A few weeks ago was our 5 year anniversary, April 1st of 2004 was when we met (Ryan would argue this date) we met in front of a grocery store where I was training for a job as a cashier (as if I needed training on a cash register, the buttons practically had pictures on them) and Ryan was helping head up the first Zehrs Portrait Studio in the country.
If you are a past client of ours or a family member, you might know the story of how we met. We get asked by our clients all the time, its the second most asked question to us, next to “who will photograph your wedding?” ahaha! (still undecided on that one)
Here’s the story of how I met Ryan.
I had just come home from living out the end of my teenage years in Waterloo, Ontario. I know of all the places I could have rebelled to, I had to run away to a smaller town than the one I already lived in, what the heck was I thinking? Well you can pretty much guess that I was chasing a boy. But that’s another story all together.
I came home, penniless and jobless, and my dad told me to “Just go out and get a crap job, anything, just do something. Quit hangin’ around the house.” So I handed in a resume at Zehrs Grocery Store.
I rode my bike over, dropped off the resume and rode my bike back. I walked into the kitchen and my dad says “Hey Zehrs called, they want you for in for training” I am sure my eyes lit up a little, thinking my resume was that impressive that I was hired in less that 30 mins of handing it in.
“Oh yeah, but they want Julie to come” he said..
“Who the hell is Julie?” I said.
“She must be the girl that got the job, you should call them anyways and see if they want you instead.”
Hmmm, I thought as I dialed the number back and told the manger that I received a phone call for training.
“Let me look at my list…Erika…no…not on my list. But you better come in anyway in case I don’t have it right.”
I hung up the phone, surprised that my dad’s scheme actually worked. Did I just lie to get a job? Yes, yes I did. Well not yet anyways, I still had to make it through training.
They put me on cashier training right away, and 5 mins later another manager whispers to my trainer. They are looking right at me, they are looking at me with those eyes. The kind of eyes that can tell a lie.
“Erika, your not a cashier, your not on my list. You must be in the Photo Lab.”
Thank God, I am thinking, as the stress in my shoulders is instantly released. I could just see myself turning into one of those old, bitter cashiers in my first shift. You know the kind, the one that doesn’t even look at you when they ring your stuff through, the kind that sounds like a robot who smoked too many cigarettes when they ask you… cash or credit?
I was going to be working in the lab, and all I could think to myself was Thank God I took high school photography.
They handed me an ugly white smock, but before I could put it on a manager taps me on the back.
“Erika, we are so sorry, you are not in the lab. I don’t have you on any list right now. But it’s my break, did you want to come out with me for a cigarette?”
I must have looked like a deer in headlights as I’m thinking, sure I will come out with you, that will give me time, and plenty of space to make a run for it when they figure out that I lied to get this crappy job. I am so caught.
We walk outside where a few staff members are eating lunch on their breaks.
“Erika, I would like you to meet Ryan, he runs the photo studio upstairs.”
Ryan was a tall, thin, older looking man. He wore a white dress shirt and black dress pants, and hideous forest green tie (company tie) he was looking better than all the other employees out there wearing ugly green smocks. He actually looked like a doctor, very proper, very composed. I dug his style, I liked older guys. He turns towards me and reaches out his hand for me to shake. Being 20, I didn’t shake many hands, so I thought he was very mature. I reach my hand out as if I am mature enough to do this sort of adult meet and greet thing all the time.
We shake hands in one of those magical moments you see on television. Where the world feels like its going in slow motion, and everything feels perfect for just a moment. Then you notice how sweaty your hand was and embarrassment sinks in, and you are back to realizing that yeah, you are not as mature as you thought you were.
“Erika is jobless right now, we need to find her a position here, she just doesn’t seem to be on any new hire list I have.” Says the manager.
“I’ll take her. We need someone upstairs anyways.” says Ryan, almost eagerly. (And why wouldn’t he be, I was totally cute, who wouldn’t want to work with me.)
“Oh that’s great! hey Erika didn’t you say you liked photography on your resume?”
“Yeah, yes I did” I am pretty happy at this point not being a cashier, that I pretend like I know a thing or 2 about photography. I even made the stupid mistake of saying that I actually knew how to use photography equipment, which was a complete lie.
“Well when you are done your basic training, common upstairs and I will show you the studio” says Ryan.
After my initial training I found my way upstairs. This was totally out of character for me, I would have normally just left and figured all that studio stuff out tomorrow. But I went upstairs and decided to continue my lie and show my new, cool and mature co-worker just how cool and intelligent I was.
I think I may have started one of our first conversations with “Hey, what F-Stop do you set this camera too?” ahah I didn’t even know what an F-stop was. It was just something I heard in photography class 2 years prior in high school, and it was the only thing I could remember.
A few weeks later Ryan and I started dating, but we had spent every day together since we had met. We’ve been working side by side since the beginning. Ryan even said to me years later that I had caught his attention on the first day we met, in the studio at Zehrs when I was trying to act all cool knowing what an F-Stop setting was.
Ryan took my photo that day. We are so lucky to have this photo, it marks the beginning of our relationship. When we left the studio 8 months later, Ryan swiped a copy of all our first photos. Here it is April 1st 2004.
Here we are 5 years later, it blows my mind how fast the time has gone.
Photo By: Tim Forbes of Forbes Creative.
Thank goodness for photos, without them I am sure I would forget most of what we have accomplished since we have been together.
I love you babe!
Cheers to 5 more.
Erika
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