Bells Will Be Ringing!

Vista, CA- Congratulations to Mario De Maria and Erika Pichette on their engagement. Last night, it happened. On Friday, October 21st, 2011, Mario proposed to Erika. They had been dating for over three years now and the day came.

Many will exclaim, "It's about time!" after so many seasons of being boyfriend&girlfriend. The beauty is that Mario and Erika are both wise and skilled Christians, who would not rush into a HUGE decision and life changing event, i.e. Marriage! This was made evident with how they treated each other while dating.

Mario and Erika both took righteous steps everyday of their romance together to make sure the Man upstairs would be glorified. Not only did they seek to learn each others' likes and dislikes, but they both grew together by developing a relationship with God. As much time as they spent loving one another, they each spent even more time worshiping and loving the one true God.

Mario and Erika both come from amazing parents. Erika's parents are some of the most wisest and loving Christians today, who have been responsible for the stellar upbringing of their daughter. Erika's beautiful mom has chizzled away at Erika's ability to be a lady, an act seldom seen in today's parenting. Erika's father, a legend of Theological studies, has used his Godly Marine authority to protect his daughter from the horny wolves and guide her to find a man after God's own heart. He has even helped shape the moral and religious foundation of Erika's fiancee.

Mario has also been primarily tempered in correct doctrine thanks to the wise attributes of his own hard working dad and beautiful mother. Mario was raised with a family that taught him not only love, but how real the world can be. Even as a child, his parents righteously spoiled him with kisses and hugs, but also taught him the true colors of the world. The Fruits of the Spirit are evident in the De Maria household.

Erika currently goes to Cal State San Marcos. She is able to pull off top grades in her class while working two jobs to make ends meet in southern California. She is loved by her community and sings in the choir at her local church.

Mario works right around the corner from her church at a well respected equipment rental yard. His hard work is reflected upon his brow but spends his free time evangelizing truth to the world. He helps organize the red tape at a local church ministry and encourages people of all races, religions, and backgrounds to aim toward righteousness.

The experience and knowledge these two love birds have will guide them through their future together as a gorgeous couple under God. This isn't a love story of Montague and Capulet. This is a unity of two noble and honorable households, grand and epic bloodlines merging, reflecting that only God is responsible for real love.



Oh yeah, check out the rock!

Paralyzed Bride Jennifer Darmon Walks Down Aisle

Jennifer Darmon walked down the aisle on her wedding day this weekend, which was a particularly moving moment since she has been confined to a wheel chair since a crippling car crash in 2008.



On Saturday, the radiant bride strode to the altar with the help of leg braces and a decorated metal walker. That short but momentous stroll came after years of intense therapy and a vow she made to ABC's "World News" March 25.

"You know, picturing your wedding, you don't picture rolling down the aisle," she said after she was chosen as the "World News" Person of the Week. "You picture the walk with your dad. It's the most important thing. I will be walking down the aisle. It's not an if or a maybe. It's absolutely going to happen."

Darmon, 28, made good on her promise and said "I do" to Mike Belawetz, 25 this past Saturday.

"It's so nice for everyone to see the end result. All the work I've put into it over the last couple of years," Darmon told ABC News affiliate WXYZ after the ceremony.

"I'm proud of my wife," Belawetz told WXYZ, the ABC affiliate in Detroit, after his wedding. "Her accomplishments and it just feels really great to be here today."

Darmon was a bank teller from Windsor, Canada, and Belawetz, was a shy paramedic who did more than his share of banking. The year was 2006 and Belawetz was going to the bank three times a week.

"Obviously she's a very, very pretty girl, which was the main attraction," he said, and that "kept me going to the bank."

They eventually started dating, and falling in love. Then tragedy struck in 2008.

They were on a road trip with friends when an oncoming car struck their van head-on. Everyone was able to get out of the vehicle after the crash, except for Darmon, who couldn't move. Being a paramedic, Belawetz was able to move her from the car. As soon as he ran his hand down her spine, he knew that his worst fears may be confirmed.

"I couldn't feel my legs," Darmon told ABC News. "I went into hysterics. I was screaming and crying and not really knowing what was going on." After getting checked out at the hospital, doctors told her she would never walk again.

She endured numerous surgeries and grueling three-hour physical therapy sessions three times a week. She made the 45-minute drive from her home in Windsor, Canada, to the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan in Detroit in her car, which had been modified so she could accelerate using a hand crank. All the while, she wondered whether this was too much for Belawetz.

"I told him a few times, 'You don't have to stay if this is something you don't think you want in your life for the rest of your life,'" Darmon said. "I figured that I would spare him."

Belawetz never left her side, staying through every small step and medical milestone.

"The accident made me realize that if there is something you want to do, do it while you can," he said. "If you have people close to you, let them know."

And he did, proposing to Darmon on their four year anniversary as a couple.

ABC News' Enjoli Francis and James Wang contributed to this article.

Love and Respect Marriage Conference

Does your marriage suck?

or do you have a "perfect" marriage? (yeah, right!)

Are you planning on getting married? (oh hell)

Do you seek knowledge to help yourself or others? (ofcourse not, you know everything!)

Then I highly recommend this Live Marriage Conference!

The Rock Church: Love and Respect Conference

2277 Rosecrans St.

San Diego, CA 92106

Friday, September 25th @ 7PM to 9PM

and

Saturday, September 26th @ 8AM to 4PM

Registration begins/doors open at 6PM on Friday 9/25

Cost: $45

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"Most assuredly I say to you that Dr. Emerson Eggerichs truly understands relationships and the beautiful responsiblity of marriage. He is the author of 'Love & Respect: The Love She Desires, The Respect He Desperately Needs' and 'Cracking the Communication Code: Love for Her, Respect for Him' which I have both read many times and fully promote to anyone seeking knowledge about the insane serenity we embrace as 'marriage'." -THRILL

"Some people would spend thousands of dollars and several years to study professions and seek out job careers. We devout our lives to studying what we try to achieve and accomplish. Why should 'Marriage' be treated any differently?" -THRILL

Brooklyn Couple to Wed in Zero Gravity

BY Christina Boyle DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, June 3rd 2009, 12:10

A Brooklyn couple will become the first on the planet to say "I do" in zero gravity when they tie the knot later this month.

Self-confessed sci-fi addicts Noah Fulmore, 31, and Erin Finnegan, 30, will travel to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to exchange their vows while literally walking on air.

"We would really prefer to do it in space or on Mars but living in the time that we do, this was the closest we could get to zero gravity," Fulmore said.

"We were shocked to discover no one had done it yet."

The Williamsburg residents will be joined June 20 by a handful of friends in a plane owned by the Zero Gravity Corporation's - the only federally approved provider of commercial weightless flights.

Space tourist and adventurer Richard Garriott, the son of an astronaut, will officiate at the ceremony during the 90-minute flight.

The newlyweds are sure to have butterflies in their stomachs because the trip includes 15 rollercoaster-type dives, known as parabolic arcs, which last up to 30 seconds.

The jet plummets from 36,000 feet to 24,000 feet and then climbs back up - allowing passengers on the Boeing 727 to experience weightlessness.

"There's going to be that moment of expectation right before we are lifted up and I feel like I've waited my whole life for that," said Fulmore, a legal secretary.

"We will be one of the few humans who have experienced that."

The lovebirds had their wedding wardrobe especially designed for the occasion.
Finnegan will wear a multilayered white gown and Fulmore will be in a tux with tapered tails to ensure their clothes don't reveal too much.

The pair met at an NYU science fiction club in 2000 and began dating in 2002. They went to so many "conventional" weddings they decided to do something out of this world.

"Since this is the one time in our lives that we were going to do this [get married], we thought we should make it a once-in-a-lifetime event," Fulmore said.

"My mom thinks I'm absolutely nuts."

The honeymoon will be more low-key - a trip to Disney World - but you can bet they won't miss Space Mountain.

"I never wanted to have a normal wedding," said Finnegan, who works in animation production. "I couldn't picture myself walking down an aisle."

The flight costs $5,200 per person and Finnegan and Fulmore are footing the entire bill themselves.

"I think we will spend some of our married life simply paying off the expense, but I think that weightlessness is probably the best metaphor for love that one can experience," Fulmore said. Read more: "So in love they could float away: Brooklyn couple to wed in zero gravity"

- http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/06/03/2009-06-03_so_in_love_they_could_float_away_bklyn_couple_to_wed_in_zero_gravity.html#ixzz0HQ0VdyOY&A

Miles McPherson on Marriage

My Girlfriend

Not only has it been Eight months since we've met,
Kristen Pierce has set a new record in my life as being the longest lasting girlfriend I've ever had.

Exactly 8 months, is the longest I've ever had a steady girlfriend.
The runner up was one day short of 8 months.
The third runner up lasted 7 months, 9 days.
The fourth, with 6 months, 14 days.

Many others have been shorter than that.
In 1999, one girl agreed to be my girlfriend for a publicity stunt,
lasting EXACTLY one month.

Shortest time any female lasted as my girlfriend: 1 hour and 35 minutes.


More Facts on Kristen
Thursday, Dec. 18th, 2008: Kristen is the first girlfriend ever to accompany me to my company Christmas party.
Tuesday, Dec. 2nd, 2008: Most funding ever spent on a girlfriend.
Sunday, Nov. 2nd, 2008: Kristen joins me for dinner at my first time eating at Outback Steakhouse.
Thursday, Oct. 9th, 2008: Kristen joins me for my first time at Knott's Scary Farm.
Friday, July 18th, 2008: Kristen is the first girlfriend to join me at an INDOOR shooting range.
Monday, May 26th, 2008: Kristen is the first girlfriend ever who reaches over to unlock the driver-side door after being escorted into my vehicle. A Williams Family Expectation for the "right one".
Sunday, May 25th, 2008: Kristen is the first female resident of CA I've met with Conservative-Texan/Godly parenting, marital, and moral views.


Valentine's Day?
FACT: I've been single on Feb. 14th my entire life. Yes, I've had dates on this day. I've definitely have received Valentine's. But I've always been officially single. This Valentine's Day looks as if Kristen Pierce will be the first woman ever to break this streak.

Why Living Together Before Marriage Doesn't Work

Why Living Together Before Marriage Doesn't Work

Mike & Harriet McManus
Authors, Living Together

No group is more supportive of living together—despite evidence that four out of five couples who begin cohabiting will not build a lasting marriage—than the young. While 90 percent of teenagers believe in marriage, they view cohabitation as a stepping-stone in the relationship—a good way to get know their partner and avoid a future divorce. Sixty-nine percent say they “approve” of couples “living together before they get married.” They say, “If things don’t work out, we can chalk it up to experience and move on. At least we will have learned something about ourselves and marriage.”

Pamela Smock, Ph.D., a sociologist at the University of Michigan, writes: “Common sense suggests that premarital cohabitation should provide an opportunity for couples to learn about each other, strengthen their bonds, and increase their chances for a successful marriage. . . . The evidence, however, suggests just the opposite. Premarital cohabitation tends to be associated with lower marital quality and to increase the risk of divorce, even after taking into account of variables known to be associated with divorce. . . . The degree of consensus about this central finding is impressive.”

What starts as lower levels of commitment among those who choose to cohabit eventually translates into lower levels of relationship happiness both before and after the wedding, if there is a wedding. This outcome will come as a surprise to men who insist on living with a woman before considering marriage. The truth is, instead of improving their odds of success, they unwittingly improve their odds of failure.

Why is the divorce rate so much higher for couples who marry after cohabiting?

Two theories have credence:

1. The “Selection Effect”

The first theory, put forth by Dr. Bumpass, is the “selection effect.”

Those who live together before marriage differ substantially from those who do not, and those differences increase the likelihood of marital instability for former cohabitors. Cohabitors tend to be less educated. For example, cohabiting women are twice as likely to be high-school dropouts than college graduates. Cohabitors also tend to have nontraditional values and attitudes.

They are less likely to be religious and more likely to dismiss advice to remain chaste before marriage. They are more likely to be children of divorce. They are less committed to marriage and, when troubles arise, more open to divorce.

The problem with this theory is that most high-school dropouts in 1960 didn’t cohabit before they married, nor did the less religious nor the more liberal. It simply was not done. Additionally, few of their parents had divorced.

What has changed the culture so dramatically?

The Sexual Revolution. When the birth control pill was introduced, the perceived dangers of premarital sex were lessened and the era of “free love” was ushered in. Premarital sexual activity brought less of a stigma; it actually became a badge of honor and a sign of modernity. Eventually sex without the bonds of marriage became accepted as the norm. The “Playboy Philosophy,” popularized by Hugh Hefner, promoted consensual sex anywhere, anytime, with anyone. Widespread cohabitation is the logical outgrowth of such a societal frame of reference.

2. The Cohabitation Effect
The other, more probable, theory to explain why living together dooms so many marriages is that the experience of cohabiting changes young adults in ways that increase their chances of divorce. The very act of cohabiting, with its casual, impermanent bonding, diminishes respect for commitment, especially the till-death-do-us-part vows of marriage.

As Pamela Smock notes: “Through cohabitation people learn about and come to accept the temporary nature of relationships and in particular that there are alternatives to marriage.” She cites a study showing that living together between the ages of eighteen and twenty-three “significantly alters young men’s and women’s attitudes toward marriage and divorce.” It changes “people’s attitudes in ways that make them more prone to divorce.”

But cohabitation changes even more than people’s perspectives on marriage and divorce. It seems to dramatically affect the way people view and respond to their partners. Dr. Catherine Cohan of Pennsylvania State University explained to Reuters Health what she observed in yet another eye-opening study comparing the marriages of people who had cohabited with those who had not: “Those people who lived together were more negative and less positive when resolving a marital problem and when providing support to their partner.” She found that even those who cohabited for just one month before marriage actually displayed poorer communication and problem-solving skills than those who did not live together.

According to Dr. Cohan’s report, coauthored with Stacey Kleinbaum, in the February 2002 issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family, 60 percent of test subjects who had cohabited before marriage were more verbally aggressive, less supportive of one another, and more hostile than the 40 percent of spouses who had not lived together.

Researchers visited the couples at home, interviewed partners separately, and then videotaped two fi fteen-minute sessions, in the absence of the interviewer, in which the partners sought to solve a problem that had been selected by each from a list that included sex, money, children, housework, career, and religion. The videotapes revealed that couples who had first lived together displayed more negative behavior than those who had not. Husbands who had cohabited, for example, were more likely to attempt to control their wives, while the wives were more verbally aggressive.

Cohan and Kleinbaum concluded that couples who live together before marriage enter the relationship with lower commitment. It takes a higher level of commitment to marry than to cohabit. “The open-ended nature of the relationship may cause them to be less motivated to develop their conflict resolution and support skills.”

The researchers said those who cohabited were not doomed to divorce but did have “poorer communication skills” than those who remained separate until the wedding. Cohan added, “I can say, however, there’s nothing in the research that says living together helps people in the long run.”

People who cohabit seem to lose respect for themselves and for their partner, while those who form a household only after marriage have inherently higher self-respect and respect for their spouse.
Cohabitation is a supercharged engine producing dissatisfied couples and, as a result, more divorces—thus contributing to and sustaining America’s high divorce rate.

From LIVING TOGETHER by Mike McManus and Harriet McManus. Copyright (c) 2008 by Michael J. McManus and Harriet E. McManus. Reprinted by permission of Howard Publishing, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Mike McManus is a Duke graduate who was Time's youngest correspondent in 1963. He has been a nationally syndicated columnist since 1977, whose award-winning "Ethics & Religion" column is published weekly. Mike's book Marriage Savers inspired clergy to create Community Marriage Policies that have reduced divorce and cohabitation rates in more than one hundred cities. He and his wife, Harriet, cofounded Marriage Savers, Inc., to help clergy better prepare, enrich, and restore marriages. They have personally mentored fifty-seven couples preparing for marriage.

Harriet McManus married Mike in 1965. She was the first editor of Marriage Savers and Mikes other books and is editor of Mike's columns. Together they have initiated a premarital marriage ministry in their church, Fourth Presbyterian in Bethesda, Maryland, and they pioneered the training of Mentor Couples to administer a premarital inventory. She works full-time for Marriage Savers as a writer, editor, and trainer. She and Mike have three sons and six grandchildren.

Going Solo In The USA
by Sperling's BestPlaces

Last year, the New York Times published the results of its census analysis stating that 51% of U.S. women live without a spouse. However, Sperling's BestPlaces discovered this might not be the whole story.

"The Times came to some insightful conclusions with their analysis," said Bert Sperling, lead researcher for Sperling's BestPlaces. "We made some different assumptions to more closely reflect our national lifestyle where fifteen year-old girls aren't commonly expected to get married."

The New York Times used, at that time, the latest demographics from the Census Bureau, including women above age fourteen who were unmarried or separated. Indeed, according to a University of Texas survey, the average age of women at their first marriage is 26.

Sperling's firm looked at similar Census data, but restricted its analysis to single, widowed, and divorced women age 25-64. Without this cap on the age range, places with higher concentrations of elderly people would show a misleading number of single women.

Sperling's conclusion is significantly different than the New York Times. In the 379 metro areas nationwide, 34% of women 25-64 are single.

Despite all the attention to this new milestone for single women, the difference between the number of single men and women is not as great as one might think. Nationally, 32% of men are single.

Where do the lonely hearts live?
"As interesting as the nation as a whole is trending," Sperling said, "we want to see which places had the greatest percentage of single men and women."

Sperling's firm broke down the data by metro area, revealing interesting patterns on where singles live.

San Francisco seems to attract single people like a good pickup line, if there is such a thing. Compared to every other metro area in the U.S., the San Francisco region, which includes areas south like San Mateo and Redwood City, has the highest percentage of single people.

Detroit, with 43% singles, is second only to San Francisco. New York, and Boston round out the top four.

Most southern cities are not flush with single people. Those cities in southern states that have more singles are homes to colleges, where students might choose to remain after graduation, or are known for their nightlife. New Orleans, Austin, and a handful of Florida cities all have more singles than the national average.

"There has to be a lot going on for singles," said David Evans in a phone interview with BestPlaces. Evans is an online dating researcher based in Boston, a city that is 39% single. Evans said Boston has the key factors for single living. "It's a college town, it has nightlife, culture, and lots of jobs."

Whether by choice or circumstance, many are living in some of the biggest cities, surrounded by millions, and still find themselves alone.

The Top Ten "Solo Cities:" (Percent)
1 San Francisco, CA 44.7
2 Detroit, MI 44
3 New York, NY 39.8
4 Boston, MA 39.2
5 New Orleans, LA 39.1
6 Los Angeles, CA 37.7
7 Fort Lauderdale, FL 37.2
8 Las Vegas, NV 37
9 Miami, FL 36.9
10 Albuquerque, NM 36.8

Where are the couples?
People tend couple up more in the smaller towns, though there are big city outliers like Edison, NJ, and Nassau-Suffolk metro area in New York. Many places that view themselves as traditional boast marriage rates above the national average.

A few college cities buck the trend of having more singles. North Carolina cities, Raleigh and Charlotte--each home to a university with more than 20,000 students--are in the bottom 25% by percentage of singles.

Logan, UT, and Provo, UT, both have fewer than 20% singles, the lowest in the country. Texas cities McAllen and Laredo have similarly low numbers of single people.

Top Ten Least Single Cities (Percent Single)
1 McAllen, TX 23
2 Lake County, IL 25.1
3 Nassau, NY 26.9
4 Edison, NJ 28
5 Poughkeepsie, NY 28
6 Bakersfield, CA 28.3
7 El Paso, TX 28.4
8 Allentown, PA-NJ 28.4
9 Salt Lake City, UT 28.5
10 Oxnard, CA 28.5

What about that gender gap?
Bars and clubs that promote the ubiquitous "Ladies Night" might be surprised to find their city's gender gap favors the men. Since the U.S. has about 6% more single women than single men, many cities tip toward more women.

Evans said many dating events take care of any imbalance by "stocking the pond," applying a quota so the number of participants of each sex are equal.

Still, where there is an imbalance, the dating life is easier on one gender. Online dating companies are cluing into the gender gap. "All the sites are getting to where the ads are different in geographic areas," Evans said.

When advertising on TV, the radio, or the Internet, personals websites can alter the ads based on whether the city is likely to have a dearth of one gender. An effect of this, Evans said, is that people perceive that there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Top 10 Gender-imbalanced Cities:
1 McAllen, TX 28% more women
2 El Paso, TX 27% more women
3 Memphis, TN 17% more women
4 Bethesda, MD 17% more women
5 San Jose, CA 17% more men
6 Birmingham, AL 16% more women
7 New York, NY 16% more women
8 Baltimore, MD 16% more women
9 Little Rock, AR 16% more women
10 Columbia, SC 15% more women

A gender gap is more common than a perfect balance. Despite that, some places manage to have remarkably similar numbers of men and women, as if someone is stocking the pond of the entire city.

Top 10 Equality Cities:
1 Warren, MI slightly more men
2 Minneapolis, MN slightly more women
3 Tacoma, WA slightly more men
4 Orlando, FL slightly more men
5 Oxnard, CA slightly more men
6 Grand Rapids, MI 1% more men
7 Los Angeles, CA 2% more women
8 Allentown, PA 2% more women
9 Fort Worth, TX 2.5% more women
10 Santa Ana, CA 2.5% more men