Virginia Really IS for Lovers...

Brodrick and Taunia first met in a computer science class at Norfolk State University, Norfolk, Virginia in 1996.  Brodrick was definitely not Taunia’s 'type'.  He was just way too nice!  Like most college-aged women, Taunia was more intrigued by the bad boys.  Brodrick and Taunia knew each other for about one year.  They were just acquaintances at that point, not even socializing outside of school.  Taunia returned from a summer internship in August of 1997 where she arrived back to school just in time for late registration. Brodrick happened to be at the same registration and they decided to grab a bite to eat to catch up.  
The next day Brodrick asked her out on a date and she started to say no.  But Brodrick was persistent.  He got on her case, asking her if she had anything better to do.  So she finally gave in and said yes.  They spent the entire day at an amusement park.  That one day at the amusement park was an eye opener for Taunia.  By the end of that date she realized what she had been missing on all her other dates in the past.  The complete freedom to be herself and not feel like a game/hunt was in progress.  Since that date they became inseparable.  She knew that he was the one when she received a letter from him during another internship in the summer of 1998. The letter showed a side to Brodrick she had never known.  One passage in the letter that stood out was a section about planning their lives together where he left room for her to continue adding to the list that he started.  They were married in 2002 and currently have two beautiful children, Mia (age 8) and James (1).  Brodrick has been Taunia’s partner for 15 years now and teaches her what it means to have balance in a relationship.  Her excitability is totally calmed by his measured approach to life. Although she complains (frequently) about what she considers his lack of excitement, she does appreciate him grounding her! She often wondered if she could ever marry outside of her Caribbean culture.  But to her surprise, Brodrick's openness to learn about her culture has been quite refreshing!  Their advice to the newly engaged and to those considering marriage is that as time evolves so does a relationship and the people within it.  In order to navigate through that evolution, communication is key!  It may sound like a cliche but having an open communication with your mate will be the lifeline to the relationship.  Communication not only on one's feelings but the couple must be completely open about the financial habits and status of their partners.  Nothing can ruin a marriage or relationship quicker than the marriage of two unknown financial styles!  At the end of the day, as long as you and your partner have similar core values about love, family, belief systems and, yes, finances then things will fall into place. Taunia is from Barbados and Brodrick is from South Carolina.  Taunia is a Project Manager at IBM and Brodrick is a Transition Manager at AT&T.  They currently reside in Raleigh, North Carolina.