It’s a special moment -- when two paths meet and converge. For us, that moment happened in the Netherlands, over a week in 2017. We had only just arrived in the country, a place that holds special significance for us both.
Cameron was spending the summer in Hilversum with her bridesmaid Elena and close friend Henk. She was there to help a refugee non-profit launch a pop-up hotel in Amsterdam. This was not the first summer that Cameron had spent in the Netherlands. She’d spent a lot of time in Maastricht, where her late husband Alex’s family lived. But, she’d spent little time exploring North Holland.
Jeremiah was visiting the Netherlands for the first time. He presented at a conference in Utrecht, and decided to spend an extra week exploring the country by bike. His father, Johannes, immigrated from the Netherlands to Canada as a boy. So Jeremiah took the opportunity to visit family and see where his Oma and Opa had lived.
When Cameron saw Jeremiah, she knew right away that he was someone special. Jeremiah was fascinated by Cameron’s non-profit work. We both felt an instant connection.
The next day, Jeremiah left Amsterdam on his cycling trip. Early in the trip, he suffered a crash, while crossing a bridge into Harlem, that left him injured. Cameron spent the rest of the week chatting with Jeremiah as he recovered from his injuries and eventually decided to continue the trip. As Jeremiah cycled down the coast to the Hague, Gouda, and back to Amsterdam, we bonded over our love of adventure and Dutch cheese.
We planned to meet that Friday in Amsterdam, the night before Jeremiah left, but we cancelled our plans. Cameron had come come down with bronchitis and Jeremiah was recovering from the bike trip. We unexpectedly ran into each other at the Amsterdam Central train station the next day.
Jeremiah returned to Canada and our conversations continued across time-zones as Cameron stayed in Hilversum through September. Our relationship blossomed over these months. We both fell in love as we talked non-stop.
A few months later, Jeremiah took a week off from school and flew down to Raleigh, North Carolina -- Cameron’s hometown. Arriving ahead of schedule, he rushed to suprise her with a bouquet of red roses. Flowers in hand, he met Cameron who was waiting for him at the top of the escalator. We drove to Blowing Rock the next day and explored many of the places that we’re excited to be sharing with you.
Cameron introduced Jeremiah to her family that trip. Weeks later, he travelled back to celebrate Christmas with her family. She followed him back for New Years Eve, meeting his family and friends in Canada. In the months that followed, we travelled to see each other as often as possible.
Jeremiah proposed to Cameron while they were hiking in Gatineau Park in June, 2018. Jeremiah took Cameron to the ruins of a mill built into a waterfall for a picnic lunch. As they crossed a bridge over the falls, Jeremiah knelt on one knee and asked Cameron to marry him.
Cameron said yes! Since then, we have been excitedly planning our wedding. We’re both looking forward to celebrating our love and dancing the night away as we go #fromfianceetoBaarbe this May!
