How We Met
Chris and Yazmin met in middle school. Yazmin used to make fun of Chris in Spanish class, calling him such derogatory names as "Cristobal Columbus" and "Cristoforo the Terrible." Despite this torturous time, Chris forgave her and left the door open for a future reconciliation. The summer before senior year in High School, they realized that they had much in common. After a few harmless dates Yazmin fell in love with Chris' charm. Soon after, they realized that they were meant to be together.
Everything In Between
Yazmin went to Marist College in NY while Chris opted for the University of Hartford in CT. Despite hefty cell phone bills, lots of driving, and zero privacy, the college experience was easily the best time of each of their lives. Chris was able to visit Yazmin and enjoy all that is Marist-- rolling hills, the Hudson River, 3-1 female-to-male student ratio, shopping on Route 9, and some damn good nachos at Rolling Rock Cafe and Everready Diner. Yazmin enjoyed all that was Hartford-- beer cans thrown from windows, drunk people wandering in the wee hours, 3-1 freak-to-normal student ratio, shopping at West Farms, plenty of dinners at the Macaroni Grille and Joe's, and performances by Vanilla Ice (not lying) and the Black Eyed Peas to boot. When all was said and done, Yazmin got her B.A. in Psych/Special Ed and her Master's Degree in Educational Psychology in just 4 1/2 years. Chris graduated at the top of his class with a B.A. in Interactive Information Technology. And they both met some great friends along the way, some of whom were in Jamaica for the wedding ceremony, and all of whom will be in Trumbull for the wedding celebration.
How We Got Engaged
Chris planned a romantic picnic of Subway sandwiches (Eat Fresh!) and soda. Not at all suspicious of this $10 meal, Yazmin happily accepted an invititation to go to Edgerton Park in New Haven for the picnic. After some couple small talk, Chris proposed in one of history's most romantic moments. Yazmin jumped out of her skin when she saw the ring, asking repeatedly, "Are you crazy??!? Chris reminded her that his question required an answer, which, after 5 minutes, was a "YES!"
What's In Store
Aside from planning the biggest event of their lives, Chris and Yazmin are both pretty busy people. Yazmin is a primary special ed teacher at Ridge Hill School in Hamden (Chris' elementary school!), and Chris is a technical producer for ESPN.com. They recently purchased their first home together in Cheshire, CT, so the coming year will be filled with lots of home renovation projects (a.k.a nails through fingers, broken windows, and probably an outlet shock or two).