jen, right? She is a great fine artist living in Ottawa (you can find her website here), and she was responsible for sending me the Double Rainbow shirt of awesomeness. Well, today is her birthday, and it’s a milestone day. Happy Birthday Jen!
A few months ago, her husband Jeremy contacted me. He wanted to do something big for Jen, and he asked me: “What’s the possibility of you being in the Southern Ontario region around the time of Jen’s birthday?”. He knows that Jen and I hadn’t seen each other in forever, and what a great surprise it would be if we could reunite. After discussing the details, it was decided that I would go to Ottawa directly for her birthday weekend and surprise her. There wasn’t much convincing needed- I love surprises, and this one would be epic! You see, I hadn’t seen Jen in about 7 or 8 years, so the trip would be a great surprise for both her and me. We went to the same elementary and high schools, and we both attended The University of Guelph. There would be much catching up to do, lots of hijinks, and many hours of reminiscing.
I arrived in Ottawa on Saturday morning and Jeremy was there to greet me. After a quick stop to pick up some flowers, we were off to their house where Jen was waiting. Seven years was definitely far too long. When she came around the corner and saw me standing in the foyer, we immediately hugged. And I’m not going to lie: it was an emotional scene with laughs, expressions of disbelief, many hugs, and happy tears. An epic weekend followed from there. We all talked into the wee hours of the night, shared some great meals and stories, and just enjoyed our time together.
The thing is, Jen and I are different people now, and yet everything felt the same between us. We would talk for hours in elementary school, and we talked for hours this weekend. Sometimes time doesn’t change the fundamentals of who people are, but instead crystallizes them to who they’ve always been. A lot of time had passed. Jen and I are more mature and incredibly silly at the same time. We made similar kinds of jokes that were familiar to us, and found ourselves in shenanigans that we missed.
Thank you, Jeremy, for orchestrating such a wonderful surprise, and thanks for a fantastic weekend. Jen, you are one of my oldest and closest friends, and spending the time together was priceless. I miss you already! Let’s not wait another 7 years to see each other again, Mmkay? 🙂
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 