Thursday, February 7, 2013

Love Stories

I thought as Valentine's Day is a week away, I'd take a break from the countdown to do something a little different.

I suppose it's no surprise that I love a good love story. There's something about that initial boy meets girl, the spark of attraction that leads to some undefined bigger than you and me thing that has us captivated. It's what has us happy-sighing at a happily-ever-after ending.

But, for me, the best, most fantastic love stories are the real ones. So I'd like to know about your love story. 

 How did you meet him or her? Was it love at first sight? How long before you knew he/she was the "one".  Please share. To be fair, I'll start with mine 
***

It started on the soccer field. Yes, really. My youngest daughter wanted to play soccer, so I signed her up through the school, bought the uniform and took her to the first practice. The coach was this nice looking, soft spoken man who seemed good with the kids.

As the weeks went by, I grew to really admire the coach. Not only was he one of those people who love kids, they loved him. I found myself going to soccer practice early. I told myself just to take advantage of the quiet…. But you know the coach also came a little early.

We didn’t talk much. He set up cones or played with my daughter until the other kids arrived, but I always felt more relaxed around him. I started looking forward to seeing him because of the peace that came with it.
Then one day, as I was walking past the parking lot on the way home, he turned on his car and classical music filled the air. I whipped my head around and stared at him as though really seeing him for the first time. I thought that there was a man I really could have fallen for, but I wasn't looking for a relationship. I’d decided some time prior that I was quite happy with my kids and my characters.

But I still rushed the field twice a week. Eventually I admitted I had a crush. I figured it was a harmless crush because he couldn’t possibly be interested in me. I was pretty sure he was younger by at least 5 years.
Then we ended up at a birthday party together. You know when you write or read about chemistry… when two people feel like there is a magnet drawing them together…? Yeah that.  Big time. Proof positive any place can be romantic, even Chuck E Cheese.

So, to make a long story short and not bore you. There came a reason, a soccer related reason of course, why he should call. Okay, yes, it was an excuse. We started talking on the phone daily and that magnet thing only intensified. Guess what? He’d had a crush on me the entire season, but figured I was out of his league…LOL Honestly, I don’t even have a league.

Then he asked if I’d maybe want to get coffee with him (I’ve since learned, he doesn’t drink coffee, but y’all know I do… and so did he.)

This is the part where I say yes, right? Nope.

I decided to be honest. I explained to him the reasons I don’t date. I have five kids who are my life. We agreed we couldn’t approach this casually, like adults without children, because our children had been hurt by past relationships that didn’t work. Butterflies, chemistry and a genuine admiration wouldn’t be enough if we weren’t compatible. Hence: The not date.

You know all the ugly things about yourself that your partner doesn’t find out until at least the 6th date…6 months… maybe 6 years in? Yup, we sat down on a park bench and laid them all out on the table. That’s the night I really met him. You know what? I think that’s the night I fell in love with him too. 

We got married six months after our not date. Our families and friends were a little...shocked. I don't do impulsive. They wondered what I saw in him or if I'd gone mad. Most of them have come to love him too. The important thing: We were both sure. We still are.

Okay, that's my love story. Now tell me yours. Funny, unbelievable, or sappy, let me have them!

The one I like the most will win a Starbucks gift card so you can take your honey out to coffee. ; ) Contest ends February 9th!

And don't forget, anyone who comments on any of my blog posts will be entered for a chance to win a gorgeous pendant. Details here.

11 comments:

  1. LOVE that story!!!!

    Mine started a lot like yours. I was not looking for a relationship. In fact, I was in the process of ending a 10 year horrible marriage. One of my favorite outlets had become Twitter and I met many wonderful people (including Shawna).

    One of my more colorful male followers flirted with me a few times on Twitter, but I blew him off as being a bit of a player, although fun to banter with. One night, we really started talking with one another and he asked if he could call me.

    I balked. I never gave out my number, and certainly not to some stranger online. Yet, it had been a weird evening, complete with me dancing around the house in my birthday suit enjoying my new found freedom. So, after a few minutes of OMG! deliberation, I gave him my number. And then commenced freakout mode as I waited for him to call.

    When he called, one of the first things I blurted out was that I was in the middle of a messy divorce and not looking for a relationship. He reassured me that he wasn't looking for one either and we quickly moved on to other topics, like the fact that I was in Arizona and he was in Indiana.

    5 hours later, we were still on the phone. It was 3 am and I had to get up for work later that morning, but I was enjoying our conversation so much I was loathe to end it. And, more importantly, he had me laughing and completely comfortable with just being me. I finally let him know I needed to go and he asked if he could call me the next day.

    I said no. My ex was still living in the house and I was trying to avoid any confrontations since he was a violent person. He then asked if he could call me the day after tomorrow. I again said no. He asked if he could call the day after that. I finally told him I would DM him when he could call and said goodbye.

    The entire next day at work I was literally BEAMING. In fact, one of my long time coworkers came up to me and asked "What is his name?" I couldn't stop thinking about him. That night, when I got home, I quickly DM'd him to call me and we spent another 6 hours on the phone.

    It took several weeks for us to finally admit that we had something and needed to pursue it. We had our first "date" not too long after that where we watched the original Fright Night together on the phone by starting it at the same time. We met in person several months later.

    The first night we talked was March 3, 2010 and on March 3, 2013 (in just a few weeks EEK!!!) we will be married. I truly am marrying my best friend, the love of my life, my soul mate and the most amazing man I've ever known. And all because I took a risk and followed my heart.

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    1. I've heard parts of this before and it never fails to warm my heart. I love this story. Thank you for sharing!

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  3. As Manager of a Burger King, I was responsible for keeping labor costs down during slow periods. One night, business sucked to high heaven thanks to a raging storm that had flood warnings out and no customers. I sent everyone home except one teenaged worker. He worked the grill area and I ran the front. Business was so dead, we had all the clean up done and were sitting around doing nothing.

    A truck pulls through drive thru and orders a basic Whopper meal. No big deal, I dropped the fries in the fryer and went to the window. Cute guy, not a kid, decent truck, no ring. And I was bored out of my skull. So we started talking, and flirting and talking and flirting. I hand over his food. He put the bag on the seat. And we talk. And flirt. I am hanging out the drive thru window talking to this guy so long, I know his food is cold. So I had teen worker make another round. Hand that out. Still talking. Still flirting.

    Suddenly, truck guy gets real quiet, says he has to go and leaves. I was left hanging out the drive thru window, scratching my head and going whaaaaa? Chalked it up to crappy luck and went back to work.

    Two days later, truck guy comes through the drive thru again. This time we are busy. He offers a quick apology, says he didn’t realize I was married and he felt like crap, he’d never infringe on another man’s territory. I took another order and pondered that. Handing him his change, I told him I wasn’t married. He points to my left hand and the gold band I was wearing. I explained it was my grandmother’s and I wore it to keep weirdos away.

    He told me he wasn’t a weirdo but it almost kept him away. I used a grease pencil to write my number on his food bag and handed it out the window, wondering if I would ever hear from him again. He called me that night. We went out the next night.

    Eleven days later he proposed. Six months later, we got married. We'll celebrate 17 years in November.

    And yes, he got fries with that shake…plus a whopper and a wife.

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    1. Ah, Inez, I love your story. He went to Burger King and found his queen. ; ) Yeah, I know. Corny. Thank you so much for sharing!

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    2. That's a fantastic story!!! It really is all about being willing to take a chance.

      Now that I finally replied to the correct comment and not my own. *face palm*

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  4. My husband and I met years ago at a church we use to be members of. He left with his then wife, divorced, and moved back years later. He came back to said church one summer. A couple of months later it hit me. Suddenly, there was a realization of what this man was made of. Who he was. What he would accomplish in his life. It was such a jolt, so overwhelming that I had to leave the room. Six months later he came to me with the same story.

    In that moment, I knew that I was where I was suppose to be, with who I was suppose to be with, doing exactly what I was suppose to be doing. We married 18 days later, and have been married for over a decade.

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  5. And you two ARE incredibly perfect for one another!!!

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  6. Aww, that's the sweetest story ever! Just like something from the Harlequin AR line. ;)

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  7. Okay, I couldn't pick a favorite so I used a random number generator and Inez, you won the Starbucks gift card! Congratulations! : ) You are also still in the running for the fabulous necklace. : )

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