Robin & Todd
August 28, 2021
Robin: “Todd and I met on the dating site, OK Cupid. Todd was the only man I met and dated in person. His profile stuck out as it was lengthy, authentic and thoughtfully written. His photos were interesting and beyond the popular ‘selfies’ or man-with-dog, man-holding-large-catch. I commented on one picture of him pushing a wheelbarrow full of garlic. I guess I made the first move! We spoke on the phone shortly after and I was taken by his beautiful voice. We met in person one week later over sushi and sake; I could not have asked for a nicer first date. The rest is history.”
Todd: “Truly, online dating was a funny medium: all you had to go on were a handful (or wheelbarrow full) of words and photos of the other’s choosing - but yet it was still so telling by their inclusions and omissions. Robin stood out with her confident and straight forward sincerity, and of course that beautiful smile!
She was all positivity, and spoke with love about her friends & family, healthy living, the Golden Rule, and having a greater purpose in life. These are the things that can take time to learn about a person, and yet here it all was up front. I was taken from the beginning!
We spent the subsequent days messaging non-stop, even while she was in NYC for her birthday, and as I half ignored my friends while on vacation in Naramata. When our eyes met for the first time in person just a week later our beaming smiles confirmed for each other that we were very clearly only just getting started.”
Robin: “Todd tells this story better than me. The night we got engaged, we had planned to pick up our favourite boneless chicken wings and have a picnic on our new beach. The builder so happened to ask for a site meeting to discuss the fencing. This was perfect timing in my mind. We arrived at the house and I started walking the property with the builder. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, Todd was laser focused on setting up our surprise engagement. I was quite annoyed as he seemed uninterested in the fence discussion and was nowhere to be seen. Why was he on the beach?!! About 30 min. went by and I yelled down to ask if he would walk through the house with me, which he declined asking me, yet again, down to the beach. Long story short…by the time I made it down there, we were both highly annoyed at each other for our separate reasons. Todd proposed moments later and my annoyance was gone that instant!”
Todd:
“Quiet beach at our new home, our favourite casual Covid take-out food, artisanal engagement ring - ‘what could go wrong,’ I thought! If nothing else, at least I had ample time to set up the beach chairs, wings, and champagne & chocolates by the water...
...and a bit of time to think about what I was going to say, too.
‘Robin, sometimes you drive me absolutely mental, and still I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?’
What I was going to say may have evolved slightly over the wait :-)
Sliding that ring onto her finger was the happiest moment of our shared life to date.”
These are my two beautiful, smart, larger-than-life, precious girls. Maya is 14 (in Grade 9) and Sadie is 11 (in Grade 6).
I am so grateful to have grown up with 9 best friends. Some of us met in kindergarten; the 10 of us joined forces in Grade 10. Our group is called Bonahan.
We have 2 Kirstens, 1 Kristen, 2 Jens, 1 Danelle, 1 Janelle, a Karen, a Yoey, and me. Lucky us.
From left to right: Jen Bader, Kirsten Ziegler, Yolanda Mitchell, Danelle Spaetgens, Jenny Gobert, Janelle Mannix, Kristen Patrick, Robin Ducharme, Karen Spelay, Kirsten Dunlop
This photo was taken in 1995.
Sheri and I are first cousins. We have become sisters since my twin, Reece, passed away in 2012. She and I work together, play together and now live next door to each other! Life is full of surprises and oh-so-many blessings.
I met the Davies at a party through a mutual friend a dozen plus years ago, and our second time together was a long weekend family trip on their boat at Gambier Island. It was like we’d already known each other for years and Michael has since become one of my dearest friends, as have the Davies as a whole. His sense of humour and appreciation for the good things and the right things in life have always brought clarity and levity.
My elder brothers and I are separated by 12 and 6 years respectively, and while at times the age difference has sometimes made us each like only children, Leigh and Scott have also always been there as role models, mentors, protectors and friends. I looked up to them in childhood, learned a thing or two from them my parents might have preferred not, at so young an age, and I still look up to them both today.
Robin’s brother Blake, like the rest of Robin’s family & friends, has welcomed me to the family as only a true brother can. His loving combination of kindness and ribbing is just another contribution to my sensation of adding to my own family while joining his. And when, with a wry grin catching me not holding on, he dumped me off the back of his boat on our second meeting, I realized it was so!
James and I met 36 years ago at the beginning of high school at St. Thomas More Collegiate. He and I shared a wackadoodle sense of humour, a penchant for the arcade, and membership in both our highschool band & pipe band. He’s one of my longest friends, and his sober analyses and lighthearted humour in alternation have been a blessing through life’s trials & tribulations.
James and I met 32 years ago through a mutual friend as I was leaving the nest, and our shared passion for the spiritual and philosophical came along at a time outsizing the influence he would have imagined. He gave me my first exposure to the film industry, two weeks of exploration and coddling before passing me on to a ruthless colleague (who tuned me up but quick), and I have James to thank for the great passion and success I’ve had in the ensuing years.
Our little man was born May 25, 2021 and spent his first six weeks in the hospital. Thank God he’s home now. Evan will join us for the ceremony only. Please refrain from touching him as he’s still vulnerable to any extra germs.
Aug 28
2021
Robin & Todd
Gallery