We met from afar when placed in the same hockey skill development class at West Hill Secondary School in 2015. Although never directly introduced in this class, Natalie became familiar with Colin and admittedly impressed by his athletic abilities and bubbly personality.

This impression stuck with Natalie and flash forward a year to 2016, when she decided to ask for his phone number from good friend Ashlee Lawrence. The rest is history from that first “Hey, it’s Nat Stephens” text message!

Natalie’s favourite thing about Colin:

My favourite thing about Colin is his ability to always see the good and bring joy to a situation, even with just with a smile or his contagious laughter. When things get tough, he never fails to pick me back up or remind me of all the things that are good in life. He makes any person that he talks to feel special, appreciated, and valued. His genuine kindness, appreciation for life, and love for those around him are a few of many favourite things about Colin.

Colin’s favourite thing about Natalie:

My favourite thing about Natalie is how she always makes me feel loved. She makes me so happy and she is always laughing at a good joke. Natalie always makes me feel important, smart, and most importantly she makes me feel at home when were together.

One week in June, after a number of busy weekends in a row, Colin expressed that he felt that a nice Friday date-night with just the two of us was needed. Natalie happily agreed and Colin suggested that a nice date would be to head to a favourite fishing spot, the Southampton Boat Launch, to get some fishing in.

Colin added in that since we would already be in Southampton around supper time, a dinner at one of our favourite restaurants would be a nice end to the evening. Although Natalie did put up some protest and questioning when Colin suggested that they wore something nice to go fishing (Natalie typically makes it her mission to wear the grubbiest clothes possible fishing), they were off.

Nerves must have set in for Colin once they arrived at the boat launch as he spent the next 15 minutes pacing and nervously fiddling with tackle. After finally agreeing to come have a seat with Natalie and open a beer, Colin said it was time to reel the line in and re-cast as there had been no bites so far. Once Natalie had began to reel in the line she heard Colin call her name and turned around to find him on one knee. The rest is history!