Celebrating 20 Years of Marriage!

Ben and I met on a study abroad trip in a hotel lobby in Madrid, Spain, during the fall of our junior year of college. That first night in Madrid, the director said that all of us students in the group had the night to ourselves, and would see us in the morning. I was not yet confident enough in my Spanish skills to be on my own and I knew Ben was fluent in Spanish. I grabbed his arm and said, “Don’t leave me.” He has been by my side ever since. Barcelona was magical. We both matched with incredible families who fully integrated us into their lives and were happy to encourage our relationship. They loved us and treated us like family. We tried new foods, drank boxed 97 cent sangria on the beach, skied in Andorra, licked salt rocks in salt mines, and fell in love. Ben went home in December and I stayed for the year. In the spring, Ben visited me once in Barcelona, and I visited him once in Houston. We drove with his family to Saltillo, Mexico, where I met Ben’s family at a wedding and where I realized Ben was the man for me. I saw him playing chase and tag with his little cousin David, and throwing him in the air. He loved playing with him and making him laugh. I knew then I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. So, yes, David Brooke- I WOULD say you are the reason I said "yes" to Ben. :)

It didn’t take long before I knew I wanted to marry this crazy, beautiful, amazing Floridian girl, but there were a few logistics to iron out. First, she would live halfway across the country…when she moved back from half way across the world. Second, being a part time lifeguard at the rec center wasn’t exactly the most lucrative position…so I was fairly broke. As we stayed in touch during her spring semester abroad we started talking about summer plans and she decided she would come to work as a lifeguard in Houston, while I was doing a summer research program at Baylor. I decided this would be my chance and so I started to plan. I saved what I could in my part time work. My sister Katy helped me to find a diamond wholesaler in Houston and went with me to look at the diamonds. After some looking I found what I thought was the perfect gem. It was more than I could afford, but Katy loaned me about half of the money and I paid her back over the next year. Then to plan the proposal. It seemed natural to me to propose to the woman I loved at the place I loved most, The Brooke Ranch. This was the Old School Brooke Ranch, before the lake and the massive house, when it was just an old cabin on a hill…but after we had installed a bathroom and done away with the outhouse…so I felt like it was pretty fancy. I decided I wanted to take her out there on a weekend and that’s where I would propose. I had it all planned out, a picnic, champagne, a sunset, a reading, and then I’d pull out the ring, and pop the question. What I failed to anticipate…was the distracting power of cows…particularly to a Floridian girl. So there we were, the stage was set, I had it all planned out, and was reaching for the ring when I heard Kika shout “AAAAH! Look at the cows!!” Not exactly the perfect preamble to my proposal…but eventually the cows moved on and focus returned. I asked Kika to marry me, and she said yes! We carved our initials in a tree, and the rest of the evening was a blur of excitement and more than a few ecstatic phone calls. We went to the drive-in movie theatre in Gatesville and watched “The Italian Job”…but to this day, Kika has no recollection of ever seeing that movie, because she spent most of the night on the phone telling people about our engagement.

After only knowing each other for eight months, Ben proposed June 19, 2003 and we got married June 12, 2004, one month after we graduated college. Ben started med school at Baylor College of Medicine and I started a Masters in Bilingual Education program and taught bilingual education. Our last year in Houston, we had our first baby, Gabriela Catalina, on New Year’s Eve. We’ve been madly in love with her since the moment we met her. After Ben graduated medical school, we moved to NYC for Ben's residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery, and I became a stay-at-home mom. We welcomed our first boy, Colton, during Ben’s second year. Ever since I can remember, he has amazed us with his creative, engineering mind. Though residency was a challenge, NYC was an incredible experience. We went to shows on Broadway, swam at the Rockefeller Estate, dined at the Knickerbocker Club, watched the Giants play from the field, and Central Park was our playground. We then moved to Rochester, MN for Ben’s fellowship program at the Mayo Clinic. We experienced -55 degree temps, learned to cross country ski, went to bars made of ice, and Ben learned what it feels like for his eyes to freeze shut. After fellowship, we moved to D.C. where Ben accepted his first attending position and I began a JD/MBA program at American University Washington College of Law/Kogod. Our last year in D.C., after waiting seven years, we finally welcomed our third baby, Cooper, the best, happiest baby. Six weeks later, I graduated with my JD/MBA in May of 2017 and we moved to Austin, the place we finally decided to call home. Ben started working for Texas Orthopedics and I studied for the bar. We hired Jacqueline, a college student, who spent almost every day with us for two years, helping care for Cooper, and became another family member. After passing the bar, I began working for the Texas Government and we welcomed our au pair Pati, from Brazil, in April of 2019. Two months later, our last baby, Caden, was born. Caden completes our family and ties all of our hearts together. Pati lived with us for 4.5 years and became another daughter to us, and another mother to Caden. When she finally decided she needed to learn how to be an adult on her own, she moved into an apartment ten minutes away and we welcomed our newest family member, our au pair Anastasia from Germany. She talks more than Gabi and is very dramatic like me, so she fits right in. Over the last 20 years, we have been through so much life. There have been challenges and there have been victories. Through all of it, we have had each other. We are so excited to see what the next 20 years brings. Thank you all so much for being a part of our journey and for celebrating 20 years of life together. We are so grateful for your part in our lives.