A friend of a friend's list. That's where I first saw this thumbnail of pixelated beauty. I immediately followed who was known as @helsinkiwinner at the time.

Numerous anxious replies and well-thought quips later and I had progressed to level 2, direct messages. This meeting of strange minds through the intertubes was much like a video game. Level 3 was a Campfire chat, then a few phone calls (level 4), a Skype video chat (level 5), and then we went 3-D in level 6 — our first date.

With 70km and several months of conversations between us, I finally asked her out and hopped on a GO bus to Hamilton.

Our first-date was fantastic — mini-golf and all. Now it was time for the next stage (2-1), in my hometown, Toronto.

Home safe, sound, and incredibly happy.

— Rachel (@rachelofcourse) December 27, 2008

Three years later to the day — December 26th, 2011 — we were back where our second date had ended, the bench at the far-end of Union Station. Rachel gave me a gift for our third-anniversary and I handed her a book.

A few nerve-wrecking minutes and dozens of page-flips later, she had reached the end. Down on my knee I went with ring in-hand, as she read a question printed on one of the last pages. One she thankfully said yes to, as it was graciously and secretly captured on film by a good friend.

And here we are. Moments away from the next stage in our lives, 3-1, if I'm not mistaken, with plenty of levels left to conqur together.