Vanessa Muza Teskey and Mike Hawkins

#204

Tell us about the beginning of your relationship: How you met, when you met and the details of the proposal.

We met at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi. We were working for the Air Force and worked closely together daily. Our boss saw the potential for a relationship and encouraged Mike to ask me out. After Mike finally complied, an amazing relationship began! His proposal was the most incredible surprise ever! I was at a family reunion in Wisconsin, 1,000 miles from Mississippi. Mike told me he had to work and couldn’t attend. My sister took me to a restaurant and Mike flew to Green Bay, drove to Door County and hid in the restaurant bathroom! Out of nowhere he was on his knee proposing. I almost ruined it because I tried to hug him instead! Finally, I realized what was happening and sat down and began to cry! I DEFINITELY said yes!

What do you think is the key to a happy and lasting marriage and why?

The key to a happy and lasting marriage is a strong relationship with God. Human ‘love’ alone is NOT enough. That love is not sufficient to get you through the inevitable disagreements and arguments that occur as two people live together and see each other every day. We believe Jesus is our Savior and have built our relationship on the choice to grow closer to God individually and as a couple. We picture our relationship as a triangle, with God at the top and us at the lower angles. The priority for both of us is Jesus Christ, then the other person, then ourselves. With these common priorities, we find it is possible for us, two different people, raised in different households and traditions, to live under the same roof and be happy and fulfilled.

Where do you see your relationship in ten years?

In ten years, we see ourselves happily married and healthy. Lord willing Vanessa will be completely cured and done with hospitals and treatments. If she’s healthy enough to have kids we’ll hopefully be blessed enough to have two by then and raising a Godly family. We hope to be living in Virginia near family. Mike will continue to work for the Air Force and will be a Major by that point. Even during her illness, Vanessa is currently completing prerequisite courses for nursing school and plans to pursue a second degree program and earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She should be done with school by that time and employed in a hospital caring for others in their time of sickness. We happily acknowledge however, that these plans are subject to God’s perfect will for our life!

What do you feel is the best quality about your partner and give an example.

Mike: This was a difficult question for me to answer because Vanessa has so many amazing qualities. So after staying up awhile last night, I finally decided that her courage is her best quality. She always reminds me that God is the source of her strength and courage but what she endures day in and day out and the attitude and positive outlook she has despite the circumstances is remarkable and inspiring. She teaches me different lessons every day on how to handle frustration and disappointment with a smile on my face and I love her for that. She is so brave and I thank God for blessing me with a woman who is capable of fighting the kinds of battles she faces daily.

Vanessa: I know it sounds cheesy, but I seriously consider myself to be the luckiest woman alive. Mike truly is the man I always dreamed of marrying, plus extra bonus qualities I never even knew I wanted in a husband. If I have to choose the best quality about Mike, it is definitely his sense of humor. His rock solid faith encourages me, but his witty personality and hysterical stories and jokes lift my spirits and keep me smiling on a daily basis. In all we have encountered in our relationship Mike always knows how to lighten the situation and make everyone laugh. He is honestly the reason I still find myself smiling in the face of the storm we are weathering together and for that I am forever grateful.

Tell us about both of your occupations, and why you each entered this line of work.

Mike: I’m a Captain in the Air Force. As an officer I supervise enlisted men and women and help develop them as professionals in today’s military. I entered this line of work to continue my family’s legacy of service to our country. My grandfathers served in Korea and Vietnam, my dad is a retired Marine Corps Colonel, and his older brother is a retired Air Force General. I joined the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Virginia shortly after the September 11^th attacks because I felt called to help defend my country and protect the freedom we enjoy as Americans.

Vanessa: My current occupation is fighting cancer! I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in May 2009 and have been enduring chemotherapy and radiation treatments since. The healthcare professionals who have helped me through this difficult time have inspired me to pursue a career in nursing. I am currently completing classes in nursing and applying to nursing programs.

What is the value and importance of community service and tell us what it means to you.

Community service is a vital way to contribute to and foster growth in our local society. To us, community service is about personal sacrifice of time and resources for the good of others. We truly believe each small contribution makes a difference in the big picture, making the world a better place. God’s word charges us to live as Jesus did and serve others. Mike was able to contribute by deploying for 6 months in support of Operations IRAQI and ENDURING FREEDOM. While there he volunteered to help teach sports to local children. While Mike was gone, Vanessa volunteered as a scorekeeper for a traveling girls basketball team. Back in Mississippi, we both volunteer at the local humane society.

What obstacles, loss, or hardship have you been faced with and how did you deal with it?

Our biggest hardship is Vanessa’s diagnosis with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. When we entered this competition, she was in stage 3 but has unfortunately progressed to stage 4. The treatments have caused Vanessa to lose her hair, lose some of her hearing and suffer numerous other side effects. This hardship was compounded by Mike’s deployment to the Arabian Gulf during Vanessa’s intensifying treatment and declining prognosis. Only by relying heavily on God’s grace and strength were we able to endure this challenging time. Additionally, the support of our loving families and friends and access to Skype helped us deal with the separation. Now that we’re back together, we take it one day at a time and love, laugh, and pray often. Each moment we’re blessed enough to spend together is a beautiful gift to be treasured that we will never take for granted.

Why do you deserve to win the 2010 San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway?

We consider ourselves extremely blessed to have made it into the top five! There were so many amazing couples with stories of incredible love and endurance. Winning the dream wedding would mean a great deal to us and we would love this opportunity to celebrate our love in a romantic location like California! The Dream Team is exactly what we need to help us plan and execute the wedding we have always wanted. Throughout our relationship we have faced significant challenges and wedding planning has been forced to take a backseat to medical appointments and deployments. We would love to win this contest because this wedding would be the perfect way to begin our life together and would be the ideal setting to rejoice in our victory over this ruthless disease surrounded by those who have loved and supported us through it all!

Video Submission: We asked each of our contestants to submit a video showing something from their every day lives. There were no rules for how they wanted to create it, so long as it was around 3 minutes in length.

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