We are going waaaay back to my first internet dating experience. I’m talking 16 years ago, before Bumble, Hinge and Tinder were a thing. I met “December” on Nexopia I think, for those of you old enough to remember that site. He was a year or two older, and was at college studying fire services in a small town, and somehow we matched or linked or whatever it was called way back then. We chatted a lot and it came easily. December was probably the most handsome male I had seen in my short life to that point so I was very excited to have his attention. He lived in my city full time but came and went for school, one such time in the summer when he was coming home to the area he suggested we meet. December suggested since we were internet strangers that I bring a friend along and we would go to his boat and watch the fire works happening that weekend. The three of us drove down to the yacht club where his family’s boat was moored and he had a whole thing planned! He had flowers for me and a flower for my friend, he had dinner arranged and for dessert he had prepared a chocolate fondue with strawberries. Keeping in mind we were all around 19 years old or so, this was extremely well planned and by far the most romantic date I had been on. He set the bar high for future matches. We dated throughout the summer and then he came to finish his schooling at the same college I was going to. In that time together we spent romantic nights on his boat, we drove around with my friends, spent countless nights at his place and we got a fish together. It was adorable and blissful. Being moody college students, something happened and we decided to part ways. A few years later we decided to go for coffee once but nothing ever came of it. To this day he is “the one that got away” for me.
Years later, he had long finished school, and I had moved to another city with my partner. The fire alarm went off in the building. It was a delivery truck that hit the sprinkler line at an ungodly hour and we packed downstairs. This happened once a month or so but every time we had to head downstairs just in case. On this particular time, who hops off the fire truck looking like a Greek God? Yep, December. He goes to save the building from the delivery truck and comes back to chat. My common-law husband, who is training to become a fire fighter, is watching my brain fall out of my head while talking to this career fire fighter in our city. That wasn’t the only time I had run into him, December was collecting donations for the Fire Fighters Burn Fund at the Christmas train we have in town. Thankfully this time I was looking good and had my wits about me and I was single (he was not) but also with my mother. Another time he had to rescue my building again from a burning toaster oven on Christmas Eve.
I have chosen to call him December not because I ran into him at the Christmas train, but because just a few years ago he was featured in the fire fighter calendar. Yes, when I say he is built like a Greek God, I was not kidding. He is also the start of my very long and very passionate love affair with first responders. Since him, I have dated a number of fire fighters, a fire chief, a few police officers, and a search and rescue technician. And you can bet if I hear sirens, I will perk up like a goffer out of a hole.
There are two beers I would like to showcase with this story. The first being an obvious choice the Heroica Red Ale from Steamworks Brewery. Steamworks Brewery is a well known Vancouver brewery that has brew pubs with delicious food but they also have really well done and easily accessible beers. One such beer is the Heroica Red Ale which features a fire fighter on the bottle of course. I am not usually a red ale fan but this one is delicious, it’s incredibly smooth and not too sweet.
The second beer I thought would be fitting because we met on his sail boat and he’s blonde. The Bastion Blonde from White Sails Brewing is one of my favourite beers. It is light and easy to drink and will please any beer drinker. It was also the 2019 Canadian Brewing Award Silver Medalist in the Blonde Ale category. They have a number of delicious beers but this one is my favourite. White Sails Brewing is located on Vancouver Island in a city called Naniamo and if you are on the island I highly recommend you stop in or buy a four pack. You can also look them up on the BC Ale Trail site with a few other island friends.