Party Animals

Kathy Zoll and Jerry Rapoza

Kathy: When I first talked to my Together Dating matchmaker, Paula, she told me, 'I have the perfect person for you. Everything you are looking for, this man has.' But two weeks after he hadn't returned my call, I moved on to my third introduction. It didn't go well.

Two weeks later, I got a call from Jerry. He apologized and told me he had been out of town. His son hadn't given him the message. Would I meet him for dinner at the Rose Wharf, in Bristol, Rhode Island? I was impressed at his choice.

The evening was excellent. It was a wonderful place to go for a lobster dinner and drinks and we learned we had a lot in common. We even knew some of the same people and were both members of the Elks Club. We dated a few nights a week for a few months and then began dating every day.

We're both sports freaks and big Patriots fans. About 30 of us went to see the Patriots and Buffalo Bills game in Buffalo, NY and then we took a side trip to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls with two other couples. He told a friend to get her camera ready and then found a beautiful spot. He told me to stand with my back to the rail so the falls would be behind me. Then, he got down on one knee and proposed. Jerry told me I could take all the time I needed to answer, as long as I answered within five days! It didn't take me nearly that long. Both of us are business people and know how to make quick decisions. This one was easy. Both of us lost our spouses a few years ago and we felt we didn't have much time to waste.

With us, it's all about family. Each of us has three kids. I have five grandkids and he has three. Had it not been for both families embracing us, the engagement never would have happened.

We became officially engaged on in front of our families – at his house on Christmas Eve and my family's on Christmas day. We'll marry in January onboard the Princess Caribbean. When we get back, we'll have a celebration for our family and friends at the Elks Club.

Jerry is a very special man. He has a great sense of humor and he's a great dancer. He makes me laugh and is absolutely kissable. I think everything I love about him he likes in me. We make one another laugh and are party animals.