Courtney and Liam met on a Contiki tour in Thailand in 2016; Liam was travelling on holiday with his cousin, Tom, and Courtney was travelling alone as a last celebration before entering a master’s program in physiotherapy. In true Courtney form, she had brought study material to South East Asia to prepare for her upcoming course, and upon learning that Liam was a physio, used the guise of questions about the structure of vertebrae as a conversation starter. After initially rejecting Courtney’s offer to sit with him on the bus, the two quickly became inseparable, and they grew close as they explored Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. When the tour came to an end, the two said goodbye, but both of them had a feeling that, even though they were from opposite sides of the world, it was only “see you later”.
Despite the 15 hour time difference, weekends were soon filled with long distance calls, where they chatted about everything and anything (and more often than not, Courtney insisted Liam would quiz her on some physio related content for an upcoming exam). The conversations often ended around 4am Canada time, as Courtney would fall asleep and start sleep talking - Liam to this day believes these were some of the best conversations they ever had. After a year of 3 Canadian visits, spending every weekend on the phone, and an extended Australian vacation, Liam moved to Canada in August 2017 to be with Courtney as she finished her schooling (You know its true love when someone will trade eternal summer for frigid winter 2/3 of the year).
3 years worth of memories later, Liam has managed to keep Courtney sane through her master’s degree, and she’s kept him warm in the cold Canadian winters as they both work in jobs they love. Despite several close calls, Liam managed to surprise Courtney with a proposal under the stars at the planetarium, even managing to sneak his parents into the country for a cheeky visit so their families could celebrate together. They are so excited for this exciting new chapter to begin and to bring their friends and family from around the world together.