Like most modern love stories these days, Sara and Chip's journey began with a simple swipe on a dating app.

Neither of them had particularly wanted to join the digital dating world, but both had well-meaning colleagues who insisted it would be "worth trying." After all, what did they have to lose?

For Chip, the dating app experience had been less than inspiring. After several conversations that fizzled out, he had all but abandoned his profile, letting notifications pile up unread. His focus remained where it had always been—on being the best dad he could be to Olive and Wyatt.

Sara, on the other hand, was just beginning her online dating adventure. Fresh-faced and optimistic, she approached the experience with an open heart and the quiet courage that would later become one of the qualities Chip loved most about her.

One Monday morning, Sara's colleague asked about her weekend dating prospects.

With a mischievous smile, Sara confessed she had reached out to a "single dad from Steinbach"—exactly the type of match her colleague had explicitly warned her against. "You did WHAT?" her colleague had exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Chip had been enjoying a weekend camping trip with Ellery and Joe, completely disconnected from the digital world. When he finally checked his phone and saw Sara's message, his first thought was one of skepticism. What would this beautiful woman possibly want with a single dad from Steinbach?

He almost dismissed the notification entirely.

After returning from his camping trip and settling the kids back into their routine, Chip finally responded to Sara's message. But he wasn't there to waste time on small talk.

Instead of the usual "How's your day going?" or "What do you do for work?", Chip immediately jumped into the deep end. He sent Sara a list of questions that would make most dating app matches run for the hills—questions about values, life goals, family dreams, and all the "big stuff" most people save for months into a relationship.

His strategy was clear: scare her off quickly if she wasn't serious, and save them both the time and emotional investment.

To his complete surprise, Sara not only answered every question thoughtfully—she responded with equally profound questions of her own. Their messages transformed into what they would later describe as "novels," thoughtful explorations of each other's minds and hearts that went back and forth for days.

Finally, after what felt like writing a co-authored book through text messages, they decided it was time to meet in person.

Checking the weather forecast and seeing a sunny but hot day ahead, Chip wanted something casual yet memorable. Still somewhat skeptical about whether this seemingly perfect woman could possibly be real, he landed on an inspired idea: renting a tandem bicycle to enjoy the breeze while staying sheltered from the summer sun.

What Chip couldnt have planned for was the infamous Rogers network outage that hit that very day. Suddenly, his digital payment methods were useless. Being the millennial that he is, rarely carrying cash, he found himself in a bind.


With determination not to cancel what could be the most important first date of his life, he made a quick detour to his parents house to borrow cash (which, as he would want everyone at their wedding to know, he absolutely paid back).


When the day arrived, Chip drove all the way out to La Salle to pick Sara up—a gesture that seemed to impress her. Most men would have suggested meeting somewhere convenient for both parties, but Chip wanted to make sure Sara felt special and valued from the very beginning.


As Chip was on his way to pick Sara up, Sara decided that it was her turn to put Chip to the test.


She informed him that her parents were home and that Roger, her dad, was hoping to have a conversation with him before they left. Sure, Id love to meet them, he responded with genuine enthusiasm, which caught Sara completely off guard. Though she had been bluffing, his willingness to meet her family spoke volumes about his character.

Their date unfolded as they peddled their tandem bicycle down Wellington Crescent and along the paths of Assiniboine Park. They laughed about their online conversations, shared stories about their lives, and discovered even more things they had in common. Hours passed like minutes as they moved through the city.

There was a specific moment that Chip would later recall with perfect clarity. As they rode through near The Leaf, the sun broke through the trees in that magical late-afternoon golden hour, illuminating Sara’s glowing face. In that suspended moment, Chip felt his heart skip a beat.


This might be the one, he thought with clarity.

The weeks and months that followed were filled with more of their trademark "walls of text"—messages so long they would have to be sent in multiple parts. They shared details of their days, their hopes, their fears, and found in each other a partner who truly listened and understood.

Before long, Sara had become an integral part of Chip's family unit. She bonded with Olive and Wyatt, approaching them with genuine interest and affection rather than as obstacles to overcome. The kids, in turn, warmed to her quickly, sensing her authenticity and the happiness she brought to their dad.

With Sara now firmly established in Chip's world, it was time for him to enter hers. A family weekend at the cabin presented the perfect opportunity—or it would have, if Sara had actually told her family he was coming.

The night before Chip set out to the cabin, Sara was still working up the courage to mention to her dad and siblings that "a boy" was on his way. When she finally made the announcement at the end of the night, she immediately whisked herself off to bed in an attempt to dodge any further questions.

Despite the short notice, Sara's family welcomed Chip warmly. By the end of the weekend, he had proved that his connection with Sara was built on shared values and genuine admiration for who she was, including the family that had shaped her.

A few more months passed, and Sara and Chip found themselves spending a Sunday afternoon looking at houses online.

A few more months passed, and Sara and Chip found themselves driving by houses that popped up on the market around Steinbach and even going to see a country lot, daydreaming about the future house they would build on it.

What started as casual browsing "just for fun" had an undercurrent of seriousness they both recognized but didn't need to name out loud. Their relationship had evolved to the point where both knew marriage was inevitable—not a question of if, but when.

"What about that one?" Sara would ask, pointing to a listing.

"Could you see us there? With the kids? With a dog maybe?" Chip would respond, already imagining their future together.

They approached house hunting with the same thoughtfulness and depth they brought to every aspect of their relationship. Each property wasn't just walls and a roof—it was a potential container for the life they wanted to build together.

Randy, Chip's dad, had been somewhat reluctantly helping them with their search. When he mentioned to his colleague about a property on Granite Park, he was hesitant to even show it to them.

"They'll NEVER go for this disaster of a house," his colleague had said dismissively. "Book a 5 minute showing at most—it's not worth your time."

Randy, knowing his son and having met Sara enough times to respect her judgment, decided to let them make that decision for themselves. So he booked the showing, preparing for a quick in-and-out visit to the "disaster" house.

To everyone's surprise—Randy's, his colleague's, and perhaps even their own—Chip and Sara walked into the house on Granite Park and saw beyond the current mess, including the cat stand blocking the stairs and the old hash browns on the kitchen floor, to the potential that lay underneath. Where others saw just another house, they saw their future home.

Against all expectations, they made an offer.

Today, that house on Granite Park is transformed—not just by paint and renovations, but by the love that fills it. It's where Olive and Wyatt have their own spaces yet feel part of a united family. It's where Odin the Doodle chases balls across the yard and curls up at their feet in the evening. Most importantly, it's where Sara and Chip continue to write their love story, day by day.

From a reluctant swipe on a dating app to a home filled with laughter and love, their journey reminds us that sometimes the best things happen when we ignore well-meaning advice, take chances on "single dads from Steinbach," and recognize that true connection can begin with a simple message but build into a lifetime of happiness.

As they prepare to exchange vows and make official what their hearts have known for some time, Sara and Chip's story stands as testament to modern love—where dating apps, tandem bicycles, network outages, and "disaster" houses all become perfect chapters in the right love story.

And to think, it all started with Sara doing exactly what her colleague told her not to do.