The winning couple in our 2026 “Share Your Love Story with KIWA” Valentine’s Day Contest was chosen this morning (Friday, February 13th), through a random drawing, during the Breakfast Edition of the News on KIWA-FM Radio.
Our Winning Love Story Couple will receive Dinner for Two at Langer’s in Sheldon, a bouquet of flowers from Blossom & Bride Boutique, A Cheesecake of their choice from Truly Scrumptious in downtown Sheldon, a $50 Gift Card from Babcock Meats in Sheldon, a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white wine from Stammer Liquor in Sheldon, and a one-night stay in a King Suite at Sheldon’s Holiday Inn Express.
Congratulations to our Grand Prize Winners, Scott & Tiffany Zeilenga!! May your love story grow for decades to come!!
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Our 2026 “Share Your Love Story with KIWA” Valentine’s Day Contestants
Brian & Shelly Robyn
On November 20th, 2024, this handsome man I had never met walked into my drink shop in Hull, ANEW Nutrition, came to my counter, introduced himself – “HI, I’m BRIAN ROBYN, director of Human Resources at the Village in Sheldon.” I assumed he was stopping in for a donation for their organization :). He followed that up with – “I’ve had a few people tell me you are someone I need to get to know!” I gave him my business punch card with my phone number on it and ran across the parking lot to share my excitement with my friend at the Vet Clinic. Come to find out, Brian’s assistant Lois, encouraged him to come and see what happens! I texted him later that night, thanking him for stopping in, we started chatting and set up our first date for that Friday, the 22nd of November. God orchestrated this meeting so perfectly and we knew very quickly we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together! On March 20th, 2025, 4 months after our first meeting, Brian once again came to the counter at my drink shop, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! On August 30, 2025, we were married and now live together in Hull. God is so good, a God of second chances and makes all things beautiful in His time!!
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Josh & Julia Bottjen
My name is Julia Bottjen and my husband’s name is Josh Bottjen, we met way back in 1994 thru a mutual friend who took me to Sheldon for a party. We started dating almost instantly from when we met, we were together for about 10 months, before we broke up and went our separate ways. We both got married had kids started our own families. Josh got divorced in 2015, I got divorced in 2018 and low and behold we found each other again! We got married in Vegas on December 28th, 2021. We just didn’t want to wait anymore or waste any more time and we jumped on a plane and just went all in and we finished raising our families together. Now all the kids are out of the house and starting their own lives, their own marriages, and their own families and we couldn’t be happier! 7 kids and #9 of grandkids on the way in April. Big happy family!
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Kenny & Lois Schilling
Lois and I met when I moved to Little Rock. We were both in the 7th grade. She told the other girls in our class that if nobody wanted me as a boyfriend, she would take me! That decision caused us to start dating as sophomores and eventually get married in 1982. We have 4 kids and 10 grandchildren. We will celebrate our 44th Anniversary this August.
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Marlo Jansen & Deb Zebedee
Our Valentine story is new and exciting with only 9 months under our belt. My daughter works at the Spencer Sale barn, she calls one day, “There’s a guy here that would like your number. I’ve checked him out by inquiring around here and everyone thinks he’s a great guy plus he has the same personality as you.” I’m thinking, is that good or bad. I waited a couple days, pondering this. I called her back, “Sure give him my number.” 45 minutes later Marlo calls and we set up a blind date at the 1015 Steakhouse, to which we closed down the place. Here we are today with his friends calling me his “weekend wife”. When it feels right, it’s just right!
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Alex & Jocelyn Iverson
In October 2015, I hosted a Halloween party for some close friends. As I grew tired later into the evening, I found my way into my living room recliner. Sitting across from me, was a handsome, bearded stranger, who happened to be petting my dogs. Come to find out this stranger came over to my home with one of our mutual friends. We talked long into the evening/early morning hours. After that night, I found him on Facebook and we continued to hit it off.
In September 2017, we flew out to New York to cheer on the Buffalo Bills! We made a stop at Niagara Falls where Alex asked me to marry him! – And the following day the Bills won a very exciting game! Go Bills! I left with my boyfriend and came home with a fiance!
We got married in October 2018 and since then, we have been blessed with 3 beautiful boys!
I am so happy and lucky to have fallen in love with the Halloween party crasher!
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Richard & Kimberley DeBoer
45 years sounds like a long time, but in reality it really isn’t. In a moment I can be transported back to the time when I met my wife. We were both 19 years old, I was in Phoenix Arizona going to school and Kimberley was visiting a former classmate who happened to live in the apartment below the one I was renting. Our first date wasn’t a conventional one. A group of mutual friends had arranged a movie night with the intent to leave us alone together. Although the evening didn’t quite end as a date probably should, our interest in each other had been piqued.
The very next night we enjoyed pizza with friends at Peter Piper’s Pizza and then drove up South Mountain to view the Phoenix lights. That is where I first kissed her. Magic.
This July we’ll have been married 45 years. So many things have changed over the years but that kiss is still magical.
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Mike & Karen Christians
Mike’s and Karen’s love story is a real-life fairytale. The magic started in 1986 at Sheldon Hy-Vee where Mike was a carry-out with eyes only for Karen when she was hired as a checker. He rushed to her checkout lane at every chance, making small talk and puppy dog eyes whenever possible. Karen was her usual quiet self, carefully contemplating whether or not to reciprocate Mike’s attention.
Alas, their young love was never given the spark it needed to ignite, as Karen graduated from high school and moved on to college and Sioux Center Hy-Vee, taking Mike’s lingering affection with her. It was 18 long months for Mike, until one weekend, he decided to do a few more laps around the downtown loop in Sheldon. Much to his delight, Karen was cruising with some friends, and when their eyes met, it was Scoop-the-Loop-Love! Mike finally worked up the nerve to ask Karen out on an official date. He wined and dined her at the LeMars theatre where they took in the classic love story, “Look Who’s Talking,” and then because his generosity exceeds his word count, he took her to McDonald’s where Karen was so smitten by his sense of true romance that she was eager to make a good impression; she ordered chicken nuggets, rather than her all-time favorite Big Mac.
The rest, as they say, is history. Six months later, they were engaged. A year after that, they married on the hottest day of 1991! This summer they will celebrate 35 years of magic–lots of McDonald’s, three great kids, a wonderful son- and daughter-in-law, and two beautiful grandbabies.
All jokes aside (or was this an actual account of how it really happened?), they give thanks for each other, for shared faith, for many years together, and many more to come!
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Scott & Tiffany Zeilenga
After living on the east coast for a number of years, I sensed God calling me back to northwest Iowa. My dad worked at Village Northwest and told me about a job opening at one of the on-campus houses there. I applied over the phone, got the job, and had that as well as a little basement apartment, all lined up by the time I moved back. Tiffany was working overnight shifts at that same house, and we met within the first day or two after I arrived. Upon being introduced by another coworker, in the kitchen between our shifts, I mused in my head, “I just met my wife”. We continued to talk and get to know each other for a few months, realizing a lot of connections and “signs” along the way. This seemed to be a total God-story. I needed to ask this woman out. First though, I would need to get up the courage to ask our boss if she had a problem with coworkers dating. When I got an enthusiastic thumbs up, I asked Tiffany on a date. We’ve been inseparable ever since. That first date we went to eat at Kinbrae in Sheldon and then on to a coffee shop out of town. Six months later, on the night of the Village’s Third of July celebration, I took her to Hills Park before we both had to work an evening shift, and got down on one knee. She said yes, and we enjoyed a night of fireworks, surrounded by some our favorite people all asking to see the ring, and hear the story. Three months later we were married, and have been loving life in Sheldon and so many God’s blessings for almost 18 years.
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Kodie & Kate Van Voorst
We met at a house party when we were 19 — but both told each other we were 20. Apparently we thought one extra year made us sound more mature.
After weeks of texting and late-night phone calls, we planned our official first date. Kodie was going to pick me up at the Sioux Falls Mall (where I worked at Northwood Candy Shop), we’d walk around Falls Park, grab ice cream, and see where the night took us.
Sounds perfect… except he was an hour late.
I should’ve been annoyed, but I loved talking to him, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. We made it to Falls Park just in time for sunset — and just in time for ALL the bugs to come out. Our romantic walk quickly turned into us swatting the air and laughing. We escaped to watch NBA basketball and then headed to Sonic drive in for ice cream.
What I didn’t know? He’s lactose intolerant.
So there he was, trying to impress me while silently regretting his life choices. To top it off, he took me home by 8 PM. Not exactly the fairytale first date.
But here we are — over 15 years later, married since April 23, 2011, raising our beautiful twin girls (born August 2017), and still acting like those same crazy 19-year-olds in love.
We started as broke college kids one in cosmetology, one in auto mechanics — with nothing but love and big dreams. People said we were too young.
But love grew up with us. And the best part?
For our engagement, he recreated that very first date — Falls Park and all — but this time it ended with a proposal instead of an early drop-off.
I said yes then, and I’d say yes all over again.
Even to the bugs. Even to the ice cream. ♥️
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