Our Story

We Met – July 18, 2011

Once upon a time, on a regular night of young adults, this goofy looking guy wearing plaid on plaid walks in, and as a friend of a friend, it was pretty clear that I would be spending lots of time with him that summer. Little did I know my life would be changed forever. It wasn’t long before coffee at Starbucks, trips to Wasaga Beach, and nights at the park with our group of friends became regular events.

But then summer ended… And I went back to school for my second year at Nipissing, while Andrew went back to work in Toronto. For almost two years afterwards, we lived separate lives of ups and downs, but somehow we always managed to stay connected, helping each other sort out who we were and where God wanted us to be. Eventually, I came to realize I had someone really valuable in my hands and there was no turning back.

We Dated – April 15, 2013

As the end of my crazy third year approached, Andrew eagerly offered to come and see me as soon as I was back in Barrie. I was nervous, yet excited to see this wonderful guy, and I quickly informed him I would be free that weekend. Taking an early bus from Toronto, he showed up at my front door ready to take me out for breakfast at Cora’s – only the best breakfast place there is! With delicious plates of food in front of us, we chatted about anything and everything that we had missed in the last little while, and throughout the morning, I found little bits of joy and comfort that I had never known before.

Yet again, I was making things complicated… I was going away for the summer – farther away than North Bay – which, as Andrew would say, is basically living in the Arctic. I didn’t know if I would have any way of communicating with the outside world, but I was excited for a change of scenery, and I knew there would always be support from back home. But I always had our ‘Picture-A-Day’ promise to keep me connected to my guy.

We Fell In Love – July 28, 2013

On the one short break I had that summer, Andrew drove to North Bay with a lovely hand-written letter in hand and we filled the next few days with smiles and laughter. That weekend, in a moment I will never forget, a phrase was uttered that made everything so real… “I absolutely, whole-heartedly love you.” Some might say that all of this happened so quickly, but I say, when you know you know. And I knew that I absolutely loved him, too.

He Proposed – June 21, 2014

After another year of long-distance with short visits, surprise flowers and mushy letters, I was headed back up to camp for a second summer with one promise – I had to come home on my birthday weekend.  Driving from New Liskeard to Toronto was no quick thing, but I couldn’t say no. Then, under the impression that we were going for ice cream with some friends, I walked hand-in-hand with my love down the streets of Toronto. Mysteriously, Andrew quietly mentioned he wasn’t sure where we were going and that we had to turn back. Hot, sweaty, and a tad bit confused, I let him take the lead and we ended up at Allan Gardens – a sweet, nature-y escape in the middle of a concrete city, and place we had visited many times.

As we walked inside, I heard the sound of a guitar, and turning the corner, saw that this private concert was for me. With guitar in hand, and tambourine at foot, our friend filled the garden with the sounds of Ho Hey by The Lumineers and I knew something big was going on. As the song came to an end and tears filled my eyes, the handsome man standing in front of me pulled a sparkly diamond from his pocket, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. I couldn’t say anything, but YES!

We Got Married – July 18, 2015

On the hottest day of the year, we said our vows at Innisbrook Golf Course surrounded by all of our favourite family and friends. The aisle was lined with words from 1 Corinthians 13, my cousin played his acoustic guitar, and our family sat proudly in the very front row. We enjoyed our own personal espresso bar, laughed and cried when our families made speeches, and danced until our feet hurt.

Weddings are quite the whirlwind, aren’t they? I hardly remember it all. But here are some other fun memories…

Andrew forgot to iron his vest so he spent the whole day with visible creases on it, one of my bridesmaids got kicked in the face by mistake, some family disappeared during the cocktail hour, my dessert was cleared before I even took a bite, and the mocha handcrafted for me went cold in the rush to get a romantic sunset photo. We even cooked a pizza in the early morning hours at home because we hardly ate anything the whole day.

Interestingly enough, Andrew and I started this page as our wedding website. The purple you see on all of the pages is the exact colour code from all of our DIY designs, including our personalized invitations and the funny little programs. We even used it on the “perfect blend” tags attached to the little bags of coffee we gifted to our guests. It’s been amazing to watch this website grow and have you all journey through life with us!

We Had a Baby – August 26, 2019

After a few years of tears and unanswered prayers, we found out we were expecting on the very first day of two-thousand nineteen. Approximately nine months later, we welcomed our precious baby girl at 7:04 am weighing 7 lbs 9 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. We were able to take her home the very next day, and spend the next several months discovering life as a family of three. Madilynn is the sweetest blessing, but the journey into parenthood was not an easy road for us. If you’re curious about this journey, I’ve shared many different posts about it throughout the blog!

We Had Another Baby – January 4, 2022

Shortly after we put down a deposit on a new home (which I will get to next), we decided we would be ready to try for another baby. Just three months later, we were blessed with a positive pregnancy test! Then, shortly after we rang in the New Year, our sweet boy was born at 10:55 pm, weighing 8 lbs 4 oz and measuring 21 inches long. In many ways, his arrival was a redemptive step in our parenthood journey, and we have been soaking in the snuggles ever since.

We Built a House – October 24, 2022

After much financial planning, we took a leap of faith in purchasing our forever home! We chose a 4-bedroom floor plan on an extra large lot that backs onto environmentally protected land. We made all of our design decisions and watched as the foundation was poured, the framing was built and the exterior brickwork was completed. We have finally moved in and we are SO excited to turn this house into a home. Follow me on Instagram for all of our interior design updates!