Wednesday, February 13, 2013

L to the O to the V to the E

I was a freshman in high school when I first saw him. He leaned up against a wall, joking with his friends while waiting for the first bell to ring. I paused momentarily in my chatter with my friends because he was simply the best looking guy I'd ever seen. His hair was dark and just touching his shoulders. He was already over 6 ft tall, even though he was just a sophomore. His smile dazzled me as he laughed, full of white teeth, fun, and strength.

And even now, after all these years, he still floats my boat. Not extravagant by nature, he's just given me a Valentine's surprise in a new, candy apple red car that is smarter than I can ever hope to be. And because it's the way he is, he's also already given me several other presents meant for Valentine's, but like a kid, can't wait to spring them on me. I am a blessed woman, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't give thanks to God.

Now, if it's not too personal a question, how did you meet love, whether it be in your mate, your friends, your animal companions, or anything else? Or, what is your favorite experience with love? Include it in the comments, if you'd like. I'm convinced we can never have too much love.

Almost 28 years ago. Since I included the most unflattering picture of myself ever in my last post, I wanted to leave you with a nicer picture this time.




106 comments:

  1. Beautiful looking couple! I love your dress Shelly!! What a wonderful story of love for over 28 years (and wishing you many more years together).

    Hubby and me met in a bar.

    But it wasn't that kind of a pick up; he and my brother were in the same band.....I went to listen to the band and the rest is history :)

    betty

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    1. Betty: Love that story! And I wish many more years of beautiful music to you and your hubs~

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  2. you are blessed! what a beautiful couple you make!!
    my husband was in most of my high school classes..but he was way to square and studious and serious for me to date then..guess I learned to love those qualities!
    happy Valentines day!!

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    1. Annmarie: And those are the qualities that count! Happy Valentine's to you, too~

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  3. That is a beautiful picture and a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing. For myself, after being widowed at 36, God blessed me 27 years ago (about the same time as you) by bringing into my life a loving, fun, adventurous guy to share my life with, along with 2 small children and now 4 grands. God does grant the barren woman a home, like a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 113:9)

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    1. Nonnie: What a beautiful story! And to me, these last 27 years have flown by. So happy for you~

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  4. You gys look great together. Shelly you are just beautiful...even now! And, yes, he was tall dark and handsome! Congratulations on your new car. I want a red Mustang!

    We met in 1981 when we were both still pretty wild. I was bar hopping with my girlfriend. I had just broken up with the man I thought was the love of my life. I was wrong about that. Now, get back on track Jackie.

    My girlfriend and I walked in and I had already sworn off ever having a serious relationship ever again in my life. I was 25 and well on my way to becoming a buyer for Sanger Harris. Then we went into this tiny,dark and dingy private neighborhood bar and Walter was there. We were introduced to each other and I asked him to come along with us for some fun. That's what we always did. We got guys one of us knew to go with us so they would pay. My girlfriend knew Walter so we asked him. He said no. Well, now...that was an outright insult to me and I completely forgot about him...wrote him off...for being so arrogant!!

    What he didn't want to tell us is that he was broke and had just spent his last dollar for the beer sitting in front of him. I found this out later. I also found out later that he went to work the next morning and told his partner he had met the girl he was going to marry.

    A week went by and then while at work one night my girlfriend called me to tell me Walter would like for me to join them for a drink after work. I had no clue who Walter was. I asked her, "Who's Walter"? She explained and described him to me and I had a faint memory. But, the memory was strong enough. I broke my date I had for the night and met him for a drink.

    That was thirty one years ago. I was twenty five years old. We have been married thirty years and together for thirty one. I have been with him more than half my life and both of us are more in love today than when we first met!

    We no longer party and drink. We attend church and raised a great bunch of kids. We have been very blessed in way too many ways to count!

    That's our story!

    Happy Valentine's Day to ya'll! ♥

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    1. Jackie: I love it! Made me laugh about how you would get the guys to go with you so they would pay- ha!

      Your story is terrific and I hope you have a grand Valentine's Day this year, and for many more to come~

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  5. Very nice Shelley. We need to see if we can get you some more followers.
    R

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  6. Well, if you're saying that you married your high school sweetheart and are still blissfully happy all these years later, then you are truly living a fairy tale that many of us will never experience. I am very happy for you, sweet Shelly. The two of you look so beautiful/handsome in this picture that I can imagine you as the miniature bride and groom atop a wedding cake.

    It should come as no surprise that I met the first Mrs. Shady on the dance floor of the Shady Dell. I met the second Mrs. Shady when she began working as an account exec. at the television station where I was employed in the capacity of production manager. We wrote and edited commercials together. I tried to get her fired at one point when I became frustrated by her lack of attention to details. (LOL) The magic happened for us when our company hosted a moonlight yacht cruise at Christmas that year and we met on the deck and talked for hours, discovering palpable chemistry. We've been together ever since.

    Happy Valentine's Day to you and your lucky husband, dear friend Shelly!

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    1. Shady: We actually didn't start seriously dating each other until college, although we were good friends before that.

      I'm glad Mrs. Shady forgave you trying to get her fired! There's something special about that moonlight. So glad you two found each other and a Happy Valentine's Day to you both!

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  7. What a beautiful couple!!! I love your story. I met my hubby at a Rodeo dance - he used to be a bull rider. My college friend and I were returning to school when we stopped in at this small rodeo town to join the fun for awhile. I saw this handsome cowboy and we ended up dancing and talking til the dance was over. My friend and I went back to school and he went home and told his mom he met the girl he was going to marry.

    A few years later he did just that. It will be 27 years on the 22.

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    1. Saimi: Ah, the rodeo! I should have guessed that, since you all have so much to do with horses, still. A great way to meet and fall in love and stay in love!!!

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  8. Happy Valentine's Day, Shelley! Certainly looks like you've been bountifully blessed. Here's to many more happy years for you two.

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    1. Linda: Thank you! And a very Happy Valentine's to you~

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  9. Beautiful photo!

    Hubby and I met in high school also. I was a sophomore and he was a senior. He joined the Navy a year after he graduated and after 6 weeks of boot camp, I knew I couldn't live without him. We were married just after I graduated. Just celebrated 23 yrs in December.

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    1. Say What: I love these that have their roots in high school. Somehow, it's just such a satisfying thing to have grown up and with each other. Congratulations!

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  10. I love that picture - and it's so sweet that you met so long ago and still love each other!

    I met my husband at a SCUBA diving shop where I worked. He said he picked me up off the mask shelf. ;)

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    1. Sherry: Ha! Now that's a good story, and thank you!

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  11. Hi Shelly. How wonderful about the apple red car - I'm sure you will get a lot of pleasure out of it. What a beautiful photo of the two of you and, yes, your hubby certainly was very handsome! How lucky you are that he still 'rocks your boat' after 28 years. I meant my husband on a blind date. I had been in a nasty car accident, where the car was written off, and my face was completely swollen. A friend of mine felt sorry for me and asked me out with her husband to meet a friend of theirs. Looking back, I can't believe that I went, with my face looking like that! Anyway, we hit it off, and the rest, as they say, is history! Hope the two of you have a super valentines day.

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    1. thisisme: I hope that I can somehow figure out the car and all its functions before too long- but it really was a great surprise.

      Wow- I love your story! There's something very romantic about meeting on a blind date, and added to the fact that you had just had a bad car accident makes it even more gripping. I am so glad you two got together and that you healed up so beautifully after the wreck! Happey Valentine's Day, my friend~

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    2. Well, it certainly wasn't my looks he was attracted to for the first few dates! Must have been my scintillating personality! LOL!!

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    3. thisisme: I'm sure you were beautiful then, even after the wreck, just as you are beautiful now!

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    4. I love thisisme's story. How awesome to find love that isn't influenced by appearance. I'm so glad she survived and is living a happy life.

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  12. I'm going to write my live tomorrow, although I feel I already have a thousand times but I'm not sure if I've ever told the story of how we first met. Our first words were actually fighting words about the band Metallica. You've inspired me.

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    1. Julie: Now that sounds like a great story- can't wait to read it!

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  13. You know how some brides struggle for simplicity and classic beauty in their wedding dress so that their photos will withstand and not look cheesy in years hence? You NAILED that, honey. His beige tux with tails? Well, love is what counts. (I can't remember how I found you, but I'm glad I did.)

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    1. Therese: Ha! Thank you, and yes, it is a pretty dated tux, although at the time, it was very in style. I don't think I could get him into one now! Thanks for stopping by- I'm headed over to your place-

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  14. I met my wife in high school. She was editor of the literary magazine and she really liked my poems. I knew my poems were crap and figured she must like me. We've been together for forty years. By the way, my poems are still crap.

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    1. Stephen: Poetry is the language of love! Congratulations on the 40, and here's to the next 40!

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  15. I enlarged your wedding photo...you make a loving, handsome couple. I can see why his smile melted your heart. For Bud and me....it was a whirlwind relationship. I knew who he was for several months before, but always thought he was married. In fact, I'd see him every day where I worked. One night after the office closed, and I started driving home [in the Colorado foothills]...he followed me. I finally pulled off into my parents' driveway, and my mom was out in the front flower bed working. I waved at Bud as he drove by, and I told my mom..."That's the guy I'm gonna marry." Of course by that time, I knew he was and never was married before...a good looking single guy. We had our first date in March, we married in May of the same year. 45 years this May, and we're still together. [By the way, my mom and Bud had one special son/mother relationship. I swear MY mom loved him more than his own mom.]

    Okay, now that that is done, my romance saga, am I correct that your dear hubby bought you a new candy apple red car?

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    1. Hootin Anni: I love your story! So he followed you on purpose? And my husband has the same kind of relationship with my mom- I think sometimes my mom loves him more than me! Congratulations on 45 years- are you already planning a 50th celebration for when the time comes?

      And yes, a candy apple red SUV. It's so smart some of it confounds me, like syncing its computer with my phone and getting the voice commands down (have to work on my Texas accent with it), but I do love it~

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  16. Oh you look beautiful, very good looking couple. I love your story about how you met. He is the most romantic husband to give you a candy red car aahhhhhh. You are very blessed but I do believe he is also very blessed.
    I met My Hero during high school but never we never started dating till he graduated as we never really had the chance. He came to ask me if I would go out to the movies with him, My Mom said no as I was grounded(long story) he asked her if she and all my brothers and sisters (10) would like a drive to the quarry to go swimming,it was a very hot day and it was a long walk; we all piled into the back of his pickup and we all went My Mom sat in the front with the two of us. Needless to say he won my Mom over at that moment with his handsome smile, and charm. We did have our first date and never looked back. B

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    1. Buttons: What a wonderful story, and how wise he was to win your mom's heart, too! I'll bet that's a day you and all your siblings remember. And with our touching post this morning about your mom, it makes it even more heartfelt today to read about her reaction to him. Many more wonderful dates to you and your hero!

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  17. What a beautiful couple you are! Matt and I met when we were working together as CNA's in a nursing home. He was so kind and gentle with the residents. And then when I found out he could country swing, well...game over!

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    1. Felt Family: I think that's a true test of a person: how they treat the elderly and how they treat animals. Matt passed on both counts! The country swing is the cherry on top, and now look at that gorgeous family the two of you have!

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  18. You look so pretty in the wedding photo. Your dress is lovely and what a wonderful gift for Valentine's Day. I hope you have lots of fun in the car. They say cops pull over red cars more often than any other color. Good luck with that!

    My husband and I met at a coffee shop. We were introduced by my cousin Bonnie who was a friend of his. We dated for only three months and got married in his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. On June 17 we will have been married 36 years. I'm glad I married Dan because of his strength of character, the love he has for all of us, and his deep loyalty. He also makes me laugh!

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    1. Belle: What a wonderful love story! And I think that being able to make someone laugh is a real test of being able to stay together through the years. I'm so glad you found Dan and that he found you!

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  19. Very lovely couple back then.
    And I know that couple is even more beautiful now.

    Anyway, my share about love? Love is a choice, not a feeling. Even when my relationship with my wife is at its most tempestuous, or even when one or both of us is just tired and grouchy, I choose to love her anyway. And I choose to love her in the happy and upbeat times, too.

    Blessings and wishes for many more happy years for you and your loved one.

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    1. vanilla: You are so right! It is a choice, and one we must all make daily. Thank you for the good wishes. You two are a beautiful couple yourselves!

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  20. Your photo is lovely. The great love of my life was my collie Faulkner. I adopted him in West Virginia. He died in 2010, the day after his 13th birthday. I will never stop missing him. He was more sensitive and loving than any human could ever be. I shouldn't have written this. Now I'm sad, so I'll add that I'm grateful I met Elvis Aaron Schwarz and he is the best boyfriend in the world. I found him on OKCupid. I said I'd never do online dating, but I got lonely and it worked out very well.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Janie: I'm so sorry about Faulkner, but what an amazing thing to be loved so intensely. That makes me glad you had that experience. And Elvis Aaron Schwarz is someone great to have in your life! Having a name like Elvis automatically makes a person a winner in my book.

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  21. You look really lovely in your wedding photo. Thank you for sharing!

    I met my husband at a Super Bowl party at his apartment in college. I don't remember him, but I DO remember the chicken wings. We met again about a month later at a party and I haven't let him out of my sight since.

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    1. Funny is Family: The Super Bowl has been the start of many great romances, especially if there are good chicken wings to be had! Glad you two found each other- you have a beautiful family!

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  22. I think you were a cute couple! Love at first site. Happy Valentine's day to you and yours. My husband hired me in 1972 and we married in 1974. sandie

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    1. Sandie: Since 1974- another long lived one! Congratulations and Happy Valentine's Day to you both~

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  23. Beautiful photo! I met my husband in church! My daughter came in and sat next to me, and said "See that guy over there? Connie (my friend) says he's single." Well, I wangled an introduction from Connie and the rest is history. The funny thing is, we knew SO MANY of the same people. He was friends with my college roommate's sister, and knew many of my brother's friends. It's a small - and wonderful - world!

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    1. karen: That's wonderful! And since you both knew so many of the same people, you already had something of a comfort zone established. Happy Valentine's to you both!

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  24. Oh Shelly, how wonderful! You and your husband are a stunningly good looking couple!

    The love that you share is extended far out into the world. I'm so inspired by the way you continuously give out loving thoughts and support. How very very wonderful that you received a big gift!!!! And I'm sure it's not smarter than you!

    I met my husband in an apartment complex parking lot. He was a new resident, I was the groundskeeper. I was sitting in a filthy golf cart with my despicable boss, who was offensive to me. He would tell inappropriate jokes every single day and expect me to laugh along with his sexist, degrading comments. This boss, named Fred, stopped our dirty golf cart at the steps near the laundry room where my now husband was seated, waiting for his clothes to dry. My husband thought that my boss was really really rude for not introducing me, and reached across to shake my hand and say hi. His smile absolutely beamed light and love. I think I loved him from that first moment, and his smile still makes my knees weak.

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    1. Jenny: What a beautiful, beautiful story of how you two met. That showed you his heart right away. True love's first meeting navigated her way around someone like Fred and pierced your heart. With Fred there to contrast what is truly disgusting in a person, you got to see the very best and step into what God had planned for the two of you all along.

      I love that his smile still makes your knees weak. I know that feeling and it's a heart turning moment every time!

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  25. Dearest Shelly,
    Wow, what a SWEET GORGEOUS wedding couple you two♡♡♡ You sure were a beautiful bride and handsome reliable looking bridegroom. How wonderful that young love birds got married and has been having a happy life together♬♬♬ SO sweat to read that he still floats your boat; thank you very much for the lovely phrase(*^_^*) Oh, I never heard of the color "candy apple red". You got a car as a present; the car sure gave you a lot of memories to you two☆☆☆

    Personally, (as you know) we were introduce by the mutual acquaintance. Right after we met, my husband called me ever day until we married. Even though he was living alone after his mother passed away, these calls was a funny impact for me p;)

    Thank you very much for the Heartwarming Lovely Valentine's Day post, my friend. Wishin you many more blessed years(♥^_^♥)~*

    Sending you lots of love and hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*



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    1. Miyako: Oh, dear friend, I love that he called you every day until you married. That shows how deep his devotion is to you. What a wonderful couple the two of you make, and I can see how you each build into the strengths of the other.

      And I've never had a red car before, and some say the police are looking to stop red cars more often, but I'm certainly having fun with it!

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  26. Your picture is beautiful. Both of you look really classy. You still do. May you both grow up to be an old old couple. Amein.

    I did not speak to my husband at all, before we got married. Our's is an arranged marriage. We saw each other only once. A lot of people in America including my own kids are amazed at how good we get along. Some people even said to me that it is because we Indian women mold ourselves according to the husband, but guess what? I got my husband to stop swearing, within the first year of our married life. I got him to stop reading in the bathroom as it is against my principles. Now I am changing his eating habits, as his old habits are bad for his health. So there !
    I think it is the matter of who wants to stay in the marriage more. If both do it is wonderful like you and your hubby.

    Happy Valentine's Day.

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    1. Munir: Thank you, my friend! I think what you explain so well is very true. We have choices to make, and wanting to stay in a marriage is a must have for anything that lasts. I love how you were able to change your husband's habits, for his good, too, and that you have had such an enduring relationship. I wish many more years of health and happiness to you, my friend, and a wonderful Valentine's Day, as well!

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  27. What a beautiful post and a gorgeous wedding photo of you and your hubby! I can truly feel the love exuding from your posts when you write about your family.

    I met my husband when we worked graveyard shift at a restaurant together. It's hard to believe we've been together almost 17 years. So many changes take place in two people over the course of that many years. It's such a blessing when the love grows and expands through those changes.

    I hope you have a Very Happy Valentine's Day, Shelly! - and I know you're just lovin' that new car! ;)

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    1. Jenn: You must have been very young when you two met! And you're so right- we change so much that sometimes we aren't even recognizable as the same person, and yet, deep down, we are. It's in adapting to those changes that the strength and unity in a relationship is forged.

      Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

      And yes, I
      'm loving the car, I'm just not figuring all of it out yet...

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  28. Oh, I'm late to the party as usual! I love what you wrote about your love, " His smile dazzled me as he laughed, full of white teeth, fun, and strength." I love it because of the feeling you give us when reading it and the strength part, because it leads us to believe it's not only physical strength (you're my muscle man!) but personal strength, character.

    What a beautiful photo! So young. (not that you are old now) It's just when I look back on my own wedding photos, I so want to tell that young woman a few things!! haha!!

    Beautiful post!

    Will you show the car on Facebook? I guess I should check, haven't been on in a couple days!

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    1. Jamie: Awww, thank you! You always say such nice things! Like you, I would love to tell my younger self some things. Knowing how I was, though, I probably would have been too stubborn too listen.

      Yes, I will put up a pic on FB, maybe on the weekend. We've had some rain and I've gotten it muddy, so I need to get it washed already~

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  29. OK, oops, was I supposed to respond to this post? Hmmmmm....I met my husband on a blind date, that was set up by my now sister in law and brother in law. I was teaching with her at a Montessori school, and met them both in August and literally, every day, they said "you should go out with Tom." I was not ready, working 2 jobs and not interested at all. Then, New Year's Eve, I went on a blind date with a older friend's son and had fun, so I thought I'd try another. When Tom showed up, my first thought was "Wow, you are tall!" he is 6ft 6! I really was not ready (I thought) to date anyone, so I laid it all on him...angels, God, faith...we talked til 2 or 3 in the morning. He loved it I guess. It was his time. God had been preparing him for me. He had a huge conversion back to the faith, after being away from church for like 15 years!

    That year, 17 years ago, there was this huge winter storm, that caused even the colleges in town to close down and almost all businesses, for a couple days. This freed us up to get to know eachother a little more. After a couple weeks, he told me he loved me. I was shocked. I said, "No you don't, I'm not ready for anything serious" He walked away so sad, I saw tears streaming down his face. I thought about it, and after seeing him one more time, told him the same. (I had just gone through a divorce the year before--it's annulled--bad bad marriage--thank goodness no kids)

    We were married the following December. And the rest is history....6 kiddos later!

    He's the love of my life, the one God intended for me, I know that for sure.

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    1. Jamie: Oh, I got a little teary eyed reading this- how completely beautiful. What a love story. It broke my heart when you told him you weren't ready and shattered him, but then, when you realized he was the one for you...

      I'm so glad you two found each other. What a beautiful family you have!

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  30. What a beautiful wedding picture, Shelly -- and a wonderful post as well. You're so fortunate to have met the love of your life at such a young age and to have the blessing of sharing so much of your youth together! My cousin Caron did the same and is still so happy after 55 years of marriage! I met the love of my life in college, but he fell in love with someone else and it broke my heart for years to come. When I was 30, I met my husband Bob at a conference I hadn't wanted to attend. I walked in with a bad attitude, stayed to myself and still managed to meet him. We sat together at lunch and found we enjoyed each other and over time fell into a sensible, mature love that has endured. With my cats, I've found that the very best cats I've ever had, I've found when I wasn't looking for a cat. But I would encounter a rescue animal in an unexpected place -- at the vet's when I went in for medicine for a dying, elderly cat (and met up with Timmy and Gus) or at PetSmart searching for kitty grass (and came up empty on the kitty grass but very blessed with the wonderful Marina). Timmy and Marina became therapy cats in my practice and, unfortunately, both died at young ages. But we still have Gus, nearly 15, and are thankful for every day. I guess the bottom line is that love is where you find it -- even when you're not looking for it!

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    1. Dr. Kathy: Wow- he really broke your heart completely- did he know that it was so deep? I love how you've found your cats, or they've found you. And it does seem to happen that say so often, that someone who seeks desperately for love doesn't find it, but when they let go of that as a goal and aren't driven by it anymore, it seems to fall into your lap.

      I'm so glad you found Bob, even if you did go in with a bad attitude to that conference!That is a wonderful falling in love story~

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  31. Beautiful wedding picture, Shelley! And great post!

    Nas

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  32. Sweet.... thank you for sharing your wedding photo. Blessings.

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    1. JBR: So many years ago, but it's still very fresh in my mind!

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  33. Lovely, nostalgic wedding pic, thanks for sharing this with us.

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    1. Damyanti: Thank you! And so glad you stopped by. I'm off to visit your blog~

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  34. wow lovely post! i like it!

    Maybe we follow each other!?
    Let me know :)

    Greetings

    www.YulieKendra.com

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    1. Yulie: Thank you for stopping by- I'm headed over to yours right now~

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  35. Ah, the love of my life. I actually met him at a party and the first thing I did was pick a fight with him about Metallica, saying they're cliche and all men are programed to love them. I lived in NY and he in NC (I was visiting a friend) and about a week later I got this text - "Metallica rules". He heard I loved texting and actually went to a store and bought a phone on the spot just so he could get in contact with me. I moved in with him six months later and we married two years after meeting. We just passed eleven years since we met and we're about to hit our nine year wedding anniversary. Congrats on the car! I got a Dyson!

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    1. Julie: I'm so glad you came back to tell this great story. I love that he went right out and got a cell phone just to be able to text with you! That was strong love right off the bat! And, now, do you feel differently about Metallica?

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  36. Love like that is a wonderful thing. You looked so beautiful in your wedding photo!

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  37. What was the question again by the time I got through all the comments in front of me I have forgotten the question, ok went and checked it out and you asked how I met the love of my life...aka......hubby......aka.....pain in my bum...........lol

    Well I meet him 29yrs ago this June in my parents loungeroom why there well it was a blind date but by the end of that night I knew I wanted to get to know him better..........lol

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    1. Jo-Anne: LOL! Awww- I love that story! Blind dates can really turn into great things, and I'm so glad it did for the two of you~

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  38. What an absolutely stunning wedding photo. I thrilled at hearing how you first saw him, and to know you are still together and happy after all these years, I praise God for you. I pray you both grow old together and always rejoice in each other. I want too see more photos PLEASE!!!

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    1. Crystal Mary: Thank you so much! You are always so very kind, my friend!

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  39. Shelly,
    What a beautiful bride you were, and you still are! Happy Valentine's Day a couple of days late.

    The LOC is a romantic, and almost always gets me a dozen red roses for V.'s Day.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. Marsha: Love red roses! So glad you have a romantic~ they make life fun. And thank you!

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  40. Beautiful picture, and congratulations on your 28 years of love together! I met my husband on a blind date, and we have been married over 40 years now. The love keeps on growing. Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

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    1. Connie: That's the best kind- that just keeps growing and adapting. Then you know it will last. Congratulations on your 40 years! Blind dates can produce some really great things!

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  41. Congratulations! What a milestone, especially in the times we live in. I've been with my husband 22 years this coming August. He owned a grocery store (with his family) down the street from my house so my older sister got a job there. Then one day out of the blue my younger sister and I decided to stop in. I'll never forget it because when my sister introduced all of us, my husband couldn't stop smiling at me the whole time we were there. Then there was me, "Eh, he's alright." ;~)

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    1. Lady M: I love it! Ha~ your opinion surely did change, didn't it? True love always finds a way, and I'm glad it found you two~

      And thank you!

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  42. I love hear stories that are like this. Nice to hear that you are still so in love. I have been married to my husband for 31 years and still madly in love with him too. I met my husband while I was in college working as a waitress.

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    1. Dawn: Congratulations! 31 years is a wonderful thing in this day and age. And since you are so very talented in the kitchen, did working as a waitress build your talents, or did you already have them established? I'm sure I wipe drool off my computer screen every time you post pictures.

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  43. Dear Shelly, like most humans, I've known many kinds of love--that between child and parent, between school friends, between animals and humans, between mentors and humans, between adult friends, and between children and me. I've never known sexual love between a man and a woman or two women. But still, love at its essence is the same in that it is putting the concerns and needs of the other in the center of one's existence for this moment in time. Not every moment, but the moment that is necessary. I learned a lot about love when I was in college and read Anne Morrow Lindbergh's book "Gift from the Sea." If you haven't read it, I encourage you to do so. Walking the beach, she finds shells that speak to her of love and responsibility and human growth. It's a lovely book. Peace.

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    1. Dee: I think you really nailed love's essence. That's certainly it for the long term, mature kind of love, instead of the flash-in-the-pan infatuation that leaves so many young people disappointed because they don't understand what it is.

      I have not read "Gift From the Sea", although I have long admired Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and now I will be looking to read this piece. Thank you!

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  44. Our first date was a blind date. That will be 51 years come Feb. 23. We were married 50 this past Sept 1. Very pretty wedding picture.

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    1. Rose: Congratulations! 51 years is truly amazing, and hey- that anniversary is almost here! I hope you have a special celebration planned~

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  45. Congrats to you and your hubby, Shelly! Pretty wedding picture. I met my husband while we were both members of a recreational sports league. He was a pro at the sport, I was not, yet I had the chutzpah to argue a call with him on the first day of practice. He told me he was smitten with me from that moment. ;-) I became smitten shortly thereafter and we will be celebrating 10 years of marriage next year. Aside from our children, he is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

    Thank you for this post!

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    1. Jannette: That chutzpah brought you a wonderful reward, then! You knew how to catch his attention right from the start. Plan a wonderful 10 year celebration, and then top it at each decade celebration thereafter!

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  46. I met ThatManILove at a bible study…that I hosted…at my house!

    I guess I need to tell that story sometime, in print!

    Love this post, Shelly!

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    1. That Janie Girl: Yes, you definitely need to tell that story- sounds terrific! When is your anniversary? Might be a good post, if it's not too far off, to commemorate that~

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  47. Oh, my but you're beautiful!

    Willie and I met at a bar. :-) He was smiling at me, so I wandered over, told him that he looked like he had half a brain and that we could talk. :-) He had the good graces to laugh at my impertinence, and that was 10 years ago.

    Pearl

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    1. Pearl: Ha! You've got quite the lines! A good laugh is a terrific way to start any relationship. I'm glad you two found each other.

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  48. Now that is one good looking couple! I noticed and liked my wife the day I first saw her, but it took her a little longer. By a little longer, I mean fifteen years longer. We have loved every minute we've had with each other and we both agree that this time in our lives together is the best time...

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    1. Pat: 15 years! Wow! It's wonderful you two are together and in the best time- nothing like it!

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  49. Wonderful picture and story. My husband and I have been married almost 27 years. It takes a lot of work to keep a marriage happy and fresh. Congratulations on your 28 years.

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    1. Sharon: And right back at you- 27 years is pretty terrific!

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