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The dates

Brittnee: “My dating life was bland. It could have used some seasoning! Common themes: people that lacked depth, didn’t understand my lifestyle, and many dead-end Tinder messages. Constantly travelling and never met someone who was comfortable with the amount I travelled.”

Jared: “I struggled with finding someone who understood and accepted me for who I am and could meet me where I was. I craved a partner, someone who was looking for adventure and to explore the big and small things life had to offer.”

Brittnee: “We met on Tinder. We first noticed how funny each other was. We bonded over our love for Costco and the sampling we both would do as we shopped. We both loved the arcade and have competitive spirits — to put it lightly — so we figured that would be a perfect first date to feel each other out. I remember seeing Jared for the first time and saying, ‘Wait a minute: that’s for me?’ I was calm until I saw him and then I got nervous, like ‘Damn, he’s real and not a catfish.’ I also remember how easy it was to be around him and how much fun we had right off the bat.”

Jared: “I still remember first seeing Brittnee in person and her energy was infectious. I just remember feeling at ease from the moment we met.”

Brittnee: “At the arcade, we played all the games, from DDR to basketball, but we really found our stride at the Wheel of Fortune game, and we ended up winning 4,400 tickets, bagging us two huge stuffed animals. Then we got a table for four, with two margaritas and chatted the night away. Our first few dates were all very experience-based, from the Science Centre to roller skating, and getting creative with customizing our own pizzas together. We believe these types of dates allowed us to show many sides of our personalities and talk through all different interests while still keeping it light and fun. We passed on the three-hour dinner interrogations! Shortly after our first few dates, we planned a trip to Miami and Orlando, staying on South Beach and visiting Harry Potter World at Universal in Orlando.”

Jared: “Once I saw her wizardry skills, I knew I had to have her as my partner.”

Brittnee: “I was just waiting for him to make it official; I knew I liked Jared from early on but didn’t know about dating (exclusively) until we went to Florida and Jared still cared about the things I cared about. We were able to maintain our connection for the whole trip and we travelled well together — which, we know, is the truest test of all.

Nowadays, we love a St. Lawrence weekend date: First stop, peameal bacon sandwich from the Carousel bakery, then, as we fill our bellies, we start to fill a charcuterie board to have later that day: meats, cheeses, spreads, fruit, desserts, truffle chocolates when the occasion feels right.

We love trying new restaurants during Winterlicious, or grabbing some late night dim-sum from Rol San, our fave. pc28����Blue Jays and pc28����Raptors games are always on the schedule, and we love a good food festival, whether it’s mac ‘n’ cheese, ribs or tacos. We also love shopping and eating through Kensington Market.

Coming out of the pandemic we fell into survival mode with busy careers and now taking care of a growing family, we started to notice we weren’t going on as many dates together. Even when life gets busy, you should still want to hang out, have fun and laugh with each other! Life will always be busy, so you have to make the time and prioritize.

We decided to implement the once-a-month rule, and we put a bunch of random date ideas into a jar. We then pull them out and do whatever the date is. This keeps us on our toes and makes sure we get that time together. We also still plan trips and experiences around our birthdays and anniversaries.

We both have bucket lists and the other makes it their mission to check off those items together: bonus if we can knock two out in one trip! Having these milestone moments, mixed with everyday dates, gives us balance and allows for consistent connection. We want, for example, to go to the Olympics in Paris and drive the Amalfi Coast. This checks off a bucket-list item for both of us and gives us two weeks in Europe to date each other: take each other to cafés, feed each other croissants, taste wine with each other and bike through the vineyards in Bordeaux. We can’t wait.”