The first member of my family to find out that I’d found someone special was my mom. It was early 1996, and I had only been dating Ann for a short time. I was talking to my mom on the phone and I don’t remember the full conversation but I remember telling her, “I think I found the person I’m going to marry… she just doesn’t know it yet.” Fast forward just a couple months and we were living together.

The next person to find out was my little sister. She was visiting us, and we were all in Nelson visiting Ann’s parents. I had already put a ring on hold at a jewelry store in Vancouver but I hadn’t sized it. I rented a canoe for a couple hours and was paddling with my sister when I told her I planned to propose, then I put her to task. My sister wore rings on almost every finger and I asked her to figure out which of her rings fit Ann’s ring finger.

My sister pulled this off without Ann realizing what she was doing. Then I had to sneak away to a jewelry store in downtown Nelson to get the ring sized, then I got on a pay phone and called the jewelry store in Vancouver to give them the size so they could start making the ring. That was in July, just over 27 years ago. On August 26, 1997 I surprised Ann with a proposal in Ucluelet, BC. That’s a story for another time, as is the story of the circumstances that led me to meet Ann… for now I’ll just say that I feel fortunate to have met such an amazing woman, and I feel blessed that she said ‘Yes’ when I proposed.

Today marks our 26th wedding anniversary. Including the time we spent together before marriage, we are at the point where we have known each other for half of our lives. We’ve raised two amazing kids, and we share a wonderful life with family and friends. I feel so blessed to have found someone so wonderful to spend my life with.

I look forward to more adventures together, and hope that the next 26+ years can bring us more joy and happiness. ❤️