Jill and Mauricio

Handed down by: Jill Berdugo

Mauricio and I had the weirdest meeting I am sure you all know. I had just moved in with Jill King and Jennifer Fletcher in Canyon Country. I was about 27 years old. My ward was filled with boys who were either waiting to go on their mission or just got home. So I decided to join LDSmingle.com. I met a few guys on there and went on a few dates. They were fun, but nothing more.

I started working as a nanny. When the baby went to sleep I would get online. I had met one guy in Canada-to this day I don't even remember his name. Mauricio tried to get a hold of me one day, but I had walked away from the computer and when I came back he was gone. I was a little sad, because his profile name was was "doc75b". So I thought to myself,"Dang, a doctor." So I chalked it up to a loss and went on. He had tried to get a hold of me on another day, but again I was away from the computer. They do percentage matches for how compatible you are. I was the second highest on his list. I guess that is why he kept trying, that and I am so good looking!!!!

We finally got talking. We talked for a while the first time, just getting to know each other. The second day he got on with his camera and microphone so I could hear him and see him. He told me that he grew up in Lancaster, CA, which was weird, because both of my roommates were from Lancaster. I asked him if he knew Jill King or Jennifer Fletcher. He said, "No." Then I thought to myself, "Maybe he knows Jill's sister." I asked him if he knew Jennifer King or Jamie King, and he did. It turned out he was friends with Jennifer and Jamie in Jr. High and he also went to church with the Kings. It was nice to have that connection and to know he wasn't crazy; especially because we both met our share of crazies.

The first time Mauricio called me I was driving from Northern California visiting the family back to Canyon Country. We talked for hours. We talked about him coming to visit me and when that would happen. So I honestly didn't think it would ever happen, but it was the first time we talked.

After a short time, we started talking on the phone everyday. I remember changing my minutes to have my unlimited minutes start at 7pm. Now, he could call me at 10 PM in NY and we could talk as long as we wanted. I would race home every day and be so excited to hear from Mauricio. We would talk every night for about 3 hours. During this time there was a guy who started to ask me out. We went on a date and I didn't want to tell Mauricio because he had already made plans to come out to see me. I felt that with how much we had been talking-it was like we were dating-so I felt like I was cheating on him. Then I thought, "I have never actually met him." I told him and he said, "Should I still come out there?" I said yes. I went on a second date with the guy and didn't tell Mauricio-haha.

Well he came out and it was crazy-it wasn't even weird at all. He met me at work and came to my classes at school with me. It was like we had known each other forever. Most who saw us thought we had been dating for a while, no one knew we had met online. We were holding hands and we even had a kiss that first night. The next day we left for Manteca. I was driving with a stranger for 5 hours, but he wasn't a stranger. We had a fun weekend.

I think we both knew right away that this was it. My mom bought us a book to make sure we knew each other and made us fill it out. She probably doesn't remember this, but she said to me, "He isn't the type of guy you normally would go for". I said, "Maybe that is why the internet was a good thing." If not I wouldn't have the wonderful husband and father I do now.

After some of Mauricio's flights out to California, now it was my turn to fly to New York to meet his family. I was so scared. I don't know why, because I have some of the most amazing in-laws ever. They loved me and I loved them. They took me in right away. I knew Mauricio was going to propose and I told him that he better not do it on Valentine's Day, because it would be cheesy. I don't know if I ever told him this, but I hoped all day that he would propose to me on Valentine's Day. He took me to New York City on Valentine's Day and we saw everything, he even took me out on a ferry to the Statue of Liberty, I was so excited for it to happen. So the next day was a Sunday we went to church and just hung out with the family. That may have been my first taste of pupusas-yummy!

On Monday he took me out to Palmyra, NY. I knew it-this was it. We went on a tour of Joseph Smith's first and second house. We took a walk out to the Sacred Grove, there was snow all over the ground. We got out pretty far into the Grove and then we decided to head back. As we started to walk back, Mauricio said, "Hey Jill". I turned around and he was kneeling and had the ring in a box in his hand and asked me if I would marry him and I smiled and said yes.

Thanks to this occasion I have a wonderful husband and amazing children. I am so grateful for the internet that brought us together and we will be together forever!!