Ryan and I have been friends since high school in southern Ontario. One of my favourite memories of Ryan is the warm summer night he called me and said “Are you home? Come outside!” I ran outside my house, and he was on the street in his new-to-him fixed up Jeep with the top and doors off! We jumped in and just drove around Burlington/Hamilton. I don’t even remember where we ended up but I do remember having so much fun that night.

Ryan and I lost touch for a few years after we both headed off to university/college. He had moved out East, and I headed West. One day I was walking into Aldo in the mall, and I almost a heartache when I saw Ryan standing there. We both did a double take and then proceeded to freak out. Ryan and his boyfriend had moved to Burnaby, and neither of us had any idea that we were living in the same city. It was quite the surreal experience! We reconnected and rekindled our friendship that same weekend, and that’s when Ryan introduced me to his boyfriend Michael.

After spending years enjoying Vancouver, Michael finished his Ph.D., and the two of them headed to Calgary for a job.

Being The King of Surprises, Michael brought Ryan back to Vancouver for a surprise birthday weekend. The morning after they arrived in Vancouver, Ryan and Mike walked into a Starbucks in Yaletown. I was sitting in the window seat, and they walked in and said “Ryan!”. He turned around and in a very similar fashion to our Aldo meeting, Ryan was flabbergasted and shocked that I just happened to be in the Starbucks they were at in Yaletown (not my neighbourhood at all).

Then Mike and I revealed that we had pre-arranged to meet up and we were actually there to do an engagement photo shoot. Anyone who knows Ryan knows how much he loves having his photo taken; almost as much as he loves surprises!