Have you ever thought about that term, “storybook romance?” Most take it to mean the perfect, stress-free, argument-free relationship, but the old novels I’ve read are chock full of harrowing adventures, narrow escapes from villains, and conflict, conflict, conflict.
Sure, the movies dramatize the whole “our eyes locked from across a crowded room” scenario, but in real life that doesn’t happen.
Or does it?
In my case it actually did. My wife, Laura, and I celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary today.
We met in 1985 at a church hayride on Halloween weekend. I was an 18-year-old freshman at Central Bible College; she was a 16-year-old Junior in high school. I saw her that night, and I kid you not, she was the most beautiful creature I’d ever laid eyes on.
I wanted to talk to her, but was fearful, having been badly burned in my previous two relationships. So I did the “manly” thing and asked my little sister, Annette—whom Laura went to school with—to talk to her for me.
“Just sort of hint around I like her,” I told Netty, “but don’t make it too obvious.” I wanted to bet on a sure thing. But considering my sister was only 14 at the time, she was probably about as subtle as a machete to the ribs.
“Do you like my brother?” I could almost hear her ask Laura, and figured I’d already struck out before I even stepped up to the plate. The lovely creature I was fixated on knew immediately what was up, she later told me.
Much to my amazement, however, Netty came back the next day and excitedly told me, “She likes you! She likes you! You need to ask her out!”
It took me about a month to work up the courage, and when I finally did, I was so determined I followed her out to her mom’s car in the rain and asked her if she wanted to go for pizza the next Friday night. I didn’t even have a job, and had to bum money off my mom to take her out, but it happened, and it was amazing. I moved so slow, it took me another month to even kiss her. Crazy by today’s standards, I suppose, but when the first kiss finally happened, it was magic.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Ok, it wasn’t that easy; we’ve had lots of ups and downs (mostly UPS), and nearly didn’t make it past our 2nd anniversary, but here we are, 32 years after meeting and 30 years after getting married. We have a nice little house in the country, two wonderful children, one amazing son-in-law and the cutest grandson anyone could hope for.
I’d call ours a “storybook romance,” wouldn’t you?
There’s so much anger, hatred and negativity in the world, I just thought I’d share my little love story with you.
And, to my little princess: I love you baby. Forever.
Broken People 
Awesome. Reminds me of how my own storybook romance develops, and you can never revisit these memories too many times. It keeps your love fresh over the years, looking back and being thankful how God orchestrated the most important human relationship of our lives. God bless you all.
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Agreed. How God orchestrated it is also interesting, as my father-in-law (RIP) and the family were on their way back to Indiana, but stopped by to see family in little Mansfield, Missouri, just for a visit, and ended up staying for 20 years. My dad took a job at a bank in Mansfield, and I met Laura at the church. What’s REALLY funny is we paired my cousin up with her little sister, to walk together in our wedding, and they ended up falling in love and getting married. They’ve been married for nearly as long as we have (not sure exactly how long) and have two grown boys. So what was supposed to be an accident was used by God to give birth to two separate families. CRAZY.
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