heather&phil - heatherphil

On Heather’s first day back at school in their third year, she was walking across campus and heard someone running behind her. It was Phil, and although she was still annoyed with him he gradually worked his way back to being friends. One day that year, Phil asked Heather if she wanted to go to a hockey game with him. Luckily for Phil, Heather had passed an important test in her flight program and was in a very fantastic mood so she agreed.

They started spending more and more time together, and it didn’t take long for Heather to realize that she had fallen in love with this young man. He, of course, had been planning this all along but still felt his heart stop when she finally told him how she felt. Their last year of University was perfection. They still had many of their classes together, and were able to have picnics for lunch under the trees on campus. They both worked at the front desk of their flight school, and

spent a lot of time at the airport for flight lessons.

When they graduated in 2004, they decided to move to Kelowna, BC. They thoroughly enjoyed their time there. They even took a nice drive up to the Yukon before moving back to Ontario so Heather could begin her job as a flight instructor in Toronto, and Phil could begin his training to be an air traffic controller in Cornwall. Fortunately, it didn’t take them long to realize that this life was not for them. Sure, they would have more money by now had they stayed the course, but how boring!

They decided to move back out to BC. This time, they moved to Victoria. They started a little business and spent their summer doing gardening work. It was then that Heather developed a deep hatred for holly, ivy and periwinkle. These plants grow uncontrollably on Vancouver Island, and their root systems are incredibly unwilling to

be pulled out.

After six months, they moved back to London and Phil started Only Organic. Heather worked at a bank. Two years later, they moved back to Victoria and have spent the last 3 years there. Heather transitioned from the bank into politics. Phil started another business, did some teaching and learned a bunch of stuff about website development and online teaching. Now, they have finally started a business together that could go in many directions. They have a vision and are excited to be working towards it together.

The two have travelled across the country 6 times now which may seem strange to some but they both love adventure. They also really enjoy the process of getting rid of most of their things so that their possessions fit inside a small car. They love being on the road together, and setting up campsites across the country. Heather showed Phil the wonders of ants on a log, and Phil taught Heather how to drive standard so that he wouldn’t have to drive all day on these trips.

Both Heather and Phil have changed in many ways since that first day in business class. It really does seem like a land far far away, and yet through all the changes and all the adventures they have only grown closer. They challenge each other to experiment and to balance

- Phil likes to go to extremes, pushing Heather to try new things, and she brings him back. They support each other when their spirits are down. Most importantly, after all this time, they are still each other’s favorite person.