do you love love stories?  ruche asked me to share my love story on their blog, and since i’ve never really shared my story online so i thought i’d go for it.

i thought you might like to read it too?  if you like that sort of thing.  if you are all black and death to cupid on valentines day, thats ok too.  i wore black all through high school and photocopied a picture of cupid shot by his own arrow.  serious angst, but in the middle of it…there was a bit of love — more below.

Love is a thief and we are its captives.

You never know when love might strike or steal. It’s usually when we aren’t looking for it that it finds us. I certainly wasn’t thinking of husbands and marriage at 14, but that is when, my now husband, Stephen stole my heart.

It was early July, 1992 and I was brooding over a bad breakup, as far as freshman break ups go. You know, typical end of the world, I’m never going to be happy again business that consumes your every thought. It was bad news, so i thought, and I certainly wasn’t looking to date anyone else.

On a humid Wednesday I packed up all of my angst, and my youthful confusion along with my umbro shorts and a can of Finesse hairspray and headed to a summer retreat with my youth group in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It was on this retreat that I met a junior from Georgia with a sweet Southern drawl. Stephen came to visit his aunt and uncle and attend the same retreat. Fate would have it that we ended up in the same small group (a group I wasn’t even supposed to be in, but got moved to at the last minute). I thought he was nice, but I was busy thinking about my about my bad breakup.  Stephen and I hung out quite a bit that week and as I got to know him, I really liked who I got to know. There was something substantially different about him. Manners for one. Southern charm was new to me.  But what really caught my attention was that he had a certain kindness about him and a gentle spirit that I just wanted to be around. And, I suppose I shouldn’t leave out that he was a tall blonde, handsome, quarter back, who really won me over by doing a flip flop for me on a warm summer’s night. I clearly remember walking back to my room and thinking, “I could marry this guy.”

Stephen went back to Atlanta and we exchanged letters, the hand written kind, throughout the year. I rationalized with my young mind and maturely told myself that he lived in Georgia and I lived in Illinois so likely nothing would ever come of us this. I let it go, but firmly held onto the idea of Stephen or maybe I should say the ideal of Stephen.

Another summer rolled around and another summer retreat. Stephen came back, but this year he brought his girlfriend. With many laughable moments and a few tears, I again tried my best to be mature and let it go.  We talked occasionally that week and we were both grateful to still be friends.   Off he went, and so did another little piece of my heart.

I tried not think about him.  Only when there was nothing to think about … I thought about him.  I wondered what he was doing, how he was doing, and if he ever thought about me, too?

you can read the rest of teenage drama turned true love a.k.a my love story right here!

and speaking of love, i’m loving this sweet video on the definition of love.  if you want to join in, share a photo of how you live beautifully using #livebeautifully and you’ll be entered to win $50 to shop at ruche!

p.s. i’d love to hear about your love story.

still thinking hearts?  here are a few diy valentines cards that are as simple as they are darling.

also,  ruche is offering a discount to la la lovely readers : Enter the code BLOGLOVE20 at checkout and receive 20% off your order. Expires 2/15 at 11:59 p.m. Cannot be combined with any other discount.