Love stories: Ed and Keri

Published 12:22 pm Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Ed Lago has been married to his wife Keri for eight years, but he likes to think of her as his girlfriend.

“I treat her like when we were first dating,” he said. “I often tell the kids, ‘I have a crush on your mom.’ … I flirt with Keri all the time. I have that passion for her after all these years. I tell her she is cute everyday.”

Adds Keri, “He doesn’t say it because it’s routine. He really means it.”

The very private Lagos were reluctant  to sit down for an interview, but when Ed teased Keri that she didn’t want to because she didn’t love him enough, the gloves came off.

The Orcas couple began their relationship 12 years ago over the phone. Keri was working as a marketing director at a software firm in Bellevue when she called Ed to schedule a conference in the hotel where he was sales manager. They spoke several times over the course of three weeks, building a rapport with one another.

Keri was intrigued and wanted to meet the alluring man behind the phone, but the sales conference was four months away. One day, instead of faxing over some paperwork to Ed, she swung by to drop it off.

“I had no idea he was Filipino,” Keri said about her first impression. “He was wearing a suit, and I was definitely attracted to him.”

Ed was also surprised. He thought Keri was Korean because her last name was Duenn. While he enjoyed their conversations, he just assumed she would make a nice friend. After meeting her, he thought, “Well hello there. You’re cute.”

Keri was fresh out of a relationship and Ed was recently divorced with two young sons. Neither wanted to embark on new love, but despite their intentions, their romance blossomed quickly. Within three months they were living together. Then came buying a house and having their first child, Lani, who is now eight. They were married in 2004 at Rosario Resort.

“We did everything backwards,” laughs Ed. “But I knew I was going to marry her three weeks in. She just didn’t know it.”

<img src=”http://raven.b-it.ca/portals/uploads/isounder/.DIR288/ed-keri2000.jpg”></img>

Keri says she fell in love with Ed because he could cook and was a really great dancer. Now, after being together for 12 years, Keri most loves her husband’s work ethic and commitment to his family.

“I love his drive,” she said. “He is very motivated. And he’s very aware of his family and has strong family values. Family is his number one focus.”

Ed says he most appreciates Keri’s selflessness.

“She has always put others first, even before we had kids,” he said.

Keri runs Cherry T’s consignment shop in Eastsound with her mom, and Ed is a member service engineer at OPALCO. He also teaches group power classes at Orcas Spa and Athletics at 5:45 a.m.

“Keri comes to nearly every class, even if she’s only had four hours of sleep,” Ed said. “It’s one more way for us to sneak in some time together.”

The couple says humor plays a big part in their relationship and working through problems.

“I feel life is too short to hold a grudge,” Ed says. “I tell her I love her and I’m sorry I was a jackass.”

One of their rules is to always say good night to one another and say goodbye and ‘I love you’ in the morning, even if they are angry at each other.

In addition to Lani, their kids include Diego, 7, and Remy, 5. The Lagos have blended their families into what Keri’s dad calls “Hurricane Lago.” Ed’s two sons from his previous marriage, Mario, 18, and Antonio, 15, live in Issaquah, but everyone gets together several times a month.

“I get to grow old with Keri and watch our kids grow up,” Ed said. “I feel lucky to have that.”

The Lagos balance their family-oriented life with one-on-one dates.

“We make time for each other to catch up,” Ed said. “Just to sit down, uninterrupted, and hear what she thinks, how she feels. And vice versa.”

Keri surprised Ed at their wedding with a speech in Tagalog, the language spoke in the Philippines. She says it sums up their relationship:

“Kahit na ano dumating, mabuti o masama, ay haharapin natin dalawa: Whatever lies ahead, good or bad, we will face together.”