Music Appreciation Day

EI Talent Show

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Slide show from New Year's Eve Party. December 31, 2011

There is one word to describe EI New Year's Eve party -- inspirational.

Love was up in the air even before the party started. Everybody was excited about the engagement of Curtis Johnson, 71 and Maria Mostipan 68. the last engagement of 2011. To date they are the oldest couple matched by Encounters International in its 18 years of match making services.

Happiness does not discriminate. Even at 68 you can be the happiest bride in the world. "I am so happy that I met Curtis... he woke me up and brought me to life. I ask myself, what did I do to deserve all this to happen to me?" she wrote in the letter.

It was inspiration for Maria's family -- for her daughter and her grand daughter whose marriage preceded Maria's engagement by one year. So, it was no accident that it was Maria's grand daughter, who made the first toast to this happy occasion - her babushka's engagement.

Mike, a younger client was also inspired at the party. He decided to sign up for classes in a dance studio after seeing Maria's dance full of energy and fire. All he could say was: "Wow o wow! Is she really 68?" and he remained speechless for a long time after that.

And of course, everyone was inspired by Curtis, the happy groom. In his emotional speech he said it the best:

"...it began on February 28th of this year...I awoke at 6:30AM to discover my wife, Julie had died during the night!

Losing one's spouse, according to psychologists, is always THE “BIGGIE”! I was fortunate to have friends to help me through this, my Orthodox friends at St. Vladimir. Zhanna Skalitsky told me to contact Natasha Spivack at Encounters International, telling me that that was how she found her husband, Don.

I became Natasha's client in May, and I remember asking her ”how many men my age she had in data base”, and she replied: “none”, adding that she thought I was “unique”...Indeed!  Finding a suitable spouse when one is 70 years old is difficult at best, so I hired her to help me find “Masha”.

It took me 8 round trips from Michigan to Washington, DC to get the job done. Mariya saw my profile in the database and came by bus to meet me from New York city.

Listen, guys, it is the truth...”man chases woman.. until she catches him!”

I came into Natasha's front room, locked eyes with Mariya, and BOOM!  I immediately knew that she was THE ONE...and thought to myself:”Natasha, you just hit a “home run”!

During my grieving period, Natasha was always there for me. She went the extra mile, talking to me after business hours, on weekends on “skype”, talking me through my tears,  giving me encouragement, all the while making sure, that the ladies in her database played by her rules!

One other point I would like to make here!  I had not had to court anyone for years, and my behavior at the outset of my relationship with Natasha could only be described as “inept". I was a lurching, rather clumsy oaf when it came to the art of dating.  Natasha had to teach me;  put up with my mistakes...and I made many of them! 

Today, my life with Mariya begins, and I am a happy man. Mariya is everything I could ask for.  “Encounter's International did the job for me!"

Curtis Johnson. December 31, 2011.

Curtis and Maria are at their home in Ann Arbor, MI, busy with their wedding arrangements and loving, loving loving each other. Curtis knows the word Love in Russian and Ukrainian now and the couple is as happy as they can be.

Among other highlights of the party was the meeting of two couples -- Steve and Elena W, who had been matched and married in 1998 and Rob and Slava P., who had been enaged in Dominican Republic in March, 2011 and now they are the newest married couple. Both gentlemen are from Maryland and both ladies are from Ukraine. I hope that a good friendship between the two families will start out of this social encounter of the oldest and the youngest married couples.

It is too early to say how many new matches will come out as a result of this party, but everybody had fun and the New Year of Dragon has had a good start for Encounters International family of clients.

EI Talent Show

Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 6:30 PM@EI Headquarters

4244 Blagden Ave. NW Washington, DC 20011

A new member, who visited our New Year's Eve party wrote: "I was honestly stunned with the musical talent displayed during the evening. WOW!!! I don’t know these ladies and I don't know, if I measure up for them, but their talent is awesome!!!

Indeed, among the ladies who performed impromptu were Elza, a Russian Music Academy teacher and performer, Alla K., an Opera singer, who sang in Italian and Tatiana K., National Ukrainian Capella singer, to name a few. No wonder that attending our social feels more and more like attending a concert in the Kennedy Center. The only difference is that you can date the performers afterwards and one of them might become your future wife...

So, we decided to make the first party in 2012 our Talented Members Appreciation Day. We are going to enjoy a Talent Show and allow the participants tell us their stories. Any person who wants to participate please contact me, so that I would be able to coordinate our concert program.

The concert will start at 8:00 PM Saturday, 28, 2012

All members and Get to Know Us Members are welcome.

Party is free, but guests are expected to bring a bottle of wine and/or dish or finger food.

Dress code is festive and upscale.

Cameras and videos are welcome.

No RSVP is required unless you are in a performing group.