Finding Love at Georgian: Meet the Wrights
Feb. 11, 2022
Nicole Drake Wright and her husband Peter were both students at Georgian College when they met 18 years go. Nicole was in General Arts and Science while Pete studied in the Business Administration – Marketing program.
Nicole worked in a variety of roles at The Last Class (TLC), the student-run Barrie Campus restaurant, during her time at Georgian. She and Pete shared a lot of mutual friends, and he was a regular at TLC. “He was almost an honorary member of the team,” jokes Nicole. “We ran in the same circles and I’d heard through the grapevine that I had caught Pete’s eye. Fast forward a few months, and I finally asked him why he hadn’t asked me out yet. The rest is history.”
Mick Kingston, General Manager of Student Centre Food and Beverage Operations at Georgian, was an important mentor for Nicole as well as a close friend. He officiated their wedding 10 years ago. Nicole and Pete now have a seven-year-old son named Henry.
After graduating in 2005, Nicole worked at Georgian and then in the corporate world for a number of years. Five years ago, she started her own business as a professional Fairy Godmother.
Pete worked in the financial field immediately after graduating from Georgian in 2006. He says it didn’t take him long to realize that the farm life was calling him. The couple own and operate a livestock and cash crop farm in beautiful Fergus, Ontario, and plan to stay for the long haul. “We’ve lived on the farm for almost four years and love it,” says Pete.
We caught up with the couple, who agreed to answer a few questions about love just in time for Valentine’s Day.
In your opinion, what makes love last?
Nicole: Communication, supporting each other’s goals and being true friends. Letting them think it’s their idea is good as well! (joking)
Pete: Patience and compromise are important, and you need to let the small things go.
How do you keep love thriving during life’s ups and downs – like a pandemic?
Nicole: You should never stop talking and laughing with each other. I love to talk about favourite memories we have together, or ask Pete to tell a story from his perspective from our early days. It rekindles the spark when things are feeling super unsparky. Laughing is also a must for me. We try to find humour in the everyday and I love seeing my partner-in-crime smile!
Pete: As with life, love has its ups and downs as well. Communication is always a very important part of any relationship and you need to be able to effectively get your ideas across to your partner in a clear and respectful way.
Hear what Pete and Nicole say is their favourite thing about each other:
What do you like to do for fun?
Nicole: We have a seven-year-old feral child who keeps us laughing every day. We love to travel together, go to music festivals, explore different campgrounds, and host friends and family at our farm.
Pete: The “smorgasbord” is Nicole’s specialty and she routinely makes way too much food, which has become a running joke. We also like to go camping with our trailer, and hang out with family and friends. We still keep in touch with most of our great friends from our Georgian days.
Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Nicole: Our Valentine’s Days have evolved over the years. We don’t shell out for expensive gifts, and often I forget to buy a card, but we try to carve out some extra time with each other. Usually over a meal that I’m not cooking.
Pete: We usually celebrate as a family doing something a little different than the everyday routine.
What advice would you give to new couples in love?
Nicole: I recommend taking your time getting to know someone, and diligently work on your relationship. Make time for each other, build trust, talk about your goals, be each other’s cheerleader, celebrate your successes, and always treat each other with the utmost respect.
Pete: It’s important to ask more questions about each other and try to spend quality time together as often as possible.
