Jennifer: He won my heart when... On the 4th of July the year we got together, Matt took me up to the foothills and we hiked up to a big rock and sat up there and watched the fireworks and the lightning. It was so romantic! That's when I knew he was the one for me!

Matt: She won my heart.... Not long after we started dating, I had got really sick for a few months and she was there every day to take care of me. It was then I realized how sweet and caring she was. I knew that I was truly in love with her and wanted to be with her forever.

Jennifer: Born in Los Lunas
Matt: Born in Albuquerque

Jennifer: Graduated from Sandia High School
Matt: Graduated from El Dorando High School

Date we met: April 30, 2004
Date we were engaged: December 13, 2010

 

More About Us

1. In what New Mexico City do you live?
We both live in Albuququerque in the Northeast Heights and spend most of our time in Albuquerque since we both
have all of our immediate family here.

2. How did you meet and how long have you been together?
We originally met at the New Mexico State Fair. He got my phone number, but never called, I didn’t think he ever
would. One day out of the blue in April of the following year I got a phone call, it was Matt. He wanted to know if I
would go on a date with him. I hesitated, but I had a gut feeling that I should go, so I went. When he picked me up I
immediately noticed his gorgeous blue eyes. We went to his friend’s house and he made me feel so beautiful and
comfortable around him. A couple weeks later he asked me to be his girl, of course I said yes!  We have been together
for almost seven unforgettable years! These have been the best years of our lives, and I can’t imagine what it would be
like without him.

3. How did you get engaged?
On December 13, 2010 we went to our favorite restaurant for dinner, after that he took me up by the Sandia Mount-
ains to look at Christmas lights, luminarias, and the lights of Albuquerque. As we were driving he took me to this hill
where you could see the entire city and the stars which were breathtaking! On top of the hill he stopped and got me
out of the car, I thought that we were just going to enjoy the view and then he kissed me. Matt got down on one knee,
and asked, “Jennifer, will you marry me?” I said yes immediately and began to cry and then we kissed and sat on my
car while he held me. At that point I knew that I was exactly where God wanted me to be.

4. What do you both do for fun in New Mexico?
We both grew up here in New Mexico and absolutely love the weather and the sun. We like fishing and camping
up in Jemez, and going to Carlsbad Caverns. We really like to go up to the World’s longest tram and watch the
breathtaking sunsets

5. Tell us about your occupations:
We both work for Matt’s Grandfather. I am an office assistant and I work in the office with Matt’s mom. I have
been working there for 4 years. I am very grateful for Matt’s family to give me the opportunity to work with such a
loving family. Matt works at the shop where they manufacture printing presses. We both go to school at CNM. I
am majoring in hospitality and tourism. Matt is going to school for his Emergency Medical Technician Certificate,
so he can become a volunteer firefighter. One day he would like to become a full time firefighter and be able to
help people when they need him the most.

6. What was your most memorable moment together?
We have so many memorable moments, but probably our favorite memory is when we got engaged and the one
that we are making right now. Being picked for the New Mexico Dream Wedding as one of the semi-finalists is
definitely one that will go in the books as one of our favorite memories. Another memorable moment of ours is
when we took our first vacation to San Antonio. We had a blast, and would love to go back one day.

7. What would you like voters to know about you?
We are extremely thankful for this opportunity. Just being able to raise money for the Children’s Hospital will be a
great achievement in itself. We are people who love to help and give back to our community in any way we can.
There are so many negative things that happen all around the world, and this is truly an amazing, positive event
for the Children’s hospital and for all of the couples who were chosen as semi-finalists. Thank you to everyone who
took the time to read this and we can’t make this dream possible without you!

8. Why do you deserve to be this year's Dream Couple?
We think we deserve to be the next New Mexico Dream Couple because we work very hard at everything we do.
We try to put 110% in everything we set our minds to. If we were chosen to be the next Dream Couple we would
love to represent New Mexico with all our hearts. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to even have a chance
at becoming the next Dream Couple. We always knew that we wanted to get married and have a beautiful wedding
but never imagined we could have a $50,000 wedding or even close to that. Now that we have a chance we want to
work as hard as we can to earn it.

9. Tell us about your children:
Our children are the furry kind. We have three dogs; Ginger, Tazzie, and Nala. Ginger is a 6 year old beagle who
loves to go on walks and loves to smell everything! Tazzie is our 5 year old Red Heeler/Rottweiler/Chow mix who is
such a baby, she smiles and she loves to have her belly rubbed. Nala is our 5 year old White Lab/Golden retriever,
who got pregnant before we owned her and some of the puppies passed away while still inside of her. Nala’s
intestines got infected, so they had to surgically remove part of them, so when we got her we had to nurse her
back to health and had to get some meat on her bones. We almost lost her. Now she is doing well although she has
to take medicine every day. We love our furry children.