How far would you go to impress your future father-in-law? That's right, I said FUTURE. Well, guest author Meghann Whistler is here today to talk about her real-life romance when she did just that. Read on. I met my husband on a blind date in Boston in September 2003, during my last semester of grad school.
I’d been single for about a year and half before I met him, and I’d been on my fair share of bad blind dates during that time, so I didn’t have high hopes. That all changed, however, when I met him. Paul was tall and handsome, and he was Canadian, like me! He was also kind and polite, and after dinner, we stayed out talking until two o’clock in the morning. It wasn’t long before we fell in love. 💕
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In our relationship, my husband and I get along fairly well, but that doesn't mean we aren't complete opposites in the way we do certain things. For instance, I love being around people. He does not. I love watching old musicals. He tolerates them. I love being outside. He can handle it a little while, but don't ask him to camp. And it's okay. Because we balance each other out.
But we're different in other ways too. Like, I am a planner and he is not. I love to know weeks in advance what we're doing when, how much things cost, when they open, what might be on the way from here to there that we could add to our trip, etc. He is more of a wing-it man. I said, "Do you want to take a trip, just the two of us, for our anniversary?" He replied, "Sure." "Where would you like to go?" And he shrugged. I had the radio on in the car the other day. Not always a safe choice, but the station I was tuned to is fairly clean. The kids and I were headed to school and a popular song came on.
I quickly turned it off. "Why did you do that, Mommy?" "Because that song makes me mad." Of course, then I had to go into a whole discussion about what part of the song made me mad (they're used to us muting or turning off songs with bad language, but they could tell this was different). It's been a crazy few weeks around here. Between my husband having surgery right before Spring Break, my tax-job schedule being quite a few more hours than normal, extra events at school, and several other things, I've been running a bit crazy. So, when I jokingly told my son to go get me a chocolate milkshake, I didn't really expect anything to happen. For one, because he's seven, and for two, because I was joking--mostly.
So, when my husband jumped up and put his shoes on, I was a bit floored. Pleased, but surprised. He was going to do it? If someone says, "Whatever you want, dear," does it frustrate you or make you happy. In the case of fellow author, Christina Sinisi, you might be surprised! Read on about her latest anniversary trip. My husband and I have been together for more than 40 years. We met in college—both representing our schools as honors students. I was a sophomore, and he was a senior. His older, wiser self might have been the reason he went back to barracks (he attended Virginia Military Institute) and told his roommate he’d met the woman he was going to marry. His roommate said the same. My husband was right (he often is, but ssh), his roommate wasn’t.
Flash forward to this past year. For some context—my husband grew up in New Orleans up to age 12 and then moved to a Connecticut suburb. He’s a city boy by training. On the other hand, I grew up in the mountains of Virginia and wandered the woods. Whenever my family traveled, we avoided cities and searched out wilderness. Can a pet spell romance? Maybe not for everyone, but if you're an animal-lover, it just might. Guest author Kara Leigh Miller is chatting today about how it turned into a real-life romance story for her. More than once. ;) The year was 2007. My husband and I had just moved into a new home less than six months prior, and it was the dead of winter in Central New York. For those who don’t know, this region of NY gets lake effect snow, and getting a foot or more in just a couple of hours isn’t uncommon. One night, we were huddled inside watching some nature program about snow leopards, and I LOVE cats of any kind. So there I am, oohing and aahing about the cute fluffy kitties on the TV.
Our daughter was barely 3 years old, and she was still learning proper enunciation. Fluffy was fuffy and I jokingly said to my husband, “We need to get a white cat to name Snowball so our daughter can call it, “fuffy noball.” She couldn’t quite pronounce her S’s. My husband laughed and said no. Absolutely no cats. How well does your significant other know you? Well enough to plan a surprise party? Or well enough to NOT plan a surprise party? Guest author, Regina Rudd Merrick is chatting with us about what her husband did for her last birthday. I think a lot of us resonate with this. When you write romance, you try your best to think of the MOST ROMANTIC situations your characters can be in.
Here’s the problem, though—most of the interactions between people who love one another are the little, day-to-day things and the occasional spark of inspiration that make up a life. I will fully admit that my husband is the romantic in my marriage, but when your love language is acts of service as mine is, no amount of hugging, gifts, or words of affirmation are going to do it for you regularly. That’s why last year, for my birthday, my husband chose the best birthday present I could have ever imagined. A weekend out of town. "I'm not romantic," my husband likes to say. He also hates taking selfies. Or pictures of any kind with him in them.
But you know what? I think he's wrong about the romantic part. I think he just needs to redefine it. So many times we've built our idea of romance up around the movies and books and even things that aren't that realistic. Instead, we need to remember what it is. To me, romance is doing things he knows will make me happy. Like almost-grinning in a selfie on one of our date nights. And more. Are you or your spouse more romantic? Do your romantic gestures shine brighter during certain times of life? Guest author Lydia MacClaren is sharing with us today some moments that stick out in her memory. My husband is more romantic than I am. He’s the one who thinks of small gifts of chocolate and flowers. He is the one who suggests grabbing coffee together or going out to try a new dessert. He thinks up cheesy declarations of love that he gives with much confidence and a kiss on the cheek.
Yes, he’s the romantic one. I’m the pragmatic one. But, when I consider the most romantic gestures that he has made in our relationship, what comes to mind first isn’t the elaborate plans he’s thought long and hard over that belong in a romance novel, it’s the ones he’s made in the thick of difficult situations. What exactly do dead squirrels have to do with romance? Well, you might be surprised. Author Lisa Schnedler is sharing her story today and I think you're going to like it. ;) “You did it wrong,” one of my friends counseled. “You never get three dogs all the same age.”
I wish I had known—that my three “babies” – a rescue Maltese, a mixed-breed dumped on the side of the road, and my son’s childhood Boston Terrier—all in the same age range—would have to be put to sleep, one each year, for three years. And it wasn’t just the pain of putting them to sleep. It was the months and months of poor health, vet visits, and the pain of watching your companion want to live—and not be able to. My husband had had too much of this. “Let’s not get a dog until you retire.” But, six months after the suffering ended, I had had enough. Enough of coming home to an empty house. Enough of walks alone. Enough of not having my warm friend under my feet as I worked at my computer. I had had enough! |
This is a place for me to share thoughts and ideas not just related to writing. Thoughts about what's going on in my life, about an idea I got that I thought shareworthy, or just a funny anecdote.
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