Lynn and I met in Cochrane in junior high school and became even better friends during high school. I think the first person from her family that I met was her dad, who ran the Cochrane arena concession. Every Thursday I would figure skate late and, during our break, would regularly buy a burger, Mars bar and grape slush from him (I was clearly on the strict diet of a high performing athlete.) I think I was in grade 6-8 then. It was late in grade 9 and then especially high school that Lynn and I connected.
Lynn was unique to me in that she was my first friend who had adult siblings. The baby of five, I thought it was so wild that she had a sister who was married, and an even older one who was living "common law" - I had never heard of common law! She was even an auntie herself! We shared living in a small town in common as we navigated entertaining ourselves. Too young to have a driver's license and in a town still being too small to have anything "interesting" (according to 14 years olds) to do, we went to local hockey games together, house parties, rented many VHS tapes and generally just strolled the streets. She was a regular at our house; I at hers. I took her niece skating, on occasion. My dad helped teach Lynn to drive. I will never forget her practicing in our car and it almost turning out very badly!
Lynn was (is!) a good athlete. She played fastball then and is a great golfer now. Golfing is something we have in common now although she does it with a lot more frequency and is much better at it! Also in common now is that we both live in Tuscany and have a love of golden retrievers. Although Lynn and Dan lost their boy, Dillon, several years back, she still checks in regularly on Brier. We credit Lynn and her husband Dan (and Dillon) for improving Brier's quality of life after they gave us the grippy boots Dillon used to wear. They made all the difference for Brier on our slippery floors. Lynn and Dan brought Brier a Quarter Pounder with Cheese during that week, several months back, when we thought it was his last...
Since high school Lynn moved quite a lot. I think there were two addresses in Cochrane, followed by two or three in Calgary, before she moved back to Cochrane, and then (got married and) moved back to Calgary...and then AUSTRALIA for three years! She and Dan now have a beautiful home near us although I don't think for a moment they have put down roots. What's reassuring is knowing that it doesn't matter where she lives. She is loyal and open and always interested in picking up where our last visit left us off. She is great about staying connected and in touch. We have almost 30 years behind us and many, many more ahead of us.
Backstreet might be Back but Lynn isn't going anywhere!
Lynn was unique to me in that she was my first friend who had adult siblings. The baby of five, I thought it was so wild that she had a sister who was married, and an even older one who was living "common law" - I had never heard of common law! She was even an auntie herself! We shared living in a small town in common as we navigated entertaining ourselves. Too young to have a driver's license and in a town still being too small to have anything "interesting" (according to 14 years olds) to do, we went to local hockey games together, house parties, rented many VHS tapes and generally just strolled the streets. She was a regular at our house; I at hers. I took her niece skating, on occasion. My dad helped teach Lynn to drive. I will never forget her practicing in our car and it almost turning out very badly!
Lynn was (is!) a good athlete. She played fastball then and is a great golfer now. Golfing is something we have in common now although she does it with a lot more frequency and is much better at it! Also in common now is that we both live in Tuscany and have a love of golden retrievers. Although Lynn and Dan lost their boy, Dillon, several years back, she still checks in regularly on Brier. We credit Lynn and her husband Dan (and Dillon) for improving Brier's quality of life after they gave us the grippy boots Dillon used to wear. They made all the difference for Brier on our slippery floors. Lynn and Dan brought Brier a Quarter Pounder with Cheese during that week, several months back, when we thought it was his last...Since high school Lynn moved quite a lot. I think there were two addresses in Cochrane, followed by two or three in Calgary, before she moved back to Cochrane, and then (got married and) moved back to Calgary...and then AUSTRALIA for three years! She and Dan now have a beautiful home near us although I don't think for a moment they have put down roots. What's reassuring is knowing that it doesn't matter where she lives. She is loyal and open and always interested in picking up where our last visit left us off. She is great about staying connected and in touch. We have almost 30 years behind us and many, many more ahead of us.
Backstreet might be Back but Lynn isn't going anywhere!
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