 If we all think about it, we expect to meet our future someone somewhere romantic. But more often than not, it happens in an ordinary place and time and we might miss it if we don't pay attention. Today, fellow author Candace West tells the story of how she met the love of her life. I never expected to meet my future husband at a baptizing. And I certainly didn’t expect to meet him when I was the mature eleven-year-old looking down at his ten-year-old freckled face.
Yet I did. Right under a cypress tree along the lakeside as people set out folding chairs while others tuned their guitars. Nearby, my mama snapped open a case and pulled out her accordion. Sparkles like silver glitter spread across the blue-green water to the distant shoreline. At our feet, water lapped gently at our toes, so alluring, so off-limits on this special day.
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Every person has a different definition of romance. And sometimes, those definitions take a direction you might not expect. My good friend, Heather Greer, is chatting today about how she and her husband celebrated twenty-five years of marriage. And it might surprise you.  Sometimes romance isn’t roses and chocolates.
Sometimes it’s wrestling and bread pudding. My husband and I just celebrated our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. When you pass a milestone anniversary, people expect the couple to enjoy dinner at a fancy restaurant, a rose for every year, or a vow renewal ceremony complete with second honeymoon. We did have a party, but only because friends planned it as a surprise for us. When friends ask how we celebrated this special anniversary, their open curiosity turns to confusion when I tell them we went to a wrestling match with a couple of close friends. To be honest, we went a week before our anniversary. But that couldn’t be helped. The Royal Rumble didn’t ask us when we wanted them to arrive in St. Louis, Missouri. Writing definitely has its ups and downs. And I'm not just talking about the climax of the story.
One minute, you're up because you got a nice review (authors LOVE reviews because it helps other readers decide if they want to read the book or not). The next minute you're down because your editor wants you to cut about a thousand words. Then, back up because you scored a contract for another story. And back down because you have to rewrite three scenes. Up. Your book was mentioned on a popular readers' blog. Down. You didn't end up a finalist in the contest you entered. You get the idea. There's tons more, but that last one is where I've been the last few weeks.  I don't know about you, but our house has been plagued by germs lately. That's right. The big evil C word finally caught us after two years of avoiding it.
Needless to say, there's been much handwashing and cleaning going on. And not very much kissing. Nope. My husband and I learned long ago that kissing while one or the other of us is sick is not a good idea. Not if we want us both to be well sooner rather than later.  Do you have "your spot?"
You know what I mean. That one chair or corner of the couch you tend to gravitate more than anywhere else in your house. I do. But when I was recovering from surgery last month, my chair didn't have a high enough back to be comfortable. My sweet husband has his spot, too. It's his recliner. Can you guess what I'm about to say? So many people forget that marriage vows include the phrase "in sickness," but fellow author Jenny McLeod Carlisle is living it. Read on as she talks about how well her husband is taking care of her after surgery. And the little surprise he came up with for her, too.
Ever feel like it's hard to find time to make romance when life gets super busy? There are still ways! Guest author Teresa Tysinger is here today to talk about how a cup of coffee says love louder than a lot of other things. Read on!  My husband and I have been married almost twenty years. From the early days, he was good at the grand gestures of romance. Planning nice dinners for anniversaries, picking out thoughtful gifts, and even saving mementos like one of the cookies I baked, decorated, and mailed him one year in college! But as the years have ticked by, I’ve come to realize that there’s an equal amount of romance, if not more, in the small ways he shows me he loves me every day.
As I’m sure is the way with many of you, life these days is hectic. There are morning routines to get out the door, sports activities around town for our daughter, and chores/errands galore. (Oh yeah, plus a full-time job and part-time writing gig!) My husband and I often feel like those proverbial ships passing in the night. He’s found a way, however, to satisfy both my need to know he is thinking of me and one of my greatest loves: coffee. Did you ever have a perfect moment? But it wasn't with the guy you ended up with? Author Delores Topliff shares one of her most romantic memories today, and you might be surprised. Read on.  I didn’t marry Logan (name changed) but he swept me off my feet and was my first major romance. I was a college girl working summers in a US Forest Service office in Washington State. He was an unmarried career ranger who hadn’t been out of university long. He was more rugged than handsome but with a nice personality and winning smile. We exchanged friendly banter along with the 20-30 other workers in our office until one day he asked me to dinner.
Yes. Do you only look for romance in the big things in life? Or do you see it even more in the little things? Today, author Tabitha Bouldin is sharing a story of something that might seem mundane and normal, but was romantic to her.  I love the idea of romance in the mundane, every day, little things.
But picking out a single moment that speaks to me, that took me a minute. Since I’m an author, let me tell you a story. I am terrified of deep water. To the extent that I was unable to learn how to swim. This fear has played a big part in my life. It has hindered me and held me back time after time. I didn’t want our two boys to experience the same fear, but I did not have the ability to teach them how to swim. My husband did. He knew my fear and he understood what it meant for me that the boys learn what I could not. Have you ever decided you didn't want to get to know someone better because of a first impression? Sometimes, when you finally do, you realize that person is the best friend--or even boyfriend--you've ever had. Today, Molly Noble Bull is joining us to tell about her first impressions of her husband ... and the fun way she overcame them.  Charlie and I have been married for many years. Yet I will always remember how it all began.
We met in college, and I was impressed by the fact that he was the president of a popular student organization I knew. But I was eighteen. He seemed much older, older than the college boys I knew. It wasn’t that he looked older, but there was a maturity about him I couldn’t ignore. Though he was kind, polite, and handsome, I thought he was probably a veteran. Since I wasn’t interested in dating older guys, I didn’t consider him a possible boyfriend. Still, he seemed interested in me. Why? I not only looked young for my age, about fifteen, I was probably one of the least mature freshmen on campus. But one of my friends had a mad crush on Charlie Bull. She talked about him all the time. The more she talked, the better he sounded. |
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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