When Caitlin first reached out to her cousin, Alex, about going out for a fun night in downtown Montreal, she didn’t think much when he said, “sure, I’ll invite some friends to join us.” It was that night on Crescent Street in August of 2014 that Caitlin and Paul were introduced. Paul was immediately surprised by this girl who was offering him a beer she had just snuck out of a bar. He famously repaid the favour by buying her a Junior Chicken from McDonald’s at the end of the night. The two spent the entire night talking and getting to know each other.

After her big move to The University of Western Ontario, Caitlin was still thinking about Paul. With the encouragement of her friends, she reached out to him over social media, using his recently posted vacation pictures as an easy conversation starter. Caitlin and Paul continued to talk over the next few months before finally meeting up again for a New Year’s Eve party in Montreal. In March 2015 Paul visited Caitlin at school and they made things between them official.

For the next three years the couple dealt with the challenges of long distance, seeing each other about once a month. After her graduation, Caitlin returned to Kingston and was finally able to be in the same city as Paul while he finished his final year at the Royal Military College of Canada. After his graduation in 2019, Paul went to the East Coast to complete his Army training before being posted to the base outside of Fredericton, New Brunswick. In February of 2020, Caitlin bought a one-way ticket to Fredericton to join Paul, having never been to the city before.

Caitlin and Paul have spent the last four years in Fredericton enjoying East Coast life. Their exploration has taken them deep into the exciting tides of the Bay of Fundy, the thriving streets of Halifax, the coastal views of Gaspé, and the remote beauty of Newfoundland. Caitlin will be finished with nursing school in Spring of 2024 and she and Paul are looking forward to their next adventure together in Montreal.

Paul’s surprise proposal took place on August 3rd, 2022, at Caitlin’s grandparent’s property in Barkmere, QC. After returning from an afternoon by the lake, Paul surprised Caitlin by popping the question in their room. After enjoying the moment, the two excitedly went over to the main house to tell Caitlin’s parents and grandmother the exciting news. The rest of the evening was spent calling family and drinking champagne!