I want to remember

There are people that pass through your life. Some are here for a short while, others remain close for decades and others still, share a lifetime, if you're lucky. There are wonderful moments and vignettes that stay with you even after a person has moved or left your life for whatever reason.

I randomly remember birthdays of childhood friends. I remember eating blue "daquiri ice" sorbet at the Baskin Robbins at the shopping mall before I worked there.  I remember being so exhausted from working 16 straight hours (2 jobs) that I fell asleep at the Def Leppard concert.  And I remember impulsively buying a little bunny from Petland and naming him Gizmo.

I remember throwing an apple core up to the sky as Val and I drove to Grand Beach in my convertible. I remember how that felt... being without a roof and being young.  Having nothing but blue sky above us was an awesome feeling.  Val and I had other adventures in that convertible. We discovered you really can drive in the rain without getting wet. (It's the stopping part that's miserable.) We discovered that the very nice RCMP officer at Maple Creek really didn't know how fast we had been going or was too polite to say.  I remember he wrote us a warning.... on a piece of pink paper and we taped it to the wall of the apartment like it was art. I'd like to thank him for that warning. To this day, I have an unblemished driving record!

I remember a Saturday afternoon at Lee River when a friend uttered "this day is perfect. It just doesn't get any better than this."

I remember my dad pacing and tapping his watch on my wedding day. "Are we going to do this? I thought we were supposed to start at 6:30?"

I remember finding the perfect wedding dress with Val, Paula & Tessa in tow.

I remember Lenore in her yard with her fuzzy slippers on and sipping coffee. I remember the first time we met. That was Christmas eve. She blew me away with her kindness and preparation.

I remember how Jason used to be my best shopping buddy. I remember the time we went to Folklorama.
I remember the time that he and Rick got me drunk on stupid Old Stock beer and that car ride home took "like... forever!"

I remember my Grandpa's teasing at cribbage and my grandma's love of TV ice skating.

I remember walking Leroy the dog, when I was a child.

I remember Jeff bubbling with excitement at the release of a new collector comic book and timing his walk to the store so he could make it there on a work break. I remember laughing so hard I cried when Jeff pointed out my typo, telling gardeners to plant their carrot seeds 3-6 feet deep.

I remember taking my first MS Kenora cruise as the Captain's wife and I remember the first time Harry tried to take me on an island picnic.

I remember dancing under the tent at Tracy and Chris' wedding. And being so nervous about making that wedding cake!

I remember being scared to cook at the restaurant I'd newly purchased. I remember being so grateful that I'd inherited an employee (Tiffany!) that knew what she was doing... and could show me. I remember the first time she & I made a milestone sales mark and celebrated with pedicures.

I'll never forget my childhood pen pal's first address.

I remember family reunions and laughing all night.

What I don't remember is anything about the last time we argued, the gifts we may have exchanged or whether or not you had new shoes. I can't ever remember what the grocery bill was or who spilled what on the carpet. Some days, I'm lucky to remember an appointment, an address or my store loyalty card.

Life is just a sequence of events, a billion numbers and a never ending to do list. So much data is coming at us constantly. Information is in.... and information is out. Lucky for me, there are still vignettes that stick. Memories I cherish. Happy memories I want more of.