IT'S SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE

I hate goodbyes! Hate Hate Hate them. I'm terrible at goodbyes. I cry and very easily. I think it stems from having to say goodbye to my cousins and grandparents every year after a fantastic Christmas. It was so hard to leave. I loved to be around them so much. You'd think I'd be used to it. But I'm not. I'm one of those people who goes from the lump in her throat to full scale ugly cry in 2 seconds. No in between. I don't consider myself a baby. I see terribly sad things at work and never cry. Goodbyes are different.




My first goodbye is to my house. Not being an overly sentimental person I thought this would be an easy goodbye but it wasn't. As I walked through my house for the last time I remembered many good times in that house. Standing in the kitchen talking on the phone to my doctor saying my water had broken when I was preggers with Gabrielle, or talking with Sue and Shannon as Todd walk in to the kitchen half in the bag with his zipper to his swimming trunks open. What laughs we had in that kitchen. I walked upstairs and imagined the number of times I had walked up and down that hall with the babies, trying to soothe them. I looked outside and remember all the hard work David had forged in the yard, sweating with our friends as they unloaded concrete to build me a great shaded patio that I won't be able to use. Good bye house, I'll miss you. You were my first. The house we brought our children home to. We will never forget you.





My next goodbye is to my neighbours who have ended up being some of my closest friends. Think of the most ideal neighbourhood for a young growing family and you'll be thinking of "my circle." This cul-de-sac setting has been a fabulous blessing. Children everywhere, fun and friendly families that like to get out and talk to one another and babysitters right next door. A young mothers dream! Good bye to Mark and Janet who have graciously taken our dog Abby and provided her with tons of love and attention that she deserves. Thank you guys so much for taking her. It is such a relief knowing she is with you. I'll miss sitting around the pool this summer with some drinks in hand and great conversation. Good bye to Brenda and Paul. Brenda it has been very eye open to watch you raise 2 beautiful daughters as I being to do the same. I'll miss commiserating with you about child rearing on the driveway and I'll certainly miss not having babysitters so close! Good Bye to Kevin and Rebecca. Although you guys just moved in it really feels like you've been in the 'hood since the beginning. I'm so glad to have been able to become friends with both of you before I left. I'll miss "Drinks on the driveway" this summer terribly and I'll always think of you Rebecca when I drink white wine and of Kevin when I see someone drink 12 Brava Beer and still be able to walk home in s straight line. Unbelievable! Good bye to Todd and Andrea. Even though you have moved away from the neighbourhood too, you have become two of our greatest friends. It has been an absolute pleasure and a laugh getting to know you. We have had soooo much fun together over the past 8 years. So many wonderful memories like the bathing suit incident, the firework fiasco in my backyard and David skinny dipping in your pool at Brendan and Becky's engagement party. Thanks for being so wonderful! My last and hardest good bye is saved for my very dear friend Ann. Oh and her husband Jeff too. You have been there for me since the beginning. Your friendship has been a terrific blessing in my life. You have been so much more than a neighbour to me. More than a friend. You have been an advisor, a sounding board, a support person, an opinion (even though it may be laced with sarcasm), and sooo many more things the list would go on and on. You have been like the sister I've never had. I'll miss discussing the day with you and talking about anything. God we can talk! And about nothing. I'll miss watching your children grow with mine while we sit on your front porch discussing the newest method to loose weight. I could go on and on but the truth is I'll get a headache from crying as I type this. Thank you for being always reliable and dependable and for being such a great friend to me. The only things that seems to make me feel better is knowing that we will be friends forever! Hey we'll always have Vegas! Jeff flew us to Vegas, put me up in a hotel for 3 nights and flew us home first class just for his wifes birthday. Your a first class guy Jeff. I'm miss hearing about the newest podcast and interesting techno stuff that has just come out.



My next goodbye is to my fellow hospital staff at Victoria Hospital Emergency Department. I really hope I return there one day because this department, I believe is a part of me. Trained, coached and mentored by the knowledgable and most excellent nurse I've ever known, Mary Smith almost 9 years ago I will miss everyone that has come into my life from that department. The very best (work) partner Bonnie Tupholme and her infectious laugh will be missed! From Shelly Dickinson-Chevarie who has been such a dear friend to Jen Wright who was my most memorable new grad trainee and everyone in between. I'll miss being in the action and working with you all. I don't know what I'm going to do being away from abscesses and cyst for 2 whole years. TORTURE! I won't miss however melena, Trillium paperwork, AC and 12 hours shifts at triage. Urgh! I want to say that this last mat. leave has been the most enjoyable because of 4 women. I will miss them so much but I am so glad I had the chance to get to know you. Beth Beauchamp, Briane Brown-R.., Emma McCartney and Laura Price. It has been a wonderful year spending an afternoon per week with you girls. I'm so thankful we had the opportunity to get to know one another and grow into great friends as opposed to settling for being acquaintances at work. I value each and everyone one of your friendship and hope that it many carry on through my years away. It has also been great getting to know 2 new members of our baby group, Laurie Clarke and Claire McKenzie. I wish you all the best over the next two years and look forward to catching up in December and January when I return for a visit.







Good byes suck. I'm not sure if I've mentioned that. Suzanne Bird. The most amazing pet photographer you will ever meet in your life. (photobysuebird.com) Tremendously talented, beautiful and humble. I don't see you enough so the next 2 years won't be too different for us except that we won't get to talk much on the phone. Hopefully skype will work well for us and we'll keep in touch. Never know, we may end up living near each other eventually!







It's not everyday someone can say they have had the same friend for 22 years. Melissa Ashworth is in, or is a part of most of my childhood, teenage, single adulthood, married adulthood, and married with children memories. That friend that is the constant in your life. The crust of my quiche. We've always been there for each other and your friendship is so completely valued. It is very hard to say goodbye to you. Neither of us like the emotionally stuff. But both of us are crushed. I know you're as sad as I am but I also know that because we have been through thick and thin together we'll sail through these 2 years like we have sailed through the rest of our lives together. I do hope that you can get your skype up and running so that we can keep seeing each other and not just typing back and forth. I will miss seeing you at the park and loading your kids in the truck and rollerblading like the wind through Springbank. Face it, you'll never find someone who can kick ass on roller blades with you like me!!







Emily and David D'Orazio became my family May 13th, 2000. They are my niece and nephew and I am their proudest Auntie Alison. You are terrific kids and I will miss you two desperately. When you moved to London I was so happy! You are such fun to be around. Unless of course we see an Aflac commercial.... David, your uncle Dewey and I really will miss watching you play your first season for Marconi but I'm sure we will hear and read all about it. Emily, we are very sad that we can't be here to see you earn your Black Belt in karate later on this year but we know how fierce and strong and capable you are so we are confident that you will succeed. Emily you will then be the first ever Black Belt in the whole family! Good luck to you both and we look forward to seeing you at Christmas. I'll try to have some really cool, different gifts for you!!!








There are many things that I will definitely miss about my sister-in-law Melanie and her husband Tony. Just to name a few they would be fettuccine Alfredo, cheese tortellini, lasagna, home made croutons, and I couldn't ever forget hot chicken curry with homemade onion bhaji's. Any chance you could serve that next Christmas Mel? My girls are really going to miss coming over for their visit and goldfish crackers dose but more so they will miss the special attention they get from their Auntie that no one else could give. I am so proud of you Melanie for making the decision to live healthier and longer by quitting smoking. Your brother tells everyone of your victory with pride. Unfortunately, the place I'm going, I probably could have gotten you a great gift that has to do with smoking since everyone smokes in Romania! Oh Well! I'm sure I'll find you something great!








You haven't had a cup of tea until you have had a Carole Armstrong cup of tea. It is that cup of tea I will miss so much. You see, my mother in law's cup of tea is made with something special and is always accompanied by something sweet. You're always served tea in a china cup at Carole's. She always gives everyone her best. Through a cup of tea, Carole shows you how important you are to her and makes you feel so comfortable, warm and completely accepted without judgment. Carole's cup of tea comes with kindness and unrushed attention. Attention that you may or may not deserve but that she is still happy to give to you. The sweetness that comes with the tea is not what you might be thinking of. Although tea is often served with some lovely homemade pie or some sensation cookies, I'm talking about the sweetness that you don't eat. Your sweet, kind and humble nature. Something that some people have taken advantage of but that I value so much. It is no wonder Trevor wants you with him so much. I have shipped tea to Romania, but it will never be right without Carole. I'm pretty sure, knowing myself the way I do I've never told you this but I want you to know that I love you. The girls and I are really going to miss spending time with you. It has been so wonderful being able to see you more since you've stopped working. Thank you for always being so welcoming and loving. Thank you for being you. We'll miss you.





Well it has taken me many years to get to know the science of Trevor Armstrong. A strong, confident, loving but somewhat complicated man. When I decided to stop trying to understand Trevor is when my appreciation for him grew. The strong silent type, you don't actually know you're "in" with him until he wraps his enormous arms around you to give you the biggest bear hug imaginable. I'll miss my weekly bear hug Trev. So will the girls. Not to mention your signature chocolate kiss delivery with every visit. I know you're the stiff upper lip kind of guy but I know you will miss seeing your son too. Don't worry Trev. I'm going to help him get through this. I took it to heart when you told me I could make or break this Romania gig for David. Together, we'll make it through. I'll miss our deep conversations Trevor. I think what brought us closer was when I took you to the ER and got one of my doctor friends to cut your leg open so I could stuff it and unstuff it with gauze everyday for 2 weeks. Weren't such a silent type then though!








My brother Jeff, left home about 10 years ago for Ottawa for his career. So we only see each other about 4-5 times a year regularly but that 3-4 times more than what I'm going to be seeing him now. The thing I will miss the most is watching my only brother with my kids who absolutely adore him with all of their being. You are such a terrific uncle I really couldn't ask for anything else. I look forward to keeping in touch my email and hopefully on skype one of these days. I'll see you in Bulgaria bro!!!





My last goodbye is my hardest goodbye by far and the one I have been dreading for months. I'm sure that my parents have also been dreading this moment having hoped that we would always all live peacefully in London, Ontario and grow old all together. To say that I will miss my Mom and Dad would be an enormous understatement. To say that my heart aches every time my Dad mentions how hard it's going to be for him to not have "his girls" around is also an understatement. They say you'll never know how much your mother loves you until you have your own children and I believe every word. So when I try and picture myself saying goodbye to one of my daughters one day, I feel a pain in my heart. For myself and for my Mom. I grew up far away from my Grandparents and therefore did not have the closeness with my Grandmothers that some of my cousins had. I had, in the past, decided that I would try to stay in the same town as our family so that my children could have the luxury of having that closeness and comfort. But it seems that was not to be. Although I know this is a 2 - 3 year contract position that David has taken on, the thought that we may not end up back in or near London weighs heavy on my heart. What can I say? If there was an award for the most doting, caring, interested, concerned, loving and all around wonderful grandparents, both of my parents would win hands down. Together they have, on their own time and with their own money, gathered materials, resources, books, and tools to try and make my future as a home schooling Mom a success. I could not begin to tell them how grateful I am.

I will miss you everyday that I am away. Every Sunday, I will think of our family dinners and look forward to enjoying those again when I return. I can work through my pain of missing you, be strong and push on to look forward to the future but I fear that my girls will have a very hard time with this separation. You have been such a reliable constant in their lives from the beginning as you have mine, so I know we will have sad moments. They love you guys so much and although I know they are so excited to move away, I also know that day will come in the future when they will be lying in bed, crying for "big Grandma and Grandpa." It is then that my strength will be challenged the most. Thank God for Skype!!!!

Thank you for your constant support over the past tumultuous 6 months. I'm not sure how I could have done this without you. We are not an overly emotional family and get uncomfortable easily when we become upset. I know when I say good bye to you at the airport I'm not going to able able to tell you everything I want you to know because I don't want you to cry. Especially Dad. I have never seen you cry and if I did I'm not sure if I could handle that. I love you Dad. I don't say it nearly enough. I'm going to miss you so much. I'm going to miss watching you with my babies. I'm going to miss your daily, abrupt, information based phone calls. I'm going to miss you bringing Granny over to my house. I'm going to miss Granny. Although I'm still going to have access to you via e-mail and skype, it just won't be the same.

Mom, it breaks my heart to move away from you. My plan was to always be around to keep my family close. I love you Mom. I don't say it enough and I'm annoyed with myself when I want to tell you I love you but don't just because I don't want to upset you or myself. I'm going to miss that warm, happy feeling I get when I see your car driving down my street for an impromptu visit. I'm going to miss talking to you everyday and seeing you at least 2 - 3 times per week. I'm going to miss watching you read to the girls. I'm going to miss borrowing your clothes! I guess I'm going to have to start doing my own shopping. July couldn't come sooner. I am looking forward to our reunion in Bulgaria.



This is not a goodbye, rather a see you later or as they say in Romania, La Revedera!

Alison xxx