Infant Anchors

A number of my closest friends became parents this year. It was the year of the baby and it was also the year I witnessed the disappearance of my social clique. 

I love babies - don't get me wrong - but there is something that happens to your friends when they become parents. Suddenly they forget they have a life outside of the child. Their wee one is their primary focus and their personal life fizzles out to nothing. They gain a bundle of joy and you lose a social companion.

This is totally understandable. Bringing up a child takes a massive amount of time and energy; socializing should be secondary. They are now responsible for a little human's life, so they put their own life on hold.

Without sounding too selfish, it kind of stings to lose your friends to parenthood. You are suddenly without a hiking partner, your weekly dinner date is forgotten and your relationship counselor takes a maternity leave. You are still the best of friends, but it's hard to secure quality time together.

This is the situation I found myself in about six months ago. I was overjoyed by the little ones that were popping up, but at the same time, my weekend activities became non-existent. I developed an undesired affinity with my couch.

So I took some initiative. I joined Events andAdventures and got out of the house. I signed up for an assortment of events and had some wicked times with a wide mix of Vancouver singles. I went tubing, attended a cooking class, had a night out at the theatre, went bowling, laughed my face off at two different comedy nights, worked on my golf swing and skated with some beautiful ladies at the Robson skating rink.

Now I am the envy of my friends. I still make time to hang out with them, but the E&A social club has given me an excuse to celebrate my freedom and create a whole new social network.

I know there will be diapers aplenty in my future, but for now, it's all about having fun with other active singles.

First For FUN!

The 2014 Mercer Quality of Living Report has ranked Vancouver’s quality of life first in North America. One of the factors that lead to our dominance was our recreational potential. The city's proximity to outdoor adventure is what keeps us at the top, year after year. We may pay more for our groceries, our property taxes, even our services, but we also get to live in the land of outdoor opportunity.

Events and Adventures is the ultimate facilitator for taking full advantage of Vancouver's 'quality of life.' Their calendar is a perfect example of all that is available to Vancouverites. In what other city could you tube on the mountains, hike on the beach and golf on the greens, all in the same week? If you really wanted to rush it, you could actually squeeze them all into the same day!

Even in our winter months, when Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal (the other three Canadian cities that made it into the top five in North America) are shivering from the cold, Vancouver is still a-go-go!

What's hard, is keeping up with all there is to do. Again: E&A to the rescue! Their events coordinator searches out and finds the fun for you. Keep your mind on your work during the 9-5 and when it's time to play, your activities are all there waiting for you. Don't worry about bookings, reservations, minimum numbers - you already have a spot amongst a dozen other fun singles ready to live life to the fullest.

Why live in a city where 75% of your wage goes to living expenses, if you can't actually LIVE! Let's get out there and make use of these beautiful facilities that are literally right there at our back door.

Mountains. Ocean. Parks. Trails. Yes please!

Social Sobriety

Being the only one of my friends who doesn't drink, I often end up handling the driving duties. Apart from the gas bill, taking on the role of the DD is not that bad. You get to decide when everyone leaves, you get to watch your friends make ridiculous accusations about their high school athletic abilities and you get to wake-up on Saturday with the whole day ahead of you.

But, being perpetually sober has its drawbacks - not many, but a few.

Social custom tells us the best place to meet other singles is at the bar. When you don't drink, there's not much point in going to the bar, unless you're driving your compadres. If I go alone, I usually only last about thirty minutes before I am totally bored.

Then there is the attitude dished out by restaurant wait staff who are often miffed that you're not ordering wine or expensive cocktails. "No, just water thank you." I always feel like I have to order dessert or an extra appetizer just to appease the waitress.

And finally, the hook-up factor. No one, that I know of, ever hooked-up after a coffee date. Drinks on the other hand… 

So what are my options? Few.

That's why E&A is so great. The calendar is full of fun group activities, group dates that don't involve getting plastered to try and meet a handful of girls operating under the same veil. There are drinks available at some of the E&A social functions, but it is definitely not the prerequisite for having a good time.

The events on the calendar are all centered on outdoor or indoor fun. I've never felt pressure to drink or been bored with people who were drinking. That's what's cool about a social club. It's not your traditional, go to the bar to meet people set-up. It's more of a, "let's go have a ton of fun doing this random activity with other available singles" kind of vibe. Sounds a lot better doesn't it?

Let the bar-stars enjoy each other’s slurry company. Let E&A take you on an adventure you can look back on with fondness and clarity.