Valentine Stories

With V-Day approaching, how about sharing your story of how you met your spouse, BF, GF, SO, etc., and if married, how the proposal happened.

I met my wife at an office job in midtown Manhattan. She was working for the summer after finishing her first year of college. I was out of school in the middle of Junior year due to illness and had to wait for the following spring to start up again. So I was just looking to keep busy and got the job through a temp agency.

We dated throughout that summer but went separate ways at the end. We kept in touch on and off and I never got her out of my mind for very long. Once I was working full-time and had my feet on the ground, I contacted her and we re-connected. That was in late July. We knew at that first meeting we would be married.

I formally asked her that following November, when I took her to our favorite Italian restaurant in Astoria to celebrate her birthday. I caught her off-guard and she started crying and trembling, but said nothing. After a while, I asked, 'Is that a yes?', and she nodded! A year and a half later we were married in June of 1991. Been happy ever since!

Now your turn.

awww, what a sweet story V.

The first words my DH ever said to me was, "you smoke too much!" At which point I proceeded to tell him what I thought of that! He was a friend of my then boyfriend. He was 16 and I was 18. After a few months I broke up with the boyfriend but continued to be friends with my now DH. The sneaky guy would hold my hand and give me a kiss on the cheek whenever we parted! This went on for almost a year! I had no idea I was falling in love with him until a mutual friend wanted to set him up with a girl he knew. Boy did my stomach do a flip! It took me a few days to admit to myself how I felt. He had become my best friend how was I going to tell him how I felt?! When I finally worked up the nerve, I shakily told him and he said he was in love with me from the first day I told him off!!
We were married in December of 1986 and still hold hands wherever we go! Oh and I quit smoking soon after we met!

Great story. So he saved your health too!

Absolutely!! Now it's my turn with him-helping him conquer high cholesterol!
Loved your story too Victor. I can't imagine what you were thinking while waiting for an answer!

Good connection - lower the cholesterol, protect his heart!

Such nice stories! Very romantic!
I don't really have a story - we met, became friends and got married! Glad you quit smoking Sue! I gave up telling my DH to quit - if he wants to kill himself it's his business!! I don't want that attitude to ruin such a wonderful thread though! My DH and were never really in love and have kinda gone our separate ways emotionally. But I love hearing your stories! Eleanor

Nice stories Victor and S-sandy, I love how you met stories. Yours are both so sweet!

I've told this story before - I broke up with one guy on a Friday afternoon, and instead of sitting home depressed, I went to a singles dance. I saw Dave across the room, thought he was cute and stared at him up and down - I wanted him to know I liked what I saw. He asked me to dance, and we've been dancing ever since. Actually it took him 6 years to propose, and now we've been married almost 10 years.

I was suppose to meet my dh about a year before we actually met. My cousin was trying to set me up with her boyfriend's friend at the time...she was acting like it wasn't a set up but I knew it was...... Anyhow on the day of the "date" I called her and told her I couldn't make it because I had to finish a report for college...so I basically cancelled out with a lie. However the whole idea had made me sick to my stomach - I wasn't one for blind dates....

Moving ahead....

My cousin and her boyfriend were getting married and Kim (dh) was in the wedding party. I knew Kim was going to be there but never thought much of it - however I did want to know what he looked like. Anyhow a bunch of us were dancing in a big circle and my cousin went around the circle naming each person - the funny thing is when she came to Kim she screamed his name out and then screamed out my name - GOD I thought I was going to die!!! Anyhow dance over....

Moving ahead....

I was enjoying myself having a great old time and I was thirsty so I headed towards the bar for a drink. As I am waiting there there was a pat on my shoulder and I turned around and it was Kim. He asked me to dance. We danced and danced and danced with only each other all night long. I went home with my parents cause I had too much to drink - anyhow I couldn't stop thinking of him.

Moving ahead......

We went on our first date about 2 weeks later and he then moved in with me about a month later and we have been together ever since.

Nice story Dawn. Lots of moving ahead!

Yup WE ALWAYS need to move ahead or we don't go anywhere!

I'm mostly a lurker on this forum, so I hope no one minds if I unlurk occasionally.

It was the summer just after my 15th birthday and I took a part-time job at Burger King. There I met my (now) DH, who was a "much" older college man of 20 (at least my parents thought so). We didn't work together often, but when we did, he flirted and I was just shy. One such day, I was sweeping the floor, not really paying much attention, when we nearly collided in the hall. I was all flustered and embarrased, but he didn't skip a beat - with his smirky smile I've come to love he asked, "are you trying to sweep me off my feet?". I must have turned 10 different shades of red, but somehow I got up the courage to respond. I asked, "would it work?" He pretended to think about it for a moment and then said "maybe".

Four years later we were married. We just celebrated our 15th anniversary and he is still my first and only love.

Oh - and he nearly died on the day he proposed...but that's another story.

ohh..?
that's a good way to pique curiosity!
hehee - i remember when 5 years was MUCH older too...

Nice story Songs and please post more often!! You have to explain the brush with proposal death.

edited to say - i'll work on this for later.

This message was edited Jan 28, 2008 9:53 PM

Victor, what a sweet idea for a thread. And I love the stories of the "cute meet" (as Hollywood people term it.)
I met my future husband when he sold me an old car. I was lookin' for a car to take me to college. . . he was lookin' for a pigeon, I mean, for a buyer. . . it was a very old car (a 1934 Bentley) and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. Knew nothing about old cars, but what an innocent: I was 18. This was 1963. Now it's 2008; we're still together.
I can never decide if it was a case of "timing is all," or if Fate was smiling at us. . . or what.
But DH didn't nearly die on the day he proposed. . . hope to hear "the rest of the story". . .

These are really great stories!!! I love hearing them

Yes SongsofJoy I too am curious to know more LOL

Great story Emily! Congrats on your long relationship.

Ok here's the near death proposal:

We went for a hike in the White Mountains. DH was just getting into photography back then, so he had 3 different waterfalls on our agenda. I had a hunch he was going to propose that day, but after several seemingly perfect moments went by without even a hint of the big question, I was beginning to doubt. The last waterfall of the day was called Ripley Falls. It is 100 feet high, with a large section of exposed rock. Rock climbing was another hobby of his - he simply could not pass by a slab of rock without attempting to climb it. Without the proper equipment, he didn't normally attempt anything too dangerous, but for some reason on this day he thought it would be a great idea to climb up the side of the waterfall and take a closeup. He got about halfway up (50 feet) when he lost his footing and fell. The river below was so littered with protruding rocks and boulders that it was a pure miracle that he didn't land on one. Instead, he landed square in the middle of a very small pool, very badly scraped and bruised, but nothing broken.

All thoughts of a proposal were gone from my mind now - I was somewhat traumatized by witnessing his fall and just wanted to go home, but he said he had one more place to take me. We arrived at the beach right at sunset (a beautiful one too) where we walked and, you guessed it, he finally proposed.

Here's a picture of Ripley Falls for dramatic effect ;-)

Oh goodness!!!! I am glad he wasn't terribly injured other than his pride I am sure. What a sweet story though.

I NEVER-EVER went out by myself, but one night out of the blue I decided to go listen to a friend who played at a neighborhood bar, the place was filled with people I knew so I was thinking...."this isn't so hard....maybe I'll dance a little...." After I had been on the dance floor for awhile I noticed this guy watching me from across the room, so I looked right at him and crooked my finger..and he pointed to himself and said "who me?" I shook my head yes, and that was it!

A year and a half later we were married.....and I've been crooking my finger ever since!!!

If I had stayed home I never would have met him -- he was in town for that week on business....and if he had left as planned on Friday morning.....we never would have met on Saturday night.....definately Kismet!

Yes, mrsj, I only went to the singles dance to not sit home and be depressed. My DH told his friend he didn't really want to go, but his friend said you never know! It was at a party house, and six years later. DH proposed at a New Years Eve party at the same party house.

Oh, these stories are so wonderful - I'm enjoying everyone!! Eleanor

DH was at my brothers house with some of his buddies, I stopped in to see if my brother would babysit that weekend so I could go out.
We were introduced, and I realized he was the younger brother of a guy I went to HS with. We talked for a few minutes and then I left. A week later I was at my brothers house and DH was there again playing cards and drinking. It seems as they had been playing a drinking game and DH was loosing pretty badly. He fell off the bar stool while I was there and I had all I could do not to laugh. He then stumbled to the door and went out. I followed him out and asked him if he wanted a ride home. (it was raining and he was in no condition to drive.) He refused, said he needed to walk this off so I grab his arm(he wasn't doing well with standing straight ) and proceeded to walk around the block with him for 20 minutes in the rain. He told me he was OK and I had better get back to my brothers or he would worry. He then turned and walked across the street went into the garage and that was that. I later learned it was his Mother's house and he had slept in the garage so not to wake her and have to explain why he was in that condition! LOL
He then goes to my brothers again and starts asking him questions, how old am I, married, divorced, single, kids, ect...
After 20 questions my brother decides to tell him he's wasting his time thinking about me...."She doesn't date" he told him, "Not ever".
"She was married for 8 yrs. and he beat her, so she wants no part of a man in her life right now. I don't know if she ever will again."
Evidently this was a challenge to DH cause he decided he was going to win me over. Even my GF told him, "She won't date, forget it." and his friend whom had known me for a long time told him to give it up too. So DH devised a plan to get me to date him.
He would find out which weekends my EX was taking the kids and if I was going out somewhere with my friends. He would then "show up" where ever I was with my poor brother in tow!
As time went on I got use to him being around and opened up a little more. He started stopping by when he got out of work, asking if the kids and I needed anything(without my brother at this point). Brought me flowers, funny cards, and asked if I would go with him to dinner one night. I said yes and I thought my brother and friends were going to keel over!
6 months later he asked me to marry him.....I said NO. Never getting married again!! So he moved in with me. LOL
6 months later he ask again, I tell him when we have lived together for 5 yrs. I will.
Fast forward 5 yrs. he now has a ring and is asking for a date. We go look at dress's one day and as he is holding up this beautiful gown, a wave of panic comes over me and I run out of the boutique and back in the car. I left him standing there in mid-sentence holding a dress as I bolted!! He gets in the car and asked what was going on. I told him "did I say 5 yrs?? I meant 5+5!!!!! I can't get married!!!!"
It didn't take him the full 10 years to get me up the isle, it took 8.
The day of our wedding he sat accross the street at our neighbors house and waited for me to come out and get in the car. When I saw him standing there I asked him what he was doing. He said "Making sure the car heads in the right direction of the church, and you don't BOLT on me again!! LOL
That was May 14th 1994 and we have been happy ever since.

Wow - great story Celeste. Very funny. Wee there was no doubt he was stuck on you, was there?! Sorry about your first marriage experience. That would make anyone hesitant to try again.

Mrsj - should have put the ring on the crooked finger!

Songs - wow! I hiked a bit in the White Mts and may have seen those falls. The rocks around there can be real treacherous. My wife wanted to kill me when I took her hiking. She was crawling on all fours in some places where the side dropped off steeply!

Victor, your hiking story reminds me of another hiking story - that almost ended in divorce, LOL!! Not really, but I can certainly relate to how your wife felt.

It was a rainy afternoon in So. Cal and a man I had dated a couple of times called to go out. I wanted to hear some Jazz and he didn’t – so I went by myself. I was sitting near the stage and one of the musicians came out from the stage while the band was playing. (Over the years to follow I learned that leaving the stage while one musician solos is called a “walk”.) He was most unusual looking man and he sat down, introduced himself and started talking to me. His head was shaved; he wore an indigo and white ikat Japanese short kimono as a jacket, his fingers were wrapped at the tips with silver tape. He was part of the band – but honestly - I didn’t remember which instrument he was playing. Of course I said “I enjoyed your playing”. I don’t remember much of the conversation – it has been 27 years – but I remember that he told me he drove an old 1969 Citroen. The band leader came out and took him off to the back room of the restaurant. I watched as the leader introduced him to two very pretty, young ladies at the bar. I liked how he shook their hands kind of lowering his head a little to meet their eyes. I immediately knew I was far, far out of my league.

The band took its break and returned to the stage. I was intrigued by this man and knew I was so different from the kind of woman I imagined he might be interested in that I almost left during the set. I thought about leaving my business card in the spot I had been sitting in hoping he would pick it up and call me. Then I realized how unlikely that was outside of a chick flick. So I stayed, and that turned out to be the best decision I have ever made in my life.

We dated and before too long became a weekend couple as I lived about 45 minutes away. He never asked me to marry him and we never moved in together mostly because our lifestyles were necessarily so different due to our occupations. His ex called me when she learned of his death and told me that the only reason he didn’t marry me was that he was afraid that the relationship would be spoiled with marriage as had happened with them. He has been gone 20 years in October and hardly a day goes by that I don’t think about him and how lucky I am to have been part of his life.

Yank, I was touched by your story....you found the love of your life that night didn't you? I'm so sorry he passed, but glad you found that kind of love. It's rare.
My DMIL had the same type of relationship with Roland. She had married and divorced Brian's Dad and never married again. But her and Roland were a Mon. , Wed., Fri. couple for over 25 yrs. It worked for them, both had there own lives, but intermingled on those 3 days. I thought less of him at first, but realized it was what she wanted too and that they were happy this way. "Traditional" doesn't always work for some people.

Very nice Cat. Wonderful story. Sorry for your loss, but glad you had something so special.

Victor and Celeste - thank you.

Thank you Victor for starting this wonderful thread. I'm sitting here all teary eyed reading everyone's story. It is great how everyone is sharing their touching stories.

You're welcome Sue. I am really enjoying them too.

Yankee, that's such a romantic story of you and the jazz musician. . . and that's what Valentine's Day is all about (that, and candy) isn't it?
Must say, I'm rather intrigued by the stories Yankee and Pixie told about these couples who had long-term romantic relationships with people they DIDN'T live with, 24/7. Does absence really help to keep the magic alive.. . .?
Anyhow, Victor, great thread and very sweet and/or funny stories!

!! Lousy Sisters!!! …Take my #%&@ bicycle and bring it back with a ^%$# flat tire!!!



That’s what I heard when I walked into my aunt’s garage entrance to her house. Boy that girls’ got spunk! I said to myself, lots of spirit! A tough little cookie! No one pushes her around! ... She also has a flat tire!!

I had just finished coming back from walking the 4 blocks to my house to drop off my camera. It was my aunts' wedding reception and I was appointed wedding photographer. They had a small family celebration in their house and the 1st floor of the 2 family house was rented by a gentleman with a wife & 3 daughters. This was the first time I had seen any of them, they had moved in a month ago.

– Need help? I asked. She didn’t have an air pump to fill up the tire even if she did have the repair kit! So I offered to fix it for her. I said “wait right here, I’ll be right back with a pump.”

– “ !! Think quick wabbit !!” I said to myself, as I rushed back to my house. I knew I didn’t have a pump!! But I just might be able to borrow one… if I could find someone who had one!! I rushed back home and rang the neighbors’ door… no answer, had to go to my next option, my friend who lived up the block, but it didn’t look as if his car there! Bad news!!... as I turned the corner I could see my neighbor in the backyard. – I realized he couldn’t have heard the doorbell from back there! I walked down and luckily he had one. Rushed back to aunties’ house!! - Good! ...she was still there!☺!

I fixed her bicycle and invited her upstairs to the gathering and we sat and had drinks while we talked for 2 hrs, (- she forgot to go on her bike ride! ☺)… I had plans to go out to a Disco that night with my best friend as we always did during the weekends and invited her along. A year later we were married. My best friend was my best man at the wedding. That was 31 yrs ago this summer, we celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary this year. I still have her same bicycle in pristine condition in our garage, but now we prefer to drive.

* It never did get used much after that day…☺

Great story, WC!! Gotta post a pic of the bike!

Will do! ... too dark outside now. - tomorrow☺.

The Bike ☺

Cool! Thanks.

That is so cool!