About Suzie and Sarah

I am Me ~ Suzie Moldowan

Crap. It’s happened. I have somehow managed to become that woman. You know, the one who has no time to do her hair. I struggle to jump in the shower and make- up has seemingly become a thing of the past. To make matters worse, it was but a week ago that I realized just how “into” my book I was. Now you would probably not bat an eyelash at this knowing that good literary vavoom has the ability to lure even the most cynical but, even I would not succumb to novels with Fabio strewn across the front. First off, I am not a lover of long hair on men but this is another story and, more importantly, I had, up until recently, considered myself a consumer of reads that had some class attached to them. You know the ones I mean….books that stretched your values, challenged your ideas and made you open your mind to other ways of life.
Sadly, I have fallen victim. In a bad way. And, yes, I attribute my fall to my newly born daughter.
Indeed, while I am not now chanting “Fabio” in my sleep, I find myself pondering “what ifs” a lot. What if my husband was a vampire and could carry me through forests at warp speed? What if my name was Bella and I didn’t mind that my lover was oddly pale and fought every moment to not drink my blood? What if I were to marry Edward and we were to have little vampire babies?
I know…you can say it. It’s wrong. All wrong and yes, more to the point, I know I have relinquished all dignity.
Having said that, perhaps I might be able to explain a wee bit more by cluing you in on how I came to be, on this day, at the ripe age of 34.

Thirty fours years ago, on January 6th, Suzanne Michelle Moldowan was born in VGH to proud parents Stephen and Carol Moldowan. She was the third of three children but the second to survive. Her older sister, Cheryl, was ecstatic at the arrival as were her parents (hey, this is my version) and despite Suzie’s swift and well, imminent entrance, it has been rumored that she appeared wielding a cigar and cocktail while screaming bloody murder.
A sign of things to come.
With the new addition, Suzie’s folks decided it was time to move to the “burbs” and off they were to Richmond; a town at that time and more importantly, a place known as “Ditchmond” due to the heavy presence of swamp water ‘trenches’ lining the streets. The Moldowan family had a beautiful home that boasted a big backyard, aptly equipped with a household favourite – a teeter totter.
So funny, isn’t it? How a simple plank of wood resting on a metal triangle can provide hours of giggles and moreover, be the cause of immeasurable bumps and bruises. Nonetheless, regardless of the white picket fence presenting itself as a towering cedar hedge and carpools to softball and other sporting events, Suzie’s childhood boarded on atypical. Suzie’s father, in his early twenties was diagnosed with Crohn’s; a disease she wouldn’t wish on anyone and one that has become more prevalent perhaps due to our newfound knowledge and ability to diagnose. As a result, Suzie’s father was chronically ill and, for much of the time, in a considerable amount of pain. Her dad spent an unconscionable amount of time in the hospital and Suzie, as a child, became acclimatized quickly to white sheets, tubes and pretty much anything found within an emergency room. It was not unusual to be called down to the office during elementary school to find out who’s house she was going to that day as mom was stuck at the hospital and not able to get home until early evening. Suzie was none the worse though as she knew no different. Ballet was still on Monday’s, Brownies on Tuesdays and a variety of other activities throughout the week. However, VGH was another “home” and one they were very comfortable at.
As years passed, Suzie grew and personalities were born. Suzie, albeit charming, cute and never dull (I said this was my version), posed some uh, challenges for her parents as her older sister and her were on their own metaphorical teeter totter. While Suzie swung on the end of brash, ballsy and perhaps cocky, Cheryl rested comfortably on reserved, shy and less secure. Battles between sibs were epic and frequent with the younger of the two often reigning. By high school, Suzie was eager to party and ready to test boundaries. She experienced her first kiss by grade eight by a guy that everyone swore looked liked Joe from New Kids On The Block. After a failed attempt to run away in grade nine (Suzie had decided their calling was in Edmonton of all places!), Suzie seized another opportunity to secure her rockstar status. Her family traveled yearly to Palm Springs and Suzie’s parents were known to spend their winters there. After ample begging, Suzie was allowed or should we say trusted (ouch) to stay with her sister until school was out for winter break wherein she would board a plane immediately to meet the parental unit in their home away from home. Cheryl, being almost 5 years older, had a whiff of Suzie’s deviancy but all was to go off without a hitch. After all, she was almost 15 and clearly knew what she was doing. Suzie quickly rallied the troops (her best friend) and they planned what was to be the party of the year! Suzie had a ridiculous amount of liquor in the house bar and was certain of cementing her spot in party history.
Sadly though, Suize forgot how quickly word spreads and moreover, how close her sister’s friend’s house was . Within an hour of the party starting, Cheryl was home and dramatically stomping over to the phone and dialing 911.
Less than pleased but not sufficiently scared, Suzie was unflappable until she caught wind of Cheryl’s second conversation. It was then that she questioned how much longer she would remain on this earth.
She was dead. More to the point, Suzie was pulled out of school and on the next flight to Palm Springs. For all intents and purposes, it was the one flight that traveled at mock speed and the one time that Suzie wouldn’t have minded an airline disaster.
Grade nine was over. Literally. With Suzie not seeing the light of day for the remainder of the year.
Grade ten saw Suzie get her license. Grade eleven was the mark of her first real boyfriend and during grade twelve, Suzie got lost in her own popularity and decided she wanted to go away to school.
Suzie attended The University of Western Ontario. Why? Two reasons. Number one, it was on the other side of the country. Number two, Suzie had heard it was a party school.
Both were true.
University was all it was supposed to be. Air hockey games resulting in emergency room visits. Parties galore leading to coma-like sleeps under trees in the freezing snow of the university grounds and fairly minor criminal activity that had Suzie & Co. proud of their bravado. And that was first year. Second year Suzie was on academic probation (unheard of given she was actually a good student when she wanted to be) thanks in part to the year previous and moreover, due to the absence of her alarm clock (aka mom).
At the end of Suzie’s prolonged university career, she had, all said and done, become an elementary school teacher – something she had dreamed about forever and was screaming proud of. In the short five years that she has been teaching, Suzie has grown and learned more than she ever thought possible….and from people under the age of thirteen! Suzie’s new career had afforded her many things, including patience that she feels led her to where she is today.
Since becoming a teacher Suzie took up running seriously and has competed in races ranging from 5km to half-marathon distances; the latter being her favorite. Suzie had the opportunity to run on the Great Wall of China, race from Seattle to Portland (330km) in one day on a road bike and compete, for charity, in an amazing adventure triathlon. Moreover, she’s kayaked, mountain biked, run and cycled distances that she never thought possible.
Suzie thankfully stopped long enough to quit her second job working in a restaurant to open her eyes and meet the man who would change her life completely….and for all the right reasons. Unbelievably, Suzie became a mother last year. A lover of all things chaotic, Suzie isn’t satisfied with the current level of craziness and thus, is now in the midst of planning a wedding while carting around a 7 month old. Nonetheless, and despite the fact that Suzie has yet to win the lottery (they’re still trying), she really couldn’t be happier.
Indeed, bearing a huge grin, this small family, Chinese pug included, is ready for the next adventure so, BRING IT ON!


Who am I? ~ Sarah Bonar

Sarah Bonar grew up in Cranbrook, British Columbia. A town in the East Kootenays nestled at the base of the BC Rockies. She grew up as Sarah Hudson, and wished on many occasions that she had kept her maiden name. Her husband's name, Bonar, is Scottish, and is pronounced Bonner. More often than not, this mispronunciation is usually done out loud in the public: waiting for a table in a restaurant, from the cashiers at Safeway, and once, by teenagers reading the morning announcements at the high school she taught at, "Would Drama Nine, Block B class, please meet Mrs. (hee hee hee), Mrs. (hee hee), BONER, at lunch, (ha ha ha) in the drama room." Student laughter echoed in the halls for minutes afterwards.

Growing up in the Rockies gave Sarah many opportunities to excel in outdoor sports. She skied at the local mountain, Kimberly Ski Resort, for several years, before crossing over and becoming one of the first female snowboarders in the area. Sarah's enthusiasm for the outdoors was forced onto her at an early age. Several weekends during the summer, her parents would make her and her younger brother, wear heavy backpacks and accompany them into the back country for multi-day hiking excursions. As she grew older, she began to secretly appreciate these hiking trips but would not dare tell her parents, who would no doubt say, "I told you so."

During her high school years, she participated in all things theatre related and starred as "Dorothy" in The Wizard of Oz. In her senior year, Sarah lost a bet, and on a dare, had to run for class Prime Minister. As she and one other girl were the only two candidates running in the election, Sarah took the seat by a landslide vote, and was then forced to give up her Tuesday lunch hours to sit as Prime Minister at student council meetings. Being Prime Minister was not without its benefits, she was able to skip class on occasion, claiming that she was needed for important council responsibilities. She also organized the only grad trip to Palm Springs, California.

Rather than going away to university, Sarah spent her first year of college in Cranbrook, attending the College of the Rockies, as her father bribed her with the possibility of buying her a car at the completion of her first year. At the end of the first year, her mother informed her that she should have gotten the proposal in writing, as she had no knowledge of the deal, and her father claimed temporary memory loss.

Still without a car, Sarah completed her undergrad at the University of Lethbridge, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, specializing in performance theatre. She repeatedly made the Dean's list, while attending such classes as Movement I and II, Voice and Diction I and II, and Improvisation I and II. During her first year at the University, she attended a modeling course, and was asked to run in the Mini Oktoberfest Pageant at a local bar. Surprisingly, Sarah, who had to practice walking in heals the night before, won the pageant, and credits the win to a raunchy joke she told in the talent portion of the contest. A week later, Sarah was flown out to Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, to compete in the pageant at the second largest Oktoberfest in the World. Feeling very out of place, next to State titled pageant queens; she befriended Miss New York and New Jersey and had a great time. After a week of gourmet meals and champagne, she gained ten pounds and dreaded the bathing suit portion of the pageant. At the end of the week, she walked away with the coveted Gemütlichkeit Award, which was put to a vote amongst the contestants, for someone who best emulated the spirit of the Oktoberfest.

Sarah graduated from University and was engaged to her boyfriend at the age of 23. She moved to Fernie, BC to snowboard full time in the winter, and work as a waitress at a local restaurant. Sarah directed and staged a play and toured and competed in the East Kootenay zone qualifying competition of BC Main Stage.

Later that year, Sarah's mother asked her to spend a couple weeks in White Rock, BC, to take care of her Grandmother who was dying of cancer. After the couple of weeks, Sarah returned to Fernie, calling off the engagement, and moved in permanently with her Grandma. A few months later, her grandmother died and Sarah embraced her new life on the west coast.

Eventually, Sarah went back to University and received a second degree in Education, and currently teaches for the Vancouver School District. She has taught many grades, from high school theatre, to Grade 1, but at this point in her life, prefers teaching the primary grades. Sarah also writes short stories and has had one recently published in an outdoor/ travel anthology called, "A Beaver is Eating my Canoe," published by Summit Studios.

She is currently married to her wonderful and patient husband of seven years and has two young children: Finnley and Addyson. Being a stay at home mom, away from work on her maternity leave has been a true test of patience, while rewarding at the same moment. Keeping a sense of humour during the most difficult of situations, has allowed her to truly enjoy her children and is comfortable in trying new activities with them, and taking them to different public settings: the beach, restaurants, parks, shopping, and yes, even Ikea, where they are too small to go to the ball room.