Friday, January 08, 2010

Gary and I: Dating

I wanted to post some pictures from the good ole days...when Gary and I were dating. However, instead of spending hours scanning pictures, I just took pictures of the pictures. Call me lazy, I call it time management:) Oh ya, before I start, here's just a couple of randoms...
Mt. Baker. This was my scariest hike with all the crevasses.
Me and my mom after her chemo treatments for breast cancer. I think we look alike.
Lynette and I starting the last portion of our two day adventure race up at Whistler. We were starting the 7km trek at the end of two long days. Our best leg was our mountain biking and orienteering sections on the second day. We finished 4th out of 6 in our category. This was our first adventure race. We did 4 more after this one.
Okay, where to start. Gary and I did not have a love at first sight kind of relationship. I pretty much ignored him for the first year because I was just out of a long term relationship and he kept pestering me to go to his place for dinner or he would just walk into my classroom all the time. In our second year, I decided that he was not for me but we could work on being friends. We did a couple of school hikes together. In the picture above, Gary and I went to the Christmas staff party together and worked as a team playing foosball.
We did end up dating in the spring, but just for 3 or 4 months. I really believed that Gary was `the one' for me because he was who I felt I was supposed to be with, even though he was different from what I really wanted. He was too goody goody for me, but that was a good thing:) He broke up with me at the end of the school year but we still had a trip planned! We hiked the Cape Scott trail with my best friend Lynette. It is a beautiful 3 day hike that I think almost anyone could do. Lynette and I were freaked out by all the apparent cougars. Oh ya, back to Gary. What an awkward trip! We still talked and played some crib but ya, it was awkward hiking with your ex boyfriend as we had just broken up one month before.
This was a school trip that we did in the fall, while still broken up. I was thinking, during this picture, oh, this is nice that we're getting a beautiful picture taken together. Later when it was developed I realized he purposely put a piece of fruit leather on his tooth to make it look like a tooth was missing. Isn't Garibaldi Lake beautiful?!
Now, I forget if we dated again and broke up, it's all kind of a blur. All I know is we started dating again and I invited him to go hiking with my sisters and I. I don't think Gary said one word on the entire hike. Doesn't he look happy hiking with us? This was Lynn Canyon. My sisters were hesitant to get to know this guy as who knew where our relationship would go? I had decided to go to Africa to teach. I had always wanted to go there and when Gary and I had broken up, I thought that it was the perfect time to go. I got accepted in March, and that is when we started dating again. I would be leaving in August for 8 months but we were both okay with that.
That summer, 2004, was the best summer ever. We just explored, ate good food, and got to know each other even better. We talked about getting married in when I returned from Africa. He we are at the Lions.
We did a 6 day hiking trip from Pemberton to Lytton. It's called the Stein Valley hike and it is the hardest hike I've ever done. If you've ever done the whole thing, in the full out heat of summer, you are my hero. We finished in Lytton, with our 40lb backpacks, in 40C weather. The valley is packed full of Grizzlies so I sang almost the entire time. We talked about what our wedding would look like, who was in our wedding parties etc. I was wondering if Gary would propose to me BEFORE I left, but he did not.
We took a trip out to Winnipeg to visit Dana and Andrew. Along the way, we went to Lake Louise...
and enjoyed the beautiful prairies. Man, we need to go back now that I love photography:)
In Winnipeg
In Tofino with for Nerdfest 2004. It was funny. Gary is not good at not being good at something. I think it's great that he tried.
I was flying to Kenya out of Toronto. I had a week long conference in TO first so Gary came when it was over so that we could spend 4 last days together before I was gone for 8 months. We went from TO to Montreal (to see the Expos, Gary's fav. team) and to Ottawa.
I returned from Africa after 6 months because my mom had been diagnosed with bone cancer and given no more than 2 years to live. Gary broke the news to me on one of our wed evening phone dates (our only contact). I would sit in the middle of the cow field, where there was the best reception, and talk to him Wed mornings at 9am. We had planned to go up to Green lake on January 21st to spend some time together. I knew he would propose there, and he did:) It was a bit hard adjusting to life back here, in Canada, my mom being sick again, and being with Gary, but it went well. We planned to have our wedding on May 28th, just a 4 month engagement period.
We went up to Green Lake with my entire family and we decided to have our wedding up there. So risky having an outdoor wedding but Gary wanted it so I went with it.
We were busy with work (I had taken a job teaching at a middle school) and planning our wedding but we still had time to get out a bit. We went to a marriage conference in Victoria (through Family Life) as we didn't have much time for premarital counselling etc.
(This is us leaving the wedding and heading out!)
And then, on May 28th 2005, we were married at 1pm. It was a VERY hot and sweaty day but I didn't care. I had a wonderful, fabulous day. We spent the night in Cache Creek (note: do not spend your wedding night in Cache Creek) and then went to the Kingfisher Resort and Spa on the island for 3 days. We had such a great time there, we are going back this March!
Okay, that's it for now:)
Love you Gary!

16 comments:

  1. That was fun to read! :)

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  2. Enjoyed reading this! Though I have a bit of vertigo from the picture of pictures. ;)

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  3. love this post - thanks for sharing it!

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  4. Love it. Why are you reminising (I think that is how you spell)? I remember you and Gary dating - oh yes....

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  5. i love the fruit leather tooth.

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  6. at what point in the story did our hockey team have your team shirt printed up saying "chapman" on the back?? ...you always blushed, but never objected. yikes... time sure flies! looks like you and gary have had many great adventures together so far-

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  7. awesome, I forgot about that awesome photo of you and Gary with the "missing" tooth, I still laugh out loud when I see it.
    That photo of all of us hike! I don't think I've ever seen that photo.

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  8. Great pictures and stories! After Sean and I got married, we went to the Kingfisher. We LOVE it, especially the HydroPath and the buffet. We're hoping to go for our first get away in April or May.

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  9. I didn't realize how many hair-dos Gary has gone through:)

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  10. I can't believe I forgot to note how much I enjoyed the fruit leather tooth picture. (wish blogger would let me see the post including photos while I'm commenting).

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  11. Awesome Lou. I remember being so mad at Gary for breaking up with you. I think I scowled at him the whole visit the first time we met at the ranch. Consider yourself redeemed, Gary. Actually, I like the pics of pics... kind of different.

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  12. awesome post! I learned a lot about you guys that I didn't know, isn't that funny? I think you didn't break up again after the first breakup--I remember we asked you about it after you got back together but before you got engaged, and you said that he wouldn't dare because you'd be out.
    But maybe I'm wrong!

    Props to you guys!!!

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  13. Anonymous5:28 PM

    I remember seeing Gary come in your/our classroom occassionally. You two were definitely talked about by a lot of students.

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  14. I like this post, Weezer.
    I remember going on a walk with you, and you told me why you are Gary "couldn't work" ;).
    I also remember going on that hike with Gary and Nutball and you, and him not really saying a word. I think I also remember you getting frustrated at him for not saying anything? :)
    I don't know if I'd say you look like mom (you definitely have more hair than her in that photo! ;) ), but I do think you have some of her great qualities, like being a family-invested person, and always inquiring about other ppl's lives.

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  15. Thank you for sharing that piece of your journey together. Sounds like it was a bit of a rocky relationship. He may not be the bad-boy you were looking for, but he's a 'keeper'.

    p.s. I don't think you've ever mentioned the Stein Valley hike to me before.

    p.p.s. I loved the fruit leather photo.

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  16. Hi Louise... I found your FABULOUS blog. You have some real munchkins there! This is a great love story... thanks for sharing. Dan and I were married just a few weeks after you guys in 2005.
    :-)Caryn

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