When Marnie Holley was growing up in the Sault, she decorated her bedroom with posters of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Her big sister Kelly, four years older, remembers one Christmas when Marnie asked for a talking Arnold doll.
Marnie got it.
She then "walked around the house making him say 'I'll be back!' until we could barely take any more!" Kelly laughs.
Fast forward to yesterday in Los Angeles.
After years of pumping iron and competing in bodybuilding and fitness competitions, Marnie was working out Sunday at Gold's Gym.
She felt a tap on her shoulder.
A very familiar voice complimented her for "having an amazing physique."
Turning around, she saw it was Schwarzenegger, the legendary bodybuilder, action movie star and former California governor.
"My bucket list is complete!" Holley raved on her personal Facebook page.
"Of course I was stunned," she said, adding that she almost fell over when she saw who it was.
"Are you seriously talking to me?" Holley demanded.
She said she's spotted Schwarzenegger many times working out at the Gold's Gym in the westside LA beachfront neighbourhood of Venice, California.
"But I have never dared to ask for a pic," she said.
You can be sure Marnie got her picture yesterday.
"He then asked me to hit three poses for him! I'm still in awe because I am currently not even in condition. Still in my #rollypolly #offseason mode."
"Glad I got my butt to the gym early on a Sunday morning, lol!"
"This must be the best day of her life," added sister Kelly, who's now president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario Algoma local.
"Would have loved to see that interaction today," Kelly said.
Marnie replied that she still has her treasured talking Arnold Schwarzenegger doll.
"And the books and probably the posters, somewhere."
Holley attended River View Public School and Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School in Sault Ste. Marie.
She earned a B.A. in French and sports management from Principia College, a private liberal arts institution in Elsah, Illinois, before working at Algoma District School Board as a French immersion teacher.
At university, Holley competed in NCAA diving and pole vault events.
Switching to fitness competitions after a stress injury, she entered world championships as an amateur in 2006 and 2007, finishing fourth for Team Canada in the 2007 event.
That same year, Holley obtained her pro card and competed in two shows in 2008 and 2009.
In 2011, she worked on her MS in kinesiology and didn't compete.
"After such a long break from competing," she tells SooToday, "I decided to cross over into the new pro physique division in 2013."
She placed fifth out of 40 women in her pro debut, then was afflicted by injuries that adversely affected her performance in subsequent pro events.
In August 2015, Holley decided to take time off to heal.
"I do plan to compete again but I'm not sure when," she says. "I'd like to come back at my best — maybe fall 2016 or later."
"In the meantime, I am busy working as an independent personal trainer at Gold's Gym Venice and teaching part-time in the kinesiology department at Cal State Los Angeles."