From co-workers to life partners, no one would have been more surprised than the two of us about how our story came together! Joel came out from Ontario to do an internship at Global Aid Network (GAiN). He had no expectations of meeting someone from BC because he wasn't sure what his plans were after his internship. Charmaine had been working for GAiN for about 2 years before Joel came along. She had absolutely no intentions of dating the intern, especially one that was younger than her! But as these stories go, they started to fall for each other over their love for being outside, running, a shared sense of humour, and a passion for the work that they do. They will have been together for 2.5 years by the time they walk down the aisle and couldn't be happier :)

Joel and Charmaine loved going for walks during their times together, especially over their shared lunch hour at work. They would walk the same path almost every day, and had a bench that they particularly loved to sit on. This bench was a place of rest, good conversation, and quickly became 'their bench'. It was their 1.5 year anniversary on an unassuming Wednesday in August. Joel suggested to Charmaine that they should go for a walk, specifically a walk to their bench. This was about a 45 minute walk from Charmaine's house, so with much persuasion (from Joel) and much complaining (from Charmaine), they began their trek. It was a warm summer evening with a clear starry sky. It was the perfect night. As they approached the bench, Charmaine saw that the bench was covered with a blanket and surrounded by candles. Joel got down on one knee and Charmaine immediately said "YES!" Our journey hasn't been easy with a few provinces between us, but with the loving support of friends, family and the Lord's faithfulness, we couldn't be happier to celebrate our big day with you :)