Jim & Breanne

We met as normally as anyone else, online. When meeting a stranger that you've only conversed with on a website notorious for one night stands and sleazy men, you need to be weary. Don't just hand out your phone number, meet in a well lit, public location, don't let the other person know too much about you. 

We broke nearly every rule. We had a connection neither of us could explain. We couldn't stop talking, learning more about the other person, texting at obscene hours, and we agreed, we needed to meet sooner rather than later. Jim was working downtown at the time and Breanne was living in Surrey, but had a information session scheduled with a Vancouver school for an ASL course, so she suggested they meet near Jim's work. 

Over a dark table in a Yaletown bar, our food that night was barely remembered (but in case you're wondering, it was mushroom pizza, two of Breanne's favorite foods combined into one) as it was overwhelmed with riveting conversation as we crawled deeper into getting to know one another. Our date continued through a long walk and dessert, we walked all around the downtown core, digging deeper. Breanne made fun of boy scout Jim ("that's not real camping") and Jim told her about his time spent volunteering with the Ronald McDonald house. Near the end of the date, Jim told Breanne about his cat allergy, and Breanne regretted wasting so much time getting to know this guy to only find out that there was no way it was going to work; she still acknowledges that there is a 90% chance that she will be THE crazy cat lady one day. Neither of us can remember how the second date came to fruition, and it's questionable about what actually happened, but through this date (and the one before) there was no physical connection. Jim wouldn't hold her hand, give her a kiss, or even a hug. Not until the fifth date (three weeks later) after a whole day of walking around a bird sanctuary and a 1/3 of the Lion King, did Jim take the leap to hand holding. Breanne recalls it as a not so gentle act, instead "He snatched, he hastily took, he seized my hand. It was not a gentle, swift moment. Out of nowhere, my hand was suddenly his."

From there, Breanne put the cat allergy problem on the back burner, and we quickly fell in love. Our quirks made our relationship perfect, our love for food and our desire for fun transformed us both. We helped each other through tough spots and supported one another's career decisions. Now we couldn't imagine ever finding someone else as understanding, loving, and perfect as each other, and we can't wait to move onto the next chapter in our life as we build it together.