Augie Sweethearts: Michael Ricaurte '93 and Kate Festge '92

Submitted by Michael Ricaurte of Northbrook, Ill.

We went to that house on 30th Street just south of 7th Avenue to have fun, relax with friends and welcome each other back from fall break 1990. It was late November and the autumn weather that makes the campus a fall masterpiece of beauty was on its way out - making way for winter. We both entered the house, what did they call it the - "The Flea Trap?" - one of those charming names. Neither one of us realized we were meeting our spouses that night and starting on an incredible journey. That journey is now at 21 years of marriage, our second home, two incredible daughters and a super cool dog. We can't wait where it takes us next.

Crazy to think that on such a quaint, college campus of just over 2,000 students, we had not yet met. I was in my second year, she her third. We seemed to run in the same circles as they say. However, until now those circles had never overlapped. That night they did and I have never been the same. Though we disagree on the details of that initial meeting - who approached who or is it who approached whom? Neither one of us were English major - in fact, we never had one class together. Still, we learned so much starting that night. We learned that you never know where you may meet someone with whom you are supposed to spend the rest of your life. I am forever grateful for Augustana for giving me that chance. It's those homecoming visits, with that crisp fall air that reminds me of how lucky we are to have found Augustana and found each other.