Where do you even begin when a love story has been quietly unfolding for years? Ours began back in middle school. Joel attended St. Germain, while Sarah went to École Julie Riel. Though we were at different schools, our paths crossed through mutual friends, especially when Sarah’s class traveled to St. German for band. Those visits often ended with Joel sneaking out of class, just for a moment, to catch a glimpse of the new girls visiting his school. What followed were awkward Facebook messages, group hangouts at the mall, and evenings spent at friends’ houses; small, innocent moments that unknowingly laid the groundwork for something much bigger. As high school approached, life pulled us in separate directions. Sarah moved to the small town of Pinawa, while Joel stayed in the city. It wasn’t until 2019 that fate brought us back together, once again through mutual friends (shoutout to Miranda). Casual group hangouts soon turned into Joel confidently sliding into Sarah’s Instagram DMs and this time, the timing was finally right. Our first date had an unforgettable beginning. Wanting to be a proper gentleman, Joel went straight to the door to knock and politely ask Sarah’s mom for permission to take her out. What he didn’t know was that the Granger household runs a little differently, friends usually just walk right in. Hearing the knock, Helen simply called out, “Come in!” Nervously, Joel stepped inside and awkwardly introduced himself: “Hi, I’m here to pick up Sarah for a date.” Helen casually replied, “She’s downstairs,” leaving Joel wandering through the house in search of the basement. Sarah met him halfway, both of us equally confused. In all fairness, Helen had no idea a date was even happening. Convinced the date was over before it had begun, Joel still carried himself with the kindness and respect he was raised with; walking Sarah to the car, opening her door, and taking her out to dinner. What felt painfully awkward at the time quickly became one of our favorite stories, and marked the beginning of something truly special. That summer, we were inseparable. We spent nearly every day together, sharing stories from the years apart, meeting each other’s families and friends, and filling our days with adventures both big and small. On September 12, 2019, Joel made it official and asked Sarah to be his girlfriend, putting words to what we both already knew. From that moment on, life felt brighter together. So inseparable, in fact, that Joel couldn’t imagine going on a previously planned backpacking trip through Southeast Asia without her. What began as a boys’ trip quickly turned into the adventure of a lifetime for the two of us. After just five months of dating, we traveled across the world together for a month and a half, unknowingly facing the ultimate relationship test. Midway through our travels, the COVID-19 outbreak began while we were in Indonesia. At first unaware of how serious it would become, we continued on until reality set in during our nearly empty flight home amid worldwide lockdowns. Returning to Canada was a relief in an uncertain world. Waiting for us was Joel’s new dog, Jackie, who quickly became our first baby and brought joy to even the strangest of times. The next two years were spent navigating isolation together. We took over Joel’s parents’ house and truly learned what it meant to live side by side. Those early challenges strengthened our bond and laid the foundation for everything that followed. From there, the rest felt like destiny. We moved into our first apartment in St. Boniface, supported each other through finishing university and beginning our careers, welcomed our cat Wilson into the family, learned how to communicate, argue, grow together, traveled to Spain, moved provinces and eventually found ourselves here. After years of laughter, growth, adventure, and love, we are so excited to begin our next chapter together as husband and wife.