2009, the year of highs and lows part deux

april. you were a whore.

I love this woman with all my heart. In April 2009, her suffering was over. Our suffering had only just begun.

I had received a phone call from my mom telling me that my grandmother was not doing well, and that she only had a few hours to live. I was at my sisters house for dinner. It was strange because I had a really last minute urge to see her, went straight to her house, and called her outside to tell her I was there. When we got the news,  we had to make the decision. Do we hop on the earliest flight out to Vancouver and try to get a few last minutes with her? What if she passed while we were mid flight? We decided that rather than attempting an emotional impulse, we would sit on the phone with her, not even sure if she could hear us, but deep down inside, completely positive she could. I spoke to her about our time at the Canucks game together, and how much it meant to me. You see, my grams was as big of a Canucks fan as I, if not more. A few years prior, I asked for tickets to the Canucks game for Christmas, knowing full well who I was going to take with me. My entire family tried to get us tickets, and in the end, we got 4th row through a raffle my grandpa (her ex husband) bid on for us. I stayed with my grams for 2 weeks, where we painted signs together and swooned over Taylor Pyatt's eyes. I remember that every time we would watch the games, she would have one single Corona light, and would mutter curse words at all of the players (who she knew by name).

The most phenomenal thing was, as we were driving to the Garage that evening, we looked up in the sky and saw a rainbow at the exact same time and looked at each other and said that it was a sign the Canucks were destined to win.

They won against Turco and the Dallas Stars, in OT shootout, extra shooters. My grams was exhausted after such a long game, but we both had tears of joy in our eyes after such an amazing experience. The canucks had won, sure. It wasn't a playoff game, it wasn't an end of season decision making game, but it was our game. I have been a Canucks fan since I was a small child, but the bond that I made that night with my grandmother... there are just no words. They may just be a hockey team, but they are a tangible memory, a symbolic representation of our love. Our bond.

The day after I found out my Grams was gone, I went into work. I needed to keep my mind off of it, keep busy. I didn't know that things were just going to get harder. See, despite the emotional rollercoaster I was put through the night prior to my interview in March, I had gotten the job, and had accepted it. However, I had yet to tell me current employer, as I wanted to finish up a massive project I was on and not leave them hanging. Well, another one of my colleagues had quit the day prior, and so my boss called me into his office to speak with me. My eyes were puffy and swollen, and I was on zero sleep. Long story short, he offered me a huge raise. More than I could imagine making for what I did, and at this point in time in my life. I couldn't accept. It wasn't about the money for me. I was bored in my job, I saw no potential for personal growth, and I had already accepted a position at a wonderful new company. What turned into what my boss thought was giving me a promotion and a raise, turned into me giving my month's notice. The morning after my grandmother died. Oh, and by the way? I need bereavement time off to go back to BC for her service.

When it rains, it pours like a little whore.

To be continued. Next month? Vegas, Grand Canyon, and Random Makeout Syndrome