When we met at the University of Alberta in 2011, Amanda was starting her Masters degree on squirrel personality, while Scott was starting his PhD on dinosaur biomechanics.  We found ourselves taking the same graduate ecology course, and our romance began.

In the intervening years, our relationship has seen a number of milestones, but none more important than our decision to adopt our first dog, Hannah. Amanda had always wanted a dog of her own. Hannah proved to be a loyal and devoted companion... to Scott.  A second dog being necessary to fulfill Amanda's childhood dreams, Franklin joined the household and is well and truly a girl's best friend. The four of us are now an inseparable family.

There's no question that we're now dog people. And that fact has manifested in many ways other than our decision to adopt two canine companions. We both volunteer with Zoe's Animal Rescue (the organization that saved Hannah), and Amanda has waded in to pet photography and veterinary medicine.

Of course, the mutual passion for natural history that first brought us together has remained a staple in our relationship. We have adventured in the wilds of the Yukon, the badlands of central Alberta, and the savannah of Africa. It was in the latter, after a day's game drive photographing lions, rhinos, and hippos, that Scott proposed.