First Love or Last Love

 

In honor of Love month and Valentine's Day

My first serious crush... I was 15 1/2 and met a guy in my class.  Oh, my goodness!

It was in the time of Top Gun and Tom Cruise and let's just say Maverick had nothing on my guy.  I had gone out with friends and tried to have relationships with guys in the past.  But this one, he just took my heart with him everywhere.  He loved camping, hiking, river days, school, writing, talking.  We became best friends.  I would spend every spare minute with him.  We both worked after school and weekends at busy restaurants and our time was limited.  I thought about him all the time and even dreamed of a future with him.  I had been under the impression that I would marry a man who love Jesus Christ as much as I did, though.  Hmmm..  My guy was anything, but in love with my Jesus.  We dated for about two years and even started planning our future together.  I joined the Air Force in July, 1988 after three weeks in Oahu and one week with him at his Dad's home in Redondo Beach.  He joined the Air Force in October, 1988.  We got stationed in Missouri and Alaska.  Then all the dreams we had together, slowly unraveled.  We grew up and apart and found our differences were just too different.  Especially, our beliefs.

Then a few short years later... I was hooked up with my husband now at a Monday Night Football game on September 30, 1991.  He had three children and I had one and we connected.  We had both loved and lost and were carrying around deep wounds from our past.  Some of those wounds still open and bleeding and some scarred up.   We knew would have to work on this relationship.  So we became good friends and started on our path to building "us".   We talked about the future and my guy was learning to love the Lord each day.  He accepted Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior and was baptized.  Typical of my guy he started saying well, let's get married and flippantly ask me to marry him.  I had to lay down the law that a ring and proper proposal would be in order.  So on Valentine's Day 1992, we attended a Sweetheart Banquet at the Church and it was snowing afterward.  We stopped off in Nevada City and in front of, what used to be, Cirinos my man proposed. (Yes! on his knee in the middle of the sidewalk, with snow flurrying around us).  He can be so romantic, still.  We were married in August. 1992.  We cherished our weekend getaways.  When we were alone, we would honeymoon - always and talk about US.  We would sometimes have tough decisions to work through and always came home refreshed for the children.  We are and always have been so grateful that my parents never said no to watching the grandchildren.  They would take one or all  five eventually.  They absolutely loved having them and have helped us raise incredible adults.  My children were so blessed to have them in their lives as well.
Through the 22 years of marriage we have grown in so many ways.  God united us and we will not be separated.  Through the storms of life, we grow in Him and in our relationship. 
We can complete each others sentences and know inner thoughts.
 Just a touch sends sparks through me today and a kiss, mmmmm......
Thinking forward..
Looking at the relationships my children have and have in their lives. 
I see strength in them to make love last at all cost.   There is no giving up.
No matter what past relationships have brought, forgive and forget.
 There is compromise every day.

 

To my guy-

I may not be your first kiss, first love or first anything! But as long as I am your last kiss, last love and last anything

Books I am currently reading.. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly, Jefferson Davis and his Generals by Steven E. Woodworth, The Faiths of our Fathers by Alf J. Mapp, Jr, and I just finished There is a Flying Squirrel in My Coffee by Bill Goss.  (I loved reading this book and have attached the picture for anyone interested.) 

Movies/Shows:  Best of Travel-Hawaii, Best of Travel-The Pacific Northwest, Julie and Julia.

 forever....That's all that matters.