Tales of True Love
In honor of Valentine’s Day, Blue Ribbon News asked several local couples how they met.
You won’t believe some of their stories…
Michael and Pam Kitkoski
When Pam walked through the door on the first day of class for Journalism 201 at Texas A&M University in 1976, I was smitten. She pretty much ignored me. When she showed up for an audition at KAMU-TV where I was working, I tried flirting with her. She pretty much ignored me.
Later, a co-worker at the TV station was moving out of state, so she gave her cat to Pam. But Pam’s apartment complex didn’t allow pets. She asked me to take care of little Bunker.
A year later, Pam had moved to a different apartment complex, so she asked me to return Bunker. Having grown attached to the kitty, I refused. Pam was forced to marry me if she wanted her kitty back. Our wedding day was September 23, 1978.
This will be our 35th Valentine’s Day together. Bunker passed away due to old age many years ago. But our lives revolve around our pets to this day. True love conquers all!
Shared by Michael Kitkoski, RockwallPets.com.
Scott and Jan Self
Jan and I met at TCU. On June 9, 1973, we were married, left the next day for Europe for a six month honeymoon, sailing a 44-ft. Swan sailboat down the coast of Europe to Africa and on to the Canary islands.
Forty years later we are still sailing together. We have had over 120 weddings on Seawolf in the last 5 years.
This year we are going to have a special Valentines cruise on Harbor Lights. We have a saying that couples that sail together, stay together.
Shared by Captain Scott Self, SailwithScott.com.
Robbert and Brenda van Bloemendaal
Twenty-seven years ago I was on vacation alone inHawaii. Brenda was on vacation with her sister and nephew, and we happened to be staying at the same hotel inKauai. There was a summer storm, so we both ended up in the nightclub as there was not much else to do.
Twice I went over to the table where Brenda and her sister were sitting and twice I asked her sister to dance and twice she turned me down.
Not giving up, I invited myself for the third time to sit with them. Brenda’s sister told me she was going back to her room. Brenda kicked her under the table and said she was staying.
Brenda and I ended up dancing to the “Hawaiian Wedding Song” and closed the bar down, and then walked the moonlight beach. And that was it. I changed my flight reservations to stay an extra day; we spent almost three days together and then flew back home – me to Australia, Brenda to Terrell, TX.
I came to Dallas that December with a ring and proposed to her. The most frustrating thing was that it took her 10 days to accept. I then made arrangements for movers and an airline ticket for her to come toAustralia. We were married in August; they played the Hawaiian Wedding song at our ceremony and we went back toKauaifor our honeymoon.
Not many friends believed the marriage would last but I am here to tell you that after 27 years it still gets better every day and yes, I am a true romantic.
PS – every day on my wedding anniversary, I call my sister-in-law and thank her for turning me down 27 years ago.
Shared by Robbert van Bloemendaal, Travel Leaders of Rowlett.
Alan and Misti Potter
Alan and I met in college at Bevill State in Fayette, Alabama. He played baseball and I played basketball and volleyball. We were friends for about a year before we even started dating. We went on our first date on Feb. 14, 1995 and decided not to date each other because we were too good of friends and didn’t want to mess it up. That lasted a week. We started dating on Feb. 22.
In January of ’96, we went to Applebees inTuscaloosa, after we had been ring shopping. I had unknowingly picked out the ring he had already bought. As we sat at the table we were arguing about something and the waitress walked by. Alan took out the ring and asked the waitress if she would argue with a guy who was about to give this (the ring) to her. She smiled, shook her head and walked off. Alan looked at me, holding the ring and very seriously said, “I have one question before I will ask you to marry me. Will you bait your own hook?”
I told a little white lie and said YES (excluding the part that I will bait a hook with anything except crickets)! I planned our wedding from Alabama and we were married on August 17, 1996 in Rowlett.
Shared by Misti Potter, CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Rockwall County.
Mark (“Mel”) and Suzanne Bayley Brooke
We met when Mark (also known as Mel) came over from England to play rugby for the Dallas Rugby Club. At a bar called the Boardwalk Beach Club in Lakewood, I must admit. It was two weeks before he was scheduled to travel on to another team inSouth Africa. I was finishing my last semester of college here and intended to return to LA to find a job in advertising.
We both ended up staying in Texas, dating for two years and then marrying. (He got my Dad’s blessing on Christmas Eve for a Christmas Day proposal.) While we both still yearn for oceans and mountains, we could not have asked for a better place to have a home, raise our boys, make friends, and run our business together serving some very special clients.
Shared by Suzanne Bayley Brooke, City of Heath Community Relations Manager.
Billy and Katie Self
I saw this ‘out of my league’ girl walking down the hall early in high school. She didn’t know me and I didn’t know her. Different crowds. Different grade.
I vividly remember thinking, “She’s out of my league.” I didn’t try or pursue. Few years passed and we found ourselves in the same group of friends at school. Much to my surprise, she pursued me just as I was graduating from Rockwall High School. We dated throughout college at different schools for five years before getting married in 2005.
I’m so lucky to be married to a girl out of my league. Our photo was taken in 2005 on our honeymoon in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Shared by Billy Self, ProSoap.com.
Doug and Andrea Chandler
Every year, my family went on spring and autumn trail rides in Winnsborro. Doug and I met in January and the very first time we met, I told him he was going to marry me; he just didn’t know it yet. At that point, he thought I was looney, but we continued to date.
April came and it was time for the family trail ride. This would be the ultimate test for him – horseback riding, eating food off the campfire, dealing with extended family. We hung around the campfire telling stories and enjoying the company.
This was the first time Doug had been around horses. Silly city boy – he was unsure of how to act around crazy people on wild animals. We slept in my small two-door Blazer amidst the running diesel engine of my father’s truck next to us that he was using to keep warm. Very little sleep for several days and when we arrive back at his house we decided to take a nap. He then woke me up, and in an agitated voice I asked, “What the heck now?!” He said, “If I can put up with your crazy family, the smell of horse crap, eating foods off campfire that I have no clue what it is, and sleeping minimal for several days, I think I can handle you. Will you marry me?” I responded, “Sure! Now let’s get back to that nap…Oh, and I told you so!” referencing the first day we met. He laughed and said, “So it begins.”
We wed three and half years later, and now 13 years together we can make it through anything.
Shared by Andrea Chandler with Elite Print Management.
Rene and Betsy Castro
I first met Rene on June 18, 1977, when I was 12-years-old. He was the lead singer in a band called “Grupo Renovacion,” which consisted of my three cousins, one of his cousins and his eldest brother. I had just landed in Bogota,Colombia (at the time I lived in Levittown, Pa) to spend the summer with my cousins and they invited me to watch their band play at their church youth service. They told me they had to pick up two of the guys from the band on our way…and OMG! I thought Rene was the cutest boy on planet Earth! He was 16!
We spent a lot of time together between two youth camps and a few basketball tournaments and lots of band practice. I never mentioned my age; he assumed I was 16. The day he found out how old I was (many weeks later thanks to my cousin’s big mouth) his world was shattered!
I returned every summer and we would rekindle our friendship; we were “summer friends” until 1982. I moved to South America when I graduated from high school because I was “in love.” On Aug. 4, 1984, we got married in Colombia. In 1985 we came to the States so he could pursue a Masters in Christian Education at Dallas Theological Seminary. We are blessed with three fun-loving, talented kids, our sweet daughter-in-law Mandy and a precious granddaughter Madeline.
Shared by Betsy Castro, Southwest Airlines.
Glen and Julie Farris
Julie and I met in 2003 at Leadership Rockwall. I was the co-chair (elected from the 2002 class to lead the 2003 candidates) for her class and I got to know her during the nine month program.
It was a relationship that bloomed as she joined me in mentoring the Leadership Program over the next few years.
She asked me to marry her on evening in the bath tub. We have had a wonderful relationship ever since.
Shared by Glen Farris, Adfinity.biz.
Jerry and Jamie Rubush
My husband, Jerry, was one of the two executives I interviewed with, for a position back in 1985. I had trouble pronouncing his last name, so immediately addressed him as simply “Jerry”. The company was looking for a strong professional, so those two decided to put me to the test. They were abrupt, bordering on aggressive and rude with their questioning. I had interviewed previously with the president and thought I wanted the position, but I thought Jerry was rude and he a total jerk!
Jerry later told the company president that I would be a good candidate, qualified and tenacious, that I was a “little bulldog”. The nickname stuck. Jerry even found a poster of a bulldog to hang in my office.
I did get the job and became good friends with Jerry. Seeing him daily in a work environment gave me a unique insight into how he dealt with stress and truly treated others (when he wasn’t testing them in an interview!) Eventually we began dating.
The company has long since dissolved. We were married in 1987, moved to New Hampshire, where we lived for 20 years. In 2007, we moved back to Texas, choosing to make Rockwall our home. We are now volunteer ESL tutors at the Rockwall Literacy Center, as well as active in First United Methodist Church various book clubs, boards, vocal group, study groups, etc. After over 27 years, I guess I’m still a ‘little bulldog”.
Shared by Jamie Jones Rubush.
Editor’s Note
As promised, here’s the true love tale that brought Richard and I together: True love calls
VIEW THE JAN/FEB 2013 PRINT EDITION HERE:
How’d you meet your mate? added by Editor on
View all posts by Editor →