Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Toronto + friends



Yesterday, I met up with Maureen McGowan for coffee and a treat.

(Yes, yes, I know the picture is better of Maureen than me, but there are only so many times you can interrupt a stranger who's peacefully perusing the paper (a day for alliteration!) at the table next to you!) And, Maureen, I forgot to tell you how much I love your highlights!

Anyway, Maureen and I originally met online, and now we've met three times (oh, or maybe four?) face to face. She's fun and interesting and insightful and a terrific writer. If you ever get the opportunity to chat with her in real life, don't pass it up.

Something that's really struck me this trip is how easily I've fallen back into friendships. It's as if I saw these people a few weekends ago. When, in reality, I haven't been home in eight years (I will never go this long again, but that's another story). I think this level of comfort and ease despite a long separation must be a true test of friendship. I'm lucky to have these people in my life.

Thank you DM, best friend from high school, for arranging the dinner for our hen night. It was great to see JW and ST too. Thank you ML, roommate from my University of Toronto days, for driving down from Barrie.

And a huge huge thank you to KJ for the magnificent dinner party complete with hors d'oeuvres and salads and Swiss Chalet chicken (because you read on the blog I was dying for Swiss Chalet). And for inviting the crazy Bs from Newmarket. And thank you for chauffeuring me and my ARCs and my bookmarks around to various indie bookstores. I needed your cheerleading.

It's going to be tough to leave.

13 comments:

  1. I would love to see my best friends from high school. What a treat it must be.

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  2. Glad you had such a lovely visit with old friends, new friends and family.

    Linda

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  3. There's no place like home, is there Barrie?

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  4. Sounds like you had a great time with old friends, and new ones. Hope you went to some of those places in TO I mentioned in my posts, or if you walked past any.

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  5. How wonderful to re-connect with friends! The last two times I went home it seemed like most of the visitng I did was with family and my daughter's friends. Next time I'm going to wallow in my own "posse". Enjoy, enjoy the rest of your visit :-)

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  6. trawna the good, or hog town? :O lol

    glad you had fun, regardless....

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  7. Aw, thanks Barrie.

    Wish I agreed about who looked better in the photo, though. You need to come to Toronto more often.

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  8. It is great to have friends like that

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  9. Sounds like you had a terrific time in Canada!

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  10. How great to be able to catch up with friends you haven't seen in awhile!

    The food in your other post looks yummy too. :-)

    Sounds like a fantastic trip! Fun photos. Thanks for posting them.

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  11. Nothing restores the spirit like being with friends (old and new). I am so glad you had such a wonderful trip. For the record, you both look great in the photo.

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  12. What a wonderful reunion you had. I feel the tension of leaving and can only guess how difficult it will be for you. BUT... you said it yourself, you won't let so much time go by before you visit again. Look ahead to that, Barrie. Look ahead to when you'll see them all again, not the time inbetween.

    Thank you for taking us along with you. It's been such fun.

    ~Debbie

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Comments are always welcome!