Cindy and Chris
Cindy and Chris own and run a boutique hotel in Cruz De Juanacaxtle, Mexico called Villa Amor DelMar and have been together 27 Years
Chris and his boat were stranded in Victoria because he needed a part and it wasn’t available–he had to wait. He called his friend to meet for a drink and his friend was going to a barbecue for the Victoria Chapter of Young Entrepreneurs Organization(YEO) and invited him along–Chris was a member of the Vancouver Chapter and he decided to go. Cindy was also a member of YEO–having her own interior design company. She was reluctant to go to the barbecue because everyone there was a couple. At the last minute, for some reason, Cindy decided to attend.
When she arrived, the evening’s hostess said, “I have a single guy here for you to meet and introduced her to Chris. Cindy claims he followed her around like a puppy for the rest of the evening and Chris says he was wagging his tail. When Cindy was ready to leave, Chris suggested they go dancing and they did at a local pub called Swans and when it closed down they moved onto another night club called Overtime which was open til 4:00 a.m. When they walked out there were two cabs out front. Chris doesn’t believe in putting ladies in cabs alone so he got in with her and when they arrived at her place he suggested he stay over in the bathtub and Cindy said, “No.”
There is an unwritten rule in the YEO that if a member comes to town from another city you need to roll out the red carpet and show them the city. When Chris called at 9:30 the next morning and asked if Cindy wanted to do something, she agreed and they spent the day together touring around Victoria. That was the beginning of their 27 year relationship. They took turns going back and forth on the ferry as Chris lived in Vancouver.
Chris pretty much knew that night at the barbecue. Chris recalls, there was a particular walk along the ocean, staring up at the stars where they discussed their philosophy and realized they both believed in God and were both family oriented people. This walk for Chris confirmed that he’d found his next best friend and partner for life. Within the first month, Cindy knew Chris was the one and on September 25, a month and four days after the barbecue, Cindy met Chris’ kids, Kate and Joe, the day after Joe’s 5th birthday.
On May 27, 1995, around two years after they had met, Chris brought his 750 Honda motorbike over for the weekend with the wedding ring in his pocket. They drove up Vancouver Island to Parksville and Cindy wanted to see a grocery story she had designed so they headed to Rathtrevor Beach. They bought things for a beach picnic and when they were setting up, Chris snuck the ring into the top of the potato salad. Chris had said more than once that he wasn’t ready to get married so Cindy was not expecting anything. Cindy saw the ring in the potato salad and thought the lady in the deli had dropped it and proceeded to try and convince Chris that they needed to go back right away and give it to her. She repeated this a couple of times and Chris just smiled and said nothing. On the third time, Cindy figured it out. Chris got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.
BC Ferries is the largest ferry corporation in the world and ferries go back and forth between Vancouver and Victoria every hour and Chris and Cindy had spent a significant amount of time on that ferry route. So much so that Cindy’s brother joked that’s where they should get married. They thought about it and Chris wrote a letter to the Ferry Corporation and they agreed to allow them to exchange vows on the top deck of the Spirit of Vancouver Island ferry on August 27, 1995. Pictures in Stanley Park were followed by a reception held in her brother’s nightclub in Gas Town in Vancouver. One of Cindy’s fondest memories is all the little kids dancing and enjoying the disco lights.
Cindy jokes with Chris that she’ll give him one more week if he’s been good. Chris understands that what’s behind that is not taking each other for granted and appreciating each other. They respect and honour one another and they do that in a number of ways. They always say please and thank you. There is no competition about whose job is more important or whose making more money–they’re a team and they work together and help each other out. Chris and Cindy make an effort to eat together every day and say grace. They both work hard and at the same time, respect one another’s need to take a break and have a rest.
Chris asked his Mom on his parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary what their secret was and she said,
Imagine two pieces of gravel being put into a rock tumbler and eventually they knock the sharp corners off one another and they each become polished as a result.
Hi parents have now been married 65 years. Chris and Cindy know there will be ups and downs in their lives but they never quit loving each other. When they first were dating, Cindy was in the car with Chris’s young son and she opened the trunk of her car, which Chris had been driving, and found that her business files had been all strewn about because he had been driving too fast. She was mad and Chris’s son started crying because he was concerned they were going to break up. Cindy bent down and looked him in the eye and explained, “We’re not breaking up, we promised each other we will be together til the end.” His son then confessed that his Dad had taken some corners rather fast.
Eleven and a half years ago, Chris sold his company to the guy who hosted the YEO barbecue where he met Cindy. Chris and Cindy discussed going to Mexico for a one year sabbatical. Although they vacationed in Mexico every year, Cindy was initially hesitant to move there but she agreed. After two years of living and working as an interior designer in the area, they found a property and decided to turn it into a hotel. It meant giving up their dream home in Vancouver that they had just built. This decision was made after significant pray and meditation and they have never looked back having been there 11 and a half years. Chris’s background is in construction and by working together they turned it into a beautiful boutique hotel. Now they have bought the house next door and will convert it as well into hotel rooms. They work and play around the clock and have still managed to find a healthy balance.
Broadcast Love wishes Cindy and Chris all the best in their new project and we know you’ll have each other’s backs for years to come.
Broadcast Love 