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Our Stories

  • About Nicole

    Background Info

    I grew up in a suburb of Toronto called Markham (or a sub-suburb of Markham, called Unionville if you want to be picky). I'm a bit of a geek, and I'm happy with that. I like sci-fi and fantasy books, playing (and watching Kyle play) video games, and puzzles. I also really like science, especially biology. I did my BSc in Psychology & Biology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. It was when I was about to start my MSc in Dr. Dan Mennill's lab at the University of Windsor that I met Kyle.


    This photo is of me, my sister, and my mom at my convocation.
    sister 'n me

    Added on Sun, May 17th 2009

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  • About Kyle

    Background Info

    I grew up in the Forest Glade neighbourhood of Windsor. Despite spending most of my teenage and early adult years in front of a computer screen of some type, a lot of my childhood was spent outdoors. If we weren’t going on fishing trips with our dad, myself and Trevor (and later Eric) could often be found in a field or creek looking for crayfish, frogs and snakes. I loved camping, and the yearly two week visits to my cottage in Northern Ontario was always a highlight of my summers. It was during this time that I developed my interest in wildlife and Biology.

    I started my B.Sc. at the University of Western Ontario with the intent of eventually continuing on to med school (as do 90% of first year bio students). However, after my second year, I realized that molecular biology and biochemistry was damn boring and decided to switch into Zoology, something that I was actually interested in. After finishing at Western, I moved back to Windsor to start an MSc project in the Mennill lab at the University of Windsor. One year later I met Nicole.

    kyle

    Added on Sun, May 17th 2009

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  • How We Met

    From Nicole's Perspective

    I was visiting Windsor with my cousin (and bridesmaid) Michelle to search for apartments. Dan was in Costa Rica so Kyle was to be our guide, although Dan warned me that Kyle is "not always the most talkative fellow". Michelle and I arrived at the lab and despite the "knock and enter" sign, I knocked and waited. After a few seconds, I opened the door to see this really tall - kind of lanky - guy striding towards me from the opposite side of the lab. This was Kyle. He told me later that his first impression of me was that I was "cooler" than he had expected I would be. HAHA. Here's what I looked like during my apartment-shopping trip to Windsor:
    Me We didn't chat much, although we talked enough that Kyle told me about his "project" of studying woodpecker drums (HAH, fake project! One of the first things Kyle said to me was a lie!), and then Michelle and I left to look at apartments. After we were done with apartments, we met up with Kyle at Dan & Stephanie's place. I noticed Kyle's iPod sitting out so I was creepy and checked out what music he listened to. I was impressed, since he listens to a lot of the same stuff I do. I was trying not to be a burden on Kyle, so I said something along the lines of "Oh you don't have to hang out with us if you don't want to", thinking that he probably had better things to do. Of course, later he tells me that it sounded like I was telling him to go away. Oops. I'm so smooth. We spent the rest of the evening with the three of us making awkward small talk, both at Dan's place and at a pub (Killdare House) where we met up with another grad student briefly. Michelle and I went home the next day.

    There's no reason for me to include this photo other than to laugh at how tall Kyle is (that's Jess on the left):
    the apple picking crew

    Added on Sun, May 17th 2009

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  • The Relationship

    From Nicole's Perspective

    And the rest is history? Michelle said something significant to me at some point on the apartment-shopping trip, but I'm pretty sure she's going to bring it up at the wedding so I won't steal her thunder. Kyle and I exchanged a few emails between our first meeting and when I arrived in August. I remember thinking he was so witty (he probably put a lot of effort into those emails). Upon arriving in Windsor, the social powers that be decreed that I was to hang out with Kyle and Jessica (a student in Stephanie's lab). Kyle is quiet, as we all know. So was Jess. The first social events in Windsor were so awkward. It fell upon me to carry the conversation. Me! Really? Awkward. But after a while, after substantial MSN chatting, Kyle and I actually started talking in person. *gasp!*

    meta-licious Yay for MSN.

    A handful of memories stick out from that time. One of our first times hanging out which you could maybe call a date was when we went to Harvey's for dinner because Kyle was working on some assignment and needed to eat. Another memory was when Kyle was consistently working late and I knew he wasn't bringing enough food to school, so I made faux-chicken noodle soup and brought some to school for him. And yet another was when Kyle, Jess, David and myself went to the movies but Kyle & I wanted to see a different movie (Stranger than Fiction) than Jess and David did (Bond). Accidental date. And I also have a handful of memories of him, Jess, and me getting together to cook dinners since we all were living on our own and were too lazy to cook for just one person. OK a lot of bonding over food, I guess. I do love food. We also went to Ojibway and looked at birds, which is where this photo was taken:
    kyle, the yellow dart


    After a while, we chatted and realized that yes we did want to start actually dating, so we officially started dating on Janurary 2, 2007. Since we spent usually at least 12 hours of every day together (all day in the lab plus hour hanging out and making dinner together) and had been pseudo-dating (without actually realizing it) for a while, our relationship progressed rapidly. A big jump occured when I went to Costa Rica for my 3.5 month long summer field season. There was a brief period of anxiety but we had a few talks and long emails about our relationship and things smoothed over. Kyle also visited me and provided much needed help with an experiment I was running.

    birdnerd recordists (those are microphones. for recording birds)

    Added on Sun, May 17th 2009

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  • The Engagement

    From Nicole's Perspective

    After my return from Costa Rica and a few months of living together, we decided to get married. Yes, it's not romantic I know. I'm too much of a control freak for romance. We talked about it and decided that we would get engaged on January 2nd, 2008. We went out to dinner and Kyle surprised me with a mini speech and proposal (he did not get down on one knee in the restaurant. I would have had a fit). It was sweet. A little while later, after many frustrating trips to jewerly stores, we found my ring . Kyle actually was the one that spotted it. I love it.

    And of course we've been engaged for longer than we dated. I was thinking that I wanted to be done school so that I had more time to plan the wedding, so I wanted it at least 1 year after I finished my MSc (Aug 2008). HAH. I have less time now than I did then. But it's happening, on Sept. 12, 2009.
    the fun one

    Added on Sun, May 17th 2009

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