Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is a special day for Chris and me; it is the six year anniversary of our first date. I still remember waking up on that day, and telling the Universe that it needed to light a fire under that cute guy in the NKU scene shop (figuratively speaking...I'm all for shop safety!) so that he would ask me out. Let's just say, I have never doubted the power of prayer since he DID ask me out that day. Technically, he asked me out in a general, "let's have lunch together sometime" kind of way, and being the typical Aries that I am, I replied with, "I'm not really here most days at lunchtime, how about dinner...right now?" (Aries- not so much on the patience factor.)

With Chris trying to mask his shell shock, we proceeded out together to find a restaurant. Every place was packed full of cars, and we were both too nervous and distracted to even realize why...until Chris chuckled, nodded his head and announced, "I know why all of the restaurants are crowded; it is Valentine's Day!" What can I say, we were two single people who up until 15 minutes before had had no expectations of plans, romantic or otherwise, that evening. We opted for the most unromantic place, Kaldi's, a coffee house in downtown Cincinnati, where we knew we would be seated without delay. The details of our meal and conversation don't particularly stand out in my memory.

Chris later told me that when we returned to NKU, so I could get back to working on the pianos and he could pick up his truck to go home, he thought it was a good sign when I took his phone number by directly entering it into my cell phone. But the best move he made was when he called the very next day, and invited me out on a REAL date for the next night, with theater tickets, dinner, and a flower when he arrived at my door. (His parents raised him well!) He was shy in the beginning, but always a gentleman.

Six years later, the shyness has worn off, but the gentleman part...that's just who he is.

I do believe there is someone for us all, if we are willing to search a bit. I am blessed to have found my Valentine. I'm wishing everyone else the same good fortune on this day of love.