2009 Meet The Five Finalists Jessica & Ric
Jessica & Ric
Couple 5
More About Us
1. In what New Mexico city do you live?
We both live in Albuquerque. I was born and raised here and still live with my parents. Ric was born in Los Alamos, but his family moved to Albuquerque when he was two years old. Ric and his roommates now have a place in Ventana Ranch. We love living in New Mexico and can’t wait for our future life together here in the Land of Enchantment.
2. How did you meet and how long have you been together?
Ric and I met in P.E. sophomore year at St. Pius X High School. We were playing volleyball when Ric spiked the ball right into my face. My nose wouldn’t stop bleeding, so Ric took care of me until my mom picked me up. Luckily I didn’t break my nose, but I got two black eyes to prove how we met. After that, we became friends but didn’t start dating until the next year, the fall of 2002. That was our junior year of high school, and we have been together ever since- going on six and a half years!
3. What do you both do for fun in New Mexico?
Where do we begin? We can’t answer this question without talking about eating! So many occasions surround New Mexican food and we can never get enough of all the wonderful restaurants. But New Mexico not only has its own delicious cuisine, we also love everything else that Albuquerque has to offer. During the warmer months we enjoy going camping and fishing- even though I always make Ric clean the fish I catch! Another one of our favorite things to do is visit the local museums, planetarium, and Bio Park. We also love to listen to live music. But our favorite dates are when we get to enjoy New Mexican sporting events such as the Isotopes games, and UNM sports. Ric and I are proud UNM Alumni and we love supporting the Lobos in the Pit! Everyone’s a Lobo- Woof! Woof! Woof!
4. Tell us about your occupations:
In May 2008, Ric graduated with his degree in Civil Engineering from UNM. He currently works at a local engineering firm and is working on his licensing to become a Professional Engineer. I also graduated as a Lobo in May 2008 and I received my B.S. in Biology. I currently work at the National Labs. I will soon be returning to UNM to work on my Doctorate in Physical Therapy so that after Grad school I will be able to work as a PT at one of the local hospitals or healthcare facilities.
5. What was your most memorable moment together?
Our most memorable moment was the night we got engaged. Ric surprised me with a trip to Phoenix to celebrate our six years together. The plan was to go there to see a concert for one of my favorite artists. We spent the whole weekend together having a lot of fun. The last night we were there was the night of the concert. That afternoon, Ric pretended to lose the tickets. Little did I know, that while I was at the car searching for them, Ric was upstairs decorating the room with Christmas lights, candles, and rose petals. I finally found the tickets and we went to the concert. We had so much fun, but I had no idea what was coming next. Once we got back to our room, Ric opened the door, turned on our song and lit the lights. He got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. It was the best night of our lives.
6. What would you like voters to know about you?
We are so thankful to have this opportunity. This is such a blessing and would truly make our dreams come true. We feel that being chosen as the New Mexico Dream Couple would be an honor and a privilege. We would never have been able to imagine having such an amazing wedding without this contest and we hope that this dream can become a reality. We feel we are blessed and we try to share our gifts by giving back to this amazing community. We each volunteer for multiple organizations because we feel that our faith and family, both rooted here in New Mexico, have given us the strength to help others. We try to do everything we can to exemplify what it means to be a New Mexican couple and we hope we can soon be called the NM Dream Wedding Couple.
7. What do you look forward to the most during your dream honeymoon in Maui?
We are most excited to spend time together as a newlywed couple. Neither of us have ever been to Hawaii, so we would want to take full advantage of this dream honeymoon by enjoying the beauty of the island, and surrounding ourselves in a new and exciting culture. If we win, we look forward to enjoying the ocean by swimming, snorkeling, and learning how to surf (or at least trying). We also can’t wait to relax on the beach as newlyweds. We hope to attend a luau and learn how to hula dance too! There is so much to do and so much to look forward to, we really hope we win!
8. Why do you deserve to win the 2009 New Mexico Dream Wedding?
Although we know we are soul mates and God would have somehow brought us together, Ric and I are thankful that we were able to meet relatively early in our lives. We have been fortunate enough to see our relationship change and grow through many of life’s stages: high school, college and now “real life”. Even after over six years of dating, New Mexico has been part of every one of our special moments. We love each other so much and since we’re both born in New Mexico and have lived here our entire lives we are happy to call it our home. We are committed to each other and New Mexico. Marriage is such an important step in our lives and we look forward to our new life together. Starting out our life with the Dream Wedding would be so wonderful because we are sure it will be one of the most memorable experiences of our lives. Everything important to us is in New Mexico, and having our real Dream Wedding here as well would be such an honor and a blessing. Thank you for taking the time to consider us for the NM Dream Wedding.
Photography provided by: Kyle Zimmerman Photography
