Marta Schrader:  

Life Wow... so much has happened since the days at Hinsdale South. After graduation, I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I spent 5 years there (yup, I took a "victory lap"), and I graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology. Originally, the plan was to go on and get my Masters in Physical Therapy, but as luck would have it, I ended up meeting the biggest mistake of my life. He was a couple years younger than me, so I hung out in Champaign to wait for him to graduate. During Spring Break 1996, we eloped in Mexico (long story, I was young and really stupid - I'll save it for a reunion). Anyhoots, long story short, we moved back to Chicago where he began his career. I ended up not going to grad school because that would have meant leaving him behind in Chicago. We divorced in 2000. I like to refer to it as my "training marriage". The next few years, I made up for all the wasted time I spent on a cheater. So anyway, I partied with friends, went to TONS of Cubs games, and just learned how to enjoy life. My friends and family were the best, and they helped me through the tough times. Now I understand what true love is and what is really important in life. More recently, while celebrating a friend's birthday at the Sports Corner Bar by Wrigley Field, I met Stewart Schrader. He is truly the best thing that ever happened to me. He works for Bank of America in their Premier Banking and Investments division He grew up in Richardson, Texas (just outside of Dallas), and he's a good southern boy with solid values who makes my heart melt just by walking in the room. The Reader's Digest version is - we hung out, talked, and several dates later we fell in love. After a year together, Stewart asked me to marry him on his birthday in March 2004. We married in a little town just outside Venice, Italy on June 1...Expand for more