Our story began at Brock University, where Sarah was pursuing her master’s in Geography and Tourism and Sam was working toward his degree in Education. Thanks to our mutual friend Madeline, our paths crossed. This snapshot from the Brock cafeteria is our very first photo together.

One of our favorite early dates was a mead tasting at Queen City Meadery. Neither of us had ever tried mead before, but that didn’t stop us from having a blast sampling and comparing flavors!

Cooking quickly became one of our favorite shared adventures. We loved experimenting with recipes from our Dungeons & Dragons-themed cookbook. This was one of the very first we tried! We paired it, of course, with mead from our favorite meadery.

We also loved hiking together. This photo was taken on the Eagle’s Nest Lookout Trail during our trip to Ottawa, where Sarah met Sam’s grandparents for the first time.

For Sarah’s 24th birthday, Sam went out of his way to make her feel at home. Knowing she was missing her family, he recreated one of her cherished family traditions with a special “24” pancake.

Once Sarah completed her degree at Brock, we embarked on an over 2,000-mile drive from St. Catharines, Ontario, to Boise, Idaho. Long hours on the road didn’t stop us from enjoying good food - and each other’s company.

Not long after meeting Sarah's family, Sam was promptly put to work and he and Sarah's brother, Thomas, built a table together. Sam put his woodshop instructional skills to good use!

It wasn’t all work and no play! Here’s a photo from our hike to the top of Lizard Butte, proving that we have way too much fun together.

Soon, Sam had to head back to Canada to tackle Teacher’s College, beginning the long-distance chapter of our story. It was a challenging transition, but we made it work - like in this photo, where we’re figuring out how to watch our favorite shows together from afar.

For our anniversary, Sam got creative and hand-carved these wooden plaques for Sarah, each a nod to one of our favorite songs: Five Leaf Clover and Honey Bee!

Luckily, this first stint of long-distance wasn't very long and later that summer, Sam made another visit out West to go to the Oregon Coast with Sarah and her family.

During that trip, Sam got to dip his feet in the Pacific Ocean for the very first time! Here he is, drying off after the experience.

That fall, long distance truly began as Sarah moved to the UK to start an exciting new chapter - pursuing her PhD in Biology at Oxford University!

After months apart, we reunited over the holidays - so happy to be together again beneath the glow of twinkling lights.

In the new year, Sam took the leap across the pond - his first cross-continental trip! He came to visit Sarah and see what life in the UK was all about.

Knowing how much Sarah loves opera, Sam took her to the Royal Opera House in London to see Tosca!

During that visit, we hopped on an overnight bus to Paris and spent a magical day exploring the city’s winding streets and hidden corners. Here's us at the Eiffel Tower!

If there’s one thing we learned in Paris, it’s that the French truly know how to eat! We were more than happy to join in.

It was a whole four months before we saw each other again, but when Sam finally made it back to Oxford, he made sure to make up for lost time with plenty of romance!

On that trip, we visited The Grapes, Ian McKellen’s pub in London, where we got to see the actual prop of Gandalf’s staff from The Lord of the Rings - a magical moment for two fantasy fans!

Two months later, we reunited in Ottawa for Sam’s annual family reunion, where Sarah met his extended family for the first time. Everyone was so warm and welcoming - they made her feel like part of the family from day one.

Back to long distance - we were pros at this pont!

The next time we reunited was at Christmastime. My dad decided that if Sam was going to be part of the family, he absolutely had to have a Sooners jersey.

In the spring, Sam made another leap across the pond to visit Sarah - and once again took her to the Royal Opera House, this time to see Carmen!

We cherished every moment together. As we grew closer, the distance between us felt harder to bear, making these visits even more special.

Then, on June 11, 2025, Sam popped the question and Sarah said yes! He had planned a whole romantic day, visiting all the places that have been special to us throughout our relationship. Finally, long distance is over!!!