11/12/13 - A Perfect Day to Get Married, Says Edgemere Couple

Carl "Chick" Hobson Jr. and Suzanne Kotrosa knew there wouldn't be a lot of pomp and pageantry when it came to their wedding.

The Edgemere couple planned a simple ceremony, attended by only a small crowd of family members and close friends. But by the luck of timing, they were able to make their special day stand out.

They got married at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, which was 11/12/13.

"We're getting married at 10 a.m. at the [Sparrows Point] Country Club, we'll have a 10-minute ceremony, we'll feed brunch to our friends and family, and then everyone will go on their way," Kotrosa said the week before the affair.

If she sounded a bit business-like, it's because she is—she has to be.

Both Hobson and Kotrosa have been married before. While Hobosn does not have children of his own, Kotrosa has two—Erynn, 12, and Zane, 16.

They're both active in school and community programs and Zane works part-time in the kitchen at the Bay Shore Bar and Grill, owned by George and Sharyn Kotrosa—his grandparents and Suzanne's parents.

In addition to helping out on the management end of the restaurant, Suzanne Katrosa has a full-time job with the federal government.

Hobson runs the garage portion of Hobs Citgo in Edgemere, a family business his father, Carl "Hobs" Hobson Sr., started nearly 50 years ago.

To say the couple is busy with all the day-to-day details of life is an understatement.

Throw in some extended family health issues on both sides of the newly blended group, and life is even more complicated.

"We didn't want to spend the holidays stressing out, planning a wedding over that time," Kotrosa said. "We decided to get married in late October or early November, and then we could just sit back and enjoy the holidays as a family."

Knowing they didn't want the stress of throwing a big wedding, Hobson and Kotrosa began planning their simple affair and decided, for a variety of reasons, that a Tuesday would work out best.

"When we looked at the calendar, we decided the Tuesday after Veterans Day would be best, because it would mean taking less leave time from my work," Kotrosa said Monday. "It was then that we realized the date was 11/12/13, and we thought that would be our special little thing."

Because of business and personal circumstances, the couple had to take a no-nonsense approach to their nuptials.

But don't confuse that for a lack of a romance or sentimentality in the relationship.

They met at the Bay Shore one night when Kotrosa was tending bar to cover for an employee who called out for the shift.

"I asked her out and she turned me down," Hobson said.

Asked why, Kotrosa replied, "He was a customer and I didn't want to date a customer—do you know how many times a bartender gets asked out over the course of an evening?"

"Yeah, but I remembered her from school so it wasn't like that," Hobson was quick to add.

Both admit that Hobson tricked Kotrosa into the first date, and the relationship obviously grew from there.

Four years later, the four members of the blended family are like any other family, Hobson said.

"I didn't have any children, though I have nieces and nephews, so this fathering business is new to me," he said the day before the wedding. "But her children have brought a lot of happiness, brought an even-ness to my life. They make me feel more complete; I've never been happier."

"Or busier," Kotrosa added with a laugh.

"Or busier," Hobson agreed.

The childrens' biological father also is active in their lives, and there is "no dysfunction" in Kotrosa's relationship with him, she said.

"Darren is still a part of their lives—it's all good," she said.

After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds planned to get right back to business; there is no honeymoon in the immediate future.

Kotrosa said she had to prepare the restaurant's payroll on Tuesday afternoon, and she was hoping they might be able to catch a movie later that day.

"I think our family might have some things planned that we don't yet know about," Hobson said.

"Oh, man," Kotrosa said. "I was hoping to have some down time."