February 27, 2015
Orland Park, Ill.
Aimee & Jose
An officer and a gentle woman
As published in the Chicago Tribune and Daily Southtown January 10, 2016. To view this article online, click here.
A love of hoops, a shared passion for social issues and psychology, and an initial friendship in high school helped bring Aimee Louisa Gornik and José Luis Gomez together. But it was her emotional yin that complements his rational yang, the honest and open communication they share, and their commitment to raise their son Jayden together in a loving family environment that really sealed the deal.
Now, they’re pledging their love for keeps and preparing to celebrate in style by getting married on February 27, 2016.
Aimee and José’s love story is an epic tale spanning 16 years, three continents, two military deployments and several romantic starts and stops early in the journey. They officially met in 1999 as Reavis High School students. They remained friends while Aimee attended college in Chicago and Rome and José served in Iraq as a Marine.
“We were separated so many times, yet that seemed to keep our fire for each other alive,” says Aimee, who officially began dating José in 2006, the year he came home after completing his military service abroad.
It wasn’t long before the couple moved in together and learned that they had the seeds to grow a lasting relationship.
“She’s my best friend, and we make great teammates. When I’m down, she lifts me up, and vice versa,” José
says. “Aimee is so sweet and generous, and she always goes above and beyond for me and the people she cares about.” Their love only grew stronger after Jayden was born in 2009 and they pur-chased a home in the south suburbs in 2013. “I love that José is a hands-on father and such a positive role model to Jayden,” Aimee adds. “José is also kind, caring, passionate, goofy, responsible, organized, hard-working, and focused. We balance each other out perfectly – he thinks with his rational mind, while I think primarily with my emotional mind.”
Today, Aimee is busy as a licensed clinical professional counselor and José was recently promoted to detective for a south suburban police department. Yet they still find plenty of time to play with Jayden, work out together at the gym, binge watch reality TV shows, swap celebrity gossip, and wax philosophically about social injustices and their favorite team – the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls, in fact, played a role in the creative way José chose to propose to his sweetheart. He asked Aimee to attend a Bulls vs. Raptors game in December 2014, an event where she secretly assumed he would pop the question. But after the Bulls won and they finished a delicious dinner at Weber Grill, no ring appeared and Aimee’s anticipation of The Big Moment faded.
They picked up Jayden from the babysitter and drove home. Upon walking inside their abode, Aimee was greeted with an unexpected sight: a heart-shaped arrangement of lit candles surrounding rose petals on the floor that were carefully positioned to spell out the words “Marry me, Aim.” José got down on one knee, produced a ring, and made the question official – to which a teary-eyed Aimee, with a sleepy Jayden resting in her arms, immediately responded “yes.” Jayden then lifted his head and had the last word on the matter: “We are all going to be the Gomez family.”
“From as far back as I can remember knowing Aimee, she always made me feel a certain way, and she has always been open and upfront with me, which has made me a better man, dad, and partner,” José says.” Both of us work in professions that expose us to the sometimes sad reality of life in society. This makes us humble and appreciative of what we have.”
One thing Aimee and Jose certainly have plenty of is friends and relatives. As the daughter of Len and Kathy Gornik, Aimee has six siblings as well as three nieces, four nephews, and one Godson; José, meanwhile, is the son of José Sr. and Adriana Gomez and has a younger sister and brother. Over 200 of the couple’s loved ones will be present when Aimee and José tie the knot in February and she fulfills her longtime dream of having a winter wedding. Their ceremony and reception will convene at Crystal Tree Golf and Country Club in Orland Park.
As for post-wedding plans, “we’re looking forward to expanding our family,” hinted José. “As long as I’m with Aimee, I’ll be happy wherever we lay our heads.”
