On a brisk February evening in downtown Madrid, Anna and Andrew met each other for the first time at a bar thanks to a mutual friend (Ryan) who happened to be studying with Anna at the time. Andrew was travelling through Madrid before heading to Japan to go hiking. After a few vino tintos, Anna offered Andrew her backpack to take with him on his hiking adventure.

Many text messages and video calls later (which is surprising if you know Anna’s aversion to using her phone), Anna and Andrew were reunited for a few days in Madrid before Andrew headed home to Toronto while Anna was going to finish her studies.

Then the pandemic happened and Anna returned to Canada, selecting Toronto as her quarantine location in order to be with Andrew. Despite some puzzled looks from friends when Andrew said he was going to quarantine with someone he’d just met, the two of them had a hunch that it was meant to be, and as expected, had a great time.

A few years of long distance ensued (from Toronto to Victoria, and then from Toronto to Paris), but they made the most of this time apart. After a month exploring BC’s wilderness, a road trip across the country sleeping in the back of a truck, a few trips to Ontario (ask Andrew about the time he almost lost a finger), and a couple trips to Europe (ask Anna about the time she got in an argument with a bartender in Amsterdam), Anna traded the Eiffel Tower for the CN Tower and the two made Leslieville, Toronto their new home together.

Even though they love their Toronto community, they don’t seem to be home very much. Since moving in together, they’ve made multiple trips to both of Canada’s coasts and to many cities south of the border, said lo siento their whole way through Colombia, got stuck in a monsoon in Taiwan, performed AC/DC’s greatest hits in Hong Kong, helped Andrew conquer his fear of the ocean in Hawaii with Anna’s family, drank a few Guinnesses in Dublin, and hiked their way through France, Italy and Switzerland (where they got engaged at 2,350 metres above sea level).

But they know their biggest adventure is yet to come and they can’t wait to celebrate their nuptials (what does that even mean?) with all of their favourite people who have cheered them on and helped make them the people they are today.