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Happy Valentine's Day, my friends! People meet & fall in love with each other different ways, and it's always great to hear the stories. Here are a few from Update readers that they were kind enough to share with you & me. Love, Ian it's all in the name of love... As I was finishing up college in Bellingham, and had had my share of I put the list away, but knew that if I could find someone who possessed
Happy Valentine's Day! So believe it or not, the only picture I could find of Floyd and I was from Adrienne & Floyd Bourne
Craig was scheduled to work the afternoon of our 9th anniversary. I was a little disappointed to say the least. So, boy was I ever surprised when about 3 p.m. to see my handsome husband walking up the stairs of my office dressed so nicely with a white rose. He said that he was going to wisk me away to a bed and breakfast and we were going to have dinner as well! I was in shock! For him to plan this romantic evening and me having NO clue! So my in-laws took our boys to their house for the night and we went on our merry way to the Inn at the Woods, where we stayed in the Marilyn Monroe Suite!!! It was amazingly beautiful and elegant. From the king size bed to the jetted bathtub to our own private hot tub, I felt like I was in heaven! We headed back into town for dinner. While we were waiting we took a stroll along the dock, and all along he wouldn't tell me where we were having dinner. Well, we ended up at Vinny's for a wonderful dinner with a table by the window. He sat down next to me instead of across from me, which was a different then the usual. But I soon found out why. When the 5:00 ferry from Anacortes docked, he nonchalant told me to look at the boat (I was slightly confused on which boat, because the ferry boat is usually no big deal to him). At that point, a HUGE sign dropped down from the Texas deck held by four crew members reading, "Denyse, would you marry me again." I was completely speechless! I turned around to him and he was on one knee with a beautiful ring! I feel that I am THE luckiest woman in the world to have a husband that planned something almost a year in advance and pulling it off! All I have to say to him is, "How are you ever going to top that one?" Happy Valentine's Day, honey!! You are my rock! Denyse Davis
The second time I was standing on stage with the band at a party in an open field. I was wearing a micro-mini dress, high fashion at the time. The roads were blocked by attendees and the party was not appreciated by neighbors so the police were called to break up the party. We noticed each other but were busy in our respective positions; his was arresting or removing trespassers and mine was not being arrested.
Either way John was my Prince Charming who saved my life from drudgery and brought me much excitement and adventure. We lived the best of lives full of adventures sailing the seas on our own sailboat, flying small planes across the countryside and raising wonderful children together. We even found time to donate to numerous worthy causes. I miss him so much, but know how blessed my life is for having John in it. He remains my Valentine into eternity. (John Volk passed away in December 2006) Thank God I'd brought a book. 10 minutes went by...then twenty. I was just about to give up the evening as a shipwreck, when into the restaurant door burst my errant date. PS - This is James & me on our honeymoon!
My mother started it. She and her old buddy Madeleine walked the hills of Laguna every morning the winter of 1984, and when they ran out of things to talk about, the conversation yielded to Mom’s 27-year-old unmarried daughter: Me. Turned out (of course) that Madeleine had a friend who had an unhooked 27-year-old son. An artist, he was back living at home for a few months after spending some years in Southeast Asia. Madeleine would invite this boy and his parents for dinner, and we could drop by for dessert. Bryn’s mother told him, “Madeleine has someone she wants you to meet.” My mother told me, “Madeleine has someone she wants you to meet.” It was the unconscious beginning of our first simultaneous anything. “Madeleine?!” questioned he, from his side of town. “Madeleine?!” wailed I from mine. Because Madeleine was - well - nuts. Everyone knew this. She was a rabid Born Again Christian out to save our souls. How my mother managed to take all those long walks with her is one of the great mysteries. Reluctantly, Bryn and I went to Madeleine’s, his mother and father and my mother leading the way. I still have contusions around my nose ring to prove it. The rest of the story is simpler: We fell in love, not exactly that moment, but soon thereafter. We took a pre-honeymoon trip to Japan and Bryn proposed over sake in a tiny fishing town called Hagi. As we sinned, we thanked Madeleine for opening this particular room in her kingdom of heaven. 21 years and two children later, we still thank Madeleine. And god.
That was 12 years ago and we are more in love than ever! We dated from separate sides of the state (myself at WSU, him here on the island) for 3 1/2 years. On Valentines Day in 1998, he proposed, I said yes, and have never ever regretted it! We have three beautiful children and a fabulous marriage... A wise man once said to us that love is not a 50/50 relationship, each person has to be willing to give 100%. Hope you have a fabulous Valentines Day! Becky Phillips...
We then broke up and dated others, seeing each other occasionally through the years. One day when in college I was visiting a friend in my hometown (my parents no longer lived there). I went to the local Christian bookstore to buy a book and Bill came into the store. We talked and I'm thinking, if he asks me out and I go out with him, I'll end of marrying him. He in the meantime was about to ask me out and felt like he was asking me to marry him. Anyway he asked, I said yes and that whole evening we talked strangely enough about moving to Washington. We married a year later in Santa Barbara where I was finishing school. We celebrated 31 years this past June 29th and still find each other our best friend and the love of our lives. We met 37 years ago this month on February 18. Here is the love story of Jim and Cathy Cole:
One night when Kellie and I were going back across campus to her dorm from a party, we called security for an escort. Jim showed up and walked us back. Did our relationship start then? Nope! Little did I know, however, that I was walking across campus with my future husband and maid of honor. Four years later, we met again at an outreach in a park called “Praise Party in the Park”. I was trying to play the guitar after being bit in the hand by my friend’s dog. Jim, being the paramedic, came to me and said, “Let me take a look at that.” Well, that was it. I was in love. One year later he proposed and 11 months after that we were married. The great part about it is we became each other’s best friend before we got engaged. Now we get to live out the rest of our lives with our best friend by our side. Not exactly the fairy tale romance story but it works for us. We will be celebrating 17 years of marriage this May. Cathy Cole  My favorite Valentine's Day was nearly two years ago. On most Tuesday evenings, I could be found hanging out with the usual Tuesday night group at the home of Alexi Johnson (now Alexi Nakano). But, December and January of 2004/2005, I was part of the Under Milkwood cast, and therfor, too busy with rehearsals to spend much time with friends. Then, one night towards the end of January, I got out of rehearsal earlier, and headed to Lexi's house. There was a crowd in the living room, watcing Napoleon Dynomite. It was mostly the regulars, except for this one. He was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. He also wore glases that framed beautiful blue eyes. His hair was cut really short, I couldn't tell what color it was.I figured he was an off-island guest and I would never see him again. I did not see him the following Tuesday, I was feeling pretty sad. I wanted to know this handsome young man. Two weeks had gone by. I was sitting at Lexi's dining room table. Everytime the door opened, I watched and waited for the stranger to come in. And then he did. He was at the opposite end of the table and when I saw the chance to talk to him, I did. We conversed all night. People started to head home, and so did this young man. He casually asked what we were all doing on Friday night. We (all of 4 of us) responded that we were not doing anything. We all made tentative plans to meet there on Friday night. I could not wait for Friday night to arrive! It finally came, but the young man did not. "He went to the high school play and may stop by here after". I stayed until 10:30, he never showed up. The following week I had a mystery caller at the other end of the phone at work. It was the young man! I finally got his name - Pat. He had forgotten that he was going to ask me to go to the play with him the previous Friday. We had both thought we had stood up by the other. After explaining what had happeded, he asked me out to dinner on Valentine's Day. Of course, I accepted. We had a fabulous dinner at McMillin's at Roche Harbor on February 14, 2005. We saw "Hitch" at the movie theatre later in the week and went for a walk to Lime Kiln Park that Sunday. We were officially dating, and celebrated every 14th of every month. We spent my birthday last year in Las Vegas. We've enjoyed going to shows at 5th Avenue (Seattle) and the San Juan Community Theatre. We have had so many great walks and talks at the beaches. We love to hit a coffee shop on a lazy Saturday morning. Three days after December 14th, 2005, we became engaged at sunrise at Elliot Bay and had donuts at Pike's Place Market for breakfast. Our wedding was October (you guessed it) 14th, 2006. It was foggy that morning and chilly, but it was still one of the most beautiful days of my life. I get to spend the rest of my life with my only true love, my friend, my everything. I can not wait to see what this February 14th will bring us. (We were going to celebrate this Valentine's Day at McMillin's, but they will not be open in the evening). -Submitted by Jessica L. Merlino (Mrs Patrick Merlino) :) |
We talked and talked, we talked for four hours, then he walked me through the dirty/clean rainy New York streets, to Penn Station, where I missed one train and then another, and where we talked through another couple of hours about everything. Astronomy and Muppets, Pet Shop Boys and string theory. Everything.
Ye Shall Receive 
We met for the first time at a Campus Ministry Group at Kent State where we were attending college. It wasn’t one of those love at first sight things. In fact, I (Cathy) thought the Jim was dating the girl he came with to the group. He wasn’t. While attending KSU, Jim was working for the on-campus EMS service and as a campus security officer. I was working as a personal care attendant for my friend, Kellie who used a wheelchair.