Connect How did your love story begin?

We met at a little bar in El Paso called “Hope and Anchor.” My wife’s niece had just been born and was admitted to the NICU, so she went out with a friend and her sister-in-law to try to take their mind off the stress. I was a medic in the army and was out with some buddies. I saw her come in wearing these pearls that caught my attention. We went over to the table they were sitting at, and then we hit it off from there.

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

My favorite memory happens in two bits. First, how I proposed. I developed an extravagant scavenger hunt, sending her to where we first met, to the aerial tramway here in El Paso (which is closed now), and a few other places, then proposed to her at the park where we had our first date, which is another great story. Second, was the day our son was born last year. She had a difficult pregnancy and that day I didn’t know what was going to happen. It was a reminder of how important she is to me.

What would you do with $20,000?

With 20,000, I would/we would use it to pay off debts and maybe take our son to Disneyland, cliche, I know, but it is my wife’s favorite place to visit and we want to take our son on his birthday, which is November 10. If we had our debts paid off, we could move into a bigger home for our family. Maybe have a bigger backyard for our zoo (8 dogs and a cat)—Denisse has a huge heart for animals, and her dream, that I hope to someday fulfill, is ti have our own ranch so she can save more dogs.