These are my two beautiful, smart, larger-than-life, precious girls. Maya is 14 (in Grade 9) and Sadie is 11 (in Grade 6).
I am so grateful to have grown up with 9 best friends. Some of us met in kindergarten; the 10 of us joined forces in Grade 10. Our group is called Bonahan.
We have 2 Kirstens, 1 Kristen, 2 Jens, 1 Danelle, 1 Janelle, a Karen, a Yoey, and me. Lucky us.
From left to right: Jen Bader, Kirsten Ziegler, Yolanda Mitchell, Danelle Spaetgens, Jenny Gobert, Janelle Mannix, Kristen Patrick, Robin Ducharme, Karen Spelay, Kirsten Dunlop
This photo was taken in 1995.
Sheri and I are first cousins. We have become sisters since my twin, Reece, passed away in 2012. She and I work together, play together and now live next door to each other! Life is full of surprises and oh-so-many blessings.
I met the Davies at a party through a mutual friend a dozen plus years ago, and our second time together was a long weekend family trip on their boat at Gambier Island. It was like we’d already known each other for years and Michael has since become one of my dearest friends, as have the Davies as a whole. His sense of humour and appreciation for the good things and the right things in life have always brought clarity and levity.
My elder brothers and I are separated by 12 and 6 years respectively, and while at times the age difference has sometimes made us each like only children, Leigh and Scott have also always been there as role models, mentors, protectors and friends. I looked up to them in childhood, learned a thing or two from them my parents might have preferred not, at so young an age, and I still look up to them both today.
Robin’s brother Blake, like the rest of Robin’s family & friends, has welcomed me to the family as only a true brother can. His loving combination of kindness and ribbing is just another contribution to my sensation of adding to my own family while joining his. And when, with a wry grin catching me not holding on, he dumped me off the back of his boat on our second meeting, I realized it was so!
James and I met 36 years ago at the beginning of high school at St. Thomas More Collegiate. He and I shared a wackadoodle sense of humour, a penchant for the arcade, and membership in both our highschool band & pipe band. He’s one of my longest friends, and his sober analyses and lighthearted humour in alternation have been a blessing through life’s trials & tribulations.
James and I met 32 years ago through a mutual friend as I was leaving the nest, and our shared passion for the spiritual and philosophical came along at a time outsizing the influence he would have imagined. He gave me my first exposure to the film industry, two weeks of exploration and coddling before passing me on to a ruthless colleague (who tuned me up but quick), and I have James to thank for the great passion and success I’ve had in the ensuing years.
Our little man was born May 25, 2021 and spent his first six weeks in the hospital. Thank God he’s home now. Evan will join us for the ceremony only. Please refrain from touching him as he’s still vulnerable to any extra germs.