dan, part 1

So Dan’s pregnant again.

He gave me a link for the baby pics from the first time round way back when, but that would be in my mail archive, cleverly stashed at work. doh.

So we’ll have to do this my way.

Dan and I go way back. Ready for this, Dan? 18 years.

I met him one day when Gio and I walked Dan’s sister home from school. I had a thing for her and had no idea what to do about it. But that’s another story.

Met Dan and to make a long story short we hit it off, the three of us. We became quite notorious, and not only in our own minds. I don’t think we really had any idea how well we were doing. Scads of friends. Plenty of girls ringing the phones. We just didn’t really have any clue what to do about it. Strange, but true.

Anyway, eventually I went off to UVic and Dan finished high school in Prince George.

You know Prince George. It looks like this:

Dan caught up the next year and my gf was so jealous of the friendship that… that was pretty much it. Some people can’t share the spotlight once they’ve gotten used to it. *shrug*

We had many more infamous adventures. Some of them I’ll share with y’all one day, if you’re good and you clean up your rooms.

We had our moments of friction, some of them a little legendary, but that’s what best friends do. The good times were very very good. Again, we didn’t properly appreciate what our lives were handing us. But then, I think that’s in the rules somewhere.

Then Gio got married, and even though we rarely saw him anymore we didn’t hesitate a moment. Off we went. The Old School dies hard.

And there we were:

By now Dan and I were still friends, but our lives were starting to diverge. Different paths is all. Maybe that’s all.

Gio & Chantell popped a kid. Little Aric. I’ve only seen him twice. Held him once. So tiny. So perfect. In that moment, for me, the three of us Old School lads became Adults. Even Gio’s wedding had been a lark- getting him hammered beyond recognition the night before he walked the aisle. He spent his wedding morning in the hospital getting re-hydrated. What? That’s what best friends do! *grin*

Dan got married to Tina. Cool bird. She’s got a cool sense of humour and you can tell she’s Dan’s best friend. That’s how it oughtta be. And then Liam was born. I think between the time they got married and Liam was born I might have seen them twice. (no, it wasn’t a shotgun wedding by any means)

Gio had another kid. Regular baby machines, these friends of mine.

Dan- We’d drifted. He became Day People. I was Night People. Maybe that was it. Maybe some of those old issues sank a little too deep. Hard to say. We still enjoy each other’s company when we do see each other, but that isn’t often. And that probably says it all right there.

I’m proud of him. Proud of the man he’s become and I know he’s helping to build a safe and happy household for his family. He found his path and he’s walking it. My head is still in the clouds (have you READ my blog?!) and for all I know it’ll stay there all my life. The prime difference between me & Dan is that I’m okay with that. If you were going to give us each a million dollars to invest for you I might make you more, but it would be safer with Dan. That, I think, is true on a few levels.

So, yes. A lot of love for him. Not sure he knows it, but there it is. Last year he turned 30 and Gio came out for it. Gio and I set up camp at Sylvia’s place (still a teeny crush for her there, but I think it’ll always be there. *grin*) and we put together a priceless little presentation documenting the life of Dan as we knew it. It was good for a few chuckles.

And now he’s preggers again. If I were less happy with my life I’d probably begin to wonder if life is passing me by. But I’m content. I feel like my life is on the right track, albeit an unusual one. And I think his life is on the right track too. It would be nice to be closer to him and his family. I think I’d really like to share some of it. Maybe somewhere down the road we’ll have more in common again? Tricky one, that. My life isn’t exactly slowing down. heh heh- and I seem to have a severe lack of WIFE. HAHA!

Looking through those glasses I see an ideal world where I’m sitting on a huge bleached wood deck outside a cozy house on a warm beach somewhere. The three of us Old School lads are together again like we manage to do at least every couple of years. I’ve got my wife and kid with me, and they get along famously with the Adairs and the Barones.

Could happen.

In the meantime: congratulations, Dan. Congratulations for everything.