Our theme this week is LOVE - VALENTINES DAY - HEARTS........so I thought along with a picture should be a love story. Wouldn't it be fun to tell the story of how you and your loved one met, or maybe your parents, your in-laws, your grandparents. Maybe we can start a trend here, because I would love to read everyone else's stories. So here is my simple love story.
To my husband......with all my love. I think about you everyday.
Sometimes it is strange how fate has a way of bringing two people together. In this case, fate was our friend, and since our meeting each other was so unexpected, fate became our good friend.
I had just ended a seven year relationship with my ex, because of trust issues. It was painful, and although I did not want to leave him, I requested a change of territory to make sure my decision was final. I not only needed to walk out of our relataionship, but walk far away from life as I have come to know it, and never turn back. Like I said it was hard. The comfort level after seven years often overshadows all the bad things. However, my mother was right, I did not trust anyone anymore, and I had forgotten how to laugh and have fun. So at 27, I dated, mostly out of spite.
It had been about a month working my new job, when luck brought my mother and a friend together. They talked. She could not help herself, and had to mention my big news. She was worried about me, and told George all about my breakup. Liittle did she know, that George was also good friends with my husband. George was a funny character, always meddling into peoples business, and playing CUPID whenever he felt necessary. It did not take long, and George gave my husband a call. I always laugh when my husband tells the story, because George really pushed him to call me right away. He wanted to make sure that Lance was the first in line.
I got the call that evening. At first my husband tried to act professionally, asking me to tend to several business matters as soon as possible. When I finally agreed to come and see him the next day, he quickly asked me out to dinner. My first reaction was to say "no", because it was against company policy to associate with vendors, and because I was also dating someone else, however as rebellious as I was feeling, I said "YES!".
We had a wonderful italian dinner, and I have no idea what I ate. I just remember talking all night long, and laughing. I remember the waiter approaching us with a check that we did not ask for, but the place was closing, and we were politely being asked to leave. I got home pretty late that night, because I lived about an hour away. The next day my husband called again to thank me for dinner. He always had wonderful manners - a true southern gentleman - opening my car door, standing behind my chair until I sat down, greeting everyone in a room, and so forth. It impressed me. Before he hung up, he asked me out again, and I turned him down. I did not want to jump into anything. I made a promise to myself, and I wanted to keep it. I think he was shocked, because it seemed like forever before he responded. He quickly asked me out again on the following night. This time he would not take No for an answer, and I agreed to go with a group of his friends to a nice expensive place on Friday night. Again, we had a wonderful time. We talked into the wee morning hours, and before I could say goodbye, he looked at me and said "I am going to marry you!". Obviously the look on my face was not that good, and he quickly thought of something else to say. "Or someone just like you!". Aaaah........what was he thinking??? I jumped out of the car afraid to hear anything else, and I am sure he knew it. Later he tells me that those were his thoughts. He almost married his last girlfriend, and in the end he was so thankful to get out of the relationship. I know I felt the same way. Love blinded me in so many ways. We were having so much fun together, that the words just came out of his mouth before he knew it. I must admit that although I was a bit shocked at first, I definitely felt flattered.
Our dates continued, and the one thing I remember the most is how funny, witty, charming, romantic and absolutely handsome he looked in his double breasted suits. We had so much in common, and could talk forever, never tiring of one another. We were both american-germans, having the same traditions. We both went to the same college (three years apart), and we both were in the same line of business. I have always trusted my husband, and he has never let me down. That alone is worth its' weight in gold. He asked me to marry him nine months later, and I have never looked back. We have gone through good times and bad times, sick times, and rough spots, but I am still sure of one thing......Not only does he always give me what I want (smart man LOL), but his love for his family always comes first.
Some of his romantic gestures included
- giving me diamond earrings for our first Christmas, (and it only got better.....)
- making me dinner and keeping it warm in the car for an hour until he reached my house and surprised me on a busy weeknights,
- dancing alone with me on Xmas Eve
- flowers every month for the day we met,
- always doing the dishes,
- daily phone calls no matter where I was (no cell phones back then, so he had to track me down from store to store),
- and never letting me leave without saying I love you.
