This beautiful love story began the old fashion way, at a bar. Vanessa was on a girls trip and Brennan was on a guys trip. Both groups were at the Sunday Night Baseball game in Phoenix, Arizona, but our paths didn't cross there. A few hours after the game, and many drinks later, at a bar in Old Town Scottsdale is where we first struck eyes. She was lovestruck by his "good beard" and he was enthralled with her "Dyck Enterprises" trucker hat from the 90's and her beautiful Winnipegosis accent. A fun night ensued among the two groups of friends, with some more drinks and dancing on couches. A few months later when Brennan moved to Calgary we reignited our spark and began officially dating in the summer of 2020.

A hotel/restaurant downtown Calgary was advertising that they had a skating rink on the roof of their building and you could access it if you made a dinner reservation. We had been outdoor skating a lot that winter and I liked the idea of proposing atop a 30 storey building, with all the city lights in the background. When we got there, the waiter told us the skating rink was closed because it was was "too warm outside" (it was -10). After some convincing he let us go which was a massive relief since I did not have a backup plan and was set on proposing that night. That's when we realized the skating rink was in fact not on the roof but on an elevated platform barely above street level. Adding to the surprise, it turns out this "skating rink" was about the size of your average bathtub. After a few minutes of "skating" I set up a phone to take some pictures and started my speech I had planned. Nerves took over and I forgot everything I was going to say. I was barely able to squeak out a "will you marry me?". A lot of laughs ensued and the rest is history!