Courtney and Liam
August 6, 2021
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.
Katrina is Courtney’s cousin, and as the only two girl cousins on the vW side, these two were built-in best friends from the beginning. As little girls, Courtney idolized Katrina, and Kat never got tired of Courtney obsessing over her. When they got a little older, Katrina was there for all of the major milestones in Courtney’s life, sneaking Courtney into her first club at 16, and also taking Courtney on her first “legal” night out for her 18th birthday. Kat has always been one of Court’s fiercest protectors and biggest cheerleaders. Court loves Kat for her fun spirit, her creativity and her massive heart. No matter where they are or what materials are on hand, Kat always comes up with something fun to do, whether it’s a DIY craft project, a trendy fitness class, or Frisbee golf, you’re always trying something new when you’re hanging out with Kat. You’ll find Kat at the wedding solving any major crises that arise, and possibly commandeering everyday items into makeshift instruments for an impromptu jam session on the dance floor.
Courtney and Georgia love to tell people that they’ve been friends since before they were born – which is technically true, since Georgia’s mom was Courtney’s mom’s doctor when she was pregnant. Despite Geo’s parents moving to Ireland before Geo was born, and crushing Dana’s hopes that their daughters would be best friends, life brought the Keaveny’s back to Slave Lake where Court and Geo bonded at dayhome, ballet and tap lessons, and in French-immersion kindergarten. Even though life tends to take these two in different directions i.e. different schools, different floors in uni residence, and now different continents, they’ve always managed to stay as close as sisters and Geo has been there for Court during all of life’s ups and downs. Court loves Geo for her easy laugh, her brave spirit, and her kind heart. You can find Geo at the wedding beating any one at a pint chugging contest, and singing wildly great karaoke if she gets ahold of the mic.
Erica and Courtney met in their second year of university as they moved onto the same floor in Lister. As transplants from different floors, Courtney and Erica quickly bonded over dodgeball, costume parties, and communal floor beer showers. Court and Erica have “grown up” together through their friendship, remaining close as they made it out of residence (after 3 years in Lister), through living in a sharehouse in a sketchy neighborhood, and eventually finishing a master’s degree each on other sides of the country. Erica is the friend who is always up for anything, whether its helping you prep for an interview, explaining the differences between the political party platforms or policy changes, an impromptu night out, or a class on a random skill – Erica’s your go-to person. Court loves Erica for her for her brilliant mind, compassion, adaptability, and open-mindedness. You’ll find Erica at the wedding keeping everyone on schedule and ensuring that everyone is having the best time.
Danielle and Courtney met in Lister when they both ended up on a floor where they didn’t know anyone – unbeknownst to each other, both of them had friends who suggested they should get to know the other, so at their first floor meeting they bee-lined for the other, said hello, and instantly became best friends. Everyone else thought they had known each other forever since they became so close, so fast. The two bonded over shared love for pierogie pizza, mini eggs, and big breakfasts, as well as (fewer) healthier loves like dodgeball and working out. They spent so much time together that people affectionately nicknamed them a “frouple” (AKA friend-couple). They moved out into a sharehouse with Erica, and eventually into a condo together, where they finished their undergrad degrees and continued to spend way more time together than your average friends. Court loves Danielle for her massive heart, her helpfulness and the fact that she is always up for a baking and blankets night. You’ll find Danielle at the wedding offering her help to anyone who needs it.
Courtney and Amber met in the first anatomy class of physio school when Courtney was admiring Amber’s cool camo pants and amazing deltoid muscles. The two quickly realized they had the same study style, the same sense of humour, and basically liked all the same things. Add to this the fact that they lived across the street from each other, and the two quickly became inseparable. Most days started with a 6am partner workout, all day as lab partners in class, and then studying late into the night, and then when we finally went home for the evening, texting until we fell asleep. Even though the MScPT program was one of the most difficult things they both had done, they always managed to have at least one moment in every day where the two laughed until they cried. One of Court’s favourite memories of Amber is when she came to visit in the fall and the two of them waited silently for 5 minutes in the spare room for the most epic scare of Liam – he almost punched Amber, but it was worth it in the end (ask to see the video – it’s hilarious). Court loves Amber for her sense of humour, her loyalty, and how easy she is to be around. You’ll find Amber at the wedding on the dance floor with someone’s tie around her head.
Jess is one of Courtney’s oldest friends, with their parents attending Lamaze classes together and being born exactly one week apart. The two January babies were always the first in their grade to hit each milestone; They got their learners, their drivers licences, they were the first to be able to (legally) get into the bar together. Some of Court’s best memories with Jess include cruising around Penticton blasting Mariana’s Trench, spending hours in the art room, and countless dance competitions. Once they had both moved to the city after high school, the two remained close and often gathered around their love for art, always catching up over watercolour painting or baking. Court loves Jess for her creativity, her compassion and her non-judgemental way of listening and supporting. You’ll find jess at the wedding showing everyone up on the dance floor.
Courtney and Laura also met in physio school. On day one, there was a welcome breakfast and Courtney spent the whole thing without a single person saying a word to her. Just when Court thought she might never make a friend, Laura came up to her, said “Hey”, and luckily for Courtney, Laura happened to be one of the smartest people she could have befriended in the program. Even though Laura was in the Calgary cohort and Courtney in the Edmonton cohort, the two grew close over their love of dogs and travel, and a shared intense style of studying. To celebrate getting through the ringer of the MScPT program, Laura and Court celebrated by spending an amazing 4 weeks in New Zealand, squeezing as many hikes as physically possible in. Court loves Laura for her hilarious sense of humour, her spontaneity, and the fact that the study charts she made are responsible for at least a letter grade in all of her PT courses. You’ll find Laura at the wedding making everyone she talks to laugh, but if an ambulance shows up – odds are, it’s for her…
After meeting in primary school, sticking to each other and never shutting up, James has solidified his position as one of Liam’s closest friends and an honourary Thompson brother. Although Liam’s dad has tried everything to contain the boys’ laughter and noise over the years, even building a games room at the opposite end of the house, nothing can contain Liam and James’ energy when they get together (sorry for those 2 a.m. wake-ups, Christian!) James and Liam love to do anything and everything together, but especially enjoy 4-wheeling, camping and inevitably hurting each other whenever they hang out. Liam loves James for his loyalty, dependability, sense of humor and carefree nature. They are so close you’ll often hear Courtney referring to James as Liam’s “other partner”. You’ll know you’ve found James at the wedding when you notice a constant presence at Liam’s side, who isn’t Courtney.
Mitch is Liam’s younger brother - a slightly smaller in stature, less handsome version of Liam, if you will. Even with four years between the two, Liam and Mitch have always been partners in crime - although if you ask Liam, he’ll tell you Mitch was usually the instigator and Liam was left to take the blame for all the trouble they’d make. As they grew older, the two continued to stay close as they shared a love of building computers, playing video games, and yelling loudly whenever they get excited. Liam loves Mitch for his hilarious sense of humour and light-heartedness, and Courtney loves Mitch for being so welcoming when she first entered Liam’s life. Courtney and Liam will never forget how Mitch and his fiancé Emily facilitated the most amazing camping road trip to properly introduce Courtney to Western Australia. Despite both Mitch and Emily getting super sick on the trip, they refused to cut it short and were amazing sports the entire way regardless. You’ll know you’ve found Mitch at the wedding when you see someone performing an “Eagle Drop” party trick or yelling “OH GEEZE”!
As Liam’s cousin, Tom has been a central part of many of Liam’s best memories growing up, despite living five hours away. From fishing trips to the Abroholos islands, family vacations to New Zealand and Dongara, and countless hours of online gaming, the two have managed to stay close even while living hours and continents apart. It was Tom who was travelling with Liam on the fateful Contiki trip to South East Asia where Liam met Courtney. On the trip, Tom and Liam became infamous when they almost missed the tour bus on the 3rd night from too much partying and too little sleep the night before. Although the whole tour laughed while they sprinted to the bus, they kept up this tradition for the next two weeks. Liam loves that Tom is always keen for antics, continually doing insanely cool things as a Marine Biologist, and never hesitates to send Snaps to Liam of perfect sunny ocean days when he knows Liam is freezing in Canada’s arctic windchill. You’ll know you’ve found Tom at the wedding when you spot someone surrounded by Canadians berating him with questions about all the dangerous sea life to be found in Australia (but seriously, only one question each…)
Nick is Courtney’s younger brother and as far as siblings go, Nick and Court have always been close. Nick has always been protective of Courtney, and of all the people Courtney was nervous to introduce Liam to, Nick was high on the list (behind Ami – if you know, you know…) But, when Court and Liam picked up Nick from the bar on New Years’ Eve and Liam had to buckle Nick into the car, an uninhibited Nick admitted that even though he had been prepared not to like Liam - he LOVED him, and gave him multiple hugs before “retiring” that evening. Since that day Nick has made Liam feel at home in the von Wackerbarth family, and has taught him some of the most foundational “in’s and out’s” of Canadian living, including explaining obscure hockey rules and prepping him for the ruthless “teasing” at vW family events. You will find Nick at the wedding rocking the microphone as MC and demonstrating a perfect fade away jump shot on the dance floor