Happiest Couples Contest

Back in November as I was reading the latest issue of the Utah Valley Magazine, I came across a contest and thought I should enter it. The prize was gift certificates to local eating establishments and that sounded like a great prize to me. All you had to do was submit an email including a picture of why you are a "happy couple." Easy enough.
Here is what I submitted:

November 8, 2010
Dear Utah Valley Magazine,

My husband Rich and I have been married for 6 years. We both enjoy running and find that it is a great way to spend time together. We run about 15 races a year together and even though we don't run together (he is much faster than me) he is always there waiting for me at the finish line!! I know that having this common interest and spending alot of time together makes our marriage better and our friendship stronger. We have 3 kids (15, 10 and 4) and when we do races out of town (Logan Marathon, Pocatello Marathon, races in St. George etc.) we take them with us and make it a little vacation. The kids aren't interested in running the races but always have a great time in the hotels!!

We ran in the Dirty Dash and that was the funnest race we have participated in. It would make for a great article in your magazine. I attached our finish line photo to this email so you can see for yourself how much fun you can have playing in the mud!

I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I are very much in love and try everyday to make our marriage better. I think it is awesome that you focus on the positive and not the negative!!!

Angela Cope



I got a call around the end of January from Kate at Utah Valley Magazine. She said that we won the contest and that she wanted us to come in for a short interview and a photo shoot. I had no idea that we would actually appear in the magazine (let alone a full page photo). I was pretty nervous about the photo shoot but I think it went pretty well. After we took pictures we sat down for the interview, she asked us questions about how we met, what we like about each other, advice on how we stay happy etc.
It was fun talking with her and hearing the things Rich said about me and our relationship just made me fall in love with him all over again. We received gift certificates to Bajio and we both LOVE it so that was great! Now we just have to wait for the issue to come out!!

Well today was the day. I got a text from my friend Stacy (who works for the magazine) saying she left me some magazines on the front porch. I was kind of nervous to look at it! Here is the magazine:

Here is what the article said:

Rich and Angela Cope
Hometown Spanish Fork
Married 7 years

Boy Meets Girl
Angela was divorced, raising two children and working when she noticed Rich on LDSSingles.com. She sent him a message, and he decided to take her out after some encouragement from his sisters. Rich was a single 29-year-old homeowner, and his family joked he would never get married. But after falling in love with Angela, Rich became a husband and a dad within a matter of months. The Copes now have three children and one on the way.

Sage Advice
It's all about the date night for Rich and Angela. With similar adventurous interests, the couple has something fun to do each week from Jazz games to travel. "You have to continue to date after you're married," Rich says. "I think people forget that it's possible to fall out of love, and you really have to make an effort to stay connected to your spouse."