Instructors Interview: How Did You Meet?

By Carmen and Rudy

Funny, sincere, easygoing…this is how my friends describe me. And, what does Rudy say? Loving, pretty, spontaneous, caring, and the list goes and goes! Well, “Papi” (this is my special way to call him) doesn’t see my flaws!

Rudy has always been more difficult to share what he thinks or feels. Well, not until he knows you well and when this happens you will just find he is a sensitive, caring, funny, protective, golden-hearted man! My list can also goes on and on!

Let’s go back to the late 80s…It was time to organize our first School Reunion ever. Santa Angela is still a well known school in a small neighborhood in Lima, the capital city of our beautiful Peru. He happened to be the representative member of his class and so was I. We soon found each other delightful and enjoyable to be with.

We became very close friends even before thinking that God had brought us together for a specific mission: help people build strong Christ-centered marriage. Of course, we didn’t know that back then! We were just good friends doing what good friends do: laugh, chat for hours, and have fun!

It was New Year’s Eve 1988. Let me just say that in Peru, New Year’s Eve is a huge celebration. Most families and friends gather together before midnight, have a scrumptious dinner, firecrackers, nice decorations like yellow flowers for good luck, whistles, hats, and of course loud music! Salsa, merengue (latino rhytms) can be heard in every house as well as people cheering (we are so loud!) and simply having fun until dawn!

Well, it was almost 5:00 a.m. when “Papi” told about his feelings for me. He is so respectful and earnest that after I said I love him too, he organized a dinner with his mom and step dad to let them know about our brand-new dating relationship.

Those years we still lived in our beautiful Lima, Peru. I was working as an Elementary teacher while he was still finishing his studies of Electronics and working at a local gym as a Karate Sensei (coach) (Oh yeah! He is a black belt!) when we found ourselves deeply in love for each other! He was so romantic! I still remember getting out of work and finding my favorite piece of candy attached at the windshield wiper of my car with a little love note!

J Rudy would put into action his artist skills and draw nice pictures of Garfield, cartoon we both enjoyed watching, that I still keep.

We had some ups-and-downs but who has not? When we found ourselves ready for a commitment, we planned our Engagement Dinner. Oh yeah! It’s not like here in America! There are no kneeling and private times! Rudy came to my parents’ house with his mom and step dad to talk to my mom and dad about us getting married. After living 10 years in the USA, this sounds funny to us but back then, it made total sense since we wanted to honor and follow our customs and this was one of those!

We got married on December 17, 1993. There was no moving in together, no need to live together before marrying to prove our love was sincere and forever. At church, my dad walked me down the aisle, and what a surprise! My 4^th grade students were perfectly aligned to the sides of the aisle holding flower bouquets and smiling at me. 

Since then, we have shared our lives entirely thanking God for bringing us together. Almost 19 years after, we do still enjoy spending time together, dancing, watching movies, traveling, and looking at each other’s eyes while saying every day, even more than once, “Te amo, mi amor” (I love you honey) and praying to continue living a happy marriage and aging together until the very last day of our lives.

Insturctors Interview: How did You Meet?

-->

Swim Dork Meets Band Geek by Amber and Greg

It was the year of 1996. Greg Perzinski had finished his first year at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO and received a measly $600 scholarship to go to the University of South Dakota (USD) and swim. I, Amber Mason was fresh out of high school and planned to attend USD with a whopping $300 scholarship in music. Obviously we both could be bought with peanuts, but hey, a scholarship is a scholarship, right?

University of South Dakota

In August, we both arrived a week earlier than the rest of campus to start our reason (swimming and band) for choosing the school. Greg found swim buddies on his dorm floor and went to practices twice a day. I found band friends on the same dorm floor and neither of us really bumped into the other. We were on the same co-ed dorm floor, with very few people, since no one else needed to arrive yet, and didn’t notice each other…crazy!

One of the gems of the campus was the Newman Center just down the street, and that is where Greg first noticed me. During the part of mass where everyone takes a moment to shake hands and give peace to everyone around, is when he realized that a cute girl was sitting right behind him. Quickly, in his mind, he went through the check list. Fresh breath – check, combed hair- check, clean shirt – check. For the remainder of the mass I took note that Greg’s posture was suddenly straighter and no longer slouching! Well, Mass came to an end and much to Greg’s delight the cute girl sitting behind him was walking to the same dorm as him. Greg ran up and joined me and another lady.

So we found out that we lived across the hall and a few doors away from each other. We made similar friends on the dorm floor and life was good. We went to church with another couple every Sunday and actually attended other activities with the church at other days of the week (which was rather strange for Greg, whose family rarely stayed for the whole sending forth hymn).

About a month into school, I was taken aback by another guy on the floor who had taken interest in me, but I knew it wasn’t the type of guy I should be with. We dated for a few weeks and even though we were together, it never discouraged Greg from getting to know more about me. Greg usually stayed away from other girls who were already in a relationship, but for some reason, it didn’t seem to scare him away this time.

After a sad break up with the less-than-satisfactory guy, everything went back to normal. Greg and I both got new roommates to make the living conditions better. It just so happened that our new roommates were dating and Catholic. So Greg and I had more time together. One time, I walked by a room where Greg and his swim buddy, Dave, were talking. I overheard Dave say, ‘If you don’t ask her out, I’m going to do it for you!’ Later that evening, after hanging out and chatting, Greg got the courage to ask. ‘Will you go out with me?’ Having a ‘blonde’ moment, I thought… ‘out on a date’ so I said, ‘Sure!’

A week went by with little interaction. Greg and I were both busy with classes, swimming, and band. Then one day, I was with some of their friends and Dave asks, ‘So where is your boyfriend?’ I think… ‘Boyfriend, what boyfriend? … Oooooh!’

So the date was set and came up. Greg and I climbed into Greg’s Nissan pick-up with a vinyl bench seat and no A/C, and started out down the interstate. 

We were both from small towns. Greg from Rock Springs, WY which has a population of 20,000 and I am from Sleepy Eye, MN which has less than 4000! This restaurant was in Sioux City, IA. So needless to say, we got lost…at night! As we were driving around we saw a Perkins but that wasn't the restaurant we wanted for our first date. We drove and drove and saw nothing but closed buildings and bars so we went back to Perkins.

A year later, we were still together (despite having had our first date at Perkins) and for our first anniversary date we managed to find the restaurant this time! Garfield’s it was called. Inside, each table was covered with a large sheet of paper on the table for coloring while waiting for the food…classy, very classy. Well worth the wait.

 

Instructor Interviews Part I: How did you meet?

-->

 Hello, Moses and Mattie here!

It is Spring of 1996, I am 18 and enjoying Easter Break at a youth retreat. It is a little bit of a rocky time in my life; high school graduation is looming on the horizon and I have no idea what direction I want to go in. One of the spiritual counselors at school recommends that I entrust my future to Jesus and that I really ask him what He has in mind for me, and to also entrust my future husband to Mary Immaculate. So I do, but only the entrusting my husband part! I am not ready to entrust my whole future to Jesus, but entrusting my husband to Mary sounds like a great idea.

  Let's fast forward to Summer 2000. I am hiking with almost the same youth group on the road between Assisi and Rome. Our destination: Pope John Paul II and World Youth Day! We are so excited! That is when it happens; when I finally surrender my whole life to Christ. It is on the eve of our entrance in Rome, during a beautiful outdoor Mass that Christ visits me and I become all His.

  -->

Two weeks later, as a senior at Franciscan University, my roommate, Rachel, and I rent a house off campus. We are all grown up now!

Rachel is so excited about our beautiful “new” house that she has to invite everyone she knows to come and visit. Which I totally understand: who would not want to show off a living room with long, green shag carpet and orange couches?!

One morning she tells me that “Moses” will come over later in the evening. Moses? Seriously? What kind of person is named Moses? Needless to say that I make fun of it all day (Yes I have encountered Christ, but charity is still something I need to work on…) 

Moses does come over that night and I am not impressed. 

Fast forward again, this time to a few days later, when Rachel decides that we should have a movie night at our place on Saturday evenings. Moses becomes one of the regulars and we start hanging out quite a bit. And as we got to know each other better we also grew to appreciate each other more. And soon, it budded into a deep friendship that evolved into love.

One night at a party, he asks me to go to our Fall Formal dance with him, and I say yes (because of course, as you have guessed by now I am more than just charitable towards him.) He also invites me over to his parents' for Thanksgiving, the week following the dance.

The dance is a blast and we have a great time, even if he steps on my foot and brings his 1977 Ford Bronco as a ride (try getting in that thing in a lady like fashion with high heels and an evening gown! Quite the challenge!!!)

1977 Bronco
image: http://blog.hemmings.com

-->

On Thanksgiving morning he is set to come and pick me up for mass, after which we would drive over to his parents. While getting ready, I am rummaging through my drawer of unmentionables (I love this word!) when something shiny catches the corner of my eye. Of course, being a girl, I empty the whole drawer and pry out the shiny thing from the side of the drawer (hoping that it’s a quarter or something; you know how college students are so desperate for money!!)

What comes out is a beautiful miraculous medal, one like I had never seen before or since! (Truly, even after extended online searches, I have never seen one like it.) And I can hear in my heart: “Go ahead, I have watched over him for you and now he is all yours.” With the greatest love and gentleness imaginable.

Full of hope and thanksgiving (how appropriate, right?!)  I head with him to mass and then to his parents' house for a wonderful and fun-filled Thanksgiving dinner where I meet most of his family.

  --> That evening when he brings me home, we kiss for the very first time! As they say, the rest is history! (Except for that fine ’77 Bronco, which stills survives in our garage!) 
And the medal? I wear it every day as a reminder of God’s care for us.