Word on the Street

EACH ISSUE THE WOMAN TODAY IS ASKING ABOUT YOUR LIVES, EXPERENCES, AND THOUGHTS.

Paul Kopecky and Shiaoling Peng Plymouth, Minnesota

Q – How long have you been together?

A – We met in 1989 at UMD and married in August of 1990.

Q – How has your marriage lasted this long?

A – We live in blissful ignorance. We are dumb together. She’s spontaneous, her mind changes like the wind and we just adapt. Laughter is key. We are kind of a dull, boring couple. A lot of the things we do are small things, but if that’s not nice I’m not sure what is.

This was Paul and Shiaoling’s first time back in Duluth since they’ve had their children who are 24 and 20.

Gabe and Erin Boschmann Canada

Q – How long have you been married?

A – 15 years tomorrow – we are on our anniversary trip in Duluth.

Q – How has your 15 years been?

A – I’d say it’s been 13 years of tolerating, and two years of really liking each other (said with laughter).

Q – Any children?

A – Two kids, a boy and girl.

Q – Is there anything about the other that still bothers you after all these years?

A – Erin: Well, he eats his toast SO loudly, like the loudest I’ve ever heard! Gabe: She’s perfect.

Jeff and Linda McIntyre Webster, Wisconsin

Q – How long have you known each other?

A – We met in 1977, went our separate ways for awhile, reintroduced in 1986 through mutual friends and married in 1991. Linda laughs when she recalls, “I went to his first wedding and dated his best man for awhile.”

Q – What are any tips for couples?

A – Share money. We have similar interests, we bike a lot, love antiquing and fixing up our house. And it doesn’t hurt to root for the same football team.

Kevin and Meg Heaton

Q – How long have you been married?

A – 48 years at the end of August. We met in a small catholic college in Wisconsin.

Q – Any advice for couples?

A – Don’t get married right away, we did when we were 19 and 20. Hold off. We hit a wall, marriage wasn’t always easy. You can always get married. When you’re young you have more emotions than intellect. We needed a mediator, because little things grew into big things. We go to counseling every seven years; it’s our version of a seven-year itch.

Q – Do you have any children?

A – We have two kids, twins. We were married 17 years before we had kids. It worked for us – we were able to experience things before we had them, we didn’t feel like we had to sacrifice much when we decided to have them.