Tell Me About It: Week 5

Just because everyone needs a little love in their lives...

This week's Tell Me About It series really illustrates how everyone's love story is truly their own. We have one story of a first and only love and one of finding something real and true the second time around. 

Finding your person and making that commitment can really alter the path you thought you were following. 

Enjoy their stories, and be sure to visit

Jen and Emma!

Kenny and I met in 3rd grade, 

him in his gold rimmed aviator glasses, me in my frizzy permed hair. 

I'm sure throughout the years we had little romantic moments, perhaps a cookie shared from a lunchbox or a pencil borrowed and subsequently stolen for a keepsake, but nothing much comes to mind. 

We didn't start dating until about, well, 12 years later when I graduated from college. 

We liked each other on and off again throughout those many many years, but we never said a word about it to each other. 

Never. 

Our friends did most of the talking for us. 

So when it came time for me to start living my unplanned life after college, Kenny saw it as a good time to talk to my dad. 

We had road tripped home from college with his sisters and the night we got home, he talked to my dad, unbeknownst to me. 

I, meanwhile, cried to my mom, 

"It's never gonna happen! He's never going to do anything!!!!" 

My dad kept his mouth shut until the next morning when he broke the news to me and my life turned upside down. 

Fast forward a few hours. I went down to the dock in Annapolis to hang out with a friend, and mainly calm my nerves, as Kenny talked the details over with my dad. 

At last, I got a text asking where I was and he said that he'd see me in a few. 

My friend left and I sat down on one of the benches looking out over the water and just waited for what seemed like a decade, constantly checking over my shoulder to see if he was there.

 Then I saw his shoes come into view from behind a tree. Then his bright green shirt. Then his huge smile. I bolted up and we sprinted towards each other. We nearly tackled each other in our long awaited hug and just held each other there in the middle of the dock. It literally felt like the world had stopped spinning. 

I looked up and said, "Kenny, I love you." And he said, "I love you too." 

We've been married for almost a year now and are waiting on the arrival of a little baby boy in June. The romance just doesn't end:)

~Jennifer

anteancorr.blogspot.com

I was so honored when Rebecca approached me about writing for her new series. I must admit, I have given this post an extreme amount of thought... 
maybe too much thought because paralysis via analysis set in. 


You see, the notion of romance in my thirties and forties is very different from the romance of my twenties.

via

In my twenties and in my first marriage, romance was a grand gesture. 

I was proposed to in front of 325 people. 

In my thirties, with Doc H, there really was no proposal. 

This was "Marriage- Take 2" for each of us. 

We both had children we had to put first and our relationship was second behind their well-being. Instead of a proposal, in the office bedroom of his house with the door closed and our children screaming like monkeys at the zoo just outside the closed door, we made an agreement. 

We agreed to marry, to create a stable environment for our young children, to build a life together, to build a relationship which would withstand life's hardships, to care for each other, nurture each other, forgive each other, support one another, appreciate each other, love each other, and be each other's best friend... and indeed, 

Doc H IS MY BEST FRIEND.

Having both experienced the feeling of a disintegrating marital relationship, we recognize the easy pitfalls spouses fall into. Even though he's never said as much, he realizes he spends much more of his time on the job than the majority of husbands and he actively works to make up for his absence. Simply put, he spoils me rotten.

I can't name any of my friends who receive weekly flowers, dinners out, and the same level of support from their husbands as I do. Very rarely, do I get any grief from Doc H for any of my decisions.  Who else receives such gorgeous gifts for every gifting occasion? And my ultimate favorite... who else writes such wonderful cards, expressing his love for me, our children, our family, and displays such a sense of gratitude for any and all my efforts? 

I don't think I will ever find a husband who would send his M-I-L a card on Mother's Day expressing his gratitude to her for birthing his wife and raising her to be the perfect fit for him.

I suppose I could write of the romantic trips we've experienced together, trips to the beach, concerts, breakfasts in bed, or other events in our life, but I really think it's the little things which he does for me time and time again... the cup of coffee he brings up to me while I'm just getting up or in the shower, laughing at my stupid jokes, allowing me to laugh at him, allowing me the freedom to just be me.

While I sometimes wrinkle my nose at the hours Doc H works, or the phone calls and emails he fields in our presence, 

I honor and support his work. 

It is his passion, and makes him happy and I want him to be happy, I want him to laugh. I can only hope Doc H feels my love, just as much as I feel his.

~Emma from Your Doctor's Wife

If you enjoyed my story, I invite you to stop by my blog and poke around. I hope you'll stay and follow!

If you are new to the series, you can find other stories here:

Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4

More info on participating in the Tell Me About It series can be found here!

Tell Me About It: Week 3

Today we have two awesome contributions for our Tell Me About It Series! I love reading everything posted by these two bloggers. I'm sure you'll enjoy their stories! As this series continues, I'm more and more impressed by how different each story is. While we each have this general notion of romance, one person can do something considered "romantic" and it will totally flop, while someone else can do something simple and little and it's the most romantic moment in another person's life. 


Here's to loving love :)

Our first contributor is TJ from His Little Lady. 

Hello Iridescent Indigo Readers! 

TJ here from his little Lady. Rebecca was so kind as to ask me to do a little guest post for you all about one of the most romantic moments I have had with my mister, and of course what girl doesn’t love gushing all about her man. 

I suppose we should get to know each other a little bit better beforehand though. Well, I always have my iPhone in one hand, my husbands hand in the other, and a laptop never too far away. I love documenting my daily life, my handsome hubby, and all the little awkward moments that happen in between. Oh, and of course I always have to throw in the fact that I’m a born and raised Seattleite, only the greatest city in the world. Whew, okay, now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to some juiciness, shall we?

Of course, knowing your man for almost eight years, it can be kind of hard to pin point the most romantic thing your man has ever done, so I’ll highlight the most recent thing that has my heart bursting at the seams.

You see the mister is quite diligent in his schoolwork, internships, and really anything he gets himself in to. He also has trouble saying no to people so he ends up having many a late night getting all those things done. Where is this headed, your thinking? I’m getting there. Well just the other night the mister came into the bedroom at precisely 12:18am and pulled me out of bed. He then asked me to come to the living room and to bring my hairbrush. And there we sat on the couch, cuddling in the dark, while he brushed my hair.

And there you have it people, something short, sweet, and very romantic. It’s all about the simple things in this household, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

Like what you read? There’s more where that came from over HERE. Hope to see you all soon!

Our next contributor, Patricia, can be found at Bringing Up Emilu. She always shares the prettiest pictures and most honest stories. 

My most memorable romantic moment is actually made up of a vignette of little moments from our second date.

I was on my second date with my now husband, and it’s the little things we do in a exaggerated fashion to make the other person like us more that go a long way.

 He took me to gallery night in Miami, a monthly event when all the art galleries stay open through the night, playing music and serving wine, and the art community spills over the streets, and on our way there he was listening to The Flaming Lips. I remembered I had just downloaded a song from them and I immediately said that I loved them, and he said,really, who else do you like?  

I knew my future-husband was a frustrated musician, and a diehard music lover, of the likes I can’t never really come close to, so I started band-name dropping, are you kidding me, I love Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Dave Matthew’s Band, Keane, the Doors, Bob Dylan, and the Beatles, etc. It worked, because he was impressed from that moment on.

 The rest of the night was spent in a locked romantic bubble we didn’t have the key to, discussing art, music, politics, and so much more. There’s something terribly romantic, and downright visceral about a rainy Miami night, under Design District’s dim lights, staring at art installations, and looking at each other’s moves from across the room, which made me realize I had found the perfect partner in crime for life.

If someone can make you feel like you are in a movie, Garden State meets Before Sunset, and tells you, you are really something, after the first kiss, you better hold on to that person.  And that’s exactly what I did! 

(Post note:  I always tell my husband he took me on the best dates I’ve ever had in my life, he was good at that, and they almost always included a succession of places to visit, for ex. we’d start with dinner, then go to a play, and then end with drinks at a sports bar. Or one time, he took me to Art Basel, then do dinner, and then to a lecture at a local bookshop. Just like the movies!  These dates made it possible for me to imagine that our lives together would always be stimulating, and this made me fall head over heels for him.)

Don't forget to visit TJ and Patricia!

If you happened to miss the first two weeks, you can find them here:

Week 2

Week 1

More info on participating in the Tell Me About It series can be found here!

Underpants, Puppy Dog & A Love Affair

Today, I would like to encourage each and every one of you to take time to dance like a crazy person in your underpants.

Once you've done that, you're welcome to come back and hear my thoughts on a long distance love affair, summer, a golden-doodle named Lucy, and beach time.

Last weekend, we played on the beach. It was such a tease because it was just a teensy bit too chilly with the wind, but then the wind would die down and it was perfect. I'm craving summer with a vengeance. Check out these cute faces! I think Chris was over having his picture taken. Oh well :) 

I've fallen head over heels in love with Lucy. She's so snuggly and makes me laugh out loud when she bounds around trying to find her toys. 

Don't know about you, but I cannot wait until it's warm all the time and I can get some semblance of a tan again. Something about being so pale makes me feel unhealthy. 


I don't care how popular Twilight is - the whole reflective skin thing is not my style.

So when I started this whole long distance love affair, I wasn't sure what to think. At first, I didn't even know if I wanted a relationship. All I knew was there was this guy who made me ridiculously giddy. 

We started corresponding, 

and then hanging out, 

and pretty soon we were seeing each other every weekend. 

He is always game for an adventure of any sort, so since we were travelling to see each other every weekend, we started going on random trips. So far we've been to Nashville, Miami and New Orleans.

Any reasonable person, after realizing that this has turned into something, thinks through the logistics. 

1. You have three states between you and the person you're dating with no end to the distance in sight. 

2. You are in grad school and working full time (and at the beginning had a second job). 

3. He works 60+ hour weeks with potential "short term" assignments in foreign countries. 

How could this possibly work? Are we setting ourselves up for failure? 

Then you think through the reality of the situation:

1. You can't stop thinking about him. 

2. You smile every time you see his name light up your phone. 

3. You don't have time to start something new with someone during the week. Your only free time really is on the weekends. 

4. His only free time is on the weekends. 

5. For the first time in your life, you don't really care what anyone says about it. 

This just might work. 

And now, here we are. The weekends have become my escape from the craziness of juggling life and work and school. 

We go on fun dates.

We just hang out.

We laugh, and joke and play. 

And,

Yes, I have to do some homework on the weekends, but for the most part, it's our time.

No, at this point, there is no real end to the distance in sight. And we have our ups and downs, just like any relationship. 

But, I'm happy. 

I'm really, truly happy. 

Tell Me About It: Week 2

Sarah and her beau, Reid might make one of my favorite couples ever. Both of them are such a great time individually, but together, they make life fantastic for each other and everyone who has the pleasure of spending time with them. 

I thought it would be interesting to hear from both of them, and am so grateful they both chose to participate! 

Isn't it fun to hear both sides of the story?

Disclaimer: You will likely cry. I did.

Sarah

To start, I would like to proclaim that I may be one of the least romantic people in the country. No matter how hard Reid tries to be suave, or overly sweet, or anything bordering on "romantic," I laugh uncontrollably. 

While I am certainly emotional, I am miserable at being sentimental. It is not in my genetic code. I think it stems from childhood. For instance, on birthdays, Reid and his family send each other sweet, thoughtful cards with personal notes saying how much they care about one another. My family sends the ones with pictures of old men farting and/or squirrels making obligatory nut jokes. 

Still, even with my missing romantic DNA, he seems to love me anyway and does sweet things all the time.

A few months ago I was in one of those stress spirals--the apartment was a mess, work was insane, some portion of my family was driving me crazy, I had no clean underwear, and zero time to fix any of it. Reid came home to find me speaking loudly on the phone while picking bits of aluminum foil out of the carpet (remnants of our dog's garbage-can feast from earlier that day). Not truly comprehending the "stress spiral," he waits for me to get off the phone and, in his most upbeat voice, begins to tell me that his mom is coming over.

 In half an hour. 

For dinner.

I did not take the news well. 

"The apartment is a mess!" 

"We don't have any food!" 

"I have too much work to do!"

"THERE IS ALUMINUM FOIL EVERYWHERE!!"

Reid quickly assessed the situation and saw it was a no win--I think he finally saw the crazy in my eyes. After I ranted a bit he told me I shouldn't worry. He would take his mom to dinner solo and let me be.

So he left. 

And I stewed a bit.

Then, about a half an hour later, he came home...with pizza, red wine, and flowers. Anyone who knows me, knows those are my favorite things in the world--in that order. It turns out he had called his mom, told her it wasn't a good night, and immediately went to the store.

I completely didn't expect any of it.

After I put the flowers in a vase, we sat down and had one of those great, long leisurely dinners. We just talked, ate, and laughed about how bad our dog was. It was simple, perfect, and absolutely what I needed.

I feel like we generally treat each other well; however, this night, when I was about to go over the edge

--and I wasn't being very nice about it--

He really made the effort. So it stands out. 

And just gives me one more reason to be really happy I found him.

---

Reid

My girlfriend Sarah believes she is without true "romanticism." Sure she can be loving and she always says very nice things to me, and sympathizes with me when I need it, but when it comes to romanticism she believes she is devoid of it.

Upon hearing this I was initially inclined to agree with her.

After all, she can't have me near her neck or ear without giggling uncontrollably and her immediate response any time I want to stand outside and look at the stars is typically, "I'm cold, let's go inside."

Still, over our 4 years together Sar's been far more romantic than she actually thinks.

My definition of romance extends beyond our most polished intimate moments. 

Sar and I have had plenty of wonderful dinners together, and I've surprised her with flowers on occasion.

That stuff's easy when you're talking romance.

To me our most romantic moments are the ones that are more unexpected, like the one she chose to write about, or the moments that are far more difficult than buying flowers or going out to dinner.

When my dad died about two and a half years ago it was the most difficult thing I had ever dealt with. 

It was very unexpected and he had been one of the two most important people in my life.

I'd never dealt with a death like that, and a lot of responsibilities fell to me to help prepare for memorial services and help my mom emotionally as best as I could.

Sar had known my dad for about a year and a half and they had always gotten along great. Her favorite memories of him always included her walking through the front door and him boisterously going about his business in the kitchen, yelling at political pundits on the TV or watching a game. She enjoyed his goofy nature and says it is something she sees in me all of the time.

Because Sar had immediately become so close to my small family she became as much a part of the process of helping my mom after his death as I was.

She helped sort through belongings and files, helped set up the memorial services and even did up the entire program for the big service we had that November in Connecticut, where I grew up.

She was also my biggest emotional outlet, the one person I went to so I could vent and release my anger/frustration/heartbreak.

About a week before the Connecticut service Sarah became extremely ill, and was exhausted emotionally, mentally and physically.

Now, Sar gets sick a lot, but I actually don't think I've ever seen her worse than she was during that week.

Still, on top of being sick, she was going into work and attending grad school. Add to it that she was finalizing the memorial program and dealing with tons of edits from my mother (who is a notorious perfectionist) and you get an idea of how crazy her life was.

I, on the other hand, was leaving her a couple of days before the service to head up to Connecticut to make certain arrangements and to do the set up. Sar was left with the task of not only polishing the program, but getting it made up at Kinkos, picking up our friends Sarah and Kyle outside of DC and driving the 4 to 5 hours from Alexandria, VA to Connecticut the morning of the service. 

To top it all off, she was as sick as she had been all week during the drive up on the day of the service.

So what did Sarah do throughout the week and into the weekend? 

She never complained once. 

She did everything that was asked of her and more.

She drove the entire 4 to 5 hour stretch to Connecticut (she hates driving) and joined my family for a pre-service gathering amongst ourselves before sitting through hours of emotional speeches about my father and the party afterwards.

She held my hand throughout, comforted me constantly and generally just operated in the background helping in any way that she could.

Oh, and she looked stunning the whole time, in spite of barely being able to eat or drink.

Finally, at about midnight, she quietly asked me to help her get back to the house we were staying at so she could get some rest, all the while doing everything she could to not distract from the service or "Irish wake" type party afterwards.

My point is this; a lot of what I describe above doesn't necessarily fit in with what we think of when we say "romantic."

We think roses and chocolates.

We think of a nice compliment or candle lit dinner.

We think picking up a surprise pizza and bringing home flowers.

I'm thankful Sar thinks so highly of me for doing "romantic" things that are honestly the simplest parts of a relationship.

Yet, it's what she did that was so unique and so difficult.

In doing all of these things out of love for my family and for me, she is by far the most romantic person in our relationship, and I'm very lucky to have her.

If you are interested in contributing to the Tell Me About It series, please email me at rcduvall (at) gmail (dot) com.

Get excited! We have some more awesome stories to share next week!

If you missed last week's Tell Me About It post:

Tell me about it...

Today, I'm introducing a series that may make the most lovey dovey of you wrinkle your noses. Tell me about your most romantic moment ever! If you haven't had it yet, tell me what it would include - set the stage, use those story telling skills!

Send your submissions to rcduvall (at) gmail (dot) com. Every Wednesday, I'll select some to share. They can be anonymous or not, pictures are welcome! 

What do you think? 

Are you in? 

At the end of this series, I'll tell you what my most romantic moment was. Who knows, maybe it hasn't happened yet! We'll see! 

Happy Valentine's Day

In honor of the holiday, I thought I'd share a bit of one of my favorite poems. 

Weekend Getaway - Cape May

Saturday, we woke to ominous skies, heavy with snow, just waiting for the right time to begin.

We took Lucy to the beach and never made it out of the truck.

Chris decided to take an unconventional exit as we left the shore.

Boardwalks were not built to be vehicular overpasses, but sometimes in life, you take on a role you were never intended to have.

Lucy wasn't quite sure that we made the right choice, but we made it through with a couple inches to spare.

We grabbed some tuna and 3 dozen oysters for dinner with Chris' parents.

There is nothing more rewarding than eating oysters after shucking them yourself!

We saved the last 4 for oyster shooters, and then feasted on seared tuna over forbidden rice.

Delicious!

The snow finally arrived after dinner and we enjoyed our desserts and drinks fireside.

Sunday morning we woke to gorgeous sunny skies.

We meandered to the beach after church and found that the wind had picked up significantly!

It whipped sand into the air and shot stinging pellets at our faces.

The gusts were so strong that I had trouble keeping balance on the jetty!

We thawed at the Lobster House with bowls of clam chowder and lobster bisque after our beach adventure.

All in all, it was a great weekend escape.

I hope you enjoyed your weekends and stayed warm!