As Valentine’s Day approaches, The Catalyst asked teachers to share their love stories with the community.

The Catalyst (TC): How did you and your partner meet?

Wendy Connolly (WC): I went to work for a resort called Club Med and I was living on a gorgeous island. The sand was pink from the conch shells. Anyway, I was living on the island of Eleuthera working as a lifeguard swim instructor. And my future husband was from New Jersey and he was the sound engineer at the resort. I thought he was cute so we started talking and then the summer ended so then we stopped working. And I went to New Jersey because I’d never been to the east coast and he had never been to California. So he came out to California. And he decided to stay here. Thank God. I would not acclimate well to New Jersey. So that’s how we met on the island of Eleuthera working for a resort. A beautiful romance that blossomed.

TC: What is your favorite memory from being together?
WC: Favorite memory. One of my many favorite memories is when we went to Paris for a weekend and it was the most amazing time. My husband had the flu but he rallied and it was raining and cold. But he rallied and I rallied and we had no obligations, no children to tell us what to do boss us around. And it was just for a quick weekend. It was wonderful. I love Paris.

TC: What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?
WC: Valentine’s Day is just another day. I appreciate celebrating spontaneous days that I don’t expect. One of my favorite things to do is

pack a picnic dinner and go down to Bean Hollow Beach which is this beautiful deep beach and Pescadero that’s just this cove. We just hang out there at the beach, but not on Valentine’s Day. And I never want him to buy me flowers because that’s a multibillion-dollar industry. I’d rather have a trip to Paris.

The Catalyst (TC): How did you and your partner meet?

Sarah Boragno (SB): Okay, so Nick and I met freshman year. He went to Serra high school, I went to Notre Dame, and we met. Actually, we knew each other saying Greg’s and St. Pius we knew of each other, but we really started hanging out freshman year. I remember thinking, “Oh, he’s such a nice great guy”, but we didn’t start dating until after college. So we were just friends all through high school. That’s why I tell everybody the story because you could be really good friends with someone right now and then end up married with two kids. Crazy but true.

TC: What is your favorite memory with him?
SB: My favorite memory. I think that yes, we’ve gone on a lot of trips and vacations and done a lot of fun things together, but I feel my favorite memory is when my son Danny was born. And Nick was in the full-on surgical outfit and just a frantic brand new dad and watching him just kind of step into this new role. It was not just us two anymore and then it started as building our family. I think the first time I saw him hold Danny was probably my favorite memory of us.

TC: What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?
SB: I think Valentine’s Day is very much a Hallmark holiday. However, I think it is also a really good reminder that relationships take effort and dedication and the good and the bad. So it’s a reminder to just celebrate each other and all the crazy times and good times and difficult times and fun times that come with that.

The Catalyst (TC): How did you and your partner meet?
Anna Gavidia (AG): I was rooming with a girl in the dorms freshman year of college and she was the girlfriend of my husband’s roommate. He came to visit my roommate and we started hanging out.

TC: What is your favorite memory with him?
AG: We went backpacking together through Europe after college, it was a great experience to get to know each other better.

TC: What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?
AG: Valentine’s Day to me means friendship. It’s not necessarily about my significant other or romance, it’s just the friendship that has been with me before my husband. But he and I will go out to dinner or something on Valentine’s Day.