Sept. 6th, 2011: Our Story


Our story was written in our wedding program and on http://chineaandshawverbaby.ourbabychannel.com/. Here is how it was written:

We would like to thank God for bringing us together almost three and a half years ago on June 5th, 2008. We truly believe that God was preparing us for each other. We believe that through God we found our life companion and true love in one another. Many of you know our story...but for those of you who don't...here it is:

In early 2008 we both independently signed up for a summer trip sponsored by Maryknoll to Peru & Bolivia with other campus ministers from all over the country. Rosie was the director of campus ministry at the Newman Center in Albuquerque, NM and Mike was a campus minister at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. Rosie sent an email to the group and asked if any of us wanted to extend the trip for some personal vacation before we met up with the rest of the group. Mike gladly signed up along with another young woman named Becky.

In the midst of planning our vacation to Iguazu Falls in Argentina, we (Rosie & Mike), started emailing each other and found out that we had a lot in common – graduate degrees in Theology from Jesuit Universities, passion for social justice & service, strong Catholic faiths, love of travel & running, etc., etc., etc.

We started talking on the phone and had many 3 and 4 hour phone conversations. We agreed to meet up early before joining Becky on our way to Argentina. We laid a very solid foundation in the month of emails & phone conversations, so when we met, it was love at first sight!! One funny thing about this..prior to Mike coming to Albuquerque, Rosie mentioed to him that she generally was only attracted to Latinos and she didn't like facial hair. Mike had facial hair for over five years. Upon hearing that Rosie was not generally attaracted to non-Latinos and did not like facial hair, he changed what he could...he shaved.

We had a few days in Albuquerque then Miami, FL and finally Argentina. After going to Peru & Bolivia with the group, our first date of 35 days came to an end. By that time, we were totally in love and we decided that Mike would move to Albuquerque in August of 2008. We got engaged to be married on February 4, 2009.

This past year may be one of the most exciting in our lives, as we got married on June 5, 2010 and now are a little more than half way through our first pregnancy with Sofia Rose, who is expected to be born on April 18, 2011 (actual birth date, April 1, 2011). We like the name Sofia beacuse it means wisdom and is one of the names in the Bible that refers to the Holy Spirit. We like the middle name Rose because both of Rosie's grandmothers were named Rosa, Rosie's aunt was named Rose, and Mike's grandmother is named Rose.

We are just in awe at the gift of God's creation of a little life inside of Rosie as a result of our love for each other. It is so amazing how Rosie's body has naturally been adapting to make room for this little baby. We saw our first ultrasound image of Sofia at 12 weeks and the next one was at 21 weeks (early December). It is just so amazing to hear her little heart beat (151 beats per minute), to see her organs, and her head and hands and feet. We are very excited for her delivery into this world.

It has been a wonderful year, full of many blessings, and graces. We are truly looking forward to the marvelous plan God has laid out for us. Please pray for us and the arrival of our new baby girl, Sofia Rose, later this year.

Comments

AllThingsYummy said…
Such a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing.
September 6, 2011 at 7:11 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

April 23rd, 2020: My Reflections on Mass & the Eucharist during Covid-19

Image
I wrote this note to some of our USC students. I hope this message can also be useful to you during this time when there are no public Masses.  ______________________________________________ Hi all, Just want to share some of my reflections over this time of Covid-19 about Mass and the Eucharist. I am an avid daily Mass goer. Ever since I was in college, the Eucharist has been central to my relationship with Christ. There are times that I remember that the Eucharist was my sustenance, such as when I did a year of volunteer work with migrants in El Paso. I craved the Eucharist so badly during that year, that I found a way, whether I walked or used the community car, to get to the closest church for daily Mass.  This time of Covid-19 has been very difficult for me when in comes to my relationship with God in the Eucharist; simply because I do not have access to receiving the Eucharist. The night the Archdiocese, and then the staff at the Catholic Center, shortly after, dec
Read more

January 7th, 2020: Ministering from the Heart of God

Image
Last week at SLS 2020, a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) conference, I was asked to be part of a panel on ministering from the heart of God. On this panel we were asked to discuss how we, as professional campus ministers, continue to deepen our pursuit of God's heart in the midst of ministry. After the panel concluded several campus ministers asked me to give them the nine points I described while I was on the panel.   (1) Stay rooted in our identity as a daughter/son of God. I am in continual discovery of my relationship with God. It's like any relationship, we cannot know God fully, it takes spending time with Him on a continuous basis. When I reflect upon my identity as a daughter of God there are several instances that come to mind as my identity has been formed. When I was an undergraduate student at UC San Diego I entered university without an active relationship with God. Because of a friend's relentless invitation I decided to join her for Ma
Read more

Jan. 31st, 2011: Weddings...weddings...weddings...

Image
This last week I found out about three engagements! This summer, not including the three engagements, my cousin is getting married, a good family friend is getting married, and four former students (2 other weddings) I worked with are getting married! Weddings, for me, if the couple has discerned their relationship thoughtfully and prayerfully, are one of the most exciting and grace-filled moments one can experience in their lifetime. Honestly, I feel so blessed to have married Mike. He and I both dated some great people in our past...but none of them had everything that God had envisioned for us. There was always something within those relationships that left us both wanting more; something within us that was left untapped. We had to be patient and set aside our time lines to allow God to work within our lives. When we met in person, after a month of long emails and 2-3 hour phone conversations, we both knew that God had helped us to build a solid foundation for a deep faith-filled r
Read more