RAQUEL

Raq and I went down on the Titanic together. We've determined that we were test tube babies separated early in life and forced to live apart just to see if we'd find our way back to one another. Our friendship is a crazy, zany, nutty, mixed-up union of two halves. She completes me :) In all seriousness, putting movie clichés aside, this lady is the best friend a person could ask for. I keep trying to convince her to move to Toronto, I've come up with some really great excuses over the past year, but she never buys them. I think she just rolls her eyes at me and laughs, but I keep trying! We were supposed to meet last summer when she was near Niagara Falls for a wedding but things didn't work out, then this summer we'd planned to get together and again things didn't work out. I think soon I'll just go kidnap her. We've shared so much over the past year I know when we meet it'll be just the way she describes it, we'll hug and just cry for a long time. (We're both pretty emotional people.) If I had to say that any one person kept me glued together after Jacob died, I'd say it was Raq. I've never been so in tune with anybody in my life. It's like she's just an extenstion of myself. So far I've only noticed two differences in our likes/dislikes: the way we like our steak cooked and whether or not we like nuts in our chocolate. Other than that we're identical so far. It's sort of strange, but many times she's sent me messages asking me what was wrong when I'd never had a chance to say anything, but when something really was wrong, and somehow, she just knew. She's an incredibly sensitive person, I love her dearly.

Dook

Dook is a wonderful man. We met here at Bianca's about four years ago. I'm not sure how he knew about it, but he sent me an online birthday card one year. I was so touched by it! I hadn't talked to him before that, but had seen him around B's. I emailed him back and thanked him and the rest is history. Dook has a big piece of my heart and always will. Dook is another person I've been fortunate enough to meet offline. We met face to face not long after we met online. He's a real sweetheart, my kids absolutely adore him. He only lives about 15 minutes away from me so we try to get together as regularly as our schedules permit, but when we can't get together we'll make up for it gabbing on the phone for hours at a time. Dook was one of the few people who got to meet Jacob. We'd gone over to visit him shortly after Jacob was born. After Jacob passed away, Dook said he'd like to come to the service to be there for me. I told him that he didn't have to come, but he insisted. I can not possibly express how much his presence that day meant to me. I'll never forget it. He wasn't just there that day either, he's been a big support for me ever since. He's always been there for me. I try my best to be there for him too because he means so much to me. Dook's not just my friend, he's an important part of my family and I love him very much.

Pandorah

For those who don't know, Pandorah is my sister. Since I moved to Toronto we haven't been able to see each other much, so the computer has been one way we've managed to keep in touch with each other. I really miss having her closer to me. She's only been to Toronto to see me a few times in the past couple of years. Her daughter and my son Jacob share the same birthday. I can remember once when my niece was still a baby, my sister and I both happened to be at mom's at the same time, which is difficult for me sometimes. I don't remember knowing beforehand that my niece was going to be there, so it took me a bit by surprise and my eyes had welled up with tears when I saw how much she'd grown. She'd been in my sister's arms but she leaned over to me and just plastered my face in slobbery baby kisses, so many that she made me burst out laughing at the sheer silliness of all those kisses at the same time. My sister said she'd never done that to anybody before. The tears started in my eyes again and I said "Maybe she knows I needed them." She's a sweetheart, and it's much easier for me to see her now than it was right after Jacob died, it was really difficult then. I really do wish I could see my sister and her family more often. I miss her. I recently got her a book about sisters, and one of the pages lists some things that you can count on: the sun will come up tomorrow, the grass will grow, and sisters will always forgive one another in the end. Love ya sis!

~Mysti~

Once upon a time I put together some shacks for people. I was just learning HTML and was quite happy to help others put together their own home. It was something fun that I enjoyed. I was offline for a while and when I came back online, I started noticing all these really fantastic shacks which had "Made for me by ~Mysti~" on them. I was amazed. I saw her in chat one night and asked her about the shack-building. We swapped ICQ numbers and have been chatting ever since. At the time I had no idea how to make anything in a graphics program, but ~Mysti~ did and she insisted I learn. She had me download a copy of Paint Shop Pro. I felt like a complete idiot as I looked at all the buttons and menus when the program first opened, I had no clue how to even make my name! She kept telling me it wasn't that hard, she'd lead me through things, always a patient teacher, keeping the mood light as I got frustrated with things. Eventually I did figure out what I was doing though, (I think). ~Mysti~ and I are a lot alike in some respects and I'm glad she's one of my friends. Together we started Santa's lil Elves which has been a real blast for us at Christmas time. We've swapped recipes, neat ideas for things to do with our children, we've poured our hearts out to one another. I never would have thought it possible to feel so close to someone I've never met, but I do. I adore ~Mysti~, and I'm very grateful to have met her. Maybe one of these days I'll get to meet her face to face too.

Gonzo

I have no idea what caused me to call this man "Gonzey-poo" one day, but I did. I think it's because to me he's a great big teddy bear that's there for a comforting hug whenever one is needed. I first crossed paths with Gonzo around Christmas time in 1998. It may have been because of delivering kisses as one of Santa's lil Elves, I'm not sure now. Gonzo has always said such sweet things to me, when I've felt my absolute lowest, he's been there with a shoulder to cry on, or an encouraging word, or some crazy story about a shark to make me laugh when a laugh is what I need most. This man really helped keep me sane after I lost my son. He was constantly talking to me, and encouraging me to talk too. If you ask him, he'll tell you he had to force me to be his friend, but he didn't. It was easy to become his friend, I just hope that our friendship means as much to him as it means to me. He's truly a wonderful person.

Passionate

Miss P has been a friend of mine since we were in grade seven. We've shared a lot over the years, and I'm very glad that we've kept in touch all this time. She's a really wonderful friend, the kind of person who'd do anything she could for a friend. She cares deeply for those she loves, but don't tick her off, just trust me on that one! The only time I ever remember us disagreeing was in grade seven, (but I still remember it, so trust me, don't get on this lady's wrong side!) Ever since grade seven we've been really good friends. We sort of lost touch after high school but started getting together again a few years ago. She's one of my best friends. She used to think it was crazy to "talk" to people over a computer, I think she understands my madness now though. It's really great now that she's online, it's easier for us to keep in touch. Even so, I still call her frequently just to gab. Typing is certainly cheaper, but nothing beats hearing a friendly voice. She's one of the best friends I've ever had or could ask for. She's someone I've admired for a long time, she means a lot to me.