Wow… More changes and life happenings!

And so begins my Novice rowing year…

Saturday was a good day. I didn’t work, and the day was incredible — Perfect day on the water to start my Novice time at Vancouver Rowing Club. I feel very fortunate because I have a great team of 5 women who all love rowing as much as I do — Not to mention, we’re a perfect number to stick together and learn each other’s rowing capabilities intimately. In a four, we need a cox, and in Novice, it’s expected that everyone learns to cox a boat. Perfect for us… We’ll just rotate out and we all learn, and can stick together as a team. I couldn’t be happier.

Friday was an odd day. At the end of the day, I decided to look into my birth father’s phone number so that I could get the ball rolling in that department. (As if there isn’t enough going on in my life — But I figure, I am managing, so why not add just one more item to my list of things to deal with right now, hey?) Instead of just looking into 411.ca, I decide to Google his name instead. What I came up with literally blindsided me to the extreme. I found a website that answered my question beyond a shadow of a doubt about my birth parents being married. They are. Not only that, but I also saw a couple of photographs of my maternal birth grandparents that had me stunned. Reality strikes when you finally see blood relatives, even if only in a photograph. Keep in mind, I’ve never seen anyone that resembles my features, so this is incredibly foreign to me. I started crying from the shock of it all.

Upon much thought, and even knowing that there must have been some error when my birth mother put in a non-disclosure veto on the adoption records when it came to my birth father’s disclosure of information (I have identifying info for him) I have decided to go ahead and have someone contact them on my behalf. As my (ex) stepmother has been so proactive in my contacting them, she seems like the best person for this… So, she’ll be doing it fairly soon for me. How frightening, really… But, what have I got to lose besides the opportunity to contact them and let them know that I am living and breathing, and am not interested in anything other than contact to understand where I came from and who they are. There’s no question that I have enough parental figures in my life.

Tonight was a fun evening — D. had a BBQ at her parent’s place for all the rowers that have gotten to know each other recently as well as a few coaches at the club as well. It was a fun night sitting and yacking with them, and certainly a welcome change of pace. I’m really enjoying getting to know them all… And I’m looking forward to spending more time with them as the rowing year progresses!

Lastly, I received a call tonight from the guy who’s place I saw for a shared accomodation situation in Coal Harbour. It’s a beautiful place on the 33rd floor (penthouse) with a 525 sf balcony that overlooks the harbour, the rowers, and surrounding area. I couldn’t have asked for a better location, and the place is spectacular. He called tonight to let me know that of the people he met with, he and his other batchelor roommate thought I’d be a great fit for the household. Tomorrow afternoon we’ve arranged to meet so that I can be introduced to the other guy who will be moving in, and ensure we’re all comfortable with the situation — Sounds like I’ll be taking possession of my room on September 15!