in a (long) nutshell - second installment

One week before I left for Calgary, on Christmas Eve to be exact, I was hit by a slowly sliding van. I was okay. Everyone was okay. But the really dumb part of it all was that I had left the house to pick up a blouse at the dry cleaner's so that I could wear it for the Christmas Eve service that night and then decided I didn't want to wear it after all so, in essence, I drove into town to be hit. But! Because it wasn't my fault I didn't have to pay anything and ICBC gave me a van until my car was fixed so my whole family was able to come with me when I moved to Calgary along with all my stuff. A weird blessing. :)
Calgary was great. I have to admit I never fell in love with the city not being a real city girl but as far as cities go Calgary was great ... like I said. I had a super duper roommate (hi Cheryl Bean!) and I was very shmeeblewhipful for our beaknibletship. 'Twas the best environment ever at the church I worked at. The staff was alot of fun made the job a wonderful experience. Preston Manning who was then leader of Canada's Reform Party attended that church and Miss Canada went there and all sorts of well-to-do and well known types were there. On the other extreme were street people coming in for help. I had fun and enjoyed speaking with the gamut.
Friends of mine from Capernwray lived one block away from the church and we immediately got in touch when I came into town. It was so nice to have them near since I was very much alone. We quickly became even closer than our friendship had been in the past and I was over at their house alot. Oh man ... where do I even begin? There's so much to say but ... urg. I will try to edit somewhat. Egads! Since I'd broken up with Boy from Capernwray I'd not dated for five years and there was a lot of healing that needed to happen in my heart. I finally realised this and asked God to help me because I felt that my heart needed a good thawing. He definitely answered this prayer. I think it was the first or second month (whilst I was sort of seeing someone) that I saw Mark again. Wait! Did you see that coming? I already knew Mark. He went to Capernwray one of the years that I'd been there. I didn't know him very well. I always thought of him as being in the "cool" group. Not that they acted cool - they just were. And I was still at the age where I thought in the categories of cool and uncool. He was into sports and hung out with a different circle of friends than I did although Cape was small enough that we were kinda friends with everyone. We got to know each other a little at the end of my 1st/beginning of my 2nd year. I don't remember much of that time except that we laughed alot and talked easily and I was sorry to see him go. I think we wrote once to each other and that was that. Out of sight and out of mind. Yes, I'm a heartless girl.
Anyhoo my Calgary Cape friends - I'll call them C&S - had kept up their friendship with Mark and whenever Mark was in town he'd hang out at their place. They weren't trying to set us up, they just told me Mark was with them and would I want to come over? For sure! Mark remembers that I didn't say hi to him when I first walked into C&S's apartment - I have a weird shy girl/outgoing girl thing in me and I never really know which one will come out. He apparently noticed me though. ;) Despite my snobbery we did end up talking ... and talking and talking and talking. In fact C&S went to bed and Mark and I talked until about 4 in the morning! At that time Mark was training for a job in the North and his family lived in Alberta so he often came back to see them and his friends during that time. Apparently Mark started thinking about me then but I pretty much just thought that was cool talking with him. (Hmmm ... how do I tell you all of this IN A NUTSHELL?) I will say that I did like looking at him and that I found him to be fun and smart.
And because this is dang long enough I feel I shall say ...
... to be continued ....

Photo 1 - Fish Creek Park in Calgary -1999
Photo 2 - me being a cheesy secretary - 1999
Photo 3 - my only photo of Mark from Cape Days - 1993
Photo 4 - me at Cape my first year - 1992
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