Capernwray Memories…at the swing dance.As a young girl growing up, I had always dreamed of going to Bible school and meeting Mr. Right. After I graduated high school, I planned to head off to Thetis Island to take a one-year Bible course at Capernwray Harbour. I was 18 and love starved. I was looking forward to seeing all of the eligible (and godly!) bachelors. I would have my pick! I kind of harboured the secret thought that upon my arrival, I would see this amazing guy there, and we would lock eyes and in my heart I would know that I was looking at my future husband. It was with great anticipation that I left the ferry and set foot on Thetis Island. Let the man hunt begin!
I was sorely disappointed.
I remember phoning home to my parents after a few weeks of being at Capernwray and whining, “There are no men here…they’re all BOYS.” It was tragic, really.
There were no guys that I automatically clicked with, and it basically became a year to celebrate female friendship. I made some amazing girl friends that year and wouldn’t trade those memories for the world.
Sure, I had a few pseudo crushes on some guys, but that was just out of desperation, not genuine affection. I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to die a spinster. No biggie.
After Christmas break, I decided that I was going to stay in BC for the summer. One day I was walking across campus and I happened to cross paths with this guy named Steve Brown. All I knew about him was that he drove a green thing that looked like a Jeep and he had a blonde girlfriend who lived far away. We had said ‘hi’ to one another maybe a few times in the past, but that was the extent of our time together. On that one day, however, we stopped and actually chatted for a few minutes. He asked how my Christmas break had been and I said it was good and then went on to blabber about my plans to stay in BC for the upcoming summer. Maybe I would be a camp counsellor somewhere, maybe I’d stay and work at Capernwray. Then Steve piped up, “Well, I live in the Okanagan and if you want, you could come and live with me and my family for the summer.”
Pardon me?
Who the heck is this guy?!
(This is the only picture I have of Steve from Capernwray. And his head is hidden behind a giant burger. Definitely frame-worthy.)I thought absolutely NOTHING of his proposal, and totally wrote it off, thinking he was just being nice (or kind of freaky). I knew he had a girlfriend, so there was no alterior motive. But, I was intrigued. I had been to the Okanagan only once before and had fallen in love with the placid lake and the endless sunshine. It would be sweet to spend the summer there, for sure.
A few weeks later, Steve tracked me down and said that he had talked to his parents and they said I could come and live with them. Weird, I know. They just wanted to meet me to make sure I wasn’t freaky. We met a while later and got along really well.
The term at Capernwray ended, and I boarded a Greyhound bus to Summerland. As I sank down into my seat, I remember thinking, “What the heck am I doing? Going to live with some guy I barely know? What am I getting into?!”
A few weeks later, Steve tracked me down and said that he had talked to his parents and they said I could come and live with them. Weird, I know. They just wanted to meet me to make sure I wasn’t freaky. We met a while later and got along really well.
The term at Capernwray ended, and I boarded a Greyhound bus to Summerland. As I sank down into my seat, I remember thinking, “What the heck am I doing? Going to live with some guy I barely know? What am I getting into?!”
In the final months of Bible school, Steve had broken up with his girl friend. Meanwhile I had started dating one of Steve’s roomates. The roomate he kind of didn’t really get along with so well. Neat.
It was a tumultuous summer to say the least. I was doing a long-distance relationship with the roomate who lived in Oregon, so my life became an endless cycle of fighting on the phone with someone I was simply not meant to be with and feeling terrible. I didn’t spend any time with Steve, because the boyfriend I was with also was quite jealous and would freak out if I did. Really neat. I ended up breaking up with the guy because it was obvious things were headed nowhere.
Even though I hadn’t spent any time with Steve, I had still gotten to know him over the summer. When you live in the same house and share a bathroom with someone, you get to know them whether you want to or not. And I had come to admire this Steven fellow from afar. I was impressed with his sense of humour, his dedication to his work and family, his generosity, his patience, and his fun-loving ways. We started spending time together, and he made the last month of my summer in the Okanagan amazing. Almost instantly we sensed a deep connection. We understood each other in a special way and just clicked.
By the end of the summer we were in love. We made the choice to stay committed to each other as we pursued our educations in different provinces. I went to the University of Regina and he was at BCIT in Vancouver. After one semester of separation, I moved to Vancouver so we could be near, and within a few months we were engaged. We got married on July 20, 2002, in the backyard where we fell in love. It was perfect.
I love you so much, Stevie!
7 Comments
Aw. I’m all teary eyed. I’m so glad you found Steve and that you are so happy in love in the Okanagan. You deserved someone amazing and you got him!
Like I said last night – you two are perfectly suited! And you must laugh A LOT together!
Nice story. I believe some people are just meant to be together. This is the perfect example. Jen and Jordan are another. Paul and I are yet another. I wish everyone found this deep connection.
That was definately some summer!I know when we came to see you in Summerland,we just tried to stay out of the way of all that flirting.When we first met Steve,all our parental alarms were shreiking,”SON-IN-LAW,SON-IN-LAW!”We are so thankful that God brought you two together!
Yay for Steve and Amanda. May all your days be filled with wedded bliss!
what a great love story. you know, i never did hear it. thank you for sharing.
Beautiful! So perfect. =)
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