Tony and Kellen’s story began across the world on the small Island of Zanzibar in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

In 2017, Kellen was on a solo trip travelling the world. She visited 33 countries along her journey. Prior to venturing to Zanzibar, Kellen was volunteering at a school just outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Civil and political unrest in Kenya led to a temporary country wide closure of schools so as a result Kellen made the last-minute decision to change up her travel plans and add Zanzibar to the itinerary.

Tony had been volunteering on a month-long agricultural project in the small rural town of Mufindi, in Tanzania. He was working with students at a local high school teaching and helping transform the five acres of land surrounding the school into a functional farm that, to this day, still feeds the hundreds of high school students who attend. After the seeds were planted and the project concluded, Tony decided to travel to Zanzibar for some R&R.

They serendipitously booked in to stay at the same hostel, named Demani Lodge, in the small town of Paje on the eastern side of the island. It was the off season and few tourists were there. Kellen and Tony had noticed each other around the hostel a day or two prior to meeting. One morning, Tony went to the cafe, in a picturesque location nestled within bungalows, palm trees, and a sandy floor. There was no one else at the cafe, just Tony, and he was handed a coffee and a large platter of watermelon from the staff (too large for one person). He looked over his shoulder and noticed Kellen had come into the cafe sitting on the other end. Now it was just the two of them. Tony decided to go introduce himself. Nervously he picked up his platter of watermelon and walked over saying, “hey, would you like some watermelon?”. A simple sentence that sparked a conversation which led to the beginnings of their nose dive into love.

After a brief stint away from each other, the two met back up in Nepal. They spent the next three months travelling South East Asia together while also navigating a new relationship. When it was time to head back to Canada, they weren’t exactly sure what the future would look like for them. Tony was living on Salt Spring Island, BC helping run a small organic farm and prior to her trip Kellen had been living in her hometown of Saskatoon, SK but had dreams of moving to Victoria, BC.

On her first trip out to Vancouver Island, Kellen walked into the BC Cancer Center in Victoria to see if they had any job openings for Radiation Therapists. She was told that most people who want to come from out of province have to start up in Prince George, a 12 hour drive away, and then eventually can relocate into the Victoria Centre. A couple of weeks later, the manager of Victoria’s Cancer Center emailed Kellen informing her that there was a ‘casual’ position that had opened up. The position was starting in two weeks and if she could make it there it was hers. Kellen accepted it and she and Tony flew back to Saskatoon, packed up her belongings and moved her out to the west coast.

When Tony’s time on Salt Spring Island came to an end he moved to Victoria where he and Kellen got their first apartment together. It was a tiny basement suite with a six foot high ceiling. Shortly after, they found out that they were about to embark on a whole new adventure together... becoming parents!

Fast forward four more years, Kellen and Tony have welcomed two beautiful daughters, Amalia and Miana, to the world, purchased a home together, got engaged while camping at their favorite spot on the island (Tony placed the ring box in the center of a plate of watermelon) and have continued to travel and adventure together. They often reminisce on how they met, the twists and turns of life that led to it, and how lucky they both are to have found one another. They can’t wait to celebrate their love and commitment to each other with all of their family, friends and loved ones in September.

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