July 31st
Facts about Calgary
Amanda was born and raised in Calgary. She moved to British Columbia in June of 1991 right after graduating high school. Andrew cycled from Vancouver to Calgary over 15 days, in 2014 (compared to our 40 day exodus in 2015).
Interesting Information
Over the course of our 10 day house sit we managed to not leave the house for 4 consecutive days. We clearly have mastered the art of relaxation.
What happened…
Amanda writes:
So you may recall one of my posts last week talking about how I wondered if I was pregnant. Well we arrived in Calgary and got settled in our house sit and I took a pregnancy test. Yes I am pregnant. My initial reaction was – are you f&*%@ing kidding me? This is definitely not in the plans.
For those of you that don’t know me I’m an unusual woman. I have never wanted children. Ever. When all my friends in high school would talk about they want to get married and have X number of kids and the white picket fence yada yada yada, I always said; not for me. And I have never wavered. Never in my life have I had a desire. Don’t get me wrong, I love my nieces and nephews unconditionally and would do anything for them; but no kids for me.
I’ve taken oral contraceptives for over 25 years. It was only recently that I stopped and for those of you who read all of our posts, you may recall when I stopped taking them. That was in Mexico when I was having some hormone imbalance issues. In any event since I stopped taking them I’ve become such a better person and I’m so much more grounded and balanced. I haven’t been concerned about pregnancy because my doctor informed me in the last couple of years that I have a condition that prevents me from being pregnant. She indicated to me that the chances of me being pregnant are about 5%. Well let me tell you this, I’m buying a bloody lottery ticket.
So here we are, in Calgary on a Friday night of a long weekend with no health insurance trying to figure out what the heck to do now that I’m pregnant. Good thing we have so much time to stew over this on the four day weekend when everything is closed. Good times … good times.
Andrew writes: Waking up in the morning, I noticed a pregnancy test kit sitting on the counter in the bathroom. Seeing the positive result, a mixture of emotions instantly swirled through me. Excitement, because well…it’s exciting! Fear, what would the future hold? Concern, Amanda isn’t young, what effect would pregnancy have on her health. Disappointment, it takes two to tango, and my irresponsible actions have put our expedition in jeopardy.
When Amanda and I first met, like on our first date, I told her that I wanted 6 children; Amanda asked for the cheque. Over time, I’ve come to realize that I’m a) very selfish and b) prefer to be the centre of attention. Whenever I’m around young children, it can be a very difficult time for me. So as I have grown older I was able to come to grips with not having children. They can throw such a wrench into life’s plans. I’ve lost several good friends to their birthing children too. So I have always been onboard with Amanda not wanting kids.
Yet seeing that stupid plastic stick, with the blue lines, there was a part of me that wondered what it would be like to become a parent. I think I would make a good Dad. I thought about what it would be like continuing our cycling trip, with a child in tow. Despite Amanda’s assertions that she couldn’t conceive, maybe the Universe is not throwing a monkey-wrench into things, but rather providing a way to enrich our lives. I just don’t really know what to think. It’s such a shock.