A/S/L?
90% of the people I know call me by my family nickname, “Cheryl”. The other 10% –coworkers, former classmates, doctors, DMV workers, et cetera—know me as “Jeryl”. My proud parents are Ben and Mary Lou, and my only sister is Kristine. Currently, I live in Montclair, NJ, but San Jose, Raleigh, and Plano, Texas have also been places called “home”. I was able to meet a lot of good friends in all these places as I grew up. With that being said, I love every part of this country!
Post-college, I went from working in a pharmacy to becoming a mission worker. And because I love science so much, I went back to it and I’m currently making my living in a Quality Control laboratory. Now, as if things couldn’t get any better, I’m getting married! Oh, the places we’ll go!
- Bride.
I was born and raised in a little town called Maplewood, NJ. It’s the kind of place people would call “Main Street, USA” – a place full of American flags, bike riding families, and 4th of July pie eating contests. My parents, Don and Marina, bought our house when my brother Januel and I were still babies, and the Naluptas have lived there ever since.
Some time later, I went to University of Maryland, and lived there for 4 years afterward doing Mission Work for CFC Youth. Now I work, live and play back in the same small town I call home, designing various fun things and putting them on the internet.
- Groom.
How We Met
Vince and I first met in 1999 at the end of a youth conference (YFC) in Jacksonville, Florida. I was 18 and it was my first time attending a huge event like that. As my friend, Iris, and I made our rounds in the quad (dorms), she introduced me to some of her NJ friends. Cue the swift meeting of mmmdasnail and anjlcherub, who would never know that by a simple introduction and exchange of screen names, they had just discovered their lifelong spouse.
- Bride.
Cheryl and I then proceeded to keep in touch through AOL (Hey, it was still the 90s, give us a break!). We would send emails, IMs, talk in chat rooms – it was fun! Over time, the emails turned into written letters. Written letters turned into care packages. Care packages turned into long phone calls – via the use of calling cards, as long distance cell phone plans weren’t really around yet.
What started out as just a little online, conference crush, over time actually turned into something real. Through all the letters and emails, we became quite close and got to know each other really well. As crazy as it sounds, we were falling in love!
- Groom.
2004. Cloud9. Giddy. Butterflies everywhere! We saw a lot more of each other in 2004, and thus began the awkward interaction (which happens to be a trademark of our relationship to this day). Music and our love for serving the YFC ministry were the ultimate tools that brought us together that year. He even wrote me a song for my birthday! Conference came around again that summer, and on the last day he sealed the deal and asked me if I wanted to take our friendship to the next level. Under the stars in Southern California with someone who had turned out to be one of my closest friends, how could I refuse?
- Bride.
The Epiphany
As a Christmas present, I received a homemade coupon for an evening in NYC. On Epiphany Sunday 2009, we would attend Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, ice skate at Rockefeller Center, and eat at the restaurant right by the rink.
I had no idea that while we were skating, some of our friends, family and even my coworkers were in the crowd of tourists watching our every move, like paparazzi. We actually skated for a long time to make the most of some “VIP tickets” Vince supposedly splurged on. I was feeling sick and tired, but in gratitude I kept up with the activities for the night.
The skating session was over, and everyone was leaving the rink. But Vince pulled me towards the middle of the ice rink, since he had asked one of the employees to take our picture in front of the giant Christmas tree (with a sea of tourists waiting and watching!). Again, I bought into this “VIP ticket” package and reluctantly agreed to the picture. As soon as the picture was taken, Vince made sure I stayed put and when I looked him in the eye, I knew this was the moment! He fumbled for the beautiful ring and as soon as I saw it I immediately exclaimed “Yes!”. With a delayed CD performance of Babyface’s “Everytime I Close My Eyes,” we skated victoriously around the rink, hand in hand. It was truly a moment 10 years in the making.
- Bride.