As much as I love fictional romance, there’s nothing quite like the real deal. I love hearing how couples first met, wooed, and fell in love. And even more than that, I love hearing how they keep that love alive, long past the happily-ever-after.
My own personal love story is all kinds of cliche. In fact, when I tell people how I met my husband, they always laugh in that, “Are you serious?” kind of way.
Because I was the receptionist. And he was the hot delivery guy.
No joke.
I remember getting all giddy whenever he’d come in to deliver packages. Then one day, he walked in the office as I was headed out for lunch. Only instead of continuing inside, he turned around and walked with me to the elevator.
Much to my shock, he asked me out.
And what was my suave response? “Do you even know my name?”
“Of course,” he said. “You sign for the packages. Your name’s Kate.”
Here’s the thing about me.
Before that moment in time, nobody had ever called me Kate. It was always Katie. But my signature was awful and I was too tongue-tied to correct him. So I wrote Kate along with my number on a gum wrapper and gave it to him. He still has the gum wrapper (aw!). His entire family calls me Kate. And for the first year of our relationship, all my friends referred to him as the UPS guy. Even though he never worked for UPS.
I’d love to hear your real-life romance! Who knows? Maybe it’s amazing novel-material. Please share in the comments section below. I promise to ask your permission before turning your life into a novel!
hi wowow I am so impress for all does lovely stories, there just incridible wowowow
I just feel like charing mine but mine it just beyond expectation ; its a one way love for 11 years now
He is my first love for ever ( that is how I call him) I Love hime since I am 10 years(now I am 22 years). I have bee dreaming to be his wife and I keep myself for him. cus I still preserve my first kiss for him and my cookies too (*-*)
yeah I always wanted to marie my first lover and have my everything with my first lover. I only know love him, I hve been studie him so much so now is about time to move on. He is so smart,kind and honest. He is real and he is a work hard man and I admire him so much. But I didnt found the courage yet to tell him my feeling guees I am in the oldschool game cus I still belive that its boys who should do the first move(yeah I know I am one of them sorry) so I feel relief when I am saying it
I met my husband on the freeway! Our story is always met with shock and how, but it really is amazing how God brought us together on the fast pace of the freeway. He slowed down time just in the moment for us to find each other.
That is SO COOL! I love when God works like that! Now I must ask … how in the world did you meet on the freeway??
We were both driving with our best friends. They were in the fast lane, and we were in the middle lane. We looked overy and saw them. They waved. We waved. We both rolled down our windows and told them where we were going. It was a public place, so we weren’t worried. Met them there, and we have been together since.
What a fun idea! I know I’m joining the party late here, but I read all these stories and felt compelled to share my own.
I was 18 when I met my first husband. We were attending the same community college. His brother invited me to eat lunch with them one day, and we became fast friends. At the time, we were both seeing other people. About 6 months into our friendship, my boyfriend and I broke up. When James and his girlfriend started having problems, he would talk to me about them. I encouraged him to follow his heart. He ended up breaking up with her and about a month later he asked me out. At first, I rejected him. I didn’t want to be the “rebound” girl. Well, he kept pursuing, I finally agreed. We dated for 7 months. He proposed and we were married in June of 2008.
The next year, James decided the Lord was calling him to military service. We prayed and prayed about it and he felt that’s where God was leading. He joined the Army in October of 2009, graduated boot camp in January 2010 and was deployed to Iraq on July 2010. On September 7, 2010, my world was irrevocably changed. My husband was killed in Iraq. I was blessed to have been able to speak with him for almost 45 min the day before via Skype and that was the last conversation I ever had with him.
For the next 5-6 months, I surrounded myself with my friends, family, and loved ones. One man, in particular, helped me more than anyone could. His name is Cliff. We started dating in July 2011. A lot of people say it was too soon. Grief can take many forms and many lengths of time to get through. At times, I feel like I’m still grieving. God has blessed me with a man who understands and has been with me since I found out, supporting me and helping me along. He has been a rock in my life. Cliff and I have been together for 3 years and will be getting married in September of this year (2014).
As Katie mentioned in a comment on one reader’s story, I’m thankful for the God of second chances. God has graciously given me not one, but two loving, caring, and fantastic men. I can’t wait to start my life with Cliff and see what God has in store for us!
Here’s my story,
I met my husban at 5 years old when be became my dance partner. For the next 6 years we loated eachother well like they say great love comes from great hate. At 12 we preformed as troy and gabriella in the High school musical trilogy. We got caught up in a duet and had our first kiss on stage. From then on we were together all the time. He is my everything. My first kiss, my first time, myy first and only boyfriend. Its been a true fairy tale romance. At 16 we went on exchange to the royal ballet school in london, there we played Rome and Julliet. On our graduation night he proposed we were married the following year. We have now been married 10 years
Well, I have to say that it’s always wonderful to see a believer of Jesus Christ as Saviour write ‘love stories’! Christ Jesus is the Love Story for all of us believers! God the Father has delivered us from the power of darkness into the kingdom of own dear Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.
Sadly, I have not found love yet. I am 45 years young and have gone through 2 divorces. Something I am ashamed to even say! My first wife, Maria, I was truly in love with and in 1996 for Valentine’s Day bought her a house for her and her daughter. Unfortunately, the daughter did not want her mother married, and 5 years later reached me to apologize! I had waited another 10 years before meeting a second woman, Kathy,(I used to call her Kate)who frankly married for me for money! I gave her honestly everything I possibly could ,and finally my heart and wallet could not take it anymore. This second ex wife had a female Jack Russell named Mattie who would not go near anyone but her and myself. I miss Mattie girl more than anyone in her family! This year I turn 46 in the fall and all I ever wanted in this life was to meet a godly woman who would want a loyal, health conscience, gentleman who simply would be the hero in her life, the man who would love her as My Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ would want me to love her! I cannot tell you how it hurts at times to think at my age I would be in this situation. Especially, when I see or know other men my age who met a good woman years ago and that man still has her love! If it wasn’t for my Saviour Jesus Christ I would be much worse off. I can thank Him daily that He loved me enough to give up His Life so I could one day live with Him!
How can I possibly compete with these stories? Especially a ring of fear, a hot delivery guy, and an eight-year pursuit? I guess I’ll give it a shot anyway.
Having graduated college at the age of twenty, I figured I was all independent and I was going to be a federal investigator. Except you had to be twenty-three to apply to the FBI Academy. That was okay: I’d spend a few years working first. In the meantime, if I was going to be putting myself into potentially dangerous situations, I should be able to take care of myself. So I walked into a local martial arts studio that had a good reputation to check it out.
The master wasn’t there, but one of his senior instructors was teaching. I didn’t pay him much attention, but I guess he was checking me out. I decided to join, started taking classes, and found out I was quite good at martial arts. Of course, that same senior instructor was very nice and encouraging–and better looking than I’d really noticed that first time. He started staying late to give me “extra instruction.” Which of course turned into late-night dinners… and then a real date… and then a few months later, an engagement.
The FBI thing never materialized for me, and I’m not training any longer, but the marriage thing worked out pretty well. We’re celebrating fourteen years next week, and we have two little boys of our own. And I love that he’s still teaching martial arts to kids, including our elder son.
Just saw that you commented to Beth’s story! I totally thought of hers when I started reading yours! Love how God puts ideas in our heads that might not lead down the road we think, but definitely lead somewhere awesome!
There are a ton of blind date horror stories. I have heard so many of them. So, when a coworker of mine told me that she had “the perfect guy for me” and wanted to set us up, I was not interested. He apparently worked with her husband and was divorced with 2 boys that were just a little older than my son and daughter. She was persistent and told me that she gave him my phone number so we could just talk on the phone. If we hit it off, we could go on a double date. Not having met her husband either, I was not optimistic, or happy.
Well, he called and to my suprise, he was actually very nice to visit with! We spent quite a bit of time on the phone over the next month getting to know one another. For me, it felt safe (another story for another day) and he was funny and charming, and . . . real. It didn’t seem like he was putting on airs or going out of his way to try to impress me. Kind of a “this is me – like it or don’t” attitude, without the attitude.
In mid-July, there is a local firefighter’s rodeo, followed by a dance. He asked me to go with him to that, along with 2 other couples, including my friend from work and her husband. I figured with 5 other people, even if we didn’t have a “love connection”, it would still be a good time and I love rodeos. Plus, after talking to him regularly for over a month, I was ready to meet him in person. The day of the rodeo came and he showed up at my apartment, on time, with a bouquet of flowers. While he was not the type of guy I was used to dating, I was very much ready for a change. Plus, he filled out his Wranglers pretty darn nicely. 🙂
We met the other couples for a light dinner at Denny’s and then headed to the rodeo. The guys were all going on about how they were going to enter this “ring of fear” contest and were excited about that. I was just having a good time and it was nice to be out with a nice person for a change. It came time for the ring of fear and they were calling people to enter. It was a $20 entry free and you had to sign a waiver stating if you got injured that you would not sue the rodeo. Turns out that the other two gentlemen were chicken and wouldn’t do it. My date wanted to and I was feeling pretty good, so I announced that I would do it with him. Never heard of the ring of fear. How bad could it be really?
Let me tell you about the ring of fear. They take chalk powder and draw a circle on the dirt in the rodeo arena. Then all of the people that signed up for it go into that ring and then . . . . they let a bull loose. Yes, a crazed, wild bull. The last person still standing in the ring without having stepped or gotten thrown out, wins. The prize? $100 and bragging rights. Holy crap! What had I gotten myself into?? We were registering and the people that worked there were leary about letting me participate. They had never had a girl that wanted to do it but couldn’t find a rule that said a girl couldn’t do it. I wasn’t about to back out at this point (I am sort of stubborn) and stood my ground. They said if I could find a flack jacket (this is the thick vest the bull riders wear to protect their ribs) to borrow, then I could do it, thinking that bull riders are very protective of their gear and would never borrow one out. They were right, until word got out that it was a GIRL that wanted to borrow it. I had my choice of several flack jackets to use! 🙂
We get in the ring – at this point adrenaline has taken over and I am not scared anymore. I am not thinking about my date, just thinking about being the only girl out there and not wanting to look a fool. There was 10 of us that night in the ring. The bull flung 2 of the guys out. Literally – flung them out. One had to go to the hospital, but was ok. It came down to the last two in the ring. Me and another guy, not my date. The bull stood about 15 feet from us. We were about 5 feet apart. He was sizing us up. Looking back and forth between us, pawing the ground with his front hoof and flinging his head (and snot, ewww). The crowd was behind me, chanting my name. I pointed at the guy with both of my hands and the bull must have agreed with me because he charged at him, pusing him out of the ring. I WON!!!!! I couldn’t beleive it! Neither could my date!!! The whole rest of the night, every cowboy there came up and talked to me. I got beverage tickets left and right. My date took it like a champ though – was gracious and didn’t get jealous, which scored him some extra points from me. He said he knew that night that I was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. (He waited another year to tell me that part though).
Twelve years later, we are still together. We’ve been married for 9 years. He adopted my daughter, and has been a wonderful father to both of my kids. His boys, while a little less enthusiastic about their dad getting married, now treat me like family and I love them to death too. We still go to that same rodeo as often as possible.
Well now I love my love story, messed up girl looking to get her life back together meets amazing youth pastor who lives with the pastor, who doesn’t seem to like the girl, and they get married anyway. We’re more in love today than ever. However, the story I’d love to see published is my grandmother of 90. She’s the most eccentric, loving, caring, crazy woman I ever met! From a little girl who had her back broken being beaten by her father with a fence post, to having a protective mother trying to make it on her own with all the children, who by the way shot the neighbor who mooned her in the booty with a shotgun, who later marries my unsaved grandfather. When he refused to go to church with her instead of the bar she decided to go set outside the front door of the bar on her knees and pray for him in togues mind you and really loud. Needless to say he finally complied because he knew she wouldn’t stop and started going to church with her. There he got saved. She later adopted her grand daughters since they’re parents couldn’t cope. There’s so much more to her story too. She’s courageous, spunky, loves the Lord and still so full of life but age is slowly catching up to her. She outlived her husband then remarried an amazing man who lost his wife and has now outlived him. I’d love to see her story told before she’s unable to tell it anymore.
Thanks!!! Kristie
Ok, I think I want to play. It’s not procrastination, it’s writing. Right?
My first year of college. I was stranded. My parents didn’t see fit to let me take a car to college, and wouldn’t come pick me up for the weekend. Not that being at home would’ve been much improvement, we’d just moved back to Oklahoma, and I didn’t know anyone, in my parents’ town, or the college town.
Few students were left on campus.It had been Freshmen orientation days, so the only upper classmen were those working the orientation,most of them had gone back home. Most the other Freshmen were smart enough to leave. Even if they didn’t, I didn’t know anybody.
I was standing in the cafeteria line looking over the partition to see if there was ANYONE I knew. He came up behind me and joked with me until we had our food. I did find a friend to sit with, and he sat with his friends.
Over the next couple of weeks we’d see each other, he always made me laugh. Finally, a dorm mate introduced us. We started dating, and were married less than a year later.
We were married 34 years before he went home. (Sometimes I don’t think much of God’s timing, but who am I to say?).
His birthday and the anniversary of him leaving is next month. His memory still makes me smile, even through the tears. 🙂
Nita, that is heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time. Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
I’m sure we had LOTS of conversations BEFORE this one, but the first words I actually REMEMBER Leo speaking to me were:
“Sometimes, I want to wrap you up and put you on a shelf somewhere so I can always look at you just like this. Because I think you might be the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”
That was 10th grade. I was the new girl in school, and he was this funny, skinny, little redneck boy with a lot more depth than people saw. And for some reason, he picked me to share it with . . . though for a lot of years I didn’t realize what a gift that was.
Our friendship became the one thing I could count for the next five years. In what I still consider to be a remarkable show of maturity for kids our age, we’d promised each other early on that we wouldn’t risk just dating. We were either best friends for life, or getting married.
So, one weekend, home from college on Spring break, he took me out to the lake–the same lake we’d fished as kids (or he’d fished while I read books in the boat). The same little boat waited for us at the end of the dock. We trolled through the water talking and reminiscing until I noticed we were landing. I looked up to see a little peninsula and lanterns hanging in the trees. My favorite singer was crooning softly from a CD player next to a candlelit table in the center of the grove.
After a few nervous minutes, in which we both tried and failed to eat the delicious (yet garlic heavy) meal he’d prepared, he asked me to dance. He played a song we’d once danced to “as friends” under the same stars.
He told me about the exact moment he knew he was in love with me and the future he’d dreamed of, and he knelt in front of me waiting, and I realized he’d asked me a question. I could only whisper a faint affirmative as he slipped a beautiful ring on my finger.
Then I was in his arms kissing the only man I would ever kiss again. Later that night he gave me a letter he’d written to his future wife long before our first date. As I finished reading the beautiful words, he whispered, “I always wanted it to be you.”
But I let life and childish expectations come between us. We fought over things that now seem petty and stupid. And I gave him back the ring.
It took us a full year to figure out how to be friends again, but even in the height of my foolishness, I knew I couldn’t imagine my life without him. Graduation came and went, and we hugged and parted as friends. I started grad school in a new state where I didn’t know a soul. And he moved to the other side of the world to work as a missionary in China.
We kept up via emails and long phone conversations, but we also sent letters. You can’t talk about the present in a letter that will take more than a month to arrive. So, you write about things that time can’t touch—memories and emotions and regrets.
For a year we tried life on our own, but our letters told the true story. There would never be anyone else for either of us.
So, two years after I broke both of our hearts, we decided to meet halfway. Sitting by a lake in a small town in Europe, we cried about all the mistakes we’d made, and I told him I didn’t want a future without him.
This time he knelt to retrieve a box from his backpack. But the shape was all wrong—it was long and thin. He pulled out a Chinese scroll, and he read the words to me. “Will you stay with me forever?”
And I said “yes.” As he slipped the ring back onto my finger, I was overcome with gratefulness for the man who loved me enough not to give up. He pursued me for eight years and ten thousand miles, and it never felt better to be caught.
Holy crap, Erynn….so you totally just made me cry! How are you NOT making this into a story? Oh my goodness, this is like, too amazing to even be real.
I love that he’s the only mad you’ve ever kissed. Love, love, love. I love that despite yourself, God brought you two back together and gave you a second chance. I LOVE that we worship a God of second chances!
awww
all the stories are so cute.
I am sitting in english class suppose to be researching you Katie (I am reading your book for my english book report 🙂
and came across these comments. My friends and i have now procceded to read all these comments and stories.
and too my teachers annoyance, have distracted alot of my friends and classmates as we are all so giddy now 🙂
p.s. book was amazing!!
That is awesome that you are reading my book to write a book report! You totally have to send me the report. 🙂
Cute! Good that he didn’t work for UPS. I don’t like those guys 😛
No story for me yet!
Will come back to this when I do haha
How can you NOT like the UPS guys? They always bring presents!
I don’t have mine, yet. Afraid it’ll never happen, to be told (well, humanly so – trusting God’s perfect Providence, even if it is a call to singleness).
I can share my parents’. Dad rode along with a friend who was a State Trooper. Saw Mom drive by. Friend ran the license plate. That at least told him who my grandfather was…. It took a fair amount of persistence, and Mom realizing this was not, in fact, some other hot-rodding guy in town, for her to go out with him.
Mark – now THAT is a story waiting to be told! I seriously love that story!
Mike and I were friends for several years before we started dating. We hung out in the same group of friends who went to our church and Arizona State University—we would all ride the shuttle from West to Main campus, eat lunch together during the week, and hold game nights on the weekends.
I guess Mike liked me from the beginning (so sweet!), but I had no clue. I was going through a lot of stuff-—my mom was sick for a long time, and finally passed away at the beginning of our junior year—-so let’s just say I was “emotionally unavailable” at the time. But he just kept on being my friend and I never knew that he really wanted to ask me out.
Finally, toward the very end of our junior year, Mike and I started talking more frequently. I respected him so much; he was (and still is!) so intelligent, generous, funny, kind-hearted, a protector, a true friend, and above all, a godly, godly man.
He finally asked me out in April of 2005. We started dating the summer before our senior year (yes, it took me awhile to say yes…that’s another story!) and got engaged a year and a week later.
Then November 18, 2006, I walked down the aisle and have never looked back since. 🙂
What a good guy, Lindsay!! Love your story!
I was dating my college boyfriend of 3 years, when I met my future husband. Everything was starting to go so well in my life. I had an awesome job right out of college, I had just passed the CPA exam and I finally wasn’t poor! But I was still unhappy. While all my friends were getting engaged around me, my college boyfriend and I couldn’t seem to agree on the direction we wanted out lives to turn.
I left for a 2 week training seminar with 10 other new hired college grads from my office and in the airport, this tall, dark and very handsome guy walks up with other people from my office. And what do I say, “You work in our office? I have never seen you.”
Well he had seen me. He had even seen my boyfriend drop me off at the airport. Two weeks later I knew I was in the wrong relationship. Two years later we were married. He actually told me on our first date (after I ended my other relationship) that he had butterflies when he was with me. I felt the same way. 11 years of marriage and 3 boys later, we are happier than ever!
A love triangle! Only this one seemed to be a no-brainer. Butterflies are the best! Congrats on the 11 years of marriage and the three boys!
I love these!
Mine is a bit different.
The first time I saw my husband was when my mother was visiting my college congregation with me, saw him playing the piano, and pointed him out. Little did she know the bishop would ask me to be in charge of the congregational singing and make him the accompanist, or that I would think he was incredibly arrogant (thanks to his smug “There’s nothing in the hymnal I can’t play” comment; I love a challenge!).
For the next three years we were best friends. We’d talk about everything from family to dating to struggles in school, but we never went out. Imagine my shock when I came home a week after I’d graduated to find a note on my computer asking me to marry him. Our first kiss was a month after we were engaged. Friends who’d gone home for the summer called to ask if our wedding announcements were a practical joke.
Twenty years and four children later, he’s still my best friend and favorite accompanist (there has yet to be a piece of music I’ve placed in front of him that he can’t play).
This story just makes me smile!! I love best-friends-turned-romantic. And I love that you thought he was arrogant when you first met! That’s a story in the making!
Nice story, Kate… 🙂
I met the love of my life online at a web site for artists. Only problem was we lived on opposite sides of the world. So, after 9 months, I packed up and went to her side. Not only did I find love, but a whole new life to go with it. By the way, we’re getting married Feb. 2012
LOL! You can call me Kate if you want. After seven years of marriage, I’m quite used to it. 🙂
I love that you packed up all your stuff and moved for her! That is so romantic! And congrats on the coming marriage!
Ah! Cathy – that made me all giddy inside! I love that he laid it all on the line for you. What a guy! And what a story!
Ooo, I wanna play!!
Okay, I was sixteen – yep – when I met my ever-after guy. We actually met at a youth camp as I was trying to climb up and then down, not very successfully, a very high mountain in New York State. Being the gentleman that I thought he was, he offered his arm and ensured I got back to camp without any broken limbs. I didn’t think he had any ulterior motives of course. I was sixteen, what did I know? Months later, he’s still hanging around, we’re ‘friends’, and he’s listening as I share the latest in a series of really stupid mistakes I was making with some other guy who should not have even gotten a second glance from me, but did. And then finally one night, my ‘friend’ spills his guts and tells me to forget this other guy and give him a chance instead. 🙂 And then he lays an amazing smile on me, one I’d seen a hundred times before but never really noticed. So I did.
Twenty-five years, two amazing kids and the rest of my life with the guy who still makes my stomach flip when he smiles.
That’s my real-life romance.
First day at University I see Mr Tall, Dark & Handsome across a room and am impressed 🙂
Two days later walk into my first meeting with the Navigators and Mr TD&H is leading worship, singing and playing guitar. Very impressed!
Get to know Mr TD&H over next couple of weeks and he is funny, I mean naturally, Billy Crystal kind of funny. Super impressed!
Mr TD&H and friends toss me fully clothed into the ocean a couple of months later at camp. Impressed radar wanes a little!
Try to have a serious conversation with Mr TD&H…doesn’t happen. Try again…and again..and again. Radar flounders toward the negative zone.
I form a crush on Mr TD&H’s best friend.
MR TD&H spends next 8 months tormenting me with silliness so much so I go home one night crying and say to my mum, “I can’t stand the guy!”
Powers that be put Mr TD&H and me in charge of special dinner at retreat some 14 months after we first met. Forced to spend a lot of time with him.
Realise Mr TD&H is not as awful as I thought.
Further realise best friend of Mr TD&H is not as appealing as I thought!
Group of us go away for a few days. I wonder why Mr TD&H is looking at me strangely with his gorgeous, chocolate brown eyes.
Surprised I now think he has gorgeous, chocolate brown eyes!
As group sits around one night, sharing blankets to keep warm, Mr TD&H reaches for my hand under said blanket. Try to look normal and carry on conversation with others!
Realise I enjoy holding MrTD&H’s hand and he isn’t that silly after all 😉
The rest, they say is history!
Ah! I loved reading that Rel! It gave me the giddies. I know giddies isn’t a word….but it totally should be, right? What a great story. And how much better that it’s TRUE!
Love it, Rel!!! 🙂 You should put this on your blog. 😉
Love, love, love your story.
OK, here’s mine:
My husband knocked me down at a karate studio.
Yep, he sure did.
Except I like to say he “swept me off my feet.”
Long story short, I was working out for an exam and an instructor asked Rob to “sneak attack” me. Next thing I knew, this cute guy took a running leap at me from across the room …
Yeah.
That’s the start of true love, don’tcha’ think?
It was for me.
That. Is. Awesome. Your husband karate chopped you and then you fell in love! That is most definitely a movie or a book in the making!
Beth! I never knew we had so much in common!