A big thank you to everyone who commented on the “How We Met” post! Aside from the great comments here, I received some super touching e-mails that really made my day. Hearing your stories about love and marriage makes me even more excited about planning our wedding and making memories like that of our own.

Now… As for the winner, it was a tough choice! And while I totally loved all of the stories, there was one that really stood out because it just made me laugh and laugh. So congrats, Erin!!! A sweet prize pack is headed your way!

Here’s what Erin had to say:

Hmm, how we met, well I was working at summer camp and my coworker found him in her neighbour’s barn and brought him to live with us for the summer. Turns out he was kind of mean and bit people, but that summer I fell in love with him. After the summer, nobody wanted him, and he was going to be returned to the barn. I couldn’t let that happen so I decided he was coming to live with me. My parents were not impressed. That was almost two years ago. I could not love my little troublemaker more, and even my parents have come to like him. Now, I don’t know what I’ve do without him.
Clearly, I am single with a cat, so that’s the best I could do!

Seriously? How could you NOT read that and giggle? “He was kind of mean and bit people”?! That’s gold! And B-rad got a good laugh out of it, too. Congrats, Erin! And thanks again, everyone! Look for more random contests this summer…

Ringing in the New Year (2006)

Note: This was originally posted in July 2008. But since we’re back in wedding planning mode, I decided that it definitely warrants a re-post. (But don’t worry… There’s a brand new post coming up on Monday! AND I’ve thrown in a super fun contest just to make up for posting an oldie-but-goodie. Enjoy!)

One of the fun parts of being engaged is when people ask, “So… How did you two meet?” and you get to relive your whole epic romance, in ten minutes or less. Having now told this story several dozen times, I still have to smirk a bit when I admit that Brad and I almost never met at all.

Quick background: The truth is, I’d never actually intended to go to St. Jerome’s University (a small campus within the University of Waterloo). Sure, I’d applied, but it was mostly on a whim. I was sure that I would be accepted to my first choice university, and so each day of my last year of high school, I rushed home to check the mailbox for an acceptance letter. Funny thing is, my first choice acceptance arrived last. But, as luck would have it, my last choice acceptance arrived first. Through a strange twist of fate, and with the sage advice of my guidance counselor (that’s two gift baskets for you, Mr. Brennan!), I decided to give SJU a shot.

So there I was, nearly two months into my first term as an undergrad and the annual residence Trick-or-Treating had just begun. The guys were up first, fishing for candy that they would inevitably just end up giving back to us when we headed over to their building, as we were far more prepared and had actually purchased treats. (Smart move on their part, actually… Bonus points for recycling AND being recession-friendly.)

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