I'll keep it short, as told by Jeanne Cortes...
As fate would have it, the winds and waters of change called Katrina came rolling through New Orleans. It was summer's end in 2005 and life would never be the same again.
A family forced to be separated, my mom and two younger sisters; Eveleen and Angelica found ourselves settling down in Naples Florida. While my dad was called on to fulfill his duties on the home front, and my oldest sister Ivonne evacuated to Texas, we all had to deal with the turmoil of losing our normal way of life. In search of a new beginning, we tried to regain stability by enrolling in school and starting to work again. As time passed and new friendships grew, a girlfriend told me about a special someone who she thought might just be the person for me to really connect with. She took on the role of matchmaker, but instead of setting up an awkward blind date, she gave us each the others online profile page. After two months of messaging and getting a good feel for each others personalities we decided to meet face to face. Meeting Lafe for the first time was an experience I'll always cherish. |
He completely won me over with his charming nature and unique style.
Throughout our first dinner date I was pleasantly surprised on how relaxed I felt. He had a way about him that made me feel like we had known each other for much longer than we actually did. And although our first date was cut short because *ahem* he had to run home to turn in a school paper, he promised to make it up to me somehow and hasn't stopped making me happy ever since. In May of 2009 while I was visiting New Orleans - Lafe had arranged a surprise proposal. After dropping me off at the airport, he drove the 12 hours to New Orleans to ask me 1 question. Unbeknownst to me, when asking for my Dads permission he had coordinated a meeting point in the Jackson Square garden. The pictures below show my family and I ready for the camera when Lafe jumped into frame as my friends Kristy and Crystal took pictures...and of course I was surprised once I realized what was really going on! May 21st 2009 is a day I'll never forget. |