Win a Free Engagement Shoot in New York, by Gonzalo Nunez

[anjdw]

DUSTIN + ANGELINE'S STORY

An Answered Prayer

 

HOW WE MET

She says....(Angeline's story)

 

It was in January 08, I decided to pack my bags and move from coast-to-coast ( from Los Angeles to New York). I didn't know what's ahead of me in the Big City. But I did it anyway since I wanted to move on and get over a failed relationship. I was heartbroken. I wanted a new environment...meet new people...start a new life! I was sharing an apartment with this girl named Jenny, who's also a Filipino like me.

 

One day, our neighbor approached Jenny and mentioned that he works with a Filipino guy named Dennis, who plays in a band. Our neighbor invited us to go see him and gave us Dennis' business card. At the same time, he asked for Jenny's number to give to Dennis. The Filipino community in NY is small compared to other ethnicity, but one thing that sets us apart....Filipino community is a close-knit community...we try to help each other if we can. Jenny and Dennis started talking and Jenny mentioned to him that I was new in New York, don't have  a lot of friends yet and SINGLE.  Dennis on the other hand, responded that he has a nephew around my age who happens to be single as well. His name is DUSTIN.  So the two agreed to introduce us, just for the sake of me having a friend and who knows if it will lead to something special. Jenny gave my number to Dennis.

 

 I, being this new girl in the City. I always go to St. Patrick's Cathedral every Saturday or whenever I have time.I mentioned before, I was heartbroken. I always pray for guidance in my journey  and that one day, I wish that I get to meet the person that God wants for me. I always pray to God that "whatever His will, be done."

 

Sometime in February, I received a call from Dustin. I wasn't surprised when he called me as I was told by Jenny. According to Dustin, he was reluctant to call me 'cause he wasn't really into Filipina women. He doesn't know any Filipinos other than his family. But when he saw my picture which was emailed by Jenny to Dennis and from Dennis to Dustin, (ahem) he said he thinks I'm cute.

 

Going back to that first phone call, one of the most unforgettable lines he said during that conversation goes like this:

Dustin: You know, I don't do this all the time. I don't make random calls to girls.

Angeline: (at the back of my head) Yeahh right!

Days passed, Dustin and I would exchange text messages and phone calls but not that often. Dennis invited me and my roommate to watch his band so Dustin and I can finally meet but we always end up not coming. We were invited twice or thrice but never showed up. The fourth time we were invited, I texted Dustin that Jenny and I are coming to see Dennis' band and asked him if he's coming as well. He said he'll be there.

 

It was May 10, 2008 (Saturday), Dustin and I finally met at Perlas ng Silangan, a Filipino restaurant in Queens. I went there with Jenny and Jenny's friend. I was so nervous. I can't remember the last time I met up or went out with a guy. Dustin, on the other hand looked calm. He looked cute with his red-striped shirt and dark gray sweater. He approached our table and introduced himself. I invited him to sit with us since his cousins were also in Perlas that night. I handed him the Emergen-C that I brought him.

(The Emergen-C story: One of the conversations we had before we met--he mentioned that he has the worst allergies. I, myself had the same problem whenever the season changes ---allergies! That's one thing we have in common. I told him that I've been drinking Emergen-C which relieves my allergies and prevents me from catching flu and colds. Having that conversation in mind on the day we're scheduled to meet, I decided to bring him some of my Emergen-C in stock.)

 

After exchanging questions and answers, getting to know each other, Dustin asked me if I wanted to go to the City for drinks so we can have our private moment together. We left Perlas and headed to Bleecker St. We talked and learned a lot of things about each other. I realized we have similarities and differences. We went from one bar to another, drank tequila, greygoose and margarita. We danced the night away. One thing's for sure: we enjoyed each other's company.

 

Before we parted ways, Dustin invited me to have dinner with him the very next day (Sunday) at Sushi Samba. From then on, we've been seeing each other 3-4 times a week. He was consistent and persistent in courting me. A month after we met, we became officially a couple. Ordinary days turn out to be extra-special whenever we're together! Each day spent with him is priceless!

 

After a year of being boyfriend/girlfriend, he said I was the One and proposed to me. He told me that he was praying to God for a long time to meet a girl like me. I asked when did he realize I was the person he's been waiting for...He said, "I knew it the moment you gave me the Emergen-C, the first day we met".We got married through a civil ceremony in July 2009. We've been married for 2  wonderful years now.  As we move forward to our journey as husband and wife, we seek God to bless our marriage. We're having our Catholic wedding in December and I can't wait to say my vows in front of our families, friends and God above.

 

I thank God for having Dustin into my life--- MY HAPPY ENDING, MY DREAM COME TRUE, MY ANSWERED PRAYER, MY LOVER AND MOST OF ALL, MY BEST FRIEND, ALL WRAPPED UP IN ONE!

 

 

HOW WE MET

He says...(Dustin's Story)

February 2008... My uncle, Tito Dennis, sent me a picture of this girl he wanted to introduce me to. He said something about how he knows a guy at work, who is neighbors with this woman and this woman's roommate is the girl he sent me a picture of. He also said that they would be coming to one of his shows at this Filipino Restaurant we always go to.

 

After 3 months and some broken plans, he sends me this girls number which he got from her roommate. He says "Call Angeline, she is expecting your call and they are coming to see my band" Now, I dont call random girls...ever, I feel creepy and stalkerish but since I thought she was cute I finally called. Ill never forget the awkwardness of the first thing I said.

"Hi Angeline, this is Dustin...my uncle gave me your number.... he said you and your roommate are coming to his show next week..." How is that not creepy!?! I felt so awkward, what made it worse is that she made it seem like she had no idea what I was talking about. (Which I found out later was completely FALSE)So after painfully explaining the circumstances on how I got her number and why I was calling, we had a normal conversation, if you define a normal conversation as incredibly awkward pauses where nobody spoke and when someone did say something it would be at the same time as the other and you would say something like "Oh im sorry, what were you saying?" Thats when I found out that she had really bad allergies like me and she drank Emergen-C to fight it off.

 

So after a couple of days of texting and emailing each other, Angeline and I finally met. We were at this restaurant called Perlas, My Ninang (Godmother) and my cousin (Marie) were also there. She invited me to sit at her table. Before dinner, she gave me a box of Emergen-C for my allergies. That is the moment I knew she was special. I remember they ordered some drinks and all of my favorite Filipino foods. I also remember not eating a lot even though I was STARVING because I didnt want her and her friends to know that deep down I am still a fat boy. haha

After dinner, we hopped in a cab and headed to some bars downtown on Bleecker St. We had some shots of Patron, some margaritas and just had a good time. I showed her my dance moves (Which consists of a dance I call "The 2-step" and is precisely 2 steps, one to the left and one to the right in rhythm of course. haha)I also made dinner plans with her at Sushi Samba the very next night.

 

Since then, Angeline has grown to be the love of my life. She makes me the richest person on the planet. God has truly blessed me. I get to spend everyday with my soul mate, my best friend, my love, my EVERYTHING!

 

 

Posted by Angeline

anjdw (same as in Twitter)

 

 

 

 

[jlynne]

Alex and Jenna 

She says… Our story starts December 31 2009.  I didn't have any plans for New Year’s Eve, everyone I knew was doing something I didn't really want to do. Some of my close girlfriends were going out with their boyfriends to a New Year’s Eve social (a fundraising party for their friend's soccer team).  I didn't really want to go but had to do something for New Year’s and of course I wanted to spend it with some of my best girls! I reluctantly went and ending up having a blast and meeting the love of my life!

 

He says... I was planning on going to the bar with my friends. On New Year’s Eve day I changed my mind and decided to go to the social that my friend’s family was putting on.

 

She says...My girlfriend and I were having a drink, chatting, looking around the party when she asked me if I thought anyone was cute.  I told her immediately no (I was not looking to meet any guys, at that time I was planning on moving to California to nurse)... and then I looked across the room and seen this tall dark and handsome man with gorgeous dark eyes laughing with his friends.  I told her "Oh I think that guy is pretty cute!!". Much to my embarrassment, she went over to the guy and started talking to him. As she did this I immediately went over to some of our friends to try to pretend I didn't know she was talking to him about me. I felt like a big loser, I had never ever approached any guy before, let alone make my friend go talk to someone for me, I felt like a little fifth grader!

 

He says...Her friend came up to me said hi and introduced herself, and asked what I did for a living. I thought she was flirting with me and then she said "my friend over there would like you to buy her a drink".  I looked over and seen Jenna, I noticed her earlier in the night and thought she was the most beautiful girl there. I figured I had no chance so I didn’t even approach her.  I told her friend, "Wow, I definitely will!". It took me a little time to get up the courage to go talk to her because I didn't think she would be interested in me.  She was dancing with her friend and I asked her “how come the prettiest girl in here doesn’t have a drink in her hand?â€. She smiled, and hesitated!

 

She says...Not too sure why I hesitated, if it was the martinis, or that I didn’t want to jump and say YES!! We went and got a drink and he asked me for my number. I told him I didn’t want a relationship because I was moving to California in less than a month. I still gave him my number because I liked him so much and wanted to get to know him more even though I was leaving.

 

He says...After I got her number we went to the dance floor and danced. I asked her about her life and what her plans were for the future. I got to know her and I knew she was the one for me.  She seemed so genuine, sweet, selfless, hardworking, dedicated, and smart.  Not only was she gorgeous, but she had all the qualities I wanted in a girl.

 

She says...After talking to him for a while I went back to my friends and danced with them. He went out mingling with his own friends. A short while later the countdown was about to begin.

 

He says...I looked around and was too nervous to ask Jenna for a midnight kiss.  All of a sudden I see her come through the crowd and grab my hand and pull me on to the dance floor.  The countdown finished and we had our first kiss. We danced the rest of the night until the social ended, I said goodnight to Jenna and she got in a cab with her friends and headed back to her side of the city.

 

She says...I had such a great night, I liked Alex a lot but I was still a little sceptical. I didn’t fall for guys too easily. He was wonderful but I thought he must be a player, there is no way someone could be that smooth and handsome and not even know it.

 

He says...I knew I met the girl of my dreams.  The next day I was at my sister’s house and told her and my mom about this amazing girl I met. It sounds crazy but I knew Jenna was the one the night I met her.

 

She says…He texted me two days later and asked me to go on a date with him.  Our first date we went out for drinks, we talked until the place closed.  We were inseparable from that night on.

 

He says… I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could, in hopes that we could keep in touch when she went to California. 

 

She says…A few weeks in I knew he was the one for me, he was everything I wanted in a guy.  I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. A few months later my nursing license and work visa finally came through, by then I had changed my mind about moving. We have been together ever since, he keeps wowing me to this day! He is so thoughtful and kind and is always finding ways to surprise me.  He even planned a huge proposal at Oprah’s surprise spectacular show in Chicago this past spring (I adore Oprah)!! He is my best friend and the best person I know. I’m so thankful for him and for my friend helping us to meet that New Year’s Eve!

 

 

 

[jlynne]

I put descriptions of the pictures but for some reason they didn't come up! The first picture is of us the night we met (us on the right).  The girl on the left is the girl that first approached Alex.  The second picture is of us before leaving for Oprah.  The third picture is from Harpo of us getting engaged!

[asiamarie1]

Over 5 ½ years ago I became a single mom of three boys –ages 15, 12 and 6. At that time my oldest son thought that it would be a good idea for me to have a MySpace account. I was reluctant at first and then decided why not I had so many friends and family with one, with my son’s help I made a page of my own. It was about a week or two later that I had received a private message from a gentleman. He had read my profile, thought we had a lot in common and was interested in talking. I responded back because he seemed genuine and I didn’t want to be rude, but really wasn’t interested. We did correspond back and forth for about two weeks and then he wanted to chat online, I did agree. After about 5 weeks he asked if I wanted to go on a date with no expectations. Before I even had time to think about it I said NO!! I was hesitant because I felt meeting someone that you have met online wasn’t such a good idea. However, after I thought about it I realized that he was a wonderful man; I knew that his occupation required a lot of compassion and caring and figured why not. I then sent him a message saying yes but that it would have to be in a public place. We met at a local Amusement Park and spent 8 hours together. It was truly the best time of my life; it was like we had already known each other and the conversation just flowed.  I never believed in love at first sight until that day.  We have overcome many obstacles, including the distance of 90 miles between us, and have realized that we love each other more every day. Needless to say this is where it all began and here we are now planning our wedding.

 

The Proposal - We had talked about marriage a few times over the years, with me even kidding around and telling him he had till our 5^th anniversary to propose or else. But on October 29, 2010 when he did, it still came as such a surprise.  Our night started out with us visiting friends and then heading back to the house to have a few drinks and enjoy the fire....We were getting ready to settle in and watch a movie and he said he needed to talk to me about something. I wasn't paying too much attention to what he was doing, sometimes I am oblivious to my surroundings....Even when he got down on one knee, it didn't click. He asked me if I would be his forever love and spend the rest of my life loving him. Shockingly, my first response was did you talk to my dad? He had always said it was important to get my dad's blessing and I didn't realize he had found the time to do just that. He chuckled at me and said yes, I was shaking and crying not only did I receive the most beautiful ring; I became engaged to the most loving, caring amazing man!!!

 

We are going to celebrate our love for each other in the Dominican Republic in December 2012….with a few family and friends by our side. 

[Pucca]

 

Finding True Love Online

 

My fiancé Alex and I met on Facebook. We weren’t in the same network nor did we have mutual friends. We just had mutual “appsâ€. My friends would send me these links to social apps where you could connect with other people in a limited manner within Facebook. I didn’t really want to participate in them but being single my curiosity got the better of me, despite my disillusionment with relationships. Alex apparently was curious too. So he saw my photo on one of the apps and messaged me saying that he thought I was hot. I saw his picture, said the same thing as he was hot I thought, and hoped he’d go on his merry way. I wasn’t interested in a relationship let alone something online. Besides, who was to know what kind of guy he was? But he didn’t leave me alone. Lol! He would message me saying hello – very polite, and gave me his email to chat on MSN at the time. He’d also email me on Facebook and I proceeded to lie to him that I was in a very happy relationship. He still stuck around saying that he’d wait for me even if that happened to be a very long time. I thought he was crazy but continued to talk with him as for the most part he was quite friendly. We did get into a few arguments chatting online; but of course, talking online can lead to miscommunication as the body language is not there. Later I learned that he was just being mischievous to get me worked up. Great….he’s a prankster, I used to think. Never did I think he was going to win me over.  I was too busy with my graduate studies and really didn’t want a relationship like I didn’t want another hole in my head, even with the questions my family always asked me because I was over 30 and single.  I was pretty content with my life at that point.

 

But we ended up talking on the phone and texting a lot. When I got sick, he would text and check in on me; and I just felt that he was very thoughtful. And when he had to put down one of his cats because of illnesses, I saw another side of him. So 4 months after we started talking, I met him for the first time, visiting him in Florida where he lived at the time. Fortunately it coincided with a close friend’s graduation at the time so I reasoned that if things didn’t work out, I could just stay with my friend. He lived two hours away from my friend and drove me back and forth 4 times round trip in total by the time the week was over; that in and of itself was just impressive and sweet. When we met in person, the connection was instant. I realized that I had fallen in love with him before I had even seen him in person. He had already told me he loved me but I had a hard time believing him until I met him in person. But having met him, I understood and I found I could say it back to him. We spent 6 months in a long distance relationship, visiting each other every other month, before he moved up to New York so we could be closer. He was and is the perfect partner for me in every way. He has such a big heart and is such a wonderful man. Through all the insanity that is my life with my studies coming to an end and my father’s health failing, he has been the one who has been my constant happiness and reassurance. Last year, on a trip to a friend’s wedding in Hawaii, he proposed to me on top of Diamond Head Crater with the blue ocean in the background. I couldn’t have been more surprised and more overjoyed; I couldn’t imagine marrying anyone else but him. It was like a dream, and despite challenges and objections from my family, in less than two months we will be getting married with everyone’s blessing next to the blue ocean in Mexico. I feel like I am the most blessed woman alive and that good things do come to those who wait.

 

Thanks for allowing us to share and for creating this contest! ~ @Eunee

[9YearsLater]

3^rd Time is the Charm

A Love Story of Anna & Eugene

 

We were both 16, when we met…

 

Strike One:

It was a hot July evening and the guy I was seeing invited me to go hang out with friends, it was a group of about 20 to 30 people. He left me behind when we got there and went to talk to his friends; I spotted a guy I knew talking to 2 other guys so I walked over. He introduced me to his friends and they were all named Eugene including the one I knew. So they gave me their nicknames; Dumin was my friend, Shumi was a new acquaintance and Kuchuk will be my future husband. We spoke for a while and then I noticed the guy I came with was nowhere to be found, so we decided to go for some pizza close by. We all talked for hours and Kuchuk made me laugh like no one ever did before, I thought he was cute but nothing happened from there, the time of my curfew was approaching so I went home.

 

Strike Two:

I lived in Staten Island and would often travel to Brooklyn for the weekends. A Sunday in October I went to hand out with a few friends before I went back home. We met up and I was told there is a house party we are going to and some kid with his girlfriend were picking us up and taking us there. I got into the car and automatically recognized Kuchuk as the driver. It seemed as though he recognized me as well because he asked me how I have been and told me it was a small world. We spoke here and there at the party when we bumped into each other. There was a spark every time, but he had a girlfriend and I wouldn’t go there. The night came to an end and I had to go back home. I thought about him the whole ride back and the weeks to follow but eventually my mind drifted to other area and he was a distant memory.

 

Home Run:

Before there was Facebook, we had a similar site called Whimit. Somewhere in late December, I logged on to my account and seen I have a friend request. I checked and saw his face and instantly had butterflies in my stomach! I accepted it immediately and posted a comment on him page (I am not the kind of girl who waits!) saying “I can’t believe you remember me after all this time!†Then I went to check his status and guess what, he was single! He relied to me the following day, at which point I was a nervous rack! His response “How can I forget your beautiful eyes.†Cheesy pick up line but what can you do we were 16 years old (well he was 17 already). We exchanged numbers and from there it went, we spoke on the phone for hours!!!! We discussed everything and anything. We hung out a few weekends in a row. Everything was great, my friends liked him and his friends liked me. Everyone got along. He asked me to be his girlfriend on Janurary 4, 2003 (which a few years later I saw looks like this… 01.04.03, take out the zeros = 143 = I love you! I was so corney!).

 

We had a lot of down (we can write a series of books of our 9 years together, but I am sure we arent alone) but we made it through and our love stronger, he is my best friend!

 

He Proposed on August 10th, the day after my 25th birthday at a spot by the ocean we go to on Sundays to have breakfast and talk. We are going down to city hall Janurary 4, 2012 to get legally married and save our date special date. However our wedding will be in Cabo on February 4, 2012.  

 

Us in August.

 

Our First vacation together

 

My 25th Birthday Party (which was 2 days after he proposed)