Walking together in faith and love

In February 2024, a phone call brought Nicolas to Good Shepherd Catholic School. He accepted a unique contract as the French and Program Support Teacher for part of the week. At the same time, Brooklyn was already a familiar face at the school, gaining experience as a Supply EA, ECE, and Teacher while finishing her B.Ed. When the school’s needs changed, Brooklyn was offered the contract to cover the remaining two days of the French and Program Support role. This made Brooklyn and Nicolas official partners. They spent their weeks as a team, passing lesson plans back and forth and coordinating their work for their students. Brooklyn’s official start date in their shared role was April 12th—Nicolas' birthday. It was the first time they met in person, and it remains the best birthday present Nicolas has ever received. They started by sharing a workload in the classroom, and now they are preparing to share a life in Christ. The rest is history.

At the end of October 2025, Brooklyn and Nicolas made a decision that would change their lives forever. Craving a quieter pace and a life surrounded by nature, they looked toward the beauty of Northern Ontario. When two permanent teaching positions opened up with the Superior North Catholic District School Board, they took a leap of faith and applied together. They both accepted their offers and quickly realized their first big purchase had to be much warmer winter jackets! The move from Bowmanville to Greenstone was a true adventure from the start—including spotting their first Ontario moose on the drive up and Nicolas accidentally testing the car's limits on a snowmobile trail he was certain was a road. Life in the Rural North has come with a learning curve, but it has been exactly what they needed. In Greenstone, they have learned to slow down and find peace in a simpler way of living. Far from the city lights, they are enjoying the quiet, focusing on their careers, and growing closer as they build their new life together in the beauty of the North.

During an early visit to their new home in Longlac, Brooklyn and Nicolas began to envision a new addition to their family. One evening, Nicolas discovered a photo of a golden puppy with a distinct brown nose and bright blue eyes. When he turned to Brooklyn and asked, “What about him?” she didn’t need much convincing. They scheduled a meeting, and the moment they saw him, they knew he was meant to be theirs. On December 27th, he officially joined the family. The transition to the North was already a whirlwind—packing up their lives, moving to a new house, adjusting to a community, and starting new teaching careers. Most would find that plenty to handle, but Brooklyn and Nicolas embraced the chaos, choosing to add engagement and wedding planning to the mix. Welcoming their new puppy has been a true blessing, and they are now happily settled in Greenstone with their two fur babies, Chewbacca and Obi.