Couple #1

 

Ashley: “He won my heart when…. He showed me how much he really cared about me. One time, a couple of months after we started dating, I got really sick with the flu. I was stuck at home in bed, and he showed up one day and surprised me with some soup and a stuffed puppy. It was a simple gesture, but it was something that showed me that he really cared about me. Not long after that, we went out to dinner one night, and when Jerid took me back home, he told me he loved me for the first time, and I knew for sure that I was in love with him too. I’ve always known that our relationship was special, and that our feelings for each other run very deep. He is always doing simple things that show me how much he cares about me, and I feel like I fall more and more in love with him as time goes on.

Jerid: “She won my heart when…. She showed me how caring of a person she was. I was a full time student at UNM and was also working full time at Home Depot. At this point in my life I was struggling with the cost of books and tuition. Another thing I was having a hard time with was my living situation. I had always talked to her about my problems and one day she came to me and asked me if I would want to stay with her and her family until things got better for me. She said that she had already asked her parents but that there was going to be rules that we needed to follow if I was to stay there. I agreed to all the rules and was welcomed into her family as if I was a member. This was the first time I ever had somebody go to this type of length just to make sure I was ok. She cared enough about me to offer me a home. After this situation I knew she was the one and am truly thankful for what she did and love her to death for it.

Ashley: Born in Albuquerque, NM
Jerid: Born in Albuquerque, NM

Ashley: Graduated from Valley High School
Jerid: Graduated from Valley High School

Date we met: September 2002
Date we were engaged: August 2, 2009

 

More About Us

1. In what New Mexico City do you live?

We live in Albuquerque. We were both born and raised here, and we are both graduates of Valley High School. Jerid graduated from Valley in 2003 and I did in 2004. I am a graduate of UNM, and am currently attending there for my Master’s Degree. Jerid is a graduate of CNM, and has attended UNM as well.

2. How did you meet?

We met at school, during my junior year and Jerid’s senior year of high school. We didn’t start dating right away, but there was definitely an attraction between us from the start! We had even talked about each other to our families before we ever started dating. It was funny, because it turned out that my mom and his aunt actually worked together, and they tried to play matchmakers for us! Their matchmaking didn’t actually bring us together, but during the summer of 2003, after Jerid graduated, and right before I started my senior year, we happened to run into each other in the parking lot on campus. We talked for a while there in the parking lot, then Jerid asked me out on a date to the movies, and now six and a half years later we are ready to be husband and wife!

3. What do you do for fun in New Mexico?

There are lots of different things that we do for fun in New Mexico, but one thing that we love to do here is enjoy the local restaurants, and the great New Mexican food! We are always going to different restaurants, and experiencing the great cuisine that New Mexico has to offer. We also enjoy experiencing the culture of New Mexico, from Old Town to Nob Hill to the Tram, there are so many different ways to experience the great New Mexican culture. We also, of course, enjoy the Balloon Fiesta! Every fall, it is so beautiful to wake up to the sight of balloons all over Albuquerque, and it is just something to look forward to every year. Jerid and I are also both UNM Lobos, so we like to attend Lobo games whenever we can!

4. Tell us about your occupations:

Jerid has been employed with the State of New Mexico for about four years now. Currently, he is working for CYFD as a Youth Care Specialist, and has also previously worked for other departments such as Human Services, Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and Public Employees Retirement Association. I have been employed with the US Forest Service for about five years, and I am now a Human Resources Specialist there. We both love our jobs, and feel very blessed to be on great career paths. We are also both currently part time students, working on furthering our education, which we feel is important for our future

5. What was your most memorable moment together?

In our almost seven years together we have had so many memorable moments together, but I think we would have to say that our most memorable moment together was the day that we got engaged. One of Jerid’s childhood friends was in town from school, and he was leaving on a Sunday, so Jerid told me that he wanted us to take him out to breakfast that Sunday before he had to leave. He also told me that they wanted to go play basketball early in morning at Valley High School, so for me to meet them there and then we would go eat from there. I got to the school to meet them, and parked my car, and Jerid asked me to go walk with him onto campus. We went walking, and around one corner both of our families were there, in between the spot where Jerid and I first met, and the parking lot where he asked me on our first date! Then Jerid got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! It was such an amazing moment that both of us will remember for the rest of our lives.

6. What would you like voters to know about you?

We would like voters to know how excited and grateful we are to be one of the five finalist couples of the 2010 New Mexico Dream Wedding! We are so thankful to the sponsors for allowing us to make it this far! To know that we have a chance to win our dream wedding is such an amazing feeling, and we are so excited and feel so blessed to have this opportunity! We would really like voters to know how much winning this dream wedding would mean to us, how much we love each other, and how truly grateful we would be to everyone that helped us to win the wedding of our dreams!

7. What do you look forward to the most during your dream honeymoon in Paris?

A honeymoon in Paris would be such an incredible experience, and an amazing way to start our lives as husband and wife! Neither of us have ever traveled outside of the country before, so to be able to travel to Paris for our honeymoon would be indescribable! We would be excited to experience the French culture, and the atmosphere of the romantic city of Paris! There are so many amazing things to do, and sites to see in Paris, it would be great to get to do and see them all on our honeymoon. A honeymoon in Paris is truly a dream, and if we were fortunate enough to win and have that experience, we would be forever grateful!

8. Why do you deserve to win the 2010 New Mexico Dream Wedding?

We feel like we should win the 2010 New Mexico Dream Wedding because New Mexico has always been home for us, and it will continue to be home as we begin our married life together, and start our family here. We are proud to call ourselves New Mexicans and definitely plan on growing old together here. Winning the $50,000 Dream Wedding would make the incredible experience of a wedding even more incredible and even more memorable, because this dream wedding would be more than we ever could have imagined! All of the amazing prizes that the sponsors are providing make this dream wedding so much more than we ever could have asked for! Being together almost seven years, we have imagined what our wedding would be like, and this dream wedding far surpasses anything we have imagined! The memories we would gain from winning this dream wedding would be something we would be blessed and honored to share with our friends and family, and excited to tell our future children about! Winning the 2010 New Mexico Dream Wedding would be an experience that we would always remember and cherish for the rest of our lives, and we would be so grateful to win this dream wedding!.