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A New Year, A New Dawn...

Okay, so to your right, you see me, as the year began. I 27 year old apartment renter, hourly wage earner, still punk rocking J. Bo. I started 2006 with a very nice, if I do say so myself, piece of bling on my girl of 10 years finger, living in the most beautiful apartment in Freddy Beach. I was working at what had been my most tolerable (and sometimes even enjoyable) job in years as a media monitor at Bowdens. I carried a couple more pounds than I had wanted, but I had also resolved that I could really make a place for myself in Fredericton, N. B., and I didn't have to run anymore. Just make here - better.

Then the image on the left began to emerge. M. was quite happy with me, we really started to enjoy and understand each other, listen, be compassionate. Yeah, I still acted like a 19 year old on occassion, but the instances became fewer and farther between. We continued to plan our wedding. One day in the spring, Margo took me out to this spot off of the lincoln road just beside the experimental farm. It was a quasi-thoroughfare, felled trees covered a hidden ground. She pointed to a spot and said to me 'what do you think of this place?'. We had been looking at houses and new developments around town. She wanted a house. I said, 'wow, what a nice spot. Close to town, close to Oromocto. I could live here,'. She said 'good, because I bought it.'

And so, on top of planning a wedding, we began plans to build a house. My aunt who is an architect for a company in town met with us once a week and helped us design not a starter house, but pretty near a dream home.

My grandfather, the only one I had known passed away at 91 or 92 years of age. He was a strong, short, stocky man. Only a matter of 5 years ago, he could squeeze my hand until it hurt. He was a Christmas tree farmer, and a water witch. His health had failed him, and it was getting exceedingly harder to care for him. When he did pass, the doctors said that he had the blood pressure of a strong teenager. Charlie Williams was if anything, strong, caring and resiliant.

M. and I were married on August 18th at St. Dunstan's church, downtown. We had the full Catholic mass that I had wanted. It was a little hot, but went off without a hitch. The reception was at Kingswood Lodge and it was pretty close to perfect. Highlights include my father, brother and I serenading M., having 98% of the most important people in our lives there, dancing our first dance to Sarah Harmer, and of course, the Prime Rib.

A month before the wedding, I was offered a job, in a library, for the provincial gov. I had applied and interviewed twice for this job over the past two years. This time, I wasn't second place. It was the job I had pined for: because it was the career path I was most sure of, because it offered security for my wife, and damnit, I could now afford this house we were building!

The year was littered with playing Canada Day on the river all by myself, singing a song for my favourite Canadian songwriter while he played guitar (it was his song!), rum with my brother, a nice seaside honeymoon in Ogunquit Maine, drama, and resolution.

2006 was the best year on record.