Been to any good concerts lately?
This was Grace’s opening line on a dating app. After a few days of casual conversation, they decided to go on a date to get coffee and walk Grace’s dog, Cooper, at a local park. Grace cancelled the day before the date, wanting to head up to Ottawa a day early to beat the impending rainstorm. Rescheduling for 1.5 weeks later, they met at a bar, had two beers each, kale salad and calamari.
Rooted in Love
As our relationship progressed so did our love of Christ in both of our lives. It was on this foundation that we began to build our lives towards each other. We knew early on that we had a deep love for each other but what we soon discovered is that we had become each other‘s encourager and challenger for life‘s big stuff.
We did the fun stuff like traveling, eating all the noodles and pizza in the city, meeting friends and family, but we also faced the hard stuff together, like grieving loss of family members, practicing social distancing from each other for the past four months and most recently listening and learning to take action towards bringing justice to Black and Indigenous people.
Our relationship is bigger than us. It is rooted in God, the ultimate reflection of love and joy that gives us deep trust, love, confidence and admiration for one another. And because of that, our lives together is dedicated to pursuing love and justice for others.
“ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ”
Wildlife photographer: Joë Layno
I’ll pick you up at 9am for a hike.
This is very early for Grace on a weekend but Jeff insisted because the rain was coming. After exploring a cave, they came upon a wildlife photographer who was chest deep in the water. Wondering if there was a moose in the distance (in the GTA…), Grace asked what he was shooting. “A kingfisher in the trees, I’ve been trying to catch it for weeks now.” he claimed. She wished him luck and encouraged him that “todays the day!”
Jeff found a nice spot where we could walk into the water and play fetch with Cooper. After Grace was wrangling a stick away from Cooper, she turned around and there he was on one knee.
Monday, August 3, 2020
Due to the current circumstances, our wedding will be very small. Please send us a message of celebration, encouragement or marriage advice! We hope that we can celebrate with you in person soon.