Looking for more things to make you smile? Then read this! Since Valentine’s Day is on everyone’s brain right now I thought it would be appropriate to write another article about love. So I interviewed couples from all over the region, asking them questions about their relationships and what made them crazy about each other. This is part 2!
If you didn't get to read the first article, {valpo}click here{/valpo}{portage}click here{/portage}{laporte}click here{/laporte}! Either way, give in to your mushy romantic side and read on!
Stephanie and Mike Jones of Kouts, IN
How did you meet?
Mike- "State Police Academy in Plainfield, IN. It was January 25, 2000. We went there to be police officers, and we weren’t looking for anyone to be with."
Stephanie- "He and I became good friends there. You had the option to come in on Sunday nights. So we would shine out shoes and polish out brass together. When you’re in the academy you don’t leave. So you see the worst and best of people."
What made you fall for Stephanie?
Mike- "At the academy I saw her persistence and drive. And down there you don’t look for a person to be with. You’re sweating and bleeding and emotionally a wreck. She took it like a champ and that’s what attracted me to her."
What do you love the most about him?
Stephanie- "He’s my protector. I always know that he would lay down his life for me and I feel safe with him. I don’t have to pretend to be somebody else for him. He loves me as I am."
What do you think makes a relationship work?
Stephanie- "Taking care of your finances is important. So many divorces are caused by financial issues. We’ve always lived within our means and we’re on the same page. And we spend a lot of time together."
Bette and Dick Tompkins of Union, MI
How did you meet?
Dick- "We met at a party that some friends of ours were having. I went stag and she was with some other guy."
Bette- "I saw him and heard that he and his friends were going to a movie. I asked the guy that I was with to take me to that movie then I dumped him there and asked Dick for a ride home."
What was your first impression of Bette?
Dick- "I was very impressed when I saw her. Her general presence was good. She was not shy. I was trying to figure a how to get close to to her, but she didn’t give me a chance. She got close to me!"
Bette- "Three days later he asked me to go steady and five days later he proposed. I was fifteen years old."
What do you think makes a relationship successful?
Dick- "You need to respect each other and each other’s interest. You can’t be one-sided. It’s a partnership."
Bette- "Don’t say things that will hurt because you can never take them back."
Chris and Natalie Mahlmann of Valparaiso, IN
What happened when you first meet?
Chris- "I like to tell that story. I have verifiable proof that you can have love at first sight. I worked at the Chicago Board of Trade and one morning I was told that there was going to be a new girl named Natalie working there. And then when she stepped into my office I looked up at her and went to shake her hand. I knew at that moment in time that I was going to marry her. There was something totally magical about that moment. I had no doubt in my mind. A while later I asked Natalie if I could call her sometime and she was fine with it. So I called her everyday for the rest of my life."
How did you propose?
Chris- "I got all of our friends and family together at a restaurant in Downers Grove. I made a video ahead of time of photos of us and had it play on a big ten foot screen in the middle of the bar area. At the end of the video were the words, “Will you marry me?” And she said yes!"
What do you love the most about each other?
Natalie- "I love that he makes me laugh. As hard of a shell as he seems to have he’s a softie. A romantic."
Chris- "She’s strong as concrete. Every Time I’m wigged out about something, she’s the calm one. I’d be absolutely nothing without her. I feel better when I see her, I’m happier when I see her. Anything I do I’d rather do with her."
What makes a good relationship work?
Natalie- "You’ve got to be honest with each other. You’ve got to communicate and that’s something that I’ve learned over time. And have a thick skin sometimes too. It’s important to have date night. You need to remember why you fell in love."
Chris- "I think it’s trust. There’s a bond that happens between two people that no one else has access to. There’s a level of trust that says I can be myself, all my hopes, all my dreams, all my angst, all my anxiety, all my...everything. There’s nothing that I don’t trust to you. What’s not powerful about that?"
Brett and Christie Fuller of Hobart, IN
How did you meet?
Brett- "We met at a party down at Purdue. Her roommate was one of my friends from elementary school. When I first met her I thought she was outgoing."
Christie- "I thought he was tall, which I like because I’m tall myself. We have differing stories as to how we met. I say I made him play cards with me and he says he manipulated me into making him play cards with me."
Brett- "I had a plan all along."
After you got together, how did you propose?
Brett: I surprised her before we went over to her aunt’s house for a football game. I brought my parents over and her whole family was there and we made our big announcement to them. I gave her the stone that was in my grandmother’s ring and she picked out the setting.
What do you love the most about Brett?
Christie- "He makes me laugh. He’s goofy."
Brett- "I’m the most disorganized person on the planet, and she helps me to remember the things that happen to escape my mind."
How do you keep the love alive?
Christie- "We laugh a lot. I strive to make him laugh at least four times a day because it makes me happy. And compromise is an important thing, too."
Brett- "Science!"
Tomi and Jerry Brzycki of Kouts, IN
Tell me about when you first met.
Tomi- "We met at a seminar for people who lost spouses through death or divorce. He and I were put in a group together."
Jerry- "I wanted to leave. After losing my first wife I was not comfortable being around women. And here I was in a conference full of women and looking for an excuse to walk out."
How did you going about handling a relationship like this a second time around?
Tomi- "Before I met him I had no plans to remarry. I told my mom that I’ll never get married again. Then he drops out of the sky. At our age we knew what we wanted and didn’t want. When we knew that it was heading toward a serious relationship we began asking serious questions to each other."
What sealed the deal for you, Jerry?
Jerry- "I’ve always been a committed person. Family was important and when I met her family they just reinforced the values that I had. Tomi has a lot of qualities that I thought were important. She loves her kids, she’s a giving person, fun to be with, and I wanted to spend my life with her."
What do you think makes a relationship work?
Jerry- "Trust each other. Work at the relationship. After sixteen years we still date and have fun. Our relationship has a strong faith foundation. God put us together and our Christian faith has kept us together."
Tomi- "Respect and teamwork are very important. As basic as it sounds, you have to like each other and enjoy being together."
Jenny Craig and Kevin Brown of North Judson, IN
How did you meet?
Jenny- "He grew up up two doors down from my aunt and uncle."
What mad you fall in love with Kevin?
Jenny- "His very caring personality. and he's himself no matter who he is around. He's very nerdy."
Kevin- "I fell for her spunky attitude."
How did you propose, Kevin?
Kevin- "In key West on a vacation to celebrates some friends anniversaries. I proposed poolside to 'Can't Help Falling in Love'. I love Elvis."
What do you think makes a relationship successful?
Jenny- "Good communication. Don't be afraid to talk about things."
Kevin- "Be okay with having differences. Differences are good. As long as the important things work."