It all started with a vacation to Cayo Coco, Cuba in May of 2003. Jacqueline had finished her high school education and was accompanied by her grandparents. I was on vacation with three friends from university celebrating the successful completion of our second year.

Late at night, many of the resort's guests would filter into the discotheque - a place to have a cocktail, dance, and meet others. It was also the place I would later put on my business face and make relationship history! :/ I noticed Jacqueline on the dance floor and nervously approached. There was a small group of young men showing interest, so I knew time was of the essence. "Would you like to dance?" I asked. She kindly answered yes and they danced for a few moments. Realizing I may jeopardize my position at this point (given my lack of coordination), I asked if she'd like to accompany me outside to socialize with my friends. She kindly accepted and we made our way outside.

After everyone had gone to bed, we headed down to the beach and chatted about our families, likes, dislikes and all the rest. Before we knew it, the sun came up and we decided to call it a night.

Each day, more of the same occurred - dancing in the disco, long chats about life and late nights together on the beach. One day, Jacqueline agreed to ride with me on the back of a moped to have lunch at a small restaurant off of the resort.

Similar to all good things in life, the week came to an end. We exchanged contact information, Jacqueline flew home, and I stayed in Cuba for one more day. We were both a little sad about leaving one another, but were also happy to have had such a wonderful vacation.

Jacqueline arrived home a day early, and her mother knew something was up. "Did you meet someone?" she asked - it was a loaded question... her mother already knew the answer.

I encountered a similar situation upon arriving home. I immediately found my older brother Luke and spent time discussing the vacation, describing how I had met a beautiful, amazing girl.

Within a few days of arriving home, I wrote a short message and sent it to Jacqueline's family email account. The following day, a long response had been returned. After a few days had passed, we arranged a date on the weekend, families were introduced, and the rest was history.

Over the next five years, we spent a great deal of time apart from one another. Jacqueline completed her undergrad at Queen's University in Kingston Ontario, and I finished my last year at the University of Guelph. Although we only lived together for short periods of time, we spent hours on the phone each night with one another - always making it work, and always making time.

At the end of April in 2006, I proposed to Jacqueline. Thankfully she said yes!