Their Story…

I have heard that a penguin searches its whole life for the one mate that it will stay with until the day that it dies, and I guess that this is the way that I feel about my soul mate. I realize that many people in today’s society might find the idea of a soul mate laughable. There may have been a time that I would have counted myself among them. The divorce rate seems to increase yearly. Many young people, including some of our close friends, have decided against marriage, opting instead to merely co-habit. But then I met the man who would become my fiancé, who will become my husband: Kris Swayze. And we discovered that our lives had been intertwined before we could even read and write. Our fathers both worked for Rockwell International and were close friends, and while we were still in diapers we had no suspicion that our lives would later become connected by true love. Years later, while working at CIBC, I walked into work one day and noticed a new hire: Kris Swayze. We did not realize at the time that we’d ever met before, that our paths were merely re-crossing once again. An undeniable connection began to form between the two of us. As we got to know one another it became apparent that our lives were connected on a multitude of levels, both seemingly trivial and profound: our initials are both KS; through our names, Kris and Kristin; our birthdays are only a day apart; our careers both leading us to the same place of employment. We also both, tragically, lost our fathers to cancer while in our teenage years. Our mothers each struggled heroically to raise three children on their own, and we both learned the cruel hardships life can throw at you, and through our mothers’ examples, and the losses they suffered, the importance of finding a true life partner, my penguin. Well, I have finally found my penguin, the one person that I can no longer imagine living my life without.

Learning that we had been chosen as finalists in the Win a Wedding Competition was one of the most exciting days of our lives. It’s no secret: weddings are extremely expensive, and winning this competition would allow Kris and I to share our special day with our many friends and family members in a way that would be truly memorable. Growing up without a father, with mothers raising three kids on their own, money was often tight. There was no extra money for post-secondary education, so we both buckled down and worked hard to better ourselves, relying on student loans and part-time work to get our education. We’ve also worked hard to establish our own businesses, and have never taken the easy way out. The help we would receive by winning this competition would allow us to have the wedding we’ve always dreamed of, while continuing to pay off our loans and better our businesses. We are rich in love, but often have little beyond lint in our pockets. We both have large families and many friends, and we do not want our wedding day, the most important day of our new life together, to happen without them. Winning this competition would ensure that we could afford to be surrounded by everyone we love and care about, that we could share our special day in a way that would do justice to our love, and the memory of those who cannot be with us.

We realize, of course, that we are not the only young couple to have fallen on hard times, and whether we win or not, our lives are already blessed. We have found one another, we have been able to console one another, love one another, to grow with one another, and we look forward to many years of growing together. Our lives together will be shaped by the generosity and love and kindness of everyone who has affected our lives: our mothers and fathers and siblings and friends and family, our teachers and pastors and coaches. Our community. The gifts that make up this wonderful prize come from the same community, and are given in the same generous spirit that has always guided our lives, and will continue to guide our lives in the future. This is, perhaps, not enough reason for us to win over the other contestants. I am certain that they are all as equally deserving. But know that should we, against all odds, win this prize, we will be eternally appreciative. This is, of course, the only appropriate spirit for our wedding day, the first day of the rest of our lives.