How It All Began

Over three years ago, I met my fiance J through an online dating site. Since this route involves only a small profile picture and a couple of sentences, it wasn't exactly love at first sight. I followed the golden rule of online dating and quickly moved our interactions into the real world: Facebook. After a quick review of his profile (lots of friends, cute picture of him holding a baby -- not his!) and some messages about curling and our work, we decided that I would call him for a chat. At this point I should mention my bizarre phobia of calling strangers on the telephone. Don't know why it started, but it was in serious jeopardy of derailing this whole venture. Finally I just took a deep breath and called. The fact that Dr. Bunsen Honeydew came up in this conversation convinced me to meet him for coffee.

Our first date took place at one of the ubiquitous Starbucks around Vancouver. I arrived to see a large man with a shaved head wearing all black. While we waited to order, this man talked about his experiences in the military and mentioned that two policemen friends of his were loitering in the area, ready to check in on him if necessary. A little voice in the back of my head was starting to question whether this was a good idea...and then J ordered a Chai Tea Latte, and we spent the next 2 hours talking about everything from sandwich makers to freight trains, and that voice completely disappeared.

When my sister asked how my date went I told her "J is a really nice guy but he swears a LOT." One of the many things that drew me to J is that he is always suprising. He is definitely a manly man, with a rough blue collar job and a deep love for war movies. But he is also a funny, warm and caring person with a collection of romantic comedies and Celine Dion music. We are certainly opposites in many ways, yet we share the same values and have the same goals in life. I'm so excited to have a great partner by my side and I'm looking forward to the adventures we'll have along the way.